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Debate about the best clinical approach to the management of asymptomatic patients with ventricular pre-excitation and advice on whether or not to invasively stratify and ablate is on-going. Weak evidence about the real risk of sudden cardiac death and the potential benefit of catheter ablation has probably prevented the clarification of action in this not infrequent and sometimes conflicting clinical situation. After analysing all available data, real evidence-based medicine could be the alternative strategy for managing this group of patients. According to recent surveys, most electrophysiologists invasively stratify. Based on all accepted risk factors – younger age, male, associated structural heart disease, posteroseptal localisation, ability of the accessory pathway to conduct anterogradely at short intervals of ≤250 milliseconds and inducibility of sustained atrioventricular re-entrant tachycardia and/or atrial fibrillation – a shared decisionmaking process on catheter ablation is proposed.
Arrhythmia & Electrophysiology Review 2018;7(1):32–8.
The best clinical approach to managing asymptomatic patients with ventricular pre-excitation has yet to be established. The clinical benefit of identifying and treating asymptomatic patients at risk of sudden cardiac death (SCD) has been debated since catheter ablation became effective and safe for the treatment of accessory pathways (APs). Data supporting current recommendations are mostly derived from observational studies, with few data coming from randomised clinical trials, and most studies only include a small number of patients. The very low incidence of SCD in asymptomatic patients reported by most studies has also contributed to the debate. As most patients are healthy young people who are expected to have a long life, a large, long-term randomised clinical trial evaluating mortality (no treatment versus catheter ablation) could provide the necessary evidence-based information to support recommendations. The impact that the low risk of SCD in asymptomatic patients with a chronic heart abnormality has on quality of life, career options and patients’ work life could also be considered. Evidence-based medicine has formed the basis of teaching and clinical practice for >20 years,1 but real evidence-based medicine has recently been proposed as a different approach to clinical decision-making based on expert judgment and sharing decisions with patients through meaningful conversations.2 This approach, taking into account the limitations of available evidence, could provide an alternative strategy for managing asymptomatic patients with ventricular pre-excitation.
Table 1 shows all-cause mortality in patients with WPW syndrome compared with matched individuals without the condition. Borregaard et al. found no difference between patients with WPW syndrome who underwent radiofrequency ablation when compared to an age- and gender-matched control group.38 However, different results were found by a recent multicentre system-wide retrospective study comparing the long-term results in three groups of patients: those with WPW who underwent ablation; those with WPW who did not undergo ablation; and age- and gender-matched individuals without WPW.39 The patients who underwent ablation were younger (39.2 ± 17.0 years) than those who did not (46.4 ± 19.6 years) and those in the control group (43.4 ± 19.0 years). They were less likely to have hypertension, diabetes, renal failure and coronary artery disease. The total mortality and cardiac arrest rates were similar between WPW patients (ablation and no ablation) and the control group. However, cardiac death was significantly higher in the WPW population than the control group (7 % versus 4.6 %, respectively; p<0.0001). The WPW patients who did not undergo ablation had a higher risk of death in the long-term, with a trend towards more cardiac arrests and cardiac deaths than patients who did receive ablation. In the propensity analysis, the ablated group had significantly lower mortality and cardiac death rates than the non-ablated group (6.1 % versus 11.6 % and 2.8 % versus 5.9 %, respectively). A large nationwide retrospective observational study including 6,086 WPW patients aged <50 years (41.5 % ablated) showed a low mortality of 0.69 % at 11 years.11 When catheter ablation was included in the risk analysis, this variable was associated with a significantly lower risk of mortality.
Some clinical variables such as gender, younger age, structural heart disease and septal localisation of AP have been associated with a higher risk of SCD.
Fan et al. showed that some electrophysiological (EP) properties of the AP were associated with a higher risk of SCD. A shorter anterograde effective refractory period (AERP) of the bypass tract and pre-excited R-R interval during AF were significantly less prevalent in the older group (>50 years versus <30 years).42 However, in a group of 92 asymptomatic patients (10–69 years), Brembilla-Perrot et al. demonstrated that although STV was not inducible by trans-oesophageal stimulation in any patients aged 50–69 years, rapid conduction was seen throughout the AP in all groups (21 % in 10–69 year olds: 27 % in 20–29 year olds, 27 % in 30–39 year olds, 6 % in 40–49 year olds and 23 % in 50–69 year olds).43 They concluded that older patients remain at risk of threatening arrhythmias.
the shortest pre-excited R-R interval (SPERRI) during spontaneous or induced AF.
Sodium channel-blocking agents (procainamide, propafenone and ajmaline) have been used to determine the anterograde AP conduction. Loss of pre-excitation under these drugs has been correlated with a longer AERP.51,53,54 However, these pharmacological tests are now rarely used.
The shortest cycle length with one-to-one conduction by incremental atrial stimulation has been used to differentiate groups of patients with and without VF. Although all patients in the VF group were capable of anterograde conduction over the accessory pathway at cycle lengths of ≤300 ms, considerable overlap between groups was observed by Klein et al.32 Another possible limitation is the fact that sometimes it is not possible to evaluate this measurement because of the appearance of arrhythmias during incremental atrial pacing.
In 2003, Pappone et al. published data from 212 asymptomatic patients with ventricular pre-excitation (mean age 33.6 ± 14 years, 64.8 % male) evaluated with a baseline EP study.22 At the end of a mean follow-up of 37.7 ± 16.1 months (range 14–60 months), 15.6 % of the group (33/212) had developed arrhythmic events. Of the patients that completed the follow-up EP study after 5 years, 29 % (47/162) were inducible, 10.5 % had non-sustained AF (2.5 % with isoproterenol), 12 % had sustained AVRT (5.5 % with isoproterenol) and the remaining 6.5 % had AVRT that degenerated into totally pre-excited sustained AF. Of the 20 % of patients that became symptomatic due to spontaneous arrhythmias (33/162, mean age 20 ± 8.6 years), SVT was documented in three-quarters (25/162) and AF in a quarter (8/162). VF was documented in 1.8 % of patients (3/162), all of whom had previously documented AF; two were aborted SCDs and one was a sudden death. The group of patients that became symptomatic were younger and had a significantly shorter AERP (246.6 ± 27.5 milliseconds) than patients who continued to be asymptomatic (283 ± 29.9 milliseconds). Inducibility (sustained AVRT or AVRT triggering AF) was found to be a better predictor of arrhythmic events than AERP. All three patients who experienced VF had multiple APs, an AERP ≤250 milliseconds and were inducible (SVT triggering AF). Only 3.5 % of non-inducible patients (4/115) became symptomatic during follow-up, suggesting that non-inducibility has a good negative predictive value.
In 2009, Santinelli et al. presented the results of a longer prospective observational study of 293 adults with asymptomatic pre-excitation (median age 36 years, 61.4 % male) in whom a baseline EP study evaluating inducibility was performed (reproducible induction of AVRT or AF lasting at least 1 minute).20 The occurrence of a first arrhythmic event was determined during a median follow-up of 67 months (range 8–90 months). Arrhythmic events appeared within a median follow-up of 27 months (range 8–55 months) in 10.5 % of patients (31/293) with a median age of 25 years: 5 % had AVRT (14/293) and 5.5 % had potentially life-threatening arrhythmias (1.5 % AVRT degenerating into AF and 4 % with AF). In the multivariate Cox analysis, younger age, AERP ≤250 milliseconds and inducibility were predictors of total and potentially life-threatening events. There was a high predictive positive value of 80 % when all three factors were present.
In the most recent, largest and longest single-centre, prospective, observational study by Pappone et al., 2,169 symptomatic and asymptomatic patients were divided into two groups according to their decision whether or not to undergo catheter ablation.44 At the end of the follow-up period (>8 years), a total of 756 patients (35 %) were asymptomatic: 206 that were ablated and 550 that were not. After a median follow-up of 22 months (range 15–41 years), 13 non-ablated asymptomatic patients developed VF (aborted cardiac arrest in all cases). An additional 48 asymptomatic patients experienced AF with a SPERRI ≤250 milliseconds after a median follow-up of 46.5 months (range 36.0–58.5 months). All of these patients were successfully ablated immediately after the event. All 13 asymptomatic patients that experienced VF had a SPERRI ≤240 milliseconds, multiple APs were present in 31 % (4/13) and 69 % (9/13) were inducible for AVRT triggering AF. Cox proportional hazards model showed that VF and AF with a SPERRI ≤250 milliseconds were independently associated with short AERP (≤240 milliseconds) and inducibility of AVRT degenerating into AF.
Di Mambro et al. showed that the EP properties of APs, including the SPERRI, assessed by trans-oesophageal EP study in asymptomatic paediatric patients (n=73) were similar to symptomatic patients (n=51).56 The only difference was a higher rate of orthodromic AVRT non-rest inducibility (mostly isoproterenol infusion) in symptomatic patients. They concluded that the potential risk of SCD in asymptomatic patients based on SPERRI measurement seems to be similar to that in symptomatic patients but that asymptomatic individuals were ‘protected’ by a lower rate of AVRT inducibility.
Observational data have shown that isoproterenol can modify the EP properties of APs and inducibility of supraventricular arrhythmia in patients with ventricular pre-excitation. Pauriah et al. demonstrated a significantly shorter atrial CL with one-to-one conduction (194 ± 15 milliseconds versus 223 ± 30 milliseconds) and AERP (191 ± 18 versus 225 ± 28) under isoproterenol in severely symptomatic adult patients while no difference in inducibility was found.57 De Ponti et al. observed a significantly shorter SPERRI and AERP in a group of 40 asymptomatic patients with persistent pre-excitation at exercise stress test who had a SPERRI >250 milliseconds and no AVRT inducible at baseline.58 Kubus et al. identified an additional 36.4 % of high-risk patients (SPERRI/shortest cycle length with one-to-one conduction ≤250 milliseconds or AERP ≤250 milliseconds; or STV inducibility) with isoproterenol when high-risk parameters were absent at baseline EP study in a group of 85 asymptomatic paediatric patients with persistent pre-excitation at maximum exercise.59 According to the recommendations for competitive sports participation in athletes with cardiovascular disease, asymptomatic athletes with pre-excitation and a SPERRI <220 milliseconds during effort or isoproterenol infusion are considered to be at increased risk of SCD.60 When conscious sedation/general anaesthesia is used, particularly in children, the use of isoproterenol may evoke real adrenergic stimulation and can better characterise the anterograde conduction of the AP. Although the role of isoproterenol challenge has yet to be clearly defined, it seems reasonable to look for high-risk EP parameters under isoproterenol when they are absent at baseline EP study.
The result of prophylactic catheter ablation in asymptomatic patients was first evaluated in a randomised clinical trial of patients from two centres in 2003.26 A total of 76 high-risk patients (≤35 years old with reproducibly-induced arrhythmias) out of 224 eligible patients were enrolled. In the final analysis, 35 control patients and 37 ablation patients were compared. In a median of 27 months (range 9–60 months) of follow-up, there were two arrhythmic events (5 %) in the ablation group where the atrioventricular nodal re-entrant tachycardia was successfully ablated. After a median follow-up of 15 months (range 8–53 months), 60 % of the control group patients had experienced an arrhythmic event (15 had SVT, five had AF and one had VF as a first manifestation with previous AVRT triggering AF, a SPERRI of 200 milliseconds and multiple septal APs). The estimated 5-year arrhythmic event rate was significantly higher in the control group (77 %) than the ablation group (7 %); ablation led to a risk reduction of 92 %. No major complications were observed in the ablation group and no patients died.
In 2004, a randomised clinical trial evaluated the results of prophylactic catheter ablation in children with asymptomatic pre-excitation.63 Out of 165 eligible patients aged 5–12 years, 60 high-risk patients (with reproducibly-induced ARVT or AF) were randomised to control or ablation. During a median follow-up of 34 months (range 19–44 months), 27 control patients and 20 ablation patients were compared. One 11-year-old ablation patient had an atrioventricular reciprocant tachycardia (AVRT) 21 months after the ablation of two APs. In contrast, after a median follow-up of 19 months (range 16–22 months), an arrhythmic event was detected in 44 % of the control patients (12/27). Of these, symptomatic arrhythmias (AVRT in five patients and AF in two patients) were documented in 26 % of patients (six boys and one girl) and Holter-documented silent episodes of sustained AF were observed in 18 % (five patients). After declining radiofrequency ablation, one 10-year-old died suddenly and another two patients experienced VF. All three patients were boys, had multiple APs and inducible AVRT and AF. The freedom from arrhythmic events was significantly higher in the ablation group compared with the control group. Independent predictors of arrhythmic events were the absence of prophylactic ablation (hazard ratio [HR] 69.4; 95 % confidence interval [CI] 5.1–950; p=0.001) and multiple accessory pathways (HR 12.1; 95 % CI 1.7–88.2; p=0.01). The estimated number of high-risk patients needed to treat to prevent arrhythmic events in one patient was two (95 % CI 1.4 to 3.1). Although there was a high percentage of total complications associated with EP study (15 %) and catheter ablation (5 %), most were minor complications and no death occurred.
In the largest and longest single-centre, prospective, observational study, Pappone et al. observed a success rate of 98.5 % in the ablation group (among the 1,168 patients, 206 were asymptomatic), no deaths were associated with the procedure and there was a very low rate of major complications (complete atrioventricular block in 0.08 %). Kaplan–Meier analysis at 8 years showed that catheter ablation was associated with a significantly better survival free from malignant arrhythmias (AF lasting >1 minute with a SPERRI ≤250 milliseconds) and from VF.
There are varying epidemiological data on the risk of SCD in the natural history of asymptomatic patients. When some populations are excluded (i.e. Italian studies), the rate of SCD is similar to that observed in the general population. Therefore, it is possible that the real incidence of SCD is still unknown, see Table 3.44,72-75 Although low or very low, the presence of pre-excitation in an asymptomatic, generally young, healthy people adds a definite risk of SCD. There is also a very low but definite risk of mortality associated with catheter ablation. Although evidence from randomised clinical trials demonstrates the benefit of catheter ablation, it may not support a Class I indication because these studies are not multicentre trials and the number of patients included is low.26,63 Consequently, a large, long-term, multicentre randomised clinical trial of catheter ablation in asymptomatic patients would provide the best evidence on which to recommend treatment. However, for many reasons, this kind of study maybe never be performed.
The main argument against studying and treating asymptomatic patients has been the poor predictive accuracy (low specificity and low positive predictive value) of non-invasive and invasive risk stratifiers due to the low event rate of SCD. Many patients would be unnecessarily treated and exposed to the risks of EP study and catheter ablation if all such asymptomatic patients were treated. A negative predictive value of <100 % will leave some patients exposed to an avoidable risk of SCD and according to published surveys, in clinical practice most electrophysiologists choose to invasively stratify and ablate this group of asymptomatic patients.79,80 Pappone et al. showed that 70 % of electrophysiologists performed an EP study for risk stratification and prophylactic ablation80 and Campbell et al. that 84 % of paediatric electrophysiologists used some form of EP study to risk-stratify asymptomatic children with ventricular pre-excitation.79 Consequently, and taking into account these data, most electrophysiologists are managing asymptomatic patients according to ‘real’ evidence-based medicine.2 After a critical analysis of the available evidence, expert judgment, discussing the risks and benefits of the procedure – including potential benefits beyond mortality, such as better quality of life – an EP study to stratify risk and an ablation procedure should be considered when accepted high-risk factors are present and whenever the risk of complications judged by localisation is low (i.e. atrioventricular block risk in the para-Hisian and mid-septal regions), see Figure 1. This strategy seems to be more accepted than conservative management in clinical practice.
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Al-Khatib SM, Arshad A, Balk EM, et al. Risk Stratification for Arrhythmic Events in Patients With Asymptomatic Pre-Excitation: A Systematic Review for the 2015 ACC/AHA/HRS Guideline for the Management of Adult Patients With Supraventricular Tachycardia: A Report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Clinical Practice Guidelines and the Heart Rhythm Society. J Am Coll Cardiol 2016;67:1624–38.
Campbell RM, Strieper MJ, Frias PA, et al. Survey of current practice of pediatric electrophysiologists for asymptomatic Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome. Pediatrics 2003;111:e245–7.
Pappone C, Radinovic A, Santinelli V. Sudden death and ventricular preexcitation: is it necessary to treat the asymptomatic patients? Curr Pharm Des 2008;14:762–5. | 2019-04-21T11:02:30Z | https://www.aerjournal.com/articles/asymptomatic-ventricular-pre-excitation |
Browse the Denodo partner list to find the experts who can help meet your business goals.
adesso is one of the leading IT service providers in the German-speaking area and focuses its consulting and software development activities on the core business processes of companies and public authorities. adesso’s strategy is based on three pillars: the deep industry-specific know-how of its staff, the comprehensive expertise in technology and the application of reliable methods in software implementation projects. Following this approach, adesso develops superior IT solutions, which enhance the competitive position of a company. adesso was founded in Dortmund in 1997 and employs more than 2,600 members of staff in eighteen offices.
GetSmarter needed a solution that would provide a single, enterprise-wide view into company data held in disparate systems and simplify data governance and security.
Mike Dickson, Sales Engineer at Denodo gives a brief demonstration of how Denodo Platform and Amazon Redshift together can help combine on-premise and cloud data sources inside Amazon AWS for cloud modernization, hybrid cloud deployment or any other project involving Amazon cloud.
Denodo’s native connectivity with Amazon Redshift and other on-premise and cloud data sources helps companies integrate petabyte-scale data in real-time by leveraging Denodo’s performance optimizer.
The Denodo Platform for AWS accelerates data virtualization adoption with ready-to-use software on the scalable Amazon platform. Try it for free from the AWS Marketplace.
BITanium is a proud South African company. We expose the power of data to make our customers more competitive. We believe that data is the last remaining competitive differentiator – how you treat it, keep it and use it defines the difference between mediocrity and success. We help our customers transform their data from its raw state into a finished, valuable and actionable product. This is achieved through data storage, analysis, visualization and deployment solutions. The insight produced enables intelligent business decisions that make the difference between remarkable and average.
BNova is an Italian consulting company with a mission to support its clients in strategic decisions and development of Business Intelligence solutions. BNova was founded in 2006 and became fully operational in early 2007. BNova has years’ of experience in implementing successful customer projects with a multitude of Italian companies. They provide technical consultation on architecture of BI and big data systems, engineering and implementation of BI and big data solutions, training and technical support. BNova has a rich history with customer experience and references across the following sectors: services, finance, insurance, public administration, retail and telco.
Canny Technology Solutions (Canny Tech) is a trusted Data and Analytics Solution partner that consistently delivers business results to its clients. Canny Tech is a US based company offering Services in Data Integration, Data Quality, Data Virtualization, MDM, NLP, Video Analytics, API Management and Mobile/Web App development. We are known for the acceleration capabilities to improve code productivity. Our tool "Denostan" standardizes the Denodo objects swiftly and are used by the customers in the deployment process.
"Our experience with Denodo is tremendous. Denodo has extensive capabilities in Data Virtualization which enabled our customers in providing significant value to the business needs in a rapid manner. Denodo team is also very responsive and supportive for us to strengthen our technical expertise in Denodo. We collaborated with them so closely to build the optimal solutions for the Customers in their DV journey."
Carahsoft has a proven history of helping government agencies find the best possible technology solution at the best possible value. Each customer works directly with a dedicated account representative to determine a solution tailored specifically to meet his or her needs. They combine their extensive knowledge of the technologies provided, with a thorough understanding of the government procurement process, to analyze needs, provide configuration support, simplify the ordering process, and offer special government pricing.
Check out Denodo's page on Carahsoft to get more details.
Cloudera is revolutionizing enterprise data management by offering the first unified Platform for Big Data, an enterprise data hub built on Apache Hadoop. Cloudera offers enterprises one place to store, access, process, secure, and analyze all their data, empowering them to extend the value of existing investments while enabling fundamental new ways to derive value from their data. Cloudera’s open source Big Data platform is the most widely adopted in the world, and Cloudera is the most prolific contributor to the open source Hadoop ecosystem. As the leading educator of Hadoop professionals, Cloudera has trained over 22,000 individuals worldwide. Over 1,000 partners and a seasoned professional services team help deliver greater time to value. Finally, only Cloudera provides proactive and predictive support to run an enterprise data hub with confidence. Leading organizations in every industry plus top public sector organizations globally run Cloudera in production.
Supported by the Cloudera Enterprise platform, Cloudera’s Enterprise Data Hub (EDH) is a turnkey solution for Hadoop deployments, which lets companies set up secure, enterprise-caliber Hadoop implementations quickly and easily. Understand how the re-certification on Cloudera Enterprise 5 helps make Hadoop deployments easy and straightforward for customers.
This cookbook is a deep dive into one of the data virtualization patterns that are vital in a modern data processing infrastructure. This document explains what a hybrid data warehouse is, what role each of the components play, and how to implement successful data warehouse off-loading in your organization.
This brief explores CDH and the Denodo Platform, and how these technologies process, integrate and make information available to consuming applications in a manner that is meaningful to the business.
This brief explores 3 use cases that demonstrate the power of CDH and Denodo Platform - Data Warehouse Offloading, Logical Data Warehouse, and the Internet of Things.
Cloudera Enterprise and the Denodo Platform for data virtualization are a perfect combination for the modern data center. Read this post to learn how these technologies enable you to implement flexible and scalable solutions within your data processing infrastructure, where Cloudera provides the data management and analytics capabilities and Denodo provides a data virtualization layer.
IT infrastructure transformation and analytics and BI enablement are our core competencies. CloudFectiv brings to bear many years of cloud computing and data virtualization knowledge and experience along with a continuous and automated cloud based data quality assessment and monitoring solution that allow for the definition of monitoring and transformation rules which continuously and comprehensively monitor data at the value level to identify and flag source systems data when certain quality attributes violates certain preset thresholds.
This disruptive approach, a key component of our analytics and BI enablement offering eliminates the time consuming and costly manual process of data quality assessment and offers close to real time detection of anomalies and security threats within enterprise data sources.
At Compegence, we are focused on creating “Information Advantage” for the business. We bring deep expertise helping companies navigate the "Competing with Analytics Journey". We follow ‘Business Acumen + Process + Data + Domain + technology’ approach to create “Information Advantage”. We bring deep expertise in the decision intelligence lifecycle that includes data ingestion, data integration, data warehouse, business intelligence, analytics, data and text mining, big data and process excellence. This spectrum of expertise is vital to navigate the “Competing with Analytics Journey”. The ForeWarn Solution from Compegence provides real time detection of trends, anomalies and patterns. It provides the early warning mechanism for your business opportunities, risks and threats, including fraud, risk and pilferage. Compegence services include, managed BI and analytics services, data lake with big data and Hadoop, distributed data and data virtualization, predictive modeling, data mining, and text mining.
EOH provides business and technology solutions across all major industry verticals. Our business model embraces consulting, technology and outsourcing. These services are applied to provide high value, end to end solutions for our client. EOH differentiates itself on the quality of its people: Our people combine best business practices with state of the art technologies that ensure delivery of optimum client solutions. EOH not only designs and builds world class solutions. Through our outsourcing services we also run these systems and solutions on behalf of our clients.
"Denodo is a trusted partner, helping us to provide our customers with the technology, knowledge, skills, and organizational ability they need to thrive."
Understand the benefits and use cases of data virtualization in the EOH customer base.
Learn about the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) customer case study for data virtualization, and how Denodo and EOH have joined forces to provide solutions for the wider business community in South Africa to solve data integration challenges.
Founded in 1987, the company is now represented with a global team of around 5,000 employees in Europe and North and South America. The GFT share is listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange’s Prime Standard (ISIN: DE0005800601).
HCL is a business enterprise with presence in the fields of technology and healthcare. Founded in 1976 as one of India's original IT garage startups, the HCL enterprise currently comprises three companies in India - HCL Technologies, HCL Infosystems and HCL Healthcare with annual revenues of US$ 6.5 billion and over 105,000 professionals from diverse nationalities operating across 31 countries including over 500 points of presence in India. In the technology space, HCL’s offerings span a wide range of software and hardware services and solutions including R&D, Technology Services, Enterprise and Applications Consulting, Remote Infrastructure Management, IT Hardware, Systems Integration, Distribution of Technology and Telecom Products.
"The collaboration between us and the Denodo teams have been excellent. We feel like the ability to be able to implement either on premise or on cloud gives us a way to get to market quickly for our customer solutions."
Watch this webinar to learn why data virtualization is important for advanced analytics and data science.
An interview with Nick Sarkisian, Associate VP North American Analytics Head from HCL, a Denodo partner and official sponsor of Denodo DataFest 2017.
In this interview, Andreas Shüldt Director Business Analytics Services Europe from HCL discusses the trends that they are witnessing now in the BI space.
Understand the data management challenges faced by the HCL customer base and how can data virtualization helps to overcome these challenges.
Understand the opportunities and benefits towards modern, agile approaches for data integration.
"By leveraging the Denodo Platform together with Hadoop, our mutual customers are tapping into the intersections of the IoT, machine learning, and artificial intelligence, to drive transformative data initiatives."
Speaker Dinesh Chandrasekar, Director of Product Marketing, Hortonworks explains why big data and data virtualization should be core technology components of your digital transformation.
An interview with Piet Loubser, VP Product and Solutions Marketing at Hortonworks discussing the key trends in the big data space.
Watch this webinar to learn what is under the hood of the data virtualization optimization engine.
Understand how consumer trends are changing and how current EDW architectures are being enriched with new technologies such as data virtualization.
Denodo Platform 6.0 earns HDP, YARN Ready, and Security Ready badges.
Learn about the key use cases that involve data warehouse offloading and data virtualization.
Understand how Hadoop and data virtualization simplify data management and self-service data discovery.
Guest speakers and experts from Forrester Research, Hortonworks, and Denodo discuss three ways to be successful in big data projects.
This webinar describes how Vizient simplified data management and enabled faster data discovery with Hadoop and data virtualization throughout Hortonworks and Denodo solutions.
This brief explores how Denodo Data Virtualization and Hortonworks Hadoop help customers to achieve the maximum benefit from their big data initiatives.
This paper discusses Apache Hadoop, its capabilities as a data platform and how it supports the Hybrid Data Warehouse in combination with data virtualization, to deliver a single unified and coherent logical view on all enterprise data assets.
Ibermática is one of the leading companies that has been providing Information Technology services in the Spanish market for more than 40 years. Its activity is focused on the following areas: ICT consultancy, infrastructure services, information system integration, outsourcing and business integrated solutions. It also offers specific vertical solutions to the main markets: finance, insurance, industry-manufacturing, services, telecommunications, healthcare, utilities and public administration. Today, more than 3,100 skilled people work in Ibermática and its turnover amounts to 225 million euros.
IBM is the world’s largest information technology company, with 80 years of leadership in helping businesses innovate. IBM is dedicated to helping customers, business partners, and developers across a wide range of industries leverage the power of the internet for e-business. More information about IBM is available at www.ibm.com.
In this webinar, John Skier, Director Systems Integration, IBM, explains the role of data virtualization in enabling a data marketplace.
This document describes how a Denodo Virtual DataPort (VDP) database can be accessed from IBM Cognos and how data from VDP views can be used from the Analytics Tool.
Achieve Value and Insight with IBM Big Data Analytics and Denodo Data Virtualization.
InfoRoad, a Cronos company, consists of experienced BI experts with a passion for business intelligence, big data and data warehouse concepts. People inspired by the possibilities and power of data, but also challenged by the weaknesses of traditional BI architectures. As first the service partner of Denodo in Belgium with a unique focus on data virtualization, we seamlessly enhance BI architectures with the DV concept. First time right, enabling a fast ROI for our customers. So let’s team up!
In this interview, Bart de Groeve, Practice Leader at InfoRoad discusses the three main trends that he has witnessed in the analytics and BI markets.
Infosys is a global leader in consulting, technology, outsourcing and next-generation services. We enable clients, in more than 50 countries, to stay a step ahead of emerging business trends and outperform the competition. Our experience gives our clients a distinct advantage. In addition to helping them manage their business, we can power their transformation to a smarter organization as well. This allows them to focus on their core business priorities. An entrepreneurial adventure that began with seven engineers and $250, Infosys is now a publicly traded company driven by 187,000+ relentless innovators and annual revenues of more than $8.7 billion. Visit www.infosys.com to see how Infosys (NYSE: INFY), with US$8.7 billion in annual revenues and 187,000+ employees, is helping enterprises renew themselves while also creating new avenues to generate value.
"Infosys and Denodo have been jointly working to help clients modernize their data landscapes, providing them tangible results and delivering more value from their data. Leveraging Denodo’s virtualization platform and our capabilities in data analytics, we have been able to help several clients in large scale transformational programs aimed at making their data do more for them."
Watch this webinar to learn how data virtualization provides a compliance foundation with data catalog, auditing, and data security.
Understand how the Infosys customer bases are leveraging data virtualization.
To achieve key goals such as revenue growth, competitiveness and regulatory compliance, businesses need to undertake massive transformation exercises. Learn how to leverage the Denodo-Infosys Solution to achieve these transformational goals in months, rather than years.
Intelligence's mission is to help customers have clarity when using data and systems. Intelligence is a 60+ dedicated team that designs, builds and delivers best-in-class advanced analytics and digital experiences to help organizations achieve sustainable impact. Specialties include business intelligence services, web software development, advanced analytics and dashboards, and data migration services.
Kadenza helps you put data in the beating heart of your organization, both technical and organizational. With more than 100 professionals we help organizations with the implementation of self service analytics, data governance, smart finance and their (big) data architecture.
In this webinar, speaker Jonathan Wisgerhof, Smart Data Architect, Kadenza explains how data virtualization provides a common semantic layer for business intelligence (BI) and analytical applications.
Understand use cases and benefits that Kadenza customers are realizing with data virtualization.
This webinar presents the value add of modern data management by leveraging the logical data warehouse.
Using the Denodo Platform as the core solution, Kadenza offers a logical data warehouse solution, which will enable its customers to efficiently provide deeper insights across all enterprise data sources while flexibly reacting to changes.
LabAnswer is the world’s premiere laboratory informatics consulting firm. We partner with laboratory and research organizations to strategically develop and implement systems that transform their business. We architect, develop, and deliver innovative solutions that support scientific and laboratory environments including: clinical, pharmaceutical, biotechnology, consumer products, forensic, government, energy and environmental. LabAnswer's laboratory and scientific data analytics experts give businesses the ability to derive real intelligence from all of the information and data they collect.
Read about this revolutionary system developed with BioStorage Technologies and Denodo.
"Denodo’s data integration capabilities, combined with Looker’s data visualization capabilities, bring speed, agility, and flexibility to our mutual customers. As an increasing volume of data moves to cloud and SaaS based applications, our partnership will add tremendous value for our end customers."
Download this Denodo and Looker case study to learn how Ultra Mobile were able to get insight from all their disparate data sources.
An interview with Geoffrey Guerdat, VP Customer Success at Looker, a Denodo partner and official sponsor of Denodo DataFest 2017.
In this interview Sebastien Fabri, Data Analyst at Looker discusses how Looker's Data Analytics Platform works in partnership with the Denodo Platform.
Learn how Denodo and Looker work together to deliver value to customers such as Ultra Mobile.
Learn about the challenges of traditional analytics approaches and how agile analytics and logical architectures can lead to successful implementations.
Understand the main aspects that differentiate Looker from other business and analytics tools on the market.
This connection guide describes how to connect Looker to a Denodo Virtual DataPort (VDP) database and build a simple dashboard over the data gathered from the database.
The traditional approach to analytics is far from agile. Before you can even ask a question you need to first extract the necessary data and store it, which involves at least three different additional parties: The ETL Team, DBAs, and the BI team.
Using the combination of Denodo and Looker, Ultra Mobile is able to build out dashboards, reports, and analysis that can be delivered in real time to their business leaders and business users.
In this interview, Gary Schiller, Information and Analytics at Mainline Information Systems discusses the big trends in the data analytics market.
Mastek (NSE ticker: MASTEK, Bloomberg ticker: MAST:IN) is an agile, digital transformation solutions provider with over three decades of experience. Every day, over a million people across the UK utilize services that run on Mastek solutions. These solutions are critical to the operations of various public sector organizations, numerous retail, banking and financial services businesses. They include digital transformation, enterprise agile, business intelligence, testing, service management and legacy modernization. Mastek operates in the UK, US and India.
In this joint webinar with Mastek, we discuss how data virtualization enables you to provide the business with the information it needs to make better decisions faster.
"Through Microsoft Azure Marketplace, customers around the world can easily find, buy, and deploy partner solutions they can trust, all certified and optimized to run on Azure. We’re happy to welcome Denodo’s solution to the growing Azure Marketplace ecosystem."
Watch this webinar by Mohan Sankaran, Partner Director Engineering, Azure Data Group, Microsoft to learn how data virtualization facilitates rapid cloud adoption.
The Denodo Platform for Azure accelerates data virtualization adoption with ready-to-use software on the scalable Microsoft Azure platform. Try it for free from the Azure Marketplace.
Founded in 1989, MicroStrategy (Nasdaq: MSTR) is a leading worldwide provider of enterprise software platforms. The Company's mission is to provide the most flexible, powerful, scalable, and user-friendly analytics and identity management platforms, offered either on premises or in the cloud.
"Denodo is leading the charge in big data fabric, helping companies to maximize their big data investments. We are proud to be a Denodo partner; working together, we can accelerate the fast data strategies of our mutual customers."
Understand how data virtualization goes hand in hand with a BI and analytics platform like MicroStrategy to bring self-service capabilities to end users.
MicroStrategy works with partners to meet the analytics and business intelligence needs of joint customers. By combining technical knowledge and expertise with industry experience, we're able to solve many of the toughest business challenges facing our customers.
Mindtree delivers digital transformation and technology services from ideation to execution, enabling Global 2000 clients to outperform the competition. “Born digital,” Mindtree takes an agile, collaborative approach to creating customized solutions across the digital value chain. At the same time, our deep expertise in infrastructure and applications management helps optimize your IT into a strategic asset. Whether you need to differentiate your company, reinvent business functions or accelerate revenue growth, we can get you there. Visit www.mindtree.com to learn more.
Understand the digital data transformation strategy at Mindtree and how this benefits customers.
MongoDB is the next-generation database that helps businesses transform their industries by harnessing the power of data. The world’s most sophisticated organizations, from cutting-edge startups to the largest companies, use MongoDB to create applications never before possible at a fraction of the cost of legacy databases. MongoDB is the fastest-growing database ecosystem, with over 8 million downloads, thousands of customers, and over 650 technology and service partners.
MT AG is an independent technology company, specializing in software development and integration in heterogeneous IT landscapes at medium and large companies. MT AG has cross-industry expertise in data, cloud computing and mobile. These include enterprise-ready IT consulting, IT architecture, software and system integration, cloud-based implementations, business intelligence solutions and maintenance of IT systems. MT AG is privately owned with headquarters in Ratingen Germany, was founded in 1994 and employs 180 people. MT AG serves more than 200 customers through its regional offices in Frankfurt, Cologne, Dortmund and Ratingen.
Neudesic is the trusted technology partner in business innovation, delivering impactful business results to clients through digital modernization and evolution. Our consultants bring business and technology expertise together, offering a wide range of cloud and data-driven solutions, including: custom application development, comprehensive managed services, and business software products. Founded in 2002, Neudesic is a privately held company headquartered in Irvine, California, and is celebrating its 15th Anniversary in 2017. For more information, or to consult with Neudesic to explore enterprise digital evolution, visit www.neudesic.com.
Noah Consulting, a wholly owned subsidiary of Infosys, focuses on delivering information management solutions to clients by providing best-in-class data management, business intelligence, analytics, data integration, information quality, master data management and governance solutions. We believe there is a unique value that flows from combining technical expertise with deep industry knowledge that we use to provide expert consulting and deliver practical solutions to the most complex information challenges in the industries we serve. Noah Consulting is steered by veteran consultants with a track record of uncompromised principles, proven success, and client focus. With an average of 15 years of experience in solving the most complex business problems, our consultants are unrivaled in the industry. Using a client-focused, product agnostic approach, we help businesses extract value from the flood of data they are awash with every day.
This document explains the most typical questions that anyone needs to know about Data Virtualization, and describes the Denodo Platform Architecture, its benefits and the main use cases.
Denodo Platform 6.0 delivers breakthrough performance for big data, logical data warehouses and operational scenarios with the Dynamic Query Optimizer. The Denodo Platform 6.0 now accelerates data virtualization adoption with cloud support, which enables business users to leverage self-service data discovery and exploration.
Denodo Platform 5.5 is in direct response to the industry’s need to deal with a number of challenges including more data types, ubiquitous data, bigger data volumes, data and metadata discovery, and delivering more agility and value than traditional technologies. This datasheet explains the key benefits, features and capabilities on Denodo Platform 5.5.
The value of data virtualization in these industries is illustrated through 3 use cases covering agile business intelligence, competitive intelligence and marketing analytics using web automation, and finally operational use to enrich CRM with unified customer information.
Today’s users demand reports with better business insights, more information sources, real-time data, more self-service and want these delivered more quickly, making it hard for the BI professionals to meet such expectations. This white paper outlines how the use of data virtualization can help BI professionals to accomplish these goals.
Passio Consulting is a company specialized in the management and development of information systems and technology. We are a technology services consultancy focused on planning and implementing management solutions, geared towards different clients, contexts and needs. We aim to provide a service of excellence and value to our customers and partners, and to attract, retain and develop talent. The standards of quality and excellence that we have accustomed to our clients and partners result from the combination of values, skills, ambition and professionalism of our most important asset: The People.
A short video showcasing the executive breakfast organised with our partner Passio Consulting. The event focused on the benefits of data virtualization, with speaker Rick van der Lans, Independent BI Analyst, taking center stage.
Sanmargar Team is a Poland-based business intelligence company founded in 2005. Sanmargar delivers consulting, deployment, training, and technical support related to wider aspects of business intelligence such as data integration, reference data, data quality, meta and master data management, as well as data virtualization and visualization. Sanmargar Team is also the developer of solutions for reference data management – Metastudio DRM, deduplication and data cleansing – Sanmargar DQS (Data Quality Studio). Our projects, in addition to using a high standard of corporate BI solutions (Oracle, IBM, SAP), also use efficient, fully functional commercial solutions based on open source code (Pentaho, SuiteCRM, PostgreSQL, MuleESB, MongoDB). Sanmargar is a Polish partner and authorized reseller for Anvizent, Pentaho, Tagetik, IBM, SAP BusinessObjects, MongoDB, and Denodo.
The SAP® Integration and Certification Center (SAP ICC) has certified that the Denodo Platform 5.5 integrates with the SAP Business Warehouse (SAP BW) 7.4 application and can access metadata and master data of objects, as well as transactional data, in SAP Business Warehouse. Now, organizations can easily integrate data from SAP Business Warehouse with data from other sources such as enterprise applications, Apache Hadoop, NoSQL databases, Salesforce.com applications and more, using a virtual data abstraction layer to avoid physically moving the data.
Semarchy is the Intelligent Data Hub™ company. Its xDM platform solves for enterprise Master Data Management (MDM), Application Data Management (ADM), and Collaborative Data Governance challenges for some of the most well-known brands in the US and Europe. This agile platform leverages smart algorithms and material design to simplify data stewardship, quality, enrichment and workflows. xDM platform to address challenges such as The Global Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). xDM from Semarchy is implemented via an agile and iterative approach that delivers business value almost immediately and scales to meet enterprise complexity. In fact, over 80% of Semarchy clients have a fully functional solution in under 10 weeks.
"Increasingly, conventional data systems are giving way to a new breed of interactive data management across data lakes, on-premises systems, and cloud-based infrastructures, all of which requires cloud and transactional data integration. Partnering with Denodo, our xDM clients have found that data virtualization is the key component to making information governance and master data management work for their business."
Watch this webinar to learn how data virtualization supports complete view of the customer by providing real-time data access to any individual or organization across the company.
An interview with Michael Hiskey, CMO at Semarchy, a Denodo partner and official sponsor of Denodo DataFest 2017.
In this interview, Richard Branch VP & General Manager at Semarchy discusses how they are challenging the traditional view of MDM projects.
Understand why MDM is crucial to the success of big data projects.
MDM and data virtualization solutions deliver enhanced, accurate views of data without costs related to conventional integration.
Understand how a data virtualization layer and a master data management solution can work together to extend the value to the end user.
Learn how MDM and the Denodo platform work together to provide value to both IT teams and the business users in a self-service manner.
Denodo and Semarchy together enable companies to achieve a complete view of the customer by combining data virtualization technology with master data management (MDM).
In every business engagement, Serole seek the opportunity to build long-lasting, strategic relationships. Our approach enhances the ROI for our clients by significantly reducing the time and risk associated with designing and implementation of the required solutions. With special focus, Serole offers customised end-to-end solutions partnering with technology innovators like Denodo. Our values are embraced in the hearts and minds of every Serole employee who then embodies these values and share them with our customers worldwide.
We are a Mexican company that develops technology solutions for project management and operations of organizations. SIA Software has nationwide presence through modern and efficient facilities to provide the best products and services to its customers. It has 2 offices in national territory, in the Federal District and Villahermosa also it have business partnerships in Spain and Germany.
SimplicityBI is a leading Business Intelligence and Analytics company in Canada specializing in developing and implementing simple yet effective Business Intelligence solutions including but not limited to Data Strategy, Data Virtualization and Data Warehouse Architecture. Industry experience includes Oil & Gas, Energy & Utilities, Financial Services, Insurance, Social Media and Transportation. For more information visit www.simplicitybi.com.
Watch this webinar with speaker, Mano Vajpey, Managing Director, SimplicityBI, to learn why organizations need to rethink the way they work with data.
An interview with Mano Vajpey, Managing Partner, SimplicityBI discussing key trends in the broader space of data management and analytics focusing on hybrid infrastructures.
Learn about how the Enmax and SimplicityBI team built an innovative marketplace to serve the needs of users across Enmax and aid in the discovery of data.
Understand the role of data virtualization and how customers are incorporating this technology as part of their overall data strategy.
Understand some of the key customer and market trends in the data integration space.
SimplicityBI have successfully performed Denodo Platform implementations for a wide variety of companies, including Digital Realty, Fastaff, and TransAlta. Read this solution brief to learn about their recent customer success stories, and how Denodo and SimplicityBI have teamed up to help their customers implement solutions that impact the bottom line.
Snowflake is the only data warehouse built for the cloud. Snowflake delivers the performance, concurrency and simplicity needed to store and analyze all an organization’s data in one location. Snowflake’s technology combines the power of data warehousing, the flexibility of big data platforms and the elasticity of the cloud at a fraction of the cost of traditional solutions.
Download this solution brief to understand the value that the Snowflake/Denodo joint solution brings to organizations and data analysts.
Understand what the drivers are behind enterprises moving to the cloud platform.
In this presentation, Andy Kemp, Senior Sales Consultant, Tableau Software discusses how the combined power of the Tableau Analytical Platform and Denodo Platform 7.0 helps allow self-service business intelligence throughout the entire organization.
Download this brochure to learn how the new Tableau Denodo connector offers full interoperability between Tableau and Denodo.
An interview with Nicholas Brisoux, Sr Product Manager at Tableau, a Denodo partner and official sponsor of Denodo DataFest 2017.
Watch this video to learn about the importance of self-service bi and the ability to find the data you are looking for.
Watch this video to learn why data virtualization is the best-fit technology for data democratization.
Learn about the challenges of visualizing big data and how to establish best practices for leveraging Hadoop/Spark through data virtualization.
Understand how Denodo and Tableau work and complement each other.
Combined use of Denodo and Tableau achieves the best self-service BI experience for end users while at the same time IT still maintains control on the actual workload submitted to data warehouses and operational systems.
This connection guide explains how to configure Tableau and Denodo to maximize the compatibility between both tools.
Vertica Advanced Analytics enables organizations to manage and analyze massive volumes of structured and semi-structured data quickly and reliably with no limits or business compromises. Vertica, designed with speed, scalability, simplicity, and openness at its core, provides blazing-fast speed (queries run 50-1,000x faster), petabyte-scale (store 10-30x more data per server), and openness and simplicity (use any BI/ETL tools, Hadoop, etc.) — all at 30% of the cost of traditional data warehouse solutions.
Understand some of the big trends that impact HPE Vertica and how that plays together with Denodo.
Denodo announces that Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) has tested and validated the Denodo Platform for integration with HPE Vertica, the industry’s most advanced SQL database analytics platform.
Understand the benefits of using the Denodo Platform with HPE Vertica, and how you can leverage this integration to improve performance increase information agility.
Learn how to integrate HPE Vertica into the logical data warehouse using the Denodo Platform.
This connection guide provides basic information about setting up connections to HP Vertica from the Denodo Platform. In this document we will show you how to create data sources that connect to HP Vertica, create base views on HP Vertica tables, and query these tables from the Denodo Administration Tool and from a JDBC client.
Read this solution brief to understand the five examples of real companies that are leveraging the combined Wipro/Denodo solution.
An interview with Rakesh Verma, Practice Head, Data Integration, Analytics at Wipro, our partner and official sponsor of Denodo DataFest.
An interview with Ashish Sharma, Analytics Sales Head, UK and Europe at Wipro discussing the biggest trends in data management and digital analytics in Europe.
Watch this webinar to learn how data virtualization facilitates real-time analytics.
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PAUL here claimed two things which are absolutely necessary to success in the Christian ministry. He could call the Gospel, “our Gospel,” and this is a foremost essential in a sent servant of Jesus Christ. Paul, Silas and Timothy, here speaking at once, declare the word which they had preached to be their own in a peculiar sense–every true minister must be able to do the same–we must, ourselves, have been saved before we preach salvation. “I believed, therefore have I spoken,” says the Psalmist. “We also believe, and therefore speak,” say the whole college of the Apostles. Without faith, the religious teacher is a mere pretender unworthy of respect.
The Christian minister must, however, not only believe the truth of what he asserts, but he must experimentally enjoy it. The farmer that labors must, himself, also first be a partaker of the fruit. Before Ezekiel delivered to the people the prophecies which were written in the roll, the voice came to him, “Son of man, eat this roll.” And he did not only take it into his mouth, where it was like honey for sweetness, but it descended even into his bowels and mingled with his innermost self. We must, ourselves, feel the weight of that burden of the Lord which we proclaim to others, or we shall not be ministers of the Apostolic sort, but rather shall be descendants of the hypocritical Pharisees who bound heavy burdens, grievous to be borne, upon other men’s shoulders but were not willing to touch them with so much as one of their fingers.
The Apostle Paul could, with peculiar propriety, call the Gospel his own. On the road to Damascus he had singularly experienced its mighty power. And afterwards–in many trials, in many difficulties, in varied experiences, in furious temptations–he had made each Truth of Scripture his own by having tasted its sweetness, handled its strength, proved its comfort and tried its power! Do not think of preaching, young man, until you have the Truth of God written on your very soul! As well think of steering the Great Eastern across the ocean without knowing the first principles of navigation! As well think of setting up as an ambassador without your country’s sanction as to dare to intrude yourself into the Christian ministry unless the Gospel is first your own.
No amount of training at Oxford, or Cambridge, or anywhere else–no extent of classical or mathematical teaching can ever make you a minister of Jesus Christ–if you lack the first qualification, namely a personal interest in salvation by Jesus Christ. What? Will you profess to be a physician while the leprosy is on your own brow? Will you attempt to stand between the living and the dead when you are, yourself, devoid of spiritual life? The priests of old were touched with the blood upon their thumb, toe and ear to show that they were consecrated everywhere. And none among us must dare to exercise any office for God among His people till first of all we know the cleansing, quickening, refining and sanctifying power of the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ!
It must be our Gospel before we may so much as think of aspiring to the high and holy office of the Gospel ministry. But this alone is not sufficient. The Christian minister, if he would imitate Paul, must be very careful of his manner of life among the people. He must be able to say without blushing, “You know what manner of men we were among you for your sake.” Unselfishness must be our prominent attribute–all must be done for our people’s sake. And then we must, in our lives, show the truthfulness of our unselfish professions. O God, how much of Grace is needed that Your servants may be clear of the blood of all men and make full proof of their ministry!
It is not for us to say, “Go!” but, “Come!” We are not to bid you do anything without first doing it ourselves. It is an ill time with the preacher when he is compelled to say, “Do as I say and not as I do.” Evil practice will drown the best of preaching! Holy living, intense earnestness, passionate longing for souls, vehement importunity in prayer, humility and sincerity must so blend together in our walk and conversation, that having the Gospel to be our own, we may be fully fitted for the work of the Christian ministry–“for your sake”–that you who bear us may not find us unprofitable in the day of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Having said this much upon the ministry itself, we observe that our text deals mainly with the hearers, and therefore has a voice for you. We shall use the text for two purposes–first, by way of discrimination. And, secondly, for instruction.
The text suggests and very strongly, too, a thoroughly heart-searching DISCRIMINATION–a mode of testing ourselves by which our election may be proven, or our unregeneracy discovered. The Gospel comes to all who hear it. In our own land, especially among you who constantly attend places of worship, it comes to you all. If I understand Scripture aright, it is the same Gospel which comes to the unregenerate as to the regenerate. And though in some it is “a savor of death unto death,” and in others, “a savor of life unto life,” yet the distinction is not in the Gospel but in the way in which it is received or rejected.
Some of our Brethren–who are very anxious to carry out the decrees of God–instead of believing that God can carry them out Himself, always try to make distinctions in their preaching. They preach one Gospel to one set of sinners and another to a different class! They are very unlike the old sowers, who, when they went out to sow, sowed among thorns and on stony places and by the wayside. These Brethren, with profound wisdom, endeavor to find out which is the good ground. They insist upon it that not so much as a single handful of invitations may be cast anywhere but on the prepared soil.
They are much too wise to preach the Gospel in Ezekiel’s fashion to the dry bones in the valley while they are yet dead. They withhold any Word of the Gospel till there is a little quivering of life among the bones! And then they commence operations. They do not think it to be their duty to go into the highways and hedges and bid all, as many as they find, to come to the supper. Oh, no! They are too orthodox to obey the Master’s will! They desire to understand, first, who are appointed to come to the supper and then they will invite them! That is to say they will do what there is no necessity to do. They have not faith enough, or enough subjugation of will to the supreme commands of the great Master to do that which only faith dares do–namely, tell the dry bones to live–bid the man with the withered hand stretch out his arm and speak to him that is sick of the palsy and tell him to take up his bed and walk!
It strikes me that refusing to set forth Jesus to all men of every character and refraining from inviting them to come to Him is a great mistake. I do not find David suiting his counsels to the ability of men. David gives commands to ungodly men–“Be wise, therefore, O you kings; be instructed you judges of the earth. Kiss the Son, lest He be angry and you perish from the way, while His wrath is kindled but a little.” He did not withhold his exhortation because they were such rebels that they would not, and could not, kiss the king. No! He told them to do it whether they could or not!
So with the Prophets. They boldly say, “Wash you! Make you clean! Put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes; cease to do evil, learn to do well.” One of them absolutely cries, “Make you a new heart and a new spirit,” (Ezek. 18:31). And yet, I doubt not, that he was perfectly agreed with that other Prophet who taught the powerlessness of man in those two memorable questions, “Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots?” These men did not think that they were to judge of what they were to preach by the degree of power in the hearers–they judged by the power which dwells in their God to make the Word effectual!
As it was with Prophets, so was it with Apostles! Peter cried to the crowd who gathered about the Beautiful Gate of the temple, “Repent you, therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out.” They delivered the Gospel, the same Gospel, to the dead as to the living–the same Gospel to the non-elect as to the elect. The point of distinction is not in the Gospel, but in its being applied by the Holy Spirit, or left to be rejected of man. The same Gospel, it strikes me in the text, came to all! And the point of distinction was farther on, namely, in the operation of that Gospel upon the heart.
It appears, then, in the first place, that to some the Gospel comes only in words. Even here there are different levels. To some it only comes in words in a fashion that they scarcely know what it is all about. Some of you go to a place of worship because it is the right thing to do. You sit down on the seats and sit out an hour-and-a-half or so of penance. When that is done you feel you have performed a very proper act–but you have no idea what the talk was all about. It may be said of you that hearing you do not hear for your ears are dull and heavy.
You know no more of the Divine mind than the men who were with Saul on the road to Damascus who heard a voice but saw no man. I believe a very large majority of church goers know no more of what the preaching is about than did Jonathan’s lad when he ran after the arrows. Their flight David well understood, “but the lad knew nothing of the matter.” Too many are merely the stolid, unthinking, slumbering worshippers of an unknown God. In others the Word comes in a little better sense, but still in words only. They hear it and they understand it in theory, and probably are much pleased with it, especially if it is delivered in a manner which suits their taste, or which commends itself to their understanding. They hear and they do not quite forget.
They remember and are gratified with illustrations, doctrinal truths, and so on–but when you have said that, you have said it all. The Gospel remains in them as certain potent drugs remain in the chemist’s bottles–they are there but they produce no effect. The Gospel comes to them as an unloaded cannon rumbles into its shed, or as a barrel of gunpowder is rolled into the magazine–there is no force in it because the fire of God’s Spirit is absent. The preacher lashes the air and whips the water. He woos the wind and invites the cloud when he preaches to such as these. They hear, but hear in vain–insensible as steel.
To others it comes in a preferable manner but still only in words. They are really affected by it–the tears stream down their cheeks! They scarcely know how to sit. They resolve, if they once get home, they will pray. They think of amending their lives–past follies and present dangers come before them and they are somewhat alarmed. But the morning cloud is not more fleeing, and the early dew vanishes not sooner than these good things of theirs! They look at their natural face in the glass of the Word, but they go away and forget what manner of men they are–because the emotion felt is produced by the words and not by the Spirit and Life of the Truth of God. Why, Brothers and Sisters, men weep at a theater! And weep far more there than they do in many places of worship!Therefore, merely to weep under a sermon is no sign of having derived profit from it. Some of my Brethren are very great hands at unearthing the dead. They conduct you to the funeral urns of your parents, or remind you of your departed little ones, and possibly they may be the means of introducing better feelings by this kind of working upon your emotions! But I am not convinced of it–I am afraid that much of the holy water which is spilt from human eyes in our places of worship is not much more valuable than the holy water at the doors of the Catholic chapels! It is mere eye water, after all, and not heart sorrow.
Mere excitement produced by oratory is the world’s weapon in attaining its end. We want something more than that for spiritual purposes. If we could “speak with the tongues of men and of angels” and stir you up to as great an enthusiasm as ever Demosthenes worked in the Greeks of old–all that would avail nothing if it were only the effect of the preacher’s impassioned language and telling manner–the Gospel would have come to you “in word only.” And that which is born of the flesh is flesh and nothing more.
At this point I may very solemnly ask whether it is not true of some who compose the present congregation that you know the truth only in word? There is a certain class of persons, and some of them are present this morning, who are professional sermon hearers! You go one Sunday to hear Mr. A. And then another Sunday to hear Mr. B. And you carry with you our sacchraometers–instruments for measuring the quantity of sweetness in each sermon! And you take a gauge of the style and manner of the preacher. You estimate what blunders he makes and how he could be improved. And you compare or contrast him with somebody else, as if you were tea tasters tasting Souchong and Bohea, or cheese mongers trying Cheddar and American!
Some individuals of this order are little better than spiritual vagabonds without settled habitation or occupation! They go about from place to place, listening to this and to that and getting no good whatever. And as to doing good, the thought never enters their brain. You cannot expect that the Gospel will come to you in anything else but as a killing letter, for you go to hear it as merely words. You do not look for fruit–if you see leaves you are quite satisfied. You do not desire a blessing! If you did, you would receive it. It is at once one of the most wicked and one of the most foolish habits to waste our time in constantly criticizing God’s Word and God’s ministers.
Well said George Herbert, “Judge not the preacher, he is your judge.” What have you to do to say of God’s ambassador? That his words were not well mouthed? If God speaks by him, God knows who is best to speak for Him. And if his Master sent the man, beware lest you ill-treat him, or you may suffer like they of old who ill-treated the ambassadors of David and drove him to proclaim war against them.
According to the text, there are others to whom the Word comes with three accompaniments. The Apostle speaks of “power,” and “the Holy Spirit,” and “much assurance.” I do not think that the Word of God comes to many people with all these three things. It comes to a very numerous class with “power.” To a smaller number with “power and the Holy Spirit.” And to an inner circle of select ones “in the Holy Spirit and in much assurance.” If I have the meaning of this passage, and I am not so certain about it as to dogmatize, it strikes me that there are three degrees of effect produced by the Gospel.
At any rate, we shall not be wrong in saying that there is sometimes an effect produced by the Gospel which may be called “power,” but which, nevertheless, is not the power which saves. To many of you, my dear Hearers, the word of our Gospel has come with power upon your understandings. You have heard it, weighed it, judged it, and received it as being true and of Divine authority. Your understanding has assented to the various propositions which we have proclaimed as doctrines of Christ. You feel that you could not well do otherwise. These Truths of God agree so well and are so adapted at once to the ruin of your nature and to its best aspirations, that you do not kick, as some do, against it. You have been convinced of the authenticity and authority of the Gospel by the Gospel.
Perhaps you have never read “Paley’s Evidences,” and never studied “Butler’s Analogy,” but the Gospel itself has come to you with sufficient power to be its own witness to you and your understanding joyfully acknowledges that this is the Word of God and you receive it as such. It has done more than that–it has come with power to the conscience of some of you. It has convicted you of sin. You feel now that self-righteousness on your part is folly, and though you may indulge in self-righteousness, it is with your eyes open. You do not sin now so cheaply as you once did, for you know a little of the sinfulness of sin.
Moreover, you have had some alarms with regard to the ultimate end of sin. The Gospel has made you know that the wages of sin will be death. You feel that you cannot dwell with everlasting burnings. Your heart is ill at ease when you think upon the wrath to come. Like Felix you tremble when you are reasoned with concerning “righteousness and judgment to come.” And though you have put it off as yet and have said, “Go your way till I have a more convenient season,” yet it has come to you so far with a degree of power.
More than this, it has had an effect upon your feelings as well as upon your conscience. Your desires have been awakened. You have sometimes said, “Oh that I were saved!” You have advanced as far, at any rate, as Balaam when he said, “Let me die the death of the righteous.” Your feelings of hope are excited–you hope that you may yet lay hold of eternal life and your fears are not altogether dead–you tremble when under the Word of God. Natural emotions, which look like spiritual ones, have been produced in you by the beaming of the Word–though as yet the Gospel has not come with the Holy Spirit. Beyond all this, the Gospel has come with power to some of you on your lives. I can look with anxious pleasure upon some of you because I know the Gospel has done you much good, though it has not saved you.
Alas, there are others to whom it has only been for a time as a bit and bridle. But they have afterwards turned aside from it. There are those here, who, like the dogs, have gone back to their vomit and, like the sow that was washed, to their wallowing in the mire. We had hope for you once, but we must almost cease to hope. Certain persons rush into drunkenness after seasons of abstinence–having known the evil of the sin–and having professed to hate it. The passion has been too strong for them and they have fallen again into that deep ditch in which so many of the abhorred of the Lord lie and rot.
Oh, may God, in His infinite mercy, bring the Gospel with something more than this common power to your souls! May it come with “the Holy Spirit” as well as with power! You see, we have come up by steps to some considerable height already, but we now come to a far nobler elevation and speak of saving Grace. To many in this house, as at Thessalonica, the Word has come “in the Holy Spirit.” Brothers and Sisters, I cannot describe to you how it is that the Holy Spirit operates by the Word. The work of the Spirit is figured forth by some such mysterious timing as a birth, or as the blowing of the wind. It is a great secret, and therefore not to be expounded.
But many of you know it experimentally. The Holy Spirit, first of all, came to you as a great Quickener. How He made you live you do not know–but this you do know–that what you once had not, you now have! You know that there burns within you a vital spark of heavenly flame far different from that ordinary spark of life which had been there before! You now have different feelings, different joys, different sorrows from any you were conscious of before! While you were listening to the letter which kills, the Spirit of God came with it and the quickening Spirit made you live with a new, higher and more blessed life!
You now have within you Jesus Christ, who is Life and Immortality! You have Heaven begun within your heart! You have passed from death unto life and shall never come into condemnation! To you the Word of God has come with the Holy Spirit in a quickening sense. Then it entered with an illuminating power. It enlightened you as to your sins. What blackness you discovered in your sins when the Holy Spirit once cast a light upon them! Brethren, you had no idea that you were such sinners as you turned out to be. The Holy Spirit startled and astonished you with revelations of that great and fathomless depth of depravity which you found to be surging within your souls!
You were alarmed, humbled, cast into the dust. You began, perhaps, to despair–but the same illumination of the Spirit came in to comfort you–for He then showed you Christ Jesus! He showed you the unbounded power of His blood to take away your unbounded sins! He revealed to you His willingness to receive you just as you were, His suitability to your case and to your circumstances. And as soon as you saw Jesus in the light of the Holy Spirit you looked unto Him and were lightened–and therefore your face has never been ashamed.
So the Spirit of God came to you as light to dispel your darkness and give you joy and peace! Since that time you have experienced the Holy Spirit as comforting you. Amidst darkest shades He has risen as the sunlight upon your souls. Your burdens have been removed by Him, the blessed Paraclete! He has brought Christ, and the things of Christ, to your remembrance. He has opened up to you precious promises. He has cracked the shell and given you to partake of the kernel of the privilege of the Covenant of Grace. He has broken the bone and satisfied you with marrow and fatness out of the deep things of God. His dove-like wings, whenever they brood over you, bring order out of confusion and yield kindly comfort in the midst of adversity.
Not one should be silent!
When the Holy Spirit has blessed the Word, your heart has been like the altar of incense with the flame always burning and a sweet perfume going up, acceptable to the Most High!
Beloved, you have also felt the Holy Spirit with the Word as a spirit of rejoicing! Oh, the bliss we have sometimes tasted! I am very frequently heavy in spirit, but oh, the raptures which my heart has known when the Holy Spirit has shown me my eternal election of God! My standing in Christ Jesus! My completeness and acceptance in the Beloved! My security through the faithfulness of the eternal God! What delights come streaming into the soul when you read of everlasting love, of faithfulness never wavering, of affection never changing, of a purpose standing fast as pillars of brass and firm as the eternal hills!
Beloved, the highest point in the text is, “much assurance.” If I understand the passage, it means this–first, that had the fullest possible conviction of their interest in the Truth delivered to them! They were saved, but better still they knew that they were so! They were clean, but better still they rejoiced in their purity! They were in Christ, but what is more joyous still, they knew that they were in Christ! They had no doubts, as some of you have, no dark suspicions. The Word had come with such blessed demonstration that it had swept every doubt clean out of their hearts!
According to Poole the Greek word used here has in it the idea of a ship at full sail, undisturbed by the waves which ripple in its way. A ship, when the wind is thoroughly favorable and its full sails are bearing it directly into harbor, is not held back by the surging billows. True, the vessel may rock, but it neither turns to the right hand, nor to the left. Let the billows be as they may, the wind is sufficiently powerful to overcome their contrary motion and the vessel goes straight ahead.
I shall leave this first head of the text when I observe that this is the way in which God’s elect are known. The Apostle says, “Knowing, Brethren beloved, your election of God.” Why? Knowing it not by making a guess about it–not by questioning you whether you are awakened sinners–whether you are sensible or insensible sinners! Not by waiting to preach the Gospel to you when you are prepared to receive the Gospel–but preaching the Gospel to you as you were and finding out who were the elect by this–that the elect of God received the Gospel as it came, “in power, and in the Holy Spirit and in much assurance.” This is the test of election–the Holy Spirit blessing the Word!
Then shall it be equally clear that you are the elect of God. May the Lord grant that the word here may ever be like a powerful magnet thrust into a heap of steel filings and of ashes which shall attract all the filings and bring them out. For that is what the Gospel is to do–it is to discern between the precious and the vile! It is to be God’s winnowing fan to separate His elect from those who are left in their ruin. And it only can do this by the way in which it is received, proving the election of those who receive it, “in the Holy Spirit.” Thus much by way of discrimination.
II. Have patience for a few minutes while we now use the text by way of PRACTICAL INSTRUCTION. It is clear from the text, by way of practical instruction, that it is not enough to preach the Gospel. Something more is needed for the conversion of souls than even that. I have stirred you up very often to assist me, dear Brethren, in training those of our young men who have been called to preach the Gospel–that they may be more efficient in their ministry–and you have kindly helped me.
But we must ever bear in mind that though God should privilege us to send out hundreds of His ministering servants, yet there will not be a solitary case of conversion worked by them, alone. We wish to do our best to erect fresh places of worship for this ever-increasing city and it is a happy day to me whenever I see the top stone brought out of a new House of Prayer! But not one single soul shall ever be made to rejoice in Christ Jesus by the mere fact of a place of worship being erected, or of worship being celebrated in it! We must have the energy of the Holy Spirit! There is the one all-important matter!
What is there practical about this? Why, then it becomes more and more imperatively necessary that we should be much in prayer to God that the Holy Spirit would come! We have the spirit of prayerfulness among us as a Church. Let me earnestly entreat you never to lose it. There are certain of my Brothers and Sisters here who are never absent from our great gathering on Monday evening, and whose prayers have brought down many blessings! But it is the part of fidelity for me to say that there are some of you who might be here if you would, but seldom favor us with your presence. Or, let me say, who seldom do yourselves the happiness of waiting up on God in Prayer Meetings. You are not the best of our members. You will never be the best of them if you stay away without having a justifiable excuse.
I do not say this to those who I know must be absent. And I do not say it to bring women out who ought to be seeing to their husbands, or to bring men out who ought to be attending to their shops. But I say it to some who might as well be here as not, and would bring no detriment to themselves whatever by being here. And I must qualify what I say with this–I have less to complain of in this respect than any man in Christendom, for there is no place that I ever knew or heard of where the Prayer Meeting bears so good and fair a proportion to the Sunday gathering as it does here.
But still, Brethren, we want you ALL to pray! I would I could see you all! Oh, it were a happy day if we could see this place full on Monday evening. I do not know why it should not be. It strikes me that if your hearts were once to get thoroughly warmed we should fill this house for prayer. And what a blessing we might expect to receive! Why, we have had such a blessing already that we have not room enough to receive it now! But still, as the cup begins to run over, let it run over and over. There are many churches in this neighborhood that can catch the spillover and may they be profited thereby!
Let us increase our praying as we increase our doing. I like that of Martin Luther, when he says, “I have so much business to do today that I shall not be able to get through it with less than three hours' prayer.” Now most people would say, “I have so much business to do today that I must only have three minutes' prayer–I cannot afford the time.” But Luther thought that the more he had to do the more he must pray, or else he could not get through it! That is a blessed kind of logic–may we understand it! “Praying and provender hinder no man’s journey.” If you have to stop and pray, it is no more an hindrance than when the rider has to stop at the farrier’s to have his horse’s shoe fastened, for if he went on without attending to that, it may be that before long he would come to a stop of a far more serious kind.
Let us learn from the text our own indebtedness to distinguishing and Sovereign Grace. You observe, Beloved, that the Gospel does not come with the power of the Holy Spirit to everybody. If, then, it has come to us, what shall we do but bless and praise the distinguishing Grace which made it come to us? You observe that the distinction was not in the persons themselves–it was in the way in which the Gospel came. The distinction was not even in the Gospel, but in the attendant Holy Spirit, making it effectual. If you have heard the Word with power, it was not, dear Brethren, because you were more ready, because you were less inclined to sin, or more friendly towards God. You were an alien, a stranger, a foreigner, an enemy–you were “dead in trespasses and sins”–even as others were and are.
To Him all the glory belongs.
A third practical lesson we will but hint at, namely, we see that there are degrees of attainment even among those with the same qualities of life–you desire to possess its comforts and luxuries. I will commend you if you carry this into spiritual things. Do not be content merely to be saved, merely to be spiritually alive–ask to be valiant for the Truth of God! I should feel it a great honor, I hope, to be the most common soldier if called upon to defend my country. But I must confess I should not like to be in the ranks always. I should like, at least, to be made a corporal very soon and a sergeant as soon as possible. And I should grumble wonderfully much if I could not rise to rank among the commissioned officers!
I should like to be found doing my very best and I would reach to the most prominent position if I might better serve my country than in the ranks. So I think it should be with the Christian. He is not to seek for honor among men, but, if he can, by getting more Grace be more serviceable to his God and bring more honor to His name, why let him press forward! Ah, my dear Brethren, what business have you to be sitting still and saying, “It is enough.” The “rest-and-bethankful” policy is not much approved of in politics–and in religion it will never do! On! Forward! Upward! As the eagle takes for its motto, “Superior,” and still mounts higher and higher and highertill the young wing which first trembled at the height has grown into the strong pinion which makes him companion of the sun and playmate with the lightning, so let the Christian do! If he has learned to “run and not be weary,” let him seek to “mount up as on the wings of eagles.” Onward, fellow soldier! Be yet more valiant till your name is written among the first three.
You have been told that God waits to be gracious and that whoever looks to Christ shall live! Whoever calls upon the Lord shall be saved! Now, having heard this, regardless of what some may tell you, we feel bound, as in the sight of God, to warn you that if this comes “in word only” to you, it will increase your condemnation! Certain preachers think that this Word is not “a savor of death unto death” to any, but it is, it is! Whatever their theories, whatever hyperCalvinistic theology may say, it is God’s Word that it shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the Day of Judgment than it shall be for cities like Capernaum and Bethsaida, which heard the Word and yet repented not!
Now they could not have been disobedient if it was not their duty to obey. No man is disobedient where there is no law. It is, therefore, the duty of every sinner hearing the Gospel to believe it! And if he does not, this same stone shall fall upon him and shall grind him to powder. Kiss the Son, therefore, lest He, lest He be angry and you perish from the way while His wrath is kindled but a little. The same Savior who blesses will be angry. He who loves His people, grows angry with those who reject Him.
And when His wrath is kindled but a little, woe unto the object of it! Blessed are all they that trust in Him and may we be found among that blessed number to the praise and glory of His Grace, wherein He makes us to differ according to the appointment of His own Divine will. May God bless this assembly for Jesus Christ’s sake. Amen. | 2019-04-21T20:56:16Z | https://www.thekingdomcollective.com/spurgeon/sermon/648/ |
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The notes to the sermon I ministered on Sunday. The Lord led me to say so much more than what is written here, as I minister for well over two hours on this topic, but the notes should get the point across.
We don’t walk by sight. We don’t walk by understanding. We don’t walk by education. We don’t walk by tradition. We don’t walk be creed. We walk by faith.
Faith is a substance. Substance, from the Greek word hypostasis, meaning the essence, the trust, the underlying foundation. Faith is the thing upon which hope is built. Hope in itself is powerless. The world has hope. But it does not trust in that hope. The world knows there is no future in empty hope. People hope to win a lottery. They hope to live to be 100. But deep down they know it will not happen. They have no faith.
If we have faith, we have the essence, the underlying strength and foundation of hope. We have the earnest, the proof. Faith is not some esoteric concept. It is a genuine, spiritual entity. Our faith is the very evidence of that which we hope for. What we hope for exists, and our faith in it is the proof of that existence, for our faith in the Word of God is real.
Our hope is grounded by our faith.
2 Thessalonians 3: 2 And that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men: for all men have not faith.
Some men do not have faith. This is an important concept. If some men do not have faith, then that brings up some questions we need to answer.
Why do they not have faith?
Did they ever have faith?
So we see that the men who do not have faith have actually departed from faith. If they departed from it then they must have first had it. There are three questions answered. But let’s make sure.
Romans 12: 3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.
So indeed all men are given faith. The Lord has given to “every man” a measure of faith. That means Cain had a measure of faith. Judas had a measure of faith. You have a measure of faith. I have a measure of faith. Or at least at some point in time, every man had a measure of faith. But we see that we can lose that faith if we depart from it. So we can lose it, but we have to make the decision to lose it. What kind of decision would make us lose faith? How did Cain lose faith?
Matthew 25: 14 For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods. 15 And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey. 16 Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made them other five talents. 17 And likewise he that had received two, he also gained other two. 18 But he that had received one went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord’s money. 19 After a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and reckoneth with them. 20 And so he that had received five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents: behold, I have gained beside them five talents more. 21 His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. 22 He also that had received two talents came and said, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents: behold, I have gained two other talents beside them. 23 His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. 24 Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed: 25 And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine. 26 His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed: 27 Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury. 28 Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents. 29 For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath. 30 And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
The Lord went away. And the Lord gave to every man a measure of faith. That is what a talent is, a measure. And the Lord meted that measure according to the man’s ability. The Bible says that we will not be tempted greater than what we are able to bear and that the Lord will always make a way of escape. We get a measure of faith based on our ability to deal with it. To some he gave great mountain moving faith, to others, just a mustard seed of mountain moving faith.
Here we get another question answered. Some of the men took their talents and put them to work and gained more talents in return. If we put our faith to work, if we invest it properly, we will get more measures in return. So how do we put our faith to work? There are three ways.
Romans 10: 17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
The very first place to invest our faith is in hearing the word of God. Not hearing the words of man. Not in hearing a lecture. Not in hearing philosophy, or psychology, or creed, or dogma, or tradition, or stories. The first place to invest our faith, the place that will give us the greatest and quickest return on our investment, it to apply that faith to hearing the Word of God, the Revealed Word of God for the Hour. That is where you will gain faith. That is where you will double your measure. Hear the word of God!
Hebrews 4: 2 For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.
Unto us was the word of God preached. Unto them was the word of God preached. But it must be mixed with faith! We can sit and listen to preaching, we can sit at Jesus feet day and night for three and a half years, listen to him preach the word, and it would not profit us one bit if we do not invest our measure of faith into it. Judas is our prime example.
But in our age, look how many have fallen away lately. They sat with us. They fellowshipped at our houses. They were baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. They took the bread and wine at the Lord’s table! They sat and listened to preaching. They listened to tapes and can quote those tapes better than you and I combined. Some were even preaching this message! And they fell away! They are gone out into the world. They are gone out into denominationalism and trinitarianism. They have received the Mark of the Beast and don’t even know it! They are spiritually dead never to return! And it is all because when they heard the word of the Lord God, when they heard the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, when they heard the message of the hour, it was not mixed with faith! They failed to invest that measure of faith.
They have nobody to blame. They were given a measure of faith! Every single one of them was given a measure of faith, a talent of faith by the Lord Jesus Christ. Do you know how big a talent is? A talent of silver is 6,000 day’s pay. A talent of Gold is 180,000 day’s pay. The Lord was not cheap with them, nor with us. Every soul here was given at least one talent, some five talents, some ten talents.
What are you doing with that talent? Are you investing it? Or are you burying it?
The second way to invest your faith is to live it. Act upon God’s word. It is one thing to believe, it is quite another to live it.
James 2: 14 What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, 16 And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit? 17 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. 18 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. 19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. 20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?
Faith without works is dead. Many will say that salvation is of faith and not of works. Amen! And they will also say, correctly that works don’t bring salvation. And again they will say that works don’t bring faith. Amen! But Faith will bring Works! If we truly believe and apply our measure of faith to that which we believe, that which we have heard of the Lord, then our faith will bring works in our lives.
John 10: 25 Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believed not: the works that I do in my Father’s name, they bear witness of me.
John 10: 37 If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not. 38 But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in him.
Matthew 7: 16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? 17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. 19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. 20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. 21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
By our fruit, by our works, we are known. We are not knows by our doctrines. We are not known by our testimonies. We are known by our fruit. We are known by our lives! Our works tell the whole world who and what we are, just as they told the whole world who and what Jesus was. The prophet once said I can’t hear your testimony because your life is speaking way too loud! Your works, my works, they tell the entire world who we are. As James wrote, with my works I show you my faith. Faith brings works. Without works our faith is dead for the fruit of the spirit is the works of the spirit. If a tree is dead, it does not bear fruit. If our faith is dead, there will be no works of faith in our lives.
Let us take a nice Biblical example to vet this out. Abraham. Everyone knows his story to some degree. He was an old man. The Lord came to him and made him a promise to give him a land and innumerable children etcetera. Now Abraham believed God. He absolutely believe the Word of God, the message of his hour. But what good would that have done him to believe and not put it to work? Believing was great. But it was when he mixed it with faith and put it into action that he received the promise.
Abraham could have believed every word and not acted upon it. We just read that the devils believe, and they certainly don’t act upon it. And Abraham, or Abram because the name change was part of the promise, would have died a childless, vagrant in the land of Ur.
James 2: 21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? 22 Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?
Abraham believed every Word. Abraham mixed that word he heard with faith and it produced works. The works were the evidence that he had faith in what he had heard. What are our works?
The third way to invest our faith is to build upon it. Faith is the substance and the evidence. It is also the foundation. We absolutely need faith before we can move on spiritually. If we don’t have faith, we just read, it does not profit us one bit.
Faith is the foundation stone. All these other things are added to our faith. When we invest faith in our lives, in the word of God, in serving the Lord, we will add virtue to that faith. Then when virtue forms on our faith, we add knowledge, and then temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness and finally Agape Love.
This is preaching to the saved! Notice Peter says if we fail at this it is because we have forgotten that we were purged from our old sins. Those who fail at this are foolish virgins. They have faith, they are purged, but they fail to add to the faith. Faith is just the beginning!
So we see that we must have faith. We see that we were all given a measure of faith. We see that we can lose our faith if we depart from it. We see that hearing the word of God gives us more faith if we mix that word we hear with faith. We see that faith in the word will bring the works, or the fruit of the spirit. And we see that if we don’t have the fruit, it is a sign that our faith is dead and buried, like the man with only one talent. We see also that faith is the evidence of things not seen, the essence of our hope.
So now let us go a step deeper. What exactly is faith and how exactly does it work?
Solomon’s Temple. Outer and Inner Courts guarding the Holiest of Holies.
The human being is a triune creature. We have a body, a soul and a spirit. We are living temples of the Lord God. The temple has an outer court, and inner court, and a holy of holies.
We connect with this physical world through five senses. That is our outer court. They are hearing, seeing, feeling, tasting and smelling. With these five sense we connect to the third dimension. We see someone in front of us. We hear them speak. We feel their handshake. That is the outside. We receive information from the outer court of our being through those five channels. And we can’t depend on them. They are outer. The devil will use those against us every time. Oh I feel sick. Oh it looks horrible. Oh it sounds terrible, or sweet, which ever way the devil is trying to trick you. Those are outer court events. Pain, sickness, hunger, are all outer court events. God does not deal through your outer court.
We have five senses that deal with our emotional realm. Conscience, memory, passion, affection, imagination are the senses of the inner court of your being. They can be just as easily tricked. They deal with the mind, the soul of the man. That is the inner court. You don’t imagine with the flesh. You don’t have affections in the flesh. Those are inside of you.
But then we get to the altar. We get beyond the veil. We get to the heart of the man. The veil hangs between the holy and the Holiest of Holies. Inside there is where the spirit of the Living God wants to dwell. Inside there is where Christ comes to sit on the mercy seat.
That is where Christianity is seated. We don’t become Christians in the outer court. We don’t become Christians in the flesh by attending Church service. We don’t become Christians by shaking hands. We don’t become Christians by reciting creeds. We don’t become Christians by speaking in tongues. Those are outer court events.
Nor do we become Christians by believing. We don’t become Christians by accepting creeds, or dogmas. We do not become Christians by believing the message. That’ll sting. Who believes and trembles? The devil! And he ain’t no Christian! Those are inner court events! Those are Old Testament events. Christ doesn’t dwell there! He is the High Priest! He has gone beyond the veil and sits in the Holiest of Holies.
1 Corinthians 12: 13 For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.
Does it say by one doctrine? Does it say by one denomination? Does it say by one preacher? Does it say by one organization? NO! By one spirit we are all baptized into one body! By one Spirit. By the Holy Spirit! When we are filled with the Holy Spirit, the Lord Jesus Christ comes and takes his seat in the Holiest of Holies. He breaks open the veil of our heart and takes his rightful position on the throne.
And how do we get that? It is to whomsoever will. All we have to do is want it, and apply our faith to the word that we hear. Act upon it in faith. When we hear Acts 2:38-39 that tells us to repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, we mix that word with the measure of faith that we were given and the fruit of the spirit, the act of water baptism takes place. We believe, we apply faith, and the Lord responds. Repent! Tear down the veil of your heart and let him in! Tear down the curtains of your own will and give place to the King of Kings in your heart! Apply your faith!
Then the Lord Jesus Christ will sit on the judgment seat in your heart. I knew a woman, nominal Christian, Pentecostal type. When she heard the message she rejected it. Then met some guy and got into an adulterous relationship with him. I ran into her a few months after that had happened and she said it didn’t bother her one bit to do it. Why didn’t bother her? Christ was not sitting on the judgment seat in her heart! It was empty.
When Jesus takes that place, you become a different person. Your flesh tells you to go do something you used to do, and something in your heart condemns you. You can’t do it now. That something is the Holy Spirit of God, the Spirit of Jesus Christ enthroned in you.
But if you live like the devil on Saturday, and sing like an angel on Sunday, and it don’t bother you one bit, then I would wager that Christ simply isn’t in you yet. You might be purged of your old sins. But that judge has not taken his seat. Jesus Christ is missing.
But when Jesus is there you have a sacrifice on the altar. You have a place to go. You have a representation in Heaven. You have a mediator. You have an intercessor. You have a kinsmen redeemer who shed his own blood for your sins. You have a high priest in the Holiest of Holies. And you die daily for it is not you living any more, it is Jesus Christ the Lord of Glory living in you. You are a wild branch that has been grafted into the vine. His life in you bears the fruit. The works that he did will you do also because he is in you working through you.
Faith is the sixth sense. It is independent of all the others. We cannot see faith, nor hear it. Nor can we imagine it. It is completely independent. It is in the domain of the Holiest of Holies. The five senses were given us to contact the physical world. The five emotional senses were given us to control the mind. But Faith, that was given to touch the Soul, that is the only channel that the Lord God uses. Sure you will see visions. You will hear the Word. But without being mixed with Faith, it will not profit us. Balaam saw visions.
We either have faith, or doubt. Faith will contact the Holy Spirit. Doubt will block that contact. Doubt is unbelief. Doubt block the channel to God and thus separates us from God. What separates us from God? Sin.
Hebrews 11: 6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
The only sin is unbelief! Without faith it does not matter what we say or do, we cannot please the Lord God. All our best intentions, all our righteous acts, all our loving, compassionate deeds, all the schools and hospitals we build, all the prisoners we visit, all the sick we attend, all the missions we go on, all the money we tithe and offer, all the children we love, will not and cannot please the Lord unless it is done in faith.
Everything else is an attribute of sin. Why did that woman I mentioned enter into that relationship? Why did it not bother her? Unbelief! Had she believed then she would never have done it, and if she did, she would have repented. But it did not bother her because she had no faith. And she had no faith because she departed from the faith and rejected the Lord.
Take Eve for an example. What was her sin? We would say adultery, but we know that adultery is an attribute of sin. Eve, like the woman I mentioned, did that because she did not believe. She heard the message of the hour preached to her by Adam, but that word was not mixed with faith. Before she ever touched the serpent, before she could believe his lie, she first had to disbelieve the word of God. It is the same for us today. Before you commit that act, before you accept a lie, you must first disbelieve the word of God.
Romans 14: 23 And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.
Whatsoever is not of faith is sin. Without Faith as we just read it is impossible to please the Lord. So now we see it in its full light. There it is. Sin is unbelief. Sin is the absence of faith. So if we build schools, churches and hospitals, if we donate to missions, no matter what we do, or how we do it, if it is not done in faith it is sin.
Brother are you saying it is sinful to build a hospital to help the sick? No I am not saying that, God is saying that. Whatsoever we do without faith is sin! If we come to church without faith, it is sin. If we sing a special without faith, it is sin. If we take the Lord’s supper without faith, it is sin. Whatsoever is not of faith, is sin! Jesus said so himself.
Matthew 7: 21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? 23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
We sin when we depart from the faith. After we sin, then we commit the acts that we call sin. When we act without faith, it is sin, and our actions will be iniquity unto the Lord.
Let’s look at a carnal example to see where sin starts.
Imagine you go to your friend’s house. You sit on his couch and you notice a $20 bill in the cushion. You quickly look around and see that nobody is watching and you pocket that bill. That is theft. But what was the actual sin and when did it occur? You would have had to first disbelieve that the Lord was watching and taking notes. You would have had to then disbelieve that while you were doing it and thinking nobody was watching, that the Lord could have been showing the whole event to you buddy in a vision in the next room. You would also have to disbelieve that the payment that you would pay would be far greater than $20.
So when did the sin really happen? Was it the Sunday before when the preacher was pounding against sin and you thought, “maybe, Maybe not”. Was it on Monday when you had a tape on and the prophet said something so bizarre you couldn’t understand it so you passed it off? You plant an apple seed and harvest seven years later. Sin is the same. The seed of unbelief must be planted, and grow and then it bears fruits. By our fruits they will know us! And it does not matter how religious we are, without faith, it is all sin.
Yet, where there is faith, there is thus no sin.
1 John 3: 9 Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.
Whosoever is born of God, whosoever is born again, whosoever is filled with the Holy Spirit, does not commit sin. Whosoever is born of God does not commit, unbelief! We will make mistakes till the day we leave this world. We will trip and fall daily, somehow, somewhere. That is why we die daily. But we do not commit SIN! We do not disbelieve the Word of God! Sin is unbelief. Unbelief is the opposite of Faith. When we disbelieve the word of God, then we do all those things of our flesh. Smoking, gambling etc are not sins, they are the fruit of sin. But the spirit behind those actions is unbelief. The real sin is the unbelief that leads us to act that way.
That is why all those who did what we would call good works, building hospitals, churches etc, without faith, did it all in sin. That is why the Lord called all their great and wonderful works, iniquity. Who is Timothy talking about here?
2 Timothy 3: 5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.
They are religious. They have a form, a tradition, a creed, a doctrine of godliness, yet without faith. All their godliness is iniquity. Their very religion is sin! Faith is not a tradition. Faith is not a doctrine. Faith is not logic. Faith is not understanding. Faith is not intellectual. Faith is not physical. Faith is not emotional. Faith is spiritual! Faith does not require intelligence. Faith does not require an education. Faith does not require time.
John 6: 66 From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him. 67 Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away? 68 Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life. 69 And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God.
Did Peter or the other 11 have a clue of what Jesus was talking about here? There were just as mystified as the 70 that just turned and left. They were completely clueless. They had no intellectual understanding of it. They were not educated to it. They did not have time to make it a tradition. But they believed it. They had faith. They had no understanding of it, but they still had faith in that word. And they confessed their faith.
Faith is solely in the domain of the soul, in the Holiest of Holies. It is through faith that we contact the Lord. It is through Faith that he contacts us.
Now it is time to take the rest of Hebrews chapter 11.
Hebrews 11: 7 By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith. 8 By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. 9 By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise: 10 For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God. 11 Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised. 12 Therefore sprang there even of one, and him as good as dead, so many as the stars of the sky in multitude, and as the sand which is by the sea shore innumerable. 13 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. 14 For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country. 15 And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned. 16 But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city. 17 By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, 18 Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called: 19 Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure. 20 By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come. 21 By faith Jacob, when he was a dying, blessed both the sons of Joseph; and worshipped, leaning upon the top of his staff. 22 By faith Joseph, when he died, made mention of the departing of the children of Israel; and gave commandment concerning his bones. 23 By faith Moses, when he was born, was hid three months of his parents, because they saw he was a proper child; and they were not afraid of the king’s commandment. 24 By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter; 25 Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; 26 Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward. 27 By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible. 28 Through faith he kept the passover, and the sprinkling of blood, lest he that destroyed the firstborn should touch them. 29 By faith they passed through the Red sea as by dry land: which the Egyptians assaying to do were drowned. 30 By faith the walls of Jericho fell down, after they were compassed about seven days. 31 By faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not, when she had received the spies with peace. 32 And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets: 33 Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions. 34 Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. 35 Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection: 36 And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: 37 They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented; 38 (Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. 39 And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: 40 God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.
The faith that heals us, is the faith that delivers us, is the faith that saves us, is the faith that raptures us. Get rapturing faith! Faith is the only avenue through which the Lord will deal with us. You and I cannot come to the Lord through a man, not even a prophet. We cannot do it through a church. We cannot do it through a doctrine. We cannot do it through a tradition. The one and only avenue to contact the Lord and to have him contact you, to receive anything from him is faith. And every single person was given a measure so in the end we will have no excuse.
Matthew 9: 20 And, behold, a woman, which was diseased with an issue of blood twelve years, came behind him, and touched the hem of his garment: 21 For she said within herself, If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole. 22 But Jesus turned him about, and when he saw her, he said, Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole. And the woman was made whole from that hour.
What made that woman whole? Was it because she touched his robe? Was it because he spoke to her? What made him speak to her? The thing that made him speak to her is the thing that healed her. It was not the body of Jesus Christ for we are told that he was thronged by people. She contacted him through faith, and he spoke back to her and healed her through her faith. He said it himself “thy faith hath made thee whole”.
Does anyone need to be made whole this hour? Is anyone sick, in pain, oppressed? Does anyone have a need of any kind? Ignore what you see. Ignore what you feel. Trust only in the Word of God. Touch him through Faith. Reach out and touch him. Mix your faith with this blessed word of God and touch him. Reach out in faith right now and be made whole. | 2019-04-21T12:07:33Z | http://gods-opinion.com/index.php/tag/temple/ |
What is the date on which the employment agreement is to be signed?
Select the date on which the letter of employment/ employment agreement is to be signed by the employee.
(ii) You providing the Employer with copies of your passport or birth certificate and all documents pertaining to your educational and professional qualifications and references from your previous employers (if any) to the Employer's satisfaction.
(b) You shall be employed with the Employer as ________. The Employer reserves the right to change your designation from time to time at its sole and absolute discretion.
(c) Your period of continuous Employment with the Employer shall be calculated from the Commencement Date.
(d) You warrant and represent to the Employer that you will not breach any obligation binding on you by reason of entering into this letter agreement or performing any of your duties and obligations under it or other third party contractual obligations.
(e) You warrant that all the information relating to you and provided by you to the Employer is true and accurate.
(a) You shall be on probation for a period of ________ from the Commencement Date. During this period the Employer may terminate your Employment by giving you 7 (seven) days prior written notice of termination. You may terminate the Employment during the probationary period by giving the Employer 15 (fifteen) days prior written notice of termination. It is clarified that during the probationary period, if you give the Employer prior notice of less than 15 (fifteen) days or purport to terminate the Employment prior to the completion of the 15 (fifteen) days notice period, you hereby agree to pay the Employer the proportionate part of your salary for that part of the notice period that is not fulfilled.
(ii) Terminate your Employment upon giving you 15 (fifteen) days prior written notice of termination.
(a) As compensation, you shall be entitled to receive a CTC of Rs. ________ (________) per annum.
(b) This shall accrue on a daily basis and be payable in the following periodicity in arrears by the 1 of the subsequent month by transfer to your bank account. It is clarified that 'CTC' shall comprise your total cost to the company and includes all payments made and benefits provided by the Employer directly or indirectly to or on your behalf, whether as salary or otherwise.
(c) You shall be entitled for one time joining bonus of Rs. ________ (________) at the end of a period of ________ from the Commencement Date. To receive the Bonus, you must be in service and not under any notice of termination on the date appointed for payment of Bonus. The Bonus, if any, shall be announced and paid on the dates specified by the Employer from time to time at its sole and absolute discretion.
(d) The Employer will formally review your performance annually. However, if you have not completed 6 months of Employment by the last date of the month in which the performance review takes place, your first review shall take place the same time next year and on an annual thereafter.
(e) The Employer is under no obligation to increase your CTC as a result of any review in performance. Any revision in the CTC following a review shall be effective from and subject to such terms and conditions as the Employer shall deem fit.
(f) The Employer may, in its sole and absolute discretion and based on your performance, pay an annual bonus ("Bonus") of up to ________% of your fixed CTC. While determining the Bonus payable (if any), the Employer may consider the regular feedback received about your performance from clients, managers and co-workers. The decision of the Employer in this respect shall be final and binding.
(g) To be eligible for consideration for the Bonus, you must have completed the following period: ________ of continuous service with the Employer, however based on your performance company may consider you for a pro rata Bonus payout before the completion of ________. To receive the Bonus, you must be in service and not under any notice of termination on the date appointed for payment of Bonus. The Bonus, if any, shall be announced and paid on the dates specified by the Employer from time to time at its sole and absolute discretion.
(h) The Employee acknowledges and agrees that the compensation and the benefits, as described in this Agreement, is the sole compensation to which the Employee is entitled in consideration for the Employee's fulfilment of the Employee's Duties.
(i) It shall be your sole responsibility to meet all requirements under Indian tax laws in respect of all payments made or benefits given under this Contract including proper and timely tax compliance and the Employer disclaims liability for any taxes and other imposts for which you are liable personally. The Employer shall be entitled to make such deductions which, in its opinion, are necessary and appropriate from any payment made or benefit given in connection with the Employment that require such deduction to be made by the employer and the Employer shall provide the Form 16 to the employee evidencing the deductions made.
(j) No liability shall attach to the Employer for your failure to pay any such taxes and imposts and you agree to indemnify and keep indemnified and hold harmless the Employer from and against any and all losses, costs, expenses, claims or demands which the Employer may pay, incur, suffer or sustain directly or indirectly arising out of or in relation to or howsoever connected with your failure to pay such taxes or imposts.
(k) The Employer shall be entitled, at any time during your employment, or in any event on the termination of your employment, howsoever arising, to deduct from your remuneration and any sums reimbursable to you by the Employer, any monies due from you to the Employer including, but not limited to any outstanding advances, payment for excess holiday, overpayment of salary and any other monies owed by you to the Employer pursuant to your employment with the Employer under this letter agreement.
(b) Your duties include those duties that would reasonably be expected to fall within this job title or such other duties, consistent with your status, as may reasonably be assigned to you from time to time to meet the needs of the Employer.
(c) The Employer may from time to time make changes to the position description or to the Employee's Duties, provided that such changes are reasonable in the context of the Employer's industry and in the context of the Employee's position.
(d) The Employer and the Employee may from time to time agree to make changes to the position description or to the Employee's Duties.
(f) The Employee must perform the Employee's Duties in good faith having regard to the best interests of the Employer, and in a careful, conscientious and professional manner and to a standard that can reasonably be expected of somebody with the Employee's level of skill, training and experience.
(h) You shall abide by the Employer's HR Policy notified to you from time to time and in the event of a conflict between the provisions of the HR Policy and this Contract, it is hereby agreed that the provisions of this Contract shall always prevail.
(i) Properly and faithfully serve the Employer and use your best endeavours to protect and further the interests and reputation of the Employer.
(j) Except when prevented by any emergency, illness or accident you will devote the whole of your attention and skill to the affairs of the Employer and use your best endeavors to promote its interests. You shall adhere to, execute, and fulfill all policies established by the Employer.
(a) You shall be employed at the Employer's office in ________ or such other place that the Employer may require from time to time.
(b) The Employer may at its sole and absolute discretion transfer you to any other office of the Employer within India or abroad.
(c) You hereby agree to travel to such parts of India and the world as necessary for the discharge of your duties as the Employer may direct or authorise.
(otherwise than on all holidays as notified in writing by the Employer from time to time).
(b) The Employee will be expected to work ________ hours a week.
(c) The office hours may be amended by the Employer from time to time. However, the Employer has the right to require you to work such further hours on weekdays/weekends and on other notified holidays, with additional payment as follows: ________, determined by the Employer by reference to the need to enhance and/or protect the Employer's interest or business.
(a) You will be entitled to ________ public (preferred) holidays in every calendar year in addition to such public holidays as may be notified by the Employer from time to time.
(c) You are also entitled to ________ days of casual/sick leave in a year. Casual/sick leave cannot be carried forward. Casual/sick leave balance, if any, at the end of the calendar year will automatically lapse.
(d) If you are absent from work and such absence has not been previously authorised by the Employer as provided herein, you must inform your Manager of such absence with reasons as soon as practicable, but not later than on the morning of the first day of such absence.
(a) Any leave taken by you for illness, sickness or injury will be deducted from your casual/sick leave entitlement.
(b) If you are absent from work due to illness, sickness or injury for a period exceeding 3 days, you must give us a medical certificate certifying such illness, sickness or injury on the fifth day following the first day of absence. For any absence thereafter, you shall upon our request provide a further medical certificate to the Employer certifying the continuance of the illness, sickness or injury.
(a) During the course of Employment, you will have access to information (whether or not recorded in writing or on computer disk or tape) which the Employer treats as confidential or which has the necessary quality of confidentiality.
(b)Further, you understand that the Employer from time to time has in its possession information which is claimed by others to be proprietary and which the Employer has agreed to keep confidential. You agree that all such information shall be Proprietary or Confidential Information for purposes of this Agreement.
(II) Use your best endeavours to prevent the publication, disclosure or use of any such Confidential information.
(III) Enter into a Non-Disclosure Agreement ("NDA") and Confidentiality Agreement ("CA") with the Employer.
(IV) Not directly or indirectly refer any information about the company on web based portals i.e Social Networking Sites, Blog etc.
(e) The above restrictions shall not apply to divulging/disclosing information to such persons as may be authorised by the Employer in the course Employment. The Employer's decision as to who shall be permitted to disclose such cConfidential iInformation shall be final and binding on the Employee.
(iii) Is required to be disclosed by any applicable law, regulation or order of the Court or by any competent judicial, regulatory, governmental or other authority or governmental agency.
For the avoidance of doubt, the termination of this letter agreement or variation of any of its terms or conditions for any reason shall not affect the obligations of confidentiality set out above, except that they shall cease to apply to any information or knowledge which may come into the public domain other than by way of unauthorised disclosure in breach of the above obligations by you.
(g) During the term of employment, the Employee will not improperly use or disclose any Confidential Information or trade secrets, if any, of any former employer or any other person to whom the Employee has an obligation of confidentiality, and the Employee will not bring onto the premises of the Employer or Employer's clients any unpublished documents or any property belonging to any former employer or any other person to whom the Employee has an obligation of confidentiality, unless consented to in writing by such former employer or person.
(h) It is hereby clarified that the Employee shall be permitted to take an independent regular membership of non-profit organisations such as ASSOCHAM, ICAI and similar organisations only with the written consent of the employer and subject to the condition that the employee shall not (a) act as a consultant to any entity or organisation other than the Employer; (b) share or disclose any information of the Employer including Confidential Information, or act as a representative of the Employer at such organisations unless specifically authorised in writing by the Employer.
(a) The Employee has submitted to the Employer a complete report with all supporting documents relating to all the Confidential Information, Intellectual Property and all other information developed by the Employee on or prior to the Commencement Date, which would be excluded from the scope of this Agreement. To preclude any possible uncertainty, the Employee sets forth in Annexure attached hereto a complete list of all Intellectual Property, that the Employee has, alone or jointly with others, conceived, developed or reduced to practice or caused to be conceived, developed or reduced to practice prior to the Date of Employment, that the Employee considers to be his/her property or the property of third parties and that the Employee wishes to have excluded from the scope of this Employment.
(b) You shall promptly and fully disclose to the Employer and keep confidential all inventions, discoveries, trade secrets, copyright works, designs or technical know how and improvements, whether or not patentable, and whether or not they are made, conceived or reduced to practice during working hours or using the Employer's data or facilities, which you develop, make, conceive or reduce to practice during your engagement, either solely or jointly with others (collectively, the "Developments") in the course of your Employment. All Developments shall shall be the sole property of the Employer and belong to and be owned exclusively by the Employer, and you hereby irrevocably, absolutely and perpetually assign to the Employer, without further compensation, worldwide rights in respect of all of the right, title and interest in and to the Developments and any and all related patents, patent applications, copyrights, copyright applications, trademarks, trademark applications and trade names in India and elsewhere free from encumbrances of any kind for the full term of each and every such right, including renewal or extension of any such term. Decisions as to the protection or exploitation of any intellectual property shall be in the absolute discretion of the Employer.
(c) The Employee agrees that all originals and all copies of any and all material containing, representing, evidencing, recording, or constituting all or part of the Developments, however and whenever produced (whether by Employee or others) and whether or not protected under copyright law or patentable or protected under other intellectual property law, shall be immediately handed over to the Employer upon its creations and any copies thereof returned to the Employer upon termination of Employee's employment for any reason.
(d) The Employee agrees that the exclusive ownership of all content and/or part of Developments that is not protected under copyright laws and /or other intellectual property law and/or that is not patentable shall be automatically and irrevocably transferred to the Employer from date of creation.
(e) To the extent any assignment of the Developments cannot be made to the Employer or its designees, at present, the Employee hereby irrevocably, absolutely and perpetually agrees to assign to Employer or its designees, all of the Employee's right, title and interest including intellectual property rights therein or any part thereof. You hereby irrevocably, agree to transfer and assign to the Employer all of your entire right, title and interest in and to any and all inventions, discoveries, methods, copyrights, software, data, processes, products, improvements and developments whether or not published, confidential, protected or susceptible of legal protection and whether or not any attempt has been made to secure such protection, which were made, conceived or reduced to practice at any time during the course of your employment with the Employer (whether prior to or after the execution of this letter agreement) by you, in whole or in part at the expense of, on the premises of, with the assistance of the employees or consultants of, or with the equipment or supplies of, the Employer or any of its affiliates, and any and all other confidential information belonging to the Employer. If you are the author of any work, or a subject matter other than a work, that was created or was being created in the course of your employment, the Employer may use it in any manner. You consent to this use whether or not it would, but for this clause, infringe your moral rights. The Employee explicitly waives all moral rights in the Developments.
(f) For the purposes of this clause, you agree promptly to take all action and sign and deliver all instruments as the Employer may require at any time hereafter. During and after the term of the Employee's employment by the Employer, the Employee shall and undertakes to assist the Employer, at the Employer's expense, in every proper way to (i) secure and maintain the Employer's rights hereunder and to carry out the intent of this Agreement and for vesting the Employer with full title of Developments and all rights, titles and interest including intellectual property rights therein and to enable the Employer, its successors, assigns and nominees, to secure and enjoy the full and exclusive benefits and advantages thereof.; (ii) to apply and prosecute registration applications in respect of intellectual property rights and the Developments for the Employer's benefit, in any and all countries; (iii) sign, execute, affirm all documents, including, without limitation, all applications, forms, instruments of assignment and supporting documentation and perform all other acts as may be required for the abovementioned purposes.
(g) You hereby constitute and appoint the Employer, its successors and assigns, your true and lawful attorney, with full power of substitution for you, and in your name, place and stead or otherwise, but on behalf of and for the benefit of the Employer, its successors and assigns, to take all actions and execute all documents on behalf of you necessary to effect the assignment set forth hereinabove.
(h) Should the Employer be unable to secure the signature on any document necessary to apply for, prosecute, obtain, protect or enforce any IPRs, due to any cause, the Employee hereby irrevocably designates and appoints the Employer and each of its duly authorized officers and agents as the Employee's agent and attorneys to do all lawfully permitted acts to further the prosecution, issuance, and enforcement of IPRs or protection in respect of the Developments, with the same force and effect as if executed and delivered by the Employee.
(i) The Employee represents and warrants that he will not use or integrate in the Developments any third party materials or data that are not validly licensed to the Employer unless previously authorized by the Employee's reporting officer in the Employer. The Employee represents and warrants that the Employee has not violated the Intellectual Property Rights of any third party, and covenants that he/she shall not violate the Intellectual Property Rights of any third party in the course of his/her employment with Employer. Provided that in the event the Employer is held liable for the Employee's violation of any Intellectual Property Rights, the Employee undertakes to indemnify the Employer or affiliates as the case may be against any and all losses, liabilities, claims, actions, costs and expenses, including reasonable attorney's fees and court fees resulting there from.
(j) If, in the course of the Employee's employment with the Employer, the Employee incorporates Intellectual Property into the Employer's product, process or machine, the Employer is hereby granted and shall have a nonexclusive, royalty-free, irrevocable, perpetual, worldwide license (with rights to sublicense through multiple tiers of sub-licensees) to make, have made, modify, use and sell such Intellectual Property.
(k) The Employee shall not during and after the term of the Employee's employment with the Employer, in any way violate the Intellectual Property Rights of any client of the Employer. Provided that in the event the Employer is held liable for the Employee's violation of any Intellectual Property Rights, the Employee undertakes to indemnify the Employer or affiliates as the case may be against any and all losses, liabilities, claims, actions, costs and expenses, including reasonable attorney's fees and court fees resulting therefrom. The Employee further covenants that he / she shall ensure that all information and records pertaining to any idea, process, trademark, service mark, invention, technology, computer program, original work of authorship, design, formula, discovery, patent or copyright of any client of the Employer that the Employee comes across during the term of his employment with the Employer, is duly protected. The Employee agrees that all originals and all copies of any and all material containing, representing, evidencing, recording, or constituting all or part of the Intellectual Property belonging to any client of the Employer, however and whenever produced (whether by Employee or others) and whether or not protected under copyright law or patentable or protected under other intellectual property law, shall be immediately along with any copies thereof returned to the Employer upon termination of Employee's employment for any reason.
(i) If you have committed any criminal offence or been guilty of any gross misconduct whether during the performance of your duties or otherwise which, in the opinion of the Employer, renders you unfit to continue as an employee of the Employer or which would be likely adversely to prejudice the interests of the Employer.
(ii) If you wilfully abuse or misuse the Employer's computer system, or any password relating to that computer system or gain access to any file or load any information or program contrary to the Employer's interests or procedures.
(iii) If any information relating to your suitability for employment provided to the Employer in the course of applying for employment is found to be materially false or misleading.
(iv) If you are subject to immigration control in India, your Employment shall be conditional upon you having been granted leave to enter into, remain and take up employment in India, such leave being valid and subsisting at all times and not being subject to any condition precluding or restricting the Employment.
(i) Theft, fraud, intentionally providing false or misleading information or any act of dishonesty.
(ii) Any act or attempted act of violence or abusive behaviour towards people or property including causing deliberate damage to the Employer's property.
(iii) Indecent behaviour towards or harassment or bullying of fellow employees, suppliers, customers or clients.
(iv) Incapability to undertake your responsibilities under this employment agreement on account of your abuse of alcohol or other banned substances.
(v) Wilful breach of health and safety regulations, if any, prescribed by the Employer.
(vi) A serious act of insubordination or wilful refusal to carry out reasonable requests by the board of the Employer.
(vii) Serious or persistent neglect of duties or a series of persistent breaches of the terms and conditions of your employment.
(viii) Unauthorised use of or disclosure of Confidential Information of the Employer.
(ix) Falsifying records or expense claims.
(x) Conviction for a criminal offence arising from or related to your work for the Employer.
(xi) Conviction for a criminal offence committed outside working hours which in the opinion of the Employer adversely affects the Employer's business or reputation, or affects your suitability for the type of work which you perform or affects your acceptability to other employees.
(xii) Any act which you know or reasonably believe is likely to bring the Employer into disrepute.
(xiii) Unauthorized signing of documentation committing the Employer to any financial obligation which is not in the ordinary course of business of the Employer or exceeding your authority in any other way.
(c) Upon dismissal as specified above or the termination of your Employment, you shall forthwith return to the Employer all documents, books, materials, records, correspondence, papers and information (on whatever media and wherever located) relating to the business of the Employer or its customers or prospects, any magnetic disc on which information relating to the business is stored and any other property of the Employer which may be in your power, possession, custody, care or control or which contain or refer to any Confidential Information and shall, if requested to do so by the Employer, provide a signed statement that you have complied fully with the terms of this clause.
(d) Upon dismissal, you shall not be entitled to receive any accruals towards leave encashment.
(i) In the event of your death.
(ii) Upon the dissolution of the Employer.
(b) Upon confirmation of your employment, your Employment may be terminated by either party by giving the following notice: ________ written notice. The Employer may terminate your Employment by paying you salary in lieu of notice. It is hereby clarified that the term 'salary' for the purpose of this clause shall mean the proportionate monthly CTC and shall not include any other compensation payable to the Employee by the Employer.
(c) If you purport to terminate the Employment without notice or prior to the completion of the notice period specified above, you hereby agree to relinquish any salary for that part of the notice period that is not fulfilled. In addition, you shall also pay the Employer 1 calendar month's salary as penalty for not completing the stipulated notice period. Purported termination of the Employment without notice or on short notice or the payment of a penalty shall not and does not absolve you of the obligation to comply fully with the terms of this Clause.
(d) Nothing in this Contract shall prevent the Employer from terminating your Employment without notice if you have been dismissed.
(v) Not remain or become involved in any respect with the business of the Employer except as required by the Employer, including but not limited to not attending the Employer's places of business and requiring you to remain at home for all or part of the notice period.
(f) Upon termination of Employment, you shall be entitled to receive the basic salary portion of the CTC in lieu of any accrued but unutilised holiday entitlement. However, if you have taken holiday or casual leave in excess of your entitlement, the Employer may at its sole and absolute discretion deduct a sum equivalent to the basic salary portion of the CTC due for each day of absence in excess of the holiday or casual leave entitlement.
(g) On the last day of your employment with the Employer you must immediately return to the Employer in accordance with its instructions all equipment, correspondence, records, specifications, software, models, notes, reports and other documents belonging to the Employer and any copies thereof and any other property belonging to the Employer including but not limited to keys provided to you and which are in your possession or under your control. You will provide the Employer with any passwords in your possession and which are required to access these records, or any other such information relating to the Employer produced in the course of your employment. Furthermore, you will delete all information relating to the Employer produced in the course of your employment which is not stored on Employer property, including any such information stored on your personal computer. If you owe any money to the Employer, then the Employer has the right to deduct such sums from any payment due to you. This is without prejudice to the Employer's other remedies to recover any sums due from you to the Employer. No outstanding payments will be made to you until you, if so required by the Employer, confirm in writing that you have complied with your obligations under this clause.
(h) Any and all of the Employer's Property, Confidential Information and Intellectual Property of the Employer acquired by or in the possession of the Employee under this Agreement, shall be returned to the Employer immediately upon termination of this Agreement.
(i) In the event the Employee's employment with the Employer is terminated, Employee shall sign and deliver to the Employer a termination certificate in the format specified by the Employer.
(j) It is further agreed and understood that until such time as all of the Employer's Property, Confidential Information and Intellectual Property is returned and the Termination Certificate is provided as abovementioned, the Employer shall, in addition to initiating legal proceedings for recovery (and without prejudice to any other rights or remedies that Employer may have under law or equity), be entitled to withhold any salary, emoluments or other dues of the Employee then or in future payable to the Employee, to the extent allowable by law, and may further, at its discretion, deduct therefrom the full value of the said property/properties calculated at its then replacement price. The Employee recognizes and agrees that the Employer shall be entitled to recover from the Employee and the Employee shall be bound and liable to make good to the Employer any loss suffered by the Employer on account of misuse of the Employer's Property, Confidential Information and Intellectual Property by the Employee and/or any damage occasioned to the Employer's Property, Confidential Information and Intellectual Property whilst in the custody of or entrusted to the Employee.
(a) You shall not during your Employment, without the prior written consent of the Employer, under any circumstances, whether directly or indirectly undertake as an employee or otherwise or discharge (for remuneration or compensation howsoever payable) for any other person in India or elsewhere any duties and responsibilities, of whatever kind.
(b) You shall not during your Employment, without the prior written consent of the Employer, during the term of employment hereunder, be engaged in any other business activity pursued for gain, profit, or other pecuniary advantage if such activity interferes with your duties and responsibilities hereunder.
(c) You shall not, for the following period: ________ after the termination of your Employment, without the prior written consent of the Employer engage, whether directly or indirectly, in any business, employment or activity related to the Employer's clients or customers, a Competitive Business (as defined hereunder) nor provide services and carry out duties for any Competitive Business which are similar to the duties carried out for the Employer during Employment. You agree that the above is necessary to safeguard any sensitive information of the Employer that may have come into your knowledge while in Employment. in order to safeguard any sensitive information of the Employer that may have come into your knowledge while in Employment.
Competitive Business(es)" include any firm, partnership, joint venture, company and/or any other entity and/or person that engages in the following business: ________ or carries out activities similar or competitive to the business in which the Employer engages or proposes to engage during the term of employment.
(d) During your Employment and for the following period: ________ thereafter, You shall not without the prior written consent of the Employer carry out or engage in, whether directly or indirectly, whether through partnership or as a shareholder, joint venture partner, collaborator, consultant or agent or in any other manner whatsoever, whether for profit or otherwise in any Competitive Business which competes directly or indirectly with the whole or any part of the business carried on by the Employer in India or elsewhere or in any activity related to the business carried on by the Employer.
(e) You shall not on your own account or on behalf of any other person, solicit or accept orders for products or services from any of the Employer's current or previous customers that are in competition with products or services of or in any way related to the business of the Employer from any of the Employer's current or previous customers.
(iv) Enter the employ of, or render any other services to, any person engaged in a business which competes with the Business, if (i) the Employee has prior knowledge of the same or (ii) gains such knowledge during the term of employment or (iii) which is obvious to the Employee.
(g) It is agreed by and between the parties that the employment with the Employer and the compensation payable under this Agreement shall be sufficient consideration for this Clause.
(h) The Employee hereby acknowledges and agrees that the limitations as to time and the limitations of the character or nature placed in this Clause are reasonable and fair and will not preclude the Employee from earning a livelihood, nor will they unreasonably impose limitations on the Employee's ability to earn a living. In addition, the Employee agrees and acknowledges that the potential harm to the Employer of the non-enforcement of this Clause outweighs any potential harm to the Employee by this Agreement and has given careful consideration to the restraints imposed upon the Employee by this Agreement, and is in full accord as to their necessity for the reasonable and proper protection of Confidential Information and Intellectual Property of the Employer now existing or to be developed in the future. The Employee expressly acknowledges and agrees that each and every restraint imposed by this Agreement is reasonable with respect to subject matter, time period and geographical area.
(i) You further agree and accept that during the Employment and for the relevant period as specified in the clauses above, each of the restrictions above shall be deemed to constitute a separate agreement and shall be construed independently of the others. It is expressly understood and agreed by the Parties that although the employee and the Employer consider the restrictions contained in this Clause to be reasonable, if a final judicial determination is made by a court of competent jurisdiction that the time or territory or any other restriction contained in this Agreement is an unenforceable restriction against the employee, the provisions of this Agreement shall not be rendered void but shall be deemed amended to apply as to such maximum time and territory and to such maximum extent as such court may judicially determine or indicate to be enforceable. Alternatively, if any court of competent jurisdiction finds that any restriction contained in this Agreement is unenforceable, and such restriction cannot be amended so as to make it enforceable, such finding shall not affect the enforceability of any of the other restrictions contained herein.
(j) You understand and agree that the foregoing restrictions are necessary and reasonable in scope and duration, in all circumstances, for the purpose of protecting the Employer's business.
(k) If any breach or violation of any of the terms of this Clause occurs, it is agreed that damages alone may not compensate for such breach or violation and that injunctive relief is reasonable and essential to safeguard the interests of the Employer and that an injunction in addition to any other remedy may accordingly be obtained by the Employer. No waiver of any such breach or violation shall be implied from the forbearance or failure by the Employer to take action in respect of such breach or violation.
The provisions of this clause shall survive the termination of this Contract.
The Employer shall also reimburse all pre-approved expenses properly incurred by you in the due and proper performance of your duties or responsibilities provided that supporting original vouchers and bills are furnished along with any request for reimbursement. All expenses need to be pre-approved by the Employer controller as designated from time to time and failure to do so shall result in the expenses not being reimbursed.
(iv) Any advance on salary, which the Employer may have made to you from time to time.
(a) The Employer reserves the right to make reasonable changes to any of the terms and conditions of Employment and you shall be notified of such changes by way of a general notice to all employees. Any such changes shall take effect from the date of the notice.
(b) The Employer shall give 1 month's written notice of what it considers to be any significant change, either by way of an individual notice or a general notice to all employees.
(c) Such significant changes will be deemed to be accepted unless you notify the Employer of any objection in writing before the expiry of the notice period of 1 month. Any such changes shall take effect from the date of the expiry of the notice period. If the Employer receives a notification of objection within the prescribed period, the objection will be considered and if it cannot be resolved within a period of 30 days from receipt of the objection, the Employer will terminate your Employment by giving you notice under Clause 12)b)i). The decision of the Employer as to what constitutes minor changes of detail or significant changes shall be final and binding.
(d) You shall not be entitled to make any changes or amendments to this Employment Contract.
(a) Any notice or other written communication given under or in connection with this Contract must be delivered personally or sent by Registered post AD.
(b) The Employer's address for service shall be its registered office or such other place as the Employer may notify from time to time.
(c) Your address for service shall be the address given at the head of this Contract or any other place that you may notify.
(i) If delivered personally, at the time of delivery.
(ii) If posted, at the expiry of 4 business days after it was posted (excluding the day of posting).
(e) You must notify the Employer in writing of any change in your name, address, bank account number, marital status or next of kin within one month of such change, and of any arrest, prosecution or conviction for a criminal offence, any disciplinary action taken against you by a professional or regulatory body or if you become bankrupt, apply for or have made against you a receiving order make any composition with your creditors or commit any act of bankruptcy.
This contract shall be governed by and construed in accordance with Indian law and each party to this contract submits to the exclusive jurisdiction of the Courts of ________.
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(a) No collective agreements (which are otherwise applicable to workmen under the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947) apply to your employment.
(b) This contract sets out the entire agreement and understanding between the Parties in connection with the Employment and supersedes any previous contract or agreement between you and the Employer.
(c) The Employer may hold and process, whether electronically or manually, the data it collects in relation to you in the course of the Employment for the purposes of the Employer's management and administration of its business and of other employees and for compliance with applicable procedures, laws and regulations and you hereby consent for the same. The Employer or its agents may transfer, store and process such data whether in India or any other place for the above purposes.
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(iii) In view of the above, the Employer shall be entitled to injunctive relief, in addition to any other remedy available at law or in equity, in the event he/she violates any of the terms or conditions of this Agreement.
Please return a signed copy of this letter to indicate your understanding and acknowledgement of the terms and conditions contained herein.
I confirm that I have read and understood the aforesaid contract fully and by signing and returning to the Employer the duplicate copy hereof, I hereby accept the terms and conditions contained therein and agree that the same constitutes a valid and binding contract of employment between myself and the Employer. | 2019-04-26T15:53:05Z | https://www.wonder.legal/in/creation-modele/employment-agreement-in |
A vascular access port is disclosed for subcutaneous implantation. The port is particularly adapted to be affixed to a bone to securely hold the port in position, to assist medical personnel in finding the port and to decrease a visibility of the port. The port has a chamber therein which is accessed by a needle through a septum adjacent the chamber. The chamber is placed into fluid communication with the vascular structure of the patient, such as through catheter tubing. The chamber is surrounded by a body with an outer surface which is preferably fitted with threads to facilitate secure but removable attachment of the port within a hole in the bone where the port is to be implanted.
This application claims benefit under Title 35, United States Code §119(e) of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/762,848 filed on Jan. 30, 2006.
The following invention relates to implantable vascular access ports for implantation subcutaneously and which can receive a medication or other liquid preparation by a needle inserted through the skin and into the port, and then on into the vascular system of the patient. More particularly, this invention relates to subcutaneous implantable vascular access ports which are particularly configured to be affixed to a bone or other subcutaneous structure to provide secure placement of the access port.
Subcutaneously implanted vascular access devices, or ports, have been used for many years to provide long term vascular access in patients that require frequent or periodic therapeutic infusions or blood draws. Prior art ports generally have a body which contains a chamber accessible by a self-sealing septum and an outlet which is connected to a catheter which interfaces with the vascular system. The base of the port is a generally flat side of the port which is intended to lie against the body, so the septum is generally oriented toward the skin surface. Many variations are possible. The septum may be convex or concave. The body may be plastic, metal or a combination of materials. The septum may be directly opposite the base, or may be angled relative to the base.
In current practice, the port is implanted into a subcutaneous pocket during a minor surgical procedure. One limitation to the development of smaller profile ports is the problem of port stability within the body after being placed. Ports in use currently have a propensity to flip-over within the body if not sutured in place, rendering them inaccessible because the septum is facing down rather than up. The smaller the port, the greater the propensity to flip-over, and the harder it is to suture the port in place due to the smaller incision and smaller working pocket within which to suture. While suturing can be somewhat effective, it is time consuming and not entirely reliable. Thus, there is a need for a method to increase port stability while minimizing port implantation profile.
One such prior art port with a body that exhibits a generally elongate form and with an associated elongate septum is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,213,973. While such a configuration does allow for a slightly minimized incision size, this prior art access port is not stabilized and is thus susceptible to “flipping-over” or otherwise rotating into an undesirable position.
Accordingly, a need exists for a vascular access port which provides both the benefit of stability once implanted and a small profile for insertion through a small incision, with the vascular access port being sufficiently small to allow for a minimization of size of the access port and other negative attributes associated with provision of such a vascular access port for the patient.
Another problem with prior art implantable subcutaneous vascular access ports is that in patients with low body fat, the vascular access port is often highly visible as a protrusion beneath the skin. Such appearance is often considered to be particularly undesirable. In other patients, it can be difficult to find the vascular access port due to the particular patient's physiology tending to excessively disguise the location of the vascular access port. With this invention, the port is fixed in a reliable position which is neither too obvious to the casual observer, nor too difficult to find. Furthermore, with this invention the port is fixed securely in position so that no concern for displacement of the port is presented.
A subcutaneous implantable vascular access port is provided according to this invention which is particularly adapted to be affixed to a bone of the patient. For instance, the port could be configured to be coupled to the clavicle of the patient. Initially, a hole is formed in the bone at the implantation site for the port. The port is configured so that it can be placed within this hole in the bone and held securely within the hole in the bone. For instance, an outer surface of the port can be fitted with a series of threads which engage sides of the hole in the bone to secure the port to the bone. Such threads can both support the port during implantation and also facilitate removal of the port when it is no longer needed.
The port preferably includes a chamber contained within a body forming the port. An aperture passes through the body and provides access into the chamber for a needle. A septum is interposed between the aperture and the chamber. This septum is formed of a silicone material or other resilient material which can be penetrated by a needle and reseal after removal of the needle. Preferably, the body is formed in two parts including a base portion and a collar portion with the septum interposed between the collar portion and the base portion and with the chamber formed primarily within the base portion. The entire body is preferably substantially cylindrical to facilitate its fitting securely within a cylindrical hole passing through the bone.
An extension preferably extends down from a lower surface of the base with an outlet connecting the chamber to the extension. Catheter tubing can be attached to the extension with the tubing extending to a vein or other vascular structure where fluid communication between the vascular structure of the chamber is provided. Particular details of such vascular interface are described in more detail in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/651,770, incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
The hole typically passes entirely through the bone so that the extension and tubing extend out one end of the hole in the bone with the septum being accessible adjacent an opposite end of the hole in the bone. Because the port is primarily within a bone, such as the clavicle, the port does not present an unsightly appearance, but rather is substantially completely concealed within the bone. On the other hand, a medical professional can palpitate the clavicle of the patient and easily feel a slight depression defined by the hole in the bone and the aperture in the body of the port or a slight rise caused by the septum. A medical professional can then utilize a needle to access the chamber through the septum and through the skin of the patient.
Accordingly, a primary object of the present invention is to provide a subcutaneous vascular access port which facilitates introduction of a fluid preparation into the bloodstream of a patient in a reliable and repeatable fashion.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a vascular access port which is held securely in position subcutaneously.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a vascular access port which is easy for a medical professional to use.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a vascular access port which is affixed to a bone to allow the vascular access port to be securely held in place.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a vascular access port which is substantially invisible to a casual observer.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a vascular access port which can be readily found by a medical professional.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a vascular access port which is easy to implant in a secure fashion and which then can be repeatedly utilized for injection of medications or other preparations into the bloodstream of a patient or to draw blood.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a method for affixing a port subcutaneously with vascular access provided by the port.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the subcutaneous vascular access port of this invention according to a preferred embodiment.
FIG. 2 is a side elevation view of that which is shown in FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 is an end elevation view of that which is shown in FIG. 1.
FIG. 4 is a full sectional view of that which is shown in FIG. 1.
FIG. 5 is an exploded parts view of that which is shown in FIG. 1.
FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the vascular access port of this invention along with tubing and shown adjacent to a hole in a bone during the process of implanting the vascular access port into the hole in the bone, for secure positioning of the vascular access port subcutaneously within a patient.
FIG. 7 is a perspective view similar to that which is shown in FIG. 6, but after completion of the implantation procedure.
Referring to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals represent like parts throughout the various drawing figures, reference numeral 10 is directed to a bone supported vascular access port (FIGS. 6 and 7). The port 10 is configured with an outer surface 55 (FIG. 1) which can fit within a hole H in a bone B to secure the port 10 in fixed position subcutaneously within the patient. Catheter tubing T is coupled to the port 10 for vascular access between a chamber 30 (FIG. 4) within the port 10, and into the vascular system of the patient. An aperture 50 (FIGS. 1 and 4) provides access to the chamber 30 through a septum 60 which allows a needle to pass therethrough and which can reseal multiple times after needle removal. The port 10 thus provides a securely positioned, easily findable and usable subcutaneous vascular access port which also is substantially invisible to a casual observer of the patient.
In essence, and with particular reference to FIGS. 1 and 4, basic details of the port 10 of this invention are described according to a preferred embodiment. The port 10 is generally formed as a rigid body surrounding a chamber 30. This rigid body is preferably formed of two separate rigid portions including a base 20 and a collar 40. The chamber 30 is preferably formed primarily within the base 20. The collar 40 is configured to be attachable, preferably permanently, to the base 20.
The collar 40 includes an aperture 50 therein through which a needle can pass, so that the needle can pass entirely through the collar 40 and into the chamber 30. A septum 60 is interposed between the collar 40 and the base 20 so that the septum 60 is adjacent the chamber 30, with the septum 60 preferably substantially entirely within the collar 40. The base 20 and collar 40 preferably are attached together with a space therebetween slightly less than a size of the septum 60 so that the septum 60 is compressed somewhat between the base 20 and the collar 40.
An extension 35 extends from the base 20 and provides fluid access between the chamber 30 and tubing T, which can extend to and interface with the vascular system of the patient. The collar 40 includes an outer surface 55 which is configured to abut sides of a hole H in a bone B into which the port 10 is to be affixed. This outer surface 55 is preferably formed with bone engagement threads thereon so that the port 10 is threaded into the hole H in the bone B for secure but removable attachment of the port 10 to the bone B.
More specifically, and with particular reference to FIGS. 4 and 5, particular details of the base 20 are described according to a preferred embodiment. The base 20 is preferably configured as only a portion of a body forming the port 10. The body of the port 10 is generally defined as a rigid portion of the port 10 which surrounds and defines the chamber 30, other than where the aperture 50 provides access into the chamber 30. In this preferred embodiment, the base 20 defines a lower portion of this body forming the port 10.
The base 20 is preferably a rigid unitary mass of biocompatible metal, such as stainless steel. The base 20 could alternatively be formed of biocompatible plastic materials or other biocompatible materials. The base 20 is preferably generally symmetrical about a central axis and exhibits a generally hollow cylindrical form. In particular, the base 20 includes a lower wall 22 preferably substantially perpendicular to a central axis of the base 20 and port 10. A side wall 24 extends perpendicularly from the lower wall 22, with the side wall 24 preferably being substantially cylindrical.
Male threads 26 preferably extend from this side wall 24. These male threads 26 are preferably only provided adjacent an upper end 28 of the side walls 24. The male threads 26 end at a stop 26 where an outer diameter of the side wall 24 transitions from a greater diameter adjacent the lower wall 22, to a lesser diameter adjacent the upper end 28 and with the male threads 26 thereon. In this way, female threads 44 on the collar 40 can engage with the male threads 26 of the base 20 and allow portions of the side wall 24 of the base 20 to be flush with the outer surface 55 of the collar 40 (described in detail below).
The upper end 28 of the base 20 is open with preferably a bevel 29 defining a transition from the upper end 28 into the chamber 30. The chamber 30 defines a hollow cylindrical interior of the base 20 in the preferred embodiment. The chamber 30 could in fact have a variety of different shapes, sizes or configurations, with a cylindrical form being most preferred. The chamber 30 is substantially enclosed on all sides by the base 20 other than adjacent the bevel 29 and upper end 28 of the base 20 where the chamber 30 is preferably entirely open.
The chamber 30 includes a floor 32 which is preferably substantially perpendicular to the central axis of the base 20, with the floor 32 preferably substantially circular in shape and parallel with the lower wall 22. Sides 34 of the chamber 30 extend perpendicularly up from the floor 32 to the upper end 28 of the base 20.
An extension 35 extends from the lower end 22 of the base 20. This extension 35 extends downwardly and includes a conduit 37 therein so that the extension 35 is hollow. An outlet 36 provides for fluid communication between the chamber 30 and the conduit 37 within the extension 35. The extension 35 extends to a tip 38. Barbs 39 are preferably formed on an outer surface of the extension 35. The extension 35 can have catheter tubing T slipped over an outer surface thereof with the barbs 39 tending to keep the tubing on the extension. As an alternative, ribs could be provided on the extension for securing of the tubing T, either with or without separate clamping structures, such as described in attachment of tubing to the vascular access port described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/651,770, incorporated herein by reference. The extension 35 provides a preferred form of a means to secure the chamber 30 to a vascular structure of the patient and to provide for fluid communication between the chamber 30 and the vascular system of the patient, along with the catheter tubing T.
The extension 35 and outlet 36 are shown axially aligned with the central axis of the base 20, port 10 and chamber 30. Most preferably, this outlet 36 is offset at least slightly from this centerline, and possibly formed to extend at an angle to the central axis. The outlet 36 could alternatively be jogged or stepped so that it does not provide a purely straight axial form extending along a centerline of the port 10. By offsetting the outlet 36, the possibility that a needle passing through the aperture 50 and through the septum 60, and into the chamber 30 might possibly also pass through the outlet 36 and somehow damage the tubing T is precluded. Other techniques for avoiding inserting a needle too far and all the way through the port 10 include providing a stop on the needle so that the needle cannot be inserted too deeply or moving the outlet 36 so that it extends through one of the sides 34 of the chamber 30, rather than the floor 32 of the chamber 30.
With particular reference to FIGS. 4 and 5, particular details of the collar 40 of this invention are described. The collar 40 preferably defines a portion of the body of the port 10 surrounding the chamber 30. Thus, in this preferred embodiment the base 20 and collar 40 together define the body of the port 10. As an alternative, the body could be a single unitary mass of material and the septum 60 could be compressed and put into place through the aperture 50.
The collar 40 is preferably a substantially cylindrical rigid unitary mass of material preferably formed of a common material with the base 20, such as a biocompatible stainless steel. Other biocompatible materials could also be utilized for the base 20 and collar 40. The collar 40 is generally ring-like in form so that the collar 40 is open on either end thereof.
The collar 40 includes a lower ring 42 defining a portion of the collar 40 which overlaps a portion of the base 20. This lower ring 42 has an inner surface 43 which preferably has female threads 44 thereon. The female threads 44 are sized to be complemental with the male threads 26 of the base 20 so that the collar 40 can be threaded onto the base 20. A rim 45 defines a lowermost portion of the lower ring 42 of the collar 40. This rim 45 preferably abuts the stop 27 of the base 20 when the collar 40 has been entirely fitted upon the base 20.
A compartment is formed within the collar 40 between the lower ring 42 and the aperture 50. This compartment is sized to receive the septum 60 therein so that the septum 60 is adjacent the chamber 30 and generally interposed between the aperture 50 and the chamber 30. This compartment is preferably defined by a cylindrical wall 48 within the collar 40. Dimensions of the compartment, and particularly a length between the rim 45 and the aperture 50 is preferably less than a length of the septum 60 from a top 62 to a bottom 64. In this way, the septum 60 is slightly compressed between the aperture 50 and the stop 27 of the base 20, so that the septum 60 is pre-compressed within the port 10. Such pre-compression can assist the septum 60 in most effectively resealing after penetration by a needle and removal of that needle.
The collar 40 preferably supports the aperture 50 at an end of the collar 40 most distant from the base 20 and an end of the port 10 opposite the extension 35 or other outlet from the chamber 30. This aperture 50 defines an opening through which a needle is passed to penetrate the septum 60 and pass into the chamber 30.
The aperture 50 preferably includes a lip 52 which has a slightly lesser diameter than a diameter of the cylindrical wall 48 of the compartment within the collar 40. Thus, the lip 52 helps to keep the septum 60 from translating linearly along a central axis of the port 10 and out of the aperture 50. A face 54 defines an inwardly extending surface surrounding the aperture 50 and facing upwardly generally perpendicular to the central axis. This face 54 includes at least one slot 56 therein and preferably a pair of slots 56 on opposite sides of the aperture 50. These slots 56 can receive a torque applying tool, such as a screwdriver type tool. In this way, such a tool can be utilized to thread the entire port 10 into the hole H in the bone B for both insertion and removal of the port 10.
An outer surface 55 of the collar 40 extends from the face 54 down to the rim 45. This outer surface 55 is preferably substantially cylindrical in form, but could have a variety of different forms. The outer surface 55 preferably supports a bone engagement surface configured as a means to fasten the port 10 to a bone B. Most preferably, this fastening means includes bone threads 58 thereon. These bone threads 58 can thread into sides of the hole H in the bone B to secure the port 10 to the bone B. The threads 58 can both be used to hold the port 10 securely in place and also allow the port 10 to be drawn more deeply into the hole H or be removed out of the hole H, depending on the positioning desires of the medical professional implanting the port 10.
These bone threads 58 can be formed to be self-tapping so that they can be placed into a hole H which is not yet threaded. Alternatively, a tapping tool can be utilized to tap threads into the hole H in the bone B before insertion of the port 10 into the hole H in the bone B.
As an another alternative, the outer surface 55 could merely be provided with a roughened surface and a close tolerance for friction fit to be provided between the outer surface 55 and the hole H, so that the port 10 is securely held within the hole H and the bone B. If desired, the outer surface 55 can be roughened or ribbed axially or circumferentially, or in other orientations, so that re-ossification and bone ingrowth to further secure the port 10 within the hole H in the bone B is further facilitated with or without the threads 58. With such re-ossification, the port 10 can also add strength back to the bone B which might have been reduced in strength due to placement of the hole H in the bone B.
Other fastening means for the port could include clasps, such as those used to hold stud earrings, with a fastener below the hole H in the bone B adapted to be coupled to the port. The port outer surface could include a radially expanding structure to engage and secure to the bone B. The outer surface 55 could be barbed with fixed or movable barbs. A rivet type tool could be configured to hold the port in place or adhesive could be utilized. Such fastening means could be used alone or in combination.
The septum 60 is preferably a solid mass of biocompatible silicone material. This material is preferably slightly resilient and able to be penetrated by a needle and has the particular property of being able to reseal after the needle has penetrated the septum 60 and then has been later removed. The septum 60 is preferably placed in compression to further enhance this resealing feature of the septum 60. The septum 60 preferably has a cylindrical form with a top 62 opposite a bottom 64 with both the top 62 and bottom 64 both being round in shape. A perimeter 66 defines a cylindrical wall extending from the top 62 to the bottom 64. While the septum 60 is preferably cylindrical, if the compartment within the collar 40 has a different geometric configuration, the septum 60 could be appropriately modified to fit modifications to the compartment within the collar 40. Because the septum 60 is pre-compressed somewhat, portions of the top 62 and bottom 64 bulge out of the aperture 50 and into the chamber 30.
In use and operation, and with particular reference to FIGS. 6 and 7, particular details of the method of using the port 10 of this invention are described, according to a preferred embodiment. When a patient is to have the port 10 implanted, the medical professional first identifies a bone B into which the port 10 is to be implanted. Most typically in a preferred embodiment of this invention, the bone B to be utilized is the clavicle with the intention of coupling catheter tubing T between the port 10 and one of the carotid veins of the patient.
The medical professional identifies the desired location within the clavicle for implantation of the port 10. The medical professional then provides an appropriate incision adjacent the clavicle and utilizes an appropriate hole forming tool to form the hole H within the bone B of the patient. This hole H can be later tapped with threads or the port 10 can be provided with bone threads 58 which are sufficiently self-tapping in nature so that the port 10 can be placed into the hole H in threading fashion. A torque applying tool, such as some form of tool screwdriver is caused to interface with the slots 58 in the face 54 of the collar 40 on the port 10 and the port 10 is placed into the hole H and then rotated until it has been located entirely down into the hole H (FIG. 7).
Because the hole H passes entirely through the bone B and the tube T has first been placed upon the port 10 and extended through the hole H, the tube T now extends out a lower side of the bone B and is ready for a secondary medical procedure to provide vascular access between the tubing T and the particular vein or other vascular structure, where interface with the bloodstream of the patient is to occur.
When a medical professional later needs to provide a dose of a medical preparation into the bloodstream of the patient, or draw blood, the medical professional first palpitates the clavicle to identify the depression or rise formed by the hole H and/or the aperture 50 in the face 54 of the collar 40 or the septum 60 of the port 10. Once this depression or rise has been found by such palpitation, the medical professional can align a needle with this location and insert the needle through the skin and through the septum 60 and into chamber 30 of the port 10. A syringe or other appropriate device coupled to the needle is then utilized to pass the liquid preparation through the needle and into the chamber 30. This preparation can then pass on into the bloodstream through the tubing T.
The medical professional can then remove the needle allowing the septum 60 to reseal. This procedure can be repeated numerous times before the septum 60 wears out. At which time, the port 10 can be optionally replaced.
When the port 10 is no longer needed, a surgeon will access the port 10 in a minor surgical procedure and utilize a torque applying tool coupled to the slots 56 to rotate the port 10. Such rotation in the proper direction will cause the port 10 to rotate and translate out of the hole H. The point of vascular access can also be appropriately repaired and the port 10 entirely removed. If desired, bone ingrowth media can be packed into the hole H before closing an incision through which the medical procedure is performed, to promote bone B regrowth to fill in the hole H.
While the hole H is shown as a complete hole passing entirely through the bone B, it is conceivable that the hole H could pass through a side of the bone B so that it is not entirely surrounded by bone, but is only partially surrounded by bone B. If such bone surrounding nature for the hole H and the bone B is greater than half of a complete circle, the port 10 can still be securely held therein. Also, a bracket could provide at least a portion of the fastening means and fasten the port 10 to the bone B without any hole through the bone B. Such a bracket could clamp to the bone B or use a fastener (i.e. a screw) penetrating the bone B to secure the bracket to the bone B, with the bracket formed with or securely coupleable to the port 10. While the hole H is preferably circular in cross-section and cylindrical in form, it is conceivable that this hole H could have a square cross-section or some other cross-section. The port 10 could be formed to have a complemental cross-section with the hole H or the hole H and port 10 could have different shapes, provided that they are sized and shaped in a way that allows the port 10 to pass into the hole H in the bone B and be supported within the hole H and the bone B sufficiently so that the port does not exhibit substantial movement relative to the bone B, except during implantation and removal of the port 10.
a bone engagement surface on said collar, said bone engagement surface adapted to be coupled to a bone to which the port is to be supported.
2. The port of claim 1 wherein said collar includes an outer surface which is substantially cylindrical, and wherein said bone engagement surface includes threads on said outer surface of said collar, said threads adapted to engage sides of a hole within a bone into which the port is to be located and supported.
3. The port of claim 2 wherein said threads on said outer surface of said collar are self-tapping in nature.
4. The port of claim 2 wherein said collar includes a face surrounding an aperture, said aperture providing access to said septum through said collar, said face having at least one slot therein, said slot adapted to engage with a tool for rotating said port and threading said threads on said outer surface of said collar into said hole in said bone.
5. The port of claim 1 wherein said collar includes an outer surface which is roughened in texture, such that said outer surface is adapted to encourage support of said port by said bone.
6. The port of claim 5 wherein said outer surface is generally cylindrical in form.
7. The port of claim 6 wherein said outer surface includes threads thereon, said threads adapted to facilitate secure positioning of said port into a hole in a bone to which said port is to be supported, as well as removal of said port from said bone when said port is to be removed.
8. The port of claim 1 wherein said port includes a substantially rigid base separate from said collar, said base having said chamber located therein, said septum adapted to be interposed between said base and said collar, said collar adapted to be attached to said base with said septum trapped between said collar and said base with said septum overlying said chamber, said collar having an aperture, said aperture adapted to provide access for a needle to said septum on a side of said septum opposite said chamber.
9. The port of claim 8 wherein said base exhibits a generally cylindrical form and said collar exhibits a generally cylindrical form with said base having male threads thereon complemental with female threads formed on said collar, such that said collar threads onto said base to secure said collar to said base with said septum between said collar and said base.
10. The port of claim 8 wherein said collar is adapted to slide over said base with a friction fit between said collar and said base such that said collar is held onto said base with said septum trapped between said collar and said base, said collar and said base sized to compress said septum between said collar and said base, such that said septum is pre-compressed within said port.
said body adapted to be affixed to a bone, such that said port is held in fixed position relative to said bone.
12. The access port of claim 11 wherein said body includes a substantially cylindrical outer surface, said outer surface having threads thereon, said threads adapted to thread into a hole in a bone to which said body of said port is to be affixed.
13. The access port of claim 11 wherein said body includes an outer surface, said outer surface sized and shaped to fit into a hole in a bone, the hole having a size and shape adapted to allow said body of said port to reside therein.
14. The access port of claim 13 wherein said outer surface of said body includes threads thereon.
15. The access port of claim 14 wherein said outer surface of said body exhibits a roughened texture such that said outer surface is adapted to encourage bone re-ossification.
16. The access port of claim 11 wherein said body includes at least two rigid portions including a base portion and a collar portion, said septum interposed between said base portion and said collar portion.
17. The access port of claim 16 wherein said chamber is located primarily within said base and said septum is located primarily within said collar.
18. The access port of claim 17 wherein said septum is compressed between said base and said collar.
19. The access port of claim 18 wherein said chamber in said base includes an outlet leading to an extension extending away from a lower wall of said base, said extension having a hollow conduit passing therethrough, said extension adapted to be coupled to tubing, said tubing adapted to extend at least partially toward a vascular structure to which said chamber is to be placed into fluid communication.
coupling the chamber to a vascular structure with fluid communication therebetween.
locating the port within the hole.
rotating said port with said threads engaging sides of the hole in the bone until said body of said port is at least partially affixed to said bone.
extending said tube out of a first end of the hole in the bone and aligning the aperture of the port with a second end of the hole in the bone opposite the first end of the hole in the bone. | 2019-04-18T19:54:31Z | https://patents.google.com/patent/US20070179456A1/en |
This is a new listing that I thought you might be interested in. Visit this listing online to see more photos of the property, Google™ Earth satellite images, and much more.
Feel free to call me at (941) 628-6768 or e-mail me at TammyVaughnSells@gmail.com.
Gorgeous Lake Zappa Home with all the Bells and Whistles and beautiful panoramic views! Come take a look! Ceramic Tile Flooring in main living areas, granite kitchen counters with decorative backsplash, and stainless steel appliances. This home features a very large extended patio area, under screen, which is adjacent to the hot tub and heated pool. The entire interior of home is protected under Pulse, a motion detector security system, and is monitored by ADT for a quarterly fee. The Roof was replaced in 2016. New Pool Salt Generator 2017. Pool Heater replaced in 2016. Full House Gutters 2016. New Hot Water Tank 2016. New Washer/Dryer 2016. Pool Cage Rescreened 2014. Full House Accordian Hurricane Shutters installed in 2014. AC Replaced 2012. Windows and Front Door Replaced in 2010. Pool Pump replaced 2010. Garage Door Replaced in 2009.
This beautiful home is priced to sell. Visit this listing online to see more photos of the property, Google™ Earth satellite images, and much more.
Beautifully upgraded Bayberry floor plan with numerous upgrades and a Gorgeous Long Lake sunset view. This two bedroom, with den single family home offers a gourmet kitchen with maple wood cabinets, pull out shelving, granite counter tops, and stainless steel appliances, with a French door refrigerator. The kitchen features a large stainless steel sink, with pendant lighting over the breakfast bar and under cabinet lighting with a fashionable backsplash.There is Ceramic Tile throughout with the exception of Carpet in the Master Bedroom. The Window treatments include custom made decorative valences and blinds in all rooms. Upgrades are too numerous to mention and also include a roman style shower enclosure in the master bath, huge walk in master bedroom closet, grab bars in the guest bathroom tub, cabinets in laundry room above the front load washer and dryer, (which are included in the sale). There is a utility sink in garage, garage shelves, and an extended pavered lanai with a bird cage, backing up to a peaceful and beautiful Long Lake view, which offers the most breathtaking sunsets. Prepare to be AMAZED!Cypress Falls at the Woodlands is an 'Active' Adult resort style community for 55 Plus, and offers an activities director, clubhouse with large fitness center, billiard room, card room, ballroom, and catering kitchen. The swimming pool has a beach entry and there is a second resistance pool for exercise or to 'lazy' lagoon'. There are tennis courts,bocce ball,a Resident's garden area, and more. Located approx 10 miles to Englewood Beach. One Mile to Duffys Golf Course. SR 776, toward Englewood, Left on Seamist Dr, Left on Jennifer, Left on Gretchen Ave. House is on Right. Must SELLL!!
This one won’t last long! Visit my website to see the details or call me today!
Cascadia Villa offers numerous upgrades and 3 full bedrooms. Enter through the leaded glass front door to this High End villa which offers a Gourmet kitchen with 42'' cabinets (soft close droors), an additional built in buffet cabinet with granite counter tops and stainless steel appliances. The kitchen features a large under mount stainless sink with pendant light over breakfast bar, with under cabinet lighting. Throughout the villa, there are 8 Foot interior doors, Crown Molding, and the lighting has been upgraded with dimmer switches. The Ceramic Tile is laid nicely with a 45 degree angle, and the third bedroom features a hard wood floor. The Window treatments include Hunter Douglas Plantation shutters on all windows, and there are ceiling fans in all rooms. Upgrades are too numerous to mention and also include a heavy glass shower enclosure in the master bath, tray ceiling with crown molding in master bedroom, cabinets in laundry room, upgraded wood closet shelving in all closets including a california closet style in the master closet; utility sink in garage, and an extended pavered lanai with ceiling fan and a bird cage, backing up to a peaceful preserve view. Why build when you can purchase this new villa with light fixtures, fans, plantation shutters, and personalized touches already in place? Villa is available for immediate possession, no long wait for closing.
This Beautifully upgraded Cascadia floor plan located in 55 Plus Active Adult Resort Style Community of Cypress Falls at the Woodlands. Cypress Falls offers Resort Style Amenities with Clubhouse, Tennis, Large fitness center, Full time activities director, a large beach entry swimming pool with separate resistance pool for exercise, bocce ball, residents garden, putting green, spa.. and many many activities!!
Call Tammy Vaughn 941-628-6768 or Email: TammyVaughnSells@gmail .com to schedule a showing!
The best season in SW Florida has finally approached us! Fall is the time of the year where pumpkins grow, temperatures drop, and celebrations last all day. Everything in sight is beautiful as the temperature drops to the low to mid 70’s and humidity slowly disappears. A slight breeze blows that keeps you refreshed while the sun warms you when you feel a slight chill. Fall is the perfect season in SW Florida and is great when planning outdoor events; such as, camping, canoeing, and festivals!
Every year hundreds of people come down to Punta Gorda to attend the “Dragon Boat Festival” at Laishley Park, on October 29. As adults watch manually boats racing, kids play on bouncy houses while taking a big bite into a snow cone. A variety of booths are set up during these festivals to entertain you with games, face paint, and inform you about more upcoming events in SW Florida. For instance, the International Airshow and Haunting on the Harbor in Punta Gorda. The International Airshow fly’s jets in a sequence giving a spectacular show on October 21-23. Haunting on the Harbor is a spooky way to get everyone in the spirit for Halloween. It includes a haunted house, costume contest, and live music/entertainment held on October 28-31 in downtown Punta Gorda.
At the end of the day people listen to music and hang out at many of the beautiful parks or Harbor front restaurants to watch Fall’s most colorful sunsets in Punta Gorda. Many have stated that the sun looks exactly like a pumpkin during Fall at sundown.
Go to www.TheVaughnTeamSells.com for more information about Punta Gorda and SW Florida.
Hi All!! Well, we are at the end of April, after an early Easter this year… and looking forward to Mother’s Day! The SW Florida Real Estate season has only slowed down minimally, but we do have another good month of season left. The expected season is typically from November to May, with the busiest Real Estate months from January to May. Temperatures in the SW Florida area this week are expected to be in the high 80s (The Highs) ; and being 6:30 AM the temperature now is 68, degrees.
As summer approaches, the traffic will slow down, the restaurants will have readily available seating, and the Florida sun will heat the air. The boaters in the area are already spending weekends out at the sandbars and packing coolers to spend a day on any one of our beautifully natural barrier islands. I am reminded everyday what a paradise I live in, in SW Florida, every time I talk to you, the customers about the area, and what is so great about living here.
A couple of the Summer Highlights in the SW Florida area are..
At Fishermen’s Village, 1200 W. Retta Esplanade, May 14th 10-4 is the Annual Key Lime Festival, packed with KEY LIME, and more Key lime, as village merchants offer samples of many key lime products. There will also be live music, face painting, a fun photo booth, and FREE admission. Last year Key Lime Fudge and Key Lime Margaritas were my favorites.
Also at Fishermen’s Village, King Fisher Military Appreciation Month in May is offering half price admission to any of the sightseeing cruises to for all those who served in the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard, with a valid Military ID or proof of service. Call the ticket office at 941-639-0969 for more information.
The Punta Gorda Blues Brews and BBQ Fest will be on June 24 to 26th, located behind the Four Points Sheraton at 33 Tamiami Trail, Punta Gorda, FL, 33950, featuring singer and songwriter Randy McAllister, and brews from local kraft beer brewers.
That’s just a small taste of the upcoming summer adventures in SW Florida.
Where to eat? For Fine dining I have to recommend Turtle Club, 139 W Marion Ave, Punta Gorda, mainly because this is where my husband took me to dinner on Saturday and everything was superb, from the waiters, waitresses, and hostesses. The food was delicious (I had the salmon) and the staff was happy to personalize my dinner, upon my request. Before our amazing dinner, my husband and I enjoyed the First Wine Tasting at the Turtle Club. This was the first Wine Tasting I have experienced, and ironically, my first Boss, Jerome Presseller, from my first Job, at Howard Johnsons, (30 years later) was offering the cheese samples from The Big Cheese Gourmet Shop and Sunart Gallery located at 307 Taylor St, Punta Gorda. His lovely wife and local artist, Patty Presseller, Sunart Gallery, was also offering cheese samples with their daughter Julie. It’s such a small world.
So, to sum it up, the location is Amazing! The area is Spirited! And the Real Estate Market is strong. New construction and newly built is still the most popular choice with many home buyers. Most primary and second home buyers that I have had the pleasure of working with recently, have been purchasing 55 Plus or Deed Restricted Neighborhoods with Villas/ and Single Family Homes in the $225,000-$300,000 price range in local Communities with a clubhouse, community pool area, activities, and with monthly Dues of less than $300. There are still new construction villas available for very close to $200,000 in 55 plus communities in SW Florida.
As a Realtor, I appreciate working with you, my customers and providing the Information you are looking for . I make every effort to offer a positive experience through to the closing of your new Florida Home. Give me a call for more detailed information on pricing and Communities in the Area… 941-628-6768. I look forward to it!
Here in Florida we have an assortment of natural attractions such as beaches, swamps, forest, and large grassy fields which animals will graze in. Of course we’ve all wanted to see animals in their natural habitat yet some animals can’t return to their native homes due to severe injuries from predators and poachers. Even littering has caused some animals to be sent to the Peace River Wildlife Center in Punta Gorda, Florida, a non-profit organization that focuses on preserving the wildlife of Florida. The majority of animals here are birds yet squirrels, rabbits, and turtles are also in their care. Here animals with injuries that would overall impact their life in the wild can live peacefully with the care of the volunteers.
Now out in the wild birds don’t really want to flamingle with us humans but at the Peace River Wildlife Center we can get a close up view of some of Florida's elusive birds. Birds like Pelicans, sometimes called ‘penguins’ by the volunteers as a joke, will happily splash in their lazy river pool for onlookers and during feeding time even come right up to the fence as if they’re asking us “More fish please!” Graceful Sandhill Cranes and cormorants share this space with the Pelicans as well in the open air enclosure. This means wild birds can visit the PRWC resident birds anytime during the day; this creates good social bonds for the animals and allows children of the birds to visit their parents. One resident doesn’t have any kids but a wild posse instead. A fish crow named Spirit, who use to be a pet, has enlisted the help of several other wild fish crows to bring her food such as wild berries and even little fish. You can ever catch her saying ‘Hi!” or “Hello!” to visitors once in a while.
There are 100 and more birds living at the PRWC each with their own story such as Luna the leucistic screech owl, Flat Stanley the turtle, and Squiggy the squirrel but these are stories best told by the tour givers. Tours are given every day from 11am - 4pm and if you want to watch the Pelicans being fed it starts at 2:30pm. The feeder will share some information about the Pelicans on who they are and what their daily life is like at the center. If you’re looking for something more when visiting these birds consider becoming a volunteer where you can help prepare food, feed, and clean up after all the birds. PRWC also have events to help raise money to continue caring for all the birds that live there, click here for their event calendar.
So if you’re looking for a place to see animals up close as well as hang out in the shady park nearby consider stopping by the Peace River Wildlife Center.
The gentle kiss of spring wind is finally here in Punta Gorda, Florida. Along with this breeze is the smell of blooming Jasmine, Rose, and wait…crawfish??? Either this means my lobster claw flowers are blooming nicely or PGs Seafood Festival is upon us! Well if you’re hoping for the later, you’re in luck! March 7th- 8th at Laishley Park will be Punta Gorda’s Seafood Festival. Come with empty bellies for there will be a fresh feast ahead of you once you pay the 2$ admission fee. Once you have your food sit down and enjoy the live music or water ski show! There are also craft vendors and a kid’s playground for those children who always have extra energy, but don’t seem keen on sharing it with their tired parents. If you’re one of those tired parents or just a general seafood lover click here for more information.
My oh my I smell another scent on the wind…it’s the smell of kilts and bagpipes; I didn’t know they had a smell that’s odd. Anyways! This must mean one thing! We have a new superhero, CelticMan! Oh wait no CelticMan is holding up a sign, it says that there will be a Celtic Festival on March 8th. Ah that makes much more sense, or should I say scents. The 15th Annual Peace River Celtic Festival will be held at The Celtic Ray Public House, 145 Marion Avenue, Punta Gorda. Here we will celebrate the Celtic heritage with food and drinks as well as live performances! Admission cost 5$ and is from 12pm-7pm. Here’s a link with more information for ye Celtic lovers.
Gasp another scent! Just kidding this event is a free visual one. On March 8th will be the 13th Semi-annual Art Fest on the Farm. Come see over 50 artists portray their beautiful artwork (that’s hopefully not haunted) at 25370 Zemel Road. Stroll around and see art that is worth discussing and inquiring about, like Claude Monet once said “Everyone discusses my art and pretends to understand, as if it were necessary to understand, when it is simply necessary to love.” This event is hosted by Inspiration Studios, which sells jewelry and also offers classes for Jewelry making and painting and Pottery Express/ Bamboo Farms which sells beautiful pottery, statues, and fountains. Food and drinks will also be sold at this event. For more information click here.
For the first time in Punta Gorda is the new Short Film Festival! I cannot contain my excitement for this two hour event showing comedies, dramas, and animated “Best of show” films collected from other previous Film Festivals since 1987. Imagine being enraptured into a story of such depth and character to find out it’s only five to ten minutes long. This is what a short film is and artists and directors have honed this gift to create the best of the best short films to be shown on the 11th. This event will be held at the Punta Gorda Event Center on March 11th starting at 7:00 make sure to get there early though to grab good seats! Admission is 15$ plus fees but you can order tickets early here For more information on the Film Festival click here.
If March is filled up with plans here’s an event starting on April 24th, the Country Life Music Festival! Country music star and recording artists Reba McEntire will be opening the stage with our talented people like Tracy Lawrence, Chris Young, Chris Weaver and our own local band the Jack Michael Band! More bands will follow up as well as some new songs unheard of until this festival. If you’re ready to rock with your friends and family then drive on over to the new Tracks and Trails in Punta Gorda. Tickets right now are on sale for 49$ (originally 79$) and can be preordered from here. For more information check here or here.
With all of these event’s going on remember to be safe and have fun! Bring a friend and happy partying!
The Newest Member of the Vaughn Team.
Wouldn’t you like to get away? To a place where everybody knows your name and they’re always glad you came? This cozy place isn’t Cheers but instead Fishermen’s Village! A resort and shopping center on the Charlotte harbor located at 1200 West Retta Esplanade. It’s hard to decide where to begin when talking about Fishermen’s Village. From the stores to the comfy looking rooms and the view everything about Fishermen’s Village is amazing. Yet possibly the most amazing thing is the multitude of events happening here. Grab yourself an ice cream cone from one of the sweet shops and sit down to listen to a musician with your family on Fridays 5-9pm. For an event list click here.
If adventuring is more of your thing walk on down by the marine for information on a cruise, boat rental, or fishing tours or click here. Careful though! You might encounter one of Florida’s many silly looking birds.
If you keep following the path by the Marine you’ll end up at a restaurant known as Harpoon Harry’s. Find a stairway and go up it to a fancy buffet restaurant called The Captain’s Table. If you’re hanging out with friends or meeting up with some family members that you haven’t seen in a while both restaurants are perfect places to go. Harpoon Harry’s has more or a bar theme and sometimes live music. If you have little kids with you worry not! For there are arcade games a’ plenty as well as Pool and Air Hockey to entertain them. Upstairs The Captain’s Table isn’t set up for a rock and roll band but does have a large grand piano with almost always someone caressing a song out of it. In both restaurants I have been met with friendly smiles and a lovely staff that knew how to take care of their customers.
While walking around Fishermen’s Village it’s common to feel relaxed and at ease. Something about the large walkways, tall ceiling and the open building remind me of being in a forest with nothing to do but relax. Of course forests don’t have shops and a harbor right next to them. Of these shops Fishermen’s Village has ice-cream, clothing, furniture, gag-gifts, knick-knacks, olive oil, and the Military Heritage Museum. Shops like Bella Balsamic & The Pressed Olive have professional mixologists to create perfect olive oils and vinegars for everyday use. Or if you’re here with your lil dog check out Salty Paws! An adorable shop filled to the top with dog treats and apparel. My favorite shop is the Dragonfly Gallery which sells beautiful blown glass ornaments, ones that are perfect for hanging in front of a sunny window. The way the glass catches the light it just puts the perfect touch to a creative room.
Today was another day well spent at Fishermen’s Village! With family and friends around it’s impossible to feel alone when I’m here. Yet even if I do let times of sadness catch up to me I just remember “Hey! I live in Florida!” and that tomorrow is another sunrise.
At the bottom of this blog is a link to a very useful Newspaper Article in the Sun Newspaper, which gives all of the Particulars of the Punta Gorda Isles Waterfront Canals.
Back in the 70s, when I was still a single digit, my Mom worked for Punta Gorda Isles during the developmental stages. Of course as a child, I was not too concerned about the housing market, population growth, or boating access. But, it was a time of many firsts for me.
THEN: From the viewpoint of a child in growing Punta Gorda Isles: I saw my first Helicopter.. as the developers flew into Punta Gorda Isles Administration; I hopped my first hump back bridge on my bike; I saw my first waterfall inside a house, my first waterfall for that matter ..'House of the Waterfall' model; copied my hand with the xerox machine.. that was cool; and caught my first fish in a PGI Canal.
Much of my days as a Realtor in Southwest Florida is spent talking on the phone to customers from states North of Florida, who have decided that they no longer want to endure the cold winter. They plan to retire soon, going to sell their home and head down to Florida to take a look around! First decision to be made is... where to visit and why? Any certain town or county of interest? Planning to live near the beach, to walk the beach and watch the sunset every night? Or.. maybe the preference is to live closer to the Interstate to have great access to explore different areas of Florida?
After determining the County and general location that fits within their lifestyle, the next step is to decide upon the features of the home! This is the point of the decision-making process, which I will call 'The Crossroads'. I can come up with many reasons why it is better to build new, and I can come up with many reasons why it is better to purchase resale. Ultimately, what it comes down to is buyer preferences, time frame before moving, and budget.
There are many advantages of new construction, including improved Energy Efficiency Standards; most current Building Codes; Higher Land Elevation for properties that are built up.. which could result in lower flood insurance rates; Flexibility of upgrades and ability to customize; and typically the builders will offer a Structural and Mechanical Warranty upon completion of construction. Costs for new construction are higher than the costs for resale, without a doubt, but how much higher? Of course the percentage difference would be determined based upon the particular home to be built vs the particular resale market.. as every area has a variance of values. I'm finding within some communities the cost to build is only 10% higher than the resale market. In this case, if the Floridian-to-be has time, patience, and enough money.. then Build! Build! Build!
Now on the flip side, a buyer has expressed interest in buying a Florida home, and is within a tighter budget or possibly even enjoys the thrill of a remodel project or would like to move into a particular mature, established neighborhood, with a lake view. But.. .often times, there is no vacant lake view land in mature neighborhoods, because the best locations are usually the first to be built, in which case, a resale home would be a better option. Another great attribute of a mature neighborhoods is lush landscape and mature trees within the area gives the neighborhood a warmer feel. Neighbors who have lived in an area for many years, within an established neighborhood promotes the feelings of safety and security. And with the money that can be saved on the resale pricing, there could be some room in the budget for updating and upgrading. One more comment... resales are often more of a complete package, including the blinds on the windows, the fence in the backyard, the doggie door, etc.
To Review some pictures of new construction upgrade options, www.TheVaughnTeamSells.com and click on Pictures of Area Attractions: PGI Homes . For More information about PGI Homes or other local builders, please call me direct at (941)628-6768 or Email TammyVaughnSells@gmail.com . I look forward to hearing from you!
Bobble Fest is another way to describe the continuing tradition of 23 years... The Charlotte Harbor Freedom Swim. For those who don't live in Charlotte County, in the areas of Punta Gorda, and Port Charlotte .. yet.. you would probably just think everyone who lives here is a little bit nuts on Independence Day. For a small town though, Punta Gorda has got some serious Spirit! The story goes, 23+ years ago, local Attorney Michael Haymans and some buddies decided to take the plunge, and swim the Charlotte Harbor on Independence Day. Rumor has it, the swim was swum Au Natural.. or Free-style by the Attorney, and ever since has been called the Charlotte Harbor Freedom Swim. All ages of children and adults, meet on the Northern side of the Bridge with Noodles, Rafts, Canoes, Kayaks, SUP boards, and any other potential water craft that will make it from side A to side B. Mostly everyone is dressed in some sort of red, white and blue, from speedos to- one guy sported a Captain America suit on a Sup board this year.
Over the past couple of years the swim has included about 600 participants, of which about 300 actually swim. I also swam across the Charlotte Harbor this year, with my husband, and Real Estate partner, Chuck, as my spotter in a kayak along side. The distance is 1.6 miles, straight across from Charlotte Harbor Northern side of the bridge to Fishermens Village on the Punta Gorda side. To me, this event, gives me such a feeling of Pride, pride in myself for swimming across a pretty large body of water, but also pride in my hometown of Punta Gorda, and pride in the residents, who make the event so fun. When I made it to the other side, at Fishermens Village, to see all of the smiling, happy faces, music playing, people laughing, and just pure happiness all around.. that's what it's all about! That is why, I love, love, love Punta Gorda! Did I mention.. I love Punta Gorda! So, maybe next year, I'll see you all there !
One main reason I enjoy living in the Punta Gorda area, is the wide variety of beaches that are a short distance away, to the North and to the South! The waves breaking on the shore may look similar from beach to beach, but each beach has obvious differences. Some beaches offer more of a touristy environment, with lots of shopping, hotels, bed and breakfasts, tiki bars and restaurants, while other beaches offer the beauty of an untouched natural setting with plenty of wildlife. One can appreciate the raw beauty and serenity these beaches have to offer. Lovers Key is one of the more natural beaches located between Fort Myers Beach and Bonita Beach in Lee County.
Last weekend I ventured out to Lovers Key and was reminded why I love where I live... I posted some pictures of the trip on my website www.TheVaughnTeamSells.com click on Pictures of Area Attractions. A friend was out to the Island a week earlier and found starfish and sand dollars, at low tide, about four feet out. These are the largest starfish I have seen.. pretty amazing!
In the past, Lovers Key was accessible by boat only and it has been said that only lovers traveled to the island to appreciate the quiet solitude of the beach. Now, Lovers Key makes up one of four barrier islands within the state park, which is a home for wildlife, such as West Indian manatees, bottlenose dolphins, roseate spoonbills, marsh rabbits, and bald eagles. The beach is two miles long, and accessible by a boardwalk or tram to get to the South side of the island.
Until next time... Stay Warm!
Riverwood Golf and Country Club is one of my FAVORITE communities in all of SW Florida, nestled right along the Myakka River, a short distance to the beaches, with 1300 Acres, 300 of which is preserves and lakes, and includes 29 different communities, including Golf Club, 18-Hole Championship Course, Activity Center, Tennis, 6 Har Tru Lighted Courts, Resort Style Swimming Pool, Myakka River Walk (# Fishing), a private Beach Club, Lawn Bowling, Bocce Ball. The list goes on..
The community was designed so each homesite has a view.. greenbelt, lake, preserve, golf course. The houses are not situated back to back, so you have privacy on the back patio, and the natural wildlife in your own back yard.
Just the peaceful and serene feel, of driving into the community, beyond the (24 Hour) Guarded Gate with the Tree lined streets, and natural settings of preservation land and wildlife through out the community is enough to induce a one with the self moment. There are plenty of walking paths, bikers, joggers, golfers, tennis players, and not to mention the sun-bunners who enjoy laying out by the pool in this beautiful sun filled location. Many residents within Riverwood are active adults with a motivation to be physically fit, and active. With a full time activities director, there is always an event in the working.. and a buzz amongst the residents, who love to be involved in the many activities.
New construction is available, however almost sold out, starting in a range of low $200,000 +. The deals on New Construction are phenomenal, and newly constructed properties are built to a higher elevation resulting in the lowest possible rate for Flood Insurance.
When you plan to visit the area to purchase your Florida Home, be sure to contact me to show you around! (941)628-6768 Tammy Vaughn.
I'll be in touch soon.. after my next adventure :-) !
I have not blogged in a while, but this deal is too good to keep quiet.
Cypress Falls is offering new construction Paired Villas starting at $152,000 including the lot premium! For a 2 bedroom 1363 Living square feet, including lots of upgrades within the Standard Features. This is the best deal I have come across for new construction in a 55 plus community, yet!
What I like about Cypress Falls, is the resort style pool with lots of mature palm trees and pavered decking. There is always music playing poolside... and also a second pool with resistance, for exercise. (or you could use the pool as a lazy lagoon) There are always activities going on, and an activities director who works full time. The fitness center is larger than any of the other communities in this area, and there are walking paths throughout the entire community!
When I bring customers to this community to show the area, we often come across the Sandhill Cranes with their babies, walking throughout the subdivision. I was out to Cypress Falls yesterday to take pictures of the area, so if you click into my website.. www.TheVaughnTeamSells.com and click on the Tab on the left ' Pictures of Area Attractions', you will see a link for Cypress Falls with a few pictures. There are also pictures of Boca Grande Island and the City of Punta Gorda.
I am pleased to introduce a very valuable and new member creating the Vaughn Team. Charles has a significant history of sales experience and will prove to be a great asset to our Real Estate business. We plan to continue to offer exceptional service to our past, present and future customers. Our services include listing and selling properties in the Southwest Florida area. No job is too big, and no job is too small!! We are available for a complementary Market Analysis and for Personal Buyer Consultation. Also, we are both members of the Remax Referral Service, so we can find you an agent in another state or country to handle your real estate needs. And we love to receive referrals as well! Thank You 'so much' for your continued support!
This beautiful waterfront pool home has been RECENTLY REDUCED making it a great value in today's market. Built in 1999, this 3/2/2 home is the best priced newer home in desirable Punta Gorda Isles. It features the popular great room floor plan that is spacious and open to the formal dining room and eat-in kitchen. The attractive glass double entry doors and tall sliders make this home bright and airy in the inside. The property has 85 feet on the canal, an extra long 45 foot dock with concrete poles, and a heavy duty 13,000 lb boat lift. It has wonderful paver sidewalks around the house and down to the dock, and a circular driveway. Other features include a heated gunite pool, caged lanai, manablock plumbing, central vacuum, plantation shutters, generous walk-in closets in all of the bedrooms, mature tropical landscaping, and too much to list here. Another big plus is that the home has newer carpets and tile and fresh paint. Although this home is aggressively priced, it is not a foreclosure or short sale, a quick closing is possible. Move in ready. Make this a must see... you won't be disappointed.
The US News and World Report Lists Port Charlotte as one of the 10 Best Places to Retire in 2012... the article explains..."Port Charlotte home prices were battered by the housing bust, which could mean bargains for retirees new to the area. The median home sale price was a shockingly low $59,950 in 2010. And many of these homes are located along canals and waterways. "There are a tremendous number of houses on the water, and everybody's got their boats in their backyard," says retiree Chris Zwirner, 78. "All the people who live on water essentially have access to the Gulf of Mexico, and from there you can go around the world." The Charlotte Harbor Preserve State Park spans 42,000 acres, including 70 miles of shoreline along the Charlotte Harbor. An added bonus: Florida has no state income tax."
Not to brag. . . Well, OK, I'm bragging!! Port Charlotte, Florida, on Thanksgiving morning is 72 Degrees, warm, sunny, nice breeze. My windows are open. My sliding door is open, and I'm cooking away for a Great Family Gathering!! Someone told me there was snow up North, so I did a google search, and it's true! I would expect one would have to shovel the snow out of their driveways, or scrape ice off their windshields. I'm not so sure, cause I've always lived here in Florida, but I could NEVER imagine.
Hopefully, after Thanksgiving Dinner, my family and I can all head out to Englewood Beach and watch the sunset. That would be really cool (figure of speech, because it's really warm).
A picture of my backyard is below, incase you don't believe me about the weather!! Happy Thanksgiving ALLLLLL!!!!!!! | 2019-04-22T11:56:37Z | http://www.tammyvaughn.com/MyBlog |
Physician assistant studies, first created to address a shortage in primary care doctors, is one of the fastest growing fields in health care.
The TCU and UNTHSC School of Medicine begins classes in July, but it already has served as a catalyst to change health care in North Texas.
2018 was a year of increasing momentum in philanthropic investments, which topped $21 million and touched every corner of campus.
NTHSC has always had a mindset of entrepreneurship and innovation. Fifty years ago, we were a startup medical school called the Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine. The school had a crazy vision that we’ve since fulfilled: to become the top producer of primary care doctors in Texas. Today, our campus sits on 33 beautiful acres in the heart of Fort Worth’s Cultural District. We’ve added a Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, a School of Public Health, a College of Pharmacy and graduate programs for physical therapists and physician assistants. We invest in innovative research projects. We invest in our students, educating and training them to become providers of the future. And we invest in our community, partnering on projects that create a healthier Fort Worth. We also invest in entrepreneurship, an increasingly necessary skillset for physicians in a changing health care environment and scientists in a changing environment of discovery. In this issue, you can read about our latest startup: the TCU and UNTHSC School of Medicine. The first classes don’t begin until July, but already the school is transforming health care in North Texas by serving as a catalyst for the creation of hundreds of new residency positions. In 2017, our economic impact on the Dallas-Fort Worth community measured at nearly $700 million. With that kind of footprint – and a mentality of innovation – we are living our purpose of transforming lives in order to improve the lives of others.
For the young, how much is too much?
egular exercise slows the effects of aging. But the news is less positive for antioxidant supplements, another popular intervention often adopted by health conscious adults. The positive effects of vitamins E and C are not clear, said Nathalie Sumien, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Pharmacology and Neuroscience, Institute for Healthy Aging. “If you’re going to pick one intervention, choose exercise,” she said. “And you don’t have to exercise like crazy or go to the gym every day to see some beneficial results.” Dr. Sumien spoke on the pros and cons of combining interventions to improve individuals’ health span at the 47th Annual American Aging Association meeting where she delivered the James A. Joseph Memorial Lecture. Dr. Sumien, who has studied aging for 22 years, said walking regularly at a moderate pace for three miles on the treadmill or outside is enough to make an impact.
omplicated medical literature, stacks of discharge orders and convoluted prescriptions can frustrate patients and lead to costly hospitalizations or even death. SaferCare Texas, a team of interprofessional patient safety experts, wants to change that landscape by giving patients information they understand, simplifying medical forms and teaching health care providers how to communicate more effectively, said Jessica Maack Rangel, RN, Nurse Executive and Director of SaferCare Texas.
interview Meet Frank Ssentamu, a second-year pharmacy student who was the personal chef to Uganda’s president before coming to the United States to start life anew.
As a boy growing up in rural Uganda, how did you get interested in health care?
When I was little, we had very limited access to modern medicine. All of our health problems were taken care of with herbs. I got interested in understanding the mystery behind the healing herbs that restored people’s lives. I also had a chance to assist my area herbalist and got to know those medicinal plants. I had hoped to grow up, become a health care professional, take advantage of our rich herbs, and help people in better ways.
After high school, I was fortunate to secure a spot at the nation’s best culinary arts program. Although it was not my first choice, it turned out to be very rewarding and interesting. While still in college, I was recruited as a trainee cook at the luxurious 4-star Nile Hotel International. I finished school and I was recommended to serve as the personal chef to the president of my country. I had a chance to travel to different parts of the world. I cooked for many distinguished people, including President Clinton and his family and the late President Nelson Mandela among others.
What was your life like when you came to the United States?
Transitioning and assimilating into society here had some challenges, but many great Americans made it possible. However, working for Albertson’s became the “seminal” moment that resurrected my childhood dream of joining the care industry. My family joined me after two years, and we started all over with a new life.
What led you to the pharmacy school?
One day I fell sick and went to Albertson’s Pharmacy to seek a remedy. The pharmacist, Robert Moulds, RPH, was gracious with his time. That initial interaction later translated into the start of my long journey to pharmacy school. He encouraged me to consider a pharmacy technician position, walked me through the process and gave me stacks of information study. He and other pharmacists encouraged me to forge ahead.
I want to give back and make a difference in our community. I hope to do something with diet and nutrition and, if I am lucky, pursue a post-grad residency. Surely, I know how to make food look and taste good, but I also know that sometimes food is not safe for people. I hope to help people with better ways of preparing healthy meals.
or decades, UNT Health Science Center has been a leader in delivering highquality health care directly to underserved communities in Fort Worth. But 40 years ago, that care was delivered a little differently. “Sometimes I wonder if they’ve replaced all the street signs I knocked over yet,” joked Chuck O’Toole Jr., DO, a 1975 medical school graduate. In the 1970s, after the founding of the Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine, the school purchased a shaky old Winnebago and converted it into a mobile medical clinic. Students and a school pediatrician drove it into underserved communities to provide free screenings and care. The student with the highest grade point average got to drive. That was usually Dr. O’Toole.
“It had no power steering,” he recalled. “To stop you basically had to stand up on the brakes. We were all over the road.” However, the mobile clinic (nickname: Rattletrap) allowed students to provide care to low income families from Samson Park to Stop Six to Northside. A card tucked into the Winnebago’s sun visor mapped the pay phones in each neighborhood.
academy created in 1993 to encourage medical schools to increase the number of graduates entering family medicine residencies. The shortage of primary care physicians is a growing problem in Texas. Earlier last year, TCOM was granted a 10-year Accreditation with Exceptional Outcome, the highest level of accreditation given by the American Osteopathic Association’s Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation.
A.J. Randolph, left, and Katy Kemp congratulate Dr. Robert Richard.
obert Richard, DO, told UNT Health Science Center medical student Sarah Hmaidan exactly what she should expect from him as her preceptor. “He told me if he wasn’t inspiring me to be the best doctor I could be or challenging me to see the whole patient, then he wasn’t doing his job right,” said Hmaidan, a member of the 2020 class. Dr. Richard always does his job right. That’s why medical students nominated him for the first Outstanding Preceptor Award from the UNTHSC Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine. Medical preceptors serve as mentors and teachers to medical students. They offer personal instruction, training and supervision and allow students to shadow them in clinical settings. “Dr. Richard is always patient and took his time explaining concepts or working through patient plans with me, even if this meant staying hours past our last patient of the day,” Hmaidan said.
or the fourth straight year, every graduate of the Physician Assistant Studies Program at UNT Health Science Center passed the national certification exam on the first attempt – the second-longest streak among the eight programs in the state of Texas. Since 2013, only one of about 450 total PA graduates from UNTHSC did not pass the exam on the first try. The Physician Assistant National Certifying Examination administrated by the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants assesses basic medical and surgical knowledge. “It all starts with exceptional students,” said Kirk Barron, PhD, PA-C, Chairman of the UNTHSC PA program. “We recruit intelligent, talented and determined students into our program, and that is reflected in our exam scores.” The flexibility to move between specialties, potential for a strong work-life balance and quality starting salary places the PA field on many national best jobs lists. The UNTHSC program receives more than 1,900 applications for just 75 spots each year.
Assistant Professor Tamara Willmoth, left, speaks with PA students Julia Forsberg, Molly Berrier and Emily Lau.
hey have been dubbed digital natives, and they are the first generation to cut their teeth on technology. Theirs is a world of tablets and texting; blogs, videos and all things digital. “These are the kids who have never even known a world without cell phones,” said Brandy Roane, PhD, Associate Professor of Physiology and Anatomy and a certified behavioral sleep medicine specialist. For all the good that technology has delivered, the digital age has brought with it some serious side effects for the nation’s youth.
Dr. Brandy Roane, with son Elijah, says children who spend too much time staring into computer screens can come away ill-equipped to handle social interactions.
To control screen time, Dr. Roane set up a token system for her children. By doing chores, they earn tokens that can be exchanged for screen time.
At a glance SCREEN TIME GUIDELINES • Children 18-24 months – Choose high-quality programming and watch it with your children. • Children 2 to 5 years – Limit screen use to 1 hour per day of high-quality programs. Parents should co-view media with children.
with their peers, typically a small group of neighborhood friends, said Witold Migala, PhD, Associate Professor of Biostatistics and Epidemiology. “Now that circle of friends is everyone online,” he said. And not everyone is so friendly. Cyberbullying is one of the biggest threats children face online. Stacey Vanvliet, MD, Physician Development Coach for the TCU and UNTHSC School of Medicine, said cyberbullying and the immense pressure that social media puts on teens are taking a terrible toll on their mental health. “It’s really tough for young minds to navigate this world where there is so much pressure from social media,” said Dr. Vanvliet, who is also a hospitalist at Cook Children’s Medical Center. “I see multiple patients a week in the hospital for suicide attempts,” she said.
Dr. Roane and husband Arch work with their son, Joseph, to manage screen time.
Dr. Tracey Barnett stands in front of a vape shop located across the street from Paschal High School.
Tobacco Survey reported a 900 percent increase in e-cigarette use by U.S. high school students during the years 2011-2015, with 1.7 million high school students and around 500,000 middle school students saying they had used e-cigarettes in the previous 30 days. The industry is huge and growing. E-cigarette advertising expenditures have increased dramatically in recent years, from $12 million in 2011 to $125 million in 2014, and it is estimated that more than 460 e-cig brands are currently on the market, with more than 7,700 vapor flavors to choose from. “With flavorings packaged like juice boxes and candy, and youth-oriented, fun names like gummy bear, cosmic cranberry and very berry blue, it’s clear who is being targeted,” Dr. Barnett said. “Many of these products are loaded with nicotine and contain other chemicals that may be dangerous.” Dr. Barnett’s research is focused on the health risks of nicotine, tobaccorelated products and now the youth vaping epidemic.
At a glance VAPING PROBLEMS AMONG THE YOUNG THE SCOPE From 2011 to 2015, e-cigarette use increased 900 percent among U.S. high school students.
THE DANGER Health experts warn that toxic chemicals in vaping products may cause more health problems than the nicotine in regular cigarettes.
Like others in public health, medicine, the research field, education and consumer safety, she has serious concerns and is working to address this problem. Dr. Barnett has published articles on the topic and is active with parent groups, educators, school staff and counselors, community organizations, legislators, the media and especially students, to share the facts about e-cigarette use.
Vaping is widely marketed through social media, gaming sites and youthoriented radio. The products can be purchased online or through vape shops. “Users must be over 18, but we all know there are ways around that,” Dr. Barnett said. Parents like the Fort Worth mother, who chooses to remain anonymous, often are caught unaware, with little knowledge of how their kids are getting the products. “My husband and I were shocked to find out that our son had been vaping for three or four months or maybe even longer,” she said. “We learned that the football field at his school was pretty much a lunchtime marketplace for obtaining JUULs. Older students were ordering the products online and selling them to younger kids.” Her family alerted their high school principal, and they have been monitoring their son in new ways since. “Trust has become a big issue. We changed to a non-cash system for his spending money,” she said. “There were times when we wouldn’t let my son close the door to his room, and I still check the nightstand drawers by his bed. But how can parents really fix the problem when practically anything can be found on the internet and there are vape shops on just about every corner?” Not all vape shops check IDs for age, and many internet sites only require a “yes, I’m over 18” click for access. “Sometimes it’s as simple as knowing a friend of a friend, or someone’s older relative who doesn’t mind making the purchase,” said a local high school administrator.
How does it work? “Electronic nicotine delivery systems go by different names,” Dr. Barnett said. “E-cigs, vapes, vape pens, e-pens, mods, e-hookahs and tanks are all common terms, and most recently, new names have popped up around specific brands like JUUL, which looks deceptively like a USB device or flash drive.” E-cigarettes have been marketed as a safer alternative to smoking, a way to reduce smoking and a tool to help users quit, although this has not been backed by the FDA. Rather than burning tobacco and producing smoke or odor, they release a vapor. The steam inhaled is made up of nicotine and liquid chemicals, which can include added scents and flavor juices. Early research has found that some of these smokeless tobacco products contain three to four times more nicotine than cigarettes. But because this trend is still relatively new to the United States, the industry remains largely unregulated, and little is yet known about the long-term health effects, Dr. Barnett said.
THE SOLUTION Education, parental involvement and new legislation are needed to control the dramatic rise in e-cigarette use among the young.
As e-cigarette use has increased, researchers, the medical and public health industries, and agencies like the CDC and World Health Organization have rejected the products as a safe alternative to smoking, warning the toxic chemicals may cause more health problems than the nicotine in regular cigarettes. In December 2018, the U.S. Surgeon General called the problem a serious epidemic among youth and stressed the importance of “protecting children from a lifetime of nicotine addiction and associated health risks.” “Here’s what we know. Nicotine is addictive,” Dr. Barnett said. “Nicotine can harm the developing brain, especially during adolescence. Teenagers are much more susceptible to addiction, and withdrawal can bring on anxiety, irritability, depression, physical symptoms and loss of concentration.” “Some vapes being marketed as having zero percent of nicotine have actually been found to contain nicotine,” she said. “But that’s not all. Particles of other dangerous substances have also been detected, such as metals like nickel, cadmium and lead, and carcinogens like formaldehyde.” Even the seemingly harmless flavor additives are suspect. “Very little is known yet about the long-term effects of inhaling flavor ingredients. While they might be approved for ingestion, that doesn’t necessarily mean they are safe to take into the lungs,” Dr. Barnett said.
omentum is a word used often at UNTHSC. It speaks to a desire to accelerate the pace and quality of education and research we conduct, and the patient care we deliver. And while this momentum may at first seem disconnected given the array of activities in play, a closer look proves otherwise. There is unity when understanding that the common goal at UNTHSC is to “transform lives in order to improve the lives of others.” That is our PURPOSE statement, and with every wave of momentum comes a transforming opportunity. 2018 was a year of increasing momentum, with much of the energy coming from alumni and community friends. Philanthropic investments topped $21 million and touched every corner of the campus. Likewise, our students and faculty spawned transformative change through their service. Whether through formal outreach and screening programs or through the 47,000+ hours of volunteer time logged, UNTHSC investments touched and improved the lives of neighbors young and old. The next pages feature just a few of the highlights from 2018. We share them out of gratitude to those who made them possible, and with the hope that you will remain on our team – or choose to join us – in 2019 and beyond. Our accelerating momentum depends on you! Learn more by visiting unthsc.edu/giving.
ith America’s aging population increasing, our Seniors Assisting in Geriatric Education (SAGE) program was introduced in 2009 as an experiential education model helping prepare our medical-professions students to better meet the health care needs of older adults. The program partners 1st and 2nd year medical-professions students from across seven disciplines in teams of three to four students, and then pairs each team with a senior citizen volunteer for home visits. The interdisciplinary student teams make six home visits over a 1½ -year period during which they apply their classroom education and clinical skills to the same patients long term. Naturally, many of our students and senior volunteers develop long-lasting bonds that only amplify the core benefits of the program for both students and seniors. With its proven popularity among both students and senior volunteers, the SAGE program has seen tremendous growth in its first 10 years from just 189 student participants in 2009 to over 1,300 in 2017, and with over 440 enrolled active senior volunteers. The popularity and effectiveness of the program has garnered local and national recognition that resulted in a $1 million gift from an anonymous Fort Worth donor to place a permanent endowment behind the program. In total, the program to date has educated over 4,800 students, engaged over 1,700 senior volunteers, and accounted for over 7,700 home visits.
hen the ribbon was cut last fall on UNTHSC’s Interdisciplinary Research and Education Building (IREB), a dream was realized for students and faculty alike. Yes, the desperate need for additional classroom and research space was addressed, but the magic of the IREB is in the way it delivers on that need. True to its “interdisciplinary” name, the facility is designed with teambased, collaborative learning and research in mind. The IREB features a totally different look for its classrooms, teaching labs, and research spaces. Traditional lectures will rarely take place, replaced with scores of collaboration spaces and with technology that allows reference materials and teaching aids to always be within easy reach via plug-ins and suspended monitors. As home to the UNT System College of Pharmacy and the TCU and UNTHSC School of Medicine, future physicians and pharmacists will more frequently interact, and with purpose. The spaces aren’t exclusive to those programs, however, as students from all six UNTHSC schools and colleges will be welcomed for activities planned and spontaneous. Community donors have provided more than $8.5 million in funding for capital or program needs associated with the IREB, with leadership commitments received from Quest Diagnostics, the Sid W. Richardson Foundation and the Amon G. Carter Foundation.
he goal of research at the UNT Health Science Center is to translate discoveries made in the laboratory into diagnostic tools and medical therapies. Today, this bench-to-bedside approach means that scientific discoveries will provide patients with cutting-edge therapies quicker. The newly formed Institute of Translational Research is working to reduce the time between discovery and patient access beginning with Alzheimer’s disease. With the focus of research on precision medicine, researchers have a unique opportunity to quickly move discoveries to human trials that have the highest possible chance of success. But discovery requires investment. In 2018, UNTHSC received research awards of $52 million, with government grants comprising more than $48 million of that total. Generous support from individuals and private foundations also has helped to move the needle forward. With support from the Cure Glaucoma Foundation, the North Texas Eye Research Institute is getting closer to unlocking the secrets of glaucoma. Gifts from the Virginia M. Kincaid Foundation and the Rutledge Cancer Foundation continue to support the efforts of Andras Lacko, PhD, to treat cancer with targeting therapies that attack diseased cells without damaging the surrounding healthy cells. Pediatric cancer research also has been funded by Leukemia Texas and the TeamConnor Foundation. And Sid O’Bryant, PhD, continues to conduct ground-breaking Alzheimer’s research that will change how the world diagnoses and treats this debilitating disease. A One University strategy for translational medicine is moving the UNT Health Science Center closer to meaningful discoveries that will transform the lives of many in Fort Worth and beyond.
Continuous giving Q: What about UNTHSC motivates you to give year after year? A: Again, for us it is about supporting students or as the UNTHSC Purpose statement includes, "Transforming Lives." Furthermore, supporting students is critical as the cost of higher education continues to spiral upward. Q: What particular programs or areas at UNTHSC interest you the most? A: Scholarships, aging/geriatrics/population health education and clinical service programs. Q: What impact do you hope to make through your continued giving? A: Support of future osteopathic physicians with less debt who may then decide to enter primary care and/or geriatrics. Hopefully, by receiving this support, they in turn will support future generations of medical students.
or 21 consecutive years, Thomas Fairchild, PhD, and his wife, Janice Knebl, DO, loyal supporters of the UNT Health Science Center mission, have contributed to UNTHSC fundraising efforts that are most meaningful to them. Through their consistent support, they have directly impacted the lives of students, patients and our community. Learn more about what inspires them to support UNTHSC scholarships and programs year after year. Q: Why did you first give to UNTHSC? A: We both received several scholarships for our graduate degrees, and receiving these academic scholarships to assist in tuition inspired us to want to support Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine students with tuition scholarships. Also, having spent our careers at UNTHSC and UNT, we wanted to support the education/academic programs that directly impact students.
Q: How would you describe UNTHSC to others, including potential donors? A: UNTHSC is a valuable educational resource to the North Texas community that has developed a national reputation by the high quality of graduates that have gone on to significantly impact their respective fields. Supporting UNTHSC is a commitment to not only the future of the higher education, but also to the larger good of our community and nation. Q: Do you mind sharing anything from your personal background that shaped your attitude toward giving? A: Receiving scholarships during undergraduate college and medical school influenced our strong commitment toward giving. My attitude toward giving is rooted in what I learned from my parents. They always gave of their time, talent or financial resources to support our church and community. Their charitable behavior left a lasting impact on me that I attempt to stay true to today. UNT Health Science Center relies on generous consecutive supporters like Dr. Fairchild and Dr. Knebl to be the catalyst in helping us continue to transform lives. Join them and others in supporting our mission to create solutions for healthier communities.
Making a difference V olunteerism provides people an opportunity to make a difference and connect, as well as serves as a valuable and renewable resource for communities. Since 1970, UNT Health Science Center students and employees have given back to the local community through service, education and philanthropy. Almost 50 years later, the spirit of volunteerism at UNTHSC is no different. UNTHSC students and employees embrace the value of serving others first through patient education at local non-profits or Fort Worth ISD schools, providing basic first aid and emergency medical services at local events such as Cowtown Marathon, Fortress Festival, and by administering hands-on screening services such as cholesterol, BMI and blood-glucose checks at various health fairs and community events. In 2017-2018, students, faculty and staff members volunteered a total of 47,736 hours, saving the community an estimated $572,800 in labor. UNTHSC is deeply invested in the growth and betterment of Fort Worth. By volunteering our time and talent, together, we are part of the solution to creating a healthier community.
rs. Alan and Marianne Levine practiced medicine for a combined 54 years, and UNTHSC was fortunate to have both on faculty at one point or another over the course of these years. Following her beloved husband’s passing in 2012, Marianne had a big decision to make regarding the proceeds from her husband’s life insurance policy that were earmarked to support UNTHSC. After establishing The Alan and Marianne Rose Levine TCOM Pediatric Award to support senior students moving into pediatric residency, Marianne collaborated with UNTHSC President Michael Williams to decide how best to use the balance of the proceeds. They decided to establish the Alan and Marianne Levine Presidential Endowed Scholarship to annually award scholarships to four students in each of UNTHSC’s six colleges and programs, which include the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Physician Assistant Studies, Physical Therapy, School of Public Health, the Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine, and the UNT System College of Pharmacy. Each of the 24 scholarships awards $1,000 and renews each year at this sustained level until the student recipient graduates. Dr. Alan Levine practiced medicine for 34 years and retired from UNTHSC in 2006 after teaching for 28 years. Dr. Marianne Levine, TCOM class of 1985, practiced as a pediatrician for 20 years.
Dr. Sajid Surve examines dancer Dara Oda.
to recognize movement that would be considered pathological and find ways to intervene, which could, in theory, lengthen a dancer's already short career.” As Gaiera and other dancers moved through jetes and plies, an enormous volume of data was transferred to the computer where it appeared as stick figures on the screen. Each camera records 120 frames per second, collecting data that later will be analyzed by engineering students at the University of North Texas in Denton. By December, some dancers were feeling the strain of performing, with some developing minor injuries because of wear and tear. So far, researchers have focused on feet and stability.
Dancer Celesta Gaiera demonstrates a dance move.
Dr. Rita Patterson adjusts a motion-sensor reflector on dancer Adeline Melcher.
Dr. Linda Siy, born and raised in Missouri, performed her residency training in Fort Worth and stayed to practice medicine.
At a glance MEETING THE PHYSICIAN SHORTAGE THE NEED Where young doctors spend their residencies often determines where they practice. Only 2 percent of the total residency slots in Texas are located in Fort Worth.
THE RESULT When their local residencies end, more doctors will stay in North Texas area to practice, helping alleviate the doctor shortage locally and statewide.
THE REMEDY A new agreement between UNTHSC, TCU and Medical City Healthcare will create 500 new residency slots in the Dallas-Fort Worth area in the next seven years. More such agreements are ahead.
ensuring that future Dr. Siys don’t have to leave home to establish their medical careers. The School of Medicine, working in partnership with UNTHSC’s original medical school, the Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine, will help make sure that more Texas-trained medical school graduates stay here. The philosophy is simple, said Stuart Flynn, MD, founding Dean of the TCU and UNTHSC School of Medicine. “Train them locally, keep them locally,” Dr. Flynn said.
Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price congratulates Dean Stuart Flynn at the celebration held when the TCU and UNTHSC School of Medicine received preliminary accreditation.
A white coat from the new school frames a scene from the accreditation celebration.
Melody Josserand took an at-home DNA test to find out where her ancestors came from. She learned much more.
genome. For some, the results can be life changing; for others, a waste of money. Beyond identifying living relatives, the athome tests have become popular ways to fill in family trees, trace lineages back for centuries or even learn the exact breed of your pet dog. They also have garnered attention for helping solve crimes and mysteries spanning decades. Along with the tests’ growing popularity have come concerns about privacy, legal issues or the prospect of personal data getting into the wrong hands. People are often ill prepared for the Pandora’s box of possibilities that DNA tests can open. “Before anyone takes one of these tests, they should think twice about what it could reveal,” said Michael Coble, PhD, Associate Professor of Microbiology, Immunology and Genetics.
THE DOWNSIDE The tests’ growing popularity has raised privacy concerns, and some people are not prepared for unexpected results. Many are disappointed at the range of accuracy in some tests.
THE RIGHT SIDE Law enforcement has used the tests to close unsolved cases and bring the guilty to justice.
Josserand, who is adopted, sent an email introducing herself to a person identified in a DNA test as sharing her genetic signature. This is the message she got in return.
THE UPSIDE At least 12 million people have purchased DNA kits to trace their ancestral roots. One site claims it has helped 10,000 adoptees find their biological parents.
Joseph James DeAngelo, who has been charged for crimes connected to California’s Golden State Killer, might have escaped justice except for the fact that a relative decided to take an in-home DNA test.
Dr. Jeff Beeson has seen plenty of change at UNTHSC over the years. Now he is leading a transformation in patient care.
As a kid, Dr. Jeff Beeson, left, watched Fourth of July fireworks from this roof with his dad, Don Beeson, UNTHSC’s former police chief.
company that provided cutting-edge mobile care. “Everything I have done was as part of a team — on ambulances, in emergency rooms or on search and rescue,” Dr. Beeson said. “We have a great team to meet our goal at the Health Science Center.” Innovative learning labs UNTHSC is known as a premier postgraduate medical education institution in North Texas. Perhaps less recognized is the high-quality clinical care it has long provided. UNT Health, the university’s clinical arm, operates clinics serving family medicine, pediatrics, osteopathic manipulative medicine, cardiology, dermatology, gastroenterology, allergy, geriatrics and vascular surgery. The clinics have about 120,000 patient interactions a year.
Physician Assistant Monica Summerhill cuts the ribbon at the opening of the Priority Care Clinic in the Health Pavilion, aided by Dr. Beeson and HSC President Michael Williams.
TCOM student Chelsee Greer watches as Dr. David Mason treats patient Georgia Roberts.
Carole Young, center left, and her mother, Barbara Brown, seated on her right, discuss her mother’s treatment with a group of UNTHSC geriatrics experts.
Dr. Sid O’Bryant is Director of the Institute for Translational Research.
to the Alzheimer’s Association. For most patients, the blood test could be done in their doctor’s office and provide relief from the fear of having Alzheimer’s. For those whose results are positive, there would be the benefit of early detection and treatment planning. Dr. O’Bryant also oversees one of the largest and most comprehensive studies ever conducted in the United States focused on Mexican-Americans and dementia. This five-year study began in 2017 and is funded by a $12 million grant from the National Institutes of Health.
The globe-trotting Migala brothers don’t often find themselves in the same place. When they do, as they did here in 2009, Withold, Henri and Alexandre, from left, have interesting stories to tell.
Alexandre Migala treated injured international peacekeepers during the Bosnia war in the 1990s.
A family resilience Like any great adventure movie, the story of the Migala brothers would have a prequel. It would be about their parents, Marian and Anne. Marian was a Polish resistance fighter against the Nazis during World War II. After Germany lost and the Soviets assumed power, he resisted Communist rule until fleeing to Paris. There, he discovered widespread poverty. But he met Anne, who had aided the resistance movement by hiding and transporting soldiers and Jewish refugees on her family farm. Marian and Anne married and had three kids — sons Witold and Henri, and a daughter Therese. Marian learned French and put himself through architecture school. In the 1960s, he immigrated his family to the United States, though he spoke no English. He learned his third language and got a job designing military bases for the Army and Air Force Exchange Service. Marian and Anne had two more sons — Arthur and Alexandre. Military projects moved the family of seven around the world, from Thailand to Germany, before settling in Texas. The fearlessness and resilience of Marian and Anne was not lost on their children.
From surgeon to special forces In an old Nazi tank base near the Bavarian Alps, Dr. Alexandre Migala crept up a grassy slope littered with hidden explosives.
Henri Migala worked in a program in South Africa that helped mothers with HIV stay alive and healthy.
Marian Migala, patriarch of the Migala clan, fought the Nazis as a Polish resistance fighter and eventually came to the United States to forge a new life.
A lasting impact Every morning a 90-year-old man wakes up and dresses faithfully in suspenders and a bolo tie. Marian Migala, the family patriarch, lives in a Dallas suburb. Anne died in 2010. More than a half century ago, Marian brought his family to America, and he is proud his children succeeded. His daughter, Therese Migala Moncrief is a Fort Worth community leader, philanthropist and filmmaker. The fourth son, Arthur Migala, is a college mathematics professor. During the holidays, Witold surprised Alexandre and Henri with a framed photo of a single brick donated to support renovation of Alumni Plaza at UNTHSC. Inscribed on it are the brothers’ names and graduation dates, the closing credits to this story about three men who have made a lasting impact on the world.
Withold Migala organized a polio vaccination campaign in northern Nigeria in 2012. | 2019-04-24T00:55:36Z | https://issuu.com/unthsc/docs/solutionsspring2019 |
Squaring off against NBC’s Game One of the Stanley Cup Finals instead of the finale of The Voice, ABC’s The Bachelorette added a bit of ratings punch to its second two-hour episode on Memorial Day night.
Aided by a local angle in rose-peddler Rachel Lindsay (a Dallas attorney), The Bachelorette won its 7 to 9 p.m. slot in both total D-FW viewers (152,693) and advertiser-prized 18-to-49-year-olds (54,521).
Game One of the Stanley Cup between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Nashville Predators averaged just 65,440 total viewers. But a nice-sized chunk of them were 18-to-49-year-olds (38,485).
ABC’s 9 p.m. premiere of Still Star-Crossed dipped to 65,440 total viewers, with 22,450 within the 18-to-49 age range.
On Sunday, the final round of the Colonial PGA tournament, with Dallasite Jordan Spieth in contention to the end, peaked at a very smallish 109,067 total viewers between 4:30 and 4:45 p.m. CBS’ entire three-hour telecast averaged 87,263 viewers. Just 25,657 were within the 18-to-49-year-old motherlode.
Here are Friday’s local news derby numbers, (with all but TEGNA8 then taking a Memorial Day holiday exemption for their 6 a.m. and 5, 6 and 10 p.m. newscasts).
Fox4 won at 6 a.m. in total viewers but NBC5 had the edge among 25-to-54-year-olds.
The Peacock also ran the table at 6 p.m., drew the most total viewers at 5 p.m. and tied Fox4 for the spot at that hour in the 25-to-54 realm.
Fox4/NBC5 again score the most newscast wins while TEGNA8 retains 10 p.m. total viewers crown in tightly fought May "sweeps"
The May “sweeps” newscast spoils again were split among three stations, but with the victory margins thinner compared to a year ago while audiences continued to fall off.
Fox4 repeated its 6 a.m. sweep and also again won at 10 p.m. in the key 25-to-54-year-old demographic (main advertiser target audience for news programming). NBC5 had twin wins at 5 and 6 p.m., while TEGNA8’s lone victory was a defense of last May’s 10 p.m. title in total viewers.
CBS11 again went scoreless, particularly with 25-to-54-year-olds. But the station came close to outpointing TEGNA8 in total viewers at 10 p.m. and might well have done so had the CBS network saved some of its big season finales for the final six days of the sweeps instead of exhausting most of its ammunition by mid-May. More than its rivals, CBS11 is dependent on sizable 9 p.m. network lead-ins to goose the ratings for its late night newscasts.
Here are the complete May 2017 sweeps results in total viewers and 25-to-54-year-olds, with year-to-year audience losses or gains in parentheses.
Comments: Across-the-board shortfalls in the bread-buttering 25-to-54 age range mark the second straight year that’s happened. And CBS11 was the only station to show an increase from May 2016 in total viewers. The weather didn’t “cooperate.” It again was relatively uneventful compared to May 2015, when all four stations got ratings bumps from stormy skies. TEGNA8 deserves some credit for trying to differentiate itself with longer-form “Original” stories throughout the sweeps. But some of them were too gimmicky, and the station soiled itself down the stretch by paying a highly questionable source for secret audio tapes tied to alleged absentee voter fraud. NBC5 and CBS11 also were pitched the same “story,” but didn’t bite.
Comments: It was the same order of finish as last year in both ratings measurements. Still, TEGNA8 flashed a little momentum after getting off to a fast start while CBS11 made smaller year-to-year gains while still running far out of the money. Fox4 remains in charge, but its grip loosened, particularly in total viewers.
Comments: -- The 6 p.m. race among 25-to-54-year-olds had to be extended to an extra ratings decimal to determine a winner. It was that close (1.11 to 1.07). But Fox4 also can claim at least a moral victory after trailing NBC5 by almost 19,000 viewers a year ago. On the other hand, Fox4 hemorrhaged total viewers, falling from third place last year to last place this time out.
Comments: Pee-yew, particularly in the 25-to-54-year-old demographic, where all four stations again had diminishing returns. Fox4 had the worst time of it in both measurements while still managing a second place finish among 25-to-54-year-olds. But in a D-FW market with a population of 3,006,700 viewers in the 25-to-54 age range, the four stations managed to collectively lure only 99,221 of them to their early evening newscasts.
***NBC5 won the three-way local newscast race at 4 p.m. in both ratings measurements. Fox4’s double dose of the syndicated Judge Judy edged the Peacock in total viewers but trailed among 25-to-54-year-olds.
***TEGNA8’s Good Morning Texas continues to more than pay for itself with built-in pay-for-play mini-infomercials. Otherwise, the program ran fourth in total viewers in the 9 a.m. hour (with the third hour of NBC’s Today on top). In the 18-to-49-year-old demographic (main advertiser target audience for entertainment programming), GMT moved up to third place from 9 to 9:30 a.m., nipping CBS’ competing Let’s Make a Deal. GMT then slipped to fourth from 9:30 to 10 a.m., with Deal barely in third.
***The venerable Wheel of Fortune, now in its 108th season (heh-heh), again easily won the 6:30 p.m. slot in total viewers against the competing syndicated rag mags on Fox4, NBC5 and TEGNA8. Pat and Vanna also held their own with 18-to-49-year-olds, tying NBC5’s Extra for the top spot.
***CBS’ Trump-bashing Late Show with Stephen Colbert tied Jimmy Fallon’s Tonight Show in total viewers, with ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live close behind. But Colbert fell to third place with 18-to-49-year-olds, although he wasn’t far behind Fallon and Kimmel.
NBC’s two-hour season finale of The Voice throttled ABC’s latest two-and-a-half-hour Dancing with the Stars ender in their Tuesday night face-off.
The Voice, won by a dude named Chris Blue, pulled in 283,573 D-FW viewers while DWTS had 189,049 and also was beaten from 8 to 9 p.m. by CBS’ new episode of Bull (218,133 viewers). The Mirror Ball trophy went to NFL running back Rashad Jennings and his pro partner, Emma Slater.
The Voice crushed DWTS in the advertiser-coveted 18-to-49-year-old demographic by a score of 73,763 viewers to 19,243. DWTS also was whipped by Bull, Fox’s Prison Break, Fox4’s 9 p.m. local newscast and the second half-hour of The CW’s The Flash.
But now let’s get to ABC’s Downward Dog, whose second episode beat all competing broadcast network programming from 7 to 7:30 p.m. in the key 18-to-49-year-old range while drawing almost twice as many viewers (35,278) as DWTS. The talking, philosophical mutt and his oft-vexed owner (played by former Dallasite Allison Tolman) ran second in total viewers with 138,151 compared to 218,133 for CBS’ first half-hour of an NCIS repeat.
Both are major improvements over Downward Dog’s feeble numbers last Wednesday, when it was sneak-previewed following the season finale of Modern Family. Good boy.
NBC5 and TEGNA8 tied for the lead in total viewers at 10 p.m. while Fox4 won fairly comfortably with 25-to-54-year-olds (the main advertiser target audience for news programming).
It was otherwise a day of sweeps within the sweeps. Fox4 cruised to twin wins at 6 a.m. and NBC5 dominated at 5 and 6 p.m. in both ratings measurements.
It’s been a long, winding, bumpy road for NBC5’s lead investigative reporter and his behind-the-scenes teammates.
Scott Friedman has been the face of Big Buses, Bigger Problems for the past six months, working full-time since last fall on “one of the more complex stories that I’ve ever been involved with,” he says in a telephone interview.
NBC5 is giving Friedman, producer Eva Parks and photojournalist Jose Sanchez an extended showcase on Wednesday, May 24th. The station is bumping the syndicated Extra in favor of a half-hour of hard news in the 6:30 to 7 p.m. slot. Those with an inclination to overwhelm the station’s “switchboard” might want to think twice and buckle in. These are the kinds of stories and investments that local TV news operations should be making in the interest of “differentiating” themselves rather than succumbing to the latest health scare, diet regimen or neighborhood crime scene.
NBC5 vice president of news Mark Ginther says that Friedman and his team have done close to 60 stories on what appear to be serious problems and possibly corruption within Dallas County Schools, the taxpayer-bankrolled agency in charge of the daily transportation of 75,000 North Texas students. The half-hour special, which will be hosted by Friedman and anchors Brian Curtis and Meredith Land, further investigates a highly questionable land deal that could end in the dissolution of the 171-year-old DCS.
“There are a lot of twists and turns to this whole web,” Friedman adds. Officials in charge of the DCS typically have spurned his advances, refusing to comment on-camera. But the State Legislature lately has taken an avid interest in what Friedman has uncovered, with Senate and House committees both voting to shut down the DCS. Passage by the full body still hangs in the balance.
NBC5 will rebroadcast Big Buses, Bigger Problems : The Land Deal on Saturday, May 27th, again at 6:30 p.m. The station’s nbcdfw web page has an exhaustive chronology of how this investigation began and where it might be going. You can dive in right here.
Dallas attorney Rachel Lindsay, first African-American star of ABC’s The Bachelorette, began sifting through her gaggle of men Monday night.
The D-FW Nielsen ratings were slow on the draw, at least in total viewers. But the numbers picked up among advertiser-prized 18-to-49-year-olds.
Airing from 8 to 10 p.m., The Bachelorette averaged 130,880 total viewers after inheriting 319,928 from the closing 15 minutes of Dancing with the Stars. That was good enough to beat Fox’s 8 p.m. episode of Lucifer, but nothing else among competing attractions on the Big Four broadcast networks. The top draw, NBC’s second hour of The Voice, pulled in 312,657 viewers after narrowly losing to DWTS with its opening hour.
In the 18-to-49 numbers,The Bachelorette perked up and outdrew everything except The Voice and Fox4’s 9 p.m. local newscast. Overall, The Bachelorette averaged 51,314 viewers in this key demographic, but the audience fell off for the show’s rose-peddling second hour.
Here are the local news derby results for the 18th weekday of the May ratings “sweeps,” which end this Wednesday.
TEGNA8 all but locked up a 10 p.m. win in total viewers with its fourth straight first-place finish. Only a total collapse would knock the station from that perch. TEGNA8 also won among 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming).
Fox4 notched another pair of 6 a.m. wins and NBC5 stayed strong in the early evening with sweeps at both 5 and 6 p.m.
The weekend’s big upset wasn’t just on the Preakness track.
NBC’s telecast of the Triple Crown’s second leg also outdrew CBS’ climactic 15 minutes of the homegrown Byron Nelson golf tournament over the weekend.
The 10-horse Preakness field went off at 5:51 p.m. Saturday, with longshot Cloud Computing nipping one of the favorites, Classic Empire, while Kentucky Derby champ Always Dreaming faded to eighth. Nielsen Media Research measures in 15-minute increments. And from 5:45 to 6 p.m., ratings for the Preakness peaked at 174,506 D-FW viewers.
On Sunday, Billy Horschel beat Jason Day on the first playoff hole at the Byron Nelson. Their match ended just a few second before 6 p.m. From 5:45 to 6 p.m., ratings peaked at 159,964 viewers.
In Sunday’s prime-time Nielsens, ABC’s three-hour Billboard Music Awards topped all TV attractions with 189,049 viewers and 86,592 in the advertiser-prized 18-to-49-year-old age range. The Texas Rangers’ Sunday night road win at Detroit on ESPN’s featured game finished a close second in total viewers with 174,506.
Friday’s prime-time ratings leaders were CBS’ 7 p.m. hour of Undercover Boss in total viewers (159,964) and NBC’s 8 to 10 p.m. edition of Dateline in the 18-to-49 demographic (41,692).
On Thursday night, Fox4’s 9 p.m. local newscast was the top draw in both measurements, with 232,675 total viewers and 70,556 in the 18-to-49-year-old realm.
Here are the Thursday/Friday local news derby results for the 16th and 17th weekdays of the May ratings “sweeps,” which end this Wednesday.
Thursday -- TEGNA8 drew the most total viewers at 10 p.m. while Fox4 news won with 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming).
NBC5 ran first in total viewers at 6 a.m., but Fox 4 was tops with 25-to-54-year-olds.
The Peacock enjoyed ratings sweeps at both 5 and 6 p.m.
Friday -- TEGNA8 swept the 10 p.m. competitions and Fox4 did likewise at 6 a.m.
NBC5 and TEGNA8 shared the total viewers lead at 6 p.m., but Fox4 had the edge with 25-to-54-year-olds while CBS11 registered “hashmarks” (no measurable audience).
NBC5 again had twin wins at 5 p.m.
TEGNA8 reporter Jason Whitely & news director Carolyn Mungo.
TEGNA8’s heavily touted series of stories on alleged absentee voter fraud in Dallas County elections became tainted Friday when The Dallas Morning News published a front page story saying that the station’s whistleblower also is a “person of interest” under investigation and that the Dallas-based ABC affiliate paid him for exclusive rights to audio recordings.
Respected reporter Jason Whitely is not named in the lengthy piece by Naomi Martin (with contributions by Robert Wilonsky). But he’s been the point man for the ongoing series, which is airing during the competitive May “sweeps” ratings period. The station so far has made no mention on the air of its payments to Sidney Williams, whose secret recordings have fingered another man, Jose Barrientos, as the primary perpetrator of voter fraud. Barrientos has denied any wrongdoing and claims there’s an ongoing “witch hunt” directed at him.
From a television criticism perspective, it’s an ethical misdemeanor at best to pay sources for information. But it’s appreciably worse not to disclose such payments. Or to belatedly claim they’re something other than what they were.
Williams told The News that TEGNA8 paid him $2,500 for the tapes under the provision that he not share them with anyone else. The News said he showed the paper a $1,000 contract with TEGNA8 but declined to show another contract that allegedly showed the station paying an additional $1,500.
TEGNA8 news director Carolyn Mungo termed the station’s payments a “licensing fee,” but for less than the $2,500 that Williams is claiming.
A source at rival CBS11 said the station was pitched the same story, but declined after learning it had a price tag attached. Williams has a minimal criminal record, but in 2007 was sentenced to 75 days in jail for misdemeanor theft, The News reported. He also pled guilty later that year for knowingly filing a false official report in Bexar County, the paper said.
Mungo does not talk to this reporter, and in fact sometimes steers interviews with station personnel to Fort Worth’s Star-Telegram after unclebarky.com makes inquiries, according to sources at TEGNA8. The station has a “content sharing” arrangement with the Star-Telegram, as does The News with NBC5, which regularly features several of the paper’s reporters in on-air segments.
TEGNA8 is locked in a tight “sweeps” battle for first place in total viewers at 10 p.m. Through the first 16 of 20 weekdays measured by Nielsen Media Research, TEGNA8 is averaging 159,964 viewers per newscast, with CBS11 (152,693) and NBC5 (145,422) close behind.
Among 25-to-54-year-olds (the main advertiser target audience for news programming), TEGNA8 also is in the thick of it. Fox4 leads with 45,101 viewers, followed by TEGNA8 (42,094) and NBC5 (39,087).
It did better in the national Nielsens, but ABC’s Wednesday night sneak preview of Downward Dog got treated like rabies by D-FW viewers.
The critically praised saga of Martin the philosophical talking mutt and his owner, Nan (Baylor grad and former Dallasite Allison Tolman from Fargo) ran a distant last among the Big Four broadcast networks following a lead-in from the season finale of Modern Family. DD drew just 72,711 total viewers and a measly 9,621 in the advertiser-prized 18-to-49 age range.
Prime-time’s overall top dog, Fox’s 8 p.m. hour of Empire, had 232,675 total viewers and 115,456 in the 18-to-49 demographic.
Here are Wednesday’s local news derby results for the 15th weekday of the May “sweeps” ratings period.
TEGNA8 won at 10 p.m. in total viewers while Fox4 ran first among 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming).
Fox4 and NBC5 shared the 6 a.m. lead in total viewers, but Fox4 won outright with 25-to-54-year-olds.
NBC5 swept the 5 p.m. competitions. At 6 p.m., CBS11 pulled in the most total viewers; Fox4 and TEGNA8 shared the 25-to-54 gold.
The latest NCIS season finale as usual topped all D-FW programming in total viewers Tuesday while also setting up CBS’ two following crime dramas for time slot wins.
NCIS drew 349,013 viewers in handily defeating NBC’s competing hour of The Voice (276,308). Bull (276,302 viewers) and NCIS: New Orleans (254,489) then breezed to wins from 8 to 10 p.m.
The advertiser-prized 18-to-49-year-old demographic again told a different story. The Voice won from 7 to 8 p.m. with 73,763 viewers before the Peacock’s first of two Great News episodes led from 8 to 8:30 p.m. with 57,728.
Fox’s second half-hour of Prison Break then took over with 48,107 viewers in this key audience measurement before Fox4’s 9 p.m. local newscast pulled in 36,561 viewers to scratch out a narrow win over NCIS: New Orleans (34,637 viewers).
ABC’s 9 p.m. attraction, Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., typically bottomed out with just 9,621 viewers in the 18-to-49 motherlode. For whatever reason, ABC has renewed it for another season anyway. One of Marvel’s innumerable superheroes must have super duper mind-melding power. Or perhaps just incriminating pictures.
CBS11 remained in contention for a big morale-boosting 10 p.m. win by placing first in total viewers while TEGNA8 overcame the skimpy S.H.I.E.L.D. lead-in to win with 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming).
Fox4 swept the 6 a.m. competitions and NBC5 likewise ran the table at 5 p.m. The 6 p.m. golds went to the Peacock in total viewers TEGNA8 in the 25-to-54 realm.
ABC’s Dancing with the Stars bested The Voice in total D-FW viewers for the second straight Monday before again “skewing old” with a vengeance.
From 7 to 9 p.m., DWTS pulled in 247,217 viewers, with The Voice close behind (239,946). But it was another slaughterhouse among advertiser-prized 18-to-49-year-olds, with The Voice drawing 76,970 to just 25,657 for DWTS.
In the 9 p.m. hour, CBS’ Scorpion had the most total viewers (218,133) and NBC’s The Wall prevailed with 18-to-49-year-olds (41,692).
CBS11 won at 10 p.m. in total viewers, but TEGNA8 drew the most 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming).
The spoils also were split at 6 a.m., with Fox4 running first in total viewers and NBC5 on top with 25-to-54-year-olds.
NCIS: Los Angeles, getting a big second wind on Sunday nights, led all of D-FW’s weekend TV attractions in total viewers while ABC’s afternoon Game 1 of the Golden State Warriors-San Antonio Spurs Western Conference finals easily won among advertiser-coveted 18-to-49-year-olds.
NCIS: LA totaled 261,760 viewers after inheriting 210,862 from the network’s 60 Minutes. But both programs otherwise again “skewed old” and were whipped in the 18-to-49 motherlode by Warriors-Spurs (83,385 viewers). The Spurs had built up a 23-point second half lead on Golden State’s home floor when their principal star, Kawhi Leonard, left the game after re-injuring his ankle. Absent Leonard, the Spurs deflated and ended up losing by two points in a down-to-the-wire thriller.
Fox offered the two-hour Miss USA pageant Sunday night. It drew just 72,711 total viewers and 25,657 in the 18-to-49 age range.
On Friday night, CBS’ 8 p.m. episode of Hawaii Five-0 led all prime-time programming in total viewers with 203,591. It also edged ABC’s competing Shark Tank (renewed for a ninth season Monday) for that night’s overall lead among 18-to-49-year-olds.
TEGNA8 won in total viewers at 10 p.m., with CBS11 a close second. NBC5 comfortably led among 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming).
Fox4 remained in total control of the 6 a.m. competitions with another sweep. TEGNA8 enjoyed a prosperous early evening, running the table at 6 p.m. and drawing the most total viewers at 5 p.m. NBC5 won with 25-to-54-year-olds at 5 p.m.
CBS11 adds reporter MaryAnn Martinez; ex-WFAA anchor/reporter Debbie Denmon is now with the Home Shopping Network.
CBS11 has hired reporter MaryAnn Martinez (left/above), who joins the station from Fox-owned KTTV-TV in Los Angeles, where she barely stopped long enough for a cup of coffee and a scone.
Martinez, who joins CBS11 on Monday, May 15th, left San Antonio’s KENS-TV for KTTV in mid-March of this year. “It’s definitely going to be an adventure,” she told San Antonio Express-News TV writer Jeanne Jakle at the time.
But the Baylor University graduate only freelanced for KTTV, CBS11 director of communications Lori Conrad said Friday. So after a little over two years with KENS and a little under two months with KTTV, she’s back in her native Texas. Martinez also has worked at TV stations in El Paso, Miami, Las Vegas and San Diego. She was a nightside reporter with KENS.
***Debbie Denmon spent 12 years at WFAA before the station declined to renew her contract in July of 2012. She was dropped after losing a discrimination suit filed against the station, which was then owned by Dallas-based Belo Corp. It’s now run from afar by TEGNA.
Denmon since got married and for a while was director of communications for the Dallas District Attorney’s office. She’s now newly in St. Petersburg, FL as an on-air personality for the Home Shopping Network.
“It’s a great opportunity for me that marries two of my favorite things -- TV and shopping,” she said in a message to unclebarky.com.
Denmon said that her husband, Richard Greagor, and their son, Kingston, will be joining her when the school year is completed.
CBS’ latest season finale of The Big Bang Theory topped all Thursday programming as usual before the Texas Rangers came alive and won prime-time’s closing hour.
BB drew 334,471 D-FW viewers and also paced all TV attractions in the advertiser-prized 18-to-49-year-old age range with 102,627. A 7:30 p.m., a BB repeat won its time slot in total viewers (225,404) but was beaten by the second half-hour of ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy among 18-to-49ers (67,349).
CBS’ Mom took the 8 to 8:30 p.m. slot in total viewers (218,133) before the network’s Life In Pieces fell to second place behind the closing half of NBC’s Chicago Med (189,049). But Life In Pieces won its slot with 18-to-49-year-olds while Mom was runner-up to the first half-hour of ABC’s Scandal.
The Texas Rangers’ walk off home win against San Diego, capped by Mike Napoli’s three-run homer, rose up to take the 9 p.m. hour in total viewers (174,506) while also nipping CBS’ The Amazing Race for the top spot with 18-to-49-year-olds (38,485).
TEGNA8 drew the most total viewers at 10 p.m. but Fox4 was narrowly No. 1 among 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming).
Fox4 racked up another pair of 6 a.m. wins and TEGNA8 likewise swept the 6 p.m. competitions.
The 5 p.m. golds went to NBC5 in total viewers and Fox4 in the 25-to-54 realm.
CBS11 has been wandering in the ratings desert for several ratings “sweeps” periods, with a nary a glimmer of hope anywhere.
There now appears to be a glimmer. The station has won or tied for the 10 p.m. top spot in total viewers for three straight weeknights. And at the midpoint of May’s warfare, CBS11 has five wins in 10 tries, with 10 more weeknights remaining.
Without question, the station has benefited from generally strong CBS network “lead-ins” at 9 p.m. But all four combatants usually excel when given such boosts. The bottom could still fall out for CBS11, which otherwise has no chance at all to win at 10 p.m. among 25-to-54-year-olds (the main advertiser target audience for news programming). But for now, the station is very much in the total viewers game, with a win still somewhat unlikely but certainly possible.
We’ll get to the full local news derby results in just a bit. But first, a brief look at prime-time. Fox’s Empire isn’t nearly the juggernaut it was during its first two seasons. But a new 8 p.m. episode still had enough juice to rank as Wednesday’s No. 1 attraction in both total viewers (225,404) and advertiser-craved 18-to-49-year-olds (96,213).
Tuesday’s prime-time pacesetter in total viewers again was CBS’ NCIS with 334,471. NBC’s competing The Voice led all prime-time programming in the 18-to-49-year-old realm with 70,556 viewers.
Tuesday -- CBS11 cashed in on a bounteous lead-in from NCIS: New Orleans to win by a significant margin at 10 p.m. in total viewers. TEGNA8 edged Fox4 for the top spot with 25-to-54-year-olds.
Fox4 continued to cruise at 6 a.m. with two more wins. The spoils were split at 5 and 6 p.m., with NBC5 winning at both hours in total viewers while Fox4 ran first among 25-to-54-year-olds.
Wednesday -- TEGNA8 and CBS11 shared first place at 10 p.m. in total viewers. But here’s where there could be additional hope for CBS11. The station grabbed a share of first place despite getting the worst lead-in among the four stations from CBS’ 9 p.m. episode of Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders. Fox4 won solidly at 10 p.m. in the 25-to-54 demographic.
Fox4 also cashed in two more 6 a.m. wins and ran first at both 5 and 6 p.m. among 25-to-54-year-olds. NBC5 drew the most total viewers at 5 p.m. and TEGNA8 took the 6 p.m. gold in that measurement.
On most Mondays, NBC’s The Voice both out-shouts and outdraws the semi-celebrity hoofers on ABC’s Dancing with the Stars.
Not this time. DWTS fox-trotted past The Voice by a half-step in D-FW’s total viewers Nielsens, winning by a 247,217 to 239,946 score.
It otherwise was business as usual among advertiser-craved 18-to-49-year-olds, with The Voice luring 76,970 to DWTS’s 35,278.
The closing 9 p.m. hour of prime-time was won by CBS’ Scorpion in total viewers (203,591) and NBC’s The Wall in the 18-to-49 motherlode (57,728).
The struggling Texas Rangers, who dropped another late night road game, this time at San Diego, continued to languish on Fox Sports Southwest with 79,982 total viewers and 16,036 in the 18-to-49 realm.
CBS11 edged NBC5 for the top spot in total viewers at 10 p.m. while Fox4 won among 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming).
Fox4 had twin wins at 6 a.m. and TEGNA8 ran the table at 6 p.m.
Fox4 and TEGNA8 tied for the most total viewers at 5 p.m., with Fox4 alone on top with 25-to-54-year-olds.
Following the usual interminable NBC buildup, the Kentucky Derby finally sprang into action at 5:52 p.m. Saturday and ended two minutes later.
During the applicable 15-minute window measured by Nielsen Media Research -- 5:45 to 6 p.m. -- the win by Always Dreaming drew 327,200 D-FW viewers to rank as the weekend’s most-watched TV attraction. A rather smallish number of those viewers -- 86,592 -- were within the advertiser-coveted 18-to-49 age range. But that was still the weekend’s top haul.
On Sunday night, CBS’ 7 p.m. episode of NCIS: Los Angeles led all prime-time programming in total viewers with 283,573. NBC’s competing Little Big Shots ranked No. 1 among 18-to-49-year-olds (73,763).
ABC’s The Last 100 Days of Diana, which ran from 8 to 10 p.m., performed solidly among total viewers with 189,049. It was beaten by CBS’ Madam Secretary (218,133) in the first hour but won from 9 to 10 p.m. Diana cratered with 18-to-49-year-olds, though, luring just 16,036 of ‘em. It was beaten by everything except NBC’s 9 p.m. episode of Shades of Blue in the Big Four broadcast network universe. Fox4’s 9 p.m. local newscast was the No. 1 performer with 48,107 viewers in this key demographic.
On Friday, prime-time’s top draws were the season finale of CBS’ Blue Bloods in total viewers (239,946) and the network’s Hawaii Five-0 in the 18-to-49 realm (41,692).
Here are Friday’s local news derby results for the seventh weekday of the May “sweeps” ratings period.
It was a day of sweeps within the sweeps. NBC5 nipped CBS11 for the most total viewers at 10 p.m. and edged Fox4 for the top spot with 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming).
Fox4 had twin wins at both 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. NBC5 ran the table at 5 p.m.
It’s not unusual for TEGNA8’s newscasts to rank first at 10 p.m. in total D-FW viewers. But it’s been a much tougher sell with the key news demographic, 25-to-54-year-olds.
The station altered that course -- at least on Wednesday and Thursday -- with late night sweeps in both demographics despite less than stellar lead-ins from ABC’s 9 p.m. dramas. On Thursday, ABC’s The Catch ran last in both audience measurements. On Wednesday, Designated Survivor was third in total viewers and second among 25-to-54-year-olds.
These are just two nights and the May “sweeps” have a long way to go. But TEGNA8 is on the right course, at least from this perspective, with a steadier diet of longer-form feature stories billed as “Originals.” It’s an effort to differentiate and stand out from all the same-old, same-old. Reporter Kevin Reece, hired in September of last year, excels at these kinds of stories, and TEGNA8 is making good use of him. So we’ll see if viewers in fact are starting to take long-term notice of TEGNA8’s more textured efforts in the key 10 p.m. slot.
In Thursday’s prime-time Nielsens, CBS’ 7 p.m. new episode of The Big Bang Theory again led all programming in both total viewers (334,471) and 18-to-49-year-olds (109,041), the key demographic for entertaining programming.
Wednesday was paced by Fox’s Empire, which drew 232,675 total viewers and 89,799 in the 18-to-49-year-old realm.
Here are the other local news derby results.
Wednesday -- NBC5 and Fox4 shared the spoils at 6 a.m., with the Peacock narrowly winning in total viewers and Fox4 edging NBC5 with 25-to-54-year-olds.
NBC5 had the most total viewers at 6 p.m. while Fox4 and CBS11 tied to the top spot among 25-to-54-year-olds. The 5 p.m. firsts went to TEGNA8 in total viewers and Fox4 in the 25-to-54 demographic.
Thursday -- Fox4 had twin wins at 6 a.m. TEGNA8 led in total viewers at both 5 and 6 p.m., but NBC5 took the 25-to-54 crowns at both hours.
The Press Club of Dallas’ new group of 12 North Texas Legends includes (from top left clockwise) Janet St. James, Dale Hansen, Tom Joyner and Norm Hitzges. Induction ceremony is Saturday, June 3rd.
A quartet of on-camera luminaries and a trio of radio standouts are among the dozen new North Texas Legends being honored next month by the Press Club of Dallas.
Tickets are now on sale for the seventh annual event, being held on Saturday, June 3rd at the historic downtown Dallas Sixth Floor Museum.
This year’s ceremony includes an inaugural posthumous induction, with D-FW’s first television meteorologist, Harold Taft, being honored for a 42-year stint at WBAP-TV, which later became KXAS-TV and now is billed as NBC5. Taft died of cancer on Sept. 27, 1991, shortly after his last weathercast on Aug. 30th of that year. His son, Rafael Taft, now a Grand Prairie police officer, is scheduled to induct him.
The TV contingent also includes three WFAA stalwarts -- sports anchor Dale Hansen, retired investigative reporter Byron Harris and former medical reporter Janet St. James, who is now assistant vice president for strategic communications at Medical City Healthcare.
Country and western radio’s “Midnight Cowboy,” Bill Mack, who early on dubbed Taft “The World’s Greatest Weatherman,” is a part of a radio contingent that also includes nationally famous “fly jock” Tom Joyner and D-FW sports talk dean Norm Hitzges.
***Mike Blackman, who was the longtime executive editor of Fort Worth’s Star-Telegram.
***Bill DeOre, the former featured editorial and sports cartoonist for The Dallas Morning News.
***Yolette Garcia, former award-winning producer at KERA-TV and now an assistant with Southern Methodist University.
***John Jenkins, recently retired as news operations manager at NBC5 after breaking into television as one of D-FW’s first African-American photographers at both KDFW-TV and WFAA-TV.
***John Lumpkin, longtime Associated Press bureau chief in Dallas before becoming instrumental in launching and sustaining the Bob Schieffer School of Journalism at TCU.
Last year’s event was completely sold out, and capacity at the Sixth Floor Museum is restricted to 225 because of fire marshal restrictions. All admissions ($25 for Press Club members and $30 for non-members) include food, beer, wine and soft drinks at an opening reception scheduled to start at 6 p.m. Induction speeches will begin around 7 p.m., with Harold Taft’s son and all 11 living Legends confirmed as attendees.
Note to readers: Your friendly content provider is a second-year Press Club of Dallas board member and co-chair of this year’s Legends event.
Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Wed.-Sun., April 26-30) -- delfated ratings for NFL draft on opening night of May "sweeps"
The NFL’s annual meat market, which started Thursday, again coincided with the first night of the May “sweeps” ratings period -- as it did last year. Otherwise there was no comparison. The first round of the draft got sacked in the D-FW Nielsen ratings compared to 2016’s picks and pans.
ESPN, barely removed from a firing squad that took out 100 employees earlier in the week, averaged 174,506 viewers while the NFL Network pulled in 58,169. Last year’s totals were 240,802 viewers for ESPN and 99,154 for NFL Net.
The draft also took a big hit in the advertiser-prized 18-to-49-year-old demographic. ESPN averaged 80,178 viewers for its coverage, down from 152,434 last year. The NFL Net drew 25,657 compared to 47,636 last year. In football-crazy North Texas, these are pretty remarkable downturns.
Thursday’s biggest overall ratings draw, CBS’ The Big Bang Theory, had 298,115 total viewers and 96,213 in the 18-to-49 realm (second to the entire combined draft averages on ESPN/NFL Net).
OK. let’s jump to the most recent D-FW numbers -- for Sunday night. CBS’ 7 p.m. episode of NCIS: Los Angeles led all prime-time attractions with 276,302 total viewers while NBC’s Little Big Shots and Chicago Justice and ABC’s America’s Funniest Home Videos shared the 18-to-49-year-old lead with 57,728 viewers apiece.
Friday’s top draw again was CBS’ Blue Bloods with 232,675 total viewers; NBC’s Dateline drew the most 18-to-49-year-olds (44,899).
On Wednesday, Fox’s Empire led in both ratings measurements with 254,489 total viewers and 80,178 in the 18-to-49 demographic.
Here are the Wednesday-Friday local news derby results.
Wednesday -- On the eve of the May sweeps, NBC5 and TEGNA8 tied for the most total viewers at 10 p.m., but Fox4 won among 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming).
Fox4 also swept the 6 a.m. competitions and NBC5 did likewise at 5 p.m. The 6 p.m. firsts went to the Peacock in total viewers and Fox4 with 25-to-54-year-olds.
Thursday -- TEGNA8 notched the first 10 p.m. sweeps win in total viewers and tied NBC5 for the top spot with 25-to-54-year-olds.
Fox4 scored twin wins at 6 a.m. and NBC5 again swept the 5 p.m. competitions. NBC5 and TEGNA8 shared the 6 p.m. lead in total viewers while Fox4 won outright among 25-to-54-year-olds.
Friday -- NBC5 ran the table at 10 p.m. and Fox4 notched another pair of 6 a.m. wins. TEGNA8 continued to make some early morning noise in the early going of the sweeps by placing a solid second in both ratings measurements. On Thursday, TEGNA8 also ran second in total viewers while tying NBC5 for the runner-up spot with 25-to-54-year-olds.
TEGNA8 won in total viewers at both 5 and 6 p.m. The 25-to-54 golds went to NBC5 at 5 p.m. and Fox4 at 6 p.m. | 2019-04-20T04:46:27Z | http://www.unclebarky.com/dfw_files/archive-may-2017.html |
All NIH documents and audiovisuals must be prepared in accordance with professional and ethical standards, as well as generally accepted standards of good taste. They must be appropriate for dissemination by this Federal agency, and must undergo appropriate review and approval prior to release. NIH must adhere to the laws and regulations applying to publications and audiovisuals, including OMB Information Quality Guidelines, the HHS Printing Handbook, and relevant NIH Manual chapters. NIH efforts to ensure and maximize information quality begin at the preparation stage, and continue through the review and approval stages. Existing NIH policies developed in concert with Federal computer security laws provide appropriate security safeguards to ensure integrity of NIH documents, i.e., ensure that the information is protected from unauthorized access, revision, corruption, or falsification.
The NIH has many quality control measures embedded in the scientific process to ensure that the information disseminated is of the highest quality. NIH grant applications undergo rigorous scientific review. Scientific journals do not publish articles until they have gone through a similar peer review process. There is a tension inherent in biomedical research between releasing information in a timely fashion and waiting for the peer review process to result in a published article. Sometimes the NIH provides "late breaking news" to the public on research findings prior to publication in scientific journals and prior to peer review by the journals. However, when it does so, there is an internal review process that routinely draws upon external expertise and monitoring/advisory review boards to ensure that information disseminated to the public summarizes the facts as they are currently known, and that appropriate disclaimers are attached.
The policies and procedures to be followed in the preparation, review, approval, and distribution of NIH information materials, including scientific and professional materials, can be found in NIH Manual Chapter 1183: NIH Publications and Audiovisuals: Preparation, Review, Approval, and Distribution and NIH Manual Chapter 1184: Scientific and Professional Information Presented By NIH Employees: Review, Approval, and Distribution. The procedures currently in place were developed to be sensible, workable, flexible, and timely, and were updated in February 2002 to better articulate OMB, HHS, and NIH information quality guidelines. In the scientific and research context, technical information that has been subjected to formal, independent, external peer review is generally presumed to be of reasonable quality.
The general principles concerning the responsibilities of the NIH research staff in the collection and recording of data, publication practices, authorship determination, peer review, confidentiality of information, collaborations, human subjects research, and financial conflicts of interest are exemplified in the "Guidelines for the Conduct of Research in the Intramural Research Programs at NIH." These guidelines can be found on the Web (www.nih.gov/news/irnews/guidelines.htm). NIH recognizes the scientific need for replication of findings, and encourages data sharing as appropriate. After publication, the research data, any unique reagents, and any supporting data that form the basis of the communication in question should be made available promptly and completely to all responsible scientists seeking further information. Exceptions may be necessary to maintain the confidentiality of clinical data or if unique materials were obtained under agreements that preclude their dissemination. Investigators should retain research data long enough to allow replication of study results -- in general, 5 to 7 years.
A document that has obtained publication clearance for paper printing is often posted on the sponsoring IC's Web page for greater accessibility. NIH/IC Web documents derived from IC-approved printed publications should not need additional approvals. NIH/IC Web documents with no print counterpart require content clearance by the appropriate IC office or contact person to ensure that the information observes all applicable requirements governing information for release to the public. These include the requirements provided in NIH Manual Chapter 1183. When IC Web pages are related to more than one IC (e.g., trans-IC publications, special interest groups), the appropriate IC office or contact person for the primary IC responsible for creating the Web page should be notified regarding clearance requirements.
This section describes NIH procedures and practices in place for review and approval of substantive scientific information that is meant for dissemination primarily to the public, and that NIH considers being subject to the OMB Information Quality Guidelines (see Section II above).
NIH encourages professional dissemination of scientific research and other information on behalf of public health by its employees. Professional and scholarly writing, lecturing, editing, and publishing are an essential part of research, are in the public interest, and bring credit and distinction to NIH and to the employees themselves. In assisting employees to share information about their official and professional activities, NIH seeks to advance scientific knowledge and contribute to professional education. Ordinarily first report of any scientific research results or other professional findings is made by publication in a scientific or professional journal or presentation at a meeting of a professional organization. The choice of the journal or meeting to which reports are offered is the prerogative of the author(s).
There are many quality control measures embedded in the scientific process to ensure that the information disseminated by NIH employees is of the highest quality. Publications or presentations by NIH employees are expected to meet high standards of quality, make a substantial contribution to the field, and contain sufficient information for the informed audience to assess its validity.
To ensure and maximize the quality of information disseminated by NIH employees, any non-extemporaneous presentation (written or electronic) by an NIH employee on a subject related to his/her NIH duties must be reviewed and approved through an internal NIH process prior to submitting for publication consideration. With few exceptions, non-extemporaneous oral presentations on health policy or practice, or presentations with policy implications, must also be cleared in advance. Manuscripts intended for publication are customarily subjected to an external peer review process directed by the interested publisher, volume editor, or journal editor.
All Institutes have either formal or informal internal operating procedures for identifying printing requirements and tracking publications. These procedures come in a variety of forms such as policy issuances, internal Web sites, memos, or annual requests for printing requirements. In addition, the concept clearance process for new publications is often the vehicle that Institutes use to track the development of a new publication and to identify its attendant printing requirements. The requirements for clearance of prospective publications are contained in NIH Manual Chapter 1183. These requirements state that each prospective publication must be cleared through the Communications Office within the originating NIH component and then be approved by the Office of Communications and Public Liaison, OD/NIH and the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs (OASPA), HHS.
In brief, the NIH Manual Chapter 1183 requires that any official publication (including book, bibliography, chapter of a book or textbook, booklet, brochure, collection of abstracts, fact sheet, house organ, index, leaflet, manual, monograph, newsletter, pamphlet, review, periodical, proceeding, recurring report, statistical compendium, Internet document, audiovisual, or the like), prepared by any NIH component directly or through a contract must be sent for HHS clearance through the Editorial Operations Branch, using form HHS-615, Publication Planning and Clearance Request. This clearance requirement does not apply to publication of articles in journals. The authority to permit the initial publication of articles written by NIH employees in privately published journals, encyclopedias, and textbooks can be delegated according to NIH Manual Chapter 1130 (Delegation of Authority).
All NIH Audio/Visual projects and exhibits must be cleared through OASPA, whether produced in-house or under contract. To obtain clearance for all NIH audiovisual products, including exhibits, Form HHS 524A must be completed. It can be obtained on the Web (http://www.nih.gov/icd/od/ocpl/resources/audiovisual.htm) and must be filed with the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs and approved before actual production may begin. If the cost exceeds $50,000, a written evaluation plan is required. If more than $100,000 is involved, a written evaluation and formal message testing are required. No subsequent change in terms, dollar amounts, conditions, or additions can be made to the product without written approval of OASPA.
Statistical compendiums, including statistical analyses, aggregated information by program, IC, or for NIH, including funding information and histories (by disease, funding mechanism, dollars, or other criteria), do not require approval by the Office of the Director, NIH. However, the Director of the originating IC is required to determine that the data conform to the accepted quality standards, and if applicable, that the reported statistics be substantially reproducible (see NIH Manual Chapter 1183).
In general, any writing by an NIH employee on a work-related subject, whether intended for electronic or print publication, or for oral delivery, must be prepared according to accepted NIH standards of quality, reviewed for substantive content, and administratively approved. The purpose of the NIH clearance process is to improve the quality of information, and to ensure the accuracy, objectivity, utility, and validity of information. NIH Manual Chapter 1184, states the policy and procedures to be followed in the review, publication, and distribution of scientific, technical, and other professional manuscripts and speeches by NIH employees. IC Directors (or their delegates) are responsible for establishing and maintaining controls to ensure competent and timely clearance of professional writing and presentations by developing procedures appropriate to the type of information. They are also responsible for maintaining files of requests for approval and actions taken. Individual ICs may determine how best to meet these requirements.
Written presentations by intramural scientists are reviewed and approved by Laboratory/Branch Chiefs and sometimes by Scientific Directors. The intramural approval process also ascertains that all animal, human subjects, and technology transfer requirements are met, that major press and policy implications are noted, and that at least one supervisory scientist finds the work to be of merit. (See the Intramural Research Sourcebook at www1.od.nih.gov/oir/sourcebook/oversight/pub-clear.htm).
Materials requiring review in the Office of the Director, NIH, should be approved by a designated review officer within the originating IC, or by a person in a supervisory relationship to the author, prior to submission to the Office of the Director, NIH. No such preliminary review is required for writing by an IC Director. Any statement, commentary, or discussion of Federal policies or practices related to the employee's position or duties that might be construed as reflecting an official position by NIH, HHS, or the Federal Government must be approved in the Office of the Director, NIH.
For scientific and technical documents, the scientific community recognizes peer review as the primary means of quality control. According to OMB Information Quality Guidelines, material subjected to formal, independent, external peer review may generally be considered to be of acceptable objectivity. However, this presumption of objectivity is refutable based on a persuasive showing to the contrary by a complainant in the particular instance. The single most important determinant of a scientific review group's competence and credibility is its members. Reviewers must have scientific excellence (as demonstrated by their grant and publication records, and academic degrees and honors), and must merit respect in the scientific community. They must possess a wide breadth of expertise, be fair and objective, and should not be influenced by inappropriate personal interests (competition, scientific bias, personal antagonisms, and other irrelevant factors.). Reviewers should review materials for propriety, accuracy, completeness and quality (including objectivity, utility, and integrity).
Consistent with HHS Standards of Conduct (73.735-705 Writing and Editing), employees are encouraged to engage in outside writing and editing when such activity is not otherwise prohibited. If the writing or editing activity is related to the employee's official duties or other responsibilities and programs of the Federal Government, the employee must (i) make no mention of his or her official title or affiliation with the Department, or (ii) use his or her official title or affiliation with the Department and a disclaimer, or (iii) submit the material for clearance within the operating component, under procedures established by the component. When clearance is denied at any lower level, the employee shall have recourse for review up to the head of the principal operating component. This clearance will show there are no official objections to the activity and the employee may then use his or her official title or affiliation usually without a disclaimer. Except where the requirement for disclaimer is waived as a result of official clearance, disclaimers shall be used in all writing and editing related to the employee's official duties or other responsibilities and programs of the Federal Government: (i) in which the employee identifies himself or herself by official title or affiliation with the Department, or (ii) when the prominence of the employee or the employee's position might lead the public to associate him or her with the Department, even without identification other than name. Disclaimers shall read as follows unless a different wording is approved by the Assistant General Counsel, Business and Administrative Law Division, Office of the General Counsel: "This (article, book, etc.) was (written, edited) by (employee's name) in (his or her) private capacity. No official support or endorsement by (name of operating component or of Department) is intended or should be inferred."
Normally, the need for a disclaimer is eliminated through the clearance process. However, a disclaimer may still be needed even after official clearance to clarify that the presentation should not be construed as necessarily representing NIH views, and/or to distinguish the status of information (e.g., preliminary, based on partial data set). The Department's regulations (Standards of Conduct) to which the NIH subscribes, require that disclaimers be used in all unofficial writing and editing related to the employee's official duties and/or affiliation with programs of the Federal Government in which the employee's identification with NIH is to be shown, can be inferred, or is well-known.
Any statements, comments, or discussion of Federal policies or practices that are relevant to the employee's position or duties, draw conclusions, advocate or oppose professional practices or positions on subjects related to NIH duties, or might otherwise be construed as reflecting an official position by NIH, HHS, or the Federal Government, are covered by the OMB Guidelines, and must be approved in the Office of the Director, NIH.
An NIH employee may respond orally to questions and requests for information from any source, including the news media, without prior review and approval but must adhere to internal IC guidelines for informing the IC Information Officer, Congressional Liaison Officer, or other appropriate official about the nature of the information to be discussed. An employee may appear as a member of a discussion panel or seminar and on radio, television, and Web broadcasts without prior approval if the appearance does not require a manuscript or written text or statement, and if there is no conflict with NIH Policy as provided in Manual Chapter 1184. An employee should limit his/her statements and responses to subjects about which he/she has official knowledge and should present only official HHS and NIH positions in discussion of policy matters.
No review or approval is required for nonofficial and private writing, speaking, and publishing by an employee unless his/her NIH employment is likely to be regarded as influencing the content.
"This material is presented from my own perspective, and should not be taken as representing the viewpoint of the Department, NIH, or [IC]."
NIH employees shall not identify themselves as NIH employees in unofficial materials prepared for dissemination to nonprofessional audiences, such as a letter-to-the-editor. These materials must be reviewed prior to presentation in the Office of the Director, NIH, if an employee's identification with NIH is to be shown, can be inferred, or is well known.
The NIH Office of Disease Prevention (ODP) manages the NIH Consensus Development Conference (CDC) Program, the focal point for evidence-based assessments of medical practice and state of the science on behalf of the medical community and the public. Under this program, ODP organizes major conferences that produce Consensus Statements and State of the Science Statements on controversial issues in medicine important to healthcare providers, patients, and the general public. NIH Consensus Statements and State of the Science Statements are disseminated widely, and more than 120 NIH Consensus Statements and State of the Science Statements have been issued since the program's inception in 1977. Organizationally, ODP is under the Associate Director for Disease Prevention in the Office of the Director, NIH, and works closely with NIH Institutes, Centers, and Offices to assess, translate, and disseminate the results of biomedical research that can be used in the delivery of important health services to the public.
An NIH Consensus Statement is a report evaluating scientific information on a given biomedical or public health intervention with the purpose of resolving a particular controversial issue in clinical practice. Each NIH Consensus Statement answers a series of four to six questions concerning efficacy, risk, and clinical applications, and recommends directions for future research, and is the product of an NIH Consensus Development Conference. NIH Consensus Statements synthesize new information, largely from recent or ongoing medical research, that has implications for reevaluation of routine medical practices. They do not give specific algorithms or guidelines for practice.
NIH Consensus Statements are written by broad-based, independent panels of non-Federal, non-advocate individuals knowledgeable in the field of medical or public health science under consideration. The makeup of each panel represents various sectors of professional and community life and typically includes research investigators, healthcare providers, methodologists, and a public representative.
Following circulation of the draft statement to the conference audience for comment, the panel resolves any conflicting recommendations and releases a revised statement at the end of the conference. The Web site for the Consensus Development program can be found at: consensus.nih.gov.
If a suggested topic does not have an adequately defined and available base of scientific information, conference planning and implementation may still proceed. However, rather than being designated a Consensus Development Conference, the conference will be designated as a State of the Science Conference. NIH State of the Science Conferences and Workshops generally adhere to the NIH CDC format because the process is useful for evaluating complex issues. Usually, speakers present findings or perspectives on the issue. The public is invited to address questions to the speakers, and policy implications may be discussed. A report of the findings can emerge in one of a variety of formats including publication in a clinical or scientific journal. The Web site for the State of the Science Statements can be found at: consensus.nih.gov.
Although it is difficult to quantify their impact, the NIH Consensus Statements and State of the Science Statements are intended to influence important public health discussions on topics affecting or broadly applying to a significant number of people. The severity of the problem (morbidity and mortality) and the feasibility of intervention are key considerations. For example, the program has had measured success in influencing reimbursement policy and specialty organization policy, thereby indirectly affecting physician behavior. Each conference is jointly sponsored and administered by one or more ICs of NIH and by ODP. Depending on the topic, other Federal agencies with biomedical components may join in sponsoring a CDC. In conjunction with each conference, the Agency for Health Care Research and Quality (AHRQ) provides a systematic review of the literature on the conference topic through one of its Evidence-Based Practice Centers.
Both the Consensus Statements and the State of the Science Statements are independent reports of the convened panel; none are policy statements of the NIH or the Federal Government. However, NIH funds and disseminates the Consensus Reports, and considers these Statements to be subject to OMB's higher standard of substantial reproducibility. These Statements meet the OMB's quality standards because of the balanced, rigorous, and systematic procedures that ODP has in place to develop them. The panel makes available the evidence on which the Consensus Statement is based. If consensus cannot be achieved, minority or alternative views are included. The systematic literature review conducted by AHRQ is published with their explicit methods. The reports are peer-reviewed by expert panels, and posted on the Internet for at least one month for public comment.
To make environmental health research findings more applicable to human risk assessment, NIH works in partnership with the CDC and the EPA to develop better ways to monitor and assess human exposure to specific chemicals. One of our most visible publications is the Report on Carcinogens (RoC), a congressionally mandated document that lists agents, substances, mixtures or exposure circumstances that are known or reasonably anticipated to be human carcinogens, and to which a significant number of persons residing in the United States are exposed. Responsibility for producing this report has been delegated to the National Toxicology Program (NTP) and the Director NTP also serves as the Director, NIEHS, NIH.6 The RoC is a composite of Summary Profiles that describes the carcinogenicity, exposure, and regulatory information for each listing with relevant tables and appendices. The NTP follows a published, multi-step process to review and evaluate selected substances and to develop the NTP’s recommendations to the Secretary, HHS, regarding whether or not the substances should be listed in the report.
Upon review and approval by the Secretary, HHS, and submission to Congress, a notice of the RoC publication, indicating all newly listed or de-listed agents, substances, mixtures or exposure circumstances is published in the Federal Register, NTP newsletters and web pages and other appropriate publications. The current review process was finalized and released to the public on January 11, 2012 [http://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/go/rocprocess].
It is important to note that the RoC does not present assessments of carcinogenic risks. Listing of substances in this Report, therefore, does not establish that such substances present carcinogenic risks to individuals in their daily lives. Such formal risk assessments are the purview of the appropriate Federal, State, and local health regulatory and research agencies. However, for each effluent, ambient, or exposure standard established by a Federal agency with respect to a listed substance, the RoC is required to state the extent to which, on the basis of available medical, scientific, or other data, the implementation of such standard decreases the risk to public health from exposure to the substance. This requires quantified information on the extent of protection from cancer that the public receives from established Federal standards. Only in a few instances, where studies of long-term human exposures and cancer incidence in restricted environments are available, can risk be estimated with complete confidence.
NIEHS and NTP procedures conform to accepted NIH scientific practices where quantitative and qualitative scientific conclusions are based on: (1) The best available science and supporting studies, particularly peer-reviewed studies, conducted in accordance with sound and objective scientific practices; and (2) data collected by accepted methods or best available methods (if the reliability of the method and the nature of the decision justifies use of the data). The NIEHS and NTP make every effort to ensure that the presentation and dissemination of information about environmental health is comprehensive, informative, and understandable.
Scientific results that can directly affect risk assessment and risk management activities are often published in the NIEHS journal Environmental Health Perspectives (EHP), but do not necessarily represent the viewpoints of NIEHS. EHP also publishes perspectives in the form of editorials, commentaries, reviews, and correspondence, as well as workshop summaries. Workshop summaries are reports by expert scientific committees that include reviews of existing information and that summarize research findings on specific topics, present new information, and recommend methods, courses of action, or further research needs for the scientific community. All scientific articles, including workshop summaries, are subject to rigorous peer review. The criteria for publication are weighted toward scientific quality and environmental significance. A submission is assessed according to its originality, scientific merit, and experimental design; the manuscript is evaluated for its conciseness, clarity, and presentation. These standards are thus consistent with the requirement that the presentation of information on risk effects be comprehensive, informative, and understandable. EHP also addresses certain ethical problems during the review process and requires assurances that all human and animal subjects have been treated humanely and with regard for the alleviation of suffering. The review also considers scientific integrity as part of the process.
Clearinghouses often serve as the public's point of contact and access to information about IC programs, conferences, and research activities. At NIH, clearinghouses have been contracted to provide varying levels of service, including development and distribution of fact sheets, information packages, and publications; storage of materials; conducting outreach and promotion; and performing training and quality control for the clearinghouse staff. Some clearinghouses respond to inquiries about particular diseases or conditions, ranging from information about available patient and professional education materials to statistical data. Clearinghouses are challenged to ensure accuracy and reliability of information, while continually striving to improve performance and response times. Some clearinghouses also wrestle with how to determine which organizations are worthy of referral when customers need information that is not available at the clearinghouse and how to avoid implying endorsement. Clearinghouse inquiries may also be answered by searching the Combined Health Information Database (CHID), an NIH/CDC database that provides bibliographic references of both NIH and non-NIH materials on various health topics. This database represents a shared data archive, and as such is not covered by the new OMB guidelines.
The NIH Manual chapter 1183 requires that official materials or information prepared by any NIH component directly or through a contract must be sent for HHS clearance through the Editorial Operations Branch, using form HHS-615, Publication Planning and Clearance Request. This clearance requirement does not apply to publication of articles in journals. Information developed by a clearinghouse for an NIH IC is subject to the OMB Guidelines. See NIH Manual Chapter 1183 for further information regarding this requirement.
At NIH, there are essentially three types of materials being disseminated through information clearinghouses to the public: (1) Materials produced by NIH staff or contractors that undergo usual NIH review and approval processes; (2) materials produced by NIH grantees that are subject to policies and procedures in the Public Health Service (PHS) Grants Policy Statement; and (3) other materials not produced by NIH but available through libraries, whether in print or in electronic format, with appropriate disclaimers attached. Virtually all NIH ICs direct their clearinghouses to distribute only materials produced by the IC or other NIH ICs or Federal agencies. Non-Federal materials typically undergo careful IC scientific review before they are authorized for dissemination by the clearinghouse, and those materials are accompanied by appropriate disclaimers.
NIH has developed World Wide Web (WWW) Guidance (April 15, 1998), which is available on the Internet (http://ocio.nih.gov/docs/policy/guideli2.html). Each IC has a designated IC contact/reviewer for information and approvals related to developing Web pages and operating a new Web server. The list of IC contacts/reviewers is available on the website (www.nih.gov/employee/weblist.htm). NIH/IC Web page creators periodically review material on the Web page to determine whether it is accurate and up to date. Information, particularly time-sensitive information, should be posted as soon as possible. Web page creators are expected to promptly update or remove out-of-date information.
Unless noted otherwise, it is safe to assume that information posted on public Web sites within the "NIH.GOV" domain is considered to be "in the public domain." As such, others are free to establish links to NIH online resources. In establishing such links, NIH requests that others avoid creating the impression that NIH is endorsing or promoting any particular product or service. In the same vein, any outside link to an external resource from an NIH Web site needs to be examined on a case-by-case basis. In general, the Web developer of each site determines when links to outside entities are justified.
NIH Web managers are urged to exercise caution when linking to non-NIH, external websites. Professional judgment should be used to weigh the benefits against the possible risks of linking to other resources. In particular, links to sites providing medical and scientific information needs to be on par with the standards used at NIH to ensure the credibility of the information offered there. Steps should be taken to ensure that such links do not give the impression of endorsing the organizations we link to. NIH/IC Web pages containing links to external Web pages not located on NIH servers should include a link to a statement that releases NIH from responsibility for the material included in the external Web page. Again, it is important to avoid giving a user the impression that NIH is endorsing information or a commercial product described in an external site. Disclaimers on copyright, endorsement (general and external links), liability, and medical information are also used, as appropriate, for individual IC Web sites.
The IC designates a main office or contact person for information and approvals related to Web pages and the operation of Web servers. NIH personnel, contractors, and other authorized users of NIH networks must notify this office or contact person prior to setting up a Web server. Information about appropriate security measures regarding Web Servers is available at: http://ocio.nih.gov/security/sec_policy.html. The IC or the OD Information Office can provide detailed information on required approvals including both NIH and IC-specific policies relating to publication of documents. NIH/IC documents derived from IC-approved printed publications should not need additional approvals (see Section V.2).
The NIH Center for Information Technology (CIT) is charged with providing, coordinating, and managing information technology for NIH, and with advancing computational science. In terms of computer security, CIT has three distinct objectives: Confidentiality -- ensuring that there is no deliberate or accidental improper disclosure of sensitive automated information; integrity -- protecting against deliberate or accidental corruption of automated information; and availability -- protecting against deliberate or accidental actions that cause automated information resources to be unavailable to users when needed. Information is accorded protection against disclosure, alteration, loss, or destruction based on the degree of sensitivity.
CIT staff use appropriate safeguards to protect data from improper disclosure by backing up critical data periodically, and, if a security incident occurs, by following proper incident response procedures. In 1994, CIT adopted a security incident response policy and procedures statement that establishes the responsibilities of CIT staff in responding to and reporting computer security problems. Supervisors are responsible for ensuring that employees, both Government and contractor, observe all security requirements, and that employees receive appropriate security training.
CIT has instituted a structured management control review process that applies throughout the system life cycle. Risk analyses are conducted to strike a balance between an acceptable level of risk and the costs and inconvenience associated with safeguards. A system recertification/accreditation must be conducted at least once every 3 years. Additional information about NIH computer security measures can be found in The Computer Security Handbook of CIT (http://ocio.nih.gov/security/sec_policy.html). | 2019-04-26T01:48:21Z | https://aspe.hhs.gov/report/hhs-guidelines-ensuring-and-maximizing-quality-objectivity-utility-and-integrity-information-disseminated-public/v-agency-quality-assurance-policies-standards-and-processes-ensuring-quality-3 |
Transcript of a sponsored podcast panel discussion from The Open Group 2011 U.S. Conference on newly emerging cloud models and their impact on business and government.
We now present a sponsored podcast discussion coming to you from The Open Group 2011 Conference in San Diego. We're here the week of February 7, and we have assembled a distinguished panel to examine the expectation of new types of cloud models -- and perhaps cloud specialization requirements -- emerging quite soon.
Then, second, we're going to look at why one-size-fits-all cloud services may not fit so well in a highly fragmented, customized, heterogeneous, and specialized IT world -- which is, of course, the world most of us live in.
How much of cloud services that come with a true price benefit -- and that’s usually at scale and cheap -- will be able to replace what is actually on the ground in many complex and unique enterprise IT organizations?
What's more, we'll look at the need for cloud specialization, based on geographic and regional requirements, as well as based on the size of these user organizations -- which of course can vary from 5 to 50,000 seats. Can a few types of cloud work for all of them?
Here to help us better understand the quest for "fit for purpose" cloud balance and to predict, at least for some time, the considerable mismatch between enterprise cloud wants and cloud provider offerings, is our panel: Penelope Gordon, co-founder of 1Plug Corp., based in San Francisco. Welcome, Penelope.
Gardner: We're also here with Mark Skilton, Director of Portfolio and Solutions in the Global Infrastructure Services with Capgemini in London. Thank you for coming, Mark.
Gardner: Ed Harrington joins us. He is the Principal Consultant in Virginia for the UK-based Architecting the Enterprise organization. Thank you, Ed.
Gardner: Tom Plunkett is a Senior Solution Consultant with Oracle in Huntsville, Alabama.
Tom Plunkett: Thank you, Dana.
Gardner: And lastly, we're here with TJ Virdi, Computing Architect in the CAS IT System Architecture Group at Boeing based in Seattle. Welcome.
Gardner: Let me go first to you, Mark Skilton. One size fits all has rarely worked in IT. If it has, it has been limited in its scope and, most often, leads to an additional level of engagement to make it work with what's already there. Why should cloud be any different?
Skilton: Well, Dana, from personal experience, there are probably three areas of adaptation of cloud into businesses. For sure, there are horizontal common services to which, what you call, the homogeneous cloud solution could be applied common to a number of business units or operations across a market.
But we're starting to increasingly see the need for customization to meet vertical competitive needs of a company or the decisions within that large company. So, differentiation and business models are still there, they are still in platform cloud as they were in the pre-cloud era.
But, the key thing is that we're seeing a different kind of potential that a business can do now with cloud -- a more elastic, explosive expansion and contraction of a business model. We're seeing fundamentally the operating model of the business growing, and the industry can change using cloud technology.
So, there are two things going on in the business and the technologies are changing because of the cloud.
Gardner: Well, for us to understand where cloud fits best, and perhaps not so well, let's look at where it's already working. Ed, you talked a lot about the U.S. federal government. They seem to be going like gangbusters to the cloud. Why so?
Harrington: Perceived cost savings, primarily. The federal government has done some analysis. In particular, the General Services Administration (GSA), has done some considerable analysis on what they think they can save by going to, in their case, a public cloud model for email and collaboration services. They've issued a $6.7 million contract to Unisys as the systems integrator, with Google being the cloud services supplier.
So, the debate over the benefits of cloud, versus the risks associated with cloud, is still going on quite heatedly.
Gardner: How about some other verticals? Where is this working? We've seen in some pharma, health-care, and research environments, which have a need for a lot of elasticity,that it makes sense, given that they have highly variable loads. Any other suggestions on where this works, Tom?
Plunkett: You mentioned variable workloads. Another place where we are seeing a lot of customers approach cloud is when they are starting a new project. Because then, they don’t have to migrate from the existing infrastructure. Instead everything is brand new. That’s the other place where we see a lot of customers looking at cloud, your greenfields.
Gardner: TJ, any verticals that you are aware of? What are you seeing that’s working now?
Virdi: It's not probably related with any vertical market, but I think what we are really looking for speed to put new products into the market or evolve the products that we already have and how to optimize business operations, as well as reduce the cost. These may be parallel to any vertical industries, where all these things are probably going to be working as a cloud solution.
Gardner: We've heard the application of "core and context" to applications, but maybe there is an application of core and context to cloud computing, whereby there's not so much core and lot more context. Is that what you're saying so far?
Virdi: In a sense, you would have to measure not only the structured documents or structured data, but unstructured data as well. How to measure and create a new product or solutions is the really cool things you would be looking for in the cloud. And, it has proven pretty easy to put a new solution into the market. So, speed is also the big thing in there.
Gardner: Penelope, use-cases or verticals where this is working so far?
Gordon: One example in talking about core and context is when you look in retail. You can have two retailers like a Walmart or a Costco, where they're competing in the same general space, but are differentiating in different areas.
Walmart is really differentiating on the supply chain, and so it’s not a good candidate for public cloud computing solutions. That might possibly be a candidate for private cloud computing.
But that’s really where they're going to invest in the differentiating, as opposed to a Costco, where it makes more sense for them to invest in their relationship with their customers and their relationship with their employees. They're going to put more emphasis on those business processes, and they might be more inclined to outsource some of the aspects of their supply chain.
A specific example within retail is pricing optimization. A lot of grocery stores need to do pricing optimization checks once a quarter, or perhaps once a year in some of their areas. It doesn't makes sense for smaller grocery store chains to have that kind of IT capability in-house. So, that's a really great candidate, when you are looking at a particular vertical business process to outsource to a cloud provider who has specific industry domain expertise.
Gardner: So for small and medium businesses (SMBs) that would be more core for them than others?
Gordon: Right. That’s an example, though, where you're talking about what I would say is a particular vertical business process. Then, you're talking about a monetization strategy and then part of the provider, where they are looking more at a niche strategy, rather than a commodity, where they are doing a horizontal infrastructure platform.
In the telecom sector, which is very IT intensive, I'm seeing the emergence of their core business of delivering service to a large end user or multiple end user channels, using what I call cloud brokering.
Gardner: Ed, you had a thought?
Harrington: Yeah, and it's along the SMB dimension. We're seeing a lot of cloud uptake in the small businesses. I work for a 50-person company. We have one "sort of" IT person and we do virtually everything in the cloud. We have people in Australia and Canada, here in the States, headquartered in the UK, and we use cloud services for virtually everything across that. I'm associated with a number of other small companies and we are seeing big uptake of cloud services.
Gardner: Allow me to be a little bit of a skeptic, because I'm seeing these reports from analyst firms on the tens of billions of dollars in potential cloud market share and double-digit growth rates for the next several years. Is this going to come from just peripheral-application-"context" activities, mostly from SMBs? What about the core in the enterprises? Does anybody have an example of where cloud is being used in those?
Skilton: In the telecom sector, which is very IT-intensive, I'm seeing the emergence of their core business of delivering service to a large end user or multiple end user channels, using what I call cloud brokering.
So, if where you're going with your question is that, certainly in the telecom sector we're seeing the emergence of front-end cloud, customer relationship management (CRM)-type systems and also sort of back-end content delivery engines using cloud.
The fundamental shift away from the service orientated architecture (SOA) era is that we're seeing more business driven self-service, more deployment of services as a business model, which is a big difference of the shift of the cloud. Particularly in telco, we're seeing almost an explosion in that particular sector.
Gordon: A lot of companies don’t even necessarily realize that they're using cloud services, particularly when you talk about SaaS. There are a number of SaaS solutions that are becoming more and more ubiquitous. If you look at large enterprise company recruiting sites, often you will see Taleo down at the bottom. Taleo is a SaaS. So, that’s a cloud solution, but it’s just not thought necessarily of in that context.
Plunkett: Another place we're seeing a lot of growth with regard to private clouds is actually on the defense side. The U.S. Defense Department is looking at private clouds, but they also have to deal with this core and context issue. We're in San Diego today. The requirements for a shipboard system are very different from the land-based systems.
Ships have to deal with narrow bandwidth and going disconnected. They also have to deal with coalition partners or perhaps they are providing humanitarian assistance and they are dealing even with organizations we wouldn’t normally consider military. So they have to deal with lots of information, assurance issues, and have completely different governance concerns that we normally think about for public clouds.
Gardner: However, in the last year or two, the assumption has been that this is something that’s going to impact every enterprise, and everybody should get ready. Yet, I'm hearing mostly this creeping in through packaged applications on a on-demand basis, SMBs, greenfield organizations, perhaps where high elasticity is a requirement.
A lot of companies started adopting Linux, but it was for peripheral applications and peripheral services, some web services that weren’t business critical. It didn’t really get into the core enterprise until much later.
What would be necessary for these cloud providers to be able to bring more of the core applications the large enterprises are looking for? What’s the new set of requirements?
As I pointed out, we have had a general category of SaaS and development, elasticity, a handful of infrastructure services. What’s the next set of requirements that's going to make it palatable for these core activities and these large enterprises to start doing cloud? Let me start with you, Penelope.
Gordon: It’s an interesting question and it was something that we were discussing in a session yesterday afternoon. Here is a gentleman from a large telecommunications company, and from his perspective, trust was a big issue. To him, part of it was just an immaturity of the market, specifically talking about what the new style of cloud is and that branding. Some of the aspects of cloud have been around for quite some time.
Look at Linux adoption as an analogy. A lot of companies started adopting Linux, but it was for peripheral applications and peripheral services, some web services that weren’t business-critical. It didn’t really get into the core enterprise until much later.
We're seeing some of that with cloud. It’s just a much bigger issue with cloud, especially as you start looking at providers wanting to moving up the food chain and providing greater value. This means that they have to have more industry knowledge and that they have to have more specialization. It becomes more difficult for large enterprises to trust a vendor to have that kind of knowledge.
Another aspect of what came up in the afternoon is that, at this point, while we talk about public cloud specifically, it’s not the same as saying it’s a public utility. We talk about "public utility," but there is no governance, at this point, to say, "Here is certification that these companies have been tested to meet certain delivery standards." Until that exists, it’s going to be difficult for some enterprises to get over that trust issue.
Gardner: Assuming that the trust and security issues are worked out over time, that experience leads to action, it leads to trust, it leads to adoption, and we have already seen that with SaaS applications. We've certainly seen it with the federal government, as Ed pointed out earlier.
Let’s just put that aside as one of the requirements that’s already on the drawing board and that we probably can put a checkmark next to at some point. What’s next? What about customization? What about heterogeneity? What about some of these other issues that are typical in IT, Mark Skilton?
Skilton: One of the under-played areas is PaaS. We hear about lock-in of technology caused by the use of the cloud, either putting too much data in or doing customization of parameters and you lose the elastic features of that cloud.
The second thing that we need to be seeing is much more offering transition services, transformation services, to accelerate the use of the cloud in a safe way.
As to your question about what do vendors or providers need to do more to help the customer use the cloud, the two things we're seeing are: One, more of an appliance strategy, where they can buy modular capabilities, so the licensing issue, solutioning issue, is more contained. The client can look at it more in a modular appliance sort of way. Think of it as cloud-in-a-box.
The second thing that we need to be seeing is much more offering of transition services, transformation services, to accelerate the use of the cloud in a safe way. And I think that’s something that we need to really push hard to do. There's a great quote from a client, "It’s not the destination, it’s the journey to the cloud that I need to see."
Gardner: You mentioned PaaS. We haven’t seen too much yet with a full mature offering of the full continuum of PaaS-to-IaaS. That's one where new application development activities and new integration activities would be built of, for, and by the cloud and coordinated between the dev and the ops, with the ops being any number of cloud models -- on-premises, off-premises, co-lo, multi-tenancy, and so forth.
So what about that? Is that another requirement -- that there is continuity between the past and the infrastructure and new deployment, Tom?
Plunkett: We're getting there. PaaS is going to be a real requirement going forward, simply because that’s going to provide us the flexibility to reach some of those core applications that we were talking about before. The further you get away from the context, the more you're focusing on what the business is really focused in on, and that’s going to be the core, which is going to require effective PaaS.
Virdi: I want to second that, but at the same time, we're looking for more regulatory and other kinds of licensing and configuration issues as well. Those also make it a little better to use the cloud. You don’t really have to buy, or you can go for the demand. You need to make your licenses a little bit better in such a way that you can just put the product or business solutions into the market, test the waters, and then you can go further on that.
Gardner: Penelope, where do you see any benefit of having a coordinated or integrated platform and development test and deploy functions? Is that going to bring this to a more core usage in large enterprises?
Gordon: It depends. I see a lot more of the buying of cloud moving out to the non-IT line of business executives. If that accelerates, there is going to be less and less focus. Companies are really separating now what is differentiating and what is core to my business from the rest of it.
There's going to be less emphasis on, "Let’s do our scale development on a platform level" and more, "Let’s really seek out those vendors that are going to enable us to effectively integrate, so we don’t have to do double entry of data between different solutions. Let's look out for the solutions that allow us to apply the governance and that effectively let us tailor our experience with these solutions in a way that doesn’t impinge upon the provider’s ability to deliver in a cost effective fashion."
That’s going to become much more important. So, a lot of the development onus is going to be on the providers, rather than on the actual buyers.
Gardner: Now, this is interesting. On one hand, we have non-IT people, business people, specifying, acquiring, and using cloud services. On the other hand, we're perhaps going to see more PaaS -- the new application development, be it custom or more of a SaaS type of offering -- that’s brought in with a certain level of adjustment and integration. But, these are going off without necessarily any coordination. At some point, they are going to even come together. It’s inevitable, another integration mess perhaps.
A lot of the development onus is going to be on the providers, rather than on the actual buyers.
Mark Skilton, is that what you see, that we have not just one cloud approach, but multiple approaches, and then some need to rationalize it all?
Skilton: There are two key points. There's a missing architecture practice that needs to be there, which is a workload analysis, so that you design applications to fit specific infrastructure containers, and you've got a bridge between the the application service and the infrastructure service. There needs to be a piece of work by enterprise architects (EAs) that starts to bring that together as a deliberate design for applications to be able to operate in the cloud. And the PaaS platform is a perfect environment.
The second thing is that there's a lack of policy management in terms of technical governance, and because of the lack of understanding. There needs to be more of a matching exercise going on. The key thing is that that needs to evolve.
Part of the work we're doing in The Open Group with the Cloud Computing Work Group is to develop new standards and methodologies that bridge those gaps between infrastructure, PaaS, platform development, and SaaS.
Gardner: We already have the Open Trusted Technology Forum. Maybe soon we'll see an open trusted cloud technology forum?
Gardner: Ed Harrington, you mentioned earlier that the role of the enterprise architect is going to benefit from cloud. Do you see what we just described in terms of dual tracks, multiple inception points, heterogeneity, perhaps overlap and redundancy? Isn't that where the enterprise architect flourishes?
Harrington: I think we talked about line management IT getting involved in acquiring cloud services. If you think we've got this thing called "shadow IT" today, wait a few years. We're going to have a huge problem with shadow IT.
From the architect’s perspective, there's lot to be involved with and a lot to play with, as I said in my talk. There's an awful lot of analysis to be done -- what is the value that the cloud solution being proposed is going to be supplying to the organization in business terms, versus the risk associated with it? Enterprise architects deal with change, and that’s what we're talking about. We're talking about change, and change will inherently involve risk.
Virdi: All these business decisions are going to be coming upstream, and business executives need to be more aware about how cloud could be utilized as a delivery model. The enterprise architects and someone with a technical background needs to educate or drive them to make the right decisions and choose the proper solutions.
It has an impact how you want to use the cloud, as well as how you get out of it too, in case you want to move to different cloud vendors or providers. All those things come into play upstream, rather than downstream.
Gardner: We all seem to be resigned to this world of, "Well, here we go again. We're going to sit back and wait for all these different cloud things to happen. Then, we'll come in, like the sheriff on a white horse, and try to rationalize." Why not try to rationalize now before we get to that point? What could be done from an architecture standpoint to head off mass confusion around cloud? Let me start at one end and go down the other. Tom?
Plunkett: One word: governance. We talked about the importance of governance increasing as the IT industry went into SOA. Well, cloud is going to make it even more important. Governance throughout the lifecycle, not just at the end, not just at deployment, but from the very beginning.
If you think we've got this thing called "shadow IT" today, wait a few years. We're going to have a huge problem with shadow IT.
Virdi: In addition to governance, you probably also have to figure out how you want to plan to adapt to the cloud. You don’t want to start as a Big Bang theory. You want to start in incremental steps, small steps, test out what you really want to do. If that works, then go do the other things after that.
Gardner: Penelope, how about following the money? Doesn’t where the money flows in and out of organizations tend to have a powerful impact on motivating people or getting them moving toward governance or not?
Gordon: I agree, and toward that end, it's enterprise architects. Enterprise architects need to break out of the idea of focusing on how to address the boundary between IT and the business and talk to the business in business terms.
One way of doing that that I have seen as effective is to look at it from the standpoint of portfolio management. Where you were familiar with financial portfolio management, now you are looking at a service portfolio, as well as looking at your overall business and all of your business processes as a portfolio. How can you optimize at a macro level for your portfolio of all the investment decisions you're making, and how the various processes and services are enabled? Then, it comes down to, as you said, a money issue.
Gardner: Perhaps one way to head off what we seem to think is an inevitable cloud chaos situation is to invoke more shared services, get people to consume services and think about how to pay for them along the way, regardless of where they come from and regardless of who specified them. So back to SOA, back to ITIL, back to the blocking and tackling that's just good enterprise architecture. Anything to add to that, Mark?
Skilton: I think it's a mistake to just describe this as more of the same. ITIL, in my view, needs to change to take into account self-service dynamics. ITIL is kind of a provider service management process. It's thing that you do to people. Cloud changes that direction to the other way, and I think that's something that needs to be done.
Also, fundamentally the data center and network strategies need to be in place to adopt cloud. From my experience, the data center transformation or refurbishment strategies or next generation networks tend to be done as a separate exercise from the applications area. So a strong, strong recommendation from me would be to drive a clear cloud route map to your data center.
Gardner: So, perhaps a regulating effect on the self-selection of cloud services would be that the network isn't designed for it, and it's not going to necessarily help?
Gardner: That's one way to govern your cloud. Ed Harrington, any other further thoughts on working toward a cloud future without the pitfalls?
It's a combination of governance, treating the cloud services as services per se, and enterprise architecture.
Harrington: Again, the governance, certification of some sort. I'm not in favor of regulation, but I am in favor of some sort of third-party certification of services that consumers can rely upon safely. But, I will go back to what I said earlier. It's a combination of governance, treating the cloud services as services per se, and enterprise architecture.
Gardner: What about the notion that was brought up earlier about private clouds being an important on-ramp to this? If I were a public cloud provider, I would do my market research on what's going on in the private clouds, because I think they are going to be incubators to what might then become hybrid and ultimately a full-fledged third-party public cloud providing assets and services.
What can we learn from looking at what's going on with private cloud now, seemingly a lot of trying to reduce cost and energy consumption -- but what does that tell us about what we should expect in the next few years? Again, let's start with you, Tom.
Plunkett: What we're seeing with private cloud is that it’s actually impacting governance, because one of the things that you look at with private cloud is charge-back between different internal customers. This is forcing these organizations to deal with complexity, money, and business issues that they don't really like to do.
Nowadays, it's mostly vertical applications, where you've got one owner who is paying for everything. Now, we're actually going back to, as we were talking about earlier, dealing with some of the tricky issues of SOA.
Gardner: TJ, private cloud as an incubator ... What we should expect?
Virdi: Configuration and change management -- how in the private cloud we are adapting to it and supporting different customer segments is really the key. This could be utilized in the public cloud too, as well as how you are really securing your information and data or your business knowledge. How you want to secure that is key, and that's why the private cloud is there. If we can adapt to or mimic the same kind of controls in the public cloud, maybe we'll have more adoptions in the public cloud too.
Gardner: Penelope, any thoughts on that, the private-to-public transition?
Gordon: I also look at it in a little different way. For example, in the U.S., you have the National Security Agency (NSA). For a lot of what you would think of as their non-differentiating processes, for example payroll, they can't use ADP. They can't use that SaaS for payroll, because they can't allow the identities of their employees to become publicly known.
Anything that involves their employee data and all the rest of the information within the agency has to be kept within a private cloud. But, they're actively looking at private cloud solutions for some of the other benefits of cloud.
In one sense, I look at it and say that private cloud adoption to me tells a provider that this is an area that's not a candidate for a public-cloud solution. But, private clouds could also be another channel for public cloud providers to be able to better monetize what they're doing, rather than just focusing on public cloud solutions.
Gardner: So, then, you're saying this is a two-way street. Just as we could foresee someone architecting a good private cloud and then looking to take that out to someone else’s infrastructure, you're saying there is a lot of public services that for regulatory or other reasons might then need to come back in and be privatized or kept within the walls? Interesting.
Mark Skilton, any thoughts on this public-private tension and/or benefit?
The lessons that we're learning in running private clouds for our clients is the need to have a much more of a running-IT-as-a-business ethos and approach.
Skilton: I asked an IT service director the question about what was it like running a cloud service for the account. This is a guy who had previously been running hosting and management, and with many years experience.
The surprising thing was that he was quite shocked that the disciplines that he previously had for escalating errors and doing planned maintenance, monitoring, billing and charging back to the customer fundamentally were changing, because it had to be done more in real-time. You have to fix before it fails. You can’t just wait for it to fail. You have to have a much more disciplined approach to running a private cloud.
The lessons that we're learning in running private clouds for our clients is the need to have a much more of a running-IT-as-a-business ethos and approach. We find that if customers try to do it themselves, either they may find that difficult, because they are used to buying that as a service, or they have to change their enterprise architecture and support service disciplines to operate the cloud.
Gardner: Perhaps yet another way to offset potential for cloud chaos in the future is to develop the core competencies within the private-cloud environment and do it sooner rather than later? This is where you can cut your teeth or get your chops, some number of metaphors come to mind, but this is something that sounds like a priority. Would you agree with that, Ed, that coming up with a private-cloud capability is important?
Harrington: It's important, and it's probably going to dominate for the foreseeable future, especially in areas that organizations view as core. They view them as core, because they believe they provide some sort of competitive advantage or, as Penelope was saying, security reasons. ADP's a good idea. ADP could go into NSA and set up a private cloud using ADP and NSA. I think is a really good thing.
But, I also think that trust is still a big issue and it's going to come down to trust. It's going to take a lot of work to have anything that is perceived by a major organization as core and providing differentiation to move to other than a private cloud.
Virdi: Private clouds actually allow you to make more business modular. Your capability is going to be a little bit more modular and interoperability testing could happen in the private cloud. Then you can actually use those same kind of modular functions, utilize the public cloud, and work with other commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) vendors that really package this as new holistic solutions.
Gardner: Does anyone consider the impact of mergers and acquisitions on this? We're seeing the economy pick up, at least in some markets, and we're certainly seeing globalization, a very powerful trend with us still. We can probably assume, if you're a big company, that you're going to get bigger through some sort of merger and acquisition activity. Does a cloud strategy ameliorate the pain and suffering of integration in these business mergers, Tom?
Plunkett: Well, not to speak on behalf of Oracle, but we've gone through a few mergers and acquisitions recently, and I do believe that having a cloud environment internally helps quite a bit. Specifically, TJ made the earlier point about modularity. Well, when we're looking at modules, they're easier to integrate. It’s easier to recompose services, and all the benefits of SOA really.
Gardner: TJ, mergers and acquisitions in cloud?
Virdi: It really helps. At the same time, we were talking about legal and regulatory compliance stuff. EU and Japan require you to put the personally identifiable information (PII) in their geographical areas. Cloud could provide a way to manage those things without having the hosting where you have your own business.
That kind of thinking, the cloud constructs applied up at a business architecture level, enables the kind of business expansion that we are looking at.
Gardner: Penelope, any thoughts, or maybe even on a slightly different subject, of being able to grow rapidly vis-à-vis cloud experience and expertise and via having architects that understand it?
Gordon: Some of this comes back to some of the discussions we were having about the extra discipline that comes into play, if you are going to effectively consume and provide cloud services, if you do become much more rigorous about your change management, your configuration management, and if you then apply that out to a larger process level.
So, if you define certain capabilities within the business in a much more modular fashion, then, when you go through that growth and add on people, you have documented procedures and processes. It’s much easier to bring someone in and say, "You're going to be a product manager, and that job role is fungible across the business."
Gardner: Mark Skilton, thoughts about being able to manage growth, mergers and acquisitions, even general business agility vis-à-vis more cloud capabilities?
Skilton: Right now, I'm involved in merging in a cloud company that we bought last year in May, and I would say yes and no. The no point is that I'm trying to bundle this service that we acquired in each product and with which we could add competitive advantage to the services that we are offering. I've had a problem with trying to bundle that into our existing portfolio. I've got to work out how they will fit and deploy in our own cloud. So, that’s still a complexity problem.
But, the upside is that I can bundle that service that we acquired, because we wanted to get that additional capability, and rewrite design techniques for cloud computing. We can then launch that bundle of new service faster into the market.
It’s kind of a mixed blessing with cloud. With our own cloud services, we acquire these new companies, but we still have the same IT integration problem to then exploit that capability we've acquired.
Gardner: That might be a perfect example of where cloud is or isn’t working. When you run into the issue of complexity and integration, it doesn’t compute, so to speak.
Skilton: It’s not plug and play yet, unfortunately.
Gardner: Ed, what do you think about this growth opportunity, mergers and acquisitions, a good thing or bad thing?
Harrington: It’s a challenge. I think, as Mark presented it, it's got two sides. It depends a lot on how close the organizations are, how close their service portfolios are, to what degree has each of the organizations adapted the cloud, and is that going to cause conflict as well. So I think there is potential.
With our own cloud services, we acquire these new companies, but we still have the same IT integration problem to then exploit that capability we've acquired.
Skilton: Each organization in the commercial sector can have different standards, and then you still have that interoperability problem that we have to translate to make it benefit, the post merger integration issue.
Gardner: Well, thanks. We've been discussing the practical requirements of various cloud computing models, looking at core and context issues where cloud models would work, where they wouldn’t. And, we have been thinking about how we might want to head off the potential mixed bag of cloud models in our organizations, and what we can do now to make the path better, but perhaps also make our organizations more agile, service oriented, and able to absorb things like rapid growth and mergers.
I'd like to thank you all for joining and certainly want to thank our guests. This is a sponsored podcast discussion coming to you from The Open Group’s 2011 Conference in San Diego. We're here the week of February 7, 2011.
A big thank you now to Penelope Gordon, cofounder of 1Plug Corp.
Gardner: Mark Skilton, Director of Portfolio and Solutions in the Global Infrastructure Services with Capgemini. Thank you, Mark.
Skilton: Thank you very much.
Gardner: Ed Harrington, Principal Consultant in Virginia for the UK-based Architecting the Enterprise.
Gardner: Tom Plunkett, Senior Solution Consultant with Oracle. Thank you.
Gardner: TJ Virdi, the Computing Architect in the CAS IT System Architecture group at Boeing.
Gardner: I'm Dana Gardner, Principal Analyst at Interarbor Solutions. You've been listening to a sponsored BriefingsDirect podcast. Thanks for joining, and come back next time.
Transcript of a sponsored podcast panel discussion from The Open Group 2011 U.S. Conference on newly emerging cloud models and their impact on business and government. Copyright Interarbor Solutions, LLC, 2005-2011. All rights reserved. | 2019-04-23T09:09:33Z | https://www.briefingsdirecttranscriptsblogs.com/2011/02/open-group-cloud-panel-forecasts-useful.html |
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We were able to grind off the previous paint coating and then resurface over the existing concrete with our hand carved flagstone design. Project completed in Knoxville Tennessee in 2019.
We were able to resurface over the existing concrete with our hand carved flagstone design. Project completed in Maryville Tennessee in 2019.
We were able to resurface over the existing plain grey concrete with our unique hand carved flagstone design. Project completed in Knoxville Tennessee in 2018.
We were able to grind off the previous failing coating and then resurface over the existing concrete with our hand carved flagstone design. Project completed in Maryville Tennessee in 2018.
We were able to resurface over the existing concrete with our Roman Slate texture and stained with our exclusive Golden Brown. Project completed in Loudon Tennessee in 2018.
We were able to resurface over the existing concrete on this back patio with our hand carved flagstone design. Project completed in Alcoa Tennessee in 2018.
We were able to resurface over the existing concrete on this back patio with our hand carved flagstone design. Project completed in Knoxville Tennessee in 2018.
We were able to grind off the previous paint coating and then resurfaced over the existing concrete on this front porch with our reclaimed wood stamp and stained in our MasterPro Golden Brown. Project completed in Clinton Tennessee in 2018.
We were able to resurface over the existing concrete on this back patio using our reclaimed wood stamp and stained in our Golden Brown. Project completed in Knoxville Tennessee in 2018.
We were able to resurface over the existing concrete with our hand carved flagstone design. Project completed in Maryville Tennessee in 2018.
We were able to grind off the previous worn down seal and resurface over the existing concrete with our unique hand carved flagstone design. Project completed in Louisville Tennessee in 2018.
We were able to grind off the previous failing paint coating and resurface over the existing concrete with our hand carved flagstone design. Project completed in Knoxville Tennessee in 2018.
We were able to resurface over the existing concrete on this driveway using our hand carved flagstone design. Project completed in Ten Mile Tennessee in 2018.
We were able to resurface over the existing concrete on this back patio using our slate design and MasterPro Classic Grey stain. Project completed in Seymour Tennessee in 2018.
We were able to resurface over the existing concrete on this front porch using our unique hand carved flagstone design. Project completed in Knoxville Tennessee in 2018.
We were able to resurface over the existing concrete on this front porch using our Ashlar slate design and our MasterPro Dark Walnut stain. Project completed in Knoxville Tennessee in 2018.
We were able to resurface over the existing concrete on this back patio using our Ashlar slate design and our MasterPro Dark Walnut stain. Project completed in Knoxville Tennessee in 2018.
We were able to resurface over the existing concrete on this back patio using our hand carved flagstone design. Project completed in Rutledge Tennessee in 2018.
We were able to resurface over the existing concrete using our Reclaimed Timber wood stamp and our MasterPro Golden Brown stain. Project completed in Rockwood Tennessee in 2018.
We were able to grind off the previous multiple layers of paint and apply our unique hand carved flagstone overlay. Project completed in Kodak Tennessee in 2018.
We were able to resurface over the existing concrete on this pool deck with our unique hand carved flagstone design to give the surface a natural look. Project completed in Athens Tennessee in 2018.
We were able to resurface over the existing concrete on this front porch with our unique hand carved flagstone design. Project completed in Knoxville Tennessee in 2018.
We were able to grind off the previous green paint coating and resurface over the existing concrete on this front porch using our hand carved flagstone design. Project completed in Oak Ridge Tennessee in 2018.
After the outdoor carpet was removed, we were able to resurface over the existing concrete on this front porch using our hand carved flagstone design. Project completed in Maryville Tennessee in 2018.
We were able to grind off the previous coating and properly apply over the existing concrete our unique hand crafted and hand carved flagstone design on this driveway. Project completed in Knoxville Tennessee in 2018.
We were able to resurface over the existing concrete on this front porch using our hand carved flagstone design. Project completed in Knoxville Tennessee in 2018.
We were able to resurface over the existing concrete on this front porch using our hand carved flagstone design. Project completed in Maryville Tennessee in 2018.
We were able to resurface over the existing concrete using our hand carved flagstone design. Project completed in Maryville Tennessee in 2018.
We were able to resurface over the existing concrete on this pool deck using our hand carved flagstone design. Project completed in Maryville Tennessee in 2018.
We were able to resurface over the existing concrete on this walkway using our hand carved flagstone design. Project completed in Maryville Tennessee in 2018.
We were able to resurface over the existing concrete on this driveway using our hand carved flagstone design. Project completed in Maryville Tennessee in 2018.
We were able to resurface over the existing concrete on this front porch using our hand crafted and hand carved flagstone design. Project completed in New Market Tennessee in 2018.
We were able to grind off the previous paint coating and apply our unique hand carved flagstone over the existing concrete. Project completed in Knoxville Tennessee in 2018.
We were able to resurface over the existing concrete on this back patio using our hand carved flagstone design. Project completed in Maryville Tennessee in 2018.
We were able to resurface over the existing concrete on this front porch with our hand carved flagstone design. Project completed in Knoxville Tennessee in 2018.
We were able to resurface over the existing concrete on this side patio with our hand carved flagstone design. Project completed in Knoxville Tennessee in 2018.
We were able to resurface over the existing concrete on this front walkway with our hand carved flagstone design. Project completed in Maryville Tennessee in 2018.
We were able to resurface over the existing concrete on this back patio with our hand carved flagstone design. This design also helped us incorporate many cracks that was on the original concrete slab. Project completed in Knoxville Tennessee in 2018.
We were able to grind off the previous slippery paint coating and then we were able to resurface over the existing concrete on this front porch with our hand carved flagstone design that also helped incorporate cracks. Project completed in Maryville Tennessee in 2018.
We were able to grind off the previous coating that was failing. We were then able to resurface over the existing concrete on this pool deck with our hand carved flagstone design. Project completed in Knoxville Tennessee in 2018.
We were able to brighten up this small front porch and give it some character by going over the existing concrete using our hand carved flagstone design. Project completed in Knoxville Tennessee in 2017.
We were able to remove the paint on this front porch and resurface by going over the existing concrete with our unique hand carved flagstone design. Project completed Seymour Tennessee in 2017.
We were able to resurface this pool deck by going over the existing concrete with our popular hand carved flagstone design. Project completed in Knoxville Tennessee in 2017.
We were able to resurface over the existing concrete on this poorly installed porch. Instead of tearing out the concrete, we were able to resurface over the concrete using our unique hand carved flagstone design. Project completed in Knoxville Tennessee in 2017.
We were able to remove the slick tile that had been previously on this front porch. We were then able to resurface over the existing concrete with our unique hand carved flagstone design. Project completed in Greenback Tennessee in 2017.
We were able to go over this heavily cracked existing patio with our unique hand carved flagstone design. Project completed in Maryville Tennessee in 2017.
We were able to go over the existing concrete on this front porch with our hand carved flagstone design. We were able to incorporate multiple cracks into our unique design. This project was complete in Knoxville Tennessee in 2017.
We were able to extend this patio out to give the homeowner more entertainment space. We were then able to resurface over the existing concrete using our hand carved flagstone design to give the patio a unique look. This project was completed in Knoxville Tennessee in 2017.
Resurfaced this back patio and was able to incorporate cracks into our flagstone design by going over the existing concrete. This project was completed in Knoxville Tennessee in 2017.
We were able to transform this front porch using our hand carved flagstone design. The porch was previously worn and had two large cracks. We were able to go over the existing concrete and incorporate the cracks into our design. This project was completed in Powell Tennessee in 2017.
We were able to remove the previous epoxy coating that was pealing up and replace it with our hand carved flagstone design over the existing concrete. This project was completed in Maryville Tennessee in 2017.
This porch previously had a paint coating that we had to grind off. We were able to apply our unique hand carved flagstone design over the existing concrete. This project was completed in Maryville Tennessee in 2017.
This back patio had 3 layers of paint and carpet glue covering the existing concrete. Once we got back to the original concrete using a grinder, we were able to apply our hand carved flagstone design to also incorporate the existing cracks. This project was completed in Maryville Tennessee in 2017.
We were able to transform this heavily cracked pool deck into a beautiful entertainment area using our unique hand carved flagstone design. This project was completed in Alcoa Tennessee in 2017.
This back patio was ready for a change. The patio also had 4 major crack lines that went up and down and left to right. We were able to incorporate the cracks using our popular hand carved flagstone design. This project was completed in Alcoa Tennessee in 2017.
We resurfaced this front porch that had a very noticeable crack near the front door. We were able to incorporate the crack by creating a grout line where the crack existed. This project was completed in Knoxville Tennessee in 2017.
This concrete pad had been previously been a basketball court in the backyard for the children while they were growing up. After the children were grown, the homeowner was ready to turn it into a comfortable entertainment area. We were able to use our hand carved flagstone to give it a warm touch. This project was completed Knoxville Tennessee in 2017.
We resurfaced this front porch that had a large crack with our unique hand carved flagstone design. This project was completed in Knoxville Tennessee in 2017.
We were able to resurface this front porch that had once been painted. We used our hand carved flagstone design to give this front porch an elegant look. This project was completed in Knoxville, Tennessee in 2017.
We resurfaced this poorly installed pool using our hand carved flagstone. We were able to incorporate many of the imperfections caused by the installation into our design to give this pool deck a pleasant look. This project was completed in Sevierville, Tennessee in 2017.
Our hand carved flagstone over a front porch. This project was completed in Powell, Tennessee in 2016.
We were able to micro top over the original concrete that was heavily worn down with an excess amount of wood glue. We used our pearl grey stain. Project completed in Knoxville Tennessee in 2018.
We were able to acid stain this new concrete basement floor with our MasterPro Vintage Umber color. Project completed in Allardt Tennessee in 2018.
We were able to remove the previous worn down carpet and stain this concrete basement floor in our Dark Walnut. Project completed in Knoxville Tennessee in 2018.
We were able to apply a solid grey color coating on this concrete front porch to give it a new tone. Project completed in Knoxville Tennessee in 2018.
We were able to remove the previous worn out carpet and apply our easy to maintain cola stain on this concrete floor. Project completed in Maryville Tennessee in 2018.
We were able to have this new stained concrete patio poured underneath an existing deck that was once a dirt area. Project completed in Knoxville Tennessee in 2018.
We were able to acid stain the lower level of this new home with our exclusive Vintage umber acid stain. Project completed in Maryville Tennessee in 2018.
We were able to deep clean and reseal this pea gravel driveway to bring back its vibrant look. Project completed in Maryville Tennessee in 2018.
We were able to stain the concrete gray in this newly finished bedroom. Project completed in Knoxville Tennessee in 2018.
We were able to apply our stained sealer over this patio to give it a uniform look. Project completed in Maryville Tennessee in 2018.
We were able to remove the previous failing tile that was caused by water damage and use our cola stain to give this floor a new vibrant look. Project completed in Knoxville Tennessee in 2018.
We were able to apply our Mission Brown acid stain on the first floor of this newly constructed home. Project completed in Townsend Tennessee in 2017.
We were able to replace the outdated carpet that was in this basement and applied our walnut stain to give this concrete floor a warm feel. Project completed in Louisville Tennessee in 2017.
We were able to grind the previous coating off that was on the concrete. We were then able to stain these floors using two different shades of our gray stains. Project completed in Pigeon Forge Tennessee in 2017.
We were able to stain this back patio at this brand new home to give it a warm feel. Project completed in Knoxville Tennessee in 2017.
We were able to brighten up this basement floor with our cola stain. This project was completed in Maryville Tennessee in 2017.
We were able to remove the linoleum in this utility room. Once removed, we were able to resurface the area to hide the imperfections caused by the glue and stain spots from other materials. We were then able to apply our cola stain to give this room a nice finish. This project was completed in Newport Tennessee in 2017.
We had to grind off the existing red paint and red stain that had been applied to this floor many years ago. After the proper prep work, we were able to stain this floor giving it a popular cola look. This project was completed in Knoxville Tennessee in 2017.
We stained this basement man cave with our popular cola stain. This project was completed in Greenback Tennessee in 2017.
We were able to stain this finished basement using our walnut stain. This project was completed in Maryville, Tennessee in 2017.
We were able to stain this finished basement using our cola stain. This project was completed in Maryville, Tennessee in 2017.
We stained this finished basement using our cola stain. This project was completed in Maryville, Tennessee in 2016.
Chuck's crew arrived early and did a great job. Very happy with the results.
Service was timely. Estimate was correct. Workers courteous. Chuck was easy to work with.
I found Chuck Yates to be very professional, knowledgeable, and easy to work with. I highly recommend Chuck and Concrete Craft.
Provided exact service they said they would provide very promptly. Explained all the steps in the process as well as care. Porch looks great and we would certainly recommend them.
Thanks for such hard work and diligence in getting my job completed despite the sudden rain. Because of you, my home went on the market on time and everyone that sees my front porch is WOW'ed! It's beautiful!
Thank you so much for your hard work and effort on our sun room floor. Your timeliness, professionalism, and positive communication made this experience worth it; not to mention we now have a beautiful floor to show off now! We appreciate Concrete Craft of Knoxville.
I hired Concrete Craft to clean and seal a pea gravel driveway. They did a great job. The staff showed up on time, gave clear communication when rain caused a delay, and made suggestions for the future. I will use them again in the future.
Chuck and Jon were great and the floors look fantastic! They explained everything as they went, told me how to take care of the floor afterwards and worked quickly. Would definitely use again!
The folks at Concrete Craft are amazing-they transformed a cracked, stained floor into a work of art. Definitely recommend!
Very good service, exactly as promised. Concrete Craft is a trusted source of excellent concrete work.
Job done to spec. Job done on time. Good quality work and materials. Contractor was very responsive to questions and polite. Will recommend to others.
Great job Concrete Craft! Chuck Yates was great to work with and very attentive to all my many questions! Thanks for making my front porch look so inviting! I would highly recommend Chuck and his team.
Excellent work, great customer relation and pride in workmanship. Would give the best rating and definitely will use again.
Very responsive company, arrived on time and completed work on time. Very efficient. Excellent workmanship! Beautiful job! Very pleased with the results.
Very professional! Arrived on time, worked diligently, and completed job on time. Very pleased.
The pool deck looks great! I really appreciate the hard work your employees did. Very friendly and answered my questions. Thanks for a job well done!
I am very pleased with the results of my stamped concrete. Everyone was very nice and professional. Would recommend to anyone.
I am very pleased with my new patio. I was involved in a small degree with the patio at the Sigma Kappa House in Knoxville Tennessee and the service and final product of mine is much more satisfactory than the one in Knoxville. All workers were very professional and very good at what they did. I have already recommended your company to friends.
I received excellent workmanship. The job was done in a timely manner and the clean-up was great. My patio looks wonderful. I can truly recommend Concrete Craft of everyone.
Excellent communication. Delivered service as promised. Actually performed job earlier than promised. Would definitely use again.
Chuck and his crew were very prompt, courteous and professional. The work was outstanding and would use Concrete Craft again. High quality work for a minimal cost. Thank you Chuck again for beautiful work!
Very pleased with the finished look.
The floor looks amazing-they did a great job of fixing the cracks, and the paint makes it look like a whole new room. We would definitely recommend Concrete Craft to all our friends.
Chuck did a great job on the floors of our church building. Our floors look amazing and are exactly what we asked for. Chuck and his team worked hard all week, including some late nights and early mornings, to get our floors ready for church on Sunday. They were incredibly professional and easy to work with. We really enjoyed working with Chuck and Concrete Craft.
Excellent!! I love it. My patio looks completely different. Could not have asked for better service. I would recommend your service to anyone.
Very well pleased-professionally done-very courteous workers. Will highly recommend to friends and family. Thanks for a job well done!
Chuck is very courteous, prompt, and professional with his work ethics. Enjoyed doing business with him and his crew. Highly recommend him to anyone thinking about creative concrete design work. Five stars.
Our resurfaced concrete looks exactly like the samples we were provided. They guys did a wonderful job!
The men came when they said and did high quality work. They were very courteous. We were left with a fantastically looking side walk.
Considerate, professional, knowledgeable, and on time.
Great job! Very respectful and worked with us for what we wanted done. We are thinking of hiring you again. Thank you!
I was so impressed with the care and attention to detail. We are extremely picky and we did not have to worry about anything. Everything was done with much care. Highly recommend!
The whole experience was A++ superb! The quality of work was excellent and the customer service was fabulous! From start to finish, everything exceeded expectations. Highly recommend and will definitely use again!
I can't express how pleased I am with the flagstone. The crew was great. They were very clean. I would definitely use them again and recommend them to others.
We just moved into the home where your work was done in the basement. Your work looks very nice. I found your paper work while moving in. We'll give you a call to do some future work in the next garage project.
The work was exceptionally well done. A great hard working crew. Very polite and well mannered. We loved the way the work turned out. A great job. Hats off to Concrete Craft.
Over the years, I have explored and researched at least six sources and more to professionally service, pressure wash and seal my nine year old driveway and patio. It was on a Saturday morning radio show "Around the House" where I first hear Mr. Chuck Yates regarding Concrete Craft of Knoxville. I was most impressed by Mr. Yates' presentation and the information concerning Concrete Craft of Knoxville. I telephoned Mr. Yates requesting an appointment for him to service the driveway and patio. My worries and years of exploring had finally ended. I loudly applaud and sincerely Thank you Mr. Yates for the wonderful, professional, superior and exceptional care you did servicing the driveway and patio. During his work and after Mr. Yates finished the driveway, several new and old neighbors continue to inquire about Concrete Craft. I humbly Thank you Mr. Yates and your excellent assistant for your professional care, attention, time and your personal touch in servicing my driveway and patio.
Concrete Craft of Knoxville did a great job resurfacing the concrete around our pool, front walkway, and patio. It really helped to beautify our outdoor living spaces. Chuck was very responsive and kept us informed throughout the entire process.
Chuck and his team were outstanding! They arrived on time and completed the project on schedule. The entire crew was professional, highly skilled, and hard working. A++ service!
The level of quality and service Chuck and the rest of the crew with Concrete Craft supersedes anything that I have ever seen. Would I use them again? Absolutely! Their work is phenomenal, and we are already working on a budget to have additional work performed by Concrete Craft. Their work is more than a trade; it's an art!
Very efficient! Concrete looks great!! Thank you.
Owner and staff excellent! Professional and friendly. They know their job very well. I would recommend to anyone.
They did a great job! They were able to finish the work in a good time for a reasonable price!
I love my floor! All the guys were extremely nice and professional.
I am so pleased with my patio. It is beautiful. I enjoyed watching it come to life and it is all done by hand. The workers worked hard. Just want to say to you "God Bless" you and your business.
This is the second year that we have used Concrete Craft to clean and seal our outside cement deck and driveway. They did another professional job at a reasonable price. I know that the quality of their work is adding years of life to our deck and driveway.
Very good service. A pleasure to work with.
Chuck and his crew were very professional and courteous. We were very pleased with the transformation of our porch and patios. The results actually exceeded our expectations!
Concrete Craft did a great job cleaning our driveway and patio. They look almost brand new again!
Very timely and professional service. Pleasant workers.
Chuck and his crew did what they said they would do when they said they would do it with the utmost professionalism.
My experience with Chuck Yates and the service I received was very good. He was very courteous and efficient to keep me posted about the scheduling and status of the job. He and his crew work hard and non stop for two days to get the job done as promised. I will recommend him to my friends.
We have a fabulous looking front porch. Concrete Craft told us how long it would take and it happened. The craftsmanship of the surfacing was superb. We would recommend Concrete Craft for resurfacing. We are very happy with our great looking porch!
Great work! Driveway job was very easy and thorough.
The service was outstanding. Service was requested on short notice. Was provided a great price quote with fabulous service and quick turnaround. We will definitely use your services when needed. Thank you.
The stain was the perfect color. It was exactly what I had envisioned for the room. You did an excellent job and I would recommend you to all my friends. Thanks for doing a great job!
Our service with Concrete Craft was satisfactory. They were thorough with cleaning and preparation of the surface to be stained. They applied several coats of stain and then came back for any touch up areas that were missed. They completed their work in a timely and professional manner.
So pleased with my pool area! It looks awesome! Chuck and his crew do awesome work and communicate great!
They were kind and did a great job.
Professional crew-could not be better. Trustworthy. Thank you, for my beautiful new patio.
Chuck was responsible and responsive to our questions, showed up on time and completed the work in a timely manner. The finished product was cleanly delivered, but not quite as gray as we would have liked. We will recommend him to all our friends.
We are extremely happy with our new floor. Chuck and his crew took time to answer all our questions and did a fantastic job.
Great service! Arrived at the time expected. Worked steadily until the job was complete. Always nice and informative to talk to. (Nice to my dogs also!) Porch looks awesome! Would definitely recommend them to others!
Chuck and his team resurfaced our entrance patio to our apartment building. It completely changed the look of the building. They performed excellent work! We were completely satisfied and will recommend them to anyone.
We received excellent communication and service. Concrete Craft was there when they told us they would start. We were able to choose the color of stain and intensity.
Great job start to finish-patio looks great.
Thought the quality and service was excellent. They were prompt each day, did what they said and very courteous. Chuck was very pleasant and I wouldn't hesitate to use them again.
Chuck and his crew did an exceptional job staining our back patio. They were professional, punctual and completed the job as promised.
A very professional team resurfaced our patio. It looks great! Thank you for being prompt and on time.
Porch looks great! Chuck and the other young men were very polite and worked hard to get it done.
Chuck, great job!! Thanks for working overtime to get my project done by the weekend. Would recommend you anytime.
Excellent attention to detail, especially considering the large area.
We love our patio and sidewalk. Such a beautiful job. The guys working on it were so good and professional. Very polite. Would recommend this company. Very happy.
Work was done as stated. Looks great and wife is happy.
Thank you Chuck for an excellent job. You were prompt, informative and friendly, and performed work as stated. We are very pleased with the finished product, and would use Concrete Craft again. We will give Concrete Craft a recommendation to anyone.
Great job, polite, kind and very professional.
Very professional, clean-up wonderful, and polite and caring.
We appreciate the updates each step of the way!
Chuck and his team did a beautiful job. Our patio looks 100% better! Chuck was very easy to work with and he and his workers were always here when they said they would be. I am very pleased with the results and would highly recommend Concrete Craft.
From the time I made contact with Concrete Craft everything was on time and well done. Chuck Yates and his boys were efficient and picked up after themselves. Well done!!
Being here when they said! Very courteous. Could not have asked for a better service! Will recommend.
Concrete Craft recently stained and sealed our basement floor. They did an outstanding job! The team works hard and shows up on time. It looks great! Thanks.
Chuck and his staff did a great job on our front porch!! It looks great!!
Exactly what both parties discussed and thought/visioned it would look like. Amazing detail and awesome people. I will be using them again!!
I could not be more pleased with my new patio! Everyone gives it rave reviews! Chuck and his team were very professional and so kind and respectful! And it was completed in record time! Thank you!
The service I received was awesome. Chuck kept me informed and communicated well during the entire process and I absolutely love my porch and walkway!!
Concrete Craft did an excellent job with resealing our concrete.
The service is exemplary. Calls are returned in a timely manner, and the work crew shows up exactly as scheduled.
Very professional. Chuck gave me a quote and completed the job exactly as specified in the time specified. He and his crew did a great job.
Friendly people to work with, work hard to please client, excellent work.
Professional, polite, with the patience of job! I love my front porch. God bless you.
We couldn't be more pleased with the finished product-such an elegant look for an affordable price! It adds such value to our home!
Service was great, workers were thorough and very nice to talk to. Would use them again, and recommend them to others.
Professional service, quality work, within budget, and on time. Great job!
Gave me many choices- well presented. Very professional- was on time. Did exactly what he was suppose to do!
Very professional, went beyond the call of duty and friendly. Would definitely call again. Thank you for all your help.
Chuck and his workers did a nice, complete job power washing and sealing our pool concrete. I highly recommend.
Mr. Yates and his crew are top notch professionals. Mr. Yates communicated with me every step of the way, ensured our happiness and provided a flawless basement floor way above and beyond our expectations.
They got right out to do the job. Got done in quick time. Over all did a good job!
The job was completed as discussed in the quote. The crew cleaned up after themselves and was very courteous. I feel that the job was of good value. I would use this service again and would recommend it to others.
I am so very pleased with the work that was done!!! I had several areas in my basement where standing water had penetrated thru leaving water marks. Chuck, who had never done a repair, gave it a try and matched the rest of the area in the basement perfectly. He went beyond the original areas that were discussed. I appreciated his efforts. In addition, his response time to my request was so very quick. I would definitely recommend him to my friends!
From the initial visit when Chuck gave the estimate to completion of the job everything was handled professionally, promptly and with attention to detail. The finished product looks great.
We received the best service and communication beyond what we have ever obtained from any contractor. Chuck and his crew did a perfect, detailed job with attention to and care for the area surrounding the job site and our home. The work they did looks amazing, they cleaned up the area afterwards and the wonderful communication with regards to any questions or concerns we had was discussed and addressed with utmost professionalism. We appreciate everything and will not only call again for future needs, but also let our friends and neighbors know of your company. Thank you again.
Third job for our home. The fire pit looks amazing! It sets the tone in our back yard! Courteous and as always great communication and on time!
Chuck was wonderful to work with, always on time. He worked so hard to get the color of the floor just right. He was truly a pleasure to have around.
Outstanding! Arrived at date/time promised. Completed work on time. Communication follow-thru is a sign of commitment and this was displayed throughout the entire process and greatly appreciated and extremely professional. We love our new sidewalk and I'm looking forward to beginning our driveway.
Concrete Craft of Knoxville did a great job. Chuck was very helpful, knowledgeable, and efficient.
Overall great service! Very informative throughout process and showed up on time everyday. Trusted these guys with my home! Excellent!
They did an amazing job on our back patio! This was their second job for us. As always they were very professional and on time. We highly recommend!
I love our newly revived walkway! Crew was very professional, courteous, and was always on time! Thank you!
Did exactly what he said he was going to do, very professional.
Was amazing transformation from before and after. Great work!
Love, love, LOVE our new patio!!! Chuck Yates did an amazing job, especially salvaging some precious hand and feet prints that I could not bear to lose!!! Would recommend him to anyone!
We just wanted to thank you for going the extra mile on our project. Your attention to detail is greatly appreciated and shows in the amazing outcome. We absolutely love our floors and look forward to using your services again. May God richly bless you and your families and your business.
They did a great job with cleaning my much needed driveway. Thanks!
Jon did a great job. His first focus was the front porch area. It is shiny like new.
Called back exactly when told it would be. Will look forward for resealing. | 2019-04-23T05:15:04Z | https://www.concretecraft.com/knoxville/?utm_source=HFC&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=HFC_Blog&utm_source=HFC&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=HFC_Blog |
The best skateboard bearings are among the most valuable parts of a skateboard. It is vital for your skateboard to have sensible bearings as they can keep the skateboard wheel running smoothly, thereby resulting in a smooth ride. It should be noted that each wheel of your skateboard needs two bearings, that’s why you really have to be careful with your choice.
If choosing skateboard bearings is still somewhat a confusing process for you, then you can always seek the aid of a buyer’s guide such as this article to help you all throughout the selection process. With the aid of this article, the somewhat complicated task of choosing skateboard bearing will be much more manageable for you.
1 What are Skateboard Bearings?
3 What is it that Makes a Bearing Go Fast?
7 What are Spacers and Speed Rings?
Skateboard bearings actually refer to the round metal pieces that you can find being fitted with the wheels of your skateboard. These are helpful in mounting the skateboard or longboard wheels into the axle. Regardless of the size of the wheel, all these bearings actually come at a similar size. You can also expect all of them to fit all wheels for skateboarding. As for the skateboard bearings size, note that their universal measurements are usually 22 mm for the outer diameter, 7 mm for the width, and 8mm for the core.
Most suppliers actually offer a set of bearings. They often sell bearings sets of 8 considering the fact that each wheel needs two bearings. You can also find them in various colors, letting you pick one that suits your style.
Steel bearings are actually among the most popular ones you can find in the market. Many consider this material as one of the best skate bearings as it is known for being the industry standard in the field of skateboarding.
If you pick this material, you will notice that the bearings are usually circular in shape. They also come with flat sides. Each bearing houses around 7-8 lubricated balls designed to distribute a load’s weight and ease tension in between the skateboard’s axle and wheels.
One major advantage of steel is that it is both durable and economical. However, there are also instances when the energy triggered by heavy friction in between the wheels and axle tends to heat up metal. The result is expanding or making the bearings less effective. That’s the reason why you really have to ensure that the steel bearings stay dry, lubricated, and clean, so they will work longer and more effectively.
You can also go for ceramic skateboard bearings. Ceramic bearings are often constructed from silicon nitride, a compound. In comparison to steel, the material actually promotes a smoother ride while also being harder. Because of this, it is possible for ceramic to have reduced friction so there is less need to use a lubricant.
It is less affected by heat energy, too. In case of friction, it has also been known that the ceramic material does not expand. That said, it won’t have a negative impact on the overall performance of the skateboard. The problem with this is that because of its high performance, it also comes at a higher price tag. Still, it is a good choice if you are willing to spend more for an excellent performance.
You can also choose titanium bearings. While titanium is not as popular as the other two materials, you can still expect it to work well for skateboarding. In fact, this material is known for being smooth and light without having to sacrifice durability and speed.
As far as speed and performance are concerned, the best option is probably the ceramic material. As mentioned earlier, it is smoother and harder than steel while also promoting a speedy ride. While it costs higher, the benefits of ceramic are definitely worth it.
What is it that Makes a Bearing Go Fast?
One thing that will help you determine how fast a bearing will be is the ABEC rating. You have to check this rating for a specific bearing if you want to make sure that you are getting a really fast one. Different skateboard bearing dimensions and sizes are also designed for different purposes.
If you go for a bearing, which features an ABEC rating of 3, then note that it will be a bit slow. Go for one with a higher rating as it also aids in speeding it up. This means that the higher the bearing’s rating is, the faster it will be. If you want your skateboard to really move fast, then go for a bearing with an ABEC rating of around 7.
Aside from that, you should also consider replacing smaller wheels with larger ones as they can also help your board move faster.
ABEC, which stands for Annular Bearing Engineering Committee, provides a rating for skateboard bearings, which indicates the performance and speed of the product. It should be noted that the ABEC rating serves as the industry’s standard in terms of determining the precision of ball bearings.
ABEC 1 – Bearings with this rating are known for having the lowest precision level, which is the reason behind their really low price in the market. Several companies avoid selling those with this rating because there are those who view the items as having very low quality. Still, it is a good choice for skateboarding and is only a bit slower when compared to bearings with a much higher rating.
ABEC 3 – Generally, these bearings skateboard are offered at an affordable price. The problem is that they do not roll as smoothly and as speedily as the higher-rated ones.
ABEC 5 – This is considered as the standard rating for the majority of bearings used in skateboarding. It delivers a decent performance and speed at a reasonable cost.
ABEC 7 – Often sold at a much higher price. It is mainly because the high ABEC rating also indicates a speedy and smooth performance.
ABEC 9 – Those bearings with a rating of at least 9 are considered to be extremely fast. That said, expect them to be really ideal for downhill skating. It is a good choice for you if you are an advanced skater who really wants to move extremely fast.
ABEC 11 and Up – There are companies who advertise this rating but it is still advisable for you to be wary in this case. It is because the highest rating considered for skateboarding is usually 9.
You can also find other bearings rated by other organizations, like the ISO (International Standards Organization), German National Standards Organization, and the RBEC Anti-Fascist Bearing Manufacturers Association. However, the most popular ratings are definitely those from ABEC.
The standard size of skateboard bearings is actually the size 608. It is considered to be the standard and original ball bearing. If you get the 608 series, you will notice that the ball bearing is typically composed of optional closures, outer and inner race, ball retainer, and balls.
The size is also characterized by an inner diameter of 8mm, an outer diameter of 22mm, and a 7-mm width. They also reflect their own ABEC ratings as a means of measuring their manufacturing and dimensional tolerances. Bearings under the 608 series can actually be expected to fit all wheels designed for skateboards no matter what their diameters are.
Aside from the size 608, you can also find other types and sizes of bearings, including the mini-bearings, roller bearings, and y-bearings. However, these are not often used in skateboards as the standard one is really the 608. If you choose the 608 bearing, then you will notice that the bearing balls tend to rotate in between two rings – the outer and inner ring.
There is also a metal or rubber shield, which seals the whole unit. You can expect such bearing shields to be a big help in minimizing the entry of contaminants into the bearing, as well as the level of lubricant leakage.
The shield of the bearing actually refers to a medium-sized ring, which you can find on its side. It is a vital component as it works in preventing dirt from penetrating the balls. The best skate bearings also often come with a rubber seal or shield.
It can be defined as the soft rubber ring, which you can find at the outer part of the bearing. It is also important as it offers an aid in shielding the interior from debris and dirt.
The ball cage, which is also otherwise referred to as the ball retainer, refers to that important component in the skateboard bearing that is used in separating the balls. It also helps maintain the symmetrical radial spacing of the balls. Another of its major function is to hold together the bearings.
The ball cage is also essential as you can use it to provide lubrication. It is because it serves as a reservoir for oils. With the ability of the cage to hold individual bearings in their right places while still ensuring that the casing spins around them, it is indeed a specific part, which should always be present in your skateboard bearing.
A skateboard bearing won’t also be complete without a set of balls. It could be a set composed of 6-7 ceramic or steel balls. These balls rest in the cage or retainer. The balls are probably the most essential components of a bearing considering the fact that they let the casing spin smoothly around them.
The outer ring is also a vital component of the bearing. It refers to the round metal exterior, which is used in fitting all the other parts and components.
This refers to the smaller metal ring, which you can find being fitted within the bearing’s outer ring. When sliding the wheel or bearing setup into the axles, you will need the inner ring as it is used in fitting the axles through.
This specific component refers to the thin ring, which fits into a groove found on the outer part of the bearing. It is extremely useful as it works in locking the shields in their right places.
What are Spacers and Speed Rings?
Bearing spacers refer to the tiny metal cylinders that you can see being fitted into the wheel of the skateboard in between the bearings. They are vital in improving the performance of the bearing as they work in minimizing the weight that each one distributes. The results, therefore, include more stable and smoother turns.
Bearing spacers are also necessary as they work in extending the life of your skateboard bearings. The good thing about these spacers is that they are inexpensive. You can also choose from the different materials used in making them, including aluminum and steel.
Read more about “Why Bearing Spacers Really Matter” – Words by Nick Li – Stoked Team Rider at here.
Speed washers, on the other hand, refer to the metal and thin washers slipped over the axle. You can find them in between the bearing and nut, as well as the bearing and hanger. Also called speed rings and bearing washers, you can expect these optional additions to your bearing to be extremely useful.
One of its major functions is to minimize friction, which is a big help for the faster or speedier turning of the wheels. Note that low friction also translates to higher speed. In addition, the speed ring or speed washer also works as a buffer in between the bearing and nut. Such makes it possible for the wheels to rotate in a quicker manner while also ensuring that the face of the bearing is fully protected from damage.
It should be noted that these speed rings are only optional additions to a skateboard bearing. However, many skateboarders and riders find it really necessary, which is the reason why they decide to install these additions to their bearings. It is actually an essential component, especially if you plan to ride your skateboard at a high speed.
You have the option of replacing the speed rings as often as necessary. The frequency of replacement is actually dependent on how hard and how much you skate.
When searching for the best skateboard bearings, you will surely come across plenty of brands that claim to be the best. Now the question is which one among them is really the best. This review article and buying guide, for instance, recommends plenty of brands, including Yellow Jacket, Spitfire, Heady Shake, Zealous, RollerBones, Amphetamine, Dark Wolf, NEAL Bearings, and Fireball Skate.
All of them are reputable brands that receive lots of positive reviews from their buyers. However, one of the most prominent brands from them all is the Bones Bearings. This brand is popular for its various models of bearings, including the Bones Reds, Super Reds, and Bones Reds Ceramics.
Searching for the most reliable bearings for your skateboard will also cause you to be introduced to the Bronson Speed Co. brand. Two of the most popular products from this brand are the Bronson G3 and the Bronson Speed Co. G2.
In your search for the most reliable skateboard bearings today, you will surely come across Bones Bearings Reds Bearings. Offered by the reputable brand, Bones Bearings, you will never go wrong choosing this product. It actually comes with a set composed of 8 bearings.
It is also equipped with a logo sticker as well as instructions on how to set it up and use. One of the most favorable benefits of this product is that it promotes less friction and ease of cleaning. It is because of the single and non-contact rubber shield, which is also removable, integrated to it.
Furthermore, it promotes a high level of speed and strength – thanks to the high-speed ball retainer made of nylon that it has. Note that this product also comes pre-lubricated using a speed cream racing lubricant. One downside, though, is that it does not feature a groove at the inner race, which is supposed to help the seal or shield develop a labyrinth.
Another highly recommended skateboard bearing on the market today is the Bones Super Reds Bearings. It is also an 8-pc. bearing set. It is a great choice if you are in search of premium bearings considering the fact that they are equipped with high-quality steel races and balls.
The bearings also boast of their superior surface finish. It guarantees a fast yet quiet and smooth ride. The fact that it has its own spacers and washers is also a big advantage as such features help in improving its ability to last a long time. It is because the spacers and washers can help the bearings withstand tough abuse.
It makes use of a speed cream lubricant, too, which is a big help in promoting a sustained ride. It features removable rubber shields that make it easier for you to make the bearings clean. However, you will need to break it in by riding it for a few hours before you can finally enjoy its excellent performance.
If you are looking for pro skateboard bearings, then you will never go wrong with the Yellow Jacket Premium Skateboard Bearings. It is a nice choice as it is known for its high speed and precision. It is also versatile that you can use it for skateboards and longboards, as well as roller blade, inline skate, and electric skateboards.
Another nice benefit of this bearing from Yellow Jacket is that it is fully protected – thanks to the presence of engraved color seals. The seals are bright enough, making the bearings more attractive. In addition, they work well in protecting them from dust, rocks, and dirt, promoting a longer life and better precision.
Another thing that you will surely like about Yellow Jacket Premium bearings is its minimal friction and high speed – that’s made possible with the high-speed racing lube used to lubricate it. One drawback is its tendency to produce noise when it’s working.
If what you are looking for is a ceramic bearing, then it is also advisable for you to check out the Bones Ceramic Reds Bearings. What’s so nice about this product is that it is made of ceramic balls that are known to be not only harder and stronger but also lighter. In addition, ceramic is also long-lasting and waterproof.
Cleaning it up is also easy. You will also like its minimal friction – that’s all thanks to the built-in non-contact and removable rubber shield. It is also a skate-rated bearing, which is an advantage as it indicates that it is capable of withstanding the harsh impact linked to hard landings and turns.
It is an 8-pc. set, which gives you more than enough to handle your skateboard. The fact that it also comes pre-lubricated using a reliable speed cream racing lubricant also helps promote a smooth and fast ride. It is a bit pricey, though.
You will not also regret checking out the Spitfire Burner Bearings. What is so good about these bearings is that they are budget-friendly. Being offered at a really affordable cost, you will definitely realize how nice it is to invest in a bearing.
Also, this bearing from Spitfire is known for being a great performer in the industry as far as speed and precision are concerned. It is mainly designed for skateboarding so you can definitely expect it to help you improve your ride. In addition, it is impact-resistant – thanks to the integrated removable nylon cages.
Another nice quality of Spitfire Burner is that it is heat-resistant – that’s made possible with the high-carbon chromium steel rings that it has. It is also well-polished and is known for being able to last for a very long time.
One possible problem that you might encounter with this bearing, though, is that you may find it too basic, especially if you are already an experienced skater.
Heady Shake Pro Skateboard Bearings is also another recommended product for those who are looking for a fast and smooth ride. This model is known for its high level of precision – thanks to the well-thought out precision design. It can provide a quiet rotation as well as a high-spinning speed.
You will also like the fact that it already comes pre-lubricated using a special lubricant as it also means that the bearings will work quickly and smoothly. It also works as one of the best longboard bearings. Furthermore, it is versatile that it also works for a roller skate, inline skates, kick scooters, and skateboards.
Aside from boasting of its skate-friendly design, you will also love the fact that this set comes with eight high-quality bearings, a waterproof sticker, as well as four skateboard spacers.
Furthermore, it provides a smooth rolling design while also instantly providing you with more control and stability than what a standard bearing can provide. It is slightly noisy, though, which is a minor downside.
Another product that this buying guide will recommend is the Bronson G3 Bearings. Bronson G3 is actually available in a single set composed of eight bearings. It is really fast and smooth, so expect this model to be capable of providing your skateboard more edge when you’re riding it across the park or around the streets.
A non-contact rubber seal is used to cover the bearings’ inner workings, thereby preventing dirt and dust from penetrating inside. A cage also holds the balls, which ensures that they stay in place when the bearings spin. It is a nylon-precision cage, which prevents the balls from spinning while giving them right spacing.
It has an ABEC rating of 7 and comes at the industry standard 608 size. There are also 8 washers integrated into the set. In addition, the four spacers included are shrink-wrapped, thereby giving them protection. You have to spend time breaking it in, though, before you can fully enjoy its impressive performance.
Finding the most suitable skateboard bearings for you will also most likely cause you to come across Mini-logo Skateboards Bearings. It is a precision 608 bearing, which is known for its consistent and excellent performance. It features removable shields for two sides – one of which is made of metal while the other is made of rubber.
It also features a molded ball retainer, which is known for its speed. This skateboard bearing is also pre-lubricated using a speed cream, which is a big advantage as it means that it can reduce friction. Furthermore, it boasts of its hardened chromium steel balls and races with nice finish.
The fact that it comes with shields on both sides is also beneficial as these protect the bearing from moisture, wetness, and dirt. You will also find it easy to clean and re-lubricate. It may not be suitable for advanced skaters who are planning to enjoy an extremely fast ride, though.
Choosing longboard and skateboard bearings is also now made easier with the availability of Zealous Bearings. One favorable fact about this bearing is that it is equipped with speed rings and spacers. With these around, there is a lower risk for losing small parts in case you change wheels or bearings.
It is also known for working with the least amount of friction. In addition, it boasts of its color-coordinated rubber seals that work well in keeping debris and dirt outside. Such works in making the bearing more durable. It also features 8-mm axles with holes that perfectly fit all types of skateboard trucks.
It further results in a smooth and fast ride for all users. It makes use of a premium lubricant, too, which penetrates any flaws in the metal and smoothens them out, thereby speeding up the bearing. In comparison to Bones Reds Bearings, though, this product from Zealous is slower.
You will not also regret checking out the Bones Roller Bones Bearings. They are known for being among the most precise skate bearings available in the market. What’s so good about these bearings from RollerBones is that they feature high-speed nylon ball cages that you can easily remove.
It also features non-contact and removable rubber shield known for having less to zero friction. With that in mind, it can really give you the best ride possible. It also makes use of a low-viscosity speed cream for its lubrication. Since it is lubricated using a premium lubricant, you know that it promotes a smoother ride.
It is also known for being long-lasting. In addition, you will love its speed as well as the fact that cleaning it up is a breeze. It does not have any rolling resistance, too. One problem, though, is that it does not work that quietly. It seems to produce a bit of noise.
The Bronson Speed G2 is also another of the skateboard bearings from the brand that gained a lot of positive attention. It is popular for its top performance while also being offered at an inexpensive price. It has straight edge shields known for having no friction. The shields are also pop-off resistant, allowing it to hold oil in while keeping moisture out.
It also boasts of its nano-ceramic compounds known for resisting corrosion. You can also expect it to prevent excessive wear. With all the features integrated into this product, it is possible for it to let you enjoy a smooth and long-lasting roll without having to spend too much.
The balls can also be expected to roll deeper and sit in the raceway channels. It also works while reducing the possibility of damage and breakage due to angular or axial side impact. It takes a while to break it in, though.
What is so impressive about the Amphetamine ABEC 7 Inline Skate Bearings is that they are designed in such a way that they can handle the demands often associated to skateboarding. It has a high ABEC rating, which is 7, proving that it is indeed one of the fastest bearings you can find today.
It has eight balls, making the bearings faster and stronger since the impact will only be on two to three of the balls. In addition, it is pre-lubed using an extra-performance speed oil. You will also most likely love the gas-washed surfaces of this product since such help reduce friction.
You will also enjoy the friction-free shields made of rubber integrated into the product. The shields work speedily while also being easy to clean and maintain. In addition, the balls included in the product are made of steel. The spacers that come in the package are quite challenging to line up, though.
One thing that is so favorable about the Shake Junt Triple OG’s A-7 Skate Bearings is that they are guaranteed to give users with a consistently smooth ride regardless of where they decide to go. It is a single set composed of eight bearings, therefore, you’ll also have four wheels to connect to the ride.
It has a high level of precision and tolerance considering the fact that it bears an ABEC 7 rating. The eight bearings that you can get from the set are also fully lubricated, which means that you do not have to do it yourself. It also features four spacers as well as a sticker.
In addition, it is equipped with double-sided bearing ball shields that are useful in preventing dirt from penetrating within the bearing. One problem, though, is the initial inconvenience that comes with it being pre-oiled. Since it is pre-oiled, dirt tends to stick to it at first but you can solve that by using a cloth to wipe off any excess oil.
Another impressive product that’s worthwhile to check out is the Super Swiss 6 Competition Skate Bearings from Bones Bearings. One major benefit of this product is that it is capable of promoting a smooth, sustainable, and speedy ride. These Bones Super Swiss bearings also boast of their unique design.
Such unique and innovative design features 6 large diameter balls, thereby resulting in a speedier acceleration, higher level of speed, and improved strength and durability. It also comes equipped with rubber shields that make it easier for you to clean it up. The nylon ball retainers included in the product also make the bearings speedier and sturdier.
Aside from that, the brand makes use of a speed cream racing lubricant to pre-lubricate the bearings. It is also resilient when it comes to dealing with rust, heat, dirt, and dust. It also works well for inline speed skating. Note, however, that you may have to spend a couple of days to finally break it in completely.
One of the major advantages of Fireball Dragon Precision Bearings is that they are specifically crafted and designed with the aid of professional and expert bearing designers. With that, expect these bearings to be fiercely precise while also delivering a high-caliber performance.
Some of the features that make these bearings really tough, sturdy, and precise are the highly precise steel machining, removable cages and shields, and dual labyrinth bearing shields. The bearings also gained great reviews for being long-lasting while also using premium lubricants.
The dual labyrinth shields integrated into the bearings are also beneficial as they offer a high level of protection against the elements. That said, there is no need for you to think about the bearings getting dirty. It comes at a standard size of 608, making it suitable for use on skateboards, longboards, spinners, roller blades, roller skates, scooters, penny boards, as well as suitcases.
The problem is that it is initially slow but you just have to break it in to make it roll smoothly and effortlessly.
Buying the Bones Original Swiss Competition Skate Bearings will let you get a hold of a single set composed of 8 chromium wheel bearings. The set also features instructions, a nice sticker, and 4 bearing spacers. You will definitely love these Bones Swiss Bearings as they boast of their precision-grade and innovative Swiss design.
One of the things that makes the Swiss Competition different from the other Swiss bearings from Bones is that its balls are polished using chromium steel. It is also equipped with one removable and non-contact rubber shield, which gives you a guarantee that the bearings are low in terms of friction while also being easy to clean.
In addition, the bearings feature a nylon ball retainer, which is known to not only improve speed but also increase the strength. The result is a smoother and more sustainable ride. It is also skate rated, which serves as a proof that it performs better than the others. It tends to produce a rattling sound, though, but rest assured that it is manageable.
Bones Swiss Ceramics Bearings won’t also disappoint in terms of speed, durability, strength, and smoothness of the ride. It comes at a single pack of 8 Swiss ceramic bearings. The set is also composed of a nice and attractive sticker, a set of instructions, as well as 4 bearing spacers.
It has Cerbec balls ceramic bearings that are known to be strong and hard while still being light enough that you won’t experience any inconvenience using it. What is so good about these ceramic balls is that aside from being non-corrosive and lightweight, they are also long-lasting and have low rolling friction.
With that, expect the bearings to have a faster acceleration. You can also expect them to roll farther. It has a high resistance to dirt and moisture while also being easy to clean. Bones Ceramics Bearings are not ideal for beginners, though. If you are a beginner, then you might find the Bones Super Reds more useful.
It is also advisable to check out RaZr Precision Bearings ABEC 7 Pro Skateboard Bearings. It is rated with ABEC 7, which showcases how tolerant and great-performing it is. It is known for its high-precision machining. It works well for advanced skaters – thanks to its dependable lighting speed spin.
Such can be expected because of the non-contact deep groove and the specially lubricated bearings. It makes use of the SpinX lubrication oil, which is actually a good thing as it evenly distributes heat fast. The well-balanced design of this bearing is also a great advantage as it promotes a smooth and efficient spin.
The great performance of the bearings is one of the reasons why many consider it as one of the best gift ideas for someone who loves skateboarding. You will also instantly notice its versatility as you can use it in different applications, including longboard, inline, roller skates, kick scooter, and skateboard.
However, because of its speed, it is more compatible for advanced users than beginners.
Another remarkable product that’s worth checking out if you are looking for a dependable and high-quality skateboard bearing is the Voform Pro Skateboard Bearings 608. One major highlight of this bearing its high speed and precision. It is also specially designed for skateboards, electric skateboards, inline skates, and longboards.
Since it is specifically tailored for the needs of skateboarders, like you, expect it to help give you a smooth and unforgettable riding experience. That’s possible while ensuring that it performs its function with low noise. This set actually consists of 8 bearings, 8 washers, and 4 spacers.
It is of top-notch quality considering the fact that it underwent a hundred percent dimensional testing. With its engraved color seal, you also have an assurance that the bearings will be protected from harmful elements, like rocks, dust, and dirt. The durability of this product still has to be tested, though, since it is still quite new.
Specially manufactured for skateboards, electric skateboards, etc.
One of the things that you will notice right away about the Oust Bearings MOC 5 Tech is its highly distinctive bearing design. Such design is so unique that it can handle tighter tolerances well. What’s even more impressive about this bearing is that it is mainly designed to deliver a high level of endurance for use on technical skateboarding.
It makes use of a carbon steel ball cage, which is helpful in maximizing the strength of the bearings. This cage guarantees that the balls will be placed on their rightful places even when dealing with harsh environmental conditions. It also promotes a high level of speed, durability and performance as well as low friction – that’s thanks to its high Rockwell material hardness.
It also features two removable rubber seals designed to deliver superior protection for the bearing. The bearings are also pre-lubricated with the aid of ME-TOL synthetic speed oil. It is a bit slow at first but waiting for it to be fully broken in will definitely help you notice its speed after a while.
With the NEAL Precision Skate Bearings, skateboarding will also become a more enjoyable and exciting experience for you. Investing in these precision skate bearings from NEAL will definitely let you reach your destination at the smoothest and fastest manner possible.
It is known for working really quick. In addition, it makes use of ceramic, which is popular for being around forty percent stronger and fifty percent lighter when compared to steel. Another thing that’s so impressive is that it is finely balanced. Expect it to give you a high spin rating, which is up to a hundred thousand rpm under each load.
It is known for giving your skateboard, longboard, or any other board you are using with a longer and smoother rolling. You will also love the inclusions in the set, including its 8 precision bearings, a waterproof sticker, 4 skateboard spacers, and an aluminum case. It tends to squeak after a while of use, though, but rest assured that it’s only a minor inconvenience.
With its ABEC 9 rating, one can instantly confirm that the Mini Skater Precision 608 ZZ Bearings are among the most precise skateboard bearings available in the market at present. It makes use of chrome steel material, which is a big advantage as it is known to be not only durable but also resistant to possible deformities caused by heavy loads.
It guarantees a fast and smooth roll and ride at a reasonable price. This bearing actually has an 8-mm inner diameter and a 22-mm outer diameter, which makes it convenient to use. Since it is already pre-lubricated, you will be able to use it right away. The lube used is also known for improving the durability of the bearings while also making them perform well.
One more impressive thing about these bearings is that they are flexible and high in quality in the sense that you can expect them to be compatible with all kinds of longboards and skateboards. However, it is not as durable as other high-priced bearings sold in the market.
With the ABEC 11 rating of Dark Wolf Skateboard Bearing, you know that its level of precision is really high. This bearing is actually constructed from titanium electroplating process. There is also a sturdy chrome steel material integrated into it.
The good thing about the materials used in this bearing is that they are known to be not only stable and durable but also resistant to corrosion and wear and tear. It is also dust-proof, so expect it to gain protection from dust and dirt. It perfectly fits well for skateboarders, like you.
Another advantage of these skateboard bearings from Dark Wolf is that they are also equipped with high-quality spacers and washers. There are actually four spacers and 8 washers included in the set. It also boasts of its good anti-swelling property. It is not totally quiet, though, but rest assured that when you are riding it, its noise is quite unnoticeable.
SCSK8 ABEC 9 Bearings is also a nice choice for anyone who is in search of a good set of bearings for their skateboard or longboard. This product is one set composed of eight bearings. Made of pre-lubricated steel, you know that it can handle the ins and outs of skateboarding.
SCSK8 ABEC 9 Bearings also boasts of its rubber seal known for its element protection 608 RS feature. Such offers it with a high level of protection against the elements while also showcasing a low level of restriction. Aside from being used in skateboards and longboards, some people also use it for pro-boards and carts, showing its versatility.
The lube used in lubricating the bearings is also known to be an excellent performer in the industry. It is durable while also helping the bearings deliver a smooth ride. The fact that it is really affordable is also a bonus. However, note that it is not as sturdy and as long-lasting as the bearings that cost more.
Bronson Speed Co. also continues to impress skateboarding enthusiasts with its RAW Skateboard Bearings. Just like most of the bearings indicated in this article, it is a set composed of eight high-quality bearings. It also comes at the standard size of the industry, which is 608.
In addition, it lets you experience a quick and smooth ride considering the fact that it is pre-lubricated. It also boasts of its deep groove raceways, allowing the balls to roll deeper and sit well on raceway channels. It is equipped with micro grooves, too, designed to increase spin through the elimination of the lubricant’s standing wave.
Furthermore, it features a ball cage socket, which is engineered to hold oil in place. That said, expect the ball to receive continuous lubrication. It is smooth and light while also containing additives designed to resist moisture, oxidation, corrosion, and rust. It is priced higher than the other skateboard bearings with the same quality, though.
If you are a casual skateboarder who wants to have fun and enjoy a fast and smooth ride in the park or any other location, then the Radeckal Blue ABEC 7 Skateboard Bearings is definitely a nice option for you. You will never be disappointed with the quality and speed of these bearings.
It has an ABEC 7 rating, showcasing its high precision grade. It also promotes a smoother glide and boasts of the fact that it is skater tested. In addition, it is lubricated with a high-grade oil, making it really work in the park and in any other place you decide to skateboard.
Overall, its construction is also durable and of high quality. It is compatible with numerous applications, including longboards, skateboards, rollerblades, inline skates, cruisers, and roller skates. The fact that it is not as expensive as the others is also a big advantage.
However, some users say that the performance of the more expensive Bones Reds Skateboard Bearings are much better.
Another of the bestselling skateboard bearings today is the 16-pack 608-2RS Skateboard Bearings from XiKe. It is professionally made and specifically designed to meet the needs of those who love skateboarding. It works smoothly while also known for its really long life.
You can also expect the bearings to work with the least amount of noise, making it really convenient to use. It underwent a hundred percent dimensional testing, which proves that its quality is unquestionable. The fact that it features a seal is also a big help in preventing impurities from penetrating inside.
With the seal, disassembling and cleaning up the bearings is also much easier. It is also equipped with a nylon retainer, which is enhanced in such a way that it is not prone to damage. It does not have grease, too, because only a tiny amount of lube is applied. One problem, though, is that the bearings don’t spin just as well as the other models.
If excellent precision is what you are after, then you can never go wrong with Mini Skater 16-pc. Silver Generic 608 ABEC 9 Precision Skate Ball Bearing. It is a set composed of 16 bearings, giving you a lot of extras for your longboard and skateboard. It is available at the standard 608 size.
A speed lubricant is also used in pre-lubricating it. Such lube is known for boosting the durability of the bearings while also enhancing their performance. It works well with all kinds of longboards and skateboards. You will also notice how solid and sturdy the bearings are right after you take a hold of them.
One more thing that you will surely love about these bearings is that they roll and spin smoothly while also boasting of their high level of speed. In addition, you will find the bearings useful for numerous applications. One problem is that the product seems to have a lot of grease at first but you can just wipe it off for your convenience.
Reds and Super Reds are two of the most popular products from Bones. However, take note that they are not the same. You will notice a few differences between them. One major difference is the price. It is because Bones Reds are known to be cheaper than the Super Reds.
As to performance, many say that Bones Super Reds are much better probably because they are priced higher, therefore, they underwent a more stringent manufacturing process. Super Reds Skateboard Bearings are also quieter and tend to roll smoother than the Bones Reds. In addition, Super Reds require less cleaning and maintenance.
Other Bones bearings that are worthwhile to compare are the Bones Swiss Ceramics and the Ceramic Super Reds. One way to distinguish the two is on the price as Bones Ceramic Super Reds is sold at a much higher price than the Swiss Ceramics. It should also be noted that the Ceramic Super Reds from Bones are considered to be lighter than Bones Swiss Ceramics Bearings.
In addition, they offer quicker acceleration because of their balls that tend to weigh less. One more difference is that the Ceramic Super Reds produces less friction, making it faster when compared to the Swiss Ceramic.
Bronson G3, Bones Swiss, and Bronson Raw are also among the most reliable skateboard bearings you can find today. If you are torn between these products, then learning about their individual features is the best thing you can do to choose. As for Bronson G3, take note that one of its best qualities is its ability to roll farther while also resisting impact better than other bearings today.
Bones Swiss, on the other hand, boasts of its smoother and faster performance while also being known as longer lasting when compared to the others. However, they also tend to be priced higher than the other two. As for Bronson Raw, it is designed to provide users with the strongest, fastest, and longest spin. It is also known for being the only shield-less bearing tailored for skateboarding.
Another brand that you can compare with Bones Reds is the Shake Junt. Both actually have almost the same prices for their products but the performance differs. Some say that most of the bearings offered by Shake Junt are built with speed in mind. That said, expect them to be really fast and smooth. You can also expect them to work well for big drops.
Bones Reds, on the other hand, are preferred by many because the brand has been around for years already. You should consider getting the Bones Reds, especially if you are after enjoying a long-lasting and quick roll and spin.
If you have a limited budget but would like to own a bearing with almost the same quality and performance as Bones Reds, then Zealous Bearings is probably your best choice. With that in mind, the major difference between these two products is the price as Zealous is cheaper than Reds.
What’s even better about Zealous is that they are also equipped with speed rings and spacers, making everything easier for you. Bones Reds, however, seem to spin longer when compared to Zealous. Also, there are some differences on sounds considering the fact that Reds is quieter than the other.
In terms of price, Mini Logo is considered to be the apparent winner if you compare it with Bones Reds. It is because of its much lower price. It also moves, spins, and rolls fast. The problem is that such performance is not as good as the one portrayed by Bones Reds.
Bones Reds is known to be really superior in terms of performance and speed. Also, it has a solid built, making it last longer than the others, particularly Mini Logo. Another major difference is that it is much easier to clean and maintain Bones Reds than Mini Logos.
Bearing Removal Tools – These tools are mainly designed to help you dismount the bearings from their housings with ease. You need to remove them just in case you need to clean it up or give it its regular maintenance routine. The best bearing removal tools that you can invest in for your maintenance and cleaning unit is the Alouette Skate Tool Set.
Bearing Cleaner Kit – Of course, you also need a cleaner kit, which you can use to clean up the bearing. Remember that your skateboard bearings require regular cleaning to ensure that they continue to deliver their optimum performance. Regular cleaning is also the key to making it last for a long time. Among the best bearing cleaner kits that you can buy today is the Bones Skate Bearings Cleaning Unit.
Bearing Oil/Lube – Proper bearing maintenance is also possible if you have reliable bearing oil or lube around, including the Bones Speed Cream Skate Bearing Lubricant and the Ardent Reel Butter Bearing Lube. Using the lubricant will ensure that the bearing will continue to perform well even when dealing with the most demanding conditions. It also has a positive impact on the speed, life, noise, and torque of the bearing.
The bearings are indeed among the essential skate accessories or components for your board. That’s the main reason why you really have to choose wisely. Note that the best skateboard bearings are those that work in eliminating friction that might affect the spot in between the metal, which you can find within each wheel as well as the metal axle where you can expect it to spin around. Considering the many options available in this industry, you have to study everything that you need to know about these products. That way, you will be a more informed and knowledgeable buyer, allowing you to sort out all your options and pick out the one, which really suits your needs the most.
LaderaSkateboards.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Amazon, the Amazon logo, AmazonSupply, and the AmazonSupply logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. Additionally, LaderaSkateboards.com participates in various other affiliate programs, and we sometimes get a commission through purchases made through our links. We do not specifically market to children under 13.
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The 2011 report of the Independent Review of the Intelligence Community (the Review), was the first comprehensive review of the Australian intelligence community since the 2004 inquiry conducted by Mr Philip Flood AO. The Flood inquiry recommended that Australia's intelligence agencies undergo external review every five to seven years.
The Review found that Australia's intelligence agencies are performing well following a period of significant growth to deal with the security challenges of the 9/11 decade.
Australia and its citizens are safer than they would otherwise have been as a result of intelligence efforts.
Our intelligence capabilities have contributed significantly to the global security effort.
Australia has built intelligence capabilities broadly commensurate with our growing security challenges.
The current basic structure of the Australian Intelligence Community (AIC) remains appropriate, including the operational mandate of agencies.
The Review covered challenges for the Australian intelligence community stemming from geo-political and technological change and made recommendations to help maintain the performance of the community in a period of resource constraints.
These recommendations covered areas such as priority setting and mission integration, performance evaluation, support for innovation and strategies for managing intelligence collection in the age of abundant information.
The Review found that the Australian intelligence community played a vital role in keeping Australians safe and protecting Australia's security interests. The review demonstrated that the investment in the intelligence community over the past decade had resulted in more capability and increased performance.
With the exception of the Coat of Arms, this publication is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Australia Licence.
The terms under which the Coat of Arms can be used are set out on the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet website (see Guidelines and Procedures).
The Independent Review of the Intelligence Community (IRIC) in 2011 will review the Australian Intelligence Community (AIC) in accordance with a recommendation of the Inquiry into Australian Intelligence Agencies (the Flood Inquiry) in 2004. The primary focus of this review will be the work of the six AIC agencies – Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO), the Australian Secret Intelligence Service (ASIS), the Defence Imagery and Geospatial Organisation (DIGO), the Defence Intelligence Organisation (DIO), the Defence Signals Directorate (DSD) and the Office of National Assessments (ONA).
Level of resourcing dedicated to the intelligence community and apportionment of resources across the community, noting that any future proposals would need to be offset consistent with the Government’s overall fiscal strategy.
The review will prepare findings and recommendations on the above issues and seek to provide a classified report to the Government around mid-year for its consideration in due course, as well as an accompanying unclassified version of that report.
The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet will establish a secretariat drawn from across the intelligence community and related agencies, as well as provide all other administrative support required. The review team will have full access to all material, including intelligence information and Cabinet documents, relevant to its examination. The heads of all relevant departments and agencies will ensure they and their staff co-operate fully with the review, and provide any requested assistance. Ministers will also be asked to meet with and assist the review team.
Prime Minister Julia Gillard today announced arrangements for an Independent Review of the Intelligence Community to start in early 2011.
Intelligence plays a key role in preserving Australia’s national security and supports a wide range of our national interests.
The Prime Minister said the review will ensure Australia continues to have a well-coordinated, appropriately resourced and adaptable intelligence system that supports our national interests.
The aim of the review is to ensure Australian intelligence agencies are working effectively together and are well positioned for challenges in a constantly evolving security environment.
The Review will also consider working arrangements between intelligence agencies and their international partners.
It will take into account the significant growth in the intelligence community’s resources and capabilities over the past decade.
The timing of the review meets a recommendation of the Inquiry into Australian Intelligence Agencies in 2004 by Mr Philip Flood AO, that the intelligence agencies undergo further external review every five to seven years. Funding for the Review was announced in the Budget in May this year.
The 2011 Review will be led jointly by Mr Robert Cornall AO and Associate Professor Rufus Black.
Mr Cornall has extensive experience at a high level in public administration, particularly as the Secretary of the Attorney-General’s Department until his retirement in 2008.
Associate Professor Black is the highly regarded Master of Ormond College at the University of Melbourne, and a notable ethicist, management consultant and theologian.
The Review will produce its final report to the Government around the middle of 2011.
It is worth making six introductory points about the nature of this Review. It is the first comprehensive review of the Australian Intelligence Community since the 2004 Inquiry conducted by Mr Philip Flood AO. There have of course been various reviews of individual agencies or aspects of their operation over the last seven years but no detailed consideration of the AIC as a whole.
Secondly, this Review is being conducted as a periodic review. It is not, as has usually been the case in the past, in response to a precipitating cause or event. As a result, the broad Terms of Reference require a general analysis and assessment of the intelligence community.
Thirdly, the primary focus of this Review is the work of the six agencies that have traditionally formed the Australian Intelligence Community – that is, the Office of National Assessments, the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation, the Australian Secret Intelligence Service, the Defence Signals Directorate, the Defence Imagery and Geospatial Organisation and the Defence Intelligence Organisation.
However, while they are not directly the subject of this Review, a number of other agencies make significant intelligence contributions in their own areas of operation. Those agencies include military intelligence, the Australian Federal Police, the Australian Crime Commission, the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the Department of Immigration and Citizenship.
The operational relationship and cooperation between the six core agencies and this wider group is important now and will become more important over time.
The appointment of a National Security Adviser and an increasing role for the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet in intelligence and national security matters.
Fifthly, the intelligence agencies have evolved substantially in the period covered by the Review. From agencies whose outputs were primarily directed to the development of policy, they now have a substantial operational role as well. The intelligence agencies have been integrally involved in supporting military operations, protecting our maritime borders, stopping weapons proliferation and thwarting terrorist activities in Australia and our region.
Sixthly, the Flood Inquiry had its primary focus on issues concerning the intelligence that had been provided to government on Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction. Those issues had already received a great deal of public attention and had been the subject of a parliamentary inquiry. As a consequence of this general awareness, Mr Flood was able to publish a comprehensive unclassified version of his report.
This Review is different. It is not directed to a particular and well-known area of concern. The Terms of Reference called for a broad investigation into many highly classified or sensitive areas of the agencies’ operations and resulted in detailed recommendations, which cannot be made public.
Then we set out a general overview of the matters we considered and the conclusions we reached. However, in relation to topics where there has been public comment about broad policy questions – such as overall structure of the AIC or the balance between security and safeguards – we have set out our reasoning in more detail in appendices.
What is intelligence and what can reasonably be expected of it?
‘Intelligence’ conjures up many images. We set out in this Chapter what we mean by intelligence to help explain the approach and scope of the Review.
Government has come to expect much of intelligence, just as the public have come to expect much of government in providing for their security. So, in order to fairly assess the performance and preparedness of the intelligence community, we need to ask: What can government and the public reasonably expect from intelligence?
At the broadest level, intelligence has been defined either by the means it was obtained or by the outcomes it makes possible.
‘Secret intelligence is intelligence that others are seeking to prevent you from knowing, often with formidable security barriers and violent sanctions against those who cooperate with intelligence officers’.
‘Intelligence is the systematic collection and processing of information about the enemy or adversaries into analyses, briefings and other products that are relevant and useful to military commanders’.
Given that a central task of this Review is to assess the performance of the Australian Intelligence Community, we decided to use an outcomes based definition of intelligence because we are concerned with evaluating the results the AIC has produced for government and its ability to continue to deliver them.
Information that enables you to protect your interests or to maintain a valuable advantage in advancing your interests over those posing threats to them.
It is important to note that this definition does not distinguish between information that is obtained by clandestine means or through overt or publicly available sources. What matters is that the information confers an advantage through superior insight or the fact that you are in possession of information when others are not.
The definition does recognise that there is an offensive and defensive element to intelligence. It is about both obtaining information that confers an advantage and ensuring that your own information remains secure to protect your advantage.
A straight forward definition of ‘foreign intelligence’ is set out in section 5 of the Telecommunications (Interception and Access) Act 1979 (Commonwealth). It says: ‘Foreign intelligence means intelligence about the capabilities, intentions or activities of people or organisations outside Australia’. In that definition, ‘foreign organisation means an organisation (including a government) outside Australia’.
We think that distinction remains a valuable one in limiting the realm and nature of different types of intelligence efforts.
Tactical intelligence: the more immediate intelligence required in conducting operations.
These distinctions are important for this Review because Australia has seen the dramatic expansion of operational and tactical intelligence in the last 10 years.
Intelligence is commonly further defined by the method of its collection. These definitions are of particular importance to Australia and its close allies because the structure of the community is built around these different methods of collection.
The categories set out below reflect the considerable sophistication and unique expertise that has developed around each of these disciplines.
One of the challenges this Review recognises in these definitions is the need to respect the distinctions between the different types of intelligence to preserve their distinctive capabilities but to bring all the information they generate together under one comprehensive definition and into a single outcome.
Signals intelligence is derived from the interception of foreign communications. The Defence Signals Directorate is Australia’s collector of foreign sigint.
Human intelligence is elicited from a human source by an intelligence officer or agent.
The Australian Secret Intelligence Service is Australia’s principal collector of foreign humint. The Australian Security Intelligence Organisation collects humint in its security operations in Australia and overseas.
Geospatial information refers to geographic and physical information in the form of maps, three dimensional virtual representations of landscapes in preparation for military operations and data about landscapes which can be used to guide weapons systems.
The Defence Imagery and Geospatial Organisation is Australia’s collector of geoint.
Official information is information – often confidential in nature – that is non-covert but not publicly available. It is derived from liaison between Australian Ministers and officials and the ministers and officials of foreign governments or organisations or influential, informed individuals.
The most obvious and common source of official information is diplomatic reporting through the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
Open source information is useful information collected from non-covert published or publicly available sources including newspapers, journals, radio, television, the internet and so on.
Open source information is a valuable contributor to the process of assessing intelligence and forming judgments.
‘While intelligence information is important, and often vital, to assessment, it is normally not the main source of information used by intelligence assessment agencies. Open sources ... provide the greater part of the information available to the Australian Government’.
The Office of National Assessments has responsibility for Australia’s Open Source Centre.
The advantage intelligence delivers comes not only through what we collect but how it is analysed. Assessors of all the intelligence that is collected have the responsibility to create superior insights for decision makers. In Australia, that responsibility falls to the Office of National Assessments, the Defence Intelligence Organisation and, in the case of security intelligence, ASIO.
Intelligence activity is not limited to collection and analysis of others’ information.
We also gain an advantage in securing our own secrets and protecting the means, methods and people who obtain information for us. All of these activities fall under the definition of counter-intelligence.
Given the task of this Review is to assess the performance of the Australian Intelligence Community and its future preparedness, what is it reasonable for government and the public to expect?
Some of the most senior members of the intelligence community around the world have been very concerned in recent times that expectations have become unrealistic.
‘I think, too often, people assume that the intelligence community is equally adept at divining both secrets [information that is being kept from public knowledge] and mysteries [knowledge of what might happen in the future] ... but we are not’.
‘In recent years we appear increasingly to have imported from the American media the assumption that terrorism is 100% preventable and any incident that is not prevented is seen as a culpable government failure. This is a nonsensical way to consider terrorist risk and only plays into the hands of the terrorist themselves. Risk can be managed and reduced but it cannot realistically be abolished and if we delude ourselves that it can we are setting ourselves up for a nasty disappointment’.
We share their concern. It is important that Australia has realistic expectations about what intelligence can deliver.
It may be possible to discover what DNI Clapper called ‘secrets’, which are existing states of affairs such as how many naval vessels a country has or what a foreign leader’s intentions are.
While secret information can confer great advantage, an intelligence community can advise government about the difficulty, cost and risk involved in trying to obtain those secrets and the probability of success. If government is prepared to face the difficulty, meet the cost and take the risk, then it is reasonable for government to expect that probability of success.
If we are to remain an open society, there are also some absolute limits to what we can know about our citizens’ secret intentions. As a result, there could be lone individuals or small groups seeking to plan and carry out violent plots that will be very difficult to detect.
More substantially, there are limits to what we can know about the future, that is, what DNI Clapper called ‘mysteries’. The more closed a society is, the harder it will be to predict its future. That is why many of the greatest intelligence surprises have come from the most closed societies.
It is not simply that high walls of secrecy make information hard to obtain. More importantly, when civil society is subjugated, we cannot know how it will operate when it is no longer repressed. It will be very hard to judge, for example, how well supported underground leaders might be when they come to public prominence or how ready individuals will be to risk their lives in protests.
We have to tailor our expectations of intelligence accordingly.
While there is much intelligence can do for us, on occasion terrorists will succeed and the world will change in ways that surprise and unsettle us. If we have had realistic expectations of what intelligence can do then, hopefully, we will also have invested in creating the capacity to meet the shocks societies will inevitably face.
The Review examined the community of six government agencies whose primary mission is to provide the government with intelligence. In this Chapter we provide a brief introduction to each agency.
ASIS was established on 13 May 1952 by Executive Direction. ASIS was not publicly avowed until 25 October 1977, when Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser declared the agency’s existence and functions following a recommendation by the first Hope Royal Commission.
Until late 2001, ASIS operated under a Government Directive handed down by the National Security Committee of Cabinet to the Director-General. On 29 October 2001, stemming from the Samuels-Codd Commission of Inquiry recommendations, the Intelligence Services Act 2001 (Commonwealth) came into effect, replacing the Directive.
The Minister for Foreign Affairs has responsibility for ASIS. The Minister oversees ASIS activities through several mechanisms under the Intelligence Services Act, including the requirement for ASIS to obtain approvals and authorisations before engaging in particular activities.
ASIS’s role is to provide a human intelligence capability and secret intelligence not readily available by other means to support and protect Australians and Australia’s national interests.
Undertaking other activities as directed by the Minister, such as providing support to the Australian Defence Force and military operations.
The forerunner of DSD, the Defence Signals Bureau, commenced operations in 1947. The Bureau’s intelligence role was formally acknowledged by Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser in a 1977 statement to the House of Representatives about the Hope Royal Commission. The Bureau was subsequently renamed the Defence Signals Directorate.
The Minister for Defence has responsibility for DSD.
DSD is now regulated by the Intelligence Services Act 2001. DSD’s role is to provide signals intelligence and information security support and advice. Its mission statement is: ‘Reveal their secrets. Protect our own’.
Providing assistance to Commonwealth and State authorities in relation to cryptography, communication, computer and other specialised technologies and the performance by those authorities of search and rescue functions.
DIGO was established under a Cabinet Directive on 8 November 2000 by amalgamating the Australian Imagery Organisation and Directorate of Strategic Military Geographic Information, and the Defence Topographic Agency.
On 2 December 2005, DIGO came under the provisions of the amended Intelligence Services Act 2001.
The Minister for Defence has responsibility for DIGO. DIGO’s role is to provide geospatial intelligence from imagery and other sources in support of Australia’s defence and national interests.
Provide assistance to authorities undertaking emergency response functions.
ASIO was established in 1949 pursuant to a directive given by the Prime Minister to the first Director-General of Security, Justice G S Reed. ASIO operated on the basis of this charter until legislation passed in 1956 put ASIO on a statutory rather than executive basis.
ASIO’s role is to advise the government of security threats to Australians and Australian interests at home and abroad. ‘Security’ has a specific meaning for ASIO. It is defined in the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation Act 1979 (Commonwealth) as relating to espionage, sabotage, politically motivated violence, promotion of communal violence, attacks on Australia’s defence system, acts of foreign interference and serious threats to Australia’s border integrity.
Collection of foreign intelligence in Australia, at the request of the Minister for Foreign Affairs or the Minister for Defence.
The Attorney-General has responsibility for ASIO.
The forerunner of DIO, the Joint Intelligence Bureau, commenced operations in 1947. In 1970, JIB merged with the intelligence assessment elements of the three armed services to form the Joint Intelligence Organisation. That organisation developed to become DIO in 1990.
The Minister for Defence has responsibility for DIO. DIO’s roles and functions are specified in a mandate approved by the Minister.
DIO is an assessment agency. It provides defence-related intelligence assessments, advice and services, primarily to the Minister for Defence, members of the Australian Defence Force, senior Defence decision-makers, Defence policy planners and senior leaders of the Australian Government.
DIO’s role is to provide strategic level, all-source intelligence and advice to support the Defence of Australia and its interests.
Specialist advice to support whole of government strategies, including to counter proliferation and combat terrorism.
ONA was established by the Office of National Assessments Act 1977 (Commonwealth) as an independent body directly accountable to the Prime Minister. The Director-General of ONA is an independent statutory officer who is not subject to external direction on the content of ONA assessments.
ONA’s role is to deepen Australia’s capacity to act in the world in ways that serve the national interest by increasing government understanding of international developments.
The systematic collection, analysis and research of open source material to support Australian and allied government agencies.
Asked what the Australian Intelligence Community will need to do to meet these challenges in an age of growing demands and abundant information but constrained resources.
In undertaking this task, the Review inquired into the detailed operations of Australia’s intelligence agencies and the way they work with each other, with the agencies in the broader National Security Community and with their international partners.
As a result, the Review Report contains a great deal of sensitive and secret information from many sources. That material is so intricately woven into all aspects of the classified Report it is not possible to simply delete it and publish what remains.
Instead, we have summarised the essential thrust of the Report’s conclusions in this Chapter, omitting the parts which must be kept secret and the detailed recommendations which go to the heart of the intelligence agencies’ capabilities, activities and working relationships.
The terrorist attacks in the United States on 11 September 2001 marked the beginning of a new era of security challenges for Australia. The threat of terrorism has been the gravest challenge, with more than 100 Australians killed in attacks overseas.
When these terrorist attacks reached our neighbourhood, we realised we had to step up our effort even more. We increased our homeland security and joined with Indonesia and other partners to degrade the regional threat. Further afield, including twice in Afghanistan, we have supported the United States and other partners in their efforts to disrupt the wider global jihadist network.
Failed and fragile states closer to our shores also demanded attention. At the same time, our maritime borders were being compromised by people smugglers and proliferators of weapons of mass destruction were of increasing concern.
While the intelligence agencies’ attention was largely focused on those issues, espionage and foreign interference had not gone away and disruptive cyber activity was growing rapidly.
To play its part in meeting these challenges, the Australian Intelligence Community had to transform itself in a few short years from its primary task during the post-Cold War period of contributing to policy development to the dual role it has today. Now, intelligence agencies not only inform policy, they also support substantial security and military operations at home and abroad.
The principal features of that transformation were new laws and expanded powers, a rapid growth in human and financial resources and a new national security architecture.
The anti-terrorism laws which created terrorism offences and expanded the powers of intelligence and law enforcement agencies were forged through a vigorous national debate that ultimately led to bipartisan support in the Parliament. The result of that process of political negotiation is that the Review did not hear any substantial criticism of the balance in our anti-terrorism laws between the security of the community and individual privacy and other civil rights.
The most substantial growth in resources came in the areas of security intelligence and foreign human intelligence, which had been substantially scaled back in the post-Cold War environment.
Overall, the combined budgets of the intelligence agencies grew by $753 million from 2000 – 2010 at a compound annual growth rate of 14.6% a year to a total of $1.07 billion.
Australia’s return on this intelligence investment has been impressive. As a nation, we now possess a new range of well tested intelligence capabilities. Those capabilities have made Australia and Australians far safer than they would otherwise have been and have also made significant contributions to the global security effort.
Counter-terrorism: The Australian Intelligence Community has helped keep the Australian homeland safe from terrorist attacks for a decade despite a series of major plots. Those disrupted plots resulted in 38 prosecutions and 22 convictions. Other potential plots have not been allowed to develop thanks to more than 80 foreign nationals being prevented from coming to Australia on security grounds and more than 50 Australians being denied the opportunity to travel to train for, support or participate in, terrorist activities.
Countering cyber threats: Since its establishment in 2010, the Cyber Security Operations Centre has identified a significant number of cyber security incidents, involving a wide range of threat sources, seeking to exploit Australian public and private sector computer networks for sensitive information. In conjunction with government and industry partners, the CSOC has provided advice and assistance to mitigate these threats.
Australia’s relationship with its international partners, especially long standing allies, has been central to building this important national capability and achieving these outcomes.
As a result of Australia’s joint operations with our allies throughout the 9/11 decade, Australia’s intelligence relationships are at a very high point.
For Australia these close relationships have provided an enormous dividend. We are able to access a great deal of the intelligence acquired by our partners through their considerable investment in intelligence capability. Access to partners’ intelligence is a huge multiplier to the capabilities and effectiveness of our intelligence agencies.
To build and maintain the intelligence capability we need, it is critical that Australia continues to invest in these relationships, working closely with our partners and contributing our share of the combined international intelligence effort.
However, Australia’s middle power interests increasingly require our intelligence agencies to obtain global coverage by strengthening or developing other key intelligence relationships outside the allied community.
Looking to the future, we are of the opinion that we are entering a new era for intelligence. Important geopolitical and technological changes, which have been underway for some time, have now reached a point of maturity that they demand more attention and capability.
The rise of countries in our region has been referred to as the dawning of the Asian Century. In particular, the economic growth of those countries has made them emerging world powers with increasing importance and impact.
The internet has maintained its extraordinary growth, expanding the cyber world to all corners of the globe and deep into daily life. The world has become dependent on it.
Australia’s own globalisation has continued so that today we are a middle power with global interests.
All of these changes are taking place in what has now become an age of information abundance. There is a rising ocean of open source information and yet, at the same time, covert intelligence is increasingly difficult to obtain.
While recognising that terrorism, espionage, proliferation and people smuggling remain clear and present dangers, we need to build a stronger national capability to meet the challenges of the multi-polar and cyber worlds.
We also have to meet the government’s expectation that, when issues affecting Australians arise beyond our region, often suddenly, the intelligence community can provide prompt insight to inform decisions.
Navigating our international relationships will be one of Australia’s greatest strategic challenges in the coming decades. The Australian Intelligence Community will be called upon to support government policy and decision making in a rapidly changing, multi-polar world.
There is trouble in cyberspace.
Government networks have been penetrated by cyber intrusions. Australian strategic commercial interests have already been subject to cyber exploitation and we are still seeing only a portion of the hostile cyber activity.
The United States and China have both publicly acknowledged the importance of cyber war fighting capability, state-supported hacking is becoming a national capability in some countries and organised crime is colonising the cyber domain.
Support the development of government and private sector capability to meet the high volume of cyber threats they will need to manage.
It is important to remember that, while DSD is in the vanguard of modern cyber applications, the world as a whole is still at what has been called the T-model Ford stage of the internet.
While we need to significantly increase our focus on our region and cyber space, they are not the only areas requiring more attention.
As a middle power with substantial commercial interests and citizens spread around the globe, we need a cost effective capability to see further afield to identify and understand potentially volatile areas that could affect us.
Australia also needs to keep its war fighting capability on a sound footing. We still live in a dangerous world. There are rising powers and simmering tensions in our region. Our neighbourhood has vulnerable states that may again need our assistance. To help, we will need military capabilities that are increasingly more dependent on intelligence, ranging from the information required to operate smart weapons through to the surveillance and understanding of the human terrain that makes tactical operations far safer and more effective.
In the course of the last decade, Australia has built the impressive intelligence capability required for modern conflicts. It is vital we retain and build that capability, not only because it does much to secure the effectiveness of military operations but also because it expands policy makers’ options as to how they will respond.
The central challenge for the Australian Intelligence Community is to meet both our existing and expanding security challenges in an era of constrained resources.
Some have proposed that the community would be more effective and efficient if its structure were to change. They argue that maintaining the distinction between domestic security and foreign intelligence is artificial and hinders effectiveness in a globalised Information Age.
The original logic for the distinction between domestic security and foreign intelligence counters this argument. The higher obligations we have towards our own citizens are best safeguarded by ensuring all members of an intelligence agency who deal with our domestic sphere operate according to a single regulatory regime and with one consistent set of operational practices and culture. At the same time, our foreign intelligence agencies need ways of working that are founded on a broader licence to operate effectively and require different skills and training.
Our view is that this original logic is sound. The possible compromise of the protections this distinction affords to Australians could not be justified by any of the potential efficiency gains that might come from dismantling it.
There are other opportunities to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of the AIC that should enable it to meet the security and intelligence challenges of this new era.
Priority setting would be assisted by a more analytic approach that is better aligned with the government’s all hazards approach to national security. Sharper, better defined priorities will aid resource allocations and provide a greater return on our intelligence effort.
The return on intelligence effort is also enhanced by how well intelligence missions are integrated. Fusion centres have been an important step towards greater integration. The lessons from these successful mission integration efforts need to be widely applied.
In relation to the distribution of intelligence, it is important for agencies to continue to regularly and rigorously assess the utility of their intelligence products to ensure they are tailored to meet the needs of senior decision makers and that the substantial effort that goes into them is therefore well invested.
There is considerable reliance on self-assessment and some duplication in the current evaluation process.
A cleaner process is needed, involving collectors being evaluated by assessors or operational users, assessors being evaluated by their customers and the performance of the agencies as a whole being evaluated from outside the intelligence community.
Constant innovation will be required in the years ahead to meet the rising demands facing the community.
The perspectives of people outside the community who understand the challenges facing intelligence agencies are a source of innovation. While AIC agencies already have processes in place to obtain external information and advice, these sources of independent opinion are likely to become increasingly valuable, given the world of abundant information and the complex global environment in which the AIC is operating.
The more accessible human information now available thanks to the greater ease of travel and its lower cost.
Invest in developing those open source tools and techniques so we can do an even better job of efficiently generating insights out of the rising ocean of data.
For all the value of open source reporting, it has its limits. Just as in an earlier age, intelligence agencies’ reliance on signals intelligence led to the degradation of human intelligence to the point of vulnerability, we have to be careful that the amount of information freely available in cyberspace does not tempt us to fall into the same trap.
One way to avoid or at least minimise this vulnerability is to ensure our diplomatic service is able to meet the growing demand for insightful reporting about the many countries and issues which are now of interest to Australia.
Finally, while modern technologies facilitate the collection of more useful open source information, those technologies are making covert human intelligence gathering more challenging. Careful planning and investment will be needed to avoid these challenges severely constraining covert efforts.
There has been a major transformation in how well the Australian Intelligence Community is working together.
Their working relationships are particularly strong at the leadership level and can be further enhanced through joint senior management and leadership training. At lower levels, where some issues remain, it is important that the practices which have helped with improved collaboration, including rotations through other agencies and secondments, continue to expand.
At the institutional level, the community should continue to review the various fusion arrangements it has established to ensure the lessons learnt are shared. As these arrangements grow, care will need to be taken to disband some of them as well when those fusion centres or other cooperative arrangements have completed their task or met their objectives.
The intelligence agencies play an important role supporting the operations of some other agencies in the expanded National Security Community, which includes law enforcement agencies, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the Department of Immigration and Citizenship and the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service.
While these operational relationships are working well, the intelligence agencies should continue with their efforts to improve the way they work with the broader National Security Community.
Some care needs to be taken that the broad thrust to develop a larger National Security Community does not lead to collaborative arrangements and meetings whose size and complexity compromises any gain in effectiveness or efficiency they might have been intended to achieve.
In a free society, it always important to keep the safeguards of our liberty, privacy and other human rights under review to maintain the balance we have struck as a nation between these individual rights and our security as a community.
The Review believes the legal framework that enshrines that balance is sound and does not need any adjustment at present, while recognising that periodic amendments will be needed to ensure the purpose and intention of the legislation keeps pace with changes in the nature of the threat and a rapidly evolving, technical operating environment.
This balance is not just protected by law and the regulatory and oversight regimes that regulate and monitor agency conduct. It is also protected by the culture of each agency and the intelligence community as a whole.
Maintaining the culture that sustains the balance between security and liberty, especially after a period of dramatic AIC growth, will require continued attention.
The intelligence community presently has to deal with the non-state actors who live largely outside existing legal and ethical frameworks.
Australia should take an active role in international discussions about the evolution of those ethical and legal frameworks and their effect on intelligence agencies and the way they should operate.
In addition to those challenges, the international community will face new questions that will arise about the appropriate and justifiable use of technologies like unmanned aerial vehicles and the possible outcomes of cyber attacks (including the potential for disproportionate harm to civilian populations).
For all that intelligence has done and can do, there are real limits on intelligence in a free society in a complex world. There will be closed societies whose futures will surprise us and there will be small extremist cells and even lone actors who will be very difficult to detect or stop.
What will matter on those occasions is that we have a robust society and an agile national security community as ready to respond to those events as they have responded to challenges of the past decade.
The principal new challenges for the next five years or so will be to better align the AIC’s priorities with the new geo-political and technological realities facing Australia as a middle power with global interests.
We believe that this periodic review has been very useful for both government – in assessing the intelligence agencies’ current performance and future challenges – and for the agencies themselves by providing a formal opportunity for them to assess their current situation.
What can the government reasonably expect the Australian Intelligence Community will be able to tell it?
This question comes into sharp focus when events come as a surprise. Most recently, uprisings in the Middle East give rise to the question: Why were these events not foreseen? Given the task of the Review to assess the relative performance of the AIC and the expectations government should have of it in the future, it is important to set out our basis for answering these questions.
Over the years, senior members of the intelligence community – both in Australia and overseas – have been at pains to point out the limits to what intelligence can do.
‘Puzzles can be solved: they have answers which only need to be revealed – how many intercontinental ballistic missiles did the Soviet Union hold? But a mystery, Treverton says, “poses a question that has no definitive answer because the answer is contingent; it depends on a future interaction of many factors, known and unknown. A mystery”, he says, “cannot be answered, it can only be framed, by identifying the critical factors and applying some sense of how they have interacted in the past and might interact in the future”’.
The question the Review has asked is: What determines whether something is theoretically knowable? To help make that distinction and to determine what are reasonable expectations of government, we distinguish between the expectations of what can and what cannot be known about existing and future states of affairs.
Existing states of affairs – which range from facts like how many naval vessels a country has to what its leader’s intentions are – are theoretically knowable. It may prove very expensive, difficult and time consuming or even practically impossible to obtain that knowledge. What is important is that, because the state of affairs exists, in theory it could be known.
Second, government can reasonably expect that the intelligence community will be able to undertake its collection and analytic efforts in line with the trade-offs it identifies.
However, this expectation is subject to a critical qualification. In an open society, there is an additional constraint on what can reasonably be expected. The civil and political freedoms of our open society (including the right to privacy) have to be respected unless there is evidence that an individual or group is planning harm of a sufficiently grave kind to justify the limitation of those freedoms.
Respecting those freedoms means that the state cannot seek to know the intentions of all individuals or of such a large number of them that it would be hard for any individual to escape detection by the state (as occurred in East Germany).
The state cannot begin by seeking to know the intentions of every individual who may have malign intent. It must begin by operating at the level of the established social system. Therefore, consistent with an open society, the state can seek to identify groups or movements that might pose a threat. If such threats can be demonstrated then the state can move to focus on individuals of concern within those groups or movements.
Practically, this approach means that it may be very difficult to detect and stop small groups or lone individuals who are not part of some larger movement or group planning to carry out a violent plot. It is possible that the intelligence agencies could detect those individuals but it is also quite possible that they would not. The harm such individuals could cause is the price of an open society.
Individuals within these groups or movements intent on causing harm.
However, as with any existing state of affairs, what is reasonable in any particular case will depend on the trade-off the government is prepared to accept between the challenge, risk and cost of pursuing the target.
What it is not reasonable for a government committed to an open society to expect is that the intelligence community will be able to identify and stop all security threats.
‘Our aim is to reach a position of assurance where any threat is identified and action taken to disrupt it before any harm is done, and particularly before there is an imminent danger to the public. This is of course easier said than done, and will never be fully achievable, but it is the aim.
‘It is interesting to note in this context that in the last ten years what might be called a “zero tolerance” attitude to terrorist risk in Great Britain has become more widespread. While it has always been the case that the authorities have made every effort to prevent terrorist attacks, it used to be accepted as part of everyday life that sometimes the terrorists would get lucky and there would be an attack. In recent years we appear increasingly to have imported from the American media the assumption that terrorism is 100% preventable and any incident that is not prevented is seen as a culpable government failure. This is a nonsensical way to consider terrorist risk and only plays into the hands of the terrorist themselves. Risk can be managed and reduced but it cannot realistically be abolished and if we delude ourselves that it can we are setting ourselves up for a nasty disappointment’.
When it comes to future states of affairs, a very helpful approach can be built on the analysis of Nassim Taleb – author of ‘The Black Swan’ – who is particularly noted for his analysis of what can and cannot be known and predicted. In a recent article with Mark Blyth in Foreign Affairs, Mr Taleb addressed the question of what intelligence can know.
‘Humans simultaneously inhabit two systems: the linear and the complex. The linear domain is characterised by its predictability and the low degree of interaction among its components, which allows the use of mathematical methods that make forecasts reliable. In complex systems, there is an absence of visible causal links between the elements, masking a high degree of interdependence and extremely low predictability’.
When it comes to future states of affairs that are in the linear domain – for example, what a small terrorist cell is plotting to do next week – the expectation is essentially the same as with existing states of affairs. The key difference to existing states of affairs is that the intelligence community has to add its advice to an assessment of the probability that events will unfold as anticipated.
What is knowable about future states of affairs that belong to the domain of complex systems is a very different question. Mr Taleb’s analysis is very helpful because it highlights that the extent to which the future is knowable is dependent on how open a society is.
Where a society is open – in other words, where there is a high level of civil and political freedoms including freedom of speech and association and the rule of law – it is possible to observe and map how the social, political and economic system works and, therefore, to form some conclusions about the likely directions of that society.
In closed societies – repressive states such as totalitarian dictatorships, theocracies and autocratic monarchies – the system is hidden. For example, the size and even the existence of opposition groups may be very veiled. It will be unknown how many citizens would join any movement. It is possible to speculate about such situations but such speculation will have high degrees of uncertainty attached to it and may prove very wide of the mark if there are social dynamics that are not visible or even in existence because of the level of repression.
‘Complex systems that have artificially suppressed volatility tend to become extremely fragile, while at the same time exhibiting no visible risks’.
With such fragility, it will be unknowable what exactly will tip the system over the edge, as we saw very clearly with events that triggered the Arab Spring.
What would make the society more knowable – for example, AIC agencies should be able to identify factors that would enable intelligence officers to better inform the government about the system, such as the rise of the free press.
Finally, reasonable expectations of intelligence change when a closed system starts to transition to an open society.
Initially, the government will need to look to open source reporting while the AIC develops assessments about the society and how it operates. However, as the society begins to operate, it will be possible for the AIC to provide more accurate and long-term assessments. Agencies should then be able to make assessments about individual groups and power balances and how they might play out.
‘Good intelligence will not necessarily lead to wise policy choices. But without sound intelligence, national policy decisions and actions cannot effectively respond to actual conditions and reflect the best national interest or adequately protect our national security’.
Intelligence reports provide information and intelligence assessments offer judgments based on the best information then available to assist decision makers. But intelligence is only one factor decision makers take into account in making decisions.
Other factors include government policy, competing demands, legal and international obligations and so on, together with the decision maker’s own judgment about the issue under consideration.
Generally speaking, intelligence was historically well hidden and hard to get.
One of the major changes affecting intelligence agencies today is the ready availability of huge amounts of information which would previously have been difficult to obtain or simply not available.
Two factors contributing to this situation are the successful collection of sigint and the evolution of the internet.
‘We need to make tough decisions about which haystacks deserve to be scrutinised for the needles that can hurt us most. And we know in this information age that there are endless haystacks everywhere’.
In 2004, the Flood Report defined intelligence as covertly obtained information. Open source information was a supplement for assessors. In 2011, the Director-General of ONA defined intelligence more broadly as useful information irrespective of source.
Arguments can be made in support of both statements, but they illustrate the major shift in the availability of valuable information that we believe will have a significant impact on our intelligence agencies over the next five to seven years.
That shift also highlights the fact that any helpful definition of intelligence has to go well beyond the collection and dissemination of useful information. Intelligence has to be clearly linked to the needs of individual customers and tailored for the purposes to which they can apply it. Otherwise, the recipients of intelligence reports will be overwhelmed by the volume of material they receive which will effectively reduce or even negate its ultimate usefulness for them.
The separation of security and foreign intelligence efforts.
Collects and assesses intelligence on security issues.
The rationale for this exception is that threats to Australia’s security can arise at home or abroad and separating the collection of security intelligence could compromise ASIO’s central operational tasks, far outweighing any gain in the objectivity of its assessments.
It has been said that the structure and operation of our intelligence agencies reflects an out-of-date Cold War model. This Review does not agree with that opinion. We consider that the original logic for the current arrangements remains strong and there is no need for any change in the basic structure of the Australian Intelligence Community.
The separation between intelligence collection and assessment accords with the recommendations made in the Hope Royal Commission on Intelligence and Security and has stood the test of time. The Royal Commissioner found that, if intelligence assessments are to be accepted as objective, ‘intelligence producers and the intelligence assessment process must be independent and be seen to be independent’.
‘The national assessment organisation should be separate from the collection agencies. The appearance and the dangers of a large, all-embracing central secret intelligence organisation, with collectors and assessors tending to support each other within the enclosed confines of the organisation must be avoided. The acceptability of assessments produced by such an agency could well be reduced, and people of high calibre might be deterred from association with the new assessment organisation’.
We accept the soundness of Justice Hope’s arguments and believe that they are as applicable today as they were at the time of his Royal Commission.
While different options are available for structuring this community, we accept that the optimal approach for Australia in managing its security machinery, given its federal structure and the history and culture of our particular government agencies, is likely to be based on a number of smaller, nimble, well connected organisations rather than fewer large organisations.
We also argue that there is considerable advantage in the structure of the Australian Intelligence Community agencies aligning well with our international counterparts. The similarity in their activities, functions and responsibilities facilitates joint operations, knowledge and capability transfers, effective staff exchanges and the embedding of liaison officers with similar training, skills and tradecraft. Given how important this collaboration is to the overall effectiveness of our intelligence effort, there is significant merit in retaining a structure that meshes neatly with our major intelligence partners.
Some people argue that, in the globalised Information Age, it is artificial and hinders effectiveness to maintain the distinction between domestic security and foreign intelligence.
‘The domestic collection capacity should be institutionally separate from the foreign collectors. The constraints within which the domestic agency should and must work, and its obligations of propriety, are fundamentally different from those of the foreign agencies. The demarcation should not be blurred, or be seen to be blurred’.
Today, as a result, Australia’s foreign intelligence collectors are subject to different regulatory regimes than ASIO in its security functions. While there are effective oversight and authorisation arrangements in place that regulate the foreign intelligence agencies, those agencies are not subject to the more stringent legislative regime appropriate to ASIO’s security activities.
As a general proposition, this Review is of the opinion that it would unnecessarily complicate the activities of a foreign intelligence agency and its legal compliance if it was to have security intelligence powers and functions comparable to ASIO’s powers and functions in addition to its existing foreign intelligence responsibilities.
Equally, it is important to the protection of the rights of Australians that ASIO’s culture and practices are shaped by an unambiguous legal and ethical framework which balances individual rights with national security concerns.
Ultimately, the important point of the domestic security and foreign intelligence distinction is not to do with the sphere of operation. It is based on the fact that significant rights and protections are afforded to citizens, residents and the general public in Australia and that different checks and balances apply to the security and foreign intelligence regimes.
Therefore, even if over time technology and globalisation require a weakening or elimination of the distinction between spheres of operation, the basic principles that separate agencies dealing with security and intelligence concerning Australian citizens and agencies dealing with citizens of other countries remain sound.
The only – or at least the principal – remaining purpose in merging or restructuring agencies must be to obtain more effective and efficient performance of their functions. However, this outcome can be achieved by other means.
For example, it has been said that structures are one thing, how well they are joined up and work together is another. What is needed is to develop and build on proposals for more effective coordination among agencies, and to identify and address any legislative, technical or cultural obstacles to the integrated delivery of intelligence and security.
‘The initial instinct to create one agency to deal with a problem as broad as homeland security is inadequate to the task at hand... The problem of homeland security ... does not fit in one box. To the student of 21st century government, the question is not “Where do the boxes fit on the chart?” but “How do they operate and how do they communicate with each other”’?
Over the last few years, the intelligence agencies have conscientiously worked to achieve more coordinated intelligence outcomes within their existing structures by, among other things, the development of coordination or cooperation centres, shared training and facilities and so on.
Some brief details of three examples of this coordination and cooperation are set out below. They are the Counter-Terrorism Control Centre, the Cyber Security Operations Centre and the National Threat Assessment Centre.
The CTCC was established in accordance with the 2010 Counter-Terrorism White Paper to coordinate terrorism intelligence and investigative activities at the operational and tactical level.
Ensuring the processes of collecting and distributing CT information are fully harmonised and effective.
The CTCC has the following members: ASIO (Chair), ASIS, DSD, DIGO and the AFP. It is located within ASIO.
The CSOC commenced operation within DSD in January 2010. It coordinates and assists with operational responses to cyber events of national importance. The Centre provides government with a consolidated understanding of the cyber threat through its intrusion detection, analytic and threat assessment capabilities.
The CSOC will in due course include a continuously staffed watch office and analysis team, which has the following members: DSD (lead agency), the ADF, DIO, ASIO, the AFP, DSTO and the Attorney-General’s Department.
The NTAC is a 24/7 threat analysis and assessment centre set up in ASIO in 2003.
The NTAC analyses terrorist threats to Australian interests overseas and terrorist threats and threats from violent protests in Australia. The Centre provides threat assessments and country reports on the planning of attacks abroad – which informs DFAT travel advisories – and threats to high office holders and significant events to inform protective security measures.
The Centre, which is chaired by ASIO, comprises all AIC members plus the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the AFP, the Office of Transport Security and the NSW Police.
There have also been improvements in IT connectivity and the sharing of corporate and back office functions between the three Defence intelligence agencies along with a number of other initiatives.
As a result of these considerations, this Review is of the opinion that there is no need to consider any significant restructure of the existing agencies at present although the agencies will have to consider carefully how they will adapt in response to the future challenges they face within those existing structures and cooperation arrangements.
The terrorist attacks in the United States on 11 September 2001 marked the start of a decade of legislation creating new terrorism offences and conferring new powers – particularly on ASIO and the Australian Federal Police – to deal with terrorism.
A number of these laws were controversial. They prompted wide public discussion and debate about what were seen by some as a conflict between individual rights and the entitlement of the community to live in safety.
The Review has considered the anti-terrorism laws and related legislation as part of its investigation into how the intelligence community is positioned to support Australia’s national interests now and into the future.
The resolution of the perceived conflict between individual and community rights was not found in rejecting the proposed legislation but in establishing the appropriate balance between the two competing points of view.
The process of resolution in the Parliament often involved extensive negotiation between the Government and the Opposition. In some cases, significant amendments were made to draft bills before they were acceptable to both major parties.
As a result of those negotiations, all of the significant anti-terrorism and related Acts adopted since 2001 were passed with the support of Government and Opposition and there are many examples of Ministers and Shadow Ministers saying: ‘We think we have got the balance right’.
We believe this process is a good example of the Parliament establishing the wider consensus that strong democracies obtain when an important adjustment is sought in the balance of rights. The strength of the broad social consensus and solidarity we have established about the new balance is itself a bulwark against those forces whose goal is instability.
Perhaps further evidence of the success of this process is that none of the submissions to this Review argued that the balance struck in the anti-terrorism laws should be substantially amended.
Individual rights have to sit comfortably with this overriding human right to which everyone in the community is entitled.
‘Terrorism constitutes a fundamental assault both on the security of a democracy – indeed, on the peace and security of our hemisphere – as well as an assault on the most fundamental of rights – the rights to life, liberty and the security of the person. Accordingly, counter-terrorism involves the protection of both the security of a democracy – including the protection of international peace and security – and the protection of the most fundamental of our rights’.
Mr Cotler described those most fundamental rights as the right to life, liberty and security of the person and the collective right to peace.
In reaching our conclusion that the balance between security and other rights is sound, we took careful note of the significant safeguards that have been built into the anti-terrorism laws.
One person consulted during the Review stressed that, while the laws contained strong provisions and some of them have not yet been required in operations, if the laws are needed in future they will be needed immediately.
Accordingly, the safeguard when granting strong powers to intelligence agencies and police forces is to ensure that there is strong oversight and accountability.
Internal training, supervision, monitoring compliance with corporate directions and policies with a strong emphasis on adhering to ethical standards.
The Minister for Defence is required to issue a ministerial authorisation before DSD can undertake activity to produce intelligence on an Australian person and, if the matter involves a threat to security, the Attorney-General must also agree.
The Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security is an independent statutory office holder appointed under the Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security Act 1986 (Commonwealth). The functions of the Inspector-General are prescribed under sections 8, 9 and 9A of the Act.
The key role of the Inspector-General is to ensure that the intelligence agencies conduct their activities legally, behave with propriety, comply with any directions and guidelines from the responsible Minister and have regard for human rights, including privacy.
Can independently initiate own motion inquiries.
The Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security is appointed under section 28 of the Intelligence Services Act.
To review any matter in relation to any of the AIC agencies referred to the Committee by the responsible Minister or by a resolution of either House of the Parliament.
The Committee gives the Parliament an annual report on its activities during the year.
The Jack Thomas case illustrates the role of the courts in ensuring the legality of an agency’s actions.
Jack Thomas was convicted in the Supreme Court of Victoria for offences which included intentionally receiving money from a terrorist organisation and falsifying a passport. The conviction was overturned by the Court of Appeal which ruled that a record of interview containing admissions was inadmissible. The interview had been conducted by a joint AFP-ASIO team in Pakistan. The decision indicates the procedures to be followed by Australian police officers conducting interviews in other countries if the records of those interviews are to be admissible in criminal proceedings in Australian courts.
Australian intelligence agencies take their legal and ethical responsibilities very seriously and train their staff accordingly.
As part of the selection and training of its intelligence officers, ASIS looks for and imbues ethical behaviour in its staff. The commitment to ethical behaviour permeates all aspects of organisational culture from recruitment through training to deployment. Ethical conduct applies to the way ASIS officers manage their operations and the agents working for them.
The Inspector-General regularly reviews ASIO and ASIS files for both legality and the propriety of their operational conduct.
The most recent addition to this supervisory regime is the Independent National Security Legislation Monitor.
The Independent National Security Legislation Monitor Act 2010 (Commonwealth) provides for the appointment of an Independent National Security Legislation Monitor.
‘The Government introduced the legislation creating this new position in response to recommendations from the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security, as well as recommendations from the Independent Security Legislation Review Committee (the Sheller Committee) and the Clarke Inquiry into the case of Dr Mohammed Haneef’.
To assess whether Australia’s counter-terrorism or national security legislation is being used for matters unrelated to terrorism and national security.
In summary, the Monitor will review the operation, effectiveness and implications of Australia’s counter-terrorism and national security legislation, reporting to the Prime Minister and, through his or her annual report, to the Parliament.
The impetus for the legislation and this appointment can be found in the extensive parliamentary and public debates that surrounded the introduction of significant pieces of counter-terrorism legislation passed by the Parliament in the years following the terrorist attacks in the United States on 11 September, 2001.
However, there was no mechanism in the legislation, other than the usual process of parliamentary review, to monitor whether the balance between individual and community rights was still proportionate and being maintained over time.
In 2008, the Attorney-General, the Hon Robert McClelland, discussed the role of a similar position in the United Kingdom with the then British Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation, Lord Carlile of Berriew QC.
The tradition of independent review of terrorism legislation in the United Kingdom stretches back to the 1970s. Between 1978 and 1984, reviews of the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Acts and the Northern Ireland (Emergency Provisions) Acts were carried out by Lord Shackleton, Earl Jellicoe and Sir George Baker. Between 1984 and 2001 annual reports to the Parliament were produced by Viscount Colville and J J Rowe QC.
Lord Carlile held the position for more than nine years until he was replaced by David Anderson QC on 21 February 2011.
‘Keeping Australia safe is the job of security, intelligence and law enforcement agencies. The Government equips them with strong counter-terrorism laws to ensure they can do their jobs properly while ensuring there is necessary accountability and oversight. These laws were extensively reviewed during 2009 and 2010 and after a period of public consultation, were amended to ensure police have adequate powers to protect the community, especially in circumstances where a dangerous device or substance is involved.
‘At the same time, additional protections that had been recommended by four different inquiries were included in the amending legislation, which passed through Parliament with the support of both major parties. This reflects a general consensus that the laws achieve the appropriate balance – this week’s events (that is, the killing of Usama Bin Laden) have not created a situation where that balance needs to be recalibrated.
The national security laws regulating and conferring powers on the intelligence agencies and, in some cases, the Australian Federal Police require regular monitoring.
In reaching this conclusion, the Review has taken note of the safeguards and oversights contained in the present system as set out in this Appendix.
The Review considers the monitoring and review functions to be undertaken by the Independent National Security Legislation Monitor should provide significant reassurance to the government and the community that the strong powers granted under counter-terrorism and national security legislation will continue to contain appropriate safeguards and remain proportionate to the then existing threat of terrorism or threat to national security over the coming years.
The Independent National Security Legislation Monitor should be given time to establish himself in his role and to form his views on national security legislation before any significant amendments are considered which could affect the current balance of the legislation.
The Review has considered the difficulties presented by issues that are running ahead of domestic and international legal frameworks or of significant sustained ethical analysis.
This Review is of the opinion that there needs to be international discussion and agreement about rules for and limits on cyber warfare.
A thoughtful exploration of these and other ethical issues in the right forums will make it far more likely that publicly acceptable boundaries can be determined by a constructive conversation rather than reactively by a defensive one.
It is important for the future operations of the AIC and intelligence organisations globally that the public understanding of these issues catches up with operational realities and possibly even gets ahead of them.
The Review conducted detailed investigations into the key issues raised by the Terms of Reference.
The Review invited and received thorough briefings and detailed submissions from the six intelligence agencies and several departments.
The Australian, the Sydney Morning Herald, the Canberra Times and the Age on Saturday 12 February 2011.
A list of submissions received by the Review is set out below in Table 1.
Officers engaged in operations in Afghanistan.
A list of organisations and people interviewed during the course of this Review is set out below at Table 2.
The Reviewers or members of the Review Secretariat conducted focus group sessions with middle ranking officers in each of the six intelligence agencies and some relevant departments. The focus groups are set out below in Table 3.
In all of its activities, the Review received full cooperation and assistance from the intelligence agencies, other interviewees and our international allies.
The members of the Review Secretariat for their professional, competent, conscientious and dedicated assistance. | 2019-04-19T01:02:29Z | https://pmc.gov.au/resource-centre/national-security/2011-independent-review-intelligence-community |
Alonzo L. Gaskill, “‘To Every Man Is Given a Gift’: The Spiritual Legacy of Wilford Woodruff,” in Banner of the Gospel: Wilford Woodruff, ed. Alexander L. Baugh and Susan Easton Black (Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University; Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2010), 167–204.
Alonzo L. Gaskill is an assistant professor of Church history and doctrine at Brigham Young University.
When we examine the numerous spiritual encounters Wilford experienced throughout his lifetime, we conclude he may have actually experienced every spiritual gift mentioned in scripture, and a number more besides. Perhaps this should not be surprising. One passage in the Doctrine and Covenants states that to “some it may be given to have all those gifts, that there may be a head, in order that every member may be profited thereby” (D&C 46:29). And speaking of the President of the Church, another passage reads: “Behold, here is wisdom; yea, to be a seer, a revelator, a translator, and a prophet, having all the gifts of God which he bestows upon the head of the church” (D&C 107:92). What is curious is that these spiritual endowments became somewhat common in Woodruff’s life well before he was called as an Apostle or as President of the Church.
What follows are examples of the spiritual gifts and endowments received and exercised by Wilford Woodruff during his lifetime. Because he left a meticulous journal, I have confined my comments primarily to his own words. Constraints on the length of this paper allow me to offer but a few examples of his spiritual endowments. Suffice it to say that many others could be given.
Elder [Zera] Pulsipher opened with prayer. He knelt down and asked the Lord in the name of Jesus Christ for what he wanted. His manner of prayer and the influence which went with it impressed me greatly. The spirit of the Lord rested upon me and bore witness that he was a servant of God. After singing, he preached to the people for an hour and a half. The Spirit of God rested mightily upon him and he bore a strong testimony of the divine authenticity of the Book of Mormon and of the mission of the Prophet Joseph Smith. I believed all that he said. The spirit bore witness of its truth. Elder [Elijah] Cheney then arose and added his testimony to the truth of the words of Elder Pulsipher.
Liberty was then given by the elders to anyone in the congregation to arise and speak for or against what they had heard, as they might choose. Almost instantly I found myself upon my feet. The spirit of the Lord urged me to bear testimony to the truth of the message delivered by these elders. I exhorted my neighbors and friends not to oppose these men; for they were the true servants of God. They had preached to us that night the pure gospel of Jesus Christ. When I sat down, my brother Azmon arose and bore a similar testimony. He was followed by several others.
In his patriarchal blessing, President Woodruff was promised, “Thine eyes shall be open to look within the veil to behold the things of eternity. Yea the Lord of Glory shall appear unto thee. Thou shall put thy hands upon his feet and feel his wounds with thy hands, that thou mayest be a special witness of his name.”He did not record the fulfillment of this blessing. Perhaps, like most Presidents of the Church, he felt such an experience was too sacred to share. Of course, he acknowledged to the Saints that the very day he first heard a Mormon preach he received a witness from the Spirit that the Church was true. And certainly this qualifies him as one having a “personal knowledge” that Jesus is the Christ. But there were other experiences President Woodruff had which, although spoken of only in veiled terms, indicate that he received a more literal fulfillment of the promise. One brother in attendance at the dedication of the Salt Lake Temple reported, “President Wilford Woodruff told some of the saints that our Savior had appeared unto him in the east room in the Holy of Holies, and [Jesus] told him that he had accepted of the Temple and of the dedicatory services. . . . President Woodruff saw the Savior and talked with him face to face.” Thus, while this promised blessing appears to have been fulfilled in literal terms, it seems well to acknowledge that in varying degrees, this gift was his throughout his life, even before he was baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ.
The poison [from the dead cow] had so thoroughly penetrated my whole system, that my strength left me; I could not stand, I was led to my bed, my bowels and stomach ceased to act, my speech was like that of a drunken man. President [Brigham] Young called, in company with Dr. Sprague, and laid hands upon me, and rebuked the disease and the power of the destroyer which had seized my body, and promised me in the name of the Lord, that I should not die, but live to finish my work which was appointed me upon the earth. I soon began to recover. The poison and mortification left my system and . . . in a few days I was well again.
President Woodruff was a believer in the power of the priesthood. The words he penned during this experience stand as a testament to his conviction that through faith in God and his holy priesthood, one can be spared from both suffering and premature death.
A man of the world, knowing of the miracles which had been performed, came to [the Prophet Joseph] and asked him if he would not go and heal two twin children of his, about five months old, who were both lying sick nigh unto death.
They were some two miles from Montrose.
I have possession of the handkerchief unto this day.
A notable miracle was wrought by faith and the power of God in the person of Sister Mary Pitt. . . . She had been confined six years to her bed, with [a] spine which mostly deprived her of the use of her feet and ankles; and had not walked for eleven years, only with the use of crutches. Elders Young, Richards and [I] laid hands upon her and rebuked her infirmity, and her ankle bones received strength and she now walks without the aid of crutch or staff.
Woodruff concluded each year’s journal with a summary of the significant events of that year. In his December 1846 summary, he wrote, “I looked over my journals commencing with AD 1834 ending with AD 1846 making thirteen . . . years, during which time. . . . I have administered by anointing and [the] laying on of hands unto three hundred and sixty four sick persons, . . . many of which were healed. I blessed . . . one hundred and ninety-four children.” Woodruff lived another fifty-two years, blessing thousands more as an Apostle and then as President of the Church. He unquestionably had the gift of faith to heal others.
December 3rd found my wife very low. . . . She seemed to be sinking gradually, and in the evening the spirit apparently left her body, and she was dead. The sisters gathered around, weeping, while I stood looking at her in sorrow. The spirit and power of God began to rest upon me until . . . faith filled my soul, although she lay before me . . . dead.
I had some oil that was consecrated. . . . I took it and consecrated it again before the Lord, for anointing the sick. I then bowed down before the Lord, prayed for the life of my companion, and in the name of the Lord anointed her body with the oil. I then laid my hands upon her, and in the name of Jesus Christ I rebuked the power of death and of the destroyer, and commanded the same to depart from her, and the spirit of life to enter her body. Her spirit returned to her body, and from that hour she was made whole.
Having the spiritual courage to pronounce such a blessing is a testament to both Wilford’s faith and his spiritual awareness of the Lord’s will. One biographer wrote, “‘Wilford the Faithful.’ That was the title given to Wilford Woodruff in the early days of the Church, and it was a title justly earned.” This experience alone would be sufficient to justify the title.
We retired to rest in good season, and I felt well in my mind and slept until twelve at night. I awoke and meditated upon the things of God until near three o’clock; and while forming a determination to warn the people in London and overcome the powers of darkness by the assistance of God, a person appeared unto me, which I considered was the Prince of Darkness or the devil. He made war with me, and attempted to take my life. He caught me by the throat and choked me nearly to death. . . . As he was about to overcome me I prayed to the father, in the name of Jesus, for help. I then had power over him, and he left me, though much wounded. Three personages dressed in white came to me, and prayed with me, and I was immediately healed, and [they] delivered me from all my troubles.
On later occasions, Woodruff wrote of Satan doing physical harm to both him and George A. Smith, and had it not been for “three holy messengers . . . dressed in temple clothing” who gave each a priesthood blessing, both of them would have been killed by Satan on that occasion. Elder Woodruff was the recipient of visitations from both heavenly and demonic beings—the former attesting to his personal righteousness, and the latter attesting to the threat his work posed to the adversary.
I prayed to the Lord to give me His spirit and to show me the hearts of the people. I promised the Lord, in my prayer, that I would deliver to that congregation whatever He would give to me. I arose and spoke one hour and a half, and it was one of the best sermons of my life. The lives of the congregation were open to the vision of my mind, and I told them of their wicked deeds and the reward they would obtain. The men who surrounded me dropped their heads. . . .
Soon I was shown to a . . . room adjoining . . . one in which were assembled many of the men whom I had been preaching to. I could hear their conversation. One man said he would like to know how that Mormon boy knew of their past lives.
Woodruff did not record what came of the experience. But it is clear that the specific manifestation of the gift of discernment planted a seed in the hearts of those who heard him speak.
The reason for his lack of details regarding the manifestations of these gifts is unclear. Certainly his silence is in keeping with the Prophet Joseph’s declaration, “The gift of tongues is the smallest gift perhaps of the whole, and yet it is one that is the most sought after.” Joseph also stated that it is “not necessary for tongues to be taught to the Church.” Regardless, on several occasions the gift of tongues and interpreting tongues were manifest by Woodruff. In each case, these gifts were manifest in context of preaching the restored gospel, which Joseph indicated was the primary reason for these specific gifts of the Spirit.
During the evening a hard thunderstorm was approaching us. My mules were tied to a large oak tree on the opposite side of the street. I felt impressed to move my mules away to another place. I did so. I also removed my children out of the carriage and made them a bed in the house. I also moved my carriage one rod down to the house in which Mrs. Woodruff, myself, and one child slept. We had just retired to bed when the storm reached us with great fury. In a moment the large oak tree came thundering to the ground with a mighty crash. Had I not . . . moved my mules it probably would have killed them. Had I not . . . moved my carriage it would have crushed it to atoms and killed us, . . . for the body of the tree fell where my carriage [previously] stood. . . . I considered it an interposition of providence.
Some years [ago] I had a part of my family living in Randolph, Rich County. I was there on a visit, with my team, in the month of December.
When I named it to my family who were at Randolph they urged me strongly to stop longer.
Through their persuasion I stayed until Saturday morning, with the Spirit continually prompting me to go home. I then began to feel ashamed to think that I had not obeyed the whisperings of the Spirit to me before.
I took my team and started early on Saturday morning. When I arrived at Woodruff, [Utah,] the Bishop urged me to stop until Monday and he would go with me.
I drove on sprightly, and when within fifteen miles of Wasatch, a furious snow storm overtook me, the wind blowing heavily in my face.
In fifteen minutes I could not see any road whatever, and knew not how or where to guide my horses.
I left my lines loosely on my animals, went inside my wagon, tied down the cover, and committed my life and guidance into the hands of the Lord, trusting to my horses to find the way, as they had twice before passed over that road.
I prayed to the Lord to forgive my sin in not obeying the voice of the Spirit to me, and implored Him to preserve my life.
My horses brought me into the Wasatch station at 9 o’clock in the evening, with the hubs of my wagon dragging in the snow.
I got my horses under cover, and had to remain there until the next Monday night, with the snow six feet deep . . . and still snowing.
It was with great difficulty . . . that I saved the lives of my horses by getting them into a box car and taking them to Ogden; while if I had obeyed the revelation of the Spirit of God to me, I should have traveled to Salt Lake City over a good road without any storm.
Woodruff gave his own explanation of the lesson learned from this experience. He said, “As I have received the good and the evil, the fruits of obedience and disobedience, I think I am justified in exhorting all my young friends to always obey the whisperings of the Spirit of God, and they will always be safe.” While he experienced the gift to receive personal revelation countless number of times, he learned that this gift of the Spirit was of no value if not strictly obeyed.
On October 25, 1891, he recorded in his journal his remarks to the Saints: “I have received a revelation and a commandment from the Lord, which I have not revealed to any man, which I shall reveal to this assembly. And the command of the Lord I shall give to this people, which is this.” He then proceeded to describe what he saw in vision regarding what would happen to the Church and its leaders and properties if the practice of plural marriage was not ended: “the confiscation and loss of all temples; the cessation of all temple ordinances for the living and the dead; the imprisonment of the First Presidency, the Twelve, and many other leaders, including many heads of families; and the confiscation of the personal property of the Saints who continued to practice plural marriage.
Some had thought that revelation had ceased, but this is not the case. The Lord is with us and gives us revelation. But I will say for myself that I wish to avoid saying “Thus saith the Lord” as far as I can when I give the will of the Lord to the people. In the days of Joseph Smith, it was “Thus saith the Lord” almost daily until the revelations now embodied in the Book of Doctrine and Covenants had been given. Since that day President Brigham Young, John Taylor, and myself have seldom used the words (thus saith the Lord) when giving the word of the Lord to the people.
These are but a representative handful of the hundreds of such revelatory experiences in the life of Wilford Woodruff. Each revelation evidences he was in possession of the gift of receiving revelation.
The prophet Joel spoke on behalf of the Lord, saying, “I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions” (Joel 2:28; emphasis added). This verse is a perfect introduction to the next three gifts of the Spirit—the gift of prophecy, the gift of dreams, and the gift of visions. Wilford Woodruff enjoyed each of these gifts in abundance.
Regarding prophecy, Wilford’s journal often refers to his having the gift, but he typically does not elaborate on what he prophesied. Usually he simply states that he had the gift of prophecy that day. For example, on March 25, 1849, he wrote that he performed ordinations and was “filled with the spirit of God, prophecy and rejoicing.” Similarly, on April 7, 1837, he wrote, “The power of God and the spirit of prophecy and revelation rested upon us. . . . And I, Wilford, testify in the name of Jesus Christ that many precious things were shown me concerning my brethren, by the Holy Spirit, in prophecy and revelation.” Of course, there are examples where he recorded the specifics of what he had prophesied. On May 1, 1836, he wrote, “I had the spirit of God and of prophecy. I prophesied to the people of the judgments of God that await them.” And on January 1, 1862, he spoke prophetically of the destiny of the United States: “And the Lord will continue to weaken this nation until they are broken to pieces and cast down, to rise no more forever.” He recorded a rather significant prophecy on January 23, 1881: “[I] Bore testimony to the work of God and . . . said Joseph F. Smith, [who] was one of the First Presidency, . . . would be President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in his day.” In fulfillment of the prophecy, twenty years later, in 1901, Joseph F. Smith became President of the Church.
Woodruff put a great deal of credence in dreams and held that God regularly spoke through them. He was so convinced that God used dreams as a means of divine communication that he seldom distinguished between a dream and a vision. As far as he was concerned, they were one and the same. Of Woodruff’s perception of the sacred and oft-inspired nature of dreams, one author notes, “Woodruff had learned to pay close attention to his dreams and to act on any truth that he felt they conveyed.” Owing to the fact that so many of his dreams proved to be inspired, prophetic, or divine, it is little wonder he believed in them so strongly. He even held that some dreams that he could not find an interpretation for were nonetheless inspired and meaningful. It was not uncommon for him to record a dream and then comment that he believed it was of God but did not know what it meant.
This particular dream gave him a sense of urgency about the work and added to his general feeling that the Lord’s coming was near.
In some respects, President Woodruff’s dreams must have been a burden to him, yet his entries indicate no sense of anxiety. It appears that he considered this gift as simply one more way in which the Lord communicated with him.
One of President Woodruff’s most detailed visionary accounts was one wherein he saw what appears to be a futuristic vision of the United States. In this vision, he saw wickedness, abominations, corruption, and . . . in consequence of these, the judgments of God poured out upon this once chosen land. The details are graphic, the specifics amazing, and the warning ominous. One can only guess if he understood what he saw to be literal or figurative. Regardless, President Woodruff was a visionary in the most literal sense of the word. And like his predecessors in the prophetic office, both ancient and modern, he was the recipient of the visions of heaven. The messages contained in those visions sobered him.
[June 11, 1837] I returned with several elders to Elder Stoddard’s to spend the night, and there was a woman present who was possessed with the devil. She was oft times dumb and greatly afflicted by the evil spirits that dwelt in her. She believed in Jesus Christ of Nazareth, and us as his servant[s], and called upon us to cast the devil out of her. According to her request, four of us laid hands upon her and commanded the devil, in the name of Jesus Christ, to depart out of her. . . . It was immediately done, and the woman arose with great joy and gave thanks and praise unto God, for according to her faith she was made whole from that hour.
[January 18, 1840] I had not been with Elder Clayton but a few minutes before I was called upon to visit three sick persons and administer to them according to the order of the gospel (i.e., by prayer and the laying on of hands).
One case was very distressing. We found the sister possessed of the devil and a burning fever on the brain. She was raging and trying to tear herself, although [being held down by] the hands of three or four men. We laid hands upon her and commanded the devil to depart and the fever to stand rebuked in the name of Jesus Christ, and it was done, though not without a great struggle.
[January 24, 1848] Brothers Pratt and Levi Richards and myself visited Brother Henman’s family to administer to them, for the whole family was sick and had been troubled with evil spirits. We prayed with this family, and laid hands upon seven that were sick. . . . The spirit of the Lord was with us, and we rebuked the sickness and commanded the evil spirits to depart, and they received a blessing upon the family.
He had numerous encounters with those possessed by Satan, and God granted him the power and the faith to cast out foul spirits and rebuke their influence in the lives of believers.
In reference to the gifts of the Spirit listed in Doctrine and Covenants 46, 1 Corinthians 12, and Moroni 10, Elder Bruce R. McConkie stated, “These are by no means all of the gifts. In the fullest sense, [the gifts of the Spirit] are infinite in number and endless in their manifestation.” Thus, it should be noted that there are other “gifts” that are no less divine in their origin and no less important to those who are privileged to receive and exercise them. President Woodruff experienced many of these other gifts.
I walked out of the house and cast my eyes towards the heavens and a glorious scene presented itself to our view.
[A] light commenced in the northeast and spread to the west, and soon rolled up over head; . . . it centered in the heavens and rolled forth fire, blood, and smoke like contending armies: the whole heavens was illuminated with blood and fire for the space of half an hour. . . . It seemed at times as though the veil was about to rend in twain, and the throne of God to appear. . . .
This is one of the signs in the heavens in the last days spoken of by the ancient, as well as modern, prophets. Oh, may God hasten the day when the scenery will be wound up.
About seven o’clock p.m. I discovered a stream of light in the southwest quarter of the heavens. The rays of light were in the form of a broadsword, with the hilt downward [and] the blade raised, pointing from the west southwest, raised to an angle of 45 degrees from the horizon and extending nearly . . . to the zenith of the degree where the sign appeared. This sign gradually disappeared from half past seven, and at nine o’clock immediately disappeared.
The significance of these two experiences is not immediately apparent. But, as Woodruff notes, the Prophet Joseph certainly saw these as signs that great turmoil was about to overtake the earth. They also stand as evidence of Wilford’s gift to behold the signs of the times in a very dramatic fashion.
Fell into a cauldron of boiling water (age three).
Fell from the beam of a barn, striking his face on the floor and nearly breaking his neck (age five).
Broke an arm by falling down the stairs, then broke the other arm by falling onto a pile of timber (age five or six).
Was chased by an angry bull (age six).
Broke both bones in his leg while riding in a carriage (age six).
Nearly suffocated under a large pile of hay (age seven).
Was in a wagon that overturned when the horse pulling it was spooked (age 8).
Fell fifteen feet from a tree, landed on his back, and had the air knocked out of him (age nine).
Nearly drowned in the Farmington River (age twelve).
Nearly froze to death in a winter storm (age thirteen).
Split his foot nearly in two with an ax (age fourteen).
Was bitten by a rabid dog in the last stages of hydrophobia (age fifteen).
Was thrown from a horse that was running full speed down a rocky precipice. He landed on his feet but broke his left leg in two places and injured both ankles (age seventeen).
Fell headfirst from the top of a waterwheel and was nearly crushed by the wheel (age twenty).
Fell about twenty feet from the top of a flourmill’s breast wheel, landing on the rocks below, and being nearly crushed by the wheel (age twenty-four).
Got a severe case of “lung fever” or pneumonia (age twenty-four).
On the day of his baptism, had a horse kick his hat off, missing his face by about two inches. That same day he was dragged by two horses down a hill (age twenty-six).
Was nearly shot when a rifle discharged, missing his chest by inches (age twenty-seven).
Was nearly shot again when the trigger of a musket pointing at his chest was accidentally pulled, but the gun misfired (age twenty-seven).
Was dragged for about half a mile by horses when his wagon broke (age thirty-two).
Became delirious from a severe attack of bilious fever. He was confined to bed for forty days from the sickness. He experienced two more relapses, one of which caused him to stop breathing (age thirty-five or thirty-six).
Was in a train crash where his boxcar was thrown from the tracks. Several passengers were killed or seriously injured, but Wilford was unharmed (age thirty-six).
Was struck in the chest by a tree he was felling. He broke his breastbone and three ribs and bruised several vital organs (age thirty-nine).
Became poisoned by skinning a dead, diseased cow (age forty-nine).
I have been a marked victim . . . of the destroyer from my infancy up to the present day. I have faced accident, misfortune, and apparently death so many times and in so many shapes and forms, from my childhood through life thus far, that it has become a proverb with me to say that there has seemed to be two powers constantly watching me and at work with me: one to kill and the other to save me. Thus far the power to save me and preserve my life has prevailed. How long I shall be blessed with this preserving power and care, time must determine.
It took me two years to gather up everybody [who was a member of the Church] . . . in New England and Canada . . . (there were about one hundred of them). We arrived at Pittsburgh one day at sundown. We did not want to stay there, so I went to the first steamboat that was going to leave. I saw the captain and engaged passage for us on that steamer. I had only just done so when the Spirit said to me . . . very strongly, “Don’t go aboard that steamer, nor your company.” Of course, I went and spoke to the captain, and told him I had made up my mind to wait. Well, that ship started, and had only got five miles down the river when it took fire, and three hundred persons were burned to death or drowned. If I had not obeyed that spirit, and had gone on that steamer with the rest of the company, you can see what the result would have been.
Shortly before his death, President Woodruff penned, “It is very remarkable how my life has been preserved through so many years, considering what I have passed through in my day and generation. I have to acknowledge the hand of God in the preservation of my life up to the present hour. God moves in a mysterious way.” Perhaps Satan’s knowledge of President Woodruff’s future contributions explains the onslaught of the physical attacks. Regardless, it seems evident that a gift was operative in his life, ensuring his constant preservation.
In the fall [of 1834] I had a desire to go and preach the gospel. I knew the gospel which the Lord had revealed to Joseph Smith was true, and of such great value that I wanted to tell it to the people who had not heard it. It was so good and plain, it seemed to me I could make the people believe it.
I was but a teacher, and it is not a teacher’s office to go abroad and preach. I dared not tell any of the authorities of the Church that I wanted to preach, lest they might think I was seeking for an office.
I went into the woods where no one could see me, and I prayed to the Lord to open my way so that I could go and preach the gospel. While I was praying the Spirit of the Lord came upon me, and told me my prayer was heard and that my request should be granted.
I felt very happy, and got up and walked out of the woods into the traveled road, and there I met a high priest who had lived in the same house with me some six months.
I told him I was willing to do whatever the Lord required of me. I did not tell him I had just asked the Lord to let me go and preach.
In a few days a council was called at Lyman Wight’s, and I was ordained a priest and sent on a mission into Arkansas and Tennessee, in company with an elder.
President Woodruff’s description of the event leaves one strongly doubting that coincidence could be the explanation behind the miracle. He had a pure intent and pure desire, and the Lord heard his pleadings—as he will hear each of us as we develop this gift and exercise it in faith.
I have had this spirit [of journal writing] upon me since I first entered this Church. I was baptized [after] the first sermon I heard, and from that day until now I have kept a daily journal. Whenever I have heard Joseph Smith preach, teach, or prophesy, I have always felt it my duty to write it. . . . I could not eat, drink, or sleep in peace until I did write it, and my mind has been so exercised upon this subject that when I heard Joseph Smith teach and I had not pencil and paper I would go home and sit down and write that whole sermon almost word for word and sentence by sentence as it was delivered. And when I had written it, it was taken from me. I remembered it no more.
This gift from God both drove him to write and endowed him with the ability to retain the words he heard so they could be accurately recorded. Many of Joseph Smith’s sermons included in the Prophet’s published history and Joseph Fielding Smith’s edited version of Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith are drawn from Woodruff’s handwritten accounts written under the influence of this gift of the Spirit.
So much could be said of President Woodruff’s spiritual legacy. The examples in this paper are just a sampling. One historian wrote, “His faith was such that he saw the hand of God in everything.” Specifically speaking of his many gifts of the Spirit, Thomas G. Alexander states, “He coupled a firm dependence on inspiration in its various forms—dreams, visions, revelations—with a strong sense of personal destiny and Providential protection.” President Woodruff’s innately spiritual and believing approach left its mark on many with whom he interacted—believer and nonbeliever alike. At his funeral, George Q. Cannon described him thus: “In the passing of President Woodruff, a man has gone from our midst whose character was probably as angelical as that of any person who has ever lived upon the earth. . . . He was a heavenly being. It was heaven to be in his company.” As prophets always are, President Woodruff was an example to the Saints, not only of courage and faithfulness, but also of spirituality and fidelity to the Father. He was both the embodiment and realization of the scriptural declaration, “To every man is given a gift by the Spirit of God” (D&C 46:11).
Truman G. Madsen, Joseph Smith the Prophet (Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1989), 48–49.
Lawrence R. Flake, Prophets and Apostles of the Last Dispensation (Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, 2001), 47.
The Discourses of Wilford Woodruff, ed. G. Homer Durham (Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1998), 45.
Matthias Cowley, Wilford Woodruff: History of His Life and Labors (Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1965), 14–15.
In their commentary on the Doctrine and Covenants, Stephen E. Robinson and H. Dean Garrett concluded, “According to [D&C 46] verse 29, the head of the Church possesses all the gifts of the Spirit” A Commentary on the Doctrine and Covenants [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2001], 2:81).
Joseph Fielding McConkie and Craig J. Ostler wrote, “The president of the Church not only presides over all of its members but also over all of the gifts given them of God to aid in the building of his earthly kingdom. Under the direction of the prophet countless calls are made to utilize those gifts in sharing the gospel with all the nations and peoples of the earth and in teaching and strengthening those already in the Church” (Revelations of the Restoration [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2000], 369).
Thomas G. Alexander, Things in Heaven and Earth: The Life and Times of Wilford Woodruff, a Mormon Prophet (Salt Lake City: Signature Books, 1991), 21.
Alexander, Things in Heaven and Earth, 21.
Wilford Woodruff’s Journal, 1833–1898, Typescript, ed. Scott G. Kenney (Midvale, UT: Signature Books, 1983), 3:586, December 20, 1850. In an effort to make Woodruff’s words more reader friendly, the spelling, punctuation, and capitalization in his journal entries have been standardized throughout this paper.
Clynn L. Davenport, comp., Biography of John Lee Jones, 1841–1935 (n.p.), 147–48, April 6, 1893, as cited in Matthew B. Brown and Paul Thomas Smith, Symbols in Stone: Symbolism on the Early Temples of the Restoration (American Fork, UT: Covenant Communications, 1997), 136; see also 121, 160.
Wilford Woodruff’s Journal, 4:415, April 28, 1856.
Wilford Woodruff, “History of Wilford Woodruff,” Millennial Star, June 24, 1865, 392; see also Wilford Woodruff’s Journal, 4:414–16.
Wilford Woodruff’s Journal, 1:118–19, January 3, 1837.
Wilford Woodruff, Leaves from My Journal, Third Book of the Faith-Promoting Series (Salt Lake City: Juvenile Instructor Office, 1882), 65.
Wilford Woodruff’s Journal, 1:455, June 3, 1840.
Wilford Woodruff’s Journal, 3:111. For other examples of healings performed by Woodruff, see Wilford Woodruff’s Journal, 3:66; 3:68; 3:147; 7:268; 7:286.
Cowley, Wilford Woodruff, 97. President Woodruff adds, “While I was undergoing this ordeal (as my wife related afterwards) her spirit left her body, and she saw it lying upon the bed and the sisters there weeping. She looked at them and at me, and upon her babe; while gazing upon this scene, two persons came into the room, carrying a coffin, and told her they had come for her body. One of these messengers said to her that she might have her choice—she might go to rest in the spirit world, or . . . she could have the privilege of returning to her tabernacle and continuing her labors upon the earth. The condition was that if she felt she could stand by her husband, and with him pass through all the cares, trials, tribulations, and afflictions of life which he would be called to pass through for the gospel’s sake. . . . When she looked at the situation of her husband and child she said, ‘Yes, I will do it.’ At the moment that decision was made the power of faith rested upon me, and when I administered unto her, her spirit reentered her tabernacle, and she saw the messengers carry the coffin out of the door” (Cowley, Wilford Woodruff, 97–98).
Preston Nibley, The Presidents of the Church (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1974), 101.
Dean C. Jessee, “Wilford Woodruff,” in Leonard J. Arrington, ed., The Presidents of the Church (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1986), 128.
Wilford Woodruff’s Journal, 1:142, April 15, 1837.
Wilford Woodruff’s Journal, 1:532, October 18, 1840; see also Jessee, “Wilford Woodruff,” 128–29.
Wilford Woodruff, March 3, 1889, discourse in Brian H. Stuy, ed., Collected Discourses (Burbank, CA, and Woodland Hills, UT: B. H. S. Publishing, 1987–92), 1:218; Woodruff, Leaves from My Journal, 109–10; Wilford Woodruff, October 19, 1896, discourse in Stuy, Collected Discourses, 5:236–37. No reference to this event by George A. Smith has survived. President Woodruff once said: “I have referred to the administration of angels to myself. What did these angels do? One of them taught me some things relating to the signs that should precede the coming of the Son of Man. Others came and saved my life” (Wilford Woodruff, discourse on October 19, 1896, in Stuy, Collected Discourses, 5:238).
The Teachings of Joseph Smith, ed. Larry E. Dahl and Donald Q. Cannon (Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1998), 671.
Teachings of Joseph Smith, 670.
“Tongues were given for the purpose of preaching among those whose language is not understood; as on the day of Pentecost, etc.” (Teachings of Joseph Smith, 670–71).
Wilford Woodruff’s Journal, 3:355–56, July 5, 1848.
Wilford Woodruff’s Journal, 4:517, December 16, 1856.
Woodruff, Leaves from My Journal, 90–91.
Woodruff, Leaves from My Journal, 91.
Wilford Woodruff’s Journal, 9:168, October 24, 1891.
See, for example, Wilford Woodruff’s Journal, 1:524; 7:615; 7:616; 7:618; 6:20; 9:67; 9:464; 9:467; 9:469.
Wilford Woodruff’s Journal, 1:524; 2:429; 3:382; 7:331; 7:531; 9:463–69.
For examples of the gift of prophecy, see Wilford Woodruff’s Journal, 1:101; 1:411; 5:533; 7:464.
Wilford Woodruff’s Journal, 3:447, May 16, 1849.
Wilford Woodruff’s Journal, 1:137, April 7, 1837.
Wilford Woodruff’s Journal, 1:68, May 1, 1836.
Wilford Woodruff’s Journal, 6:3, January 1, 1862. Elder Bruce R. McConkietaught that: During the Millennium “both church and state, as the world knows them, will . . . cease to be. When the Lord comes again, he will set up anew the political kingdom of God on earth. It will be joined with the ecclesiastical kingdom; church and state will unite; and God will govern in all things. . . . Once again the government of the earth will be theocratic. God will govern. . . . And all of this presupposes the fall of Babylon, and the death of false religions, and the fall of all earthly governments and nations. And these things, as we are aware, shall surely come to pass” (The Millennial Messiah [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1983], 596).
Wilford Woodruff’s Journal, 8:8, January 23, 1881.
See Wilford Woodruff, in Journal of Discourses (London: Latter-day Saints’ Book Depot, 1854–86), 22:331–33; see also Stuy, “Wilford Woodruff’s Vision of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence,” Journal of Mormon History 26, no. 1 (Spring 2000): 78 n. 38.
Stuy, “Wilford Woodruff’s Vision,” 79.
Wilford Woodruff’s Journal, 2:24; 2:29; 2:448; 2:478; 3:116; 4:515; 8:429.
Brian Stuy wrote that Wilford recorded in his personal journal at least three dozen of his own dreams, and numerous other dreams which he deemed significant that were had by his friends and acquaintances. Stuy further noted: “After recording a dream, he would frequently comment something like ‘What this Dream means time will soon Determin[e]’” (Stuy, “Wilford Woodruff’s Vision,” 78 n. 38).
Wilford Woodruff’s Journal, 2:478–479, November 1, 1844.
Wilford Woodruff, discourse delivered October 19, 1896, recorded in Stuy, Collected Discourses, 5:237–38; see also Wilford Woodruff’s Journal, 3:578–79, October 20, 1850.
For an excellent analysis and interpretation of the historical events surrounding Woodruff’s experiences, see Richard E. Bennett, “‘Line upon Line, Precept upon Precept’: Reflections on the 1877 Commencement of the Performance of Endowments and Sealings for the Dead,” BYU Studies 44, no. 3 (2005): 39–77.
Wilford Woodruff’s Journal, 9:293, March 19, 1894.
For example, see Wilford Woodruff’s Journal, 5:4, January 4, 1857.
Woodruff did not record the vision immediately. He indicated in his journal under the date of June 15, 1878, that he received the vision on the evening of December 16, 1877. (Wilford Woodruff’s Journal, 7:419–23). It appears he may have received a similar vision during the evening of January 26–27, 1880 (Wilford Woodruff’s Journal, 7:546).
For example, see Wilford Woodruff’s Journal, 2:471; 3:401; 4:517; 5:5.
Wilford Woodruff’s Journal, 1:408. The day after this encounter, Wilford was called back to the same house. He recorded: “I was called upon with my Brethren to visit a child possessed of the devil, that endeavored to destroy the child. It was the child of the woman that was possessed with the devil, upon whom we laid hands Saturday evening. We laid hands upon the child that was writhing under the power of the devil, and commanded the devil to depart, in the name of Jesus Christ, and it was instantly done, and the child fell asleep” (Wilford Woodruff’s Journal, 1:409).
Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, 2nd ed. (Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1966), 315. Likewise, Elder Marvin J. Ashton taught: “Taken at random, let me mention a few gifts that are not always evident or noteworthy but that are very important. . . . The gift of asking; the gift of listening; the gift of hearing and using a still, small voice; the gift of being able to weep; the gift of avoiding contention; the gift of being agreeable; the gift of avoiding vain repetition; the gift of seeking that which is righteous; the gift of not passing judgment; the gift of looking to God for guidance; the gift of being a disciple; the gift of caring for others; the gift of being able to ponder; the gift of offering prayer; the gift of bearing a mighty testimony; and the gift of receiving the Holy Ghost. We must remember that to every man is given a gift by the Spirit of God” (“There Are Many Gifts,” Ensign, November 1987, 20).
Wilford Woodruff’s Journal, 2:219, March 10, 1843; emphasis added. See also Joseph Smith, History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, ed. B. H. Roberts, 2nd ed. rev. (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1971), 5:300–301.
The list is taken from “History of Wilford Woodruff,” Millennial Star, see June 10, 1865, 359–60, June 17, 1865, 374–76, and June 24, 1865, 391–92; see also Cowley, Wilford Woodruff, 5–11.
Wilford Woodruff’s Journal, 4:414–15, April 28, 1856.
Wilford Woodruff, in Durham, Discourses of Wilford Woodruff, 294–95. This is but one of many examples of preservation. See also Wilford Woodruff’s Journal, 1:48; 2:129–30; 2:319–21; 3:469; 3:555–56; 3:563–65; 7:41–43; 7:483; 9:16; 9:85; 9:87.
Wilford Woodruff’s Journal, 9:449, March 1, 1897.
Woodruff, Leaves from My Journal, 8.
See Wilford Woodruff’s Journal, 7:55, January 20, 1872.
Madsen, Joseph Smith the Prophet, 99. President Woodruff reported that Joseph Smith encouraged or commanded him to write. Speaking of journal keeping, Woodruff remarked, “I have many times thought the Quorum of the Twelve and others considered me rather enthusiastic upon this subject; but when the Prophet Joseph organized the Quorum of the Twelve, he counseled them to keep a history of their lives, and gave his reasons why they should do so” (Cowley, Wilford Woodruff, 476). “Following the death of Joseph Smith, Brigham Young encouraged Wilford to ‘keep an account of things’ as he would ‘look to me for his journal some day’” (Jessee, “Wilford Woodruff,” 139).
Wilford Woodruff’s Journal, 5:36, March 17, 1857.
Wilford Woodruff’s Journal, 7:55, January 20, 1872.
Alexander, Things in Heaven and Earth, 332.
See Nibley, Presidents of the Church, 134–35; see also Flake, Prophets and Apostles of the Last Dispensation, 47–48. | 2019-04-23T04:31:03Z | https://rsc.byu.edu/archived/banner-gospel-wilford-woodruff/5-every-man-given-gift-spiritual-legacy-wilford-woodruff |
Mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (mTLE) is the most common focal epilepsy in adults and is often refractory to medication. So far, resection of the epileptogenic focus represents the only curative therapy. It is unknown whether pathological processes preceding epilepsy onset are indicators of later disease severity. Using longitudinal multi-modal MRI, we monitored hippocampal injury and tissue reorganization during epileptogenesis in a mouse mTLE model. The prognostic value of MRI biomarkers was assessed by retrospective correlations with pathological hallmarks Here, we show for the first time that the extent of early hippocampal neurodegeneration and progressive microstructural changes in the dentate gyrus translate to the severity of hippocampal sclerosis and seizure burden in chronic epilepsy. Moreover, we demonstrate that structural MRI biomarkers reflect the extent of sclerosis in human hippocampi. Our findings may allow an early prognosis of disease severity in mTLE before its first clinical manifestations, thus expanding the therapeutic window.
Roughly one percent of people in the world suffer from epilepsy, a disorder in which individuals experience seizures due to abnormal electrical activity in the brain. Seizures can vary from brief episodes of amnesia or déjà-vu to convulsions and loss of consciousness. In adults, the most common form of epilepsy is known as temporal lobe epilepsy. As the name suggests, this type of epilepsy originates in a region of the brain called the temporal lobe, usually within a structure called the hippocampus.
Many patients who develop temporal lobe epilepsy will have experienced a head injury or infection earlier in life that damaged their hippocampus. However, damage to the hippocampus does not always lead to epilepsy. Moreover, many years may pass between the damage and the onset of regular seizures. While some patients find that anti-epileptic drugs can control their seizures, others experience no benefit. For these patients, the only effective treatment is to remove the damaged brain tissue.
At present, there is no way of knowing which patients with a damaged hippocampus will go on to develop temporal lobe epilepsy. To identify the deciding factors, Janz, Schwaderlapp, Heining et al. treated mice with a toxin that can damage the hippocampus. After roughly two weeks most of the mice were experiencing regular seizures. Imaging the animals’ brains during this two week period revealed that mice whose hippocampi showed more severe cell death shortly after exposure to the toxin surprisingly developed a milder form of epilepsy. The same was also true for animals whose hippocampi showed signs of being extensively reorganized. Further experiments show that samples of hippocampal tissue from the brains of human patients with temporal lobe epilepsy also showed these same cellular features.
The next step is to test whether these changes can be used to predict which patients with hippocampal damage will develop epilepsy later in life. Identifying at-risk individuals would allow them to be treated earlier and hopefully prevent them from developing epilepsy in the first place.
Epilepsy is a devastating disease, with a prevalence of about 1%, which makes it one of the most common neurological disorders. Of particular clinical significance is mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (mTLE), in which seizures arise from mesial temporal limbic structures, as it is the most frequent form of epilepsy in adults (40%) and particularly resistant to pharmacological treatment (Engel, 2001). Hippocampal sclerosis (HS), characterized by the loss of CA1 and CA3 pyramidal cells, gliosis and associated with granule cell dispersion (GCD), represents the most common pathological hallmark of intractable mTLE (Thom, 2014; Walker, 2015). HS can emerge secondary to an initial precipitating insult, e.g. status epilepticus (SE), head trauma, febrile seizures or limbic encephalitis (Engel, 2001). To date, resection of the lesioned, epileptogenic tissue is the only therapeutic intervention. However, not all patients remain seizure-free (Ryvlin and Kahane, 2005). In this context, non-invasive MRI techniques have become an important method to identify sclerotic tissue as a biomarker in both human patients (Gomes and Shinnar, 2011; Urbach et al., 2014) and rodent TLE models (Nehlig, 2011; Shultz et al., 2014; Sierra et al., 2015a). Up to now, this has been, however, restricted to the chronic stage of epilepsy when seizures have already emerged.
A promising notion is to start medical treatment during early epileptogenesis before the first seizure arises. This stands in contrast to current anti-epileptic treatments that target clinical symptoms, namely the seizures themselves, but do not cure the underlying disease. However, progress in this direction is impeded by the impossibility to identify patients before they develop epilepsy and experience their first seizure. In mTLE patients, the period between the initial epileptogenic insult and chronic epilepsy spans many years (Lukasiuk and Becker, 2014), severely hindering the search for and validation of predictive biomarkers in human studies. Conversely, in animal models, epileptogenesis can be induced within weeks to months (Lévesque and Avoli, 2013), providing an excellent opportunity to identify putative anatomical and physiological biomarkers of epileptogenesis.
Considering that multiple cellular and molecular processes accompany the progression of HS, it may be possible to image early pathological changes during epileptogenesis that may prospect the later state. So far, a few MRI biomarkers have been identified that indicate epilepsy onset or seizure susceptibility secondary to pilocarpine-induced SE (Roch et al., 2002; Choy et al., 2010), traumatic brain injury (Kharatishvili et al., 2007; Immonen et al., 2013) or prolonged febrile seizures (Choy et al., 2014). However, since distinct unilateral HS is lacking in these animal models, prognostic MRI biomarkers for the most common etiology of pharmacoresistant epilepsy have not been identified yet.
To address this issue, we applied longitudinal multi-modal MRI in the intrahippocampal kainate mouse model that replicates the major features of human mTLE (i.e. the development of HS and of spontaneous recurrent seizures during epileptogenesis; Bouilleret et al., 1999; Riban et al. (2002); Heinrich et al., 2011). We monitored distinct features of the pathogenesis focusing on the hippocampus (Figure 1—figure supplement 2), which is mainly affected in pharmacoresistant mTLE (Malmgren and Thom, 2012; Cendes et al., 2014; Walker, 2015). We performed a retrospective correlation of MRI measures with structural changes identified by immunohistology, and determined the prognostic value of imaging biomarkers with respect to the severity of HS. Moreover, we applied multivariate data analysis to evaluate and compare the performance of individual biomarkers to predict also the seizure severity. Our study demonstrates for the first time that the extent of epileptogenesis-associated tissue alterations in the hippocampus directly mirrors the ensuing severity of intractable mTLE.
Little is known about the variability of histopathological changes across kainate-injected mice; yet this information is critical to relate early imaging biomarkers to HS severity in mTLE. Therefore, we quantified the degree of histopathological features associated with HS (i.e. cell death-associated microgliosis and GCD) in all injected mice individually (Figure 1).
The severity of histological changes associated with HS varies in chronically epileptic mice.
(A) Representative DAPI-stained sections at different levels along the rostro-caudal hippocampal axis showing the extent of GCD (arrow indicates the transition to non-dispersed regions). (B) Corresponding quantitative analysis of the GCD area along the rostro-caudal axis, and (C) the calculated mean GCD volume from all analyzed sections tested for individual kainate-injected mice (one-way ANOVA, Bonferroni’s post-test; ***p<0.001; n = 8). (D) Representative photomicrographs of NeuN (turquoise; neurons) and Iba-1 (magenta; microglia) double immunostaining (upper panel) and Fluoro-Jade B (FJB) staining in consecutive sections. Clusters of amoeboid microglia are tightly associated with FJB-stained dying neurons (arrows and asterisks). (E) Quantitative analysis of cell death-associated microglial scarring in different regions (CA1 ipsi and contra; CA3 ipsi). (F) Regression analysis for the degree of GCD and the extent of microgliosis (summed for all regions) in kainate-injected mice (n = 8; Pearson’s correlation). Kainate-injected mice (NP10, NP11, NP14, NP26, NP27, NP31, NP34) are color-coded. Scale bars in A, 1 mm; in D, 200 µm. (G) Schematic of the mouse brain adapted from Witter and Amaral, 2004. Representative EEG traces of non-epileptic mice (controls or mice displaying only single epileptic spikes, NP10) and one example of an epileptic mouse displaying both epileptic spikes and paroxysmal discharges (NP31). Horizontal scale bars (left) 50 s, (middle) 5 s, (right) 0.5 s; vertical scale bar 2 mV. (H–I) Quantitative analysis of the total GCL volume (summed for all analyzed sections) and extent of microgliosis for epileptic (dark grey) and non-epileptic mice (light grey), respectively. Student’s t-test; **p<0.01, ***p<0.001; nnon-epi = 6, nepi = 7. All values are presented as the mean ± SEM.
The extent of GCD (Figure 1A–C) and cell death-associated microgliosis (Figure 1D,E) varied substantially across kainate-injected mice (nKA = 8), but was positively correlated with each other (Figure 1F; r² = 0.69, p<0.01). In addition, intrahippocampal EEG recordings validated the presence of epileptiform activity in all kainate-injected mice (Figure 1G). However, one kainate-injected mouse (NP10) had no paroxysmal discharges, even though it exhibited single epileptic spikes, and therefore it was considered as non-epileptic. All epileptic mice showed robust GCD indicated by an increase in the total GCL volume compared to non-epileptic mice (Figure 1H; non-epi.: 415.8 ± 9.6 * 106 µm³; epi.: 1379.0 ± 164.5 * 108 µm³, p<0.01) and a high spatial extent of cell death-associated microgliosis (Figure 1I; non-epi.: 563.8 ± 493.7 µm; epi.: 6965.0 ± 811.8 µm, p<0.001).
To monitor the temporal development of epileptic activity another set of mice was implanted with electrodes directly after kainate injection and recorded at different time points during 2 (n = 3) or 3 weeks (n = 5) of disease progression (Figure 1—figure supplement 1). Consistent with previous studies in the same animal model (Riban et al., 2002; Arabadzisz et al., 2005; Heinrich et al., 2011), we observed prolonged seizures during SE, followed by a period exhibiting mainly isolated epileptic spikes and low-amplitude bursts. The first high-amplitude recurrent paroxysmal episodes were recorded consistently after approximately two weeks (Figure 1—figure supplement 1H; number of epileptic discharges, 1d: 0.014 ± 0.004; 0.5w: 0.002 ± 0.002; 1w: 0.036 ± 0.019; 2w: 0.240 ± 0.065, p<0.01 vs 1w; 3w: 0.274 ± 0.070, p<0.01 vs 1w). In only two out of eight mice regular paroxysmal episodes were already evident at one week after SE. In conclusion, this shows that although the speed of disease progression varies among mice, the chronic epileptic stage is reached within the second week after SE in this animal model.
Considering the inter-individual histopathological differences observed in kainate-injected mice during the chronic stage of mTLE, we investigated the extent to which high-resolution T2-weighted imaging reflects SE-induced hippocampal injury and whether observed early tissue damage and anatomical changes during epileptogenesis might predict the subsequent HS severity in chronically epileptic mice (Figure 2).
Initial hippocampal damage detected by T2 imaging predicts the degree of HS.
(A1-6) Overview of whole-brain T2 intensity maps along the rostro-caudal axis before (pre) and at distinct time-points following kainate-induced SE (1d, 4d, 8d, 16d and 31d). (B1-6) Enlarged view of the ipsilateral hippocampus. Dashed lines denote the hippocampal fissure. Open arrows mark the GCD. (C–D, E–F) Direct comparison between T2 images and NeuN (turquoise) and Iba-1 (magenta) double-stained sections. Upper and lower panels show the septal and temporal regions of the hippocampus, respectively. Arrows indicate the transition from the dispersed to the non-dispersed GCL. (D1-3, F1-3) High-magnification confocal images corresponding to photomicrographs in D and F display the loss of neurons and accompanied microglial scarring in the CA1 region and the hilus. Principal neurons in the GCL remain intact but are highly dispersed. H, hilus; gcl, granule cell layer. Scale bars: A, 2 mm; B,E,F, 200 µm; F3, 20 µm. (G, I) Quantitative analysis of T2 changes in CA1 and the DG during epileptogenesis plotted for individual animals (left panel: controls, black, n = 5; kainate-injected mice, color-coded), and (right panel) statistically tested for the epileptic (dark grey) and non-epileptic group (light grey). Source data is provided in ‘Figure 2—source data 1'. Two-way ANOVA; Bonferroni’s post-test; *p<0.05, ***p<0.001, nnon-epi = 6, nepi = 7. Values are presented as the mean ± SEM. (H, J) Corresponding linear regression analysis of T2 intensity at distinct time points during epileptogenesis (color-coded) with region-specific histopathological changes in epileptic and non-epileptic mice (n = 13; Pearson’s correlation; corrected for multiple testing; *p<0.05, **p<0.01, ***p<0.001).
T2-weighted imaging revealed a biphasic rise in hippocampal T2 intensity, characterized by a transient increase at day 1, followed by a drop to baseline at day 4 and a subsequent increase at 8 days after SE (Figure 2A,B). The early increase of T2 intensity was observed in the dentate gyrus (DG) (Figure 2I; 1d: 10.6%) and the CA1 region (Figure 2G; 1d: 26.9%; both p<0.001), whereas in the late phase it was restricted to the DG (8d: 7.8%; 31d: 7.9%, both p<0.05). Accordingly, in chronically epileptic mice both regions showed distinct histopathological changes. Extensive death of CA1 pyramidal cells was associated with dense microglial scarring (Figure 2F,F1). Moreover, hilar interneurons (Figure 2F,F3) were also lost. Dentate granule cells, however, remained intact but dispersed broadly (Figure 2F2). Importantly, 1 day following SE, T2 intensity in the CA1 region significantly correlated with cell death-associated microgliosis (Figure 2H; r² = 0.88, p<0.001). Similarly, in the DG both early (at 1 day) and subsequent T2 hyperintensities (at 8–31 days) were related to the later degree of GCD (Figure 2J). No significant change of T2 intensity was found in the piriform cortex or the amygdala (Figure 2—figure supplement 1).
The dynamics of neurodegeneration during epileptogenesis were further characterized by 1H-MR spectroscopy (Figure 3). N-acetyl aspartate (NAA), serving as a surrogate marker for neurons, and the neurotransmitters glutamate and GABA were measured to differentiate between excitatory principal neurons and inhibitory interneurons, respectively. As early as 1 day following SE, the concentrations of NAA (−45.3%), glutamate (−35.1%) and GABA (−39.4%; all p<0.001) decreased substantially (Figure 3C,E,G) which was correlated with the later extent of cell death-associated microgliosis (Figure 3D,F,H; for NAA: r² = 0.89; for glutamate: r² = 0.93; for GABA: r² = 0.77; all p<0.001). In contrast to glutamate, GABA concentrations remained correlated also at day 4 (r² = 0.74; p<0.01), but this disappeared from 8 days onward, which was accompanied by a gradual increase of GABA above control values after 31 days. Conversely, NAA and glutamate concentrations remained low during subsequent epileptogenesis correlating with microgliosis. We also found an early upregulation of lactate and a delayed rise of myoinositol (Figure 3I,K), serving as markers for micro- and astroglial activation, respectively (Nehlig, 2011). However, changes in both metabolites showed weak correlations with chronic histopathological changes (Figure 3J,L).
Early decline of glutamate and GABA predict HS.
(A) Representative horizontal and coronal T2 images illustrating the region-of-interest in the ipsilateral hippocampus (turquoise boxes) for 1H-MR-spectroscopy. N-acetyl aspartate (NAA) served as a marker for neurons. Glutamate (Glu) and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) allowed to estimate the loss of excitatory and inhibitory neurons, respectively. Lactate (Lac) and myoinositol (Myoi) were used as surrogate markers for microglial and astroglial activation. (B) Representative photomicrographs of NeuN (turquoise, neurons) and Iba-1 (magenta, microglia) double-stained sections from one saline- (control) and two kainate-injected mice exhibiting different degrees of hippocampal sclerosis (NP26, moderate; NP34, strong) for qualitative comparison with the degree of metabolic alterations. Arrow, borders of the GCD; Asterisks, cell loss and microglial scarring in CA1. Scale bar in A, 2 mm; B, 200 µm. (C, E, G, I, K) Quantitative analysis of NAA, Glu, GABA, Lac and Myoi concentrations plotted for individual mice (left panel; controls, black, n = 5; kainate-injected animals color-coded) and groups (right panel; epileptic, dark grey; non-epileptic, light grey) during epileptogenesis. Source data is provided in ‘Figure 3—source data 1'. Two-way ANOVA; Bonferroni’s post-test; *p<0.05, **p<0.01, ***p<0.001; nnon-epi = 6, nepi = 7. Values are presented as the mean ± SEM. (D, F, H, J, L) Corresponding linear regression analysis of metabolite concentrations at distinct time-points during epileptogenesis (color-coded) with the extent of cell death-associated microgliosis in epileptic and non-epileptic mice (n = 13; Pearson’s correlation, corrected for multiple comparison; *p<0.05, **p<0.01, ***p<0.001).
These results show that the magnitude of initial neurodegeneration following SE, as quantified by MR biomarkers, predicts the severity of HS in the chronic stage of epilepsy.
SE-induced neurodegeneration is known to trigger various cellular responses, including inflammatory processes, synaptic plasticity and migration of surviving neurons and glial cells. To probe our hypothesis that these responses might entail microstructural alterations detectable by MRI, specifically diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI), we first identified the morphological changes of granule cells and radial glia cells, two major cell populations which survive in the sclerotic hippocampus (Figure 4). We used transgenic Thy1-eGFP mice, in which a subset of dentate granule cells is intrinsically labeled by eGFP, to investigate their dendritic and axonal morphology as well as the progression of GCD. Accordingly, quantitative analysis revealed a continuous increase of the GCL width at day 7, reaching significance at 14 and 21 days after SE when compared to controls (Figure 4A,B; control: 67.8 ± 2.5 µm; 14d: 132.6 ± 13.8 µm; 21d: 168.6 ± 9.9 µm, both p<0.001). This increase was accompanied by a strong disorganization of their distal dendrites in the molecular layer, whereas proximal dendritic segments residing within the GCL became longer and appeared more organized, possibly due to traction forces mediated by GCD. Furthermore, proximal dendrites significantly thickened as early as day 7 (control: 1.54 ± 0.04 µm, 7d: 1.86 ± 0.12 µm, p<0.05), while proximal axons increased in volume only during later stages of epileptogenesis at 14 and 21 days after SE (Figure 4C,D; control: 0.70 ± 0.02, 14d: 1.15 ± 0.08 µm; 21d: 1.63 ± 0.09 µm, both p<0.001).
Microstructural alterations in the DG during epileptogenesis.
(A1-6 and C1-6) Representative confocal images show changes in the cytoarchitecture of the DG (double-headed arrows denote the dispersion of the GCL) and morphological features of individual eGFP-labeled granule cells, respectively (left panel: Overview; upper and lower right: High-magnification of granule cell dendrites or somata, respectively; red arrowheads, axon initial segments; red arrows, stem dendrites; red open arrows, dendritic swellings; red asterisks, degenerating granule cells. (B) Quantification of the GCL width (ncntrl = 7, n1d = 3, n4d = 5, n7d = 6, n14d = 3, n21d = 6) and (D) the diameter of initial axons and stem dendrites (ncntrl = 5, n1d = 3, n4d = 5, n7d = 4, n14d = 3, n21d = 5). (E1-6) Representative confocal z-plane images of ZnT-3 staining in the DG to determine the dynamics of mossy fiber sprouting (red arrows; ncntrl = 8, n1d = 4, n4d = 5, n7d = 5, n14d = 5, n21d = 9). Locations of granule cell somata are spared (dotted outlines). (F) Quantitative analysis of ZnT-3 optical density. (G1-6) Representative confocal images of GFAP-stained sections (upper panel) and corresponding 3D-reconstruction in the GCL (lower panel). h, hilus; gcl, granule cell layer; ml, molecular layer; slm, stratum lacunosum moleculare. (H–I) Quantitative analysis of the mean and total volume of GFAP-stained processes from radial glia cells in the GCL (ncntrl = 5, n1d = 4, n4d = 5, n7d = 4, n14d = 4, n21d = 5). All statistics were performed with one-way ANOVA, Dunnett’s post-test (compared to saline controls); *p<0.05, **p<0.01, ***p<0.001. (J, K) Representative sections stained for DAPI (turquoise) and GFAP (magenta) in controls and chronic epileptic mice (21d following kainate injection), respectively. Dashed lines denote the borders of the GCL. (L) Quantitative analysis for the optical density of GFAP in individual sections from three controls and in sections from three kainate-injected mice exhibiting weak and strong GCD (one-way ANOVA, Dunnett’s post-test; *p<0.05, **p<0.01, ***p<0.001; number of sections, ncntrl = 51, nw-GCD = 6, ns-GCD = 14). (M) Corresponding linear regression analysis for the integrated GFAP optical density and (I) the area of the GCL (Pearson’s correlation). Scale bars in A, 50 µm; in C (left), 100 µm; in C (right), 10 µm; in E (left), 100 µm; in E (right), 10 µm; in G, 30 µm; in K, 200 µm.
Next, we determined the time course of axonal rearrangement within the GCL, by analyzing the optical density of ZnT3-labeled mossy fibers. A few ZnT-3-labeled profiles were already evident at days 4 and 7 in the subgranular region, but a significant increase of ZnT-3 was only detected at 14 and 21 days after SE (Figure 4E,F; control: 4.02 ± 0.50, 14d: 11.64 ± 2.39, p>0.05; 21d: 14.57 ± 2.11, p<0.001). Although sprouting of mossy fiber collaterals is impressive, it is important to note that these axons are not uniformly aligned, limiting their detectability by DWI.
In contrast, processes of radial glia cells are known to radially transverse the GCL in a highly organized fashion (Heinrich et al., 2006). Accordingly, we reconstructed GFAP-labeled radial glia processes in three-dimensional space to perform quantitative morphometry. Interestingly, the mean volume of radial glia processes significantly increased as early as 4 days after SE (Figure 4G,H,I; control: 6.47 ± 1.15 µm³, 4d: 19.09 ± 0.55 µm³, p<0.001). Compared to controls this increase was further augmented at later time points during epileptogenesis (7d: 20.59 ± 1.37; 14d: 29.26 ± 4.03; 21d: 28.75 ± 2.59, all p<0.001). Moreover, the optical density of GFAP was correlated with the size of the GCL in chronically epileptic mice (Figure 4M; r² = 0.89, p<0.0001), showing that radial gliosis is tightly associated with GCD.
Taken together, our results demonstrate that during epileptogenesis distinct microstructural alterations emerge at different time points within the DG: Radial gliosis starts early after SE, whereas neuronal hypertrophy, dendritic displacement and synaptogenesis accompany GCD at later stages.
Next, we monitored the dynamics of microstructural alterations in vivo using DWI, in order to test whether they could predict the later extent of histopathological changes (Figure 5).
Microstructural reorganization quantified by DWI during epileptogenesis predicts disease progression.
(A1-6) Representative coronal sections from diffusion-weighted tractography at different time points during epileptogenesis (before injection = pre; 1d, 4d, 7d, 14d and 31d following SE). (B1-6) Enlarged images of the ipsilateral hippocampus at different levels along the rostro-caudal axis. The orientation of computed streamlines is color-coded [dorsoventral (DV), turquoise; mediolateral (ML), red; rostrocaudal (RC), blue]. (C–D) Representative tractography image and a Nissl-stained section (modified from Paxinos and Franklin, The Mouse Brain in Stereotaxic Coordinates, 2001) of corresponding brain regions for anatomical comparison. Computed fibers relate to major axonal pathways and brain regions exhibiting highly oriented dendrites (cc, corpus callosum; cp, cerebral peduncle; Cx, cortex; Dlg, dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus; ec, external capsule; eml, external medullary lamina; Hc, hippocampus; HyTh, hypothalamus; ic, internal capsule; ml, medial lemniscus; opt, optic nerve; Th, thalamus). (E, G) Enlarged tractography images demonstrating the distinct orientation of streamlines in different hippocampal layer (dashed lines; cc, corpus callosum; so, stratum oriens; py, pyramidal layer; sr, stratum radiatum; slm, stratum lacunosum moleculare; ml, molecular layer; gcl, granule cell layer; asterisks denote the region of pyramidal cell loss). (F, H) Corresponding DAPI-stained sections. Scale bars in A, 2 mm; B-D, 500 µm; H (left), 100 µm. (I, K, M, O) Quantitative analysis of DWI metrics [mean- (MD), radial (RD), axial diffusivity (AD) and fractional anisotropy (FA)] in the DG, plotted for individual mice (left panel; controls, black, n = 5; kainate-injected animals color-coded) and for groups (right panel; epileptic, dark grey; non-epileptic, light grey) during epileptogenesis. Source data is provided in ‘Figure 5—source data 1'. Two-way ANOVA, Bonferroni’s post-test, **p<0.01; ***p<0.001; nnon-epi = 6, nepi = 7. Values are presented as the mean ± SEM. (J, L, N, P) Corresponding linear regression analysis of DWI metrics at distinct time points during epileptogenesis with the total GCL volume in epileptic and non-epileptic mice (n = 13; Pearson’s correlation, corrected for multiple comparison; *p<0.05, **p<0.01, ***p<0.001). Refer to ‘Figure 5—figure supplement 1' for DWI metrics acquired in CA1.
In fact, DWI reflected the extensive changes of hippocampal microstructure during epileptogenesis (Figure 5A,B), characterized by a robust increase of dorsoventrally-oriented streamlines in the GCL and a decrease in the stratum radiatum of CA1 (Figure 5E,G). Correspondingly, fractional anisotropy (as a measure of tissue organization) was increased in the DG during late epileptogenesis (Figure 5O; 16d: 19.9%, p<0.05; 31d: 28.1%, p<0.001), but exhibited an early and transient decrease in the CA1 region (Figure 5—figure supplement 1G; 1d: −17.8%, p<0.05). Direct histological analysis suggested that these changes indeed correspond to GCD and the loss of CA1 pyramidal cell dendrites, respectively (Figure 5F,H). Detailed quantitative analysis revealed that all DWI metrics (mean diffusivity, MD; axial diffusivity, AD; radial diffusivity, RD; fractional anisotropy, FA) progressively increased in the DG and exhibited similar dynamics during epileptogenesis (Figure 5I,K,M,O). Particularly, the rise of AD during intermediate disease progression showed the most reliable correlation with chronic histopathological changes: AD significantly increased as early as 8 days after SE in epileptic mice (Figure 5M; 8d: 10.6%, p<0.01; 16d: 19.9%; 31d: 18.0%, both p<0.001) and was correlated with the volume of the GCL (Figure 5N; 8d: r² = 0.68, p<0.01; 16d: r² = 0.84, p<0.001; 31d: r² = 0.66, p<0.01), suggesting that AD is sensitive to microstructural alterations associated with GCD. No significant diffusivity changes were found in the piriform cortex or the amygdala (Figure 5—figure supplement 2).
Given that radial glia cells appear to enlarge and proliferate, concomitantly with the progression of GCD (Figure 5G–M), it is conceivable that dorsoventrally-directed radial gliosis might represent an early anatomical substrate affecting the DWI metrics, in particular diffusivity along the dorsoventral axis (dvD) in the DG (Figure 6). Indeed, dvD increased continuously reaching significance at day 8 (Figure 6F; 8d: 22.7%; 16d: 26.6%; 31d: 21.7%, all p<0.001) similar to the rise in AD. Importantly, from 4 days onward the magnitude of dvD as well as its calculated volume was highly correlated with the later GCL volume (Figure 6G) and the integrated density of GFAP labeling in the GCL (Figure 6J; 4d: r² = 0.61, p<0.01; 8d: r² = 0.85; 16d: r² = 0.87; 31d: r² = 0.81; all p<0.001). This suggests that radial gliosis largely affects early diffusivity changes. However, mossy fiber sprouting and reorganization of granule cells (Figure 4A–F) likely contribute to changes of DWI metrics observed during further disease progression.
Radial gliosis contributes to DWI metrics.
(A, C) Representative DWI tractography maps of control and epileptic mice. Dashed lines, borders of the hippocampal layers; cc, corpus callosum; so, stratum oriens; py, pyramidal layer; sr, stratum radiatum; slm, stratum lacunosum moleculare; ml, molecular layer; gcl, granule cell layer. Scale bar, 100 µm. (B, D) High-magnification confocal images of GFAP staining in the region-of-interest corresponding to A and C (indicated as white boxes). Scale bar, 30 µm. (E, H) Quantitative analysis of dorsoventral diffusivity (dvD) in the DG and the calculated volume of increased dvD, respectively, plotted for individual mice (color-coded). (F) Groups analysis of dvD for epileptic (dark grey) and non-epileptic (light grey) during epileptogenesis. Source data is provided in ‘Figure 6—source data 1'. Two-way ANOVA, Bonferroni’s post-test, **p<0.01; ***p<0.001; nnon-epi = 6, nepi = 7. Values are presented as the mean ± SEM. (I) Quantitative analysis of GFAP optical density plotted for controls (black, n = 5) and individual kainate-injected mice (color-coded). One-way ANOVA, Bonferroni’s post-test, **p<0.01; ***p<0.001, number of sections, ncntr l= 40 (8 sections from five controls each), nNP10 = 8, nNP11 = 8, nNP14 = 8, nNP25 = 8, nNP26 = 8, nNP27 = 8, nNP31 = 8, nNP34 = 8. (G, J) Linear regression analysis of dvD and the calculated dvD volume at distinct time points during epileptogenesis with the total GCL volume and the integrated density of GFAP staining, respectively, in epileptic and non-epileptic mice (n = 13; Pearson’s correlation, corrected for multiple comparison; *p<0.05, **p<0.01, ***p<0.001).
In summary, our results show that during epileptogenesis microstructural reorganization in the DG identifies disease progression and predicts the later severity of GCD associated with HS.
Next, we investigated the potential translational value of the observed microstructural changes as an imaging biomarker in humans based on ex vivo DWI scans and subsequent histology on resected hippocampi from seven patients with intractable mTLE (Figure 7). Quantitative DWI evaluation, however, was only feasible in five hippocampi due to limited tissue integrity and slice thickness.
Validation of DWI biomarkers in human mTLE.
(A1–C1) T2-weighted images of sclerotic human hippocampi from mTLE patients scanned ex vivo. (A2–C2) Corresponding FA maps (color-coded for orientation: dorsoventral, turquoise; mediolateral, red; rostrocaudal: blue). Mean diffusivity (MD) and fractional anisotropy (FA) values for CA1 and DG are denoted in the lower-left, respectively. (A3–C3) Representative NeuN staining of scanned sections. Different Wyler grades according to the severity of neuronal loss (W I: mild, W III: moderate; W IV: strong). Scale bars, 3 mm; inset, 200 µm. (D–E) Representative confocal images of hippocampal sections (Wyler I and IV) double immunolabeled for NeuN (turquoise, neurons) and GFAP (magenta, astrocytes and radial glia cells) or (F–G) NeuN and Synaptoporin (magenta, mossy fiber synapses), respectively, revealing differences in the microstructure of the human DG between Wyler grades. (D1–E1, F1–G1) GFAP and Synaptoporin staining alone. (D2–E2, F1–G2) NeuN staining displayed together with reconstructed radial glia processes and mossy fiber boutons within the GCL, respectively. (H–I, J–K) Quantitative analysis for MD and FA in CA1 and in the DG, respectively (nWI = 2, nWIII = 2, nWIV = 1; no statistical test performed). Refer to ‘Figure 7—figure supplement 1' for MRI metrics acquired lower scanning resolution. (L) Quantitative analysis for the mean volume of GFAP-labeled radial glia processes as well as (M) Synaptoporin-labeled mossy fiber synapses, (N) and for GFAP optical density as well as (O) the density of Synaptoporin-labeled profiles within the GCL (nWI = 3, nWIII = 2, nWIV = 2; no statistical test performed). (P, Q) Correlation of FA values with the GFAP optical density and the density of Synaptoporin-labeled profiles, respectively (nWI = 2, nWIII = 2, nWIV = 1; Pearson’s correlation).
Similar to our results obtained in mice, human epileptic hippocampi with strong HS (i.e. Wyler grade III or IV) exhibited elevated MD and FA values in the DG, while FA was reduced in the CA1 region (Figure 7H–K). These changes could still be detected at lower spatial resolutions achievable in a clinical setting (Figure 7—figure supplement 1). Moreover, quantitative morphometry revealed that the density and volume of GFAP-labeled radial glia cell processes also increased with the Wyler grade (Figure 7L,N) demonstrating that radial gliosis accompanies HS also in humans. Conversely, only the volume but not the density of Synaptoporin-labeled mossy fiber boutons appear to increase with the Wyler grade (Figure 7M,O). Importantly, FA values in the GCL were positively correlated with the density of radial glia processes (Figure 7P; r² = 0.78, p<0.05), suggesting that DWI biomarkers sensitive to microstructural changes in the DG are applicable in intractable mTLE in humans.
In our MRI dataset several biomarkers were inter-correlated (Figure 8A), presumably because they originate from similar physiological processes and/or are mathematically dependent. In order to clarify which biomarkers are interchangeable, and which are more suitable to predict the severity of histopathological changes, we performed a principal component analysis (PCA). Mapping principal components (PCs) of the biomarker dataset onto histopathological changes associated with HS, we found a strong linear relationship between PC1 and GCD (r2 = 0.86, p<0.01), microgliosis (r2 = 0.68, p<0.05) and a trend for radial gliosis (Figure 8B–D). Higher order PCs were not significantly correlated with histopathology. Control animals formed a well separated group on the PC1-axis, indicating that PC1 is not only suitable to predict the histopathological changes in the epileptic group, but also to distinguish epileptic from healthy animals. The first two PCs accounted for 58% of the variation (PC1, 38%; PC2, 20%). To estimate how much information the individual markers share with the first two PCs, we correlated each biomarker with PC1 and PC2 and identified four distinct clusters (Figure 8E). The largest cluster was especially interesting due to its strong correlation with PC1 (r2 = 0.73, black variables). In fact, a subset of biomarkers of this cluster was remarkably close to PC1 = 1, comprising early changes (T2 in CA1 and 1H-MR for NAA, glutamate and GABA), but also intermediate changes (DWI metrics) during epileptogenesis. Early alterations in diffusivity grouped into a separate cluster (white variables) and were represented almost exclusively by PC2. Conversely, changes in myoinositol, early and late lactate or FA, and intermediate GABA (light grey variables) were represented by PC1 (negative correlation) and PC2 (positive correlation). Similarly, intermediate NAA, glutamate and FA as well as early-to-intermediate changes of T2 intensity in the DG were correlated with PC1 and PC2 (dark grey variables; positive correlation with both PCs).
PCA-based evaluation of MRI biomarkers.
(A) Correlation matrix of imaging parameters used for PCA. Only data of kainate-injected mice was analyzed. Positive and negative correlation coefficients are color-coded in red and blue, respectively. (B) Pearson’s correlation analysis of PC1 scores and total GCL volume, (C) extent of microgliosis and (D) radial gliosis (i.e optical density of GFAP in the GCL) in epileptic mice (color-coded, n = 7). Controls (grey, n = 5) are plotted but not included in the analysis. (E) Correlation plot showing the similarity of individual MRI variables with PC1 and 2. Clusters of variables, indicated as numbers, are grey scale-coded. Arrows denote the population vector of the corresponding cluster. Coefficients are indicated as circles (small = 0.5; large = 1.0).
Finally, we tested whether our PCA-validated MRI biomarkers also relate to the seizure burden in chronic stages of mTLE. Therefore, we identified seizure-like episodes (Figure 9A; spike-and-wave trains >10s) in intra-hippocampal EEG recordings of epileptic mice (n = 6) using an automated algorithm. Across animals we found a considerable variability with respect to their individual seizure frequency (Figure 9B; NP11 = 0.73 ± 0.09; NP14 = 0.47 ± 0.11; NP25 = 0.30 ± 0.05; NP27 = 0.73 ± 0.01; NP31 = 0.64 ± 0.10; NP34 = 0.45 ± 0.04 seizure-like episodes / min). Correlating the seizure frequency with PC1 revealed an inverse relationship between both parameters (Figure 9; r² = 0.94, p<0.01), suggesting that our identified biomarkers are also predictive for the seizure severity in chronically epileptic mice.
PCA-verified biomarkers predict the seizure severity.
(A) Representative EEG recordings from the ipsilateral hippocampus showing three examples of identified seizure-like episodes. Scale bars: Horizontal 5 s, vertical 2 mV. (B) Quantitative analysis of seizure-like episodes for individual epileptic mice (color-coded; note that EEG data is lacking for NP26). One-way ANOVA, Bonferroni’s post-test, *p<0.05, **p<0.01, number of recordings: nNP27 = 5, nNP11 = 7, nNP31 = 5, nNP14 = 4, nNP34 = 5, nNP25 = 7. Values are presented as the mean ± SEM. (C) Pearson’s correlation analysis of PC1 scores and the frequency of seizure-like episodes (n = 6).
In summary, our PCA results corroborate the idea that T2-weighted imaging and 1H-MR spectroscopy are useful tools for early prognosis (1–4 days after the precipitating insult) of later epilepsy severity, whereas DWI is informative at subsequent stages of disease development.
The present study provides a comprehensive, time-resolved analysis of MRI biomarkers for pharmacoresistant mTLE. The identification of biomarkers and their prognostic value was based on the variable severity of histopathological and pathophysiological changes among intrahippocampally kainate-injected mice. Importantly, this well-regarded mTLE model replicates all the major pathological hallmarks of the human disease (Bouilleret et al., 1999; Lévesque and Avoli, 2013), comprising SE-induced acute unilateral hippocampal cell loss, progression of HS and network reorganization, as well as the emergence of spontaneous recurrent seizures in the chronic epileptic stage. Although the initial epileptogenic insult triggering mTLE in humans is apparently different (Lukasiuk and Becker, 2014), HS is the common pathology in both human mTLE and animal models (Wieser and ILAE Commission on Neurosurgery of Epilepsy, 2004; Thom, 2014), and is thought to be critically involved in seizure generation (Pallud et al., 2011; Krook-Magnuson et al., 2015; Walker, 2015). Similar to the human pathology, we found inter-individual differences in the disease severity of epileptic mice, determined by the degree of pyramidal cell death-associated microgliosis and GCD, as well as the frequency of paroxysmal episodes in chronic epilepsy. In a parallel set of experiments we also show that these seizure-like events typically occur in a highly recurrent fashion around the second week after SE, which is in line with previous observations in the same model (Riban et al., 2002; Arabadzisz et al., 2005; Heinrich et al., 2011). Thus, we consider the emergence of recurrent paroxysmal episodes at around two weeks after SE as the onset of the chronic phase. Remarkably, during the first two weeks – typically considered as the latent phase - the dynamics of DWI metrics in the hippocampus, its histopathological reorganization and the development of epileptic activity appeared similar. We would like to emphasize, however, that it was unfeasible to directly relate MRI changes to the progression of epileptic activity, since chronically implanted electrodes would have massively interfered with MRI measurements.
Probing our hypothesis that initial SE-induced hippocampal damage might predict later histopathological severity, we performed longitudinal high-resolution T2-weighted imaging and 1H-MR spectroscopy at 7T using a mouse brain adapted cryo-coil. We found an acute and transient increase of hippocampal T2 intensity. Accordingly, previous studies have shown that pyramidal cells and hilar neurons are massively lost 1 day following SE (Heinrich et al., 2006; Marx et al., 2013), demonstrating the spatial and temporal specificity of the observed T2 hyperintensity with respect to cell death. In line with our interpretation, increased T2 intensity is thought to represent acute cell loss, subsequent edema, and gliosis (Jackson et al., 1993; Wall et al., 2000). An acute rise of hippocampal T2 intensity had already been demonstrated at 4.7T by Bouilleret et al. (2000) following intrahippocampal kainate application, however, the authors did not assess their prognostic value with respect to disease severity. Our present analysis reveals that this signal increase predicts the degree of later HS. Similarly, early T2 changes were also found in the hippocampus of pilocarpine-injected rats predicting its volume reduction in chronic stages of epilepsy (Choy et al., 2010). In contrast, pilocarpine-injected mice exhibited increased hippocampal T2 values after the first week of epileptogenesis, indicating that the extent and time course of SE-induced hippocampal damage also depends on the disease model (Kharatishvili et al., 2014). Beyond animal studies, transient T2 hyperintensity was reported in children 3 or 5 days after experiencing prolonged febrile seizures (Scott et al., 2002, 2003; Shinnar et al., 2012). Importantly, this rise of T2 intensity predicted the emergence of HS in longitudinal studies, but its relation to epilepsy onset is yet unclear (Provenzale et al., 2008; Lewis et al., 2014).
Given that T2 hyperintensity is not inevitably linked to cell loss (Dubé et al., 2004; Thom et al., 2005), 1H-MR spectroscopy represents a practical complementary method to monitor tissue damage. Reduced NAA levels can successfully identify the sclerotic hippocampus in both human epilepsy patients (Ng et al., 1994; Hetherington et al., 2002) and animal models (Tokumitsu et al., 1997; Gomes et al., 2007; Filibian et al., 2012), which is in line with our results showing an early and long-lasting decrease of NAA in the epileptogenic hippocampus. Moreover, we show that, as early as 1 day following SE, reduced NAA correlated with the extent of cell loss-associated microgliosis. In addition, we quantified alterations in the concentration of the major neurotransmitters synthesized in excitatory principal cells (glutamate) and inhibitory interneurons (GABA). Both neuron populations are known to be substantially diminished in the sclerotic hippocampus (Marx et al., 2013; Thom, 2014). Consistent with these findings, we found that glutamate and GABA rapidly decrease following SE. However, one has to bear in mind that during and early after SE dramatic changes occur in the hippocampus, including cerebral edema and compensatory changes that affect 1H-MR metrics at early time points after injury. Similar to NAA, the early decrease of glutamate levels was long-lasting and predicted the degree of HS. Conversely, GABA levels increased again at 8 days onwards. Taking into account that hippocampal neurodegeneration is thought to be progressive in rodent mTLE (Pitkänen et al., 2002; Nairismägi et al., 2004); and own unpublished observations and in human patients (Kälviäinen et al., 1998; Briellmann et al., 2002a), both long-lasting glutamate decline as well as the restoration of GABA levels following SE appear counterintuitive. We hypothesize that during epileptogenesis the sprouting of glutamate and GABA-producing mossy fibers (own unpublished observations) likely obscures ongoing neurodegeneration on the molecular level.
Accordingly, microstructural reorganization subsequent to hippocampal cell loss was monitored by DWI determining the speed and orientation of water diffusion along biological membranes (Mori and Zhang, 2006) for example of axonal fibers (Harsan et al., 2010, 2013). In the epileptic hippocampus of several rodent epilepsy models DWI successfully identified changes of water diffusion, which is discussed to primarily relate to mossy fiber sprouting and reorganization of myelinated axons (Kharatishvili et al., 2007; Kuo et al., 2008; Laitinen et al., 2010; Sierra et al., 2015a, 2015b; Salo et al., 2017). However, it is important to note that the above mentioned epilepsy models do not fully reflect the histopathological hallmarks of pharmacoresistant mTLE (i.e., unilateral HS including GCD) complicating a translation to the human disease. Using the intrahippocampal kainate mouse model we demonstrate that the degree of HS-associated microstructural alterations can be predicted by the progressive increase of diffusivity in the DG as early as 4 days following SE. Similar results were obtained in epileptic rodents, either after traumatic brain injury or after systemic pilocarpine injection (Kharatishvili et al., 2007, 2014), suggesting that DWI biomarkers identified in our study are robust among different models. In rats undergoing traumatic brain injury the increase of hippocampal mean diffusion spans approximately three months (Kharatishvili et al., 2007), indicating a longer duration of disease progression in this model. Conversely using pilocarpine-injected mice, Kharatishvili et al. (2014) showed that the apparent diffusion coefficient in the hippocampus increased within the first week following SE, predicting the spiking frequency, however, the relation to seizure frequency remained unclear. Moreover, several studies using systemic epilepsy models also revealed T2 or diffusivity changes in the piriform cortex or the amygdala (Roch et al., 2002; Choy et al., 2010, 2014; Kharatishvili et al., 2014), suggesting that in these animal models both, the hippocampus as well as extrahippocampal brain regions sensitive to excitotoxic injury are affected. We did not observe these changes, highlighting the key role of the lesioned hippocampus in driving epileptogenesis in the intrahippocampal kainate mouse model. As discussed by Gomes and Shinnar (2011), an attractive biomarker should ideally infer the progression of epileptogenesis and not only its presence. Indeed, DWI changes in the DG steadily progressed over the first 2 weeks of epileptogenesis, resembling the aggravation of epileptiform activity during this period (Heinrich et al., 2011). Importantly, the fact that early MRI biomarkers are strongly correlated to later biomarkers makes epileptogenesis as a whole predictable. Early changes (i.e. cell death identified by T2 and 1H-MR) might scale more or less linearly to the later disease development (i.e., microstructural reorganization monitored by DWI), however, it remains to be determined whether different MRI dynamics might also reflect different times of seizure onset. Given this interconnectivity of MRI biomarkers, our PCA results validate early changes in T2, 1H-MR and subsequent changes in DWI metrics as highly prognostic for both, later HS severity and seizure frequency. Interestingly, PC1 is positively correlated with histopathological changes associated with HS, but negatively with seizure frequency. This data indicates that more severe early hippocampal injury and subsequent tissue reorganization lead to the development of stronger HS and lower seizure burden, compared to a milder, but still epileptogenic insult. We hypothesize that hippocampal damage needs to exceed a certain threshold until epilepsy develops, whereas further cell loss might attenuate epilepsy severity because fewer neurons are able to participate in seizure generation.
Investigating the anatomical correlates of DWI changes further, our in-depth morphological analysis clearly suggests that the early (4 to 8 days) rise of DWI values is largely driven by radial gliosis, whereas in later stages (8 days onward) neuronal hypertrophy, mossy fiber sprouting and translocation of granule cell dendrites might also contribute. Our results are in line with Budde et al. (2011) and Salo et al. (2017) showing that FA increases with glial scarring in the perilesional cortex following cerebral trauma or the CA3 region following SE, respectively. The notion that changes in DWI metrics are influenced by gliosis is further supported by our observation that DWI changes in the DG were accompanied by T2 hyperintensity, known to correlate best with the number of local glia cells (Briellmann et al., 2002b). Conversely, in systemic epilepsy models reorganization of myelinated fibers in the molecular layer, but not of local astrocytes, appear to effectively drive DWI changes in the DG, particularly with respect to FA and AD (Salo et al., 2017). Considering that in these models GCD is not present, we conclude that the region-specific orientation of glial cells in the DG and their reorganization during GCD formation is critical to affect DWI metrics. Accordingly, as a prerequisite for radial glia cells to affect diffusion anisotropy, they traverse the GCL perpendicularly and respond quickly to epileptiform activity with hypertrophy, branching and proliferation (Heinrich et al., 2006; Sierra et al., 2015c). In turn, we show that processes of these glia cells are still dorsoventrally organized in the dispersed septal DG, thus contributing to the observed increase in dvD, AD and FA. Indeed, we demonstrated that FA in the DG of human mTLE patients relate to the increase of radial gliosis at higher Wyler grades. Our finding is supported by previous studies revealing that the radial glia processes traverse the GCL and are correlated with the extent of GCD and HS in patients (Fahrner et al., 2007). Moreover, our analysis demonstrated that MD and FA are inferior to AD and dvD regarding their ability to predict HS-associated microstructural reorganization in the DG. Previous animal studies attributed increased diffusivity and anisotropy to mossy fiber sprouting (Kharatishvili et al., 2007; Parekh et al., 2010) and reorganization of myelinated fibers (Laitinen et al., 2010), but in these studies histological validation was performed only in the chronic stage of epilepsy. Our histological analysis expands this view revealing that significant mossy fiber sprouting is restricted to the later stages of epileptogenesis (around 14 days onward), which is consistent with previous observations for the CA2 region (Häussler et al., 2016). Although it is well conceivable that mossy fiber sprouting alters DWI metrics during this period, earlier changes (4 to 14 days) particularly of AD and dvD likely correspond to radial gliosis.
In vivo DWI studies performed in human mTLE consistently reported an increase of MD, but a decrease of FA in the sclerotic hippocampus (Thivard et al., 2005; Salmenpera et al., 2006; Liacu et al., 2010) which can be explained by the expansion of the extracellular space secondary to cell death and the subsequent loss of tissue organization. However, these studies addressed diffusivity changes in the whole hippocampus, disregarding the differential effects of neuronal reorganization in hippocampal subfields (Janz et al., 2017). Consistent with this notion, we found an opposing trend of FA values for the CA1 region and the DG in resected hippocampi from mTLE patients with high Wyler grades. Similarly, in epileptic mice we encountered an initial decrease of FA in the CA1 stratum radiatum, but an increase in the GCL, clearly demonstrating the importance of hippocampal subfield imaging with respect to DWI biomarkers. However, one has to bear in mind the high spatial resolution used to detect these subfield-specific changes. Our DWI protocol employed a planar resolution of 60 × 60 µm² to image the mouse hippocampus spanning a cross-sectional area of about 2.5 × 1.5 mm². In contrast to our setup optimized for the mouse brain, a clinical setup might reach 800 µm isotropic resolution in a 1 hr scan using state-of-the-art imaging sequences at 7T (Heidemann et al., 2012). Considering the much larger cross-sectional area of the human hippocampus (about 8 × 8 mm²), it should become feasible to retrieve accurate DWI metrics from hippocampal subfields in a clinical setting. Indeed, degeneration of the perforant path in aging humans has already been shown at 3T (Yassa et al., 2010). Moreover, imaging of subfield-specific pathology in human TLE was successfully performed at 3T and at 7T at planar resolutions of 1000 × 1000 µm² and 500 × 500 µm², respectively (Goubran et al., 2016). These technical advances provide the foundation for the application of our imaging biomarkers in a clinical setting with the ultimate goal to identify and even prevent epileptogenesis before seizure onset. In this context, longitudinal MRI experiments similar to the FEBSTAT study (Lewis et al., 2014) will be essential, to determine the dynamics of hippocampal alterations in humans who just suffered from prolonged seizures (e.g., due to SE, head trauma, febrile seizures or encephalitis). These studies would require repeated MRI measurements over many years, starting with short intervals early after the initial precipitating injury and lasting until the first clinical seizures arise (Figure 9—figure supplement 1). MR measurements would need to rely on multiple imaging modalities to integrate the most promising MRI biomarkers evaluated in the present study (i.e., T2 hyperintensity in CA1, changes in hippocampal NAA, glutamate and GABA levels and AD, dvD and FA increase in the DG). We propose that the quantitative relationship between these biomarkers will be highly informative for the course of epileptogenesis and may allow a prognosis for subsequent disease progression and early pharmacological intervention.
Experiments were performed on adult (9–12 weeks) male C57Bl/6N wildtype (Charles River, Sulzfeld, GER) or transgenic Thy1-eGFP mice in which eGFP is expressed under the control of the Thy1 promoter (RRID:IMSR_JAX:007788, M-line, C57BL/6 background; Feng et al., 2000). Each animal represents an individual experiment, performed once. A total of 13 wildtype and 25 transgenic mice were used for longitudinal MRI experiments and complementary histological investigation at individual time points, respectively. Additionally, 8 Thy1-eGFP mice were used for longitudinal EEG recordings. Mice were kept at room temperature (RT) in a 12 hr light/dark cycle providing food and water ad libitum. All animal procedures were in accordance with the guidelines of the European Community’s Council Directive of 22 September 2010 (2010/63/EU) and were approved by the regional council (Regierungspräsidium Freiburg).
Mice received a single, unilateral kainate injection into the hippocampus as described previously (Heinrich et al., 2006; Häussler et al., 2012). In brief, anesthetized mice (ketamine hydrochloride 100 mg/kg, xylazine 5 mg/kg, atropine 0.1 mg/kg body weight, i.p.) were stereotaxically injected with 50 nL of a 20 mM kainate solution (Tocris, Bristol, UK) in 0.9% saline into the right dorsal hippocampus (coordinates relative to bregma: anterioposterior = −2.0 mm, mediolateral = −1.5 mm, and relative to the cortical surface: dorsoventral = −1.8 mm). Controls were injected with 0.9% saline. After recovery from anesthesia, behavioral SE was verified by observing mild convulsions, chewing or rotations. Four mice, which died between the fourth and sixth day following kainate injection, were excluded from the study.
Seven resected hippocampal specimens from mTLE patients (mean age: 36.8 ± 8.8 years) were used in this study. All patients had experienced pharmacoresistant complex partial seizures and underwent amygdalohippocampectomy to achieve seizure control. Patients were treated according to the Epilepsy Surgery Program of the University Medical Center Freiburg. Informed consent was obtained from all patients. Tissue selection was approved by the Ethics Committee at the University Medical Center Freiburg. Classification of Ammon's horn sclerosis was carried out by a clinical neuropathologist according to Wyler (Hermann et al., 1992): Grade 1, slight (<10%) or no loss of pyramidal cells in the cornu ammonis 1–4 (CA1-4); Grade 2, gliosis and moderate loss (10–20%) of CA1, CA3 and/or CA4 pyramidal cells; Grade 3, gliosis with >50% pyramidal cell loss in CA1, CA3 and CA4, but sparing CA2; Grade 4, gliosis with >50% pyramidal cell loss involving CA1-4.
All MR measurements were performed on a 7T preclinical MRI system equipped with a mouse head adapted 1H transmit-receive CryoProbe (MR system: BioSpec 70/20, software ParaVision 6.0, Bruker, Ettlingen, Germany). For animal handling, a dedicated mouse bed (Bruker) was used that provided a three point-fixation system (tooth-bar and ear-plugs), isoflurane anesthesia and stabilization of the body temperature of the mice. Respiration was measured by a pressure sensor and isoflurane anesthesia (1.5%) was adjusted to keep the respiration rate at 50–60 breaths/min during the scans.
At the beginning of each session, a B0 field map (isotropic resolution 0.3 × 0.3 × 0.3 mm3) was acquired and used to improve the B0 field homogeneity inside the mouse brain (calculation of the local map-based shims), followed by adjustments of the local frequency and reference power (flip angle). This process was repeated a second time to optimize the B0 field inside the brain (linewidth of the whole brain water signal 30–50 Hz). For spectroscopy the B0 field was optimized according to the region-of-interest (line width of the unsuppressed water signal inside the voxel 8–12 Hz).
A RARE sequence was used with the parameters: TR 3 s, TE 50 ms, RARE factor 4, matrix 440 × 256, (interpolated) in-plane resolution 29 × 29 µm², interpolation factor in the read and phase directions 1.4, 22 slices, slice thickness 0.4 mm, NA 6. The acquisition time 828 s was prolonged by respiratory triggering to ≈20 min.
Differences in the distance from the brain to the surface transmit-receive coil induce inhomogeneous acquired signal intensities between scans. To eliminate this effect all images were normalized by equalizing the mean intensity in the ipsilateral thalamus. All acquired images and a labeled mouse brain atlas (Australian Mouse Brain Mapping Consortium AMBMC, University of Queensland, AUS) were registered to one reference data set (Richards et al., 2011) using FLIRT (RRID:SCR_002823, FSL toolbox, FMRIB, Oxford, UK). Subsequently mean signal intensities were quantified in hippocampal subfields using MATLAB (MathWorks, Massachusetts, USA).
1H-MR spectra were acquired from two voxels (2 × 1.4 × 1.4 mm3) located in the septal part of the ipsi- and contralateral hippocampus, respectively. The parameters of the PRESS sequence were: TR 2.5 s, TE 20 ms, acquisition bandwidth 5000 kHz, 2048 points, VAPOR water suppression, working chemical shift offset −2.5 ppm, NA 400, drift and eddy current correction in ParaVision 6.0, acquisition time 1000 s.
The spectra were quantified by LCModel (RRID:SCR_014455, S. Provencher, LCModel Inc., Ontario, CAN) and absolute concentrations were calculated using the unsuppressed water signal as reference. In naive mice, the standard deviations (Cramér-Rao lower bounds) of the relevant compounds were <15% [NAA 3%; glutamate 3%; GABA 8%; myoinositol 4%; lactate 11–14%; full width at half maximum 0.033 ppm and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) 28].
For DWI, a spin-echo EPI sequence was used with the parameters: TR 2.5 s, TE 33 ms, matrix 220 × 128, in-plane resolution 58 × 58 µm2, interpolation factor in the read and phase directions 1.4, 22 slices, slice thickness 0.4 mm, 3 segments, NA 6, 3 non-diffusion-weighted images, 30 diffusion-weighted images, diffusion gradient duration 2.5 ms, separation 14 ms, b = 1000 s/mm2. The acquisition time of 1485 s was prolonged by respiratory triggering to 45–60 min.
Movements during the scan caused by frequency drifts and actual head motion were corrected by registration of the images to the first non-diffusion weighted image using FLIRT (FSL toolbox). Subsequently the diffusion tensor and corresponding DWI parameter maps (MD, AD, RD, dvD and FA) were calculated. In addition, the extent of the diffusion tensor ellipsoid in the DV direction was calculated as measure for the diffusivity in the DV direction. Registration of images to a reference data set and registration of a labeled brain atlas was done as described in the previous section. Additionally, a microstructural streamline model was reconstructed from the measured high angular resolution diffusion data using a tractography method based on a global optimization approach (Reisert et al., 2011). This method globally estimates the optimal structural configuration of connected line segments whose influence on water diffusion best matches the measured MR data.
For ex vivo DWI of human hippocampal tissue, a 3D spin-echo EPI sequence was used with the parameters: TR 4 s, TE 80 ms, 4 segments, matrix 98 × 98×10, isotropic resolution 200 × 200 × 200 µm3, 5 non-diffusion weighted images, 50 diffusion directions, 2 b-values: 1000 and 2000 s/mm2, diffusion gradient duration 30 ms, separation 38 ms, NA 1, acquisition time 4 hr and 40 min. Stronger diffusion weighting was applied because the fixation of the tissue (see below) decreases the diffusivity substantially (Sun et al., 2005; Hui et al., 2008). A longer duration of the diffusion gradients was chosen to achieve gradient conditions that would also be realizable in clinical MRI systems. Visual inspection of the acquired images revealed no frequency drift or motion of the sample during the scan. Accordingly, no motion correction was applied. For quantification of DWI parameters in specific hippocampal subfields, regions-of-interest were manually selected in each sample according to the subfields identified by immunohistochemistry.
Some methodological factors might influence the obtained results. The most relevant aspects concern the quantification of the metabolite spectra and the set of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) acquisition parameters.
There are commonly two different approaches for metabolite quantification, one quantifies metabolite ratios, for example the ratio to total creatine (creatine plus phospho-creatine, CrPCr), and the other quantifies absolute values using water as reference. As SE led to massive cell loss, creatine (and other metabolites) may be altered and not necessarily suitable as a reference. Therefore it was decided to use water for absolute quantification. This may be affected by edema in the tissue, but we found no systematic change of all metabolites that matched the time-course of T2 intensities that could be explained by changes in the water reference. The ratios NAA/CrPCr and glutamate/CrPCr (data not shown) also showed persistent decreases demonstrating that the observed changes were also present independent of the water reference.
In diffusion measurements there is always a tradeoff between desired features – high resolution, strong diffusion weighting (b-value) and many diffusion directions – and the resulting acquisition time and SNR. For in vivo measurements, acquisition time is critical, necessitating some tradeoffs. This study focused on alterations within the hippocampus, in which much finer structures are present in transverse slices than along the longitudinal axis. Thus, we also utilized an anisotropic voxel geometry. Choosing an isotropic voxel geometry with the same in-plane resolution would drastically reduce the SNR while adding comparatively little information. It has even been shown that in DTI an anisotropic analysis, averaging noise along a rather homogeneous direction and reducing partial volume effects, could lead to increased sensitivity of detecting pathology (Van Hecke et al., 2010). For in vivo DTI a b-value of 1000 s/mm2 and 30 diffusion directions is in the optimal range. Although fiber tracking approaches generally benefit from higher b-values und more diffusion directions, higher b-values would have led to low SNR and several studies have validated the results of the applied tractography method using similar acquisition schemes (Harsan et al., 2013; Anastasopoulos et al., 2014; Horn et al., 2014).
For EEG recording after MR measurements (31 days after saline or kainate injection), mice were anesthetized and were stereotaxically implanted with platinum-iridium wire electrodes (Ø 125 µm; World Precision Instruments, Berlin, GER) in both hippocampi. Coordinates relative to bregma: anterioposterior = −2.0 mm, mediolateral = +1.4 and −1.4 mm, and relative to the cortical surface: dorsoventral = −1.6 mm. Two stainless-steel screws implanted above the somatosensory cortex were used as reference and ground. Subsequently, mice were connected to a miniature preamplifier (Multi Channel Systems, Reutlingen, GER). Signals were amplified (1000-fold, bandpass 1 Hz to 5 kHz) and digitized (sampling rate 10 kHz; Power1401 analog-to-digital converter; Spike2 software, RRID:SCR_000903, Cambridge Electronic Design, Cambridge, UK). Mice were recorded at five consecutive days, 2–3 hr each day, to check for epileptiform activity. For longitudinal EEG recordings, eight mice were chronically implanted with platinum-iridium wire electrodes into the ipsilateral hippocampus directly after kainate injection and recorded (same parameters as described above) at 6 hr, 1 d, 3–5 d, 6–7 d, 12–16 d and 17–21 d after injection. Epileptic discharges identified by trains of high-amplitude population spikes (≥5 s; see Figure 1—figure supplement 1E,F) were quantified by two blinded observers using Spike2. The mean of the values obtained by both observers was used for statistical analysis. Each mouse represents the biological and the number of recordings per mouse the technical replicate. Only recordings from electrodes located in the molecular or granule cell layer (verified in DAPI-stained sections) were used for further evaluation.
Prior to analysis, artifacts were removed by visual inspection of the LFP trace. Epileptiform discharges were detected by a custom algorithm that had been validated by a human observer on a different data set (sensitivity: 0.87, false positives/min: 1.9). Detection performance on our data-set was checked for each recording on individual subsets of hits. We regarded trains of epileptiform discharges as ‘seizure-like episodes’ when lasting longer than 10 s.
Mice were anesthetized 36 days after kainate injection and transcardially perfused with 0.9% saline followed by 4% paraformaldehyde in 0.1 M phosphate buffer (PB; pH 7.4) for 5 min. Postfixation was performed in the same fixative overnight at 4°C. Brains were subsequently cut (coronal plane, 50 μm) on a vibratome (VT1000S, Leica, Bensheim, GER). Each mouse represents the biological and the number of brain sections per mouse the technical replicate.
Resected human specimens were first trimmed to blocks of about 5 mm thickness and subsequently immersion-fixed in 4% paraformaldehyde in 0.1 M PB overnight at 4°C, transferred to 30% sucrose at 4°C overnight, shock-frozen and finally stored at −80°C. Prior to ex vivo DWI scans, tissue blocks were thawed in 0.1 M PB at RT. For subsequent histology, tissue blocks were further cut into 100 µm serial sections on a VT1000S vibratome (Leica). Each resected hippocampus represents one biological and the number of sections per hippocampus the technical replicate.
For immunofluorescence staining, free-floating serial sections were pre-treated with 0.25% TritonX-100 in 1% bovine serum albumin for 1 hr (mouse) or 2 hr (human). Subsequently, serial tissue sections were incubated with the following primary antibodies at 4°C for 24 hr (mouse) or 48 hr (human): Guinea pig anti-NeuN (1:500; RRID:AB_2619988, Synaptic Systems, Göttingen, GER), rabbit anti-ZnT-3 (1:2000; RRID:AB_10894885, Synaptic Systems), rabbit anti-Synaptoporin (1:1000; RRID:AB_2619748, Synaptic Systems), rabbit anti-Iba-1 (1:1000; RRID:AB_839504, Wako Chemicals, Neuss, GER) or rabbit anti-GFAP (1:500; RRID:AB_10013482, Dako, Hamburg, GER). For detection, Cy2-, Cy3- or Cy5-conjugated secondary donkey anti-guinea pig or goat anti-rabbit antibodies (1:200; RRID:AB_2340462, RRID:AB_2338000 and RRID:AB_2307385, Jackson ImmunoResearch Laboratories Inc., West Grove, USA) were used. All secondary antibodies were applied for 3 hr (mouse) or 12 hr (human) at room temperature followed by rinsing in 0.1 M PB for 6 × 15 min (mouse) or 6 × 1 hr (human). Counterstaining was performed with DAPI (4‘,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole; 1:10.000, Roche Diagnostics GmbH, Mannheim, GER). Sections were mounted on glass slides and coverslipped with ProLong Gold (Molecular Probes, Invitrogen, Carlsbad, USA) the next day.
Fluoro-Jade B (FJB, Millipore, Schwalbach, GER) staining was performed to monitor cell death. Sections were mounted on gelatin-coated glass slides and incubated with 0.06% potassium permanganate solution for 15 min followed by 0.0004% FJB solution for 30 min. Sections were then rinsed in xylene and coverslipped with Hypermount (Thermo Fisher Scientific, Dreieich, GER).
To quantify the severity of HS, two parameters (cell loss in CA1-3 and GCD) were investigated using an AxioImager2 microscope (Zeiss, Göttingen, GER). Using a 10x objective (Plan-APOCHROMAT, Zeiss), photomicrograph composites were acquired with a digital camera (MR605, Zeiss) from Iba1- and/or DAPI-stained sections, processed with Zen software (RRID:SCR_013672, Zeiss) and analyzed with Fiji ImageJ software (RRID:SCR_002285, Schindelin et al., 2012). The individual extent of pyramidal cell death was estimated by measuring the spatial extent of microgliosis in the cornu ammonis, since activated, amoeboid microglia build a dense scar tightly restricted to the region of pyramidal cell loss (Figure 1D). For each mouse eight to twelve Iba-1 stained sections were categorized into five levels (L1-5) according to the rostocaudal axis: Approximate coordinates relative to bregma, L1 = −0.9 to −1.6 mm, L2 = −1.6 to −2.3 mm, L3 = −2.3 to −2.9 mm, L4 = −2.9 to −3.6 mm, L5 = −3.6 to −4.0 mm. The mean length of microglial scarring was calculated for each level and summed up. The degree of GCD, which is characterized by a broadened cell layer and reduced cell density, was assessed by measuring the area of the GCL in DAPI-stained sections (Figure 1A) and calculating the overall volume, taking in to account the slice thickness of 50 µm. Since the number of available sections varied across mice (51 ± 7 sections), possibly due to slightly different brain sizes or non-uniform shrinking of perfused tissue, we normalized the rostocaudal axis to 2500 µm (50 sections per animal x 50 µm slice thickness). This ensured that correlations with MRI measures actually represent their relationship to HS-associated anatomical changes rather than the variability in the number of sections. In addition, we estimated individual degree of radial gliosis by quantifying the optical density of GFAP in the GCL of the septal hippocampus (see parameters below) using Fiji ImageJ, followed by multiplying its mean with the calculated GCL volume. Considering that GCD is not present in more temporal regions of the kainate-injected hippocampus, the mean of GFAP control values was used for calculating its integrated density in the non-dispersed GCL.
Microstructural alterations in the DG were analyzed by confocal laser scanning microscopy in MR-scanned wildtype mice and in complementary experiments using transgenic Thy1-eGFP mice. For each animal, four to eight confocal stacks were acquired in two sections with an Olympus FV10i (Olympus Deutschland, Hamburg, GER) at high resolution (60x oil-immersion objective, 1024 × 1024 pixels; 4x frame-average; confocal aperture 1 airy unit; z-step size: 0.5 µm). Laser power and detector sensitivity were kept constant for each staining to allow comparison between samples. For quantitative morphometry, image stacks were transferred to Imaris 7.7.1 software (RRID:SCR_007370, Bitplane AG, Zurich, CH). Morphological changes of eGFP-labeled dentate granule cells (10–20 per z-stack) were investigated by measuring the diameter at three positions along the dendrite and axon segments close to the soma. Changes in the density and volume of GFAP-labeled processes from radial glia cells and Synaptoporin-labeled mossy fiber boutons were inferred by surface reconstruction of a predefined region-of-interest within the GCL (Figure 7—figure supplement 2). Additionally, for each sample the optical density of GFAP within the GCL was quantified in six to eight confocal planes taken from the section surface using Fiji ImageJ. Similarly, the amount of sprouted mossy fibers was determined by measuring the optical density of ZnT-3 within the GCL. For optical density measurements the intensity spectrum was optimized for contrast by histogram equalization to obtain quantitative values representing more the actual density of labeled profiles than differences in labeling intensity itself.
Due to the apparent anatomical changes in the kainate-injected hippocampus blinded observation was unfeasible. However, all analyses were performed semi-automatically, and both MRI and histological data were collected independently and combined subsequently to avoid a putative bias.
Data was tested for statistical significance with Prism five software (RRID:SCR_002798, GraphPad Software Inc., La Jolla, USA). Comparison of two groups was performed with an unpaired Student’s t-test (two-tailed). When more than two groups were compared either one-way ANOVA followed by Dunnett's or Bonferroni’s post-test, or two-way ANOVA followed by Bonferroni’s post-test were used to correct for multiple comparison. Significance thresholds were set to: *p<0.05, **p<0.01, ***p<0.001. For all values, mean and standard error of the mean (SEM) are given. Correlations were tested using Pearson’s correlation (slope significantly non-zero, confidence interval set to 95%, corrected for multiple comparisons). PCA was performed with Python (RRID:SCR_008394, Python Software Foundation, Beaverton, USA). All statistical results are summarized in Supplementary file 1.
The MRI dataset has been made available (https://osf.io/7gmvn/).
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Journal of Magnetic Resonance Imaging 16:477–483.
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The Journal of Physiology 593:2379–2388.
Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews 37:2887–2899.
Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience 7:167.
Progress in Brain Research 135:67–83.
American Journal of Roentgenology 190:976–983.
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Thank you for submitting your article "Early tissue damage and microstructural reorganization predict disease severity in experimental epilepsy" for consideration by eLife. Your article has been reviewed by two peer reviewers, and the evaluation has been overseen by a Reviewing Editor and Sabine Kastner as the Senior Editor. The reviewers have opted to remain anonymous.
This manuscript addresses the important issue of the relationship between early neuronal damage and subsequent development of temporal lobe epilepsy in a rodent animal model of unilateral focal hippocampal injury. The experiments are well designed and the results well illustrated and carefully discussed. Multimodal imaging methods are used to determine early changes associated with the epileptogenic phase, and correlate these with cellular/tissue level changes. Correspondence is also made with similar imaging approaches in human epileptic patients. Overall these results suggest that imaging biomarkers might be critically useful biomarkers for the epileptogenic state, fulfilling an important clinical need.
Epileptogenesis: The intrahippocampal KA model is technically challenging to master. In contrast to most TLE other models, there is electrographic activity in the hippocampus throughout the early epileptogenic period. Thus it can be difficult to clearly discriminate between the latent phase and the onset of the chronic phase, and this issue is not addressed. Were the electrographic characteristics of the latent and chronic phase distinct enough to discriminate between epileptogenesis and epilepsy? Please clarify these points in the Results and Discussion. Further, it would be important to reproduce these results in other models such as like the systemic KA or pilocarpine systemic model in which the onset of the chronic phase is clearer. At the very least this potential limitation needs to be adequately discussed.
Hippocampus target focus: Previous studies using MRI have shown that signal changes better predicting epilepsy are not located in hippocampus but in piriform cortex (pilocarpine) or amygdala (febrile seizures). The authors should justify why they concentrated only on hippocampus.
Biomarkers: The authors propose that their findings allowed the identification of a new biomarker for predicting epileptogenesis and possibly the severity of the disease and this approach could be translated to the human disease. How would they propose to do so and how would they select their population at risk, which criteria, TBI, SE, FS, etc…?
Metabolite measurement: Metabolite concentrations were determined using water as reference, yet significant edema was present in the tissue as indicated by T2 contrast. Please estimate how much that could explain the detected apparent decrease in metabolite concentrations.
DG dispersion: The authors describe mossy fiber sprouting and reorganization of granule cells as potential contributing factors to Diffusion changes in DG. However, a recent study shows that myelinated axons in outer molecular layer may also contribute (Laitinen et al. Neuroimage. 2010 Jun;51(2):521-30). This should be discussed.
Discussion of DWI: The authors state: "DWI successfully identifies changes of water diffusion in several rodent epilepsy modes. However, in these studies detailed histological correlation with DWI metrics is lacking". This statement is incorrect. There is a significant body of work combining high resolution diffusion MRI in hippocampus with histology in epilepsy models (see e.g. Kuo et al. Kuo Neuroimage. 2008 Jul 1;41(3):789-800; Laitinen et al. Neuroimage. 2010 Jun;51(2):521-30. Salo RA et al. Neuroimage. 2017 Mar 4;152:221-236, Sierra 2015b).
DTI methods: Voxel size in DTI is far from isotropic (spaghetti voxel). Also b-value of 1000 s/mm2 can be considered relatively small for approaches going beyond conventional DTI. Please discuss influence of these on DTI and especially fiber tracking approaches.
Thank you for resubmitting your work entitled "Early tissue damage and microstructural reorganization predict disease severity in experimental epilepsy" for further consideration at eLife. Your revised article has been favorably evaluated by Sabine Kastner (Senior Editor), and a Reviewing Editor.
The one remaining issue is that the reporting on epileptogenesis (Figure 1—figure supplement 1) is anecdotal. No quantification is provided, nor any source data or statistical evidence to support the new findings described in the last paragraph of the subsection “Inter-individual variability of histological changes associated with mTLE”.
We follow the reviewer's opinion, that the issue of discriminating between the latent phase and chronic epilepsy was not sufficiently addressed in the former manuscript. Given that chronically implanted electrodes would massively interfere with MRI measurements, we performed new experiments in another set of animals investigating the time-course of neuronal activity during the first two weeks following SE, the time span which is typically considered as the latent phase in the intrahippocampal KA mouse model. Our new data is consistent with previous observations made in the same model, showing a development from mainly isolated epileptic spikes and low-amplitude bursts to prolonged high-amplitude recurrent paroxysmal discharges over a period of approximately two weeks (Riban et al., Neuroscience, 2002, 112(1):101-11; Arabadzisz et al., Exp Neurol, 2005, Jul;194(1):76-90; Heinrich et al., Neurobiol Dis, 2011, Apr;42(1):35-47). Therefore, we consider the emergence of recurrent paroxysmal discharges at around two weeks after SE as the onset of the chronic phase. These results are presented (subsection “Inter-individual variability of histological changes associated with mTLE”, last paragraph; Figure 1—figure supplement 1) and discussed (Discussion, first, fourth paragraphs), and the Methods section was adapted (subsection “Animals”; subsection “Electrode implantation and local field potential recordings”). We also rephrased potentially misleading parts in the Introduction (last paragraph) and the Discussion (first paragraph). Moreover, in the Discussion we extended the comparison of our biomarkers with findings made in systemic epilepsy models to better delineate the reproducability of the identified biomarkers (second and fourth paragraphs).
In the present study, we focused on the hippocampus since the sclerotic hippocampus represent the most common epileptogenic focus in drug-resistent mTLE (Malmgren and Thom, Epilepsia, 2012, Sep;53 Suppl 4:19-33; Cendes et al., Acta Neuropathol, 2014, Jul;128(1):21-37; Walker, Semin Neurol, 2015, Jun;35(3):193-200). A corresponding statement can be found in the revised Introduction (last paragraph). However, we appreciate the reviewer's impulse to include also other limbic brain regions (i.e. the piriform cortex and the amygdala) which are known to be vulnerable to epileptogenic insults. Therefore, we also analyzed T2 and DWI changes in the piriform cortex and the amygdala. Our findings are presented (subsection “Early neuronal cell death determines disease severity in chronic epilepsy”, second paragraph;subsection “Microstructural alterations during intermediate epileptogenesis correspond to disease progression"; Figure 2—figure supplement 1; Figure 5—figure supplement 2) and discussed accordingly (Discussion, fourth paragraph).
We agree with the reviewer's suggestion and now propose an experimental design for a translational approach in the revised Discussion (last paragraph). To illustrate this approach we added a schematic to the supplementary figures (Figure 9—figure supplement 1).
A common practice is to use total creatine as reference, but we refrained from this as there is no guarantee that the creatine concentration remains constant during the course of epileptogenesis. On the contrary, massive cell loss after SE inevitably leads to reduced concentrations of many metabolites. Therefore it was decided to use water for absolute quantification. The reviewer is right that several processes in the septal HC – cell death, edema and gliosis – gave rise to increased signal intensities in the T2-weighted images. Certainly these effects might also influence the water reference for the metabolite measurements. As a quantitative assessment of this is hardly possible, we can only qualitatively consider how much that influenced the metabolite quantification. The signal intensity in the images went back to baseline between the time-points day one and four after SE. As all metabolites were scaled by the same reference, this trend – increase at day 1 and decrease at day 4 – would have also been visible in all metabolites if it was purely due to changes in the water reference. Looking at several spectra we can reject this hypothesis. For instance, glutamine and alanine revealed no significant changes, creatine decreased but remained decreased and phosphocreatine decreased but returned to baseline not until day 8 (see Author response image 1). Therefore we can conclude that, although changes of the water concentration might have a small influence on the metabolite quantification, the significant portion of the concentration changes reflect the described metabolic processes. A strategy for a better quantification in the future would be to take the contralateral water concentration as reference. But this approach requires the acquisition using a volume coil, as a surface coil (like the used two-element cryo-probe) leads to different intensities depending on the loading of the respective coil-element. We additionally show (Author response image 1) some examples of longitudinal metabolite concentrations relative to creatine instead of water, demonstrating that the observed trends were also present independently of water. We have now summarized the above points in the Methods (subsection “Methodological considerations of MR acquisitions”, first two paragraphs).
Although we have not addressed the reorganization of myelinated fibers in the present study, we agree that this could also contribute to diffusion changes in the DG. We therefore added this point to the Discussion (fifth paragraph).
We understand that our statement is framed too drastically and does not necessarily give justice particularly to the studies the reviewer quoted. We rephrased our statement accordingly (Discussion, fourth paragraph).
In diffusion measurements there is always a tradeoff between desired features – high resolution, strong diffusion weighting (b-value) and many diffusion directions – and the resulting acquisition time and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). In our ex-vivo measurements of human hippocampal tissue, acquisition time was less critical permitting a 3D scan with 200µm3 isotropic resolution, b-values up to 5000s/mm2 and 50 diffusion directions. For in-vivo measurements time is critical and we had to compromise. This study focused on alterations within the hippocampus. In the transverse axis different layers within the hippocampus reveal much finer structures as compared to the longitudinal axis. Consequently, we also utilized an anisotropic voxel geometry. Choosing an isotropic voxel geometry with the same in-plane resolution would drastically reduce the SNR while adding comparatively little information. It has even been shown that in DTI an anisotropic analysis, averaging noise along a rather homogeneous direction and reducing partial volume effects, could lead to increased sensitivity of detecting a pathology (Van Hecke et al., Hum Brain Mapp, 2009, Jan;31(1):98-114). For in-vivo DTI a b-value of 1000s/mm2 and 30 diffusion directions is in the optimal range (Derek Jones; Diffusion MRI: Theory, Methods, and Applications; Oxford University Press, 2012). Although fiber tracking approaches generally benefit from higher b-values und more diffusion directions, higher b-values would have led to low SNR and several studies have validated the results of the applied tractography method using similar acquisition schemes [Harsan et al., PNAS, 2009, May 7;110(19):E1797-806; Anastasopoulos et al., AJNR Am J Neuroradiol, 2014, Feb;35(2):291-6; Horn et al., Neuroimage, 2014, Nov 15;102 Pt 1:142-51]. We have added a section in the Methods considering these issues (subsection “Methodological considerations of MR acquisitions”, last paragraph).
We followed your request and performed a quantitative analysis of our longitudinal EEG data. We added these results to the revised manuscript (subsection “Inter-individual variability of histological changes associated with mTLE”, last paragraph; Figure 1—figure supplement 1G, H) and described the analysis in the Methods section (subsection “Electrode implantation and local field potential recordings”, first paragraph). The detailed results of the statistical testing have also been added to Supplementary file 1.
We thank Andrea Djie-Maletz and Enya Paschen for excellent technical assistance and Dr. Thomas Lange for useful advice on MRI data analysis. This work was supported by the German Research Foundation as part of the Cluster of Excellence ‘BrainLinks-BrainTools’ within the framework of the German Excellence Initiative (grant number EXC 1086 to JK, JH, UE, PL, and CAH); by the ERA-Net (grant number NEURON II CIPRESS to CAH); by the Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (grant number FKZ 1GQ0830 to UE), co-financed by the European Union/European Regional Development Fund (UE).
Human subjects: Informed consent was obtained from all patients. Tissue selection was approved by the Ethics Committee at the University Medical Center Freiburg.
Animal experimentation: All animal procedures were in accordance with the guidelines of the European Community's Council Directive of 22 September 2010 (2010/63/EU) and were approved by the regional council (Regierungspräsidium Freiburg).
© 2017, Janz et al.
New insights into epilepsy: Listen to Carola Haas talk about how early changes in the brain can predict disease severity. | 2019-04-19T13:01:41Z | https://elifesciences.org/articles/25742 |
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The 12th China Economics Summer Institute (CESI) will take place between 17 – 18 August 2019 at Guanghua School of Management, Peking University (working papers of previous CESI workshops available at http://cesi.econ.cuhk.edu.hk/). The objective of CESI is to create a network and community of top level scholars working on Chinese economic development. This initiative is currently co-sponsored by the Chinese University of Hong Kong – Tsinghua University Joint Research Center for Chinese Economy, the Institute for Emerging Market Studies at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, the Guanghua School of Management at Peking University, the Stanford Center on Global Poverty and Development at Stanford University, and the School of Economics and Management at Tsinghua University. The Summer Institute is organized in collaboration with the BREAD, NBER and CEPR networks of academic economists.
This call invites you to submit a paper or express your interest in attending the above Summer Institute, which will be hosted this year by Guanghua School of Management, Peking University, during 17 – 18 August 2019. The workshop intends to bring together the best scholars working on China in China, the US and Europe with other top level scholars who have an interest in working on China in the future. We welcome applications not only from those who want to present their research on China but also from anybody who has an interest in doing serious economic research on China and would like to use the workshop as means of exploring this possibility.
The Summer Institute will bring together between 20 and 30 participants for a period of two days. During the workshop, there will be seminar presentations and free time to allow scholars to interact and explore the possibility of doing joint research projects. Senior scholars who will attend will be available for consultations with junior scholars. Afternoon sessions will give the opportunity to a select group of young scholars and Ph.D students to present their work.
The scientific committee of the China Economics Summer Institute is composed of Chong-En Bai, Robin Burgess, Hongbin Cai, Chang-Tai Hsieh, Ruixue Jia, Hongbin Li, Albert Park, Gérard Roland, Zheng (Michael) Song, Heiwai Tang, Daniel Xu, Yaohui Zhao and Li-An Zhou.
Please register online (https://cloud.itsc.cuhk.edu.hk/mycuform/view.php?id=295974) for possible presentation at the meeting or expressions of interest in attending the meeting by 6 May 2019 (Monday).
We can cover economy apex travel and accommodation costs for selected paper presenters and participants. Please indicate when you reply whether you will require this funding or whether you will be able to cover your own travel costs. Please note that it will not be possible to accept all applications to attend this Summer Institute. At the moment, funding is available for travel and accommodation expenses in accordance with standard guidelines (economy apex travel) but, where possible, it is hoped that some of the selected participants will use grants at their disposal to cover expenses and thereby free up space for others.
The Bureau for Research and Economic Analysis of Development (BREAD) is pleased to announce that the 37th BREAD Conference on Development Economics will be hosted by the University of Maryland in College Park, MD, on Friday May 3 – Saturday May 4, 2019.
All papers presented at the conference will be selected through this open submissions process. Please note that there will be time for only a small number of presentations. The conference lasts about a day and a half; there are no parallel sessions.
The Scientific Organizers of the Conference are Sebastian Galiani (University of Maryland), Garance Genicot (Georgetown), and Kenneth Leonard (University of Maryland).
The Barcelona GSE organizes the Seventh Barcelona GSE Summer Forum. The Summer Forum is a series of independent workshops that cover the main fields of Economics. The Summer Forum 2019 will take place from June 10 to June 21, 2019. The venue will be UPF Balmes Building, Balmes, 132 – 08008 in central Barcelona.
We would like to invite you to submit a paper to the workshop ADVANCES IN MICRO DEVELOPMENT ECONOMICS, which will run for 2 days and will take place on June 10-11, 2019 in Barcelona. This workshop aims at being a showcase of recent outstanding contributions in micro Development Economics, and at creating an annual meeting of researchers in this field in the framework of the Barcelona GSE Summer Forum. Both empirical and theoretical contributions are encouraged.
The deadline for submissions is February 28, 2019. To submit a paper, please use this link https://app-summerforum.barcelonagse.eu. Submissions should include either a full paper or an extended abstract with the main results. Authors chosen to present papers will be notified approximately by mid-March. A preliminary program will be announced by mid-April.
Please note that the Barcelona Summer Forum is a series of independent workshops. When you submit your paper, you will be able to see the topics and dates of other workshops that will take place within the Summer Forum. The same paper cannot be submitted to more than one workshop but you are welcome to submit a different paper to another workshop. The workshop organization will provide support for accommodation for speakers and limited funding will be available only to partially cover travel costs for junior researchers who lack alternative funding sources. If you have questions, do not hesitate in getting in touch with any of the organizers.
The Barcelona GSE Summer Forum is one of the activities supported by the Severo Ochoa Program of Centers of Excellence (SEV-2015-0563). Funding for the AMD workshop is also gratefully acknowledged from the Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad of the Spanish Government (grant ECO2015-69869-R and grant ECO2015-67602-P) and the People Programme (Marie Curie Actions) of the European Union (grant PCIG14-GA-2013-631510).
The French Development Agency (AFD) Research Department, the World Bank Development Research Group (DECRG) and the Department ofEconomics at Carlos III University of Madrid (UC3M) are jointly organizing the 12th International Conference on “Migration and Development”.The conference is devoted to investigating ways in which international migration affects economic and social change in developing countries.Possible topics include the effects of migration on poverty, inequality, and human capital formation; social networks and migration; diasporaexternalities; remittances; brain drain; migration and institutional/technological/demographic change, today and in the past.
Submission guidelines and timetable: submissions of full papers (pdf file name should begin with submitting author last name) are expected byFebruary 15, 2019. Submissions should be sent via email to migdevconf2019@uc3m.es. Decisions will be communicated by March 15, 2019. Travel(economy class) and accommodation in Madrid for up to three nights will be covered for chosen participants.Organizing Committee: Rohen d’Aiglepierre (AFD), Anda David (AFD), Jesús Fernández-Huertas Moraga (UC3M), Matilde Machado (UC3M),Luigi Minale (UC3M), Jan Stuhler (UC3M), Çağlar Özden (World Bank), Hillel Rapoport (Paris School of Economics)Scientific Committee: Chair -- Hillel Rapoport (Paris School of Economics); Ran Abramitzky (Stanford), Michel Beine (Luxembourg), SimoneBertoli (CERDI), Michael Clemens (CGD), Patricia Cortes (Boston U), Frédéric Docquier (Louvain), Giovanni Facchini (Nottingham), MarcelFafchamps (Stanford), Jesús Fernández-Huertas Moraga (UC3M), Paola Guiliano (UCLA), Hubert Jayet (LEM, Lille), William Kerr (HarvardBusiness School), Anna-Maria Mayda (Georgetown), David McKenzie (World Bank), Stelios Michalopoulos (Brown), Melanie Morten (Stanford),Çağlar Özden (World Bank), Jan Stuhler (UC3M), Dean Yang (University of Michigan).
You are invited to submit your research for presentation at the National Bureau for Economic Research (NBER) Development Economics Fall program meeting which will be held in Cambridge, MA, on 30 November -1 December. The deadline for submissions is 6 am EST on Tuesday, 25 September. Only completed papers will be considered for the program. Please submit your papers at http://papers.nber.org/confsubmit/backend/cfp?id=DEVf18 .
The program will be selected by Esther Duflo, Joe Kaboski, Jeremy Magruder, Mark Rosenzweig, Duncan Thomas and Chris Woodruff. All papers presented at the conference will be selected through this open submissions process. Please note that there will be time for only a very small number of presentations. There will not be formal discussants but ample time will be allowed for discussion of the research during the presentations. Travel and hotel expenses will be covered for one author per paper that is presented at the conference following NBER travel reimbursement guidelines.
If you have any questions, please email conf@nber.org.
DFID, UNHCR, and the World Bank group have joined forces under a DFID Trust Fund to identify questions that are under-researched, of global interest, and highly policy-relevant on the topic of forced displacement and jobs. Within the initiative, the World Banks Jobs Group will fund one or several research projects to advance global knowledge on forced displacement and jobs, regarding (1) the impact of forced displacement on labor markets in host communities, and (2) the impact of jobs interventions in the context of forced displacement.
For further details please see the draft Terms of Reference attached.
For this assignment the World Bank is not looking for an individual consultant. Submissions will be considered from research centers and institutes, universities, firms and similar entities.
The World Bank Group invites interested entities to indicate their interest in providing the services. Interested entities must provide information indicating that they are qualified to perform the services (publications, description of similar assignments, experience in similar conditions, availability of appropriate skills among researchers (CVs), etc.) and provide a short abstract-style outline (one page max.) showing that they will substantively address the research questions posed, and demonstrating prima facie feasibility. Please note that the total size of all attachments should be less than 5MB. Entities may associate and form a consortium to enhance their qualifications. Please do not submit full proposals at this stage.
Acceptance of World Bank Group terms and Conditions.
Following this invitation for Expression of Interest, a shortlist of qualified entities will be formally invited to submit proposals. Shortlisting and selection will be subject to the availability of funding.
Only those entities which have been shortlisted will receive notification. No debrief will be provided to entities which have not been shortlisted.
The World Bank Group (“the Bank”) is seeking a Chief Economist to provide intellectual leadership for the Bank’s economic research agenda. The Chief Economist reports to the President and advises him on economic issues, influencing the agenda of the Bank. The position will be a two-year term (with some flexibility according to the needs and availability of the successful candidate), and is based in Washington D.C.
The World Bank Group is one of the world's largest sources of development assistance and knowledge for developing countries. It consists of five institutions that specialize in different aspects of development: the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), the International Development Association (IDA), the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), and the International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID).
With twin goals of ending extreme poverty and promoting shared prosperity, the Bank works in more than 100 developing economies to improve living standards and to fight poverty. For each of its clients, the Bank works with government agencies, nongovernmental organizations, and the private sector to formulate assistance strategies. A network of offices worldwide delivers the Bank's programs in countries, liaises with government and civil society, and works to increase understanding of development issues. The World Bank is owned by 188 member countries whose views and interests are represented by a Board of Governors and a Washington, DC-based Board of Directors. More than 190 countries participate in at least one of the five World Bank Group institutions.
The World Bank Group’s mission is becoming both more diverse and more focused. To achieve the Bank’s twin goals – ending extreme poverty by 2030 and boosting shared prosperity around the world – 16,000 experts in fields such as economics, engineering, health, sanitation, governance, education, urban planning, regulation – are helping countries drive sustainable, inclusive economic growth; invest in their people; and build resilience to shocks.
As a result, the work of the Bank includes advising countries on investments that prepare them to compete in the economy of the future. It includes increasing work in states embroiled in fragility, conflict, and violence. And it means finding innovative ways to use scarce resources to make the global market system work for everyone.
The World Bank Group brings expertise to help countries along their path of economic growth. The Bank is also a global knowledge hub, where innovative financial instruments (such as the swap, which the World Bank invented), and new approaches to ending poverty are being developed.
The World Bank Group is seeking a Chief Economist who will influence the agenda of the Bank, and support the President and Senior Management in leading the institution during this time of transformative change. To address these challenges, the Chief Economist must have credibility as well as the leadership skills to engage with the global research community in meaningful dialogue.
The Chief Economist will be expected to provide thought leadership to the internal and external development community; s/he will leverage the Bank’s research resources but will not be expected to manage the Development Economics Vice Presidency (“DEC”) or a large team, thus freeing up the individual to focus on the principal functions as described below.
Intellectual leadership. Working closely with DEC and the eleven Bank Group chief economists (regional, practice-group, IFC and MIGA), the Chief Economist provides cutting-edge knowledge on policies for development. In particular, the successful candidate is expected to devise the research agenda for the Bank based on what is most important and relevant, and connect the research agenda with policy. Additionally, s/he will articulate a vision of how the Bank can achieve transformative impact around key global development challenges.
Strategic leadership. Working with the President and Senior Management Team, the Chief Economist provides the analytical foundations of the Bank Group’s strategy, including shifts in that strategy in light of new research evidence. The Chief Economist will work to enhance the quality of operational projects, by challenging them to ensure analytical rigor. And s/he will manage the budget of the Chief Economist office.
Global leadership. The Chief Economist will be an effective advocate of development. S/he will convene others from the global development community to create knowledge. The Chief Economist will engage with knowledge networks, including the research communities in the public and private sectors, government, academia and think tanks; leverage the Bank’s convening power to increase outreach of cutting edge research; and provide thought leadership to the global community of economists working on development.
Economics Expertise: S/he will have a PhD in Economics, and minimum 15 years of relevant professional experience, including at least five years of experience in a leadership position, as a tenured professor in a leading economics department or in an institution that produces research relevant to the Bank’s development mandate. S/he will demonstrate willingness to engage in global policy debates concerning economic and social development, and to mobilize the Bank’s research resources to that end. S/he will also demonstrate the ability to link research with policy. And s/he will have a good understanding of the role of the private sector in development.
Proven Record of Academic Achievement: S/he will have numerous publications in top economics journals, and participation on editorial boards of general or development economics journals. S/he will have a talent for explaining economics to non-economists, and s/he will have effectively influenced others through analytical work.
Internal collaboration skills: S/he will demonstrate the ability to operate in a matrixed, highly collaborative and global institution.
External recognition: S/he will have achieved visibility as an internationally recognized scholar in a field of economics related to international development.
High level of cultural competency: The Bank is characterized as a multi-cultural institution. The leadership team originates from all corners of the world and has a diverse set of backgrounds, from academia and strategy consulting to government and aid organizations. The Bank is committed to building diverse leadership teams.
Integrity: S/he will demonstrate the highest levels of integrity.
Applications and nominations are to be sent to WBGChiefEconomist@worldbank.org by March 20th 2018.
The 11th China Economics Summer Institute (CESI) will take place between 17 – 19 August 2018 at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (working papers of previous CESI workshops available at http://cesi.econ.cuhk.edu.hk/). The objective of CESI is to create a network and community of top level scholars working on Chinese economic development. This initiative is currently co-sponsored by the Chinese University of Hong Kong – Tsinghua University Joint Research Center for Chinese Economy, the Institute for Emerging Market Studies at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, the Guanghua School of Management at Peking University and the School of Economics and Management at Tsinghua University. The Summer Institute is organized in collaboration with the BREAD, NBER and CEPR networks of academic economists.
This call invites you to submit a paper or express your interest in attending the above Summer Institute, which will be hosted this year by the Chinese University of Hong Kong between 17 – 19 August 2018. The workshop intends to bring together the best scholars working on China in China, the US and Europe with other top level scholars who have an interest in working on China in the future. We welcome applications not only from those who want to present their research on China but also from anybody who has an interest in doing serious economic research on China and would like to use the workshop as means of exploring this possibility.
The Summer Institute will bring together between 20 and 30 participants for a period of three days. During the workshop, there will be seminar presentations and free time to allow scholars to interact and explore the possibility of doing joint research projects. Senior scholars who will attend will be available for consultations with junior scholars. Afternoon sessions will give the opportunity to a select group of young scholars and Ph.D students to present their work.
Please register online (https://cloud.itsc.cuhk.edu.hk/mycuform/view.php?id=120675) for possible presentation at the meeting or expressions of interest in attending the meeting by 23 April 2018 (Monday).
The Development Economics program at the NBER will meet as part of the NBER's Summer Institute in Cambridge, MA, from July 22 through July 24, 2018.
You are invited to submit your completed papers for consideration for the program. All research papers in development, broadly defined, will be considered. Please submit your work by Sunday March 19 at http://www.nber.org/confsubmit/backend/cfp?id=SI18DEV.
Only complete papers will be considered and preference will be given to papers not previously presented at a NBER or BREAD meeting.
The program will be selected by David Atkin (MIT), Pascaline Dupas (Stanford), Andrew Foster (Brown), Sebastian Galiani (Maryland), Costas Meghir (Yale) and Duncan Thomas (Duke).
Speakers who already agreed to join include Ian COXHEAD (University of Wisconsin, Madison), Claudio FERRAZ (Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro), Frederico FINAN (University of California, Berkeley), Takashi KUROSAKI (Hitotsubashi University), Rocco MACCHIAVELLO (London School of Economics), Dilip MOOKHERJEE (Boston University), Andrew F. NEWMAN (Boston University), Nishith PRAKASH (University of Connecticut), Laura SCHECHTER (University of Wisconsin, Madison).
Applications can be submitted at http://dse.univr.it/ssdev/, starting from February 1, 2018. The application should be submitted no later than April 19, 2018.
c) Upload, no later than April 19th, the complete paper (pdf file) or a detailed and well‐developed research proposal (pdf file).
Acceptance decision will be announced by May 7, 2018. All applicants will be informed by email about the results.
Prospective participants who are interested in attending the workshop but do not intend to present a paper are required to fill in the application form only.
Graduate students and post‐docs will be asked to pay a registration fee of €450, while faculty will be asked to pay a fee of €600. The fee should be paid no later than May 28, 2018. The fee will cover the costs of meals and lodging in double or triple room for the duration of the workshop (arrival 18th June 2018 - departure 22st June 2018), but participants have to cover their travel expenses.
Ian COXHEAD (University of Wisconsin, Madison), Marcello D'AMATO (University of Salerno, CELPE), Giuseppe FOLLONI (University of Trento), Sisira JAYASURIYA (Monash University), Dilip MOOKHERJEE (Boston University), Federico PERALI (University of Verona, CHILD), Pasquale Lucio SCANDIZZO (University of Rome Tor Vergata, CEIS), Alessandro TAROZZI (Universitat Pompeu Fabra and Barcelona GSE).
The Bureau for Research and Economic Analysis of Development (BREAD) is pleased to announce that the 35th BREAD Conference on Development Economics will be hosted by Columbia University in New York, Friday May 11 – Saturday May 12, 2018.
We invite submissions from interested researchers on any topic within the area of Development Economics. The deadline for submissions is February 28, 2018. Only full-length papers will be considered. Please send your paper to BREAD@unibocconi.it.
The Scientific Organizers of the Conference are: Amit Khandelwal (Columbia Business School), Rohini Pande (Harvard Kennedy School), Cristian Pop-Eleches (Columbia University), Miguel Urquiola (Columbia University) and Eric Verhoogen (Columbia University).
If you have any questions, please contact BREAD@unibocconi.it.
The French Development Agency (AFD) Research Department, the World Bank Development Research Group (DECRG) and the Stanford Center on Global Poverty and Development at Stanford University are jointly organizing the 11th International Conference on “Migration and Development”. The conference is devoted to investigating ways in which international migration affects economic and social change in developing countries. Possible topics include the effects of migration on poverty, inequality, and human capital formation; social networks and migration; diaspora externalities; remittances; brain drain; migration and institutional/technological/demographic change, today and in the past.
Submission guidelines and timetable: submissions of full papers (pdf file name should begin with submitting author last name) are expected by February 15, 2018. Submissions should be sent via online form at https://globalpoverty.stanford.edu/call-papers-migration-and-development...Decisions will be communicated by March 15, 2018. Travel (economy class) and accommodation in Stanford for up to three nights will be covered for chosen participants.
Scientific Committee: Chair -- Hillel Rapoport (Paris School of Economics); Ran Abramitzky (Stanford), Michel Beine (Luxembourg), Simone Bertoli (CERDI), Michael Clemens (CGD), Patricia Cortes (Boston U), Frédéric Docquier (Louvain), Giovanni Facchini (Nottingham), Marcel Fafchamps (Stanford), Hubert Jayet (LEM, Lille), William Kerr (Harvard Business School), Victor Lavy (Warwick and Hebrew University), Anna Maria Mayda (Georgetown), David McKenzie (World Bank), Mushfik Mobarak (Yale), Melanie Morten (Stanford), Çağlar Özden (World Bank), Imran Rasul (UCL), Dean Yang (University of Michigan).
The Barcelona GSE organizes the Sixth Barcelona GSE Summer Forum. The Summer Forum is a series of independent workshops that cover the main fields of Economics. The Summer Forum 2018 will take place from June 11 to June 22, 2018 in a new venue in central Barcelona (Casa Convalescència).
The workshop will run for 2 days and will take place on June 14-15, 2018. This workshop aims at being a showcase of recent outstanding contributions in micro Development Economics, and at creating an annual meeting of top researchers in this field in the framework of the Barcelona GSE Summer Forum. Both empirical and theoretical contributions are encouraged.
The deadline for submissions is February 28, 2018. To submit a paper, please use this link https://app-summerforum.barcelonagse.eu. Submissions should include either a full paper or an extended abstract with the main results. Authors chosen to present papers will be notified approximately by mid-March. A preliminary program will be announced by mid-April.
The Barcelona Summer Forum is a series of independent workshops. When you submit your paper, you will be able to see the topics and dates of other workshops that will take place within the Summer Forum. The same paper cannot be submitted to more than one workshop but you are welcome to submit a different paper to another workshop. The acceptance of the paper is conditional on the submitting author attending the conference for its full two-day duration. Limited funding will be available to partially cover travel and accommodation costs for speakers who lack alternative funding sources.
The Barcelona GSE Summer Forum is one of the activities supported by the Severo Ochoa Program of Centers of Excellence (SEV-2015-0563). Funding for the AMD workshop is also gratefully acknowledge from the Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad of the Spanish Government (grant ECO2015-69869-R) and the People Programme (Marie Curie Actions) of the European Union (grant PCIG14-GA-2013-631510).
This conference, organized in partnership with the World Bank, will take place on June 12–15, 2018 in Washington DC. It will serve as a multidisciplinary forum to facilitate interactions between leading academics, World Bank staff, policymakers, government experts, civil society organizations, private-sector representatives, and representatives of other international organizations, and to showcase the present frontier knowledge on these issues.
The conference will be organized with contributed papers, organized sessions, and lightning talks. We highly encourage participation from the private sector to showcase their innovative products and bring real-world perspectives to the discussions of the nature and consequences of innovations in the value chain for farm-based food, fuel, and fiber products.
Preliminary list of Plenary Speakers: Thomas Reardon (MSU), Paul Romer (World Bank), Jo Swinnen (KU Leuven), Maximo Torero (World Bank Board), Joachim von Braun (ZEF-University of Bonn), David Zilberman (UC Berkeley).
A plenary session to honor the professional life of Hans Binswanger will be organized by Prabhu Pingali from Cornell University.
There will also be a “Student Marketplace Event” More information will be available in the coming months.
We invite the submission of paper abstracts, and proposals for organized sessions and lightning talks by January 31, 2018. Please use this link to submit a 250-word abstract online.
The conference will begin on June 12, 2018 with a pre-conference workshop of the U.S. multistate research project, NC1034: Impact Analysis and Decision Strategies for Agricultural Research. organized by George Frisvold (University of Arizona).
The welcome drink will take place in the afternoon of June 12 at the World Bank, and the conference reception will be held on Thursday, June 14 at the Italian Embassy in Washington DC. The conference will end in the afternoon of June 15.
The 2018 Annual Meeting of the Population Association of America will be held Thursday, April 26 through Saturday, April 28 in Denver, CO. The Economic Demography Workshop (EDW) will take place from 1-6 pm on the afternoon before the main PAA meeting (Wednesday, April 25, 2018). The Workshop provides an opportunity for the detailed presentation of 5-7 research papers on topics in economic demography.
You may submit a paper for consideration by the Program Committee by Sunday, December 31, 2017, at: http://editorialexpress.com/conference/edworkshop2018/.
Preference will be given to papers not on the main PAA program. The program will be finalized in late January.
Additional information about the Economic Demography Workshop can be obtained on the EDW website (http://www.edworkshop.umd.edu) or from program chair Delia Furtado (University of Connecticut) (Delia.Furtado@uconn.edu). Other members of this year’s program committee are: Jeanne Lafortune (Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile), Jason Lindo (Texas A&M), Sam Schulhofer-Wohl (Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago), and Almudena Sevilla (Queen Mary University of London).
Please forward this announcement to other interested economic demographers. If you are not on our mailing list, and wish to receive the annual call for papers and completed program by email, send an email to Delia Furtado at Delia.Furtado@uconn.edu with subject header "EDW subscribe."
The Center for Effective Global Action is pleased to announce the release a Request for Proposals (RFP) from Economic Development & Institutions (EDI), a research programme supported by UK Aid from the British people.
For this round, EDI expects to make multiple awards for both full-scale RCTs (no funding limit, but most awards up to £600,000) and pilot studies (up to £22,000 per study).
Application materials must be emailed to edi@berkeley.edu by 5PM U.S. Pacific Time on Tuesday November 15, 2017.
Please refer to the RFA materials linked above for details, and feel free to reach out to our team at edi@berkeley.edu if you have further questions.
The National Bureau for Economic Research (NBER) Development Economics Program (DEV) and the Bureau for Research in the Economic Analysis of Development (BREAD) are pleased to announce their joint Fall 2017 meeting which will be held in Cambridge, MA, on 8-9 December, 2017.
You are invited to submit your research for presentation at the conference. The deadline for submissions is 6 am EST on Friday, 29 September. Only completed papers will be considered for the program. Please submit your papers at: http://papers.nber.org/confsubmit/backend/cfp?id=DEVf17 .
The program will be selected by Ray Fisman, Penny Goldberg, Rema Hanna, Michael Kremer and Duncan Thomas. All papers presented at the conference will be selected through this open submissions process. The conference will last about a day and a half, there will be no parallel sessions and presentations will follow a standard seminar format. There will not be formal discussants but there will be ample time for discussion of the research during the presentations. As a result, there will only be a small number of presentations.
Travel and hotel expenses will be covered for one author per paper that is presented at the conference, for members of the NBER Development Economics program and for BREAD Fellows. All reimbursements will follow NBER travel reimbursement guidelines.
Tufts will be hosting the 2017 NEUDC (Northeast Universities Development Consortium) Conference on November 4th and 5th, 2017.
The final date for submitting a paper is August 18th 2017. Only full drafts of papers will be considered. Please submit a paper with an abstract not exceeding 300 words for this deadline. We will send out notifications by late September informing people of acceptance and rejection decisions.
Those attending the meeting will be charged a registration fee of $200 (for students there will be a special rate of $100) for timely registrations. The registration will include breakfast, lunches, coffee and Saturday’s conference reception. The speakers will have to bear their own expense for travel and accommodation.
Further details available at: https://sites.tufts.edu/neudc2017. If you have any questions, please contact Jenny.Aker@tufts.edu.
The 10th China Economics Summer Institute (CESI) will take place between 14 – 16 August 2017 at Tsinghua University in Beijing, China (working papers of previous CESI workshops available at http://chinasummerinstitute.org). The objective of CESI is to create a network and community of top level scholars working on Chinese economic development. This initiative is currently co-sponsored by the Department of Economics, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, the Institute for Emerging Market Studies at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, the Guanghua School of Management at Peking University and the School of Economics and Management at Tsinghua University.
This call invites you to submit a paper or express your interest in attending the above Summer Institute, which will be hosted this year by the School of Economics and Management at Tsinghua University between 14 – 16 August 2017. The workshop intends to bring together the best scholars working on China in China, the US and Europe with other top level scholars who have an interest in working on China in the future. We welcome applications not only from those who want to present their research on China but also from anybody who has an interest in doing serious economic research on China and would like to use the workshop as means of exploring this possibility.
The Summer Institute will bring together between 20 and 30 participants for a period of three days. During the workshop, there will be seminar presentations and free time to allow scholars to interact and explore the possibility of doing joint research projects. Senior scholars who will attend will be available for consultations with junior scholars. Afternoon sessions will give the opportunity to a select group of young scholars and Ph. D students to present their work.
The scientific committee of the China Economics Summer Institute is composed of Chong-En Bai, Robin Burgess, Hongbin Cai, Chang-Tai Hsieh, Hongbin Li, Albert Park, Gérard Roland, Zheng (Michael) Song, Yaohui Zhao and Li-An Zhou.
Please register online (https://cloud.itsc.cuhk.edu.hk/mycuform/view.php?id=2897) for possible presentation at the meeting or expressions of interest in attending the meeting by 24 April 2017 (Monday).
We would like to invite you to submit a paper to the workshop: ADVANCES IN MICRO DEVELOPMENT ECONOMICS. The workshop will run for 2 days and will take place on June 15-16, 2017 in Barcelona. This workshop aims at being a showcase of recent outstanding contributions in micro Development Economics, and at creating an annual meeting of top researchers in this field in the framework of the Barcelona GSE Summer Forum. Both empirical and theoretical contributions are encouraged.
The deadline for submissions is February 28, 2017. To submit a paper, please use this link https://app-summerforum.barcelonagse.eu. Submissions should include either a full paper or an extended abstract with the main results. Authors chosen to present papers will be notified approximately by mid-March. A preliminary program will be announced by mid-April.
The Bureau for Research and Economic Analysis of Development (BREAD) is pleased to announce that the 33rd BREAD Conference on Development Economics will be hosted by Stanford University in Palo Alto, Friday May 12 – Saturday May 13, 2017.
The Scientific Organizers of the Conference are Pascaline Dupas (Stanford), Marcel Fafchamps (Stanford), Fred Finan (Berkeley), Jon Robinson (UC Santa Cruz) and Elizabeth Sadoulet (Berkeley).
This year BREAD will also host a panel on “Getting published in development economics" featuring Esther Duflo (MIT), Penny Goldberg (Yale), Imran Rasul (University College London) and Debraj Ray (NYU) on Friday, May 12 2017 from 6-7:30pm.
Evidence Action Beta is looking for ambitious researchers whose work or insights could benefit millions of people living in poverty, and who want to participate in seeing their research turned into viable, scaled up programs.
Have you done work that has similar potential? If you are interested, please fill out this short form for Evidence Action Beta's Call for Results!
The deadline is 3 February 2017. We are looking forward to hearing from you!
We are writing to invite you to submit your research for consideration for the Development Economics program meeting during the NBER's Summer Institute in Cambridge, MA. The meeting will be from lunchtime on Sunday July 23 through lunchtime on Tuesday July 25, 2017program.
All research papers in development, broadly defined, will be considered. Please submit your work by Monday March 20, 2017, at http://www.nber.org/confsubmit/backend/cfp?id=SI17DEV.
Only complete papers will be considered and preference will be given to papers not previously presented at a NBER or BREAD meeting. We plan to have nine papers presented with a discussant following each presentation as well as time for further discussion of the work.
Please forward this call for papers to colleagues who may have a paper suitable for the program. Unfortunately, it will not be possible invite everyone who receives this call for papers or everyone who submits a paper. Invitations to the meeting and logistical information will be distributed in late April. If you have any questions or need additional information please contact Rob Shannon in the NBER's Conference Department at 617/868-3900 or rshannon@nber.org.
We are pleased to announce that the 2017 edition of the annual ThReD conference will be sponsored by the University of Warwick and held on its new London Campus in King’s Cross on June 23 and 24, 2017. We are issuing an open call for papers for this conference. Papers should be submitted by Friday, January 27, 2017.
Approximately a dozen papers will be selected for presentation by the Organizing Committee, which consists of Debraj Ray (chair), Sharun Mukand, Patrick Francois, and Garance Genicot. Decisions will be made by March 1st. The local organizers aim to cover the travel and local expenses of at least one presenter for each selected paper.
ThReD is dedicated to theoretical research and its relation to empirical analysis in development economics. ThReD has organized conferences on at least annual basis (see http://thred.devecon.org/conferences.html for a list of past events).
To submit your paper for consideration for the ThReD conference, please take the following steps. You will need a free account with the Conference Maker service. If you do not have an account, you may sign up for an account on the website (see below).
Go to the ThReD Conference Maker website at https://editorialexpress.com/conference/THRED2017. You may also access this website by going to the ThReD website and clicking on the link.
If you already have a Conference Maker user account, enter your username and password for this service. If you do not have a Conference Maker account or if you have forgotten your login information, look for a link at the bottom of the page that will allow you to sign up for an account and/or retrieve your existing login information.
Enter your paper information into the submission form, including the paper title and an abstract. Submit the paper itself either by uploading a PDF of the document using the “Choose File” button, or entering the exact URL of an Internet copy of the PDF. Please be sure to provide the exact URL of the paper itself to that the paper will be automatically uploaded into the Conference Maker system. We request that all papers be submitted in a readable PDF format if possible. The submission page provides a link to guidelines on producing readable PDFs for submission.
Press "submit" to submit your paper for consideration. It may take a minute for everything to upload. You should receive e-mail confirmation that your submission was successfully received.
Please submit your paper through our website before 15th of February 2017 (by 12pm CET). Only one submission per author will be considered. Decisions of acceptance or rejection will be sent out no later than February 28th, 2017.
Thank you and we hope to see you in Madrid!
The aim of the conference is to bring together the community of scholars who employ laboratory experimental economics methods for research in developing countries. Keynote speakers are Eliana La Ferrara (Bocconi University) and Macartan Humphreys (Columbia University). The conference will consist of plenary and parallel sessions.
Submissions are invited for papers that reflect SEEDEC’s broad research agenda which includes studies involving lab experiments in the field (in contrast to focusing on the randomized evaluations that have become widespread in development economics in recent years). The choice of papers will be based on full paper submissions, which should be submitted via the online form by January 22, 2017. Successful applicants will be notified by February 22, 2017. Participants are expected to cover their travel and accommodation. For further information, please visit seedec2017.wordpress.com or contact us at seedec2017@uea.ac.uk. We are looking forward to meeting you at UEA in April!
AFD, the World Bank and CERDI are jointly organizing the 10th International Conference on “Migration and Development”. The conference is devoted to investigating ways in which international migration affects economic and social change in developing countries.
Possible topics include the effects of migration on poverty, inequality, and human capital formation; social networks and migration; diaspora externalities; remittances; brain drain; migration and institutional/technological/demographic change.
A selection of papers from the conference will be considered for a special issue of the Journal of Development Economics.
Additional information and submission guidelines.
In January 2017, Georgetown University will host the Fourth Winter School on the Analytics and Policy Design of Migration.
The SIEPR Postdoctoral Fellows program provides support for leading researchers who expect to receive their Ph.D. in Spring 2017 to visit Stanford for one to two years after their Ph.D.
The SIEPR Visiting Fellows program provides support for junior faculty with strong publication records to spend a sabbatical year at Stanford. Both programs are designed to facilitate rich interactions with a broad set of economists and social scientists at Stanford and provide state-of-the-art facilities and resources for research.
Those interested in applying for the 2017-18 academic year are encouraged to submit an application by September 1, 2016 for the Visiting Fellows program and December 1, 2016 for the Postdoctoral Fellows program. Applications received after these dates will be considered on a rolling basis until the positions are filled. More information about the program, including application requirements, is available at http://siepr.stanford.edu/scholars/young-scholars.
You are invited to submit your research for presentation at the National Bureau for Economic Research (NBER) Development Economics Fall program meeting which will be held in Cambridge, MA, on 9-10 December. The deadline for submissions is 6 am EST on Monday, 3 October. Only completed papers will be considered for the program. Please submit your papers at http://papers.nber.org/confsubmit/backend/cfp?id=DEVf16 . The program will be selected by Esther Duflo, Rick Hornbeck, Rohini Pande, Erik Verhoogen and Duncan Thomas.
All papers presented at the conference will be selected through this open submissions process. Please note that there will be time for only a very small number of presentations. The conference lasts about a day and a half, there are no parallel sessions. There will not be formal discussants but ample time will be allowed for discussion of the research during the presentations. Travel and hotel expenses will be covered for one author per paper that is presented at the conference following NBER travel reimbursement guidelines.
The annual conference brings together international scholars and researchers of development economics and neighboring fields. Plenary sessions with keynote speakers, parallel sessions with contributed papers, and a poster session (with two discussants for all posters) will reflect the current state of research in development economics and provide a forum for exchange for researchers and practitioners. Interested contributors are invited to fill a submission form on www.entwicklungsoekonomischer-ausschuss.de and upload their full paper before February 15th. Acceptance notes with detailed information will be sent by early April 2017. The conference will start in the afternoon of June 1, 2017. There will be a conference fee of Euro 50. We will provide child care services for children from 6 weeks to 12 years old during all conference sessions and events.
I am pleased to announce that the 32nd BREAD Conference on Development Economics will be hosted by Bocconi University in Milan on Friday 30 September and Saturday 1 October, 2016. This conference is co-sponsored by CEPR and PODER.
We invite submissions from interested researchers on any topic within the area of Development Economics. The deadline for submission is Friday 15 July 2016. Only full-length papers will be considered.
A pre-conference session will also be arranged for BREAD Affiliates and PODER fellows to present their work. Please use the same submission process (mentioning “Pre-Conference” in your application) if you would like your work to be considered for this part of the conference.
Authors who are CEPR members can upload their submission on http://dev3.cepr.org/accounts/login.asp?NewURL=/accounts/config/accountconfig.asp. Authors who are not CEPR members can email their submission to Chloe Smith at csmith@cepr.org.
The Scientific Organizers of the Conference are David Atkin (MIT and CEPR), Oriana Bandiera (LSE and CEPR), Selim Gulesci (Bocconi University), Eliana La Ferrara (Bocconi University and CEPR).
Following the 2015 Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) flagship publication of 2015, "The Early Years: Child Well-Being and the Role of Public Policy", the Centre for the Evaluation of Development Policy (EDePo) at the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) and the IDB are organizing an academic conference on the themes covered extending the scope to experiences in developing, middle income and developed countries. The focus of the conference will be on lessons that can be learned from the literature on the early years, their long term consequences, and the potential role for policy.
This event is free to attend however we please ask that you register your details via the online booking form.
Joint with IGC, Warwick is looking to appoint a one or two year post-doc to develop IGC projects (as both PI and or Co-PI) in Myanmar. The position offers generous research fund support and light duties. The post holder is expected to spend significant amount of time in Myanmar. For questions, please e-mail r.macchiavello@warwick.ac.uk The link to apply is here.
Economic globalization remains extremely controversial in the United States and elsewhere. Nonetheless, opinions do not fall along recognizable partisan lines. In her current research, Mutz uses surveys and experimental designs to explore the psychological, political, economic, and philosophical underpinnings of American attitudes toward globalization policies, such as international trade and outsourcing.
Mutz finds that trade attitudes have more to do with peoples’ attitudes toward the value of cooperation versus competition and on general sentiment toward citizens of other countries. This evidence highlights Americans’ differential valuation of human lives.
Register online by visiting www.radcliffe.harvard.edu/event/2016-diana-c-mutz-lecture.
The event is free and open to the public. We encourage you to share this invitation with people you know who may be interested in attending this event.
The World Bank’s World Development Report 2006 on Equity and Development placed a concern with social justice and combating inequality at the center of the development paradigm. In the ten years since, inequality has become even more central to both academic inquiry and policy debates, in developed and developing countries alike. Research into top incomes; global inequality; inequality of opportunity; and economic mobility, to name only a few topics, has made much progress since 2006.
This conference, jointly sponsored by the World Bank’s Development Research Group and Poverty and Equity Global Practice, will revisit the main premises and conclusions of the WDR 2006 in the light of recent experience and new findings. It will also explore the key developments in the field during the decade since its publication, and their implications for both policy and further inquiry. The one and a half day conference will be held at the World Bank Headquarters in Washington, DC, in an all-plenary format.
Confirmed participants include Abhijit Banerjee, Nora Lustig, Branko Milanovic, Martin Ravallion and James Robinson.
The Financial Inclusion Program at Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA) invites Expressions of Interest (EOI) from teams of researchers and financial service providers to conduct rigorous research on financial product innovations for low income households in developing countries.
Expressions of Interest shall present a rigorous study design for a randomized evaluation with a clear hypothesis. Funding requests up to $300,000 will be accepted under this call. Please review the guidelines for more information about this opportunity and to connect with IPA.
Please direct all questions to financialinclusion@poverty-action.org.
We invite those with contributions to the topic to submit their papers. We particularly seek participants from a variety of institutions and those researchers beginning their careers. There is a limited budget to help with travel costs.
This workshop will bring together researchers working on economic development from both an empirical and theoretical perspective. Specifically, this year we will focus on self-selection. Self-selection is omnipresent as both a concern (from the econometrician’s standpoint) and a fundamental object of interest in both empirical and theoretical studies of development policies. For example, it is now well established that there is massive self-selection into credit markets (even after the introduction of microcredit) and understanding why self-selection is so stringent remains an open question. Likewise understanding what drives some individuals or firms to adopt new technologies (or change behavior) faster than others remains of fundamental importance. We welcome submissions that broadly approach this issue.
Organized by: Arun Chandrasekhar, Stanford University; Melissa Dell, Harvard University; Pascaline Dupas, Melanie Morten, Stanford University; Xiao Yu Wang, Duke University.
Please submit your paper via the program website (http://site.stanford.edu/ ).
For more information about this or other SITE sessions, write the program administrator at siteworkshop@stanford.edu.
Invitation to submit: We are looking for contributions on the broad theme of economic development in Africa. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to: mobile money and financial innovation; natural resource management; the quality of education and health; migration, remittances and the brain drain; the quality of public services and political economy; or entrepreneurship and management practices in the African context.
Submission timetable: Submissions of full papers (PDF files) are expected by April 4, 2016. Extended abstracts may also be submitted but priority will be given to full papers. Decisions will be made by April 14, 2016.
Submission guidelines: Please email your submission to novafrica@novasbe.pt. For additional information about NOVAFRICA and past events, please visit www.novafrica.org.
Organizers: Catia Batista (Universidade Nova de Lisboa, CReAM and IZA) and Pedro Vicente (Universidade Nova de Lisboa, and BREAD).
"New Data in Development Economics"
The summer school is intended for PhD students, post-docs and junior faculty members. The aim is to provide young researchers with an overview of new data in development and methods for analyzing them. Participants will also have the opportunity to discuss their own research projects with leading researchers in a relaxed and open atmosphere, and receive advice and feedback.
The main components will be lectures by leading researchers and participants’ presentations.
Lecture topics include social networks and development, issues in network data, spatial methods in development economics, taxation and development: what can be learned from large administrative data sets and mining large-scale social networks.
Selected projects by participants will be presented and discussed during the day. We encourage all participants to submit either complete papers or detailed proposals that present empirical evidence on a development question.
PODER Researchers who have an ITN contract at the time of the Summer School should pay for their travel directly and send the reimbursement claim to their host institution. For these researchers, accommodation will be covered by the network coordinator, Bocconi University.
Other students will be considered for full or partial funding, although neither can be guaranteed in advance. Please indicate in your application form whether you would require full, partial, or no funding in order to participate.
All participants are asked to stay for the entire duration of the Summer School.
All applications should be sent no later than April 15, 2016 to Chloe Smith: csmith@cepr.org.
Admission decisions will be announced by the May 1, 2016. All applicants will be informed by email about the results.
We invite the submission of 800 to 1,500 word abstracts on ten thematic areas which are outlined in the attached file. A technical committee will base their reviews and acceptance of submitted papers on the innovative nature, policy relevance, and contribution to the literature and general body of knowledge of the paper.
We encourage you to disseminate this call widely to your networks. More information on the conference is available in the attached file and on the 2015 conference website. Your contributions may be submitted through this link.
This year, we are pleased to offer new and exciting sessions to the conference: an innovation fair and hands- on classes. The innovation fair on March 26 will feature how innovations in technology and open data can help improve land governance at scale, and will encourage hands on interaction for participants looking for solutions to the land challenges of the post-2015 Development Agenda. A post-conference learning day on March 27 will offer hands-on classes to familiarize participants with cutting edge tools and techniques developed to help policy makers.
We look forward to a large number of submissions and a very stimulating event.
CEGA and BCRN are pleased to announce the first Conference on Behavioral Health Economics, to be held November 14 at UC Berkeley. This one-day meeting will feature presentations and discussions of 6-8 in-progress and completed papers at the intersection of behavioral economics and health, and a keynote address from Anna Fruttero, lead author of the World Bank's 2015 World Development Report, Mind and Society.
Submit your paper (or long abstract for works in progress) at https://cega.submittable.com/submit/33417 by midnight Pacific time on Sunday, October 5. Submissions should clearly indicate the relevance of behavioral economics. Any health issues in any geographic region will be considered.
Please contact Ellie Turner at e.turner@berkeley.edu with questions.
Visit the CEGA/J-PAL/IPA Funding Calendar at http://goo.gl/8zjG6 (calendar view) or http://goo.gl/xGw04 (list view).
The PAA Annual Meeting will be held April 30-May 2, 2015, in San Diego, California.
The Call for Papers is available at http://paa2015.princeton.edu/ and the deadline for submissions is September 26, 2014.
The Experimental Social Science Laboratory (X-lab) and the Center for Effective Global Action (CEGA) at the University of California at Berkeley, and The Choice Lab at NHH Norwegian School of Economics are pleased to announce the 2014 Symposium on Economic Experiments in Developing Countries (SEEDEC) to be held from December 10-11 at the Norwegian School of Economics, Bergen, Norway.
Submissions are invited for papers that reflect SEEDEC’s broad research agenda which includes studies involving lab experiments in the field (in contrast to focusing on the randomized evaluations that have become widespread in development economics in recent years). The choice of papers will be based on full paper submissions, which should be sent via email by September 15 to thechoicelab@nhh.no. Successful applicants will be notified in by October 11. All participants will have to cover their economy travel and accommodations.
For further information, please visit seedec2014.wordpress.com or contact Ida Kjørholt at thechoicelab@nhh.no or Bertil Tungodden at bertil.tungodden@nhh.no.
The National Bureau for Economic Research (NBER) Development Economics Program (DEV) is pleased to announce the fall program meeting which will be held in Cambridge, MA, on 10-11 October 2014.
The program will be selected by Seema Jayachandran, Ben Olken and Duncan Thomas. All papers presented at the conference will be selected through this open submissions process. Please note that there will be time for only a very small number of presentations. The conference lasts about a day and a half, there are no parallel sessions, and ample time is allowed for discussion of the research during the presentations. Travel and hotel expenses will be covered for one author per paper that is presented in the conference following NBER travel reimbursement guidelines.
CALL FOR ESSAYS: HOW WOULD YOU REINVENT FOREIGN AID?
The world has changed radically since the emergence of official development assistance. How should aid change? We want to hear your views: Which financial instruments should be used to provide aid? How should the donor “aid system” be organized? Should aid be given only to the poorest countries? How could aid improve governance? How should recipient countries allocate aid in the context of other sources of financing? What does a data and technology driven transformation in the development project “marketplace” look like?
Up to 20 winning entries chosen by an international jury will receive 20,000 USD each.
Select winning ideas may be promoted by the Global Development Network (GDN) and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Last Date: 15 September 2014.
Submissions can be sent in English, French or Spanish.
The PODER Summer School on Behavioral and Experimental Economics in Development will be held at the University of Cape Town, 7-10 July, 2014.
The summer school is intended for PhD students, post-docs and junior faculty members. The aim is to provide young researchers with an overview of the application of insights from behavioural and experimental economics to development issues. Participants will also have the opportunity to discuss their own research projects with leading researchers in a relaxed and open atmosphere, and receive advice and feedback.
Click here for more information and click here for the application form.
3rd Summerschool of the Households in Conflict Network will be held in Bjumubura, July 20-27, 2014.
The Center for the Governance of Natural Resources at University of Colorado Boulder seeks a Research Associate (postdoctoral researcher) to conduct and support interdisciplinary research related to the local governance of two different collective goods in developing countries: forest ecosystems and public health systems. The Research Associate will work under the supervision of Professor Krister Andersson and will help coordinate the data collection campaigns in selected field sites in Latin America, design field protocols, develop data-analysis plans, and train field assistants.
We are looking for colleagues with advanced skills in quantitative analysis, with preference for individuals who have experience in designing and conducting behavioral experiments (e.g. decision-making games) in rural field settings. Proficiency in Spanish is highly desirable.
The Stanford Institute for Theoretical Economics (SITE) is organizing a nine-session conference on economic theory. They will pay particular attention to attracting participants from a variety of institutions and to young researchers in the beginning of their careers. There is a limited budget to help with travel costs.
The SITE Summer Workshop is funded by grants from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Standford Institute for Economic Policy Research (SIEPR).
Please visit SITE for additional information.
J-PAL is hosting on the topic of Improving Take-up and Delivery of Maternal and Child Health Services in Developing Countries.
The conference will take place on Friday, 23 May 2014 at MIT in Cambridge, MA. The goal of this conference is to share evidence from recent randomized evaluations of interventions designed to promote uptake and better delivery of protective health goods and services to improve maternal and child health.
We will accept four papers for presentation in addition to four scheduled presentations that will share findings from studies under a National Institutes of Health P01.
Paper(s) may be uploaded via this link: http://www.povertyactionlab.org/mch-conference-c4p The deadline for submission is 5pm EST on Friday, 7 March. Notification of the outcome of the peer review process will be on Friday, 4 April 2014.
The Bureau for Research and Economic Analysis of Development (BREAD) is pleased to announce the 27th BREAD Conference on Economic Development. The conference will be held at Berkeley, CA, 8-9 May 2014.
You are invited to submit your research for presentation at the conference. The deadline for submissions is midnight EST on 21 March 2014.
We are very grateful to Fred Finan, Paul Gertler and Ted Miguel who have graciously agreed to serve on the scientific committee and select the papers for the program. All papers presented at the conference will be selected through this open submissions process. Please note that there will be time for only a very small number of presentations. The conference lasts about a day and a half, there are no parallel sessions, and ample time is allowed for discussion of the research during the presentations. Reasonable travel and hotel expenses will be covered for one author per paper that is presented in the conference.
We are inviting submissions to the workshop on Advances in Micro Development Economics. This workshop will take place on June 11-12, 2014 in Barcelona, within the general framework of the 2nd Barcelona GSE Summer Forum. Invited Speakers: Pascaline Dupas (Stanford), Fred Finan (Berkeley), Seema Jayachandran (Northwestern), Kaivan Munshi (Cambridge).
Click here for the call for papers and online submission Form. The deadline for submissions is February 16th 2014.
Approximately six papers will be selected for presentation by the Organizing Committee. Travel and local expenses of one presenter for each selected paper will be covered by the local organizers.
The Barcelona Summer Forum is a series of independent workshops. When you submit your paper, you will be able to see the topics and dates of other workshops that will take place within the Summer Forum. You are welcome to submit papers to other workshops. More information can be found on the Summer Forum webpage http://www.barcelonagse.eu/summer-forum.html.
The 2014 ThReD conference will be held at the New Economic School, Moscow, on June 27 and 28, 2014.
ThRed is an organization dedicated to theoretical research in development economics, and its relation to empirical analyses. The Board of ThReD consists of Karl Ove Moene (President), Jean-Marie Baland, Maitreesh Ghatak, Dilip Mookherjee, Andrew Newman and Debraj Ray. ThReD has already organized a number of conferences previously; see the conference page at http://thred.devecon.org/conferences.html. We are issuing an open call for papers for the June 2014 conference. Papers should be submitted by 15 February 2014.
Approximately a dozen papers will be selected for presentation by the Organizing Committee, which consists of Dilip Mookherjee (chair), Jean-Marie Baland, Paul Dower and Maitreesh Ghatak. Decisions will be made by mid-March. Travel and local expenses of one presenter for each selected paper will be covered by the local organizers.
To submit your paper for inclusion in the ThReD conference, please take the following steps. You will need a free account with the Conference Maker service. If you do not have an account, you may sign up for an account on the website (see below).
1. Go to the ThReD Conference Maker website at https://editorialexpress.com/cgi-bin/conference/conference.cgi?action=login&db_name=THRED. You may also access this website by going to the ThReD website and clicking on the link.
2. If you already have a Conference Maker user account, enter your username and password for this service. If you do not have a Conference Maker account or if you have forgotten your login information, look for a link at the bottom of the page that will allow you to sign up for an account and/or retrieve your existing login information.
4. Enter your paper information into the submission form, including the paper title and an abstract. Submit the paper itself either by uploading a PDF of the document using the “Choose File” button, or entering the exact URL of an Internet copy of the PDF. Please be sure to provide the exact URL of the paper itself so that the paper will be automatically uploaded into the Conference Maker system. We request that all papers be submitted in a readable PDF format if possible. The submission page provides a link to guidelines on producing readable PDFs for submission.
5. Press submit to submit your paper for consideration. It may take a minute for everything to upload. You should receive email confirmation that your submission was successfully received.
International Migration Institute, University of Oxford, June 30 – July 1, 2014.
The French Development Agency (AFD) Research Department, the World Bank Development Research Group (DECRG), the Center for Global Development (CGD) and the International Migration Institute at the University of Oxford are jointly organizing the Seventh International Conference on “Migration and Development”. The conference is devoted to investigating ways in which international migration affects economic and social changes in developing countries. Possible topics include the effects of migration on poverty, inequality, and human capital formation in developing countries, diaspora externalities, remittances, brain drain, migration and institutional/technological change. A selection of papers from the conference will be considered for a special “features” issue of The Economic Journal. KEYNOTE SPEAKERS: Philippe Fargues, European University Institute David McKenzie, World Bank Giovanni Peri, UC Davis Submission guidelines and timetable: Submissions of full papers (pdf files) are expected by January 5, 2014. Submissions should be sent to migdevconf@qeh.ox.ac.uk. Decisions will be communicated by February 5, 2014. Travel (economy class) and accommodation in Oxford for up to three nights will be covered. Organizing Committee: Cyrille Bellier (AFD), Michael Clemens (CGD), Hein de Haas (IMI Oxford), Çağlar Özden (World Bank), Chris Parsons (IMI Oxford), Hillel Rapoport (Paris School of Economics and Bar-Ilan University), Briony Truscott (IMI Oxford) Scientific Committee: Ran Abramitzky (Stanford), Emmanuelle Auriol (Toulouse), Oliver Bakewell (IMI Oxford), Michel Beine (Luxembourg), Jørgen Carling (Peace Research Institute, Oslo), Michael Clemens (CGD), Patricia Cortes (Boston U), Hein de Haas (IMI Oxford), Frederic Docquier (Louvain), Giovanni Facchini (Nottingham), Hubert Jayet (EQUIPPE, Lille), William Kerr (Harvard Business School), Anna-Maria Mayda (Georgetown), David McKenzie (World Bank), Kaivan Munshi (Cambridge), Çağlar Özden (World Bank), Giovanni Peri (UC Davis), Jean-Philippe Platteau (Oxford), Hillel Rapoport (Chair, Paris School of Economics and Bar-Ilan), Imran Rasul (UCL), Dean Yang (University of Michigan), Yves Zenou (Stockholm).
The 2014 Pacific Conference on Development Economics (PacDev) will be held on Saturday, March 15, 2014 at the University of California, Los Angeles at the Sproul Presidio Commons. The goal of PacDev is to bring together graduate students, faculty and practitioners to present and discuss various issues facing developing economies. The conference website is here. The deadline for submissions is December 2, 2013.
Jean-Marie Baland, Gharad Bryan, Eliana La Ferrara, Karen Macours, Jakob Svensson, Alessandro Tarozzi and Ingrid Woolard are involved in a Marie Curie Initial Training Networks (ITN) funded under the European Commission's 7th Framework Programme. This network is called PODER (Policy Design and Evaluation Research in Developing Countries) and runs through August 31, 2017.
They can participate in training events (e.g., courses, summer schools and conferences), develop their research projects and collaborate with local faculty.
They can also benefit from internships with the following Associated Partners: EBRD, IPA, MARS, Mathematica, Oxford Policy Management. Among other things, these internships may allow students to gain experience in fieldwork and collect data.
Funding for PODER students is quite generous: the gross salary for students in their first 4 years of doctoral studies is up to euro 38,000 per year (USD 51,600), and for students in their 5th year is up to euro 58,500 per year (USD 79,500). Students planning to do fieldwork can save up some of this salary and use it for data collection.
For more information, contact the network co-ordinator, Eliana La Ferrara.
The 2014 Annual Meeting of the Population Association of America will be held Thursday May 1 through Saturday May 3 in Boston, MA. The Economic Demography Workshop (EDW) will take place from 1-6 pm on the afternoon before the main PAA meeting (Wednesday, Apr 30, 2014). The Workshop provides an opportunity for the detailed presentation of 5-7 research papers on topics in economic demography.
You may submit a paper or detailed abstract for consideration by the Program Committee by Friday, December 31, 2013. The Program Committee is Lucie Schmidt (Williams College) (lschmidt@williams.edu) Kasey Buckles (University of Notre Dame), Delia Furtado (University of Connecticut) and Joe Price (Brigham Young University).
Preference will be given to papers not on the main PAA program. The program will be finalized in late January Past programs are on the EDW website which also provides information about the EDW. General information about the PAA is here.
focuses on (i)early childhood nutrition, health, and development; (ii) water supply, sanitation, and hygiene linked to human development outcomes; (iii) basic education service delivery; and (iv) health systems and service delivery.
First stage proposals are due November 1, 2013.
on infrastructure, growth, humanitarian assistance and education.
will be held at the World Bank Headquarters in Washington DC on Mar 31-Apr 3, 2014. The conference theme will be "Integrating Land Governance into the Post-2015 Agenda: Harnessing Synergies for Implementation and Monitoring Impact". Abstracts may be submitted until mid November 2013. See the conference website for more information and submission instructions.
Click here for more information about the Winter School and how to apply.
We will bring together leading economic and evolutionary researchers to explore the nature of conflict and cooperation between the sexes in the areas of mating, fertility, marriage and family life. The conference provides an opportunity for researchers to discuss the economic and evolutionary biology approaches to these issues, explore common ground and identify collaborative opportunities.
Abstracts are due by 30 August 2013 and can be submitted here.
The Experimental Social Science Laboratory (X-lab) and the Center for Effective Global Action (CEGA) at UC Berkeley, and The Choice Lab at NHH Norwegian School of Economics are pleased to announce the 2013 Symposium on Economic Experiments in Developing Countries (SEEDEC) to be held from December 5-6 at the Norwegian School of Economics, Bergen, Norway.
The aim of the conference is to bring together the community of scholars who employ laboratory experimental economics methods for research in developing countries. Keynote speakers are Charles Sprenger (Stanford University) and Edward Miguel (UC Berkeley). The conference will consist of plenary, parallel, and poster sessions.
Papers should be submitted via email by September 30th to Ranveig Falch at thechoicelab@nhh.no. Preference will be given to full papers. Successful applicants will be notified by October 15. All participants will have to cover their travel and accommodation.
We also invite you to submit your work for the special issue of the Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization entitled Economic Experiments in Developing Countries. Guest editors are Shachar Kariv, Edward Miguel, Jane Zhang, and Bertil Tungodden, and the deadline for submission will be February 1st, 2014. Consult the journal website for further details.
For further information, please visit seedec2013.wordpress.com or contact Ranveig Falch at thechoicelab@nhh.no.
The call for papers is here. Submissions are due 27 September 2014.
IZA and DFID Growth and Labor Markets in Low Income Countries (GLM | LIC) program.
IZA and DFID are now accepting applications for funding in Phase III of the Growth and Labor Markets in Low Income Countries (GLM | LIC) program.
After two competitive rounds of funding in Phase I and II, we look forward to receiving many high-quality research proposals again in this final call. It is expected that 10 to 12 projects will be selected for funding.
The deadline for applications is October 29, 2013. Please visit glm-lic.iza.org for more information about the program and the call for proposals. The full Call Specifications can be downloaded here.
Projects funded in previous calls cover a wide range of low-income countries and focus on various topics, including the impacts of trade and globalization, evaluation of training programs, the functioning of markets for education and skills, and migration and job search. Descriptions of Phase I projects can be found on the GLM | LIC website, where Phase II projects will be added later this month.
Harvard University will be hosting the 2013 NEUDC (Northeast Universities Development Consortium) Conference on November 2nd and 3rd, 2013.
You are invited to submit a paper for the conference and also to pass the word around among your colleagues and students who may be interested. All papers that investigate topics in economic development broadly defined are welcome. To submit a paper, please do so here. The final date for submitting a paper is August 8th 2013.
Only full drafts of papers will be considered. Please submit a paper with an abstract, not exceeding 300 words, before the August 8th deadline. We will send out notifications by late September informing people of our acceptance or rejection decisions.Those attending the meeting will be charged an advanced registration fee of $200. For students there will be a special discounted rate of $100. The registration will include breakfast, lunches, coffee and Saturday's conference reception. Expenses for travel and accommodation will not be covered by the conference. Further conference details will be posted on the conference web page.If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at neudc_2013@hks.harvard.edu.
The call for papers and panels is here. The deadline for paper submissions is 16 September 2013.
The Global Financial Inclusion Fund (GFII) at Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA) invites Expressions of Interest (EOI) submissions from teams of researchers and practitioners to conduct rigorous research on identifying innovative products and programs that enhance poor households' access to and usage of improved financial tools, products, and services.
Savings: The poor can and do save. In fact, saving is critical to households whose income flows do not match their daily consumption needs, much less their need to plan for risks and make investments. GFII studies innovations that help individuals to access savings services, overcome temptation and social demands, and build savings habits, and measures the impact of improved saving on consumption, investment, and risk mitigation.
Payments: The ability to move money from one location to another is key to allowing personal, business, and government transactions to occur. Innovations in payment channels, driven by the widespread use of technologies such as mobile phones, allow the poor to transact in a faster, cheaper, and more secure manner. Our studies measure the impact of these new transaction mechanisms on the welfare of the poor.
Financial Capability: Simply having access to financial products and services is only part of the solution to maintaining a healthy financial portfolio. Individuals must also know how to choose and use the right products based on their specific needs, and know how to balance products and services to optimize sustenance and growth. GFII assesses the effectiveness of various innovative tools designed to help the poor make better decisions on their own financial portfolios.
Please direct all questions to gfii@poverty-action.org. For more information on IPA's Global Financial Inclusion initiative, please visit http://poverty-action.org/financialinclusion. The application is available at www.poverty-action.org/sites/default/files/gfii_eoi_2013_application_form.doc.
We are writing to invite you to submit a paper for the conference and also to pass the word around among your colleagues and students who may be interested. We welcome all papers that investigate topics in economic development broadly defined.
The final date for submitting a paper is August 8th 2013. Only full drafts of papers will be considered. Please submit a paper with an abstract, not exceeding 300 words, before the August 8th deadline. We will send out notifications by late September informing people of our acceptance or rejection decisions.
Those attending the meeting will be charged an advanced registration fee of $200. For students there will be a special discounted rate of $100. The registration will include breakfast, lunches, coffee and Saturday's conference reception. Expenses for travel and accommodation will not be covered by the conference.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at neudc_2013@hks.harvard.edu.
"The Economics of Genocide, Mass Murder and other Atrocities"
The scientific analysis and understanding of human behavior is put at the test when we consider what is probably the worst expression of human behavior: genocide and mass killing. Explanations of this phenomenon have crossed disciplinary and theoretical boundaries including prospect theory and rational choice in economics, relative deprivation in psychology and political science and horizontal inequality in development studies. New insights have been achieved in the cross-country empirical analysis of violent conflict. Recently, the availability of in-country household level data have allowed micro-level inquiry into the causes, functionings and consequences of violent conflict, genocide and mass murder.
We invite empirical papers who increase our understanding of the phenomenon of genocide and mass murder. Political economy and theoretical contributions will also be considered. Papers which illuminate the behavior of people in the institutional context in which they operate are particularly welcome. As in previous workshops, papers who inform us on the micro-economics of violent conflict but do not particularly address the theme of this year are also welcome.
The 9th Annual Workshop is hosted by Edward Miguel and will take place on the campus of UC Berkeley. The program committee members are Tilman Brück, Patricia Justino, Edward Miguel and Philip Verwimp.
Only scholars whose paper is selected are invited to participate in the workshop. Please consult the program of previous workshops to find out if your paper is the kind of paper we are looking for (www.hicn.org) click 'events'.
Journal editors will be contacted with a view to a later submission of papers for a potential special issue.
. Please send a PDF of your paper as well as a PDF of your CV. Selected authors will be invited by 1 October 2013. There is no registration fee. Participants have to cover their ticket and hotel costs.
Submissions are invited for the seventh annual conference on the political economy of international organizations, to be held at Princeton University, USA, on January 16-18, 2014. The conference brings together economists and political scientists to address political-economy issues related to international organizations such as the World Trade Organization, the United Nations, the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, and the European Union, and also other international organizations that have as yet received less attention in the academic literature.
Both empirical and theoretical papers will be considered. Please submit full papers to conference@peio.me. The deadline for submission is 31 August, 2013. Decisions will be made by 30 September, 2013. This year's special issue of the Review of International Organizations will be focusing on Dispute Settlement in International Organizations, edited by Christina Davis. Please indicate in your submission to the conference whether you are interested in also submitting to the special issue.
The number of participants will be limited to about 70, which allows for in-depth discussion of each paper. Authors of accepted papers are expected to attend the entire conference. There is no registration or conference fee. Travel and accommodation are at the expense of participants.
Young Lives is an international, longitudinal study of childhood poverty that is following 12,000 children in 4 countries for 15 years, from 2002 to 2017. Currently three rounds of data are publicly available for two cohorts of children, one followed from infancy and the other from age 8, in Ethiopia, India (Andhra Pradesh), Peru and Vietnam. Each survey contains an extensive socio-economic component, collecting detailed data on household education, employment, income, consumption and wealth, as well as multidimensional indicators of child well-being including nutrition, schooling, parental involvement and aspirations, psychosocial well-being, children's time-use, cognitive and non-cognitive development, and academic achievement. Young Lives is the largest cross-national cohort study on poverty and child well-being and unique in providing rich comparable longitudinal information across four developing countries, on individual children, their families and the communities in which they live.
A key focus area for Young Lives research is documenting and exploring the mechanisms for the evolution of inequalities in children's outcomes across, inter alia, gender, ethnic group, socio-economic status, and rural-urban residence. The purpose of this conference is to raise awareness of the Young Lives study and bring together economists and other social scientists working on issues relating to the evolution, causes and consequences of childhood inequalities who are using either the Young Lives data or other panel data-sets.
What is the extent of inequalities in key indicators of children's human capital and well-being over the child's life-course across, gender, socio-economic status, ethnic group, rural-urban residence, and other dimensions?
How do inequalities evolve and change over the child's life-course?
What are the factors that mitigate/reinforce early inequalities and explain the evolution of inequalities over time?
The organising committee invites submissions of high-quality research papers addressing these and other questions relating to child well-being and development in developing countries. Submissions using the Young Lives data are encouraged, although consideration will also be given to papers using other developing country panel data-sets that address related issues. Researchers wishing to use the Young Lives data can find more information, including how to obtain the data, on the Young Lives website: www.younglives.org.uk.
If you would like to submit a paper (full papers only; abstracts only will not be considered), please e-mail younglives@younglives.org.uk. In the subject header please put: Submission Young Lives Child Inequalities Conference. If the paper is multiple-authored, please indicate who will present and whether the presenter would be willing to act as a discussant.
Notifications of acceptances will be circulated by 1 May 2013. We regret Young Lives is not able to cover costs of participants. Participants will have the option of booking accommodation at the conference venue (St Anne's College, Oxford) on a first come, first served basis. Funding may be available for presenters from developing countries.
The conference will be held at St Anne's College, Oxford. The conference programme will start on Monday morning (8 July 2013) and end on Tuesday afternoon (9 July 2013). The programme will consist of plenary and parallel sessions. Confirmed plenary speakers are listed above.
Who should attend? Financial service providers and other financial inclusion practitioners interested in cost-effective, client-based product innovations aimed at improving clients' financial behavior.
Who should apply? Researchers and practitioners from all over the world interested in developing new research partnerships for the second round of competitive funding for research grants.
Who should attend? Practitioners, policymakers and researchers interested in learning about rigorous evidence on the impact of savings and payments innovations on the lives of the poor in sub-Saharan Africa.
Who should apply? PhD researchers and advanced PhD students from sub-Saharan Africa with demonstrated interest in rigorously evaluating the impact of savings and payments innovations.
The Barcelona GSE Summer Forum is a series of independent workshops and policy events that cover the main fields of Economics. The objective of the Summer Forum is to bring top research leaders and young promising economists from around the globe to Barcelona to debate the present and future of the frontier of knowledge in Economics.
The 6th China Economics Summer Institute (CESI) will take place in 2013 (Working papers of previous CESI workshops available at http://igov.berkeley.edu/china_workingpapers and at http://chinasummerinstitute.org). The objective of CESI is to create a network and community of top level scholars working on Chinese economic development. This initiative is currently co-sponsored by UC Berkeley Center on Institutions and Governance (with generous funding from the Ford Foundation), the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, the School of Economics and Management at Tsinghua University, the Guanghua School of Management at Peking University, the Institute for Emerging Market Studies at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and a joint program of the LICOS-Center for Institutions and Economic Performance at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven and Stanford - CASS REAP (Rural Education Action Program). The Summer Institute is organized in collaboration with the BREAD, NBER and CEPR networks of academic economists.
This call invites you to submit a paper or express your interest in attending the above Summer Institute, which will be hosted this year by Hong Kong University of Science and Technology in Hong Kong between August 22d and August 24 2012. The workshop intends to bring together the best scholars working on China in China, the US and Europe with other top level scholars who have an interest in working on China in the future. We welcome applications not only from those who want to present their research on China but also from anybody who has an interest in doing serious economic research on China and would like to use the workshop as means of exploring this possibility.
The Summer Institute will bring together between 20 and 30 participants for a period of three days. During the workshop, there will be seminar presentations and free time to allow scholars to interact and explore the possibility of doing joint research projects. Senior scholars who will attend will be available for consultations with junior scholars. Afternoon sessions will give the opportunity to a select group of young scholars and Ph. D students to present their work. A field trip to Shenzhen might be organized on August 25th for interested participants.
The scientific committee of the China Economic Summer Institute is composed of Chongen Bai, Robin Burgess, Hongbin Cai, Chang-Tai Hsieh, Hongbin Li, Albert Park, Gérard Roland, Jo Swinnen, Shang-Jin Wei and Yaohui Zhao.
Papers for possible presentation at the meeting or expressions of interest in attending the meeting should be e-mailed to igovcesi2012@gmail.com using the attached form by 18:00 GMT on April 12th, 2013.
If you need further information, please do not hesitate to contact me.
John Strauss will be stepping down on August 1, 2013 as editor of Economic Development and Cultural Change. The University of Chicago Press is soliciting proposals from leading scholars in development economics to assume the EDCC editorship.
The full EDCC Request for Proposals and Fact Sheet may be viewed at http://press.uchicago.edu/dms/ucp/journals/EDCC_request_for_proposals.pdf.
Statement of editorial policy. Considering the research published in EDCC in the past, describe the editorial scope and policies to be pursued under your editorship. This should be a reflective statement that serves to show acquaintance with the important issues confronting development economics and how EDCC will continue to serve the discipline. A statement of up to five pages is requested.
Curriculum vitae. Please enclose a current CV. If you are proposing to edit EDCC with a co-editor or several co-editors as a team, please enclose a CV for each prospective editor.
The five-year renewable term will begin August 1, 2013, with several months prior set aside for an overlap of duties with the outgoing editor to ensure a smooth transition.
The 2013 Annual Meeting of the Population Association of America will be held Thursday April 11 through Saturday April 13 in New Orleans, LA. The Economic Demography Workshop (EDW) will take place from 1-6 pm on the afternoon before the main PAA meeting (Wednesday, Apr 10, 2013). The Workshop provides an opportunity for the detailed presentation of 5-7 research papers on topics in economic demography.
You may submit a paper or detailed abstract for consideration by the Program Committee by Friday, December 31, 2010, at: http://editorialexpress.com/conference/edworkshop2013/.
Past programs are on the EDW website here: http://www.edworkshop.umd.edu/.
General information about the PAA Annual Meeting is available at http://www.popassoc.org/.
Additional information about the Economic Demography Workshop can be obtained on the EDW website (http://www.edworkshop.umd.edu) or from Terra McKinnish (terra.mckinnish@colorado.edu). Other members of this year's programcommittee are: Steven Haider (Michigan State University), Craig McIntosh (University of California-San Diego) and Lucie Schmidt (Williams).
Please forward this announcement to other interested economic demographers. If you are not on our mailing list, and wish to receive the annual call for papers and completed program by email, send an email to Terra McKinnish at mckinnis@colorado.edu with subjected header "EDW subscribe".
The Experimental Social Science Laboratory (X-lab) and the Center for Effective Global Action (CEGA) at the University of California at Berkeley, and the Choice Lab at NHH Norwegian School of Economics are pleased to announce the 2012 Symposium on Economic Experiments in Developing Countries (SEEDEC) to be held from November 29 to November 30 at U.C. Berkeley. The objective of the Symposium is to bring together a community of top scholars who employ laboratory experimental economics methods for research in developing countries. Keynote speakers are Abigail Barr and Sendhil Mullainathan.
Submissions are invited for papers that reflect SEEDEC's broad research agenda which includes studies involving lab experiments in the field (in contrast to focusing on the randomized evaluations that have become widespread in development economics in recent years). The choice of papers will be based on full paper submissions, which should be sent via email by September 30th to Judi Chan at judichan@berkeley.edu. Successful applicants will be notified in October and will be invited to attend the full symposium, and SEEDEC will cover their economy travel and accommodations.
For further information, please visit http://cega.berkeley.edu/events/seedec2012 or contact Jane Zhang(HKUST) at janezhang@ust.hk, Shachar Kariv (U.C. Berkeley) at kariv@econ.berkeley.edu, Edward Miguel (U.C. Berkeley) at emiguel@econ.berkeley.edu, or Bertil Tungodden (NHH Norwegian School of Economics) at Bertil.Tungodden@nhh.no.
The Population and Poverty Research Network (PopPov) is a group of academic researchers and funders from around the globe interested in how population dynamics affect economic outcomes. We are investigating how population policies can influence poverty reduction at the household level and economic growth at the country/state level. The Seventh Annual Research Conference on Population, Reproductive Health and Economic Development will take place from January 23 - 26, 2013 in Oslo, Norway. Invited participants will be economics and population researchers, with an emphasis on empirical research about Africa. Selected papers will advance knowledge and/or methodology, addressing the broad themes relevant to the PopPov inquiry into how population dynamics and reproductive health affect economic development (see references below).
Only papers submitted at http://www.openconf.org/PopPovConf2013/ will be considered.
The official language of the research conference is English.
Only completed papers, full drafts, and working papers will be considered. Submissions must be sufficiently detailed to allow the steering committee to judge the merits of the research and must include a description of the research objectives, the data and research methods, some preliminary results, and, as appropriate, the policy relevance of the research.
Authors may select only one topical session per submission.
Authors may make a maximum of two submissions.
The deadline for all submissions is Tuesday, September 4, 2012. All applicants will be notified about the status of their submission by Friday, October 19, 2012. Only accepted papers may be presented at the conference. No substitutions will be allowed.
Limited travel funds are available to assist current and former PopPov grantees and paper presenters without other sources of travel funding. Priority will be given to individuals with papers accepted for the program (one author), program participants (discussants, committee members), students, and researchers employed in developing country institutions.
Please check http://poppov.org/PopPovConferences/7thAnnualPopPovConference.aspx for updates and additional details.
We are pleased to announce our FOURTH ROUND of Research Funding for Entrepreneurship and SME Growth.
The goal of the grants is to fund innovative research to build a systemic body of evidence on the contribution of SMEs and entrepreneurship to poverty alleviation and economic development. We hope this competition will have a catalyzing effect to stimulate high quality research on the role of access to finance, human capital, and markets for SME growth and their contribution to development.
The Request for Proposals, Proposal Template, and Budgeting Guidelines are available at the IPA website.
Complete proposals should be emailed to sme@poverty-action.org by 5:00pm EST on September 28, 2011.
If you have any questions, please contact Eleanor Coates (ecoates@poverty-action.org).
We look for contributions on the broad theme of economic development in Africa. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to: mobile banking and other technological developments to access financial services; natural resource management; the quality of education and health; migration, remittances and the brain drain; the quality of public services and political economy; management practices in the African context; or the challenges of urbanization and infrastructure.
Submissions of full papers (pdf files) are expected by June 21, 2012. Extended abstracts may also be submitted but priority will be given to full papers. Decisions will be made by June 30, 2012.
Please email your submission to Raquel Fernandes at novafrica@novasbe.pt. For additional information, please visit www.novafrica.org. Travel and accommodation expenses will be covered for selected participants in the program.
Catia Batista (Universidade Nova de Lisboa, CReAM and IZA) and Pedro Vicente (Universidade Nova de Lisboa, BREAD and CSAE-Oxford).
Global Poverty: What Do We Know? Where Do We Go From Here?
We invite researchers, teachers and students with an interest in global poverty alleviation efforts to take part in the one-year anniversary conference of Academics Stand Against Poverty (ASAP).
This symposium brings together leading experts in development, aid, and global justice in a dialogue about the next steps that should be taken towards global poverty alleviation. The discussion will focus on what should replace the Millennium Development Goals after their expiration in 2015. Speakers will examine the record of increasing global inequality, innovations in development such as large-scale microfinance projects, and poverty measurement and trends. Each will offer crucial insights about what has been learned about reducing severe poverty, and which lessons must be highlighted in any MDG-replacement efforts.
We will also present ASAP's most current work and discuss future directions for the organization.
Experts in ethics and psychology will discuss how cognitive science and moral psychology can help us to more effectively motivate individuals to fulfill their moral obligations to alleviate global poverty. This workshop marks the launch of ASAP's Moral Psychology and Poverty Alleviation project (MPPA), which aims to support sustained collaborative and applicable research on this issue.
Sponsors: The British Council, the Global Justice Program of the Whitney and Betty MacMillan Centre for International and Area Studies, the Department of Cognitive Science at Yale University, and the Edward J. and Dorothy Clarke Kempf Memorial Fund.
The Microsavings and Payments Innovation Initiative (MPII) invites Expressions of Interest (EOI) applications to conduct rigorous, field-based research on savings products and services, as well as payments and money transfer channels for the world's poor and financially excluded. EOI submissions for Round 2 are due Friday, May 4, 2012 by 11:59 pm Eastern Daylight Time.
Despite financial inclusion being a top policy priority across developing countries, relatively little is known about the specific factors that enable people to save and transfer money more effectively. Recent years have seen a growth in technological innovations enabling novel products such as mobile money and new channels such as agent banking. Yet, the impact of such innovations on poverty alleviation is still unknown. The Microsavings and Payments Innovation Initiative will fill this gap by building evidence on (1) innovations that most effectively enable improved usage of savings and payments services by the poor (through reduced cost, reduced risk, improved learning, behavioral incentives, regulatory reform, etc.); and (2) the impact that the use of improved savings products and payments channels has on the welfare of the poor.
The Microsavings and Payments Innovation Initiative (MPII) awarded 5 grants in the first round of its competitive research fund. Total funding awarded amounted to $445,000, which will support three randomized evaluations and two diagnostic research projects. Successful applications passed through two stages of evaluation and selection. The first was an Expression of Interest application, for which MPII received 119 applications and invited 27 to submit full proposals. The 22 full proposals submitted were then vetted and evaluated by the MPII Executive Committee.
A total of $826,500 will be awarded in at least two subsequent competitive funding rounds. Applicants must either hold a PhD or be a current PhD candidate in a relevant social science or engineering discipline, such as economics, statistics, sociology, anthropology, public health, education, computer science, etc. They must demonstrate experience in field research. All qualified researchers affiliated with universities, think tanks, and other research institutions from around the world are invited to apply. Research projects focused on Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia are encouraged as are applications from researchers based in those regions or from teams with one or more researchers in those regions.
The French Development Agency (AFD) Research Department, the World Bank Development Research Group (DECRG) and the Center for Global Development (CDG) are jointly organizing the Fifth International Conference on "Migration and Development".
The conference is devoted to investigating channels through which international migration affects economic and social outcomes of developing countries. Possible topics include social networks and diaspora externalities, remittances, return migration, migration and the pattern of trade/FDI, brain drain, migration and institutional/technological change, migration and health, and the effect of emigration on poverty, inequality, and human capital formation in developing countries.
Submissions of full papers (pdf files) are expected by March 15, 2012. Submissions should be sent to Mrs Laurence Wunderle at the following address: wunderlel@afd.fr. Decisions will be communicated by April 30, 2012.
Travel (economy class) and accommodation expenses in Paris will be covered for selected participants.
Ran Abramitsky (Stanford), Emmanuelle Auriol (Toulouse), Michel Beine (University of Luxembourg), Michael Clemens (Center for Global Development), Frederic Docquier (Louvain), Giovanni Facchini (Erasmus University), Flore Gubert (DIAL, University Paris-Dauphine), Marc Gurgand (PSE), Hubert Jayet (EQUIPPE, Université de Lille), William Kerr (Harvard Business School), Sylvie Lambert (PSE), Thierry Mayer (Science Po), David McKenzie (World Bank), Çağlar Özden (World Bank), Hillel Rapoport (Chair, Bar-Ilan University and EQUIPPE), Maurice Schiff (World Bank), Antonio Spilimbergo (IMF), Dean Yang (University of Michigan), Yves Zenou (Stockholm).
Please refer to the Joint Call for Proposals available at http://poppov.org/Research/RFP.aspx for details.
to enhance international collaboration and networking between research groups in this research field.
Research teams must include at least one researcher based in the country of the funding agency (ESRC, NWO-WOTRO, RCN, or PRB) and one researcher based in the developing country of interest. List of countries considered to developing for purpose of this call may be found at www.oecd.org/dac/stats/daclist. Both of whom must have completed their PhD at the time of application.
Proposed research to be supported with the grant funds awarded must be completed in 2 years or less.
The Principal Investigator must be based at an institution eligible to apply for funding from either ESRC, NWO-WOTRO, RCN, or PRB.
The 5th China Economics Summer Institute (CESI) will take place in 2012 (Working papers of previous CESI workshops available at http://igov.berkeley.edu/china_workingpapers and at http://chinasummerinstitute.org ). The objective of CESI is to create a network and community of top level scholars working on Chinese economic development. This initiative is currently co-sponsored by UC Berkeley Center on Institutions and Governance (with generous funding from the Ford Foundation), the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, the School of Economics and Management at Tsinghua University, the Guanghua School of Management at Peking University and a joint program of the LICOS-Center for Institutions and Economic Performance at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven and Stanford- CASS REAP (Rural Education Action Program). The Summer Institute will be organized in collaboration with the BREAD, NBER and CEPR networks of academic economists.
This call invites you to submit a paper or express your interest in attending the above Summer Institute which will be hosted this year by Guanghua School of Management at Peking University between June 22d and June 24 2012. The workshop intends to group together the best scholars working on China in China, the US and Europe with other top level scholars who have an interest in working on China in the future. We welcome applications not only from those who want to present their research on China but also from anybody who has an interest in doing serious economic research on China and would like to use the workshop as means of exploring this possibility.
The Summer Institute will bring together between 20 and 30 participants for a period of three days. During the workshop, there will be seminar presentations and free time to allow scholars to interact and explore the possibility of doing joint research projects. Senior scholars who will attend will be available for consultations with junior scholars, usually during the afternoons and there will be some lectures by senior scholars. The Summer Institute will take place at the same time as the BREAD Summer school that will take place in the same location.
Papers for possible presentation at the meeting or expressions of interest in attending the meeting should be e-mailed to igovcesi2012@gmail.com using the attached form by 18:00 GMT on March 19th, 2012.
The Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA) and the UK Department for International Development (DFID) have recently launched the IZA/DFID Growth and Labour Markets in Low Income Countries Programme (GLM | LIC).
Over the next five years GLM | LIC will provide funding for promising research on growth and labor markets in low-income countries totaling approximately ten million Euros.
GLM | LIC Phase 1 funding is now open for application. Proposals are invited for research projects in the following five research areas: Growth and labor market outcomes, Active labor market policies, Labor market institutions, Skills, Gender.
Please visit http://glm-lic.iza.org for more information on the program and how to apply for funding.
The 2012 Annual Meeting of the Population Association of America will be held Thursday May 3 through Saturday May 5 in San Francisco, CA. As has been true for more than 20 years, there will also be an Economic Demography Workshop (EDW) from 1-5 pm on the afternoon before the main PAA meeting (Wednesday, May 2, 2012). The Workshop provides an opportunity for the detailed presentation of 4-9 papers with more economic content than those generally given in the main meetings.
Interested participants may submit abstracts that have also been submitted for presentation at the main PAA meeting. Please use the "Comments" field to indicate whether the abstract has also been submitted for presentation at the main meeting. Preference will be given to papers that will not also be presented at the main PAA meeting. The program will be finalized in early February.
Additional information about the Economic Demography Workshop can be obtained on the EDW website (http://www.edworkshop.umd.edu) or from any member of this year's organizing committee: Marianne Bitler (mbitler@uci.edu), Terra McKinnish (terra.mckinnish@colorado.edu), or Lucie Schmidt (lschmidt@williams.edu).
Please forward this announcement to other interested economic demographers. Sign up for email announcements of the Economic Demography Workshop at the EDW website.
The Annual Bank Conference on Development Economics (ABCDE), organized by the World Bank Development Economics (DEC) Vice Presidency, is one of the world's best known series of conferences for the presentation and discussion of new knowledge on development. The conference aims to promote the exchange of cutting-edge research among researchers, policymakers, and development practitioners. The next conference will take place on May 7-8, 2012, at World Bank Headquarters in Washington, D.C. The theme of the conference will be "Accountability and Transparency for Development".
Also of interest are means that can be used to effectively expand accountability and transparency, including the media and the internet, data collection and dissemination, and mandated versus voluntary disclosure of information. Papers that do not fit into these categories, but are related to the main conference theme, are also welcome.
Those interested should submit a draft paper or a two-page proposal by January 6, 2012(email abcde@worldbank.org). The proposal should include the title of the paper, author(s), affiliation, and contact information, and should address the main question(s) to be examined, relevant literature, unique contribution to the literature, and methodology to be employed. Authors of selected papers will be invited, though not required, to submit their papers for a special issue of the World Bank Economic Review.
The Organizing Committee will evaluate all proposals in terms of originality, analytical rigor, and policy relevance. Authors of accepted proposals will be contacted by January 27, 2012.A work-in-progress draft will be required by February 29, 2012.
For authors of selected papers, travel and accommodation expenses for the conference will be covered. Additional information on the overall conference program will be posted on this website over the coming months.
Organizing Committee: Asli Demirgüç-Kunt (World Bank), Claudio Ferraz (Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro), and Frederico Finan (University of California, Berkeley).
Conference Coordinator: Leita Jones (ljones2@worldbank.org).
The Experimental Social Science Laboratory (X-lab) and the Center of Evaluation for Global Action (CEGA) at the University of California at Berkeley, and the Choice Lab at NHH Norwegian School of Economics are pleased to announce the 2011 Symposium on Economic Experiments in Developing Countries (SEEDEC) to be held from December 1 to December 3 at U.C. Berkeley. The objective of the Symposium is to bring together a community of top scholars who employ laboratory xperimental economics methods for research in developing countries. Tentative participants this year include Nava Ashraf (Harvard Business School), Colin Camerer (Caltech), Ray Fisman (Columbia GSB), Uri Gneezy (UCSD Rady School of Management), Sendhil Mullainathan (Harvard) and Chris Udry (Yale).
Submissions are invited for papers that reflect SEEDEC's broad research agenda which includes studies involving lab experiments in the field (in contrast to focusing on the randomized evaluations that have become widespread in development economics in recent years). The choice of papers will be based on full paper submissions, which should be sent via email by September 15th to Jane Zhang (Hong Kong University of Science and Technology) at janezhang@ust.hk. Successful applicants will be notified by September 30th and will be invited to attend the full symposium, and SEEDEC will cover their economy travel and accommodations.
For further information, please visit http://cega.berkeley.edu/events/seedec2011 or contact Jane Zhang (HKUST) at janezhang@ust.hk, Shachar Kariv (U.C. Berkeley) at kariv@econ.berkeley.edu , Edward Miguel (U.C. Berkeley) at emiguel@econ.berkeley.edu, or Bertil Tungodden (NHH Norwegian School of Economics) at Bertil.Tungodden@nhh.no.
The Sixth Annual Research Conference on Population, Reproductive Health and Economic Development will take place from 18-21 January 2012 in Accra, Ghana. Participants will present ongoing and planned research on how population dynamics and reproductive health affect economic development, and work together to identify gaps in evidence and methods that inhibit development of sound policies on population, family planning and reproductive health. There will also be discussions on how to communicate research to decision makers for evidence-based policy.
The Conference's Scientific Program Steering Committee invites paper submissions that address important issues at the intersection of population, reproductive health and economic prosperity. You are invited to submit either a detailed abstract or paper by email to poppov@prb.org in English or French by September 28, 2011 for the Sixth Annual Research Conference. This year, the Committee also welcomes suggestions for panels, which includes a summary of 300 words maximum and an extended abstract for each paper / presenter. You will be notified whether or not your submission has been accepted by October 17, 2011.
Please refer to the 2011 PopPov Research Conference web page for the complete Call for Papers announcement in both English and French.
Please direct questions to poppov@prb.org .
The Global Development Network invites researchers and organizations from developing and transition countries to submit research proposals, completed research papers and proposals for scaling-up development projects.
The Small & Medium Enterprise (SME) Initiative at Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA) is pleased to announce a SECOND ROUND of funding for the SME Initiative's Competition on Entrepreneurship and SME Growth for Young Scholars. The goal of the grants is to support innovative research by Young Scholars that help to "build a systemic body of evidence on the contribution of SMEs and entrepreneurship to poverty alleviation and economic development." We hope this competition will have a catalyzing effect to stimulate high quality research on the role of access to finance and human capital for SME growth and their contribution to development.
Complete proposals should be emailed to Mike Ingram (mingram@poverty-action.org) by 5:00pm EST on August 22, 2011. If you have any questions, please contact Mike.
Please refer to http://www.poverty-action.org/sme/news for further information.
The Microsavings and Payments Innovation Initiative (MPII) invites Expressions of Interest (EOI) to conduct rigorous, field-based research on savings products and services as well as payments and money transfer channels for the world's poor and financially excluded. EOI submissions for Round 1 are due Friday, August 5 2011 by 11:59 pm Eastern Daylight Time.
The Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR), the Bureau for Research and Economic Analysis of Development (BREAD) and the Actors, Markets, and Institutions in Developing Countries: A micro-empirical approach (AMID), Marie Curie Initial Training Network are joining forces this year to host a Development Economics Conference at the Paris School of Economics on Friday 23 and Saturday 24 September, 2011. This meeting is at the same time the annual symposium of the CEPR Development Economics Programme, the Twentieth BREAD Development Economics Conference and AMID Third Network Annual Conference. Financial support for the conference is provided by CEPR, BREAD and AMID.
We now invite submissions for the CEPR/BREAD/AMID conference from interested researchers on any topics within the area of Development Economics. Only full-length papers will be considered. The deadline for replies is 18:00 GMT on Friday June 17, 2011. To respond to this Call, CEPR members can visit www.cepr.org/YourProfile/Meetings and indicate whether or not you wish to present a paper or attend the conference. You may also email your paper directly to Nadine Clarke, CEPR Meetings Manager, at nclarke@cepr.org and also indicate to her whether you would like to attend the conference.
CEPR can cover accommodation and travel according to the new CEPR guidelines (www.cepr.org/meets/WKCN/misc/trp.pdf) for all presenters. Funding will also be available for a number of CEPR/BREAD/AMID members who are not presenting.
All papers presented at the conference will be selected through this open submissions process. Please note that there will be time for only a very small number of presentations. The conference lasts about a day and a half; there are no parallel sessions.
For AMID Team Members and Early Stage and Experienced Researchers, the reimbursement of travel costs will be processed through local node budgets. Budget heading E - "Contribution to the research, training, transfer of knowledge" will apply for AMID Team Members, and budget heading D - "Participation allowance" will apply for AMID Early Stage and Experienced Researchers. AMID Participants are expected to pay for their travel directly and claim reimbursement from local nodes. The organisers will pay for the accommodation directly and invoice your local nodes for the total after the event.
The travel and accommodation costs of AMID Experienced and Early Stage Researchers whose contracts commence after the conference, and of those who have completed their contracts prior to the conference, will be covered by the organisers.
* The AMID project is supported by the Marie Curie Initial Training Networks (ITN) Funded under the EU's Seventh Framework Programme [PITN-GA-2008-214705].
The Center for International Development (CID) at Harvard Kennedy School, The Harvard Center for Population and Development Studies, the French Development Agency (AFD) Research Department and the World Bank Development Research Group are jointly organizing the Fourth International Conference on "Migration and Development". The conference is devoted to investigating channels through which international migration affects economic and social outcomes of developing countries. Possible topics include social networks and diaspora externalities, remittances, return migration, migration and the pattern of trade/FDI, brain drain, migration and institutional/technological change, migration and health, and the effect of emigration on poverty, inequality, and human capital formation in developing countries.
A selection of papers from the conference will be considered for possible publication as a special issue of The Journal of Development Economics.
Submissions of full papers (pdf files) are expected by March 15, 2011, to the following address: migration_development@hks.harvard.edu. Contact person: Jennifer Gala. Decisions will be communicated by April 10, 2011.
Travel (economy class) and accommodation expenses for up to three nights in Cambridge will be covered for selected participants.
Michel Beine (University of Luxembourg), Michael Clemens (Center for Global Development), David Canning (Pop. Center), Jeffrey Frankel (Harvard Kennedy School), Marc Gurgand (PSE), Hubert Jayet (EQUIPPE, Université de Lille), William Kerr (Harvard Business School), Sylvie Lambert (PSE), David McKenzie (World Bank), Kaivan Munshi (Brown), Caglar Ozden (World Bank), Lant Pritchett (CID), Hillel Rapoport (CID - Coordinator), Maurice Schiff (World Bank), Antonio Spilimbergo (IMF), Dean Yang (University of Michigan).
The World Bank seeks to recruit a leading authority on development economics as Chief Economist for the Africa Region. The Chief Economist, based in Washington, DC, will report to the Vice President for the Africa Region, and be his principal economic advisor, with accountability for the quality and relevance of the Bank's economic research and analysis on Africa. This is a 3 year renewable term appointment.
The selected candidate will - among other responsibilities - lead a team of research economists and guide the Bank's economic research agenda for Africa, interacting with academic and policy communities in client countries, and internationally. He/she will act as the World Bank's spokesperson for economic analysis on African countries, and ensure that the region's economic research and analysis is strategic and reflects latest and cutting edge findings and methodologies.
Candidates should have a Ph.D. or equivalent in economics with a minimum of 17 years of relevant experience. The position requires substantive senior level experience in a research and or public or private sector organization. A track record of research on African economies is a distinct advantage.
Applications are accepted through this link Chief Economist Vacancy # 130726. Further details on the job are also available through this link, or by calling Mr Lindani Duma at +1 (202)473-4469 or e-mailing at Lduma@worldbank.org.
The submission deadline is April 23, 2013 at 18h00.
"At USAID we're pursuing market-driven solutions that really look to see how to involve the business community and we just unveiled a new venture capital style fund called Development Innovation Ventures [DIV], which will invest in creative ideas that we think can lead to game-changing innovations in development."
The Development Innovation Ventures' Annual Program Statement 2.0 (APS 2.0) provides guidance for applying for a DIV grant.
DIV emphasizes producing development outcomes more effectively and more cost-efficiently while managing risks and obtaining leverage by focusing on scale as well as partnerships. DIV is a mechanism for working with partners to identify and rigorously test potential development solutions, and helping to scale only those that are proven to produce development impact.
Breakthrough Solutions: DIV encourages entrepreneurs, innovators, businesses, academics, NGOs, and others to submit proposals for cost-saving development solutions. DIV seeks proposals with the potential to substantially improve development outcomes, rather than incremental changes.
Cost-reduction and Leverage: DIV seeks applications that have innovative ideas for addressing development challenges more effectively and more cheaply. DIV utilizes staged financing to maximize cost-effectiveness and minimize risk. In supporting projects with the potential to reach wide-scale, DIV also seeks to leverage other partners in the private, non-profit, and public sectors.
Rigorous Testing and Evidence of Impact: The DIV model emphasizes testing potential solutions and rigorously evaluating impact - often through randomized control trials - in order to identify what works and what does not, and helping scale only those solutions proven to produce development outcomes.
Scale: DIV is explicitly interested in development solutions that have the potential to reach wide-scale, i.e. tens of millions of beneficiaries. DIV funding is provided at three stages or levels.
Read more about USAID's application process and programs: http://www.usaid.gov/div/.
With the support of the Russia Trust Fund for Financial Literacy and Education, the World Bank is issuing four calls for proposals for research projects that address different aspects of financial capability programs and their evaluation in low and middle income countries.
To view the advertisement, please click on the "bidding opportunities" tab on the following website: https://wbgeconsult2.worldbank.org/wbgec/index.html.
Please note that based on the World Bank procurement policies, all inquiries regarding these selections must go to the World Bank Procurement office at WBGEConsultant@worldbank.org. No inquiries are to be directed to the World Bank Trust Fund team.
Call for Applications for the Hewlett Foundation/IIE Dissertation Fellowship in Population, Reproductive Health, and Economic Development.
The Institute of International Education (IIE) is now accepting applications for the Dissertation Fellowship in Population, Reproductive Health, and Economic Development. Sponsored by The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, the fellowship awards up to $20,000 per year for work and research on the dissertation. In addition, Fellows will become part of a network of researchers and participate in professional development opportunities. Applicants should be currently enrolled in Ph.D. programs in either sub-Saharan Africa, the United States or Canada, and should have completed their coursework by the start of the fellowship. Students in economics, economic demography, geography, and epidemiology are especially encouraged to apply.
These fellowships will support dissertation research on topics that examine how population dynamics and family planning and reproductive health influence economic development, including economic growth, poverty reduction on, and equity. Dissertations that address population and development issues pertinent to the African continent are especially encouraged. The research must include a strong quantitative component, with an emphasis on rigorous data analysis. We encourage the development or use of new statistical methods. Finally, the research must have a strong policy-relevant component, demonstrating an interest in communicating research results with program managers, planners, and policymakers.
The objective of The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation/IIE Dissertation Fellowship is to produce sound evi dence on the role of population and reproductive health in economic development that could be incorporated in to national and international economic planning and decision making.
To learn more about the fellowship and access the Application, visit: http://www.iie.org/en/Programs/Hewlett- IIE-Fellowship The deadline is March 4, 2011. The selected cohort will be announced in late spring 2011. Research that is not about the relevant subject matter will not be considered. | 2019-04-24T18:35:35Z | http://ibread.org/bread/announcements |
The term „claim for damages” used in the present GL also includes claims for indemnification for useless expenditure.
The Purchaser may set off only those claims which are undisputed or nonappealable.
Purchaser may process, amalgamate or combine Retained Goods with other items. Processing is made for Supplier. Purchaser shall store the new item thus created for Supplier, exercising the due care of a diligent business person. The new items are considered as Retained Goods.
Already today, Supplier and Purchaser agree that if Retained Goods are combined or amalgamated with other items that are not the property of Supplier, Supplier shall acquire co-ownership in the new item in proportion of the value of the Retained Goods combined or amalgamated to the other items at the time of combination of amalgamation. In this respect, the new items are considered as Retained Goods.
Where Purchaser combines Retained Goods with real estate or movable goods, it shall, without any further declaration being necessary to this effect, also assign to Supplier as security its claim to consideration for the combination, including all collateral rights for the pro-rata amount of the value the combined Retained Goods have on the other combined items at the time of the combination.
Until further notice, Purchaser may collect assigned claims relating to the resale. Supplier is entitled to withdraw Purchaser’s permission to collect funds for good reason, including, but not limited to delayed payment, suspension of payments, start of insolvency proceedings, protest of justified indications for overindebtedness or pending insolvency of Purchaser. In addition, Supplier may, upon expiry of an adequate period of notice disclose the assignment, realize the claims assigned and demand that Purchaser informs its customer of the assignment.
Where the Purchaser fails to fulfil its duties, fails to make payment due, or otherwise violates its obligations the Supplier shall be entitled to rescind the contract and take back the Retained Goods in the case of continued failure following expiry of a reasonable remedy period set by the Supplier; the statutory provisions providing that a remedy period is not needed shall be unaffected. The Purchaser shall be obliged to return the Retained Goods. The fact that the Supplier takes back Retained Goods and/or exercises the retention of title, or has the Retained Goods seized, shall not be construed to constitute a rescission of the contract, unless the Supplier so expressly declares.
if the delivery includes assembly or erection, at the day of taking over in the Purchaser’s own works or, if so agreed, after a successful trial run.
Claims for repair or replacement are subject to a statute of limitations of 12 months calculated from the start of the statutory statute of limitations; the same shall apply mutatis mutandis in the case of rescission and reduction. This shall not apply where longer periods are prescribed by law according to Sec. 438 para. 1 No. 2 (buildings and things used for a building), Sec. 479 para. 1 (right of recourse), and Sec. 634a para. 1 No. 2 (defects of a building) German Civil Code (“BGB”), in the case of intent, fraudulent concealment of the Defect or non-compliance with guaranteed characteristics (“Beschaffenheitsgarantie”). The legal provisions regarding suspension of the statute of limitations (“Ablaufhemmung”, “Hemmung”) and recommencement of limitation periods shall be unaffected.
There shall be no claims based on Defect in cases of insignificant deviations from the agreed quality, of only minor impairment of usability, of natural wear and tear, or damage arising after the passing of risk from faulty or negligent handling, excessive strain, unsuitable equipment, defective civil works, inappropriate foundation soil, or claims based on particular external influences not assumed under the contract, or from non-reproducible software errors. Claims based on defects attributable to improper modifications or repair work carried out by the Purchaser or third parties and the consequences thereof are likewise excluded.
The Supplier shall choose whether to acquire, at its own expense, the right to use the IPR with respect to the Supplies concerned or whether to modify the Supplies such that they no longer infringe the IPR or replace them. If this would be impossible for the Supplier under reasonable conditions, the Purchaser may rescind the contract or reduce the remuneration pursuant to the applicable statutory provisions.
The above obligations of the Supplier shall apply only if the Purchaser (i) immediately notifies the Supplier of any such claim asserted by the third party in written form, (ii) does not concede the existence of an infringement and (iii) leaves any protective measures and settlement negotiations to the Supplier’s discretion. If the Purchaser stops using the Supplies in order to reduce the damage or for other good reason, it shall be obliged to point out to the third party that no acknowledgement of the alleged infringement may be inferred from the fact that the use has been discontinued.
To the extent that delivery is impossible, the Purchaser is entitled to claim damages, unless the Supplier is not responsible for the impossibility. The Purchaser’s claim for damages is, however, limited to an amount of 10 % of the value of the part of the Supplies which, owing to the impossibility, cannot be put to the intended use. This limitation shall not apply in the case of mandatory liability based on intent, gross negligence or loss of life, bodily injury or damage to health; this does not imply a change in the burden of proof to the detriment of the Purchaser. The Purchaser’s right to rescind the contract shall be unaffected.
Recommended by the ZVEI - Zentralverband Elektrotechnik- und Elektronikindustrie e. V.
This Software Clause shall apply exclusively to the provision of standard software for a limited or unlimited period as a part of or in connection with related hardware (such software hereinafter referred to as “Software”), as well as to the entire Supplies, to the extent that a breach of contract has its cause in the Software. Furthermore, hardware shall be solely subject to the conditions of the GL.
Firmware is not “Software” within the meaning of this Software Clause.
The GL shall apply to those matters as far as not specifically covered in this Software Clause.
The Supplier does not assume any obligation to perform software services by virtue of this Software Clause. Such services requires a separate agreement.
Article I No. 2 GL shall be supplemented as follows: The provision of documentation requires a separate agreement in writing. If documentation is to be provided, the term “Software” hereinafter shall also include the documentation.
The Supplier grants the Purchaser the non-exclusive right to use the Software. The right to use is limited to the agreed period of time, in the absence of such agreement, the right to use shall be unlimited in time.
The Purchaser shall use the Software solely on the hardware referred to in the contract documents (e. g. software product sheet), in the absence of such reference, the use shall be limited to the respective hardware supplied together with the Software. The use of the Software on any other device shall require the express prior written consent of the Supplier and shall, if used on a more powerful device, entitle the Supplier to claim an appropriate additional remuneration; this does not apply, however, to the extent and for the period in which the Purchaser uses a temporary substitute device within the agreed scope of use, because of a defect in the agreed device.
Where the contract documents refer to more than one device, the Purchaser shall not use the Software provided on more than one of these devices simultaneously (Single License), to the extent that it has not been granted a Multiple License pursuant to No. 3 (i) below. Where more than one workplace exists for a specific device where the Software can be used independently, the Single License shall apply to only one workplace.
The Software shall exclusively be provided in machine readable format (object code).
The Purchaser shall be entitled to make only one copy of the Software and solely so for back-up purposes (back-up copy). Any other duplication on the part of the Purchaser shall be allowed only subject to a Multiple License pursuant to No. 3 (i) below.
Save as provided for in Sec. 69 (e) (decompilation) of the German Copyright Act, the Purchaser shall not be entitled to modify, decompile, translate, or isolate parts of the Software. The Purchaser shall not remove alphanumeric or other identifiers from the data medium and shall transfer such identifiers unchanged to any backup copy.
The Supplier grants the Purchaser the right – which shall be revocable for good cause – to assign the right to use granted to it to a third party. The Purchaser to whom the Software has not been provided for commercial resale shall pass on the right to use the Software only together with the device it has bought in combination with the Software from the Supplier. If the right to use is transferred to a third party, the Purchaser shall ensure that the right to use granted to the third party does not exceed the scope of rights to the Software granted to the Purchaser under this Agreement, and the Purchaser shall ensure that the third party shall be obliged to comply with at least the same obligations as are imposed herein. When doing so, the Purchaser may not retain copies of the Software. The Purchaser shall not be entitled to grant sublicenses. Where the Purchaser provides the Software to a third party, the Purchaser shall ensure that any existing export requirements are observed and shall hold the Supplier harmless in this respect.
To the extent that Software is provided to the Purchaser for which the Supplier has only derived rights to use (third party software), the provisions of this No. 3 shall be amended and superseded by the conditions of use agreed between the Supplier and its licensor. To the extent that the Purchaser is provided with open source Software, the provisions of this No. 3 shall be amended and superseded by the conditions of use underlying the open source Software. Upon request, the Supplier shall provide the Purchaser with the source code if the provision of the source code has been agreed in the conditions of use. The Supplier shall point out in the contract documents if third party software or open source Software and pertaining conditions of use exist and make the conditions of use available if so requested. Any breach of the conditions of use on the part of the Purchaser shall entitle not only the Supplier, but also its licensor, to assert claims and rights arising therefrom in their own name.
(aa) Multiple License requires that the Supplier expressly confirms in writing the number of admissible copies that the Purchaser may make of the Software provided and the number of devices and/or workplaces where the Software may be used. No. 3 (g) second sentence shall be applicable to Multiple Licenses provided that they may be transferred by the Purchaser to third parties only if transferred in their totality and together with all devices on which the use of the Software is allowed.
(bb The Purchaser shall observe the duplication rules provided by the Supplier together with the Multiple License. The Purchaser shall keep records on the whereabouts of all copies made and submit them to the Supplier upon request.
Article V GL shall be amended as follows: If the Software is provided via electronic communication media (e. g. via the internet) the risk shall pass when the Software leaves the sphere of influence of the Supplier (e. g. when making a download).
Article VI GL shall be supplemented as follows: The Purchaser shall take all required and reasonable measures to prevent or limit damage attributable to the Software. In particular, the Purchaser shall make regular back-up copies of the programs and data.
To the extent the Purchaser negligently breaches this obligation, the Supplier shall not be liable for any consequences arising therefrom; this shall apply in particular to the replacement of lost or damaged data or programs. The above provision does not imply a change in the burden of proof.
Claims based on Defects of the Software are subject to a statute of limitations of 12 months. This provision shall not apply where longer periods are prescribed by law according to Sec. 438 para. 1 No. 2 (buildings and items used for a building), Sec. 479 para. 1 (right of recourse), and Sec. 634 a para. 1 No. 2 (defects of a building) German Civil Code (“BGB”), as well as in cases of loss of life, bodily injury or damage to health, or where the Supplier intentionally or as a result of gross negligence fails to fulfil its obligation or fraudulently conceals a Defect. The statute of limitations commences upon the transfer of risk to the Purchaser. The legal provisions regarding suspension of the statute of limitations (“Ablaufhemmung”, “Hemmung”) and recommencement of limitation periods remain unaffected.
Software is considered to be defective only if the Purchaser can prove that there are reproducible deviations from the specifications. A Defect shall not be deemed to exist if it does not manifest itself in the latest version supplied to the Purchaser, and the use thereof by Purchaser can reasonably be required.
Notification of Defects shall be given in writing without undue delay. Defects and the relevant data processing environment shall be described as precisely as possible therein.
– incompatibility of the Software provided with the data processing environment of the Purchaser.
In the case of defective Software, the Supplier shall be first given the opportunity to repair or replace the Software (“Nacherfüllung”) within a reasonable period of time. The Supplier shall be entitled to choose between repair and replacement.
(aa) The Supplier will provide a replacement by way of an update or an upgrade of the Software if available to the Supplier or obtainable with reasonable efforts by the Supplier. If the Purchaser has been granted a Multiple License, it may make a corresponding number of copies of the update, or, as the case may be, upgrade.
(bb) Until an update, or, as the case may be, upgrade is provided, the Supplier will make available to the Purchaser an interim solution bypassing the Defect, provided that this does not result in unreasonable expenditures and that the Purchaser would otherwise, due to the Defect, be unable to complete work that cannot be delayed.
(cc) If a data medium or documentation supplied proves to be defective, the Purchaser’s right shall be limited to demanding that the Supplier replace it with a nondefective version.
(dd) The Supplier shall have the right to choose whether it corrects the Defect at the location of the Purchaser or at its own location. If the Supplier chooses to correct the Defect at the Purchaser’s location, the Purchaser shall assure that the required hardware and software as well as the required operating conditions (including the required computing time) and qualified operating personnel are available. The Purchaser shall submit to the Supplier the documents and information available to it and required for Defect correction.
If the Defect cannot be corrected, the Purchaser shall be entitled to rescind the contract or reduce the remuneration, irrespective of any claims for damages it may have according to Article XI GL.
Upon notification of a Defect, the Purchaser may withhold payments to a reasonable extent taking into account the Defect involved. The Purchaser, however, may withhold payments only if the subject-matter of the notification is justified beyond doubt. Notification without cause shall entitle the Supplier to reimbursement of its expenses by the Purchaser.
Claims for damages shall furthermore be subject to Article XI GL. Any other Defect claims or Defect claims beyond this No. 6 by the Purchaser against the Supplier or its agents shall be excluded.
For Software provided for a limited period of time only, letters (b), (c), (d), (e), (f) and (i) of para. 1 above shall apply mutatis mutandis instead of Article VIII. Letter (g) shall apply except that the right of rescission shall be replaced by the right to termination without notice.
Article IX.2 GL shall apply unchanged.
Article IX.3 GL shall apply unchanged.
In addition, with respect to claims by the Purchaser pursuant to No. 1 (a) above, No. 6 para. 1 lit. (h) and (e) first sentence of this Software Clause shall apply mutatis mutandis in the event of an infringement of an IPR.
The provisions of No. 6 of this Software Clause shall apply where other defects in title occur.
Article IX.1 GL shall apply unchanged.
Article XI.2 GL shall apply unchanged.
To the extent that the Purchaser has a valid Claim for Damages according to Article XI GL, it shall be time-barred upon expiration of the statute of limitations applicable to Defects pursuant to No. 6 (1) of this Software Clause. In the case of claims for damages under the German Product Liability Act, the statutory provisions governing limitation periods shall apply.
Our orders – including future orders – are subject exclusively to these conditions of purchase. The confirmation or execution of the order shall be deemed as acceptance of these conditions of purchase. This shall apply even if the supplier states that it only wants to supply under its own terms and conditions. Other conditions and deviations from these conditions of purchase require our written consent in order to be valid.
If special conditions that deviate from these conditions of purchase are agreed for certain orders, these conditions of purchase shall be considered secondary and supplementary to the former.
Orders must be made in writing. Oral agreements are only legally valid if they are confirmed in writing. Orders must be confirmed by the supplier without delay, stating the order number, price, discount, delivery and delivery conditions.
The agreed prices are fixed prices and remain valid until the order has been fully processed. Subsequent increases, regardless of the reason, are excluded. Non-agreed surcharges for import duties and other duties and taxes are in particular excluded.
The agreed prices entail carriage-paid delivery, including ancillary costs, packaging costs and freight costs. Where “ex-works deliveries” are agreed, our forwarding instructions are binding. We assume only the costs thereby incurred.
The stipulated times and deadlines for delivery or for the provision of service shall be adhered to. Delivery is the arrival of the goods at the place of performance. Early (partial) deliveries require our consent.
If it becomes evident that the delivery times cannot be met, the supplier shall immediately inform us of the details of this in writing. This shall not affect our rights in any way. In the case of default of delivery, the supplier undertakes to pay a contractual penalty of 1% of the price of the delivery for each full week of the delay, but not more than a total of 5% of the price of the delivery. We may reserve the enforcement of the incurred contractual penalty until the final payment. Further claims for delays remain unaffected.
By accepting the delayed delivery or service we do not waive further compensation claims.
The shipping documents must include the references stipulated by us. Immediately upon dispatch we are to be sent 2 copies of the delivery note, which must include the exact name, quantity, weight (gross and net), as well as the nature and packaging of the product or the item. If the delivery note for a delivery is not issued on time or if the above information is absent from the shipping papers or delivery note, the goods shall be stored at the cost and at the risk of the supplier until the arrival of the shipping documents or the complete set of required information.
All goods must be duly packed and shipped. Where packaging costs are legitimately charged (cf. C.2.), we are to be credited with the amount charged for these purposes upon the return of the packaging material. The supplier undertakes to ship the products that are destined for us in such a way that Deutsche Bahn AG, Deutsche Post AG or the freight forwarder/carrier is not entitled to reject liability for transport damage.
The risk of accidental destruction or accidental deterioration is born by the supplier until delivery of the goods; in case of a service that requires acceptance, the supplier shall bear the risk until the service is accepted by us. Should the supplier not properly fulfil its contractual obligations in connection with the transport (e.g. unloading of the delivery item), it must compensate us for any costs incurred. An early passage of risk does not take place even if we cooperate in the fulfilment of the supplier’s obligations; we are only responsible for gross negligence and intent.
Cases of force majeure, strikes and lockouts shall entitle us to postpone the acceptance accordingly. Acceptance shall – under normal business conditions – take place immediately upon receipt or commissioning, to the extent that the delivery is in compliance with the contract. Statutory provisions that allow for deemed acceptance are excluded. In the case of excess deliveries which exceed the amount customary in the trade, we reserve the right to return the excess goods at the expense of the supplier. Any investigation obligations that we are subject to are limited to the immediate checking of the goods to see if they correspond to the ordered quantity and type, and whether there is any externally visible transport damage or if there are any externally visible defects. To the extent that we are required to immediately report defects, hidden defects may be reported within 2 weeks of their discovery, other defects within 1 week of their discovery.
The payment shall be made – to the exclusion of legal provisions governing earlier due dates, e.g. of instalments – at our discretion either within the last day of the next month with a 3% discount or net within the last day of the following month, calculated from the date of the receipt of the invoice and the complete receipt of the goods, or in the case of services not before their acceptance. Late payments which are caused by incorrect or incomplete invoice documents nevertheless entitle us to a discount.
The date of the receipt of invoice is deemed to be the date of the receipt stamp of the address stipulated in the order. If documentation and/or certificates are included in the scope of delivery, the period of time shall only begin with their handover to us in accordance with the contract. The payment periods shall, however, not begin before the agreed delivery date.
Payment shall be made by cash, credit transfer, check or draft, with the discount fees and taxes for draft payments being charged to us. We shall only enter default following a reminder. If we make a payment before the delivery of the goods or services, the supplier undertakes to provide us, at our discretion, with security equal in value to the amount of the payment and/or to assign the item to us. Any advance payments or interim payments do not constitute recognition of the contractual conformity of the performance.
The supplier undertakes to respect the rules of good engineering practice as well as, in particular, the regulations and guidelines regarding implementation, accident prevention and environmental protection issued by the legislator, regulators, professional associations, the VDI and the VDE.
The time limit for reporting material defects (warranty period) starts upon the acceptance of the goods. If commissioning takes place later than the acceptance, the warranty period shall begin on the day of commissioning. The warranty period is 2 years. In the case of a subsequent performance the agreed warranty period shall restart from the point in time of the subsequent performance. Warranty claims become time-barred 6 months after the end of the warranty period.
Notwithstanding the provisions on the suspension of expiration, suspension and restarting of time limits, the warranty period and the limitation period shall both be suspended for the duration of any interruption to operations caused by defects.
The warranty period and the above-mentioned period of limitation shall not apply where longer statutory limitation periods are applicable, particularly in accordance with Section438(1) No.2 (buildings and things used for buildings), Section 479(1) (recourse) and Section634a(1) No.2 (construction defects) of the German Civil Code (BGB).
The choice between the remedying of a defect and new production is in each case left to our discretion. In urgent cases or if the contractor is in default of performance with regard to the supplementary performance, we shall also be entitled to remedy the defects ourselves, to have them remedied, or to obtain a replacement. We shall determine when an urgent case arises in this sense, exercising all due care and diligence. A remedy is considered to have failed if the first remedy attempt was unsuccessful.
The supplier shall indemnify us for claims for damages that may be asserted against us because of a defect or failure of a product delivered by the supplier. In addition, the supplier shall indemnify us against all costs and expenses incurred to us in connection with any precautionary measures which may be necessary to avert non-contractual liability under foreign or domestic law (e.g. pursuant to the German Product Liability Law), particularly due to warnings or recalls; however, this shall only apply to the extent that these measures have been caused by a faulty delivery of the supplier. The supplier is otherwise liable in accordance with the statutory provisions (also to an unlimited extent).
The supplier is liable for ensuring that the delivery item is free from third party rights. In the event of a breach of intellectual property rights the supplier is obligated, for their period of validity, to compensate us for any damages incurred to us or third parties. In this case we are also entitled to obtain from the owner of such rights (at the expense of the supplier) the necessary authorisation to supply, commission, use, and sell the delivery item.
The supplier is obligated to keep our orders confidential, including all related commercial and technical details. Statements made by us, as well as tools, models, drawings and other documents etc. that are provided by us or made at our expense may only be applied or used for other purposes with our written consent and remain our property and/or become our property following manufacture. The passing of risk takes place analogously to the material order. They are to be insured at no cost to us from the time of the passing of risk to their return to our premises or the place designated by us. All damage incurred to us as a result of these events shall be borne by the supplier. Unless special agreements have been made, tools, models, drawings and other documents including any copies that have been made are to be returned with the final delivery.
Acceptance or approval of the drawings and samples provided by the supplier shall not release the supplier from it sole responsibility.
We shall be entitled to offset the supplier’s claims against us or against the companies in which we directly or indirectly hold a majority share with all claims against the supplier that are due to us or the abovementioned companies. Upon request we shall provide the supplier with a list of these companies. The supplier may only offset our claims with undisputed or judicially determined claims.
The ordered items shall automatically become our property upon a deposit being made, even if they have not yet been delivered. In this case the supplier shall keep the goods in storage for us and adequately protect them from natural hazards. To this extent, letter J. of these conditions of purchase shall also apply for the start of the warranty period.
Claims arising from this order may be transferred to third parties, pledged or otherwise disposed of only in the case of mutual agreement. Our agreement for the assignment of the claim shall be deemed to have been granted if the supplier has granted its suppliers an extended retention of title in the ordinary course of business.
P. Procurement of supplies, etc.
The supplier is fully responsible – even if not at fault – for the procurement of supplies and services needed for the deliveries (full assumption of the procurement risk). The supplier shall be responsible for the supplies and services that it procures in the same way as it is responsible for its own deliveries/services. The providers of the supplies / services are agents of the supplier.
The place of performance for the delivery is the designated destination. If no place of destination is designated, and in the case of payments, the place of performance it is the place of our registered office. In addition to these conditions of purchase, German law shall apply. The applicability of the CISG is expressly excluded.
The sole place of jurisdiction is Gießen.
Should individual provisions of this contract be or become invalid, the validity of the remaining provisions shall not be affected.
If the user uses this Bender Web Site as business customer, i.e. that it is not acting for purposes which are outside of its trade, business or profession, or as administration customer, § 312e para. 1 sentence 1 no. 1 - 3 of the German Civil Code does not apply.
This Bander Web Site contains specific information and software, as well as - as the case may be - related documentation, for viewing or downloading.
Bender may stop the operation of the Bender Web Site in full or in part. Due to the nature of the Internet and computer systems, Bender cannot accept any liability for the continuous availability of the Bender Web Sites.
Some pages of the Bender Web Sites, in particular the download area, are password protected. In the interest of safety and security of the business transactions, only registered users may access these pages.Bender reserves the right to deny registration to any user. Bender particularly reserves the right to determine certain sites, which were previously freely accessible, subject to registration.
did not use the Bender Web Sites for a longer period.
For registration the user shall give accurate information and, where such information changes over time, update such information (to the extent possible: online) without undue delay. The user shall ensure, that its e-mail address, as supplied to Bender, is current at all times and an address at which the user can be contacted.
Upon registration the user will be provided with an access code, comprising a user ID and a password. If your password is lost contact Bender for a new password. The user has the possibility to view and change his data, and to withdraw his consent to the receipt of a Newsletter, for example.
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Since the founding of the school in 1945, UCLA Samueli Engineering faculty and researchers have undertaken cutting-edge research projects in a wide variety of areas. In the last century, engineering recorded its greatest achievements with the widespread development and distribution of electricity and clean water, automobiles and airplanes, radio and television, antibiotics and medical imaging, and computers and the Internet. Many of the discoveries at UCLA Engineering contributed to these modern day advancements. This section highlights some of the most interesting and innovative projects. Consider this just a snapshot of the school’s rich research history.
UCLA Samueli Engineering has enjoyed a history of strong and innovative leadership since its inception.
On January 10, 1941, the Regents authorize instruction in engineering on the Los Angeles campus.
On Friday afternoon of Sept. 22, 1944, following a meeting of the Regents in San Francisco, University President Robert Gordon Sproul announces the appointment of Llewellyn Michael Kraus Boelter to be Dean of the College of Engineering on the Los Angeles campus.
In the fall of 1945, the College of Engineering opens with an enrollment of 379 students.
In August of 1946, a single-engine Japanese Navy torpedo bomber known as a “Jill” is delivered to the College of Engineering for use in instruction. The plane had been taken aboard the USS Lexington in the South Pacific, was stored briefly at Roosevelt Air Station, then offered to Capt. G.G. Crissman, USN, professor of naval science and tactics.
On Nov. 16, 1946, the College of Engineering receives a General Electric Mechanical Differential Analyzer, a “mechanical brain” capable of solving in a few days mathematical problems which would take several years of work by conventional methods. This was only the sixth instrument of its kind in the United States.
On Sept. 30, 1947, the College of Engineering receives an A-C Network Analyzer from General Electric. Somewhat resembling a telephone switchboard with dials, the analyzer initially was developed by GE to study problems associated with power system design and operation. It is the second “mechanical brain” machine to be obtained by the college.
In the fall of 1947, furniture designer Charles Eames enlists the cooperation of faculty to develop a chair to be entered in the New York Museum of Modern Art’s 1948 International Competition for Low-Cost Furniture Design. The design wins a shared second prize in competition with 250 entries from the United States and nearly 500 from European countries.
In June of 1948, Barbara Wynn of Cheviot Hills becomes the first woman to graduate from the College of Engineering.
In July of 1952, Conrad J.K. Buettner and Heinz Haber from the College of Engineering suggest that conquest of space is not far off. Examining the fringes of space, which they name “aeropause,” their research determines that men in flight suits, who have already attained this near-space altitude in balloons, could expect little more danger from travel through space.
In September of 1952, professor W.D. Hershberger observes the “gyroscopic” path that electrons travel around an atom by using microwave radar to examine samples placed in the field of a 3,500 pound electromagnet.
In September of 1952, a team of professors led by Russell R. O’Neill is conducting a wide study of cargo handling to find ways to lower costs of shipping by water and increase the ability to handle greater quantities of goods.
In September of 1952, William L. Martin and Richard E. George report development of a device that automatically rejects frost-damaged and granulated citrus fruit from fruit inspection lines. They report that frost-damaged and granulated fruits present a spotty appearance under X-ray fluorescence, and suggest a device with a mechanical or electric eye might be used to detect such spottiness and reject unwanted fruit automatically.
In September of 1952, it is announced an instrument has been developed that can measure a shear force of 1/100,000th of a pound per square foot. The instrument, a shear meter, was developed by junior engineer John E. Vehrencamp to study the drag effect of air currents on the Earth’s surface and its influence on wind velocities and the transfer of heat into the air.
In October of 1952, engineering professors Joseph Kaplan and Heinz Haber publish “Across the Space Frontier,” a book that is labeled an accurate blueprint for the establishment of a space station 1,075 miles above the Earth.
The same month, assistant professor Albert Bush begins examination of particles in the atmosphere that contribute to pollution.
In October of 1952, John Lyman and Donald Skilling embark on a study of kinesthesis, the muscle sense, in a program that will help in the design of controls for jet planes, where sudden forces occurring at high speeds may cause pilots to lose control of the plane. It is also related to artificial limbs research where compensation for loss of muscle sense must be developed.
In November of 1952, assistant professor Albert Bush seeks to solve problems associated with using man-made freshwater dikes to form barriers to the intrusion of sea water into coastal fresh-water aquifers. At some point, the fresh water will penetrate no deeper to complete the barrier, and Bush is examining use of chemical treatments to remove the flow impediment.
In December of 1952, using principles of diffraction, Daniel Rosenthal, George Sines, and Murray Kaufman measure minute spacing of atoms of different materials by means of X-ray. Their research shows that by pre-stressing certain aluminum alloys, their strength can be doubled, which is directly applicable to the design and construction of advanced aircraft.
In March 1953, Louis Pines uses mathematical methods developed by 19th Century French astronomer Henri Poincare to predict the performance of compact mineral units known as the transistor and dielectric amplifier, which are destined to revolutionize the electronics field.
In September of 1953, mechanical brains, whose wire nerves carry electrical impulses at rates up to 186,000 miles per second, are used to solve such knotty and diverse problems as traffic jams, manufacturing bottlenecks, rapid translation of scientific Russian, earthquake effects on buildings and the icing of airplane wings.
In November of 1953, Arthur Pillsbury and Edward Taylor look for a cause and solution to the problem of surging in open-pipe type irrigation systems. Surging has been an increasing problem in irrigation systems. The research discovers that vents placed adjacent to overflow stands along the pipes will allow the “burping” of the buildup of air in the pipes, which was found to be the cause of the problem.
In May of 1954, engineers first connect two mechanical brains, the differential analyzer and the network analyzer, to solve the problem of accidental grounding or short circuits in large power lines, which often results in “brown outs” or power failure. The analyzers, located in separate rooms and connected by 100 feet of cable, solve the complex problem in 10 minutes.
In May of 1954, it is reported that Gerald Hassler has constructed a device which extracts fresh water from sea water using the selective action of an osmotic oil membrane. Hassler’s membrane is an extremely thin oil layer supported by capillary action. It has no holes as such but water molecules can diffuse through it while salt molecules are blocked.
In June of 1954, Vincent Blockley reports that results of experiments with a heated cockpit and pilots in flight suits determined that pilots can perform effectively for about an hour in air temperatures near the boiling point of water at a cabin altitude of 24,000 feet.
In September of 1954, senior electrical engineer Ralph Crump suggests grounding all home appliances and using grounded three wire outlets, which are available but not yet widely used. He announces that a program is under way to equip all campus buildings with 3-wire outlets and to see that all equipment is grounded.
In June of 1955, it is announced that the College of Engineering will begin a cooperative engineering education program with Gadjah Mada University in Djogjakarta, Indonesia. Nine UCLA faculty members will help Gadjah Mada faculty in setting up modern engineering curriculum and laboratories, and advise on teaching methods.
In May of 1956, C. Martin Duke and David J. Leeds take measurements from strain gauges installed in the engineering building during its construction to develop stronger structures. The gauges, networked to a central recording facility, which also houses a strong-motion seismograph, allow accurate recording of the building’s response to earthquake tremors.
In July of 1957, while examining the concept of “wings of clay” using pre-stressed ceramics for materials in supersonic aircraft, professors Francis R. Shanley, William J. Knapp and R. A. Needham suggest graphite is also a possible answer to the aircraft “heat barrier.” They report that the strength of graphite actually increases with temperature up to about 4,000 degrees Fahrenheit.
In September of 1957, research engineers James Howard and Philip O’Brien use laboratory instruments to examine the process of egg candling. Candlers traditionally hold an egg up to the light to determine whether the egg has been diseased. The engineers examine the egg’s light quality and map the depth of the egg’s air cell and albumen density to determine more effective lighting techniques to make the candling process more accurate and efficient.
In October of 1957, UCLA engineers Neal A. Richardson and Wilbur Middleton use highly efficient particulate filters and charcoal filters to examine the existence of irritants in office air. Using sets of blind filters and questionnaires that solicit responses relating to the degree of eye smarting, and throat and nose irritation, the researchers determine that the irritants are in the form of gas, not particles.
Professor C. Martin Duke reports in May of 1958 that cities which experience earthquakes could reduce future damage by establishing building codes based on soil conditions. He suggests development of zoning maps that show location of soft valley or seashore deposits, which he says amplify quake motions and therefore require stronger foundations.
In August of 1958, plans are completed for UCLA to receive an accident-proof nuclear reactor worth $203,350 from the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC). UCLA is one of the first universities in the country to receive the 10-kilowatt Argonaut reactor, which will run for more than 10 years on three kilograms of Uranium-235 loaned to UCLA by the AEC, according to professor Thomas E. Hicks.
In September of 1958, President Eisenhower points to development of methods for converting sea water into salt water as one of the key hopes for the peaceful developments of the Near East. His words are noted with interest by associate professor Joseph W. McCutchan, who is developing membranes for a reverse-osmosis water desalination system.
In December of 1958, under the direction of professor Gerald Estrin, UCLA receives the only Telemeter Check Processing Machine from Telemeter Magnetics Co. for testing. The device produces a computer punch tape for attachment to bank checks that contains all of the information necessary for automatic bank routing.
In 1958, the beginning of the space age, under the direction of professor Samuel Herrick, UCLA became the first U.S. university to graduate a Ph.D. specializing in astronautics, and was the first to offer a course in rocket navigation.
In October of 1959, research engineer Richard Kopa examines a mixing device for auto gasoline intended to reduce smog. Mounted on top of the carburetor, the device injects additives into the airstream before combustion, successfully eliminating 80 percent of the nitrogen oxide from the auto exhaust.
In October of 1959, a $1.2 million grant is received from the Ford Foundation to conduct an extensive, five-year study of the School’s curriculum. The grant, one of 10 awarded nationwide, is intended to help strengthen engineering curricula in the face of an increasing demand for engineers. UCLA’s College of Engineering is the only one in the country with a unified undergraduate curriculum, which emphasizes the fundamentals common to all engineers rather than the specialized techniques of the various engineering branches.
In October of 1959, a Lockheed supersonic X-7 guided missile is delivered to the College of Engineering for use in teaching and research. The 38-foot, air breathing, short-wing missile will be used to test new developments in ramjet engines and other components for the Air Force.
In November of 1959, a revolutionary new book on prosthetics is published, titled “Clinical Prosthetics.” The book, an outgrowth of five years of research and experience in UCLA’s Prosthetic Education Project, is referred to as the “amputation Bible.” For five years, more than 2,300 members of clinical prosthetics teams from all over the U.S. and several foreign nations received training through the project.
In November of 1959, Eldon Knuth uses a supersonic nozzle to blast highly heated molecules at various solid materials, such as metal and glass, to examine how much heat and drag are exerted on a spacecraft moving 25,000 feet per second through space.
In August of 1960, the development of the first practical membranes for a water desalting process called reverse osmosis is announced by UCLA engineers. In research initiated by the late professor Samuel T. Yuster, engineers Sidney Loeb and Srinivasa Sourirajan successfully test a special membrane, or film, with a large number of tiny pores, which in effect separates the salt from saltwater leaving potable (fresh) water behind. Loeb and Sourirajan believe their process holds promise for large scale commercial use, and will now embark on a project to build a pilot plant that can yield 25,000 gallons a day.
In October of 1960, Professor Alan Powell investigates aerodynamic noise in a special laboratory in Engineering I. When the building was erected, a large exhaust stack the full height of the building was installed to make possible experimentation with aircraft jet engines. Prof. Powell’s research focuses on the incidence of sound-induced vibrations, which cause acoustic fatigue resulting in cracks in the airplane skin and loosening of rivets. Powell suggests that the acoustic fatigue problem could be limited with the development of engines having larger but slower jet streams, which could give the same thrust with less noise.
In February of 1961, what the well-dressed space explorer might wear on the moon is modeled using an integrated space suit. Designed by Allyn B. Hazard, the suit is a rather awesome 8-feet high with twin antennas sticking from the helmet, rubber encased arms and legs, a hefty circular midriff, and identification and ground lights. The researchers say that like a skin diver, the moon explorer will have to carry his earth environment with him, including food and liquid, a communication system, and power supply.
In September of 1961, it is announced the College of Engineering will receive a tape-controlled machine tool system from General Dynamics. The computer, officially called the Prototype Digimatic Director (one of only four in the country), prepares magnetic tapes for numerical control of a milling machine. Together with a previously donated data entry unit, keyboard and power supply, the Director completes a system which will be a basic part of tomorrow’s automated factory.
In April of 1962, nine engineering students launch the Syrius II hybrid-fuel rocket from a test site at China Lake Naval Ordnance Test Station. The liquid/solid fuel rocket, designed and built solely by the nine students, reaches an altitude of 1,200 feet and lands 4,000 feet downrange of the launch site.
In a report to the Regents in January of 1963 on the six-year Gadjah Mada project to train engineers and establish an engineering education infrastructure in that country, success was the overwhelming result. The number of graduates increasingly grew and in 1962, 150 engineers are graduating per year.
In July of 1963, professor Richard D. Kopa has developed and is testing on automobiles a device that returns exhaust gases to the combustion chamber, thereby reducing nitrogen oxide in auto exhausts by 80 percent.
In September of 1963, professor John Lyman is examining how amputees might be able to control artificial limbs, with more skill and less effort than they can with existing prosthetic devices, by using various chest and back muscles. By this method, amputees could be grasping something with the artificial limb, while rotating the wrist simultaneously, since current prosthetics do not allow such multiple function.
In September of 1963, with the help of UCLA engineers assigned to the Gadjah Mada project, Indonesia launches its first rocket. Students from the Gadjah Mada Rocket Club, with the assistance of UCLA professor Alex Petroff, designed and built the 40″ x 1 1/2″ black powder-powered rocket.
In December of 1963, Richard D. Kopa has developed a fuel atomizing carburetor that sprays fuel into the engine. The device works in conjunction with his exhaust gas recycling controller to reduce pollution in auto exhaust.
In January of 1964, professors Albert F. Bush and Herbert B. Nottage prepare to field test an infrared detector that can determine levels of carbon dioxide concentration in the air. The researchers plan to have a detector that will be carried throughout California in a mobile unit, measuring smog concentrations above parks, traffic intersections, industrial plants and residential areas.
In January of 1964, it is reported that the College of Engineering spent $2 million on approximately 100 research projects in fiscal year 1962-63. The heaviest research concentration is in the area of water resources and sea water conversion, followed by air pollution and traffic studies. Other areas of research include cargo handling, earthquake effects, fluid motion and sound, metal stress, plasma properties, solar energy, structural design, and artificial limbs.
In February of 1964, an automatic control system coupled to a dynamometer has been developed at the College of Engineering to simulate actual road trips and test the effectiveness of anti-smog devices. With the dynamometer system connected to a treadmill placed under the rear tires of a car, exact speeds can be maintained, or a simulated trip can be repeated accurately time and time again. Looking forward to a time when California will require periodic checks on smog control devices on all cars, the researchers suggest that controlled dynamometer systems may become essential equipment in test stations and service stations.
In July of 1964, professors Cornelius T. Leondes and Allen R. Stubberud are developing a system to feed retargeting commands to a missile at the launch site, rather than the current system of routing commands through computers at SAC headquarters. The research, sponsored by the Ballistic Systems Division of the Air Force Systems Command, is also applicable to development of computer systems to control industrial processes, guide and control space vehicles, and automatically navigate ocean freighters.
In October of 1964, professor Gerald Estrin has successfully linked a computer to multiple processors to create a “Fixed Plus Variable Structure Computer.” The computer controls the operation of the other processors, and is able to correct the human programmer when a poor selection is made. The “Fixed Plus” computer can do problems hundreds of times faster than conventional computers, and can even design other computers from start to finish.
In May of 1965, Algirdas Avizienis reports to the International Federation for Information Processing Congress his development of a method for programming computers to diagnose themselves for errors. He will initially test this method on a NASA research project in spacecraft guidance. The method could allow replacement of multiple back-up computers now used.
In June of 1965, the world’s first reverse osmosis plant begins operation in Coalinga, a farming community near Fresno. The plant, designed and constructed by UCLA engineers, uses the new method of water desalination called reverse osmosis, first demonstrated by UCLA’s Sidney Loeb and Srinivasa Sourarijan in 1959. The plant will turn brackish well water into drinkable water for the community, producing 6,000 gallons of water per day. The reverse osmosis process reduces the water’s salt content from 2,500 parts per million to under 500 parts per million, the recommended standard for drinking water.
In June of 1965, UCLA engineers working at the UCLA Child Amputee Project modify an automobile so that an 18-year-old youth, born without arms and only rudimentary legs and feet, can drive. The steering and acceleration are controlled by a U-shaped device attached to the modified accelerator and linked by a power system to the steering wheels. Ignition and transmission are controlled by the right foot also, and braking, and control of light switches, window controls, and windshield wipers are controlled by the left foot. Using this vehicle, the youth is able to successfully pass his road test, and the state issues him a driver’s license.
In June of 1965, assistant professor Gershon Weltman and Glen H. Egstrom, director of the UCLA Performance Physiology Laboratory, are investigating some of the basic problems man faces working underwater. As its first project, a research group has developed an underwater restraining device to hold a diver in place while testing his field of vision through different face masks or while measuring the force of his kicking thrust. The group plans to develop instrumentation for freely-moving divers that will measure the human energy required in undersea work, and analyze the changes which occur in the body in deep water.
On January 12, 1966, faculty members who participated in the Gadjah Mada University project have a final meeting to wrap up the 10 year effort to establish university training in engineering in Indonesia. More than 100 graduates a year are now turned out at the university and nearly 100 students and faculty members from Gadjah completed coursework and training at UCLA.
In April of 1966, R. B. Matthiesen schedules a seismic test of the new Math Sciences Building under construction using a shaker device. The device consists of two counter-rotating buckets, each filled with 700 pounds of lead, which vibrate the structure slightly when the shaker is bolted to the foundation flooring. The “baby earthquake” provides data for engineers to determine the stability of the building.
In June of 1966, the first UCLA College of Engineering Alumnus of the Year award is presented during commencement ceremonies to Raymond M. Hill, newly appointed chief of the Los Angeles City Fire Department. Hill earned his bachelor’s degree in engineering in 1955, specializing in chemical engineering and math.
On Friday, August 26, 1966 it is announced by University President Clark Kerr and Chancellor Franklin D. Murphy that Chauncey Starr is named new Dean of the UCLA College of Engineering. Starr will assume his new duties on January 1, 1967.
In October of 1966, Eldon L. Knuth reports findings on scattering of atoms off of materials that simulate spacecraft during flight. To replicate a spacecraft orbiting Earth at 25,000 miles per hour, Knuth produces a molecular beam with which he blasts particles at a variety of materials. The results will help in the design of spacecraft for high-speed flight as well as for the high heat of reentry.
In November of 1966, professor John Lyman is interviewed by Walter Cronkite for a CBS-TV documentary series on “The 21st Century.” Lyman foresees many breakthroughs triggered by advances in materials, molecular biology, and integrated circuits, including artificial kidneys and hearts that work better than original organs, and artificial brains, perhaps coupled directly to man’s brain. By the 22nd Century, he says, man will control weather, fully exploit the ocean’s and the earth’s interior, and move even further into space. Humans may even be whisked across vast distances through teleportation, Lyman speculates, in which a person’s entire genetic code would be fed to a computer, and flashed to a receiving computer on the moon or another planet, where it would be instantly reconstructed into the person who stood on earth a few seconds earlier.
In December of 1966, professor Moshe F. Rubinstein publishes a book titled “Matrix Computer Analysis of Structures,” which explains a way to analyze the earthquake-safety of a building on the computer, before a drop of cement is ever poured. By feeding the computer information on the shape of the structure, its separate parts, and types of material, the computer can predict the stresses and strains on the building when subjected to earthquakes, strong winds or other forces of nature, as well as the normal loads of equipment and people, Rubinstein says.
In April of 1967, George A. Hoffman from the Institute of Transportation and Traffic Engineering suggests a hybrid gas-electric vehicle that would utilize electric motors at each wheel. The vehicle, Hoffman says, would consist of an internal combustion engine of a rating much reduced from the conventional motor that it supplants, and would drive, at its optimal speed, a generator. The generated electric power goes to the traction motors (integral with all the wheels) and to a sizable secondary battery, also connected with the four electric motors. Depending on speed and terrain, computer controls would determine the combinations of engine power and electric power to serve the greatest utility.
In July of 1967, responding to the explosion of worldwide transportation (from cargo jets to barge-carrying ships and high-speed trains), faculty are creating computer systems to give a helping hand in finding the most efficient and cost-effective route. Using the TRANsportation SIMulator or TRANSIM, thousands of decisions and factors that go into moving commodities from one place to another are run through a computer to come up with an accurate analysis of cost, time, and operational problems for a planned route. The project is under the direction of associate dean Russell R. O’Neill and Alfred M. Feiler.
In August of 1967, assistant professor John A. Dracup is heading to the arid stretch of Coahuila in north central Mexico as part of a long range project by the University’s Dry-Lands Institute to help solve the basic problems plaguing the world’s water-starved areas. By coordinating damming activities near watersheds and a planting program, Dracup hopes to increase the amount of run-off water available for agriculture use.
In May of 1968, George Hoffman uses an electron microscope to probe the makeup of ancient coins and detect forgeries. Using the microscope, an electron beam is focused on a tiny spot of the coin, which reflects the X-rays. After the data is run through a computer, an analysis of the angles and intensities of the X-rays shows the metallic composition of the coin. Because many ancient coins contain faint traces of gold, lead or other metals, depending on when and where they were struck, Hoffman has been able to use these “metallurgical signatures” to detect forgeries.
In February of 1969, a small group of professors from the College of Engineering and the School of Medicine is expanding its specialty of cybernetics through courses and research. The researchers are examining the possibility of connecting a device that detects brain waves and can transmit signals to paralyzed limbs. This by-pass system would, for example, send a “clench fist” signal to the muscle of the paralyzed limb. Engineers accomplishing the research include professors Edwin B. Stear and Jacques Vidal, psychiatrist John Shanley, and engineering student Lloyd Nirenberg.
On Feb. 21, 1969, upon recommendation of UC president Charles J. Hitch and UCLA Chancellor Charles E. Young, the Regents approve changing the existing College of Engineering to the School of Engineering and Applied Science, effective fall quarter 1969. The aims and programs of the new School will put into practice the chief recommendations proposed in two studies on engineering education. Both reports call for an upward shift in the educational level of engineers in the face of the accelerating knowledge explosion and the crucial social role of the engineer.
In April of 1969, a reverse osmosis plant for purifying sea water into drinking water goes on line in La Jolla. The plant, designed and constructed by UCLA engineers using membranes for reverse osmosis first demonstrated by UCLA in 1959, can purify the sea-water in one pass through the system. Using tubes filled with membrane liners, the salt content of the water is reduced from 35,000 parts per million to a level of 500 ppm required for drinking water. The project team includes professors Joseph McCutchan and Douglas Bennion, research engineer Stephen Johnson and Edward K. Selover.
On July 3, 1969, it is announced that UCLA will become the first station in a nationwide computer network which, for the first time, will link together computers of different makes and using different machine languages into one time-sharing system. Professor Leonard Kleinrock, who heads the UCLA project, says creation of the network represents a major forward step in computer technology and may serve as the forerunner of large computer networks of the future. The ambitious project is supported by the Defense Department’s Advanced Research Projects Agency.
On September 25, 1969, formation of seven departments within UCLA’s newly established School of Engineering and Applied Science is announced by Dean Chauncey Starr. Starr says the departments have been organized by “broad areas of learning and research rather than by the end use to which a graduate will put his academic background on his first job.
In November of 1969, a study by Edward Levonian of the Institute for Transportation and Traffic Engineering, says that the personality trait of “expedience” in youngsters is often related to a record of driving violations. The research psychologist defines expediency as “orientation toward self-benefit at the expense of others, or, less formally, as looking out for number one, even if it means hurting someone else.” The results are based on a 220 item questionnaire given to 1,080 15-year-old students enrolled in driver’s education classes in City of Los Angeles high schools.
In February of 1970, the success of a two-year effort to implement the Engineering Special Education Program to help high school seniors from minority groups meet the academic qualifications to enroll at UCLA is reported. The program was begun by UCLA engineering seniors Jim Murray and Ronald Fountain, and then supported by professor Morris Asimow. Under the program, 32 students from Compton, Centennial, and Dominguez high schools serve six months as engineering aides at UCLA, with some of them developing a design for improved housing in Compton.
In August of 1970, Ruth Ann Bobrov Glater determines by examining plant damage in Los Angeles that the levels of nitrogen oxides in smog are increasing. Whereas an excess of hydrocarbons in smog had been causing leaf damage on some vegetable crops (such as lettuce, spinach and beets) and ornamental flowers (dahlias, petunias and fuchsias) between 1940 and 1960, thereafter a different type of damage, that causes plants’ lower leaves to drop off, was occurring. This type of damage, Glater says, signals an increase in concentrations of nitrogen oxides resulting from auto and aircraft engine emissions.
In May of 1971, professor Albert Bush warns of possible health hazards from the breathing of thousands of tiny particles invisible to the eye that exist in polluted air. Bush says that the particles are small enough to slip past nasal passages and be deposited in the respiratory system or lungs and that gaseous irritants may adhere to the surfaces of tiny particles and be carried by them to the eyes and respiratory system.
In May of 1971, Fred Allen from the School of Engineering and Earl Collard of the School of Dentistry have developed an electronic device that allows a person to hear through the teeth. A wristwatch receiver-transmitter receives either radio frequency or audio signals and translates them into vibrations of the teeth through a device fitted inside a dental bridge. The vibrations are transmitted through the tooth, jaw and cranial bones to the inner ear, allowing a person to hear.
In July of 1971, professor John D. Mackenzie responds to the needs of an Imperial Valley rancher and develops a method of mixing cow dung and waste glass to produce a lightweight, building material that doesn’t burn, is waterproof, an excellent thermal and noise insulator, can be painted, nailed, drilled, sawed and glued together, and is cheap and easy to produce. Mackenzie notes that the material is also odorless.
In July of 1972, five engineering students have modified a 1972 American Motors Gremlin with a Ford “Boss” 351 engine to run on hydrogen gas and are preparing to enter it in the Urban Vehicle Design Competition scheduled in August. Lab tests indicate that the car will not only beat the scheduled 1976 pollution control standards but will actually emit slightly cleaner air than it takes in. Student designers of the vehicle include Frank Lynch, Joe Finegold, Ned Baker, Bob Takahashi, and Johnny Lu. Their faculty sponsor is Albert Bush.
In August of 1972, the results of a study on women in engineering led by associate dean Alfred Ingersoll concludes that more women are being attracted to the engineering profession, but the lack of role models and the “executive suite barrier” prevents them from moving into upper level jobs in engineering management. Practicing women engineers make up less than one percent of the engineering work force, Ingersoll notes, while women represent half of the nation’s technical talent pool.
In September of 1972, the UCLA team has won the 1972 Urban Vehicle Design Competition with their hydrogen-powered Gremlin. The team would like to now develop solid hydrogen storage methods which could eliminate weight and storage problems of using hydrogen gas to power the vehicle.
In April of 1974, it is announced that professor Rointan F. Bunshah has developed a new material called titanium carbide, second only in hardness to diamond. Described by a colleague as “easily the most startling material development in many years,” titanium carbide promises to have a wide range of uses, especially as a super-hard coating for cutting, drilling, and grinding tools.
In May of 1974, professors Douglas N. Bennion of UCLA and John Newman of UC Berkeley announce development of a low cost, non-polluting process for recovering copper from ores and scrap metal. Using a concentrating cell, the electrochemical process yields high concentrations of copper, and can also be used to recover mercury, lead, cadmium, silver, and gold.
In January of 1975, a UCLA space experiment to investigate the formation of optical fibers is being prepared for launch to orbit as part of the joint Apollo-Soyuz Test Project mission. Aboard the spacecraft, a small electrical furnace will use elements to fuse together optical fibers into a matrix, providing qualities that cannot be obtained using earth-bound laboratories. Professors Alfred S. Yue and Cavour W. Yeh predict that these light-transmitting fibers could vastly improve telephone and television communications.
In June of 1975, wide ranging research into computer networks is led by professor Leonard Kleinrock and funded primarily through grants from the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA). On-going ARPA-funded research has expanded to include performance evaluation of computer networks and the study of advanced packet switching in satellite and ground radio environment.
In June of 1975, doctors and engineers are joining together to work on projects such as development of artificial joints and organs, electronic instrumentation for medial diagnosis and treatment, life support systems, and injury prevention in automobile accidents.
In December of 1977, the world’s last working model of a mechanical differential analyzer is donated by UCLA to the Smithsonian Institution for their pioneering computing displays. The differential analyzer, first used at UCLA in 1947, introduced much of Southern California industry to automatic computing.
In May of 1978, professor T.H. Lin is developing improved stress-strain relations for metals subject to multiaxial stress. Lin is devoted to developing a physical theory of creep of metals, which has particular importance when designing structures that are subjected to mechanical loading at elevated temperatures.
In June of 1978, the Engine and Fuels Laboratory under the direction of professor William D. Van Vorst has been upgraded and now permits on-line sampling of unburned hydrocarbons, carbon dioxide and monoxide, oxygen, and nitric oxides in auto exhaust. Efforts are directed at investigation of fuel additives and their effect on performance and emissions, with the results applied to the development of engines and fuels that will maximize fuel economy and produce minimum air pollution.
In July of 1978, professor Sheldon K. Friedlander has developed a laboratory for the study of aerosol behavior, including use of optical particle counters capable of measurements in the .1 to 5 micron range. Friedlander is examining new theories on nucleation in a reacting gas, and suggests classic nucleation theory may have to be modified as applied to smoggy atmospheres and process gases.
In January of 1979, Dean Russell R. O’Neill journeys to the People’s Republic of China with a UCLA delegation to explore future academic relations and possible exchanges between the two nations. UCLA was selected as one of six U.S. universities to be linked with a major Chinese institution.
In May of 1979, students are working on projects in the field of solid state electronics with faculty direction: professor Fred G. Allen is studying the energy loss of hot electrons on thin semiconducting films; Oscar M. Stafsudd is studying low temperature deposition techniques to make low-cost silicon material for solar cell applications.
In September of 1979, under the direction of professor Gary Hart, the Full Scale Earthquake and Wind Laboratory is gathering data on the response of existing structures to earthquakes. At Century City, Santa Barbara, and other locations in the state, instruments have been placed in buildings to measure motion. Should the ground move, the building moves the instruments and the information is transmitted over telephone lines to a central recorder on campus.
In October of 1979, professor D. Lewis Mingori and students are involved in studies related to controlling the orientation of and the shape of large flexible spacecraft. The research is directed at understanding how best to locate actuators and sensors for controlling the orientation of large space arrays.
In August of 1980, professor Andrew F. Charwat is expanding on a reversible energy storage technique for automobiles that involves the use of rubber bands as “collectors.” By connecting the wheels to the movement of the pistons using a series of rubber bands, energy could be stored during braking and then released during acceleration, saving on fuel consumption, Charwat says.
On October 9, 1980, the Crump Institute for Medical Engineering is established and F. Eugene Yates is named director. The institute is an expansion of the research involvement between engineers and medical professionals that began with formation of the Institute for Medical Engineering in 1976. Much of the impetus and most of the funding comes from Ralph and Marjorie Crump. Ralph E. Crump is a 1950 graduate of the UCLA College of Engineering and president of Frigitronics of Bridgeport, Conn. The company specializes in the development and manufacture of medical instruments, many invented by Crump himself, particularly for use in cryogenic (low temperature) surgery.
In November of 1980, professor Michael K. Stenstrom is using roof-top digesting machines to research ways to boost methane production during a sewage sludge process. By feeding the process with the right type of micro-organic nutrients, Stenstrom has been able to produce an end product that is 65 percent methane. The project is sponsored by Southern California Edison, which sees methane as a clean, low sulphur fuel for power plants.
In June of 1981, professor Poul Lade is focused on the mechanisms that determine ground-surface offsets above a dip slip earthquake fault. By using mathematical formulas based on laboratory results in which faults were identically simulated, researchers arrive at an accurate prediction as to how the soil above the fault will react when it begins to move.
In August of 1981, professor Bruce Dunn is involved in a variety of research areas in materials science, including researching possibilities for synthesis of solid state batteries and sensors, and, in the biomedical area, examining use of polymers for the replacement of finger joints to aid patients suffering from severe arthritis.
In May of 1982, pioneering research is carried out in the field of molecular beam epitaxy (MBE), one of the major advances expected to have a large impact on the electronic devices of the 1980s. MBE is a process by which layers of one single crystal material are grown on top of another single crystal material. The minute layering process enables construction of smaller and faster semiconductor circuits.
In June of 1982, faculty at the School’s Water Resources Center have completed modeling work on the Central Arizona Project, which represents the first application of mathematical programming to the optimal operation of an aqueduct system. The CAP is a modern aqueduct system scheduled to deliver Colorado River water entitlements to urban, agricultural and industrial users in Central Arizona. The UCLA model determines the best flow necessary to meet water demand by analysis of water management using the capabilities of the system’s open channel aqueducts, tunnels, check gate structures, inverted siphons, pipes, and relift pumping stations.
In July of 1982, faculty in the materials department are investigating a class of composites based on a new principle called “transformation toughening.” The process reduces the propagation of cracks in such materials, increasing “flexural strength” by 60 percent. Such toughened ceramics will have applications as cutting tools, hip-joint replacements, and improved artificial teeth.
On November 15, 1982, doctors and engineers at the Crump Institute hold a press conference to feature new research into infant sleep patterns and a solution to the abnormal patterns that may cause sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). By putting sensors beneath an infant’s crib, researchers determine the movements of an infant. A teddy bear that “breathes” by having its chest expand is placed in the crib. Researchers determined that when the teddy bear is made to breathe, the infant goes to it and sometimes cuddles it. By helping regulate infant breathing patterns, the incidence of premature disease or death can be avoided. Research has shown that infants who sleep fitfully in the first six weeks of infancy are prone to early health problems, whereas infants with stable breathing patterns typically lead normal lives.
In February of 1983, the Minority Engineering Education Center is opened and dedicated to serve as a focal point for the School’s efforts to enroll and retain an increasing number of students from underrepresented minority groups. The center is an outgrowth of a long-standing program for introducing select high school students from minority groups to the study of engineering.
In December of 1983, professor Algirdas Avizienis is refining techniques for fault tolerant computers, a technique he developed at Jet Propulsion Laboratory in 1967 when he designed the STAR (Self Testing and Repairing) computer. In addition to refining the error-catching mechanisms in the computer hardware, he has extended his efforts so that the system will also diagnose and neutralize human mistakes in both software programming and circuit design.
In February of 1984, a photo-electric mixing tube, the heart of an eight-year-long experiment at UCLA that gave birth to the field of quantum optics, was given to the Smithsonian Institution. The device, invented by professor A. Theodore Forrester, is the second of Forrester’s inventions to be included in the Smithsonian collection, the other being his ion propulsion engine put on display in 1964.
In May of 1984, UCLA’s first hydrogen-powered car, a 1972 Gremlin, is sold for one dollar to Harrah’s Automobile Museum in Reno, Nevada, where it went on display.
In June of 1984, it is announced that UCLA will decommission its training and research reactor and that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission has been notified that UCLA will withdraw its application to renew the operating license for the reactor. The reactor operated safely from startup in 1960 through shutdown on Feb. 3, 1984.
In December of 1984, in order to test the feasibility of a CalTrans program to retrofit freeway bridges to reinforce them against earthquakes, professor Larry G. Selna and students construct a massive bridge-tester capable of exerting 1.5 million pounds of pull. Using the device, the UCLA team constructs bridge joints utilizing the “pinning” method” suggested by CalTrans, and then evaluates the design using the bridge-tester. The UCLA team determines during the first nine tests that the method of tying bridge spans together with cables is insufficient.
In May of 1985, UCLA joins an international team to solve the technological challenges for creating nuclear fusion, seen as the power source for the next century. Using UCLA’s Plasma Interaction Surfaces Components Experimental Simulator, the UCLA team, led by professor Robert W. Conn, tests different materials for use inside the superhot fusion reactor of the future.
In October of 1985, a group of five professors has been awarded a three-year contract as part of a Strategic Defense Initiative project looking toward the design of large, innovative nuclear power reactors for use in space. The UCLA team pursues the project in conjunction with two other universities and four private companies. Their unclassified research seeks to design reactors applicable to missile defense in space, as well as to manned space stations and deep space exploration.
In February of 1986, a team of student and visiting Japanese engineers assist professor Ajit K. Mal in mapping microtremors in the San Fernando Valley. The Valley is divided into 50 observation sites two miles apart, each at which the team uses portable instruments to take microtremor readings. Using the readings, the team hopes to determine the potential for earthquake damage by examining the resonance of various soil types.
In April of 1986, 14-year-old Revital Elitzur has enrolled as an engineering student under the University’s gifted student program. The girl is one of a number of superachievers admitted to UCLA’s program from the past seven years. As a high school student she tutored college students in calculus to help earn the money to enroll at UCLA.
In May of 1986, a new fusion generator called a “tokamak” built at UCLA begins operation. It is the world’s first continuous current tokamak (from Russian TOroid KAmera MAgnit Katuchka), and will be used in the development of nuclear fusion, a limitless and “clean” source of energy, by imitating and harnessing on earth the same processes that make the sun shine. The 16 1/2 foot doughnut-shaped device stands eight feet high and has viewing portals that also allow a person’s entrance into the inner chamber of the device for repairs and maintenance. The project is led by professor Robert J. Taylor under a grant from the Department of Energy.
In June of 1986, Hewlett-Packard donates $2.5 million worth of computer workstations to the computer science department to advance teaching in artificial intelligence. Each workstation has a computer using the Motorola 68020 processor with seven megabytes of RAM and 110 megabytes of hard disc storage.
In June of 1986, under a grant from the National Science Foundation, assistant professor Guy Felio performs field tests in Mexico City to probe the causes of building collapse during the 8.1 Richter scale earthquake that struck the city Sept. 19, 1985. Many of the structures rested on heavy piles driven deep into the ground, and it is this aspect of structural failures that Felio is investigating.
In June of 1986, professors Rointan F. Bunshah and Oscar M. Stafsudd report development of a major advancement in semiconductors. The semiconductor is made of thin layers of beta silicon carbide and promises a “significant breakthrough in the size, power, speed, operating temperature and radiation resistance of solid state semiconductor devices and integrated circuits,” the researchers say.
In September of 1986, professor Vincent L. Vilker has overturned commonly held beliefs on the removable of solvents contaminating groundwater. It was thought that no natural mechanism could destroy the solvents, but Vilker creates a biological recipe for a class of enzymes that “chew right through” the polluting toxins, called low molecular halocarbons (LMH). Vilker was pointed to the discovery by realizing that ether is an LMH, and that patients anesthetized with ether obviously recovered so must metabolize the gas in some manner. Vilker’s clue was discovered in the enzymes of the liver, which he replicated and modified in the laboratory to digest solvents.
In February of 1987, veterinarians at the Wildlife Waystation in Little Tujunga Canyon are preparing to perform dental surgery on a 500-pound Siberian tiger named Reesha. The tooth repair is enabled by a heated, multi-position surgery table built by faculty, students and staff at the School of Engineering. Professor Alexander Samson, and staff members Joe Becker and Helen Hill manage the project from start to finish in building the unique operating table, which can support animals up to 1,600 pounds.
On March 23, 1987, establishment of an $18 million center at the School of Engineering and Applied Science for research on toxic and other hazardous wastes and byproducts is announced by the National Science Foundation. The center, named the Engineering Research Center for Hazardous Substances Control, is the first of its kind at any American university. Professor Sheldon K. Friedlander is appointed director and principal investigator for the center. Friedlander notes that the cost of managing hazardous waste is approaching $10 billion annually for industry.
In October of 1988, UCLA and IBM announce a $5 million study to connect separate IBM and other network computer systems at UCLA into one large network. The task will be to get users of networks based on IBM Systems Network Architecture (SNA) to “talk” easily with those based on the Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) and vice versa.
In April of 1989, volunteers from the School of Engineering are preparing to use a device they constructed to transport a 14-year-old African lion to a nearby operating room for tooth surgery. Professor Alexander Samson, staff members Helen Hill and Joseph Becker, and a team of seven students built the motorized gurney, which successfully moves the anesthetized lion from its quarters at the Wildlife Waystation across the grounds to the nearby operating room. The Half Track Limp Animal Transporter, the only one of its kind, enables two people to move a large animal such as a cougar or bear, where before 12 to 14 people grunted and sweated to do the job.
In May of 1989, professor John Dracup testifies before a U.S. Senate Committee on the likely impact of climatic changes on water resources for agricultural, industrial and residential use. If the current trend toward global warming continues, Dracup says, it may threaten seasonal water balance in the American West, raise the cost of water to consumers and require additional construction of large dams and aqueducts. If snow lines and freezing elevations on mountains climb higher, winter precipitation will fall as rain rather than snow, consequently changing runoff patterns and triggering heavy winter floods and a corresponding decrease in streamflow during late spring and summer.
UCLA researchers have developed a new polymer solar cell that is 70% transparent to the human eye. The cell produces energy by absorbing infrared light, and may someday allow windows in homes or buildings the ability to generate electricity, while still allowing people to see outside. (August 2012) Research led by: Carol and Lawrence E. Tannas Jr. Chair in Engineering Professor Yang Yang, Rui Zhu, Chun-Chao Chen, Letian Dou, Choong-Heui Chung, Tze-Bin Song, and Steve Hawks. | 2019-04-23T23:58:23Z | https://samueli.ucla.edu/history/ |
Probably the single most despised charge at financial institutions is the overdraft fee – and a NerdWallet survey of the exact charges imposed by a selection of mid-sized (Navy Federal) through mammoth (Chase) institutions found fees at $20 (Navy Federal) and as high as $39 (KeyBank).
$35 is a particularly common charge in the survey.
You walk out without your purchase, but you aren’t dinged for a nuisance charge.
Overdrafts are different. Charges are the norm, even though at the financial institution, all that happens is that bits and bytes shuffle around on a computer screen.
In the olden days, yes, a bounced check was a hassle. It generated lots of paperwork. Many hands of many clerks got involved. Very probably, a fee was justified.
Not today. It’s all automated.
A few innovative, digital-first institutions (Simple and Chime for instance) already charge no overdraft fees. More will follow. But very probably, many legacy institutions will cling to the fees because it’s easy money.
Some credit unions have worked up their own ways to help members avoid overdrafts – Hope Credit Union tell about its tools in this podcast – but many smaller institutions don’t know exactly how to handle this issue.
So they charge overdraft fees, the old school style.
It hurts consumers. It’s terrible for a financial institution’s reputation. But it is easy money.
So now third party work-arounds are in the mix.
For the consumer, the message is simple: you can keep your legacy checking account but make yourself immune to overdraft fees.
Meet Grain Technology, a start up in the Bay Area on a mission to stamp out overdraft fees and, in the process, help Thin File consumers create credit histories. Win win.
For the participating credit union, it’s plug and play. The member links the share draft account to Grain and Grain takes care of the rest.
And Grain has been invited to play in the Arizona fintech sandbox, where they may pilot its tools free from some regulatory constraints. The company already has plans to offer its tools to students at Arizona State, the nation’s biggest university.
Exactly what does Grain do? In a conversation with Carl Memnon, COO of Grain and a co-founder (hear the podcast here), the details emerged.
The building blocks are that Grain takes a new look at the consumer’s spending habits, income, and expenses. It generates a proprietary algorithm. This lets it predict when a consumer’s linked checking account is likely to go into overdraft and Grain can offer an injection of cash to inoculate against an overdraft fee.
The charge? Grain sees its APR ranging from 12% to 15.99% and it envisions cash injections typically ranging from maybe $25 to a few hundred dollars.
Result one: no more overdraft fees.
Result two: the consumer builds a credit history that Grain will report to monitoring agencies. For a Thin File young adult, that just may be a real blessing. Especially since many of those generations are averse to using conventional credit instruments.
Right now, Grain is looking to partner with credit unions that want to help members avoid overdraft fees. Most of those consumers, said Memnon, probably will come from the money center banks (with overdraft fees typically around $35 per incident).
What would prompt a BofA customer to ditch that institution in favor of a much smaller credit union? Just one overdraft fee could do it. Especially when the recruitment pitch is that this tool will stop overdraft fees, period.
Memnon said Grain also envisions sharing its interest income with participating institutions.
All while essentially living up to the credit union mission of helping consumers manage their money better.
They elaborate that their people are good, kind, caring credit union people, from the community, and this will be the deciding weaponry in the upcoming wars.
There are so many problems with this thinking it is hard to know where to start.
And I am a person who in fact believes that many credit union people, in fact, are good, kind, caring.
The problem is a two-headed monster that is set to devour that credit union narrative.
Increasingly, the busiest branch is the online website and the next busiest is the mobile app. Personally, I have never been in a branch of my chief credit union (whose nearest branch now is on the other side of the country from me). I have called maybe twice in the last five years.
Are they nice people? I guess. I really haven’t had much to do with many of them. The CEO, whom I know, is and as long as he responds to my emails (which have never been about personal account issues) he’s a good guy in my book.
But I like the mobile app, I like the online banking, and they introduce new features fast enough to keep me from getting frustrated (and, yeah, I have a Chase account too and Chase keeps me in the fast lane).
According to the Fed, in 2017 about half of US adults with a smartphone had used it to access banking.
The digital access numbers are just going to explode in the near future.
The more digital we become the less human interactions matter.
AI is going vertical, it is changing how we interact with so many elements of our lives.
AI also is becoming human plus.
And we are embracing them.
Hotels, for instance, are racing to equip rooms with Alexa to answer our questions (when does the restaurant open for breakfast?) and to perform simple chores such as raising the room temperature and turning off the desk lamp. We are becoming accustomed to dealing with these digital intermediaries – I have three Alexa’s in my house plus a Google Home device – and we like them.
Why should I call a human to find out if a check cleared when I can ask Alexa? Many, many credit unions now are rushing to go live in Alexa and what this adds up to is a lessening of the importance of the human face of the credit union.
Nobody is suggesting that humans aren’t important to credit unions and their members. Of course they are, and that is why I urge credit unions to invest in retraining branch employees to move from transaction processing to financial consultants.
People can – and should – be a credit union assets because members will still come into the branch and call into the call center. It’s just that fewer and fewer of us will depend upon those channels as primary avenues for financial services.
That means the smart credit unions – the ones that will survive – are investing in their digital transformation. That is the future of financial services, that is where the wars will be won. Take a deep dive into big data, into mobile banking, and – absolutely – into AI tools such as Alexa and more.
A decade from now it will be considered absolutely normal to talk with a computer about one’s finances. You need to be there sooner.
And you need to accept that tomorrow’s battles won’t be won just because you have “the best people.” Which you may have. But a lot more – mainly digital – will figure into choosing winners and losers and you need to be in the thick of that game to remain a competitor.
Want to learn more on artificial intelligence (AI)?
Must a Credit Union Hop on the AI Train?
Suddenly there is a stampede of self-professed experts who want to guide your credit union through its digital transformation.
Just one problem: quite a few of the experts may be bluffing. Or full of wishful thinking. Or maybe they are just plain con artists.
It puts me in mind of Odysseus and his voyage past the Sirens in the early part of Homer’s classic poem. They sing enticing songs but sailors who heard them and sought to get nearer were lured into shipwrecks.
What did Odysseus do? He plugged the ears of his crew so they wouldn’t hear and he had them tie him to the mast so that even when he heard, he couldn’t act.
Some credit union CEOs really should think about having themselves tied to the vault to prevent them inking a digital transformation deal, and plugging the ears of other executives might not be out of line.
Not when so many tempting, sweet songs are getting sung.
Face this reality: just about every credit union needs to be plunging into a digital transformation because how and where and when we bank has been undergoing massive change in the past quarter century and the changes will continue. Almost certainly, for instance, the main banking touchpoint for most consumers will become a smartphone. For many it already is. Many of us no longer write checks. Many haven’t been inside a branch in a year or more. The changes keep on coming.
Credit unions need to react, to respond, to plot a path through the digital tomorrow.
Many credit unions won’t survive. They won’t transform fast or thoroughly enough.
The typical credit union can be more fleet footed than most banks. Banks have vast legacy branch systems that increasingly seem like so much deadweight. But many bankers, by virtue of their personal pasts and their institutions’ balance sheet, are wed to their branches. They will pay a price for that.
How should a credit union digitally transform?
It starts by knowing yourself. What does the institution stand for? What does it want to be in 10 years. Who are your members? What do they want from a financial institution?
The next step: look at the institution’s digital contact points and ask how they can be better? Most credit unions have blah online banking, their mobile banking is equally blah, and, sure, there are plenty of excuses about this – but it’s probably not going to be good enough.
Today’s comparison isn’t with the community bank down the street. It’s with Chase and, even scarier, with Amazon, Netflix, and the other big online players. Can you digitally compete with them?
What’s your busiest branch? Your online banking site. And the mobile app is the next busiest. How much time do you spend optimizing those channels?
You also need a digital marketing strategy, probably built around Facebook, definitely also a lively website.
A small sign in front of a branch is not 21st century marketing.
Most of us will start, and end, our search for financial institutions online. You need a plan for gaining visibility there.
Many credit union technology vendors reap profits from the status quo which, frankly, as far as technology goes is primitive in the credit union world. But the profits say it’s not in their interest to rock this boat and so they don’t.
Understand this: it’s simply crazy that you can’t use the mobile banking platform you want because it doesn’t easily or cheaply interface with your core And so a system that may be 20 years old, or is it 40, is dictating the technology landscape?
But so it goes at many credit unions.
What vendors can help you? Search for partners with rich fintech cred. Worry less about credit union bona fides and, for many credit unions, their first question always is, what credit unions have you worked with?
That may not be good enough.
What you want are guides who can lead you into and through the digital wilderness.
Pick wisely. But pick boldly.
Some years ago the CTO of one of the world’s biggest banks told me what he did when his CEO tasked him with getting a mobile app for the bank. He downloaded many of the most popular apps at the time, spent a weekend absorbed in them, went to the office on Monday with a list of the 10 or so he liked the best. None of those apps were at banks. Not a one. He put HR on finding out the names of the key developers, they called in people for interviews, and within a week or so he had assembled a project team to get his bank on the phone.
Was he concerned that none of the developers had banking experience? Not in the slightest. His bank, he said, had hundreds of executives who could add in banker smarts. What he needed was people with digital smarts and he knew he wouldn’t find them at banks.
Do likewise is my advice.
Want inspiration for a credit union transformation? Read the story of Partners FCU.
Credit unions are doing this.
$30 billion annually – that’s how big Pew said the payday, pawn auto title, etc. loan market is in America. When people need a loan, and everybody else has said no, they go to alternative lenders. That’s 10 to 12 million Americans every year.
They pay through the nose too. Up to 400% APR.
But what if credit unions could get involved. And what if credit unions could offer more consumer-friendly options.
Enter QCash, an innovative, small dollar lending platform that grew out of WSECU (Washington State Employees Credit Union) and also benefited from counsel via Filene.
Ben Morales, CEO of QCash, said that QCash in effect brings WSECU back to its roots. The first loan the credit union made, around 60 years ago, was $50 to a member to buy new tires.
That is exactly the kind of helping hand credit unions were formed to offer and, said Morales, QCash is a platform designed to help many more credit unions profitably offer small dollar loans to members, to the benefit of the member and also to the credit union.
The problem: many credit unions have abdicated small-dollar loans, said Morales, leaving the market to alternative lenders. Which often means predatory lenders.
That’s exactly where QCash comes in. What it offers is an automated platform where the loan applicant answers a very few questions and, in under 60 seconds and with just six clicks, a decision on the loan is rendered.
That speed is possible, said Morales, because the credit union already knows a lot about the member. There’s no need to ask the member questions where the answer is already known and, because QCash accesses the core, it knows plenty about the member.
That speed and simplicity is a big plus for loan applicants. Many fear that applying for a credit union loan means a visit to a branch for a face to face but QCash puts the process online or in the mobile app. That makes it easy for the member and also eliminates much of the embarrassment potential.
About 70% of loan applications are approved, said Morales.
Add it up and QCash is a good deal for the appropriate member.
Why isn’t it offered at more institutions?
The grumbles about offering payday loans at a credit union are many. There are complaints that this isn’t what a credit union should be doing, that the borrowers will default, that it’s too expensive to process loan apps to bother with small-dollar loans to imperfect borrowers, etc. etc.
QCash proves a lot of that wrong. Last year QCash – which presently has five active credit unions involved with several more in the go-live queue – processed around 35,000 loan apps. It has a track record. The charge-off rate, said Morales, is around 10 to 13%. “That’s why you charge as high as 36% APR,” he said.
He added that some QCash institutions charge significantly below 36%. Nobody presently charges more.
Morales acknowledged that some in the credit union movement are squeamish about the idea of charging members 36% APR – but he pointed out that, for this member, that usually is a very good deal, much better than the alternatives that might be available.
Point is: this is helping members. Not hurting them.
Even so, not every institution involved in QCash is aggressive about marketing it, Morales acknowledged, perhaps because of some lingering concerns about being seen to offer payday loans.
That’s something the reticent institution just has to get over. Because that’s the better path for the member.
An obstacle to credit union implementation of QCash is that right now doing so requires significant in-house technical talents and credit unions below perhaps $500 million in assets often don’t have that.
Small credit unions may also have problems in providing access to the core – frequently because the cost of needed middleware is high.
Point is: QCash is working on making its product readily adaptable to a growing number of credit unions. Morales said QCash hopes soon to offer QCash to credit unions without regard to size and scale.
Fees from the QCash side in implementing it run $15,000 to $20,000.
Bottom line for Morales: going after high interest, predatory lending should be a credit union differentiator – and QCash puts those targets in range. “We can do something about this,” said Morales.
Credit unions could rock their way up in the public consciousness and put on a good guy aura in the process of taking on predatory lenders.
The April CUNA Mutual Trends Report drops a paradoxical bomb that leaves us confused: are credit unions getting bigger? Or are they vanishing?
Roll back to 1960 and, per NCUA data, just 6 million of us belonged to federal credit unions. A similar number belonged to state chartered institutions. That’s 12 million total, out of a US population of 180 million. That’s about 6.7% of us, far below today’s one in three.
Plainly, a lot more of us belong to credit unions now, probably because of expanding FOMs and also because many credit unions offer tempting deals – for used car loans, for instance, and in some markets home mortgages – that bring in members at least for those specific products.
More credit unions also are working smarter and better at communicating that their membership is pretty much open to all. There remain some of us who believe they can’t join a credit union because they don’t belong to a union – but those numbers are shrinking.
Member growth is good. But do the CUNA Mutual data mean the credit union movement should pop open champagne and toast the good times?
At least not just yet. There’s more to digest in the CUNA Mutual data dump.
Do the math. If the current rate of consolidation continues, by 2028 there will be a bit over 3000 credit unions.
In 1960 there were about 10,000 federally chartered credit unions, per NCUA.
Many credit union executives, at least privately, of course grumble about indirect car loans because the “members” they bring in often limit their memberships to the car loan and they aren’t especially profitable.
Add this up and what’s the meaning? Credit unions need to do a much better job of expanding their relationships with members. It is great to have an expanding number of members, it is not so great not to be creating more solvent credit unions.
The truly good news is that if one in three Americans belong to a credit union that is plenty of bulk to use to seek to grow the institutions organically. For instance: get that indirect car loan borrower using a sharedraft account and a credit card and the credit union is onto something wonderful.
The alternative is to join the thundering herd of dying credit unions, many of which are like wildebeest in the Tanzanian Great Migration, there essentially to be picked off by predators.
Parse the CUNA Mutual data and just maybe the message is a double edged sword: grow membership, especially the right membership, and success may lie ahead. Or shrink into extinction.
That is the stark choice in front of today’s credit union executives.
The Citi 2018 Mobile Banking Study told us what we should already have known: consumers love a decent mobile banking app. And they use it a lot.
How often? Citi said that mobile banking apps come in third, after only social media apps and weather.
That’s based upon a survey of 2000 US adults.
How often do your members use your app?
The question is not theoretical. It’s in your face, life and death. If your members don’t like your app – and I personally dislike the apps used at the two credit unions I belong to – what’s your future look like?
Almost half – 46% of consumers – told Citi they have increased their mobile usage in the past year. Nearly two thirds of Millennials have done same. Expect that number to keep trending higher. As more of us discover that we can easily do most routine banking chores on a phone, we’ll migrate there – especially if we get the message that generally a mobile phone banking session (via cellular) is more secure than the same session on a Windows computer connected to WiFi.
Citi threw more numbers at us. 8 out of 10 of us use mobile banking nine days a month. One-third of us mobile bank 10 or more times a month.
91% of us prefer mobile banking over a visit to a branch – and don’t expect that number to decrease. Branches are dead, except for special purposes. If a consumer needs a wire transfer as part of a home purchase, sure, he/she may go to a branch (I did exactly that five years ago); it just seems simpler. But for routine banking chores – including check deposit – it just is vastly more time efficient to do it in one’s home, work, or car.
Personally I just deposited three checks via MRDC and transferred money from one account to another, all done at my desk, all done within five minutes. Going to a nearby branch would have eaten up at least 30 minutes and who has time for that?
Not many of us anymore.
According to Citi, we estimate we save 45 minutes a year by using mobile banking.
How fast are your vendors upgrading your apps? Judging by the ones at my credit unions I’d say not frequently.
Not nearly often enough. Not nearly enough to keep pace with the likes of Citi and Chase.
Can you say better about your apps?
You need to be able to, That’s the reality for today.
When I talk with senior executives at many credit unions a common complaint about their apps vendors is that upgrades come too slowly. It’s rare that I don’t hear that complaint.
But just maybe it’s no longer good enough just to complain.
Take action to make faster – richer – upgrades a regular reality. That’s how to survive today.
Consumers Say Boo To Your Digital Banking Products – Now What Do You Do?
Nah, I didn’t know what “frust” means either. The Internet tells me a secondary slang meaning is frustrated.
And, you bet, I too am frustrated with credit union mobile and online banking – and I’m not alone, per D3, and that should definitely worry credit union execs.
I have accounts at two credit unions. Digital products at both are inferior to Chase, where I also have an account. If I could have only one account – and if I weren’t a big believer in the credit union movement – it would be with Chase. I hate to say that. But it’s true and, thankfully, I am not limited to just one account.
Chase is forever improving its digital products. My credit unions aren’t (and, yes, I know they are locked into their vendors’ upgrade cycles – but why accept that?).
Five years ago just having mobile banking was good enough. 20 years ago just having online banking, however feeble, was cause for a celebratory press release. In 2018 that definitely is not enough.
D3 proves that with its Harris poll that surveyed 1600 digital banking users (who had used it in the past 12 months) and they were quick to vent. Two in three – 68% – expressed frustration with their digital banking experience.
Count me among them. Yesterday I logged in to change the PIN of my debit card. No can do in my credit union’s mobile banking app. I eventually called an automated line and accomplished the task and how 1985 is that?
Why can’t I do a simple, mechanical task like changing a PIN on a mobile phone – and, really, do you think call centers do a better job of screening out fraudsters? Ask Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen about that.
Nor is there evidence to suggest doing this via online or mobile banking is inherently riskier than via a telephone call.
So why can’t I do it?
A bottomline reality is that in 2018 an increasing number of consumers want – indeed demand – that their mobile banking app and online banking let them do anything they could do in a branch visit.
Even tho credit union members skew older, it is safe to assume 6 in 10 of them are dissatisfied with their mobile banking experience.
For sure, too, members demand a feature rich digital banking experience: “The survey also found that more than half of digital banking users feel it is important for financial institutions to provide mobile deposit (70%), P2P services (66%) and mobile account opening (51%) as part of their digital banking offerings,” relayed D3.
That is blunt: one in three members who use digital services say they just may shift financial institutions to get better services.
That’s the reality. Today consumers benchmark your app and website against Amazon, Netflix, Google and the other top digital services – and, sadly, at all but a handful of financial institutions the digital products are mediocre at best.
What’s the solution: commit, today, to improving your digital offerings just about daily, certainly weekly. Word of advice: smart credit unions are committing to continuous improvement of their digital offerings. The era of a once or twice a year update is over.
The path to credit union extinction is paved with complacency.
Particularly with Millennials, credit unions have key positive attributes – they are local, they are community-minded, they generally are intimate scale, and they aren’t “big business.” All good. But will Millennials suffer a poor digital experience to do business with a credit union with bad online and mobile offerings?
Most credit unions seem to be betting that indeed Millennials will.
I don’t think they will.
New research out of Javelin, sponsored by identity specialist Jumio, makes plain multiple facts and the central one is that digital banking rules and it does so across generations. It’s not just a Millennial thing anymore.
Another key takeaway: most financial institutions – eyes on you – stumble in many key places, particularly in deploying mobile banking. This is eroding member loyalty: they will sometimes simply flee to another institution.
And security concerns continue to be a bother for many users, according to the Javelin research. Despite the fact that generally a mobile banking session over a cellular network is much more secure than one over an online network. No matter. A lot of users remain very worried about safety and digital banking and the smart institutions are addressing these fears.
What all this means is that mobile banking – increasingly the channel that matters in banking – is where credit unions have to double down on efforts to compete with the money center banks and the fintechs that continue to nibble at the user base of smaller, legacy institutions (talking about you, Amazon).
Dive deeper into the report and the results can surprise. For instance, although 76% of Millennials now regularly use digital banking, 77% of Boomers do – and, yep, that says Boomers have greater acceptance of the channel.
Millennials definitely have fewer gripes about mobile banking. 25% of them express concerns with the channel, compared to 33% of Gen X and 35% of Boomers. What kinds of concerns? 28% grumble about “hidden fees,” while 53% complain about ease of use.
Waste a consumer’s time – and the consumer is the judge of this, not a cautious credit union manager – and they will blow you off. Just that fast.
Here’s the kick in the head: “One-third of consumers respond negatively to their FI after abandoning a mobile banking activity,” reported Jumio. Understand: 7% decided to open an account at another financial institution. And 13% shared their grumble about the experience with family and friends.
That’s word of mouth you don’t need.
In this regard, the Javelin research shows that account opening tools must cater to Millennials, mainly because they are the leading cohort when it comes to adding new accounts and services. Their chief complaint: it takes too long. The antidote: speed it up.
And make it easy to complete the tasks on a mobile device. That is becoming a crucial battleground.
When it comes to authentication, Millennials in particular prefer biometrics, especially eye scans and facial recognition, according to the Javelin data. Farther down the list are legacy modes such as QR codes. Very probably institutions that want to stay on the cutting edge of Millennial acceptance need to roll out multiple biometric modalities.
Don’t make security into hurdles members have to jump – how many routinely forget passwords? – but do let members know that security protocols are always there, always protecting them. They want that reassurance even if they don’t want the hassles of dealing with in your face security challenges (what street did your father live on at age 6?).
Sift through the Javelin findings and there is much to cheer credit union leaders. There is no way they can compete with money center banks in terms of branches – but they don’t need to. What a credit union needs is top grade digital experiences, online and mobile, that include easy account opening and build in seamless security that will protect members.
None of that is easy.
But it all is doable at credit unions that embrace the digital mandate.
“We are not moving fast enough. We need to move 2x or 4x faster,” said John Janclaes, CEO of the $1 billion Partners Federal Credit Union headquartered in Burbank, CA.
In a wide ranging interview, Janclaes revealed exactly why he had put the credit union on what he describes as a journey of digital transformation – and he also talked about progress made.
You might think Partners is a blessed credit union. It has enough assets to compete and it has strong SEG ties – it essentially is the Disney credit union and pulls membership from the many Disney companies, from the theme parks to movies and ESPN. It also has two very different geographical hubs – southern California and Orlando, FL. It has a lot going for it.
Not that many decades ago, credit unions, he said, were a well balanced three legged stool that offered better rates, better service, and better convenience because many members could bank at work.
And then that happy bubble burst as consumers – increasingly – have demanded digital banking and many credit unions have faltered in the transformation from high personal touch and community based institutions.
“We recognized we need to keep changing to remain relevant to our members,” said Janclaes.
Fueling his thinking was a CO-OP funded study on digital transformation that found, in a survey of 221 credit union leaders, 88% said digital transformation is “extremely or quite important.” And about half the respondents acknowledged their digital experience is “inferior” to top brands like Google and Apple.
Janclaes wanted more for Partners, he wanted to offer members a digital experience that in fact rivaled the best of breed because – face it – those are benchmarks members use to grade what they get from their financial services providers.
A big step was that he went outside to Kony and also the Boston Consulting Group to help Partners in its journey. “We wanted to work with trusted partners who are industry leaders,” said Janclaes.
What especially attracted him to Kony – which has done the bulk of the heavy digital lifting for Partners – is that it had a limited credit union background and also had had successes in very different industries such as retail and energy.
“We did not want a credit union incumbent with a credit union mentality,” said Janclaes.
Read that sentence again. Credit union management orthodoxy is to vet potential vendors based on their resumes of past credit union hits.
But Janclaes turned this thinking upside down.
He said he had full support from his board which, he explained, is composed of Disney executives.
“Our sponsor sees us a value for the company and its cast members,” said Janclaes.
A challenge, he added, is coordinating the new digital credit union with the traditional brick and mortar credit union He indicated that every measure says that in fact is happening as Partners has committed to offering an omnichannel presence that lets members pick how they want to interact. Most tasks – from account opening to joining the credit union – now can be done via any channel and that, believes Janclaes, is the future of credit unions that aim to thrive tomorrow.
“We want to make incremental improvements at a rapid pace,” said Janclaes.
This, he said, represents a massive “mindset shift” in credit unions that, traditionally, have aimed for perfection and that has taken time.
Today calls for faster and that means, often, perfection won’t be there.
But what happens will nonetheless be good enough.
That of course is how all tech companies think.
“Our members are already ahead of us in thinking that way,” said Janclaes.
And now Janclaes is determined to bring Partners to that mindset too.
An 11 minute video on the Partners digital transformation is here. It’s worth a view by any credit union manager, or board member, contemplating the next steps in their institution’s digital journey because that has become a ride no one can refuse.
A new report out of Celent asks a question that just may terrify you: Are banks ready for a real time world?
You probably know the answer at your credit union.
Join the club: many – probably most – credit unions are nowhere close to embracing a real time financial services universe.
Tell me why it takes a day – sometimes several days – to move money from an account at my credit union to a payee already in the system when, truly, it simply is a matter of shifting bits and bytes?
Money can – and now should – move as fast as a text message and if a friend in India sends me an SMS via Facebook right about now it is showing up in my FB queue.
What Celent is prescribing is adoption of a robust payments hub that can provide the 21st century world what it wants.
“Real-time payments require all the activity in the value chain to be carried out, typically in under a second, if not quicker. If all the processes are within the hub, they are easier to manage and coordinate. But as volumes increase, this becomes more and more essential. Furthermore, functions that sit within the hub will be subject to the same design requirements in terms of availability and maintenance,” wrote the Celent author, Gareth Lodge.
Some realtime functions already are in use in the United States.
Digital currencies – the report pointed in particular to Ripple – are paving the way for a shift to real time money movement.
Zelle also is a step into realtime for institutions that adopt it (and some credit unions already have – such as America First Credit Union and BECU). And Dwolla offers realtime ACH transfer functionality.
Don’t necessarily expect smooth sailing for your institution into the real time universe. Exactly how – and how well – many competing real time systems will integrate with each other is not yet known.
Institutions – and their cpre providers – are fiddling with workarounds. But that’s the point: there will definitely have to be workarounds and they may not always be easy, elegant or even straightforward.
Absolutely right. Until real-time payments are part of the package the institution just isn’t a digital bank. Period. | 2019-04-21T18:30:40Z | https://cu-2.com/author/robert-mcgarvey/ |
The present invention provides a method, a device, and a system for inter-frequency cell measurement. The method includes: performing, by a terminal, when receiving a measurement command of a network side device, inter-frequency cell measurement, in different cases, based on the time specified in different measurement time parameters or based on measurement time parameters corresponding to the information about an inter-frequency band. As different measurement time parameters specify different time actually used for measurement, not only an inter-frequency cell that meets a measurement event can be measured, but also the time for measurement by the terminal can be reduced, thereby reducing the power consumption of the terminal and enhancing the performance of the terminal.
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This application is a continuation of International Application No. PCT/CN2012/085526, filed on Nov. 29, 2012, which claims priority to China Patent Application No. 201210018153.X, filed on Jan. 19, 2012, both of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.
1. A method for inter-frequency cell measurement, the method comprising: receiving, by a terminal, a measurement command carrying information about an inter-frequency band from a network side device; performing, within a first period, based on preset measurement time parameters, inter-frequency cell measurement; when the first period expires, suspending, within a second period, inter-frequency cell measurement, wherein the first period and the second period alternately form a continuous time; when the second period expires, returning to the step of performing, based on preset measurement time parameters, inter-frequency cell measurement; wherein: performing, within the first period, based on preset measurement time parameters, inter-frequency cell measurement comprises: starting a first timer, and performing, based on the preset measurement time parameters, inter-frequency cell measurement, wherein the first timer is configured to provide the first period; when the first period expires, suspending, within a second period, inter-frequency cell measurement comprises: starting, when the first timer expires, a second timer, and suspending inter-frequency cell measurement, wherein the second timer is configured to provide the second period; and when the second period expires, returning to the step of performing, based on preset measurement time parameters, inter-frequency cell measurement comprises: when the second timer expires, returning to the step of starting a first timer, and continuing to perform, based on the preset measurement time parameters, inter-frequency cell measurement.
2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first period and the second period are provided by the network side device.
3. The method according to claim 1, before performing, within a first period, based on preset measurement time parameters, inter-frequency cell measurement, further comprising: determining whether the measurement command carries a measurement identifier, and if yes, then performing the step of performing, within a first period, based on the preset measurement time parameters, inter-frequency cell measurement.
4. A method for inter-frequency cell measurement, the method comprising: receiving, by a terminal, a measurement command carrying information about an inter-frequency band from a network side device; performing, within a first period, based on preset measurement time parameters, inter-frequency cell measurement; when the first period expires, suspending, within a second period, inter-frequency cell measurement, wherein the first period and the second period alternately form a continuous time; when the second period expires, returning to the step of performing, based on preset measurement time parameters, inter-frequency cell measurement; wherein: performing, within a first period, based on preset measurement time parameters, inter-frequency cell measurement comprises: starting a first timer and a third timer, respectively, and performing, based on the preset measurement time parameters, inter-frequency cell measurement, wherein the first timer provides the first period, and the third timer provides the first period and the second period; when the first period expires, suspending, within the second period, inter-frequency cell measurement comprises: when the first timer expires, suspending inter-frequency cell measurement; and when the second period expires, returning to the step of performing, based on preset measurement time parameters, inter-frequency cell measurement comprises: when the third timer expires, returning to the step of starting a first timer and a third timer, respectively, and continuing to perform, based on the preset measurement time parameters, inter-frequency cell measurement.
5. A device for inter-frequency cell measurement, the device comprising: a processor; memory coupled to the processor, the memory comprising instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the device to: receive a measurement command carrying information about an inter-frequency band from a network side device, perform, within a first period, based on preset measurement time parameters, inter-frequency cell measurement, when the first period expires, suspend, within a second period, inter-frequency cell measurement, wherein the first period and the second period alternately form a continuous time, and when the second period expires, return to performing, based on preset measurement time parameters, inter-frequency cell measurement; a first timer and a second timer, wherein: the first timer is configured to provide the first period, and trigger, when the first period ends, the second timer to start, and the suspension of the inter-frequency cell measurement within the second period; and the second timer is configured to provide the second period, and trigger, when the second period ends, the first timer and the performance of the inter-frequency cell measurement within the first period to start.
6. The device according to claim 5, wherein the memory further comprises instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the device to: determine whether the measurement command carries a measurement identifier, and if yes, trigger the performance of the inter-frequency cell measurement within the first period to start.
7. A device for inter-frequency cell measurement, the device comprising: a processor; memory coupled to the processor, the memory comprising instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the device to: receive a measurement command carrying information about an inter-frequency band from a network side device, perform, within a first period, based on preset measurement time parameters, inter-frequency cell measurement, when the first period expires, suspend, within a second period, inter-frequency cell measurement, wherein the first period and the second period alternately form a continuous time, and when the second period expires, return to performing, based on preset mesurement time parameters, inter-frequency cell measurement; a first timer and a third timer, wherein: the first timer is configured to provide the first period, and trigger, when the first period ends, the second timer to start, and the suspension of the inter-frequency cell measurement within the second period; and the third timer is configured to provide the first period and the second period, and trigger, when the second period ends, the first timer, the third timer and the performance of the inter-frequency cell measurement within the first period to start.
8. A method for inter-frequency cell measurement, the method comprising: receiving, by a terminal, a measurement command carrying information about an inter-frequency band from a network side device; performing, within a first period, based on preset first measurement time parameters, inter-frequency cell measurement, comprising: starting a first timer, and performing, based on the preset first measurement time parameters, inter-frequency cell measurement, wherein the first timer is configured to provide the first period; and performing, within a second period, based on preset second measurement time parameters, inter-frequency cell measurement, wherein the first period and the second period alternately form a continuous time, and the preset first measurement time parameters are different from the preset second measurement time parameters, comprising: starting, when the first timer expires, a second timer, and performing, based on the preset second measurement time parameters, inter-frequency cell measurement, wherein the second timer is configured to provide the second period; and when the second timer expires, returning to the step of starting a first timer, and continuing to perform, based on the preset first measurement time parameters, inter-frequency cell measurement.
9. A method for inter-frequency cell measurement, the method comprising: receiving, by a terminal, a measurement command carrying information about an inter-frequency band from a network side device; performing, within a first period, based on preset first measurement time parameters, inter-frequency cell measurement, comprising: starting a first timer and a third timer, respectively, and performing, based on the preset first measurement time parameters, inter-frequency cell measurement, wherein the first timer provides the first period, and the third timer provides the first period and the second period; and performing, within a second period, based on preset second measurement time parameters, inter-frequency cell measurement, wherein the first period and the second period alternately form a continuous time, and the preset first measurement time parameters are different from the preset second measurement time parameters, comprising: when the first timer expires, performing, based on the preset second measurement time parameters, inter-frequency cell measurement; and when the third timer expires, returning to the step of starting a first timer and a third timer, respectively, and continuing to perform, based on the preset first measurement time parameters, inter-frequency cell measurement.
10. A device for inter-frequency cell measurement, the device comprising: a processor; memory coupled to the processor, the memory comprising instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the device to: receive a measurement command carrying information about an inter-frequency band from a network side device; perform, within a first period, based on preset first measurement time parameters, inter-frequency cell measurement; and perform, within a second period, based on preset second measurement time parameters, inter-frequency cell measurement, wherein the first period and the second period alternately form a continuous time, and the preset first measurement time parameters are different from the preset second measurement time parameters; a first timer; and a second timer; wherein: the first timer is configured to provide the first period, and trigger, when the first period ends, the second timer, and the performance of the inter-frequency cell measurement within the second period to start; and the second timer is configured to provide the second period, and trigger, when the second period ends, the first timer, and the performance of the inter-frequency cell measurement within the first period to start.
11. A device for inter-frequency cell measurement, the device comprising: a processor; memory coupled to the processor, the memory comprising instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the device to: receive a measurement command carrying information about an inter-frequency band from a network side device; perform, within a first period, based on preset first measurement time parameters, inter-frequency cell measurement; and perform, within a second period, based on preset second measurement time parameters, inter-frequency cell measurement, wherein the first period and the second period alternately form a continuous time, and the preset first measurement time parameters are different from the preset second measurement time parameters; a first timer; and a third timer; wherein: the first timer is configured to provide the first period, and trigger, when the first period ends, the performance of the inter-frequency cell measurement to start; and the third timer is configured to provide the first period and the second period, and trigger, when the second period ends, the performance of the inter-frequency cell measurement, the first timer, and the third timer, to start.
The present invention relates to the technical field of wireless communications, and in particular, to a method, a device, and a system for inter-frequency cell measurement.
With the rapid development of communications technologies, the future development trend of communications networks is that a variety of wireless communications networks coexist and develop, and therefore heterogeneous network deployment is gradually introduced in a wireless network.
In heterogeneous network deployment, network coverage is formed by cells of different sizes and types, such as macrocells, small cells, and microcells. A macrocell has a large and continuous coverage area, and seamless coverage is formed between macrocells. Within the coverage of a macrocell, several low-power nodes, such as a small base station, a home base station, a relay station and a wireless local area network access point, are usually deployed. Because these low-power nodes have small wireless coverage areas, they are referred to small cells; that is, the coverage of a macrocell includes the coverage of a plurality of small cells, and in heterogeneous network deployment, small cells are scattered in a macrocell. By means of the structure of heterogeneous network deployment, the network traffic volume is large; for example, the traffic is heavy, and, when a macrocell is under heavy network load, a network service can be distributed by switching a terminal to a corresponding small cell, thereby increasing the network capacity.
During heterogeneous network deployment, according to different demands of carriers, a macrocell and a small cell can be set to different frequencies, and the small cell is an inter-frequency cell for the macrocell. In such an inter-frequency deployment, a network side device of the macrocell, when needing to switch a terminal to an inter-frequency cell at a band, needs to trigger the terminal to perform inter-frequency cell measurement, and the terminal, when determining that a signal of the inter-frequency cell meets a specific measurement event, reports the inter-frequency cell to the network side device, making it easy for the network side device to perform cell handover.
When a terminal performs inter-frequency cell measurement, neither data nor signaling is transmitted between the terminal and a network side device, and a measurement process usually takes a long time. Therefore, to prevent influences on normal communications services, the terminal usually performs inter-frequency cell measurement in a discontinuous measurement manner, that is, a gap mode measurement manner, in which a cell signal is measured only within a measurement gap period and normal communications can be performed outside the gap period. Both the network side device and the terminal need to work based on the gap mode to ensure time synchronization.
In an existing method for inter-frequency cell measurement, a network side device determines relevant measurement time parameters of a gap mode, including a gap duration, a gap repetition cycle, a minimum available measurement time, and the like. The relevant measurement time parameters of the measurement gap mode are usually fixed numerical values. For example, the gap duration is 6 ms, the gap repetition cycle is 40 ms, and it is specified that the minimum available measurement time within a certain time is not lower than 60 ms, and the like. Next, the network side device requests that the terminal performs measurement for an inter-frequency cell at a band and sends the relevant measurement time parameters of the gap mode to the terminal. The terminal is then capable of performing, based on the time specifications of the relevant measurement time parameters of the gap mode, measurement on the cell only within the measurement gap period, so as to monitor whether a signal of the inter-frequency cell meets a measurement event, and reports the inter-frequency cell that meets the measurement event to the network side device.
However, it is a continuous process for a terminal to perform inter-frequency cell measurement, and the process stops when a measurement termination instruction from the network side device is received. During the implementation of the present invention, the inventor finds that the prior art at least has the following problem: in heterogeneous network deployment, because of the deployment position relationship of inter-frequency cells and the relationship of different bands where the cells are located, if measurement is performed based on general gap mode measurement time parameters, any inter-frequency cell that meets a measurement event might fail to be measured, and a terminal might perform measurement continuously without receiving a measurement termination instruction, which causes a waste of measurement time and accordingly increases the power consumption of the terminal.
In view of this, the present invention provides a method, a device, and a system for inter-frequency cell measurement, which solve the technical problem of a waste in the power consumption of a terminal for performing inter-frequency cell measurement.
if no, performing, based on preset second measurement time parameters, inter-frequency cell measurement, where the first measurement time parameters include a first gap duration, a first gap repetition cycle, and a first minimum available measurement time, the second measurement time parameters include a second gap duration, a second gap repetition cycle, and a second minimum available measurement time, and the first gap duration is longer than the second gap duration, and/or the first gap repetition cycle is shorter than the second gap repetition cycle, and/or the first minimum available measurement time is longer than the second minimum available measurement time.
performing, within a second period, based on preset fourth measurement time parameters, inter-frequency cell measurement or suspending inter-frequency cell measurement, where the first period and the second period alternately form a continuous time, and the third measurement time parameters are different from the fourth measurement time parameters.
performing, based on the target measurement time parameters, inter-frequency cell measurement.
performing, by the terminal, based on the target measurement time parameters, inter-frequency cell measurement.
performing, by the terminal, after receiving the measurement command, based on the target measurement time parameters, inter-frequency cell measurement.
a second measurement module, configured to perform, when the detection result of the detection module is no, based on preset second measurement time parameters, inter-frequency cell measurement, where the first measurement time parameters include a first gap duration, a first gap repetition cycle, and a first minimum available measurement time, the second measurement time parameters include a second gap duration, a second gap repetition cycle, and a second minimum available measurement time, and the first gap duration is longer than the second gap duration, and/or the second gap repetition cycle is shorter than the second gap repetition cycle, and/or the first minimum available measurement time is longer than the second minimum available measurement time.
a second measurement module, configured to perform, when the detection result of the second detection module is no, based on preset second measurement time parameters, inter-frequency cell measurement, where the first measurement time parameters include a first gap duration, a first gap repetition cycle, and a first minimum available measurement time, the second measurement time parameters include a second gap duration, a second gap repetition cycle, and a second minimum available measurement time, and the first gap duration is longer than the second gap duration, and/or the first gap repetition cycle is shorter than the second gap repetition cycle, and/or the first minimum available measurement time is longer than the second minimum available measurement time.
a fourth measurement module, configured to perform, within a second period, based on preset fourth measurement time parameters, inter-frequency cell measurement, or suspend inter-frequency cell measurement, where the first period and the second period alternately form a continuous time, and the third measurement time parameters are different from the fourth measurement time parameters.
a cell measurement module, configured to perforin, based on the target measurement time parameters, inter-frequency cell measurement.
a cell measurement module, configured to perform, based on the target measurement time parameters, inter-frequency cell measurement.
a terminal, configured to detect, after receiving the measurement command, whether a candidate cell is present within a certain range of a current position; if yes, perform, based on preset first measurement time parameters, inter-frequency cell measurement; if no, perform, based on preset second measurement time parameters, inter-frequency cell measurement, where the first measurement time parameters include a first gap duration, a first gap repetition cycle, and a first minimum available measurement time, the second measurement time parameters include a second gap duration, a second gap repetition cycle, and a second minimum available measurement time, and the first gap duration is longer than the second gap duration, and/or the first gap repetition cycle is shorter than the second gap repetition cycle, and/or the first minimum available measurement time is longer than the second minimum available measurement time.
a terminal, configured to detect, after receiving the measurement command, whether the signal quality or strength of a serving cell is lower than a second preset value, where the second preset value is carried in the measurement command or prestored in the terminal; if yes, perform, based on preset first measurement time parameters, inter-frequency cell measurement; if no, perform, based on preset second measurement time parameters, inter-frequency cell measurement, where the first measurement time parameters include a first gap duration, a first gap repetition cycle, and a first minimum available measurement time, the second measurement time parameters include a second gap duration, a second gap repetition cycle, and a second minimum available measurement time, and the first gap duration is longer than the second gap duration, and/or the first gap repetition cycle is shorter than the second gap repetition cycle, and/or the first minimum available measurement time is longer than the second minimum available measurement time.
a terminal, configured to perform, after receiving the measurement command, within a first period, based on preset third measurement time parameters, inter-frequency cell measurement; perform, within a second period, based on preset fourth measurement time parameters, inter-frequency cell measurement or suspend inter-frequency cell measurement, where the first period and the second period alternately form a continuous time, and the third measurement time parameters are different from the fourth measurement time parameters.
a terminal, configured to search for, after receiving the measurement command, according to a presaved mapping between measurement time parameters and information about an inter-frequency band, target measurement time parameters corresponding to the information about the inter-frequency band; where the terminal performs, based on the target measurement time parameters, inter-frequency cell measurement.
a terminal, configured to perform, after receiving the measurement command, based on the target measurement time parameters, inter-frequency cell measurement.
As can be seen from the aforementioned technical solutions, compared with the prior art, the present invention provides a method, a device, and a system for inter-frequency cell measurement, in which a network side device sends to a terminal a measurement command carrying information about an inter-frequency band, and the terminal performs, when receiving the measurement command of the network side device, inter-frequency cell measurement, in different cases, based on the time specified in different measurement time parameters or based on measurement time parameters corresponding to the information about the inter-frequency band. As different measurement time parameters specify different time used for measurement, not only an inter-frequency cell that meets a measurement event can be measured, but also the time for measurement by the terminal can be reduced, thereby reducing the power consumption of the terminal and enhancing the performance of the terminal.
FIG. 20 is a schematic structural view of a system for inter-frequency cell measurement according to an embodiment of the present invention.
One of the main ideas of the present invention may include that: A network side device sends to a terminal a measurement command carrying information about an inter-frequency band, and the terminal may perform, when receiving the measurement command of the network side device, inter-frequency cell measurement, according to different application cases, based on different measurement time parameters or based on measurement time parameters corresponding to the information about an inter-frequency band. Therefore, not only an inter-frequency cell whose signal meets a measurement event can be measured, but also the electrical consumption for measurement of a terminal can be reduced, thereby enhancing the performance of the terminal.
Step 101. A terminal receives a measurement command carrying information about an inter-frequency band sent by a network side device.
In this embodiment, a serving cell of a terminal may refer to a macrocell; small cells scattered within the coverage of the macrocell are inter-frequency cells having different carrier frequencies from that of the macrocell; and the network side device may refer to equipment that is capable of performing data and signaling transmission with a terminal, such as a base station, a relay station, a base station controller, and a wireless local area network access point, and controls a serving cell of the terminal.
Of course, a serving cell of a terminal in the present invention may refer to a small cell, the coverage of the small cell includes a microcell, that is, an inter-frequency cell whose carrier frequency is different from that of the small cell.
When a network side device monitors that the network traffic volume of a serving cell is large, or when the effect of an inter-frequency cell in increasing system capacity is to be enhanced, in order to select a suitable inter-frequency cell to distribute a network service, the network side device commands the terminal to perform inter-frequency cell measurement and sends a measurement command to the terminal.
The measurement command includes information about an inter-frequency band, for example, the frequency of a cell to be measured, so that the terminal is capable of easily determining, according to the information about the inter-frequency band, an inter-frequency cell that is located at the band and performing measurement.
Step 102. Detect whether a candidate cell is present within a certain range of a current position. If yes, the process turns to step 103; and if no, the process turns to step 104.
The current position refers to the current position of the terminal in the serving cell, the candidate cell may include an inter-frequency cell in a band that requires to be measured currently and is a candidate cell distinguished from the serving cell of the terminal.
Various manners may be adopted to detect whether a candidate cell is present within a certain range of a current position. For example, it may be determined whether a candidate cell is present by a satellite positioning system acquiring whether a network element device is present in a certain range of the position of the terminal, or may be determined whether a candidate cell is present within a certain range of the terminal according to the quality or strength of the received signal. The specific implementation manners are introduced in detail in the following embodiments.
Step 103. Perform, based on preset first measurement time parameters, inter-frequency cell measurement.
The measurement time parameters refer to relevant measurement time parameters of a gap mode, and a gap refers to a period that can be actually used for measurement when the terminal performs inter-frequency cell signal measurement.
The measurement time parameters may include a gap duration, that is, an available time in each time of measurement; a gap repetition cycle, that is, an interval time between gaps; and a minimum available measurement time, in which the sum of time for actual measurement within a certain time range should not be smaller than the minimum available measurement time, so as to limit the actual time that the terminal performs measurement within the certain time, so that the inter-frequency cell measurement is capable of meeting a certain demand. For example, the gap duration is 6 ms (milliseconds), the gap repetition cycle is 80 ms, and the minimum available time within 480 ms is 30 ms; that is to say, the terminal may perform signal measurement once every 80 ms, each time of measurement takes 6 ms, and the minimum available time specifies that the terminal at least performs measurement (30 ms/6 ms)=5 times within every 480 ms.
The terminal needs to perform inter-frequency cell measurement strictly based on the measurement time parameters, and at the same time the network side device also needs to work strictly based on the measurement time parameters, so as to guarantee that during the measurement in the gap, the terminal and the network side device do not exchange data and signaling.
As an inter-frequency cell requires to be measured, the terminal first needs to determine an inter-frequency cell. Specifically, the terminal adjusts the receiving frequency thereof to the inter-frequency band and then performs a search to find a cell at the inter-frequency band. Next, the terminal performs inter-frequency cell signal measurement respectively, and reports, when measuring that the signal of an inter-frequency cell meets a specific measurement event, the cell identifier of the inter-frequency cell to the network side device, in which the measurement event may specifically refer to a condition to be met by a signal of a cell that can be reported to the network side device. For example, the measurement event may refer to that the signal quality or strength is greater than a threshold value and keeps so for a certain time. According to different network demands, the measurement event may also be different. The specific measurement process is the same as that in the prior art, so no further details are provided here.
As for inter-frequency cell signal measurement based on the first measurement time parameters, inter-frequency cell signal measurement is performed based on the first gap duration, the first gap repetition cycle, and the specification of the first minimum available measurement time.
Alternatively, when the terminal performs, based on the first measurement time parameters, inter-frequency cell measurement, the terminal first needs to perform a search to determine which inter-frequency cells are present, and the search takes a certain time. Therefore, the terminal may monitor, when performing the cell search, whether a search time exceeds a preset time, and may switch, if the terminal fails to find any cell on the inter-frequency band within a preset time, the currently adopted measurement time parameters, and continue the measurement based on the time specifications of other measurement time parameters, for example, may perform the operation in step 104, so as to reduce the power consumption of the terminal.
Step 104. Perform, based on preset second measurement time parameters, inter-frequency cell measurement.
According to the instructions of the aforementioned measurement time parameters, when a gap duration is longer, or a gap repetition cycle is shorter, or a minimum available time is longer, the timer is longer for the terminal to perform inter-frequency cell measurement within a certain time range, and therefore the probability that the terminal determines a cell that meets a measurement event within a certain period is increased; however, the electrical consumption for measurement of a terminal may be increased at the same time. Oppositely, the time for the terminal to perform inter-frequency cell measurement is shorter within a certain time range, and the probability that terminal determines a cell that meets a measurement event is correspondingly reduced; however, the electrical consumption for measurement of a terminal may be reduced.
In this embodiment, the first gap duration in the first measurement time parameters is longer than the second gap duration in the second measurement time parameters, and/or the first gap repetition cycle is shorter than the second gap repetition cycle, and/or the first minimum available measurement time is longer than the second minimum available measurement time. That is to say, compared with the inter-frequency cell signal measurement based on the second measurement time parameters, the inter-frequency cell signal measurement based on the first measurement time parameters provides a longer actual time for inter-frequency cell measurement within a certain period, so that an inter-frequency cell that satisfies a measurement requirement can be selected more quickly.
When it is determined that a candidate cell is present within a certain range of the position of the terminal, it indicates that a cell at an inter-frequency band might be present in the periphery of the position of the terminal, so that the terminal starts, based on the time specifications of the first measurement time parameters, the process of inter-frequency cell signal measurement, so as to determine an inter-frequency cell that meets a measurement event more quickly.
If it is determined that a candidate cell is not present within a certain range of the position of the terminal, in indicates that a cell at an inter-frequency band might be not present in the periphery of the position of the terminal, so that the terminal may start, based on the time specifications of the second measurement time parameters, the process of inter-frequency cell signal measurement, so as to reduce the electrical consumption for measurement of a terminal.
As the measurement time parameters specify a gap duration, a gap repetition cycle, and the like of measurement, within one measurement gap, due to the time limits, the terminal might be unable to complete all measurement operations including searching for all inter-frequency cells and measuring an inter-frequency cell that meets a measurement event, so that the terminal saves, when the measurement gap period ends, the current measurement relevant information, so as to continue measurement in a next measurement gap according to the measurement relevant information of the last time. Within each measurement gap period, the terminal needs to adjust a receiving frequency into the inter-frequency band and then adjusts, when the measurement gap period ends, the receiving frequency back to the carrier frequency of the serving cell.
In another embodiment, as discussed in step 103, the terminal needs to perform, during inter-frequency cell measurement based on first measurement time parameters, a cell search, and if a search time exceeds a preset time, it indicates that an inter-frequency cell is actually not present within a certain range of the terminal, and the terminal may continue to perform, based on the second measurement time parameters, inter-frequency cell measurement, so as to reduce the electrical consumption for measurement.
The first measurement time parameters and/or second measurement time parameters may be carried in the measurement command. That is, the network side device sends configured first measurement time parameters and/or second measurement time parameters to the terminal to request the terminal to perform measurement on a cell at an inter-frequency band.
Alternatively, the terminal needs to feed back, when performing inter-frequency cell measurement based on measurement time parameters, to the network side device identifiers of measurement time parameters to be adopted and/or an application moment of the measurement time parameters. The identifiers of measurement time parameters are used for distinguishing different measurement time parameters, and are carried in the measurement time parameters. The network side device controls, after receiving the identifiers of the measurement time parameters and/or the application moment of the measurement time parameters to be adopted by the terminal, at the application moment of the measurement time parameters, based on the time specified in the corresponding measurement time parameters, sending of data and signaling.
Specifically, the network side device may determine, according to the application moment of the measurement time parameters fed back by the terminal, that is, a specific moment that the terminal performs measurement based on measurement time parameters or a specific moment of switching when measurement time parameters need to be switched, when to control the sending of data and signaling based on the time specified by the measurement time parameters.
Furthermore, the network side device determines, after receiving the identifiers of measurement time parameters, based on information about an appointment with the terminal, the application moment of the measurement time parameters corresponding to the identifiers of measurement time parameters.
The first measurement time parameters and/or the second measurement time parameters may be further saved in the network side device and the terminal, so that the terminal may measure, after receiving a measurement command, based on the first measurement time parameters and/or the second measurement time parameters, a cell at an inter-frequency band.
Alternatively, the terminal feeds back, when performing measurement based on measurement time parameters, to the network side device identifiers of the measurement time parameters to be adopted and/or an application moment of the measurement time parameters.
Of course, the first measurement time parameters and/or second measurement time parameters may be further configured and saved by the terminal, so that the terminal performs, after receiving a measurement command, based on the first measurement time parameters and/or second measurement time parameters, inter-frequency cell measurement. During the inter-frequency cell measurement, current measurement information further needs to be fed back to the network side device. The measurement information may include the currently adopted measurement time parameters, that is, the first measurement time parameters and/or second measurement time parameters, and may further include an application moment of the measurement time parameters. Therefore, the network side device may control, according to the current measurement time parameters, the operations of data and signaling transmission with the terminal.
When the first measurement time parameters and/or the second measurement time parameters are prestored in the terminal, the terminal first determines, after receiving the measurement command, whether a measurement identifier is carried in the measurement command. If yes, the terminal then performs the operations in step 102 to step 104; and if no, it performs measurement based on a conventional manner.
In this embodiment, a terminal first determines, after receiving a measurement command from a network side device, whether a candidate cell is present in the periphery of the position thereof, when present, performs, based on first measurement time parameters, inter-frequency cell signal measurement, so as to determine more quickly an inter-frequency cell that meets a measurement event; when a candidate cell is not present in the periphery of the terminal, performs, based on second measurement time parameters, inter-frequency cell signal measurement, so as to reduce the measurement time, and lower the power consumption of the terminal. As it is determined that a candidate cell is not present in the periphery of the position of the terminal, it indicates that the terminal is away from all inter-frequency cells by a long distance, so that the signal measurement is performed based on second measurement time parameters that are more power saving, so as to lower the power consumption for measurement of a terminal, thereby enhancing the performance of the terminal.
Step 201. A terminal receives a measurement command carrying information about an inter-frequency band sent by a network side device.
This step is similar with that in Embodiment 1, so no further details are provided here.
Step 202. Adjust a receiving frequency into the inter-frequency band, and monitor the signal quality or strength of a common channel of the inter-frequency band.
After receiving a measurement command, the terminal may prepare to enter a discontinuous measurement stage. Before performing measurement based on the period specified in measurement time parameters, the terminal may first adjust the receiving frequency thereof into the inter-frequency band to monitor the signal quality or strength of the common channel of the inter-frequency band. The common channel refers to a downlink common signal transmission channel of all inter-frequency cells at the inter-frequency band, such as, a PSCH (Primary Synchronization Channel, primary synchronization channel) and/or an SSCH (Secondary Synchronization Channel, secondary synchronization channel). That is to say, a terminal may measure the signal strength or quality of one common channel, and may also measure the signal strength or quality of a plurality of common signals.
The terminal scans, after the adjustment to the inter-frequency band, a common channel; that is, it monitors a signal of a common channel.
Step 203. Determine whether the signal quality or strength of the common channel of the inter-frequency band is higher than a first preset value. If yes, the process turns to step 204; and if no, the process turns to step 205.
The first preset value may be carried in the measurement command, or of course may also be preset and stored in the terminal.
In this embodiment, it is determined, according to whether the signal quality or strength of a common channel of an inter-frequency band is higher than a first preset value, whether a candidate cell is present within a certain range of a current position of a terminal. When the signal quality or strength of the common channel is greater than the first preset value, it indicates that the signal transmitted on the common channel is stronger, and it may therefore be determined that a candidate cell is present within the certain range of the terminal. When the signal quality or strength of the common channel is lower than or equal to the first preset value, it indicates that the signal transmitted on the common channel is weaker, and it may therefore be determined that a candidate cell is not present within the certain range of the terminal.
The first preset value is set according to an actual situation; for example, it is set according to the signal quality or strength of the common channel when a preset number of cells are present within the certain range of the terminal.
In this embodiment, as it is determined whether a candidate cell is present within a certain range of a terminal through the monitored signal quality or strength of a common channel of an inter-frequency band, the candidate cell is an inter-frequency cell located at the inter-frequency band.
Step 204. Perform a search to determine an inter-frequency cell located at the inter-frequency band, and perform, based on the time specifications of preset first measurement time parameters, inter-frequency cell signal measurement.
After the receiving frequency is adjusted into the inter-frequency band, a search needs to be performed to determine an inter-frequency cell located at the inter-frequency band. The inter-frequency cell signal measurement on the preset first measurement time parameters is the inter-frequency cell signal measurement on the time specifications of a measurement gap duration, a gap repetition cycle, and a minimum available measurement time.
Step 205. Perform a search to determine an inter-frequency cell located at the inter-frequency band, and perform, based on the time specifications of preset second measurement time parameters, inter-frequency cell signal measurement.
The first gap duration in the first measurement time parameters is longer than the second gap duration in the second measurement time parameters, and/or the first gap repetition cycle is shorter than the second gap repetition cycle, and/or the first minimum available measurement time is longer than the second minimum available measurement time. That is to say, compared with the inter-frequency cell signal measurement on the second measurement time parameters, the inter-frequency cell signal measurement on the first measurement time parameters provides a longer time for inter-frequency cell measurement, so that an inter-frequency cell that satisfies a measurement requirement can be selected more quickly.
Alternatively, the terminal needs to feed back, when performing inter-frequency cell measurement based on measurement time parameters, to the network side device identifiers of measurement time parameters to be adopted and/or an application moment of the measurement time parameters. The identifiers of measurement time parameters are used for distinguishing different measurement time parameters, and are carried in the measurement time parameters. The network side device may control, after receiving the identifiers of the measurement time parameters and/or the application moment of the measurement time parameters, at the application moment of the measurement time parameters, based on the time specified in the corresponding measurement time parameters, sending of data and signaling.
The first measurement time parameters and/or second measurement time parameters may be further configured and saved by the terminal, so that the terminal performs, after receiving a measurement command, based on the first measurement time parameters and/or second measurement time parameters, inter-frequency cell measurement. During the inter-frequency cell measurement, current measurement information further needs to be fed back to the network side device. The measurement information may include the currently adopted measurement time parameters, that is, the first measurement time parameters and/or second measurement time parameters, and may further include an application moment of the measurement time parameters. Therefore, the network side device may control, according to the current measurement time parameters, the operations of data and signaling transmission with the terminal.
When the first measurement time parameters and/or the second measurement time parameters are stored by the terminal, the terminal first determines, after receiving the measurement command, whether a measurement identifier is carried in the measurement command. If yes, the terminal then performs the operations in step 202 to step 205; and if no, it performs, based on a conventional manner, inter-frequency cell measurement, and performs inter-frequency cell measurement by using general measurement time parameters.
The operations in step 204 and step 205 are operations triggered according to the determination result in step 203, in which different measurement time parameters are adopted. Therefore, by performing the operation in step 204, the actual measurement time may be increased, so that when it is determined that a candidate cell is present within a certain range of the position of the terminal, an inter-frequency cell that meets a measurement event can be determined more quickly. By performing the operation in step 205, the actual measurement time is reduced, so that when a candidate cell is not present within the certain range of the terminal, it may be regarded that the terminal currently might fail to measure any inter-frequency cell that meets a measurement event. Therefore, by performing the operation in step 205, the electrical consumption of the terminal may be reduced, thereby lowering the power consumption of the terminal.
In this embodiment, a terminal measures whether the signal quality or strength of a common channel of an inter-frequency band is higher than a first preset value to determine whether a cell is present within a certain range of the terminal, if yes, performs, based on the time specified in the first measurement time parameters, inter-frequency cell signal measurement, and if no, performs, based on the time specified in the second measurement time parameters, inter-frequency cell signal measurement, so as to measure and determine an inter-frequency cell that meets a measurement event more quickly, and at the same time reduce the time for measurement by the terminal, thereby reducing the power consumption of the terminal and enhancing the performance of the terminal.
Step 301. A terminal receives a measurement command carrying information about an inter-frequency band sent by a network side device.
Step 302. Perform, after a receiving frequency is adjusted into the inter-frequency band, a search to determine an inter-frequency cell located at the inter-frequency band.
The difference between this embodiment and Embodiment 2 lies in that, the terminal may first perform, after the receiving frequency is adjusted into the inter-frequency band, a search to first determine an inter-frequency cell located at the inter-frequency band. Reference should be made between the embodiments for other points.
Step 303. Monitor the signal quality or strength of a common channel of the inter-frequency band.
Step 304. Determine whether the signal quality or strength of the common channel of the inter-frequency band is higher than a first preset value. If yes, the process turns to step 305; and if no, the process turns to step 306.
Step 305. Perform, based on time specifications of preset first measurement time parameters, inter-frequency cell signal measurement.
Step 306. Perform, based on time specifications of preset second measurement time parameters, inter-frequency cell signal measurement.
In this embodiment, a terminal monitors whether the signal quality or strength of a common channel of an inter-frequency band is higher than a first preset value to determine whether a cell is present within a certain range of the terminal, if yes, performs, based on the time specified in the first measurement time parameters, inter-frequency cell measurement, and if no, performs, based on the time specified in the second measurement time parameters, inter-frequency cell signal measurement, so as to guarantee that an inter-frequency cell that meets a measurement event can be measured and determined and at the same time the time for measurement by the terminal is reduced, thereby reducing the power consumption of the terminal and enhancing the performance of the terminal.
Step 401. A terminal receives a measurement command carrying information about an inter-frequency band sent by a network side device.
Step 402. Determine whether a candidate cell is present at a certain distance away from a current position through a satellite positioning system. If yes, the process turns to step 403; and if no, the process turns to step 405.
In this step, it is determined whether a candidate cell is present within a certain distance away from the current position of the terminal through a satellite positioning system; that is, it is determined whether a candidate cell is present in the periphery of the terminal through a satellite positioning system.
As for that it is determined whether a candidate cell is present at a certain distance away from a current position through a satellite positioning system, specifically, the terminal acquires the position information of a network element within a certain range of the terminal through a satellite positioning system, determines whether other network elements are present in the periphery of the terminal, and if present, determines that a candidate cell is present in the periphery of the terminal.
Step 403. Perform, after a receiving frequency is adjusted into the inter-frequency band, a search to determine an inter-frequency cell located at the inter-frequency band, and the process turns to step 404.
Step 404. Perform, based on time specifications of preset first measurement time parameters, inter-frequency cell signal measurement.
Step 405. Perform, after a receiving frequency is adjusted into the inter-frequency band, a search to determine an inter-frequency cell located at the inter-frequency band, and the process turns to step 406.
Step 406. Perform, based on time specifications of preset second measurement time parameters, inter-frequency cell signal measurement.
In this embodiment, it is determined whether a cell is present within a certain range of the terminal through a satellite positioning system, if yes, after an inter-frequency cell is determined, inter-frequency cell signal measurement is performed based on the time specified in first measurement time parameters, and if no, after an inter-frequency cell is determined, inter-frequency cell signal measurement is performed based on the time specified in second measurement time parameters, so as to guarantee that an inter-frequency cell that meets a measurement event can be measured and determined and at the same time the time for measurement by the terminal is reduced, thereby reducing the power consumption of the terminal and enhancing the performance of the terminal.
Step 501. A terminal receives a measurement command carrying information about an inter-frequency band sent by a network side device.
Step 502. Detect whether the signal quality or strength of a serving cell of the terminal is lower than a second preset value. If yes, the process turns to step 503; and if no, the process turns to step 504.
The serving cell of the terminal may refer to, for example, a macrocell where the terminal is currently located, and the terminal may listen to the signal of the serving cell where the terminal is located and detect the signal quality or strength of the serving cell.
The second preset value may be carried in the measurement command, and may also be prestored in the terminal.
When the signal quality or strength of the serving cell of the terminal is lower than the second preset value, it indicates that the terminal needs to be switched to other cells as soon as possible to guarantee normal communications of the terminal. In this case, the terminal may be too far away from the serving cell to desirably receive the signal of the serving cell, so that the inter-frequency cell measurement needs to be performed as soon as possible, so as to determine an inter-frequency cell that meets a measurement event.
When the signal quality or strength of the serving cell of the terminal is greater than or equal to the second preset value, it indicates that the serving cell of the terminal may further continue to serve the terminal, and the terminal may receive the signal of the serving cell normally, so that the terminal does not have to be switched to an inter-frequency cell as soon as possible.
Of course, in another possible case, in heterogeneous network deployment, by taking an example in which a small cell is set in a macrocell, the small cell might be at the edge of the coverage of the macrocell. When a terminal monitors that the signal quality or strength of a serving cell is lower than a second preset value, it is regarded that the terminal is at the edge of the serving cell, and therefore the distance from the small cell is shorter, and it may be determined that a small cell is present in the periphery of the terminal. When the signal quality or strength of the serving cell of the terminal is greater than or equal to the second preset value, it may be regarded that an inter-frequency cell is not present in the periphery of the terminal, and the distance from the small cell is larger.
The second preset value may be specifically set according to actual application cases, for example, may be set according to the signal value received by a terminal when the terminal is located at a serving cell thereof and is capable of normally performing communications.
Step 503. Perform, based on time specifications of preset first measurement time parameters, inter-frequency cell signal measurement.
Specifically, after a receiving frequency is adjusted into the inter-frequency band, a search is performed to determine an inter-frequency cell located at the inter-frequency band, and next, based on time specifications of the preset first measurement time parameters, inter-frequency cell signal measurement is performed.
When it is determined that the signal quality or strength of a serving cell is lower than a second preset value, during a measurement gap period, an operation of determining an inter-frequency cell is performed, and inter-frequency cell signal measurement is performed based on time specifications of the second measurement time parameters.
Step 504. Perform, based on time specifications of preset second measurement time parameters, inter-frequency cell signal measurement.
Specifically, after a receiving frequency is adjusted into the inter-frequency band, a search is performed to determine an inter-frequency cell located at the inter-frequency band, and next, based on time specifications of the preset second measurement time parameters, inter-frequency cell signal measurement is performed.
The operation in step 503 and the operation in step 504 are different steps triggered according to the determination result in step 502, in which different measurement time parameters are adopted. Therefore, by performing step 503, the actual measurement time may be increased, so that an inter-frequency cell that meets a measurement event can be determined more quickly. By performing the operation in step 504, the actual measurement time is reduced, so that when the serving cell may further continue to serve the terminal, inter-frequency cell measurement may be performed based on the second measurement time parameters. Therefore, the electrical consumption of the terminal may be reduced, thereby lowering the power consumption of the terminal.
Alternatively, the terminal needs to feed back, when performing inter-frequency cell measurement based on measurement time parameters, to the network side device identifiers of measurement time parameters to be adopted and/or an application moment of the measurement time parameters, which are carried in the measurement time parameters. The identifiers of measurement time parameters are used for distinguishing different measurement time parameters. The network side device may control, after receiving the identifiers of the measurement time parameters and/or the application moment of the measurement time parameters, at the application moment of the measurement time parameters, based on the time specified in the corresponding measurement time parameters, the sending of data and signaling.
Alternatively, the terminal feeds back, when performing measurement based on the measurement time parameters, to the network side device the identifiers of measurement time parameters to be adopted, and may further feed back an application moment of the measurement time parameters.
When the first measurement time parameters and/or the second measurement time parameters are prestored in the terminal, the terminal first determines, after receiving the measurement command, whether a measurement identifier is carried in the measurement command. If yes, the terminal then performs the operations in step 502 to step 504; and if no, it performs measurement based on a conventional manner.
In this embodiment, the terminal monitors whether the signal quality or strength of a serving cell is lower than a second preset value, if yes, performs, based on the time specified in the first measurement time parameters, inter-frequency cell signal measurement, and if no, performs, based on the time specified in the second measurement time parameters, inter-frequency cell signal measurement, so as to determine an inter-frequency cell that meets a measurement event as soon as possible and at the same time reduce the time for measurement of the terminal, thereby reducing the power consumption of the terminal and enhancing the performance of the terminal.
Step 601. A terminal receives a measurement command carrying information about an inter-frequency band sent by a network side device.
For details about this step, reference may be specifically made to step 101 in the method embodiment.
Step 602. Perform, within a first period, based on preset third measurement time parameters, inter-frequency cell measurement.
Step 603. Perform, within a second period, based on preset fourth measurement time parameters, inter-frequency cell measurement.
The specific process of performing inter-frequency cell measurement is that a terminal first needs to adjust a receiving frequency into the inter-frequency band, performs a search to determine an inter-frequency cell, and next performs, based on the time specifications of the measurement time parameters, inter-frequency cell signal measurement, so as to determine an inter-frequency cell whose signal meets a measurement event.
The first period and second period may be provided by the network side device. That is, the network side device starts, after sending a measurement command to the terminal, to count the first period, sends, when the first period ends, first adjustment trigger information to the terminal, and at the same time starts to count a second period, and sends, when the second period ends, second adjustment trigger information to the terminal, and at the same time restarts to count the first period. Therefore, the terminal specifically performs, after receiving the measurement command or second adjustment trigger information, based on first measurement time parameters, inter-frequency cell measurement. After receiving the first adjustment trigger information, that is, inter-frequency cell measurement is performed based on second measurement time parameters.
Of course, the first period and second period may be controlled by the terminal, the specific duration of the period may be allocated by the terminal in advance, and may also be carried in the measurement command of the network side device.
When the first period and second period are controlled by the terminal, the terminal may first determine, after receiving the measurement command, whether the measurement command carries a measurement identifier; if yes, the terminal then performs the operations in steps 602 and 603; and if no, it performs measurement based on a conventional manner.
In this embodiment, the first period and second period alternately form a continuous time; that is to say, the terminal performs, within a first period, based on time specifications of preset third measurement time parameters which include a measurement gap duration, a gap repetition cycle, and the like, inter-frequency cell measurement, enters, when the first period ends, a second period and performs, based on preset fourth measurement time parameters, inter-frequency cell measurement, and enters, when the second period ends, the first period again. That is, the first period and the second period alternately form a continuous time, through the alternating first period and second period, the terminal is capable of performing, based on the time specified in different measurement time parameters, inter-frequency cell measurement.
The third measurement time parameters and the fourth measurement time parameters are different. That is to say, when inter-frequency cell measurement is performed based on the time specifications of the third measurement time parameters and the fourth measurement time parameters, respectively, the electrical consumption for measurement of the terminal is different, causing different power consumption for the terminal. Through the alternating first period and second period, the terminal does not always perform measurement based on one type of measurement time parameters, also the probability that the terminal measures an inter-frequency cell that meets a measurement event is guaranteed, and at the same time the power consumption of the terminal may be lowered.
The third gap duration in the third measurement time parameters may be smaller than the fourth gap duration in the fourth measurement time parameters, and/or the third gap repetition cycle is greater than the fourth gap repetition cycle, and/or the third minimum available measurement time is smaller than the fourth minimum available measurement time. Alternatively, the third gap duration is greater than the fourth gap duration, and/or the third gap repetition cycle is smaller than the fourth gap repetition cycle, and/or the third minimum available measurement time is greater than the fourth minimum available measurement time.
The time length of the first period and the second period may be different or may be the same, and may be specifically set according to different actual cases. For example, it is assumed that the terminal performs, based on the time specifications of the third measurement time parameters, inter-frequency cell measurement, compared with the inter-frequency cell measurement based on the time specifications of the fourth measurement time parameters, the electrical consumption can be saved. Therefore, when the first period is longer, the terminal is more power saving, and when the second period is longer, the probability is higher that the terminal determines an inter-frequency cell that meets a measurement event, so that the length of the period may be specifically set according to different demands.
It should be noted that, in this embodiment, the objective of inter-frequency cell measurement is achieved in a manner of setting two periods, and of course, a plurality of periods, for example, three, may be set, and correspondingly a plurality of measurement time parameters is correspondingly set, and technical solutions extended by persons skilled in the art on the basis of the present invention shall also fall within the protection scope of the present invention.
In this embodiment, a terminal performs, based on the time specifications of different measurement time parameters, inter-frequency cell measurement within different periods, and different measurement time parameters specify different actual measurement time, so that the terminal does not always perform inter-frequency cell measurement based on one type of measurement time parameters, so as to reduce the electrical consumption for measurement of the terminal, thereby reducing the power consumption of the terminal, and at the same time the terminal does not always perform inter-frequency cell measurement on based on one type of measurement time parameters, so as to guarantee the probability that the terminal determines an inter-frequency cell that meets a measurement within a certain time.
Step 701. A terminal receives a measurement command carrying information about an inter-frequency band sent by a network side device.
Step 702. Perform, within a first period, based on preset third measurement time parameters, inter-frequency cell measurement.
Step 703. Suspend, within a second period, inter-frequency cell measurement, where the first period and second period alternately form a continuous time.
The difference between this embodiment and method Embodiment 6 lies in that, within a second period, a terminal may suspend inter-frequency cell measurement. That is to say, the terminal performs, within a first period, based on the time specifications of preset third measurement time parameters which include a measurement gap duration, a gap repetition cycle, and the like, inter-frequency cell measurement, the terminal enters, when the first period ends, a second period, and suspends inter-frequency cell measurement, and the terminal enters, when the second period ends, the first period again to continue to perform, based on the time specifications of the preset third measurement time parameters, inter-frequency cell measurement. That is, the first period and the second period alternately form a continuous time, and through the alternating first period and second period, the terminal may perform no measurement within a period, so as to reduce the electrical consumption for measurement of the terminal and lower the power consumption of the terminal, and guarantee the probability that the terminal determines an inter-frequency cell that meets a measurement within a certain time.
The first period and the second period may be specifically set according to actual cases, for example, the specific requirements for the terminal or the requirements for the measured inter-frequency cell.
Step 801. A terminal receives a measurement command carrying information about an inter-frequency band sent by a network side device.
Step 802. Start a first timer, and perform, based on preset third measurement time parameters, inter-frequency cell signal measurement.
The first timer is configured to provide the first period. Specifically, by setting a duration of the first timer, the first period may be from when the first timer starts to when the first timer stops as the duration ends. The terminal may first perform, after receiving a measurement command, based on the time specified in preset third measurement time parameters, inter-frequency cell measurement, and at the same time start the first timer.
Step 803. When the first timer expires, start a second timer, and perform, based on preset fourth measurement time parameters, inter-frequency cell measurement, or suspend the measurement.
Step 804. Return, after it is determined that the second timer expires, to step 802.
The second timer provides a second period. Specifically, by setting a duration of the second timer, the second period may be from when the second timer starts to when the second timer stops as the duration ends.
The duration parameters set for the first timer and the second timer may be carried in the measurement command, and may also be preconfigured by the terminal.
The terminal may first determine, after receiving the measurement command, whether a measurement identifier is carried in the measurement command, and if yes, perform the operations in step 802 to step 804.
In this embodiment, alternatively, the third gap duration in the third measurement time parameters is greater than the fourth gap duration in the fourth measurement time parameters, and/or the third gap repetition cycle is smaller than the fourth gap repetition cycle, and/or the third minimum available measurement time is greater than the fourth minimum available measurement time. The terminal may first perform, based on the third measurement time parameters that enable an inter-frequency cell that meets a measurement event to be determined more quickly, inter-frequency cell measurement, set the time length that the terminal performs, based on the third measurement time parameters, inter-frequency cell measurement, and perform, when the first period ends, based on the preset fourth measurement time parameters, inter-frequency cell measurement, or suspend the measurement, so as to reduce the electrical consumption of the terminal to a certain degree, and lower the power consumption of the terminal.
Step 901. A terminal receives a measurement command carrying information about an inter-frequency band sent by a network side device.
Step 902. Start a first timer and a third timer at the same time, and perform, based on preset third measurement time parameters, inter-frequency cell signal measurement.
Step 903. When the first timer expires, perform, based on preset fourth measurement time parameters, inter-frequency cell signal measurement, or suspend the measurement.
Step 904. Determine that the third timer expires, and return to step 902.
In this embodiment, the first period and the second period are provided by two timers.
The duration of the first timer is smaller than the duration of the third timer. That is, the first period is from when the first timer starts to when the first timer stops as the duration ends. The second period is from when the first timer stops to when the third timer stops as the set duration ends.
The terminal may first determine, after receiving the measurement command, whether a measurement identifier is carried in the measurement command, and if yes, perform the operations in step 902 to step 904.
In this embodiment, alternatively, the third gap duration in the third measurement time parameters is greater than the fourth gap duration in the fourth measurement time parameters, and/or the third gap repetition cycle is smaller than the fourth gap repetition cycle, and/or the third minimum available measurement time is greater than the fourth minimum available measurement time. The terminal may first perform, based on the third measurement time parameters that enable an inter-frequency cell that meets a measurement event to be determined more quickly, inter-frequency cell measurement, set the time length that the terminal performs, based on the third measurement time parameters, inter-frequency cell measurement, and perform, when the first period ends, based on the preset fourth measurement time parameters, inter-frequency cell measurement, or suspend the measurement, so as to reduce the electrical consumption of the terminal to a certain degree and lower the power consumption of the terminal.
It should be noted that, in the foregoing method embodiments, reference may be made between the operations of the same or similar steps, and therefore the corresponding descriptions in several embodiments are relatively simple.
Step 1001. A terminal receives a measurement command carrying information about an inter-frequency band sent by a network side device.
Step 1002. Search for, according to a presaved mapping between measurement time parameters and information about an inter-frequency band, target measurement time parameters corresponding to the information about the inter-frequency band.
The measurement command sent from the network side may further carry a measurement identifier, so that the terminal may first determine, after receiving the measurement command, whether the measurement command carries the measurement identifier, if yes, perform the operation of step 1002, and if no, directly perform, based on general measurement time parameters, inter-frequency cell measurement.
As a terminal might perform measurement on cells at a plurality of different inter-frequency bands, and in this embodiment, each piece of information about an inter-frequency band might correspond to different measurement time parameters. That is to say, in this embodiment, the terminal may perform, based on different measurement time parameters, parallel measurement on cells at different inter-frequency bands. Therefore, the terminal may first send a capability identifier to the network side device, and the network side device may determine, after receiving the capability identifier, that the terminal has the capability of measuring in parallel cells at different inter-frequency bands based on different measurement time parameters, and then send to the terminal the measurement command carrying the measurement identifier.
Step 1003. Perform, based on the target measurement time parameters, inter-frequency cell measurement.
In performing the inter-frequency cell measurement, a search is performed first to determine a cell at an inter-frequency band, and next inter-frequency cell signal measurement is performed to determine whether the signal of the inter-frequency cell meets a measurement event. In practical applications, for inter-frequency cells at different bands, as the measurement demands are different, the time required to find inter-frequency cells at some bands or to determine that signals of some bands meet a measurement event is short, whereas the time required to find inter-frequency cells of some bands or to determine that signals of some bands meet a measurement event is long. General measurement time parameters are adopted in the prior art, resulting in that, during the inter-frequency cell measurement, an inter-frequency cell that meets a measurement event cannot be measured quickly, or the electrical consumption for measurement is wasted.
Therefore, in the present invention, measurement time parameters are set in advance according to different information about an inter-frequency band, and a mapping between information about an inter-frequency band and different identifiers of measurement time parameters are saved. For some inter-frequency bands, if a cell at an inter-frequency band needs to be measured more quickly, the gap duration in the measurement time parameters may be suitably prolonged, the gap repetition cycle is shortened, and the minimum available measurement time is increased, so as to measure an inter-frequency cell that meets a measurement event more quickly.
For some information about an inter-frequency band, if an inter-frequency cell that meets a measurement event does not need to be measured more quickly, the gap duration in the measurement time parameters may be shortened, the gap repetition cycle is prolonged, and the minimum available measurement time is decreased, so as to achieve the objective of saving the power consumption of the terminal.
performing, based on the time specifications of the target measurement time parameters, inter-frequency cell signal measurement.
In this embodiment, a terminal first searches for, after receiving a measurement command carrying information about an inter-frequency band sent by a network side device, according to a presaved mapping between measurement time parameters and information about an inter-frequency band, target measurement time parameters corresponding to the information about the inter-frequency band, and performs, based on the target measurement time parameters, inter-frequency cell measurement. According to different information about an inter-frequency band, based on different measurement time parameters, inter-frequency cell measurement is performed to determine a cell that meets a measurement event more quickly, and at the same time further save the power consumption of the terminal and enhance the performance of the terminal.
Step 1101. A terminal receives a measurement command carrying information about an inter-frequency band and corresponding target measurement time parameters thereof sent by a network side device, where the measurement command is sent after the network side device finds, according to a presaved mapping between different measurement time parameters and different information about an inter-frequency band, target measurement time parameters corresponding to the information about the inter-frequency band.
Step 1102. Perform, based on the target measurement time parameters, inter-frequency cell measurement.
The terminal may perform, after receiving the measurement command, based on target measurement time parameters carried in the measurement command, inter-frequency cell measurement.
Before step 1101 is performed, the terminal may further send a capability identifier to the network side device, and the network side device may determine, after receiving the capability identifier, that the terminal is capable of measuring in parallel cells at different inter-frequency bands based on different measurement time parameters. Therefore, the network side device first searches for, when sending a measurement command, according to a presaved mapping between measurement time parameters and information about an inter-frequency band, target measurement time parameters corresponding to the information about the inter-frequency band, and then sends the measurement command, and the terminal may then perform, based on the target measurement time parameters, inter-frequency cell measurement, so as to determine a cell that meets a measurement event more quickly, and at the same time further save the power consumption of the terminal and enhance the performance of the terminal.
A receiving module 1201 is configured to receive a measurement command carrying information about an inter-frequency band sent by a network side device.
The device in this embodiment may be specifically applied in a terminal, the measurement command includes the information about an inter-frequency band, for example, the frequency of a cell to be measured, and the terminal may determine, according to the information about the inter-frequency band, an inter-frequency cell located at the band and perform measurement.
A first detection module 1202 is configured to detect whether a candidate cell is present within a certain range of a current position.
The current position may refer to the position of the device or a terminal containing the device in the serving cell, and the candidate cell may include an inter-frequency cell at a band that currently needs to be measured, which is a candidate cell distinguished from the serving cell of the terminal.
A first measurement module 1203 is configured to perform, based on preset first measurement time parameters, inter-frequency cell signal measurement.
A second measurement module 1204 is configured to perform, based on preset second measurement time parameters, inter-frequency cell signal measurement.
The first measurement time parameters include a first gap duration, a first gap repetition cycle, and a first minimum available measurement time, the second measurement time parameters include a second gap duration, a second gap repetition cycle, and a second minimum available measurement time, the first gap duration is longer than the second gap duration, and/or the second gap repetition cycle is shorter than the second gap repetition cycle, and/or the first minimum available measurement time is greater than the second minimum available measurement time. That is to say, compared with the inter-frequency cell signal measurement on the second measurement time parameters, the actual time for inter-frequency cell measurement within a certain period is longer in the inter-frequency cell signal measurement on the first measurement time parameters, so that an inter-frequency cell that satisfies a measurement requirement can be selected more quickly.
In an embodiment, the first measurement time parameters and/or second measurement time parameters may be carried in the measurement command. Therefore, the device may further include a first feedback module, configured to feed back to the network side device identifiers of measurement time parameters to be adopted and/or an application moment of the measurement time parameters.
In another embodiment, the device may further include a saving module, configured to save the first measurement time parameters and/or second measurement time parameters. Therefore, the first measurement time parameters and/or the second measurement time parameters may be further saved in network side device and in the saving module of the device, respectively, so that the device may further include a first feedback module, configured to feed back to the network side device the identifiers of measurement time parameters to be adopted and/or the application moment of the measurement time parameters.
In still another embodiment, the first measurement time parameters and/or second measurement time parameters may further be saved in the saving module of the device only. Therefore, alternatively, the device may further include a second feedback module, configured to feed back to the network side device current measurement information, and the measurement information includes the first measurement time parameters and/or second measurement time parameters.
In addition, the device may further include a second determination module, configured to determine whether a measurement identifier is carried in the measurement command, and if yes, trigger the first detection module to start.
In this embodiment, the receiving module performs, after receiving the measurement command of the network side device, when the first detection module detects that a candidate cell is present in the periphery of the position thereof, based on the first measurement time parameters, inter-frequency cell signal measurement, so as to determine more quickly an inter-frequency cell that meets a measurement event; when a candidate cell is not present in the periphery of the terminal, performs, based on second measurement time parameters, inter-frequency cell signal measurement, so as to reduce the time for measurement and lower the power consumption of the device. As it is determined that a candidate cell is not present in the periphery of the current position, it indicates that the terminal is away from all inter-frequency cells by a long distance, so that the signal measurement is performed based on second measurement time parameters that are more power saving, and the power consumption for measurement is lowered, thereby enhancing the performance of the device.
FIG. 13 is a schematic structural view of a device for inter-frequency cell measurement according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. The device may include a receiving module 1201, a first detection module 1202, a first measurement module 1203 and a second measurement module 1204. For the specific functions of the modules, reference may be made to device Embodiment 1.
An adjustment module 1212 adjusts a receiving frequency into the inter-frequency band.
A signal measurement module 1222 is configured to measure the signal quality or strength of a common channel of the inter-frequency band.
A first determination module 1223 is configured to determine whether the signal quality or strength of the common channel of the inter-frequency band is higher than a first preset value, if yes, trigger the first measurement module 1203, and if no, trigger the second measurement module 1204.
The first preset value may be carried in the measurement command, and of course may also be preset and stored in the saving module of the device, and the first determination module first determines the first preset value from the measurement command or the saving module and then performs determination.
A first search module 1213 is configured to perform, after the receiving frequency is adjusted into the inter-frequency band, a search to determine an inter-frequency cell located at the inter-frequency band.
A first measurement submodule 1223 is configured to perform, based on preset first measurement time parameters, inter-frequency cell signal measurement.
A second search module 1214 is configured to perform, after the receiving frequency is adjusted into the inter-frequency band, a search to determine an inter-frequency cell located at the inter-frequency band.
The second measurement submodule 1224 is configured to perform, based on preset second measurement time parameters, inter-frequency cell signal measurement.
The first gap duration in the first measurement time parameters is longer than the second gap duration in the second measurement time parameters, and/or the first gap repetition cycle is shorter than the second gap repetition cycle, and/or the first minimum available measurement time is longer than the second minimum available measurement time. That is to say, compared with the inter-frequency cell signal measurement on the second measurement time parameters, the inter-frequency cell signal measurement on the first measurement time parameters provides a longer time for inter-frequency cell measurement, so as to select more quickly an inter-frequency cell that meets a measurement event requirement.
A first feedback module is configured to feed back to the network side device the currently adopted identifiers of measurement time parameters and/or an application moment of the measurement time parameters.
A second determination module is configured to determine whether a measurement identifier is carried in the measurement command, and if yes, trigger the first detection module to start.
A second feedback module is configured to feed back to the network side device current measurement information, where the measurement information includes the first measurement time parameters and/or second measurement time parameters.
In addition, when the first search module 1213 performs a search to determine an inter-frequency cell, a certain search time is needed. Therefore, the first search module 1213 may be further configured to switch, when monitoring that the search time exceeds a preset time, and if the first search module 1213 fails to find any cell on the inter-frequency band within a preset time, the currently adopted measurement time parameters, and trigger the second measurement module to start, so that the device continues measurement based on the time specifications of the second measurement time parameters.
In this embodiment, when the first detection module determines whether a cell is present within a certain range of the terminal by measuring whether the signal quality or strength of the common channel of the inter-frequency band is higher than a first preset value, if yes, triggers the first measurement module to perform, based on the time specified in the first measurement time parameters, inter-frequency cell signal measurement, and if no, triggers the second measurement module to perform, based on the time specified in the second measurement time parameters, inter-frequency cell signal measurement, so as to measure and determine an inter-frequency cell that meets a measurement event more quickly, further reduce the time for measurement of the device, thereby reducing the power consumption of the device and enhancing the performance of the device.
Additionally, in another embodiment, the first detection module 1203 may be specifically configured to determine whether a candidate cell is present at a certain distance away from a current position through a satellite positioning system, if yes, trigger the first measurement module to start, and if no, trigger the second measurement module to start.
A receiving module 1401 is configured to receive a measurement command carrying information about an inter-frequency band sent by a network side device.
A second detection module 1402 is configured to detect whether the signal quality or strength of a serving cell is lower than a second preset value.
The serving cell may refer to, for example, a macrocell where the terminal is currently located, and the terminal may listen to the signal of the serving cell and detect the signal quality or strength of the serving cell.
The second preset value may be carried in the measurement command, and of course may also be preset and stored in the saving module of the device, and the second detection module first determines the first preset value from the measurement command or the saving module and then performs determination.
When the signal quality or strength of a serving cell is lower than the second preset value, it indicates that the terminal needs to be switched to other cells as soon as possible to guarantee normal communications of the terminal. In this case, the terminal may be too far away from the serving cell to desirably receive the signal of the serving cell, so that the inter-frequency cell measurement needs to be performed as soon as possible, so as to determine an inter-frequency cell that meets a measurement event.
When the signal quality or strength of the serving cell is greater than or equal to the second preset value, it indicates that the serving cell may further continue to serve the terminal, and the terminal may receive the signal of the serving cell normally, so that the terminal does not have to be switched to an inter-frequency cell as soon as possible.
Of course, in another possible case, in heterogeneous network deployment, by taking an example in which a small cell is set in a macrocell, the small cell might be at the edge of the coverage of the macrocell. When it is monitored that the signal quality or strength of a serving cell is lower than a second preset value, it is regarded that the terminal is at the edge of the serving cell, and therefore the distance from the small cell is shorter, and it may be determined that a small cell is present in the periphery of the terminal. When the signal quality or strength of the serving cell of the terminal is greater than or equal to the second preset value, it may be regarded that an inter-frequency cell is not present in the periphery of the terminal, and the distance from the small cell is larger.
A first measurement module 1403 is configured to perform, when the detection result of the second detection module is yes, based on preset first measurement time parameters, inter-frequency cell measurement.
A first search module 1413 is configured to perform, after the receiving frequency is adjusted into the inter-frequency band, search, determine an inter-frequency cell located at the inter-frequency band.
A first measurement submodule 1423 is configured to perform, based on preset first measurement time parameters, inter-frequency cell signal measurement.
A second measurement module 1404 is configured to perform, when the detection result of the second detection module is no, based on preset second measurement time parameters, inter-frequency cell measurement.
The first measurement time parameters include a first gap duration, a first gap repetition cycle, and a first minimum available measurement time, the second measurement time parameters include a second gap duration, a second gap repetition cycle, and a second minimum available measurement time, and the first gap duration is longer than the second gap duration, and/or the second gap repetition cycle is shorter than the second gap repetition cycle, and/or the first minimum available measurement time is longer than the second minimum available measurement time.
A second search module 1414 is configured to perform, after the receiving frequency is adjusted into the inter-frequency band, a search to determine an inter-frequency cell located at the inter-frequency band.
A second measurement submodule 1424 is configured to perform, based on preset second measurement time parameters, inter-frequency cell signal measurement.
In another embodiment, the device may further include a saving module, configured to save the first measurement time parameters and/or second measurement time parameters. Therefore, the first measurement time parameters and/or second measurement time parameters are further saved in the network side device and in the saving module of the device, respectively, so that the device may further include a first feedback module, configured to feed back to the network side device identifiers of measurement time parameters to be adopted and/or an application moment of the measurement time parameters.
In still another embodiment, the first measurement time parameters and/or second measurement time parameters may further be saved in the saving module of the device only. Therefore, alternatively, the device may further include a second feedback module, configured to feed back to the network side device current measurement information, where the measurement information includes the first measurement time parameters and/or second measurement time parameters.
In this embodiment, the first detection module detects whether the signal quality or strength of a serving cell is lower than a second preset value, if yes, trigger the first measurement module to perform, based on the time specified in the first measurement time parameters, a inter-frequency cell signal measurement, and if no, trigger the second measurement module to perform, based on the time specified in the second measurement time parameters, inter-frequency cell signal measurement, so as to determine an inter-frequency cell that meets a measurement event as soon as possible, so as to reduce the time for measurement of the device, thereby reducing the power consumption of the device and enhancing the performance of the device.
A receiving module 1501 is configured to receive a measurement command carrying information about an inter-frequency band sent by a network side device.
A third measurement module 1502 is configured to perform, within a first period, based on preset third measurement time parameters, inter-frequency cell measurement.
A fourth measurement module 1503 is configured to perform, within a second period, based on preset fourth measurement time parameters, inter-frequency cell measurement, or suspend inter-frequency cell measurement, where the first period and second period alternately form a continuous time, and the third measurement time parameters are different from the fourth measurement time parameters.
The first period and second period may be provided by the network side device. That is, the network side device may start, after sending the measurement command, to count the first period, and send, when the first period ends, first adjustment trigger information, and at the same time start to count the second period, and send, when the second period ends, second adjustment trigger information, and at the same time restart to count the first period. Therefore, the third measurement module may specifically perform, after receiving the measurement command or second adjustment trigger information, based on the first measurement time parameters, inter-frequency cell measurement. The fourth measurement module may specifically perform, after receiving the first adjustment trigger information, based on second measurement time parameters, inter-frequency cell measurement.
The first period and second period alternately form a continuous time, and through the alternating first period and second period, inter-frequency cell measurement may be performed based on the time specified in different measurement time parameters.
The third measurement time parameters and the fourth measurement time parameters are different. Based on different time specifications of the measurement time parameters, when inter-frequency cell measurement is performed, the electrical consumption for measurement is different, so that the power consumption is also different.
The device may further include an identifier determination module, configured to determine whether the measurement command carries a measurement identifier, and if yes, trigger the third measurement module or fourth measurement module to start.
In this embodiment, the third measurement module and the fourth measurement module perform, within different periods, based on time specifications of different measurement time parameters, inter-frequency cell measurement, and different measurement time parameters specify different actual measurement time, so that inter-frequency cell measurement is not always performed based on one type of measurement time parameters. Therefore, the electrical consumption for measurement of the device may be reduced, thereby lowering the power consumption of the device, enhancing the performance of the device, and guaranteeing the probability that an inter-frequency cell that meets a measurement event is determined within a certain time, and the device is capable of enhancing, when being applied in the terminal, enhancing the performance of the terminal.
FIG. 16 is a schematic structural view of a device for inter-frequency cell measurement according to Embodiment 5 of the present invention. The device may include a receiving module 1501, a third measurement module 1502 and a fourth measurement module 1503. For the functions of the modules, reference may be made to device Embodiment 4. The difference from device Embodiment 4 lies in that, the device in this embodiment further includes a first timing module 1504 and a second timing module 1505.
The first timing module 1504 is configured to provide a first period, and trigger, when the first period ends, the fourth measurement module 1503 and the second timing module 1505 to start.
The second timing module 1505 is configured to provide a second period, and trigger, when the second period ends, the third measurement module 1502 and the first timing module 1504 to start.
In practical applications, the first timing module and the second timing module may be specifically timers. The duration parameters set for the timers may be carried in the measurement command, and may also be preconfigured by the device.
The first timing module and the second timing module alternately start to implement the alternate first period and second period and form a continuous time.
The device may further include an identifier determination module, configured to determine whether the measurement command carries a measurement identifier, and if yes, trigger the third measurement module and the first timing module to start. The first timing module starts counting, and the third measurement module performs, within the counting period of the first timing module, based on third measurement time parameters, inter-frequency cell measurement.
In this embodiment, alternatively, the third gap duration in the third measurement time parameters is greater than the fourth gap duration in the fourth measurement time parameters, and/or the third gap repetition cycle is smaller than the fourth gap repetition cycle, and/or the third minimum available measurement time is greater than the fourth minimum available measurement time. That is, the terminal may first perform, based on the third measurement time parameters that enable an inter-frequency cell that meets a measurement event to be determined more quickly, inter-frequency cell measurement, set the time length that the terminal performs, based on the third measurement time parameters, inter-frequency cell measurement, and perform, when the first period ends, based on the preset fourth measurement time parameters, inter-frequency cell measurement, or suspend measurement, so as to reduce the electrical consumption for measurement to a certain degree and lower the power consumption.
FIG. 17 is a schematic structural view of a device for inter-frequency cell measurement according to Embodiment 6 of the present invention. The device may include a receiving module 1501, a third measurement module 1502 and a fourth measurement module 1503. For the functions of the modules, reference may be made to device Embodiment 4. The difference from device Embodiment 4 lies in that, the device in this embodiment further includes a first timing module 1504 and a third timing module 1506.
The first timing module 1504 is configured to provide a first period, and trigger, when the first period ends, the fourth measurement module 1503 to start.
The third timing module 1506 is configured to provide the first period and a second period, and trigger, when the second period ends, the third measurement module 1502, the first timing module 1504, and the third timing module to start.
In practical applications the first timing module and the third timing module may be specifically timers, and the duration parameters set for the timers may be carried in the measurement command, and may also be preconfigured by the device.
The first timing module and the third timing module may start at the same time. The first timing module and the third timing module may start after receiving a trigger instruction of the first receiving module, and may also start after it is determined that the first receiving module has received the measurement command sent by the network side device, so as to provide the alternate first period and second period and form a continuous time.
The device may further include an identifier determination module, configured to determine whether the measurement command carries a measurement identifier, and if yes, trigger the third measurement module, the first timing module, and the second timing module to start.
In this embodiment, alternatively, the third gap duration in the third measurement time parameters is greater than the fourth gap duration in the fourth measurement time parameters, and/or the third gap repetition cycle is smaller than the fourth gap repetition cycle, and/or the third minimum available measurement time is greater than the fourth minimum available measurement time. That is, the third measurement module may first perform, based on the third measurement time parameters that enable an inter-frequency cell that meets a measurement event to be determined more quickly, inter-frequency cell measurement, set the time length that the terminal performs, based on the third measurement time parameters, inter-frequency cell measurement, and trigger, when the first period ends, the fourth measurement module to perform, based on the preset fourth measurement time parameters, inter-frequency cell measurement, or suspend measurement, so as to reduce the electrical consumption for measurement to a certain degree and lower the power consumption of the device.
A receiving module 1801 is configured to receive a measurement command carrying information about an inter-frequency band sent by a network side device.
A search module 1802 is configured to search for, according to a presaved mapping between measurement time parameters and information about an inter-frequency band, target measurement time parameters corresponding to the information about the inter-frequency band.
A cell measurement module 1803 is configured to perform, based on the target measurement time parameters, inter-frequency cell measurement.
A third determination module 1804 is configured to determine whether the measurement command carries a measurement identifier, and if yes, trigger the search module 1802 to start.
The device may further include a sending module, configured to send a capability identifier to the network side device, and the network side device may determine, after receiving the capability identifier, that terminal has the capability of measuring in parallel cells at different inter-frequency bands based on different measurement time parameters, and then send to the terminal the measurement command carrying the measurement identifier.
In this embodiment, after the receiving module receives a measurement command carrying information about an inter-frequency band sent by a network side device, the search module first searches for target measurement time parameters corresponding to the information about the inter-frequency band according to a presaved mapping between measurement time parameters and information about an inter-frequency band, and triggers the cell measurement module to perform, based on the target measurement time parameters, inter-frequency cell measurement. Inter-frequency cell measurement is performed according to different information about an inter-frequency band based on different measurement time parameters, so as to determine more quickly a cell that meets a measurement event, and at the same time save the power consumption and enhance the performance of the device.
A receiving module 1901 is configured to receive a measurement command carrying information about an inter-frequency band and corresponding target measurement time parameters thereof sent by a network side device, where the measurement command is sent after the network side device finds the target measurement time parameters corresponding to the information about the inter-frequency band according to a presaved mapping between measurement time parameters and information about an inter-frequency band.
A cell measurement module 1902 is configured to perform, based on the target measurement time parameters, inter-frequency cell measurement.
A sending module 1903 is configured to send a capability identifier to the network side device, where the measurement command is specifically sent after the network side device receives the capability identifier and finds the target measurement time parameters corresponding to the information about the inter-frequency band according to a presaved mapping between measurement time parameters and information about an inter-frequency band.
It should be noted that, in the foregoing embodiments, reference may be made between the functions of same or similar modules, and therefore the descriptions in some embodiments are relatively simple.
The device for inter-frequency cell measurement of the present invention may be specifically integrated to a terminal, and therefore the present invention further provides a terminal, which includes the device for inter-frequency cell measurement.
A network side device 2001 is configured to send to a terminal a measurement command carrying information about an inter-frequency band.
In practical applications, the network side device may be specifically equipment such as a small base station, a home base station, a relay station and a wireless local area network access point.
A terminal 2002 is configured to detect, after receiving the measurement command, whether a candidate cell is present within a certain range of a current position; if yes, perform, based on preset first measurement time parameters, inter-frequency cell measurement; and if no, perform, based on preset second measurement time parameters, inter-frequency cell measurement.
The first measurement time parameters include a first gap duration, a first gap repetition cycle, and a first minimum available measurement time, the second measurement time parameters include a second gap duration, a second gap repetition cycle, and a second minimum available measurement time, and the first gap duration is longer than the second gap duration, and/or the first gap repetition cycle is shorter than the second gap repetition cycle, and/or the first minimum available measurement time is longer than the second minimum available measurement time.
The terminal is currently located in the serving cell 2003, and inter-frequency cells 2004 whose carrier frequencies are different from that of the serving cell 2003 are scattered in the serving cell 2003. When the network side device monitors that the network traffic volume of the serving cell of the terminal is high, or to enhance the effect of the inter-frequency cell in increasing the system capacity, in order to select a suitable inter-frequency cell to distribute the network service, the network side device commands the terminal to perform inter-frequency cell measurement and sends a measurement command to the terminal.
For the operations specifically performed by the terminal and the network side device, reference may be made to the foregoing embodiments, so no further details are provided here. For the schematic structural views of the terminal and the network side device, reference may be made to FIG. 20. The difference thereof from the foregoing embodiments only lies in that the specific functions implemented by the terminal and the network side device are different.
The terminal may specifically be a terminal that includes the device for inter-frequency cell measurement of Embodiment 1 or Embodiment 2.
Through the system for inter-frequency cell measurement in this embodiment, the inter-frequency cell measurement may be implemented, and at the same time the power consumption for measurement of the terminal is further saved, thereby enhancing the performance of the terminal.
A network side device is configured to send to a terminal a measurement command carrying information about an inter-frequency band.
The terminal is configured to detect, after receiving the measurement command, whether the signal quality or strength of a serving cell is lower than a second preset value, where the second preset value is carried in the measurement command or prestored in the terminal; if yes, perform, based on preset first measurement time parameters, inter-frequency cell measurement; and if no, perform, based on preset second measurement time parameters, inter-frequency cell measurement.
The terminal may be specifically a terminal that includes the device for inter-frequency cell measurement in Embodiment 3. For the operations specifically performed by the terminal and the network side device, reference may be made to the foregoing embodiments, so no further details are provided here. For the schematic structural views of the terminal and the network side device, reference may be made to FIG. 20. The difference thereof from the foregoing embodiments only lies in that the specific functions implemented by the terminal and the network side device are different.
Through the system for inter-frequency cell measurement in this embodiment, inter-frequency cell measurement may be implemented, and at the same time the power consumption for measurement of the terminal is further saved, thereby enhancing the performance of the terminal.
The terminal is configured to perform, after receiving the measurement command, within a first period, based on preset third measurement time parameters, inter-frequency cell measurement; and perform, within a second period, based on preset fourth measurement time parameters, inter-frequency cell measurement or suspend inter-frequency cell measurement, where the first period and the second period alternately form a continuous time, and the third measurement time parameters are different from the fourth measurement time parameters.
The terminal may be specifically terminal that includes the device for inter-frequency cell measurement in Embodiment 4, Embodiment 5 or Embodiment 6. For the operations specifically performed by the terminal and the network side device, reference may be made to the foregoing embodiments, so no further details are provided here. For the schematic structural views of the terminal and the network side device, reference may be made to FIG. 20. The difference thereof from the foregoing embodiments only lies in that the specific functions implemented by the terminal and the network side device are different.
The terminal is configured to search for, after receiving the measurement command, according to a presaved mapping between measurement time parameters and information about an inter-frequency band, target measurement time parameters corresponding to the information about the inter-frequency band; where the terminal performs, based on the target measurement time parameters, inter-frequency cell measurement.
The terminal may be specifically a terminal that includes the device for inter-frequency cell measurement in Embodiment 7. For the operations specifically performed by the terminal and the network side device, reference may be made to the foregoing embodiments, so no further details are provided here. For the schematic structural views of the terminal and the network side device, reference may be made to FIG. 20. The difference thereof from the foregoing embodiments only lies in that the specific functions implemented by the terminal and the network side device are different.
A network side device is configured to search for, according to a presaved mapping between measurement time parameters and information about an inter-frequency band, target measurement time parameters corresponding to information about an inter-frequency band; and send to a terminal a measurement command carrying the information about the inter-frequency band and the corresponding target measurement time parameters thereof.
The terminal is configured to perform, after receiving the measurement command, based on the target measurement time parameters, inter-frequency cell measurement.
The terminal may be specifically a terminal that includes the device for inter-frequency cell measurement in Embodiment 8. The operations specifically performed by the terminal and the network side device may be referred to the foregoing embodiments, so no further details are provided here. For the schematic structural views of the terminal and the network side device, reference may be made to FIG. 20. The difference thereof from the foregoing embodiments only lies in that the specific functions implemented by the terminal and the network side device are different.
All embodiments describe the present invention by using the progressive method. Each embodiment describes only the difference from other embodiments. For the similar parts among all embodiments, reference may be made to the relevant parts. The apparatus disclosed in the embodiment is related to the method disclosed in the embodiments, and is therefore outlined. For the associated part, reference may be made to the description in the method embodiments.
It should be noted that the relational terms herein such as first and second are used only to differentiate an entity or operation from another entity or operation, and do not require or imply any actual relationship or sequence between these entities or operations. Moreover, the terms "include", "comprise", and any variation thereof are intended to cover a non-exclusive "inclusion". Therefore, in the context of a process, method, object, or device that includes a series of elements, the process, method, object, or device not only includes such elements, but also includes other elements not specified expressly, or may include inherent elements of the process, method, object, or device. If no more limitations are made, an element limited by "include a/an . . . " does not exclude other same elements existing in the process, the method, the article, or the device which includes the element.
Based on the description of the disclosed embodiments, persons of the ordinary skill in the art can implement or apply the present invention. Various modifications of the embodiments are apparent to persons of ordinary skill in the art, and general principles defined in the specification can be implemented in other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments in the specification, but intends to cover the most extensive scope consistent with the principle and the novel features disclosed in the specification. | 2019-04-21T12:12:07Z | http://patents.com/us-10039024.html |
Life hasn’t slowed down for the holidays in 2010! Earlier this week I accepted a job with a new employer. I greatly enjoyed my time with Genworth Financial, and I’ll miss working with my team and the larger IT department there. It was a wonderful 6+ years with Genworth, and nearly a decade within the General Electric organization.
I expect that my new position will keep me very busy. For this reason, I have bowed out of teaching CCDE courses for CCBOOTCAMP. I want to thank Dawn & Dawn, as well as Brad, for their guidance and support in 2010. I grew quite a bit as both an engineer and communicator through my experiences with CCBOOTCAMP, and if my schedule ever allows it, I would be happy to teach again in the future.
So as not to leave CCDE candidates ‘high and dry’, I will continue to offer my CCDE Practical practice exams on a regular schedule. Details about the January offering can be found at http://www.jeremyfilliben.com/2010/12/january-ccde-practice-exams.html. The response has been very positive, and I am looking forward to working with the candidates in a few weeks.
Twitter – I’m on twitter @jfilliben. I use this primarily for networking industry purposes. I view twitter as a river of information, sort of like CNN Headline News or ESPN News. I don’t have time to watch it all day, but when I have a moment, I like to see what’s going on in the networking world. I’m fairly good at keeping track of DMs and replies, but I miss a lot of the daily chatter.
LinkedIn – I’m on LinkedIn under the username jfilliben. I have been a fan of LinkedIn for a long time. In my early career I moved from job to job fairly frequently, as did many others. LinkedIn became a way to keep in contact with my former co-workers and to keep an eye out for new opportunities. I am open to linking with anyone who has an interest or need to contact me. I do not see a significant downside to linking with people who I don’t know terribly well. I suppose this can serve as a warning to anyone in my LinkedIn network.. Just because I’m linked to someone doesn’t mean I would vouch for them.
Facebook – I only joined Facebook because my wife told me to. She handles the family social circle, so I don’t see a great need for me to be on it. It was fun reconnecting with a few former classmates, but I still don’t see the point to it all. I pretty much keep my work life and personal life separate, so I don’t normally “friend” professional associates on Facebook. Occasionally I’ll “like” something work-related, like the Facebook LISP group.
Blogs – I write a professional one, but you already knew that. Prior to creating this blog I used this URL in an unsuccessful campaign for a local political office, so occasionally you’ll see a reference to that in search engines. I also started a blog for my surname, but I abandoned it awhile ago and never got around to deleting it. It hosts a single picture of the family from 2008.
I also read a few dozen non-technical blogs, mostly in the areas of sports, finance, economics and politics. In fact, I get most of my daily news from blogs and websites. I haven’t subscribed to a paper newspaper (ever!) and I don’t care for local TV news.
As for how I read all this content… It’s about a 50/50 split between my Blackberry and my laptop. I own a Kindle, but I only use it to read traditional books. I’m sure I would love an iPad, but I already spend enough time looking at digital screens. I don’t want another temptation. The Blackberry is less-than-ideal for reading, and I will almost never ‘click-thru’ on it because of the poor web browser, but it meets my needs most of the time.
What Else? – I think that’s about it. I don’t understand the interest in location-based apps like Foursquare. Why would I care where other people are at the moment? I’m busy enough on my own; I don’t want to force myself into even more interactions when I’m at the supermarket, etc. I’ve seen it used to good effect during professional conferences like Cisco Live, but that’s about it.
I also don’t bother with the ‘next best’ versions of the above apps. So no Google Buzz or Plaxo for me, thanks. I have enough to read as it is, so I have not used Digg or its equivalents. I did not get very involved in web chatting apps either, although I have accounts on Yahoo Messenger, AIM and Google Chat (is that what they call it?).
Last month I presented my first CCDE practice exams to the public. The offering was a success, and two of the participants went on the take the November CCDE Practical Exam. Both indicated that the offering was a great help for their preparation.
Registration is now open for these practice exams in January 2011. The Enterprise exam will be delivered to participants on Wednesday, January 5th. The review session is scheduled for Saturday, January 8th @ 9am EST. The Service Provider exam will be delivered to participants on Wednesday, January 12th and the review will take place on Saturday, January 15th @ 9am EST. One item of feedback I received from the initial offering was that it would be nice to have more time between the practice exams and the real exam. This schedule gives candidates four weeks to digest the information and reach out to me for follow-up guidance before taking the exam on February 15th. I was also asked to move the review sessions to the weekend to accommodate busy work schedules. If you are interested in the offering, but the dates listed above do not work for you, let me know. We can work to find an alternate date/time to complete the review session.
Please email me with any questions you may have (jeremy@filliben.com). As before, the first hour of the review session will include my presentation and an open discussion on the CCDE Practice Exam (format, testing experience, future developments). The CCDE program is constantly being updated, and I do my best to keep this information up to date. Former CCDE Practice Exam participants are invited to join this session to receive updated information.
I regret to announce that I will not be teaching the upcoming live CCDE Practical Bootcamp offered by CCBootcamp. After reviewing my work/life balance for 2010, and my already full professional calendar for 2011, I cannot find the time to participate in this program. I wish CCBootcamp the best of luck with their CCDE training. I am confident that they will find a wonderful instructor to take my place.
Here is the script. Again, any comments would be appreciated. If there is a more efficient way to accomplish portions of this program, I’d love to hear of them. And if you spot any errors, please let me know. As a disclaimer, there is no guarantee that the results of this script are accurate. I don’t use this for profit in any way, it was purely a thought exercise for me.
Run it with no options (or “——help”) to get a brief description of the options.
if v == 0: string += "2"
elif v == 1: string += "3"
elif v == 2: string += "4"
elif v == 3: string += "5"
elif v == 4: string += "6"
elif v == 5: string += "7"
elif v == 6: string += "8"
elif v == 7: string += "9"
elif v == 8: string += "T"
elif v == 9: string += "J"
elif v == 10: string += "Q"
elif v == 11: string += "K"
elif v == 12: string += "A"
elif v == -1: string += "X"
if v == 0: string += "c"
elif v == 1: string += "d"
elif v == 2: string += "h"
elif v == 3: string += "s"
# if equal, we could have Ace low straight, so compare first card.
+ "% Ties: " + str(round(((100*totals)/((totals+totals+totals)+0.0)), 2)) + "%"
A commenter on my previous post directed me to the module CiscoConfParse which would have likely made this a much easier exercise. Even so, this was a great exercise for me to go through, as it allowed me to learn a new programming language.
I’ll still post my solution to this problem, along with the supporting files. The first file below is the Python script. Running it with a –h option will show you the proper format for the parameters. The supporting file “verification.txt” is also listed below. It describes the format to use for the verification seed file.
If you happen to see anything wrong with this script, or room for improvement, please share your thoughts via comment or email. I am always looking to learn, and I know there is room for improvement in my Python programming!
"""getconfig loads a router config and returns an array with individual lines"""
"""gethostname retrieves the device hostname from configuration file"""
from the config and sends it to verify"""
and verifies that each is present"""
b = " " + a[2:] + " "
# Comments begin with "#"
# Commands that must not be in the switchport configuration should begin with " !"
My college years went a long way toward suppressing any interest I had in programming computers. The rote, repetitive routine of programming compilers, operating systems, database engines, etc, drove me directly into a career of infrastructure work. I have no professional regrets, but I do sort of miss the thrill of writing working code. There is a great sense of satisfaction derived from formulating an idea and seeing it through from a blank Notepad++ document to a working, debugged applicati0n.
A couple of months ago I was faced with a project that resurrected my interest in programming. My team and I have been working steadily toward standardizing our network deployments. Standardization is a key requirement to effectively managing a large network with a small number of engineers. Prior to this effort, such things as VLAN numbering and port-level configurations varied between our locations, even when two offices were roughly similar in size. One of the causes of this was the melding of several different IT organizations when my employer was created. We also acquired several smaller companies since our genesis in 2004.
The text after the semi-colon is free-form, and can be defined on a site-by-site basis to be whatever is relevant to the local support team.
PBX ports require a different set of configuration statements than USR ports. For one example, we need a “DSCP trust” statement on the PBX port, while we remark USR traffic with a specific QoS policy using the “service-policy input USR-POLICY” command.
Our standardization effort is now largely complete. Our latest challenge is making sure our configurations stay standardized. VLAN identifiers are easy, since it is quite painful to change them. Switchport configurations are a very different story. It is quite easy for a switchport to be configured incorrectly but still work in a suboptimal fashion. For example, if the wrong QoS marking policy is installed, basic testing will work (ping, etc), but under load there will likely be performance issues. Even if the proper template is used to activate a port, it can be difficult to prevent that port from being reused for another purpose.
My solution to this issue was to implement an audit process that would take a baseline configuration and compare it to our production switch configurations. I first reached out to our primary network tools provider, Solarwinds. Their current feature provides some of the features I need, such as verifying that specific lines exist in the configuration. But they cannot yet do context-sensitive configuration checking. Other vendors (such as Netcordia) could perform this task, but I had recently championed a network tools consolidation project, so it would be a bit hypocritical of me to request funding for a new tool. I decided to learn a scripting language to try and tackle this need. A friend suggested that Python or Perl would fit the need nicely, so I chose Python (for no particularly good reason) and began learning.
I was quite surprised as how easily I learned the language and was able to solve my problem. I spent a total of eight hours from the time I settled on Python until I had a working prototype. The small investment of time is primarily due to the ease of use of the Python language, and not my programming acumen.
The entire script is a few hundred lines, including comments, and it meets all of my needs. I wouldn’t say it is terribly user friendly, and I have a laundry list of additional features and ‘opportunities for improvement’, but I am happy with the result. If I can find the time (and there is interest), I’ll clean it up and publish it in separate blog post. It is generic enough that other organizations can probably use it without a lot of rewriting.
I am breaking from my normal technology writing to unveil a new CCDE Practical practice exam opportunity.
This CCDE practice exam offering is intended to replicate the style and difficulty of an individual scenario presented during the CCDE Practical Exam (352-011). Each scenario begins with a multi-page overview document, followed by up to 25 technical questions and additional documents. The questions are in the style of actual CCDE Practical exam questions, similar to those found in the CCDE Practical Demo on Cisco Learning Network. I am limiting this offering to a small number of candidates for this initial attempt.
This is not an actual graded exam. It did not come from Cisco, and was not used during a real CCDE exam. This exam was also not built using the Adobe Flash engine. It is delivered via PDF. The question styles and the technical difficulty of the questions closely follows the actual exam, but none of these questions will be found on an actual exam. In other words, no NDAs were violated during the construction of these exams.
Two days before the scheduled Webex session you will receive an email with two attachments. The first is an overview of the CCDE Practical Exam. It describes the exam environment, the structure of the exam and the types of questions you will receive during the exam. You will also receive guidance on how to complete the practice exam. For example, this exam is intended to be closed book.
The second attachment is the practice exam scenario, in PDF format. At the current time, there are four different practice exams available, each consisting of approximately twenty questions. Two of the exams are Enterprise-based, and two are focused on a Service Provider network. All CCDE candidates registering for a specific practice exam session will receive the same exam. The exam is intended to take 60 to 90 minutes to complete.
The last item you will receive is a login id/password for the three hour exam review session. The date and time of the session is clearly listed on the Eventbrite registration page. Due to my schedule, I will be unable to offer multiple review sessions for the same exam. Please be certain to clear your schedule for the duration of the review session. If an illness or unforeseen emergency prevents an individual from attending the review session we will make an effort to schedule a second session, but I cannot guarantee my availability. During the review session we will work our way through the exam and I will show you where to find the information to correctly answer each question. This review session is intended to be highly interactive. Candidate questions are encouraged and expected… I want you to challenge my answers and assumptions.
A single practice exam is priced at $695 (US Currency). A pair of practice exams is priced at $995. Due to limited timing before the next CCDE Practical offering (scheduled for Friday, November 12th), I will only be able to offer two practice exams at this time. To appeal to the widest audience, I have chosen one Enterprise exam and one Service Provider-based exam for this offering. The Enterprise exam will be distributed to registered candidates on Tuesday, November 2nd and reviewed on Thursday, November 4th from 9am to noon (Eastern US Time Zone). The Service Provider exam will be distributed to registered candidates on Friday, November 5th and reviewed on Tuesday, November 9th from 9am to noon (Eastern US Time Zone).
I have taught several week-long CCDE Practical courses for a well-known Cisco Learning Solutions Partner. They have been very rewarding experiences for me, and based on the feedback, for the students too. While I fully intend to continue teaching that course, I also want to offer a resource for candidates who cannot take a week-long break from their normal lives to prepare for this certification program. If you have recently taken the full week training offering, you are already familiar with the two exams included in this specific offering. They have been updated based on the students’ feedback and comments.
I am limiting these events to a small number of participants. It isn’t clear to me how many candidates I can include in a single WebEx session while maintaining the interactive nature of the event. I may increase the enrollment for future offerings, depending on how well this initial attempt goes.
If you have any questions about this opportunity, please email me at jeremy@filliben.com, or post a comment to this post.
As I mentioned in the last post, I attended the Net Tech Field Day event hosted by Gestalt IT in September. My focus in attending was on Data Center switching technologies. Of particular interest to me was the methods by which each vendor is attempting to eliminate spanning-tree from the data center. While I have been keeping my eye on TRILL and 802.1aq, I am more interested in how vendors are solving this issue today.
All of the current solutions can be described as Multi-Chassis Link Aggregation (MLAG) methods. Cisco has three solutions available for this purpose. The 3750 and 2975 switches perform chassis aggregation via proprietary stacking cables. This stacking feature allows a network engineer to create a single switch out of multiple physical devices. All devices in a stack are managed via a single control plane. Cisco’s 6500 series switches have a similar feature, called Virtual Switching System or VSS, which uses standard 10gb interfaces to achieve the same result. At the current time, VSS is limited to aggregating two chassis, but Cisco’s goal is to extend this to more devices. On the Nexus 7k and 5k platforms, the virtual Port-Channel (vPC) feature allows two physical devices to be logically paired together to present a common switching platform to connected devices. The important difference between vPC and the Stacking/VSS methods is that the control planes of the vPC devices are separate.
Juniper and HP both described their visions of a single control plane for the data center. Juniper went into great detail about their stacking technology (called Virtual Chassis) for fixed-configuration switches, as well as their standard Ethernet-based method for interconnecting modular switches. HP was less technical in their presentation. By my best guess, they have a VSS-style Ethernet interconnection method.
Force10’s VirtualScale technology combines the control planes of two or more switches to offer MLAG. The connections between the switches are standard 1 or 10gb links.
Single-Attached Servers – If a server owner chooses to take this risk, I am not responsible for the impact of a switch or cable failure.
Port-Channel Diversity – I work to ensure that single-device to single-device port-channels are built using separate modules on chassis-based switches. I also attempt to diversify the cable paths. For example, I’ll run one cable of a port-channel up the left side of a rack, and the diverse cable up the right side. If the opportunity presents itself, I’ll utilize a mix of copper and fiber in a single port-channel for an extra level of comfort, although I’ll admit that this is excessive in typical Data Centers.
Power Diversity for Paired Switches – When two switches are configured as a pair (for example, when individual servers are connected to both switches), I ensure that they are powered by different PDUs, or are at least on different UPSs. if separate UPSs are unavailable, it is preferable not to have the second switch on a UPS at all. To look at it another way, I’d rather have a single switch up for 30 minutes, versus a pair of switches up for 15 minutes. While I haven’t implemented this idea in my data centers, I am intrigued by it as a method for reducing the load on our Data Center UPSs. (The same goes for servers performing duplicate functions, if sysadmins are still reading this).
Control-Plane Diversity – If a single reload command can take down my entire data center (even momentarily), I don’t quite have diversity. I’ve heard the “Operator error is the cause of most IT downtime” mantra often enough for it to have sunk in, at least a bit. If the reload command doesn’t concern you, think about how a simple configuration error would no longer be isolated to a single switch.
I’ll stop the list here, but there are probably many others I haven’t listed. Feel free to mention your favorites in the comments and I’ll add them here with appropriate credit.
Thank you all for your company and your contributions to the many technical and non-technical discussions. And a special thank you to Stephen Foskett and Claire Chaplais for organizing this event. It was an amazing feat of logistics and vendor management. I am in awe of how smoothly the event went. I often run into more trouble during my daily commute, and I work from home!
During the planning of this event, Stephen Foskett asked the attendees what they were most interested in hearing about. The plurality of the responses, including my own, mentioned Data Center technologies. The vendors did not disappoint, as no fewer than five of the seven participants focused on this area. We received briefings on data center switching technologies from Hewlett-Packard, Force10, Juniper and Arista Networks.
In short, they all have them. Arista sort of “ups the ante” in terms of advertised performance with their 7148SX switch. It is advertised as a low-latency device suitable for High Performance Computing (HPC) and High Frequency Trading (HFT) needs. Force10 also competes in this space with their S2410 device, which is promoted as a component of the New York Stock Exchange’s network. Our Arista contact made the point of saying that their switch is not eligible to be deployed at the NYSE because their company is not listed on that exchange. Abner Germanow (@abnerg) of Juniper mentioned that their devices were used in stock exchanges as well. Most of the supplied documentation mentions Juniper's M-Series routing platforms. At least one link (http://bloga.tw/a648bU) mentions the use of Juniper's EX-series LAN switches. I also noticed the Juniper routers included in the 60 Minutes feature on HFT. Cisco and HP do not appear to be competitive in the HPC/HFT arena, although I may have missed something in my research.
Another important item to note is that each of the presenting switch vendors at Net Tech Field Day has a 10gb, fixed configuration Layer-3 switch in their portfolio. Cisco (who did not present at the event) does not yet have this available. In a meeting with Jim Capobianco of Cisco last week, I learned that the upcoming Nexus 5548 & 5596 switches will eventually have this capability. It will require the installation of a Layer-3 Forwarding Engine, and will not be available until Q1 CY011. I am surprised they’re taking so long to deliver this, as it must be the cause of lost sales opportunities. The 4900M has something to offer in this space, but it is clearly not an integrated part of the new Nexus DC approach.
I was struck by the similarities of all the switching vendors. Perhaps it was the tight timing constraints of the Net Tech Field Day sessions (most were 2 – 4 hours, with hard stops at the end), but with the exception of Arista Network’s offering (which I’ll discuss below), all of the vendors had very similar stories. This has been noted by several of my fellow attendees (Most notably Ivan). I don’t mean to pile on the criticism, as I’m sure developing these products is very difficult in itself, but I would love to see a significant differentiator from each vendor.
I was clued into Arista Networks about a year ago, when I read that Jayshree Ullal (and later Doug Gourlay) jumped ship from Cisco to join the 10gb switching startup. An industry friend of mine also highlighted their offering to me a few months later. At some point, I got added to a sales list for the company, and for the last few months I’ve received occasional marketing materials via email (thanks Alicia!). For me, the buildup to Arista Network’s presentation was quite extensive. I did not want this influence my fellow attendees’ perceptions, so I kept my thoughts to myself during the event.
Doug Gourlay of Arista scored a lot of points with the audience when he quickly explained that Arista Networks builds Data Center switches, and nothing else. It is clear that Arista is not attempting to be all things to all people. Their switches’ TCAM has room for 16K routes, 16K MAC addresses and 16K ARP entries. They are not going to be able to hold the Internet routing table, nor is Arista attempting to sell products that could do that. Doug was quite blunt when he said that “Arista is selling to companies where IT makes money.” Such businesses include Wall Street firms, HPC opportunities (Bio-Tech and other sciences) and social media websites.
So what’s new? For one thing, the switch runs a nearly-standard version of Linux, Fedora Core 12, kernel 2.6.31 (thank you to Doug for the correction) . According to the company, only about 750 lines were changed in the kernel to support the movement of device interrupts from system space to user space. This facilitates the starting and restarting of device drivers, and protects those processes from affecting the stability of the overall system. End users can build FreeBSD-compatible programs and run them in user space within the OS. EOS, Arista’s switch operating system, normally only requires 10% of one CPU core. On their dual-core switches, this leaves 95% of the processor power to custom-written applications. We were assured that EOS receives priority, so it is unlikely that a user application would affect the stability of the switching function. This capability is a standard feature of the Arista platform, unlike the additional cost of Cisco’s NM-based machine.
A second compelling EOS feature is VM Tracer. This allows a network admin to determine what device is attached to a particular port. If it is an ESX/ESXi server, it can query the server using VMWare’s API to determine which VMs are running on it. If a VM is VMotion’d to another ESX host, the switch can detect this and move the port-profile to the new location. It would be interesting to see exactly how this feature stacks up against Cisco’s NX-OS capabilities.
There are plenty of options available for 10gb data center network builds. Cisco is likely the safe option, although I do not see that they have any compelling features that would preclude me from choosing another vendor. Long ago I learned that one of the best negotiation tactics is to find two (or more) solutions you would be happy to deploy, then let both vendors know it. This will often get you the lowest price for your project. For the last few years, this has been difficult to do, since Cisco has done a relatively good job of innovating in the data center space. My recent Net Field Tech Day experience has shown me that there are other options that meet or exceed Cisco’s performance specs, so maybe it is time to search for competitive bids.
The Arista Networks presentation also demonstrates that other vendors are not standing still. Arista appears to be in a unique position to be able to price their devices at a premium. As a market strategy, Cisco and the other switch vendors need to begin innovating to put themselves in a similar position. (Hint… FCOE is not the answer). For Cisco, UCS is a potential driver of network equipment sales, but what about the other vendors?
The Ascendency of Hewlett Packard?
On Thursday I sat through several hours of Hewlett Packard presentations as part of the Net Tech Field Day program. Is there finally a viable competitor to Cisco across multiple product lines?
Next-generation, large core/data center switching platforms with innovative Intelligent Resilient Framework (IRF) technology. 18- and 6-slot switches with up to 6.6 Tbps performance and up to 128 (1:1) or 512 (4:1) 10GbE ports, and 864 GbE ports. Non-blocking, zero service interruption design, and architecture support for 40 GbE and 100 GbE. Wire speed L2/IPv4/IPv6/MPLS.
Except for the mentioning of IRF and the slot count, it sounds like the Nexus 7K to me. (Reference http://h10144.www1.hp.com/products/switches/index.aspx#A12500).
Unfortunately HP didn’t provide any tangible information about how this switch looks and feels in a predominantly Cisco network. The Tech Field Day participants pleaded for some white papers and/or deployment guides, but none are available at this time. In a somewhat ominous sign, the A-Series presenter mentioned that a design guide had been written, but HP has not yet determined if it would be treated as proprietary information for HP’s services organization.
1) Cisco may have a viable competitor across their networking product line.
What also must be said is that HP is taking a huge risk here. My organization is building a greenfield data center soon. Historically we’ve gone with HP for the majority of our compute power (C-class blade chassis) and Cisco for most of the network components. If HP wants an opportunity to bid for the network side of this project, we’ll also need to open the compute side up to Cisco. All’s fair, right? The issue with this is that the network opportunity is approximately one-third the size of the compute opportunity. HP is effectively risking X for a shot at X * 1.33, while Cisco is risking Y for a shot at 4 * Y.
2) HP’s large services organization could significantly hinder their ability to gain traction in the marketplace.
There are basically two types of resellers in the network marketplace. There are those that compete on price and attempt to shave a few percentage points of margin off every sale, and there are those who make their margins based on consulting or management services that are sold along with networking equipment. My organization generally prefers the former, as we are comfortable with our ability deploy complex networking solutions. Price is usually our deciding factor for equipment purchases, although we have made exceptions for new technology, such as WAN acceleration and Cisco’s ACNS video platform. The problem with utilizing the cheapest provider is that the purchaser and networking equipment vendor has to take responsibility for the network architecture, product selection and installation.
For organizations that have less network know-how, purchasing from resellers that can deliver the installation and management services required is a more attractive option. They can provide network designs and product selection advice. If the reseller has agreements with multiple equipment vendors, they can help determine which vendors' equipment best fits the customer’s needs. As a network engineer, these are the resellers I want to see in the marketplace, because they offer interesting jobs.
So what does this have to do with HP? As mentioned above, HP isn’t sure whether their deployment guides will be released to the general public, or for that matter, even to their resellers. This is ridiculous. If HP wants the world to adopt their product line, they need to do everything possible to educate the engineers responsible for deployments. If HP’s plan is to have their own services organization take the bulk of HP network deployments, they’ll lose all the value-added resellers. Those are the resellers they need the most, since they are the ‘trusted advisors’ for businesses. Without their support, HP will be forced to identify and win every networking deal on their own.
My recent post concerning my Migration from Catalyst to Nexus received a number of interesting and helpful comments. One comment from routerworld caused me to do a bit of research into the “vpc peer-gateway” command. This blog post is a summation of that research.
Hot Standby Routing Protocol is a well-known feature of Cisco IOS. The goal of HSRP is to provide a resilient default-gateway to hosts on a LAN. This is accomplished by configuring two or more routers to share the same IP address and MAC address. Hosts on the LAN are configured with a single default-gateway (either statically or via DHCP).
Upon sending its first packet to another subnet, the host ARPs for the MAC address of the default gateway. It receives an ARP reply with the virtual MAC of the HSRP group. The IP packet is encapsulated in an Ethernet frame with a destination MAC address of the default gateway. If the primary router fails, HSRP keepalives are lost, and the standby HSRP router takes over the virtual IP address and MAC address. The host does not need to know that anything has changed.
In the diagram above, the user (10.1.1.100) is configured with a default-gateway of 10.1.1.1. When the user sends its first packet to 10.5.5.5, it ARPs for 10.1.1.1. In my example, Router A is the HSRP primary router, so it sends an ARP reply with the virtual MAC address of 0000.0c07.AC05. The User PC then encapsulates the IP packet (destination IP=10.5.5.5) in an Ethernet frame with a destination MAC address of 0000.0c07.AC05. Router A accepts the frame and routes the packet.
The above paragraphs tell the story of packets coming from the HSRP-enabled LAN. But what happens to reply packets coming from 10.5.5.5 to 10.1.1.100? The answer is simple, and intuitive if you follow step-by-step. First, the Server creates an IP packet with a destination of 10.1.1.100. It encapsulates it in an Ethernet frame and forwards it to its default gateway (for this example, let’s say it is Router A). Router A strips the Ethernet framing and determines the next hop is on the local subnet 10.1.1.0/24. It encapsulates the packet in an Ethernet frame with a MAC address of 0021.6a98.1952. The source MAC address is the physical MAC address of Router A (0024.F71E.3343). Router A does not use the virtual MAC address for packets it routes onto the local subnet.
Now that we’ve covered HSRP, let’s talk about Virtual Port Channeling (vPC). vPC allows two NX-OS devices to share a port-channel. Attached devices believe that they are connected to a single device via an etherchannel bundle. This is great because it eliminates spanning-tree blocking along parallel paths.
To allow this to work, the paired NX-OS devices use two vpc-specific communication channels. The first is a vpc peer-keepalive message. This heartbeat lets one switch detect when the other has gone off-line, to prevent traffic from being dropped during a failure. These are lightweight hello packets.
The second communication channel is the vpc peer-link. This is a high-speed connection between the two NX-OS switches that is used to stitch together the two sides of the port-channel. If a frame arrives on switch A, but is destined for a host on switch B, it is forwarded across the peer-link for delivery. All things being equal, it is undesirable to forward frames across a vpc peer-link. It is much better for the frame to be sent to the correct switch in the first place. Of course, there’s no way for the attached device to know which path is more appropriate.
In the above example, the User PC is sending an Ethernet frame to the Server. It creates a frame with a destination MAC address of 0033.9328.12A1 and sends it to the L2 Switch. The L2 switch has an entry in his forwarding table indicating that the destination MAC is accessible via the Port-Channel 100 interface. It uses its etherchannel load balancing hash algorithm to determine which physical interface to forward the frame onto. It is equally likely that it will choose the link to Nexus B, even though the more efficient path is to Nexus A (someday TRILL will help us, but for now there is no solution). If the frame is sent to Nexus B, it will forward the frame over the vPC peer-link to Nexus A.
Cisco’s current recommendation is to build the vPC peer-link with multiple dedicated 10GE connections for performance reasons. Cisco also recommends that all devices in a vPC-enabled VLAN be connected to both Nexus switches. In the diagram above, the Server is considered to be a vpc orphan port. This is undesirable, since it requires usage of the vpc peer-link. It also has implications with multicast traffic forwarding.
Now we’ve arrived at the point where we can pull all this information together. In the following diagram, the User PC has been moved to a new VLAN. The user is again trying to communicate with the server.
The User PC ARPs for his default gateway. Nexus A (the HSRP primary) replies with the virtual MAC address of 000.0C07.AC05. The user creates an Ethernet frame with a destination address of the virtual MAC. It then forwards the frame to the L2 Switch. The L2 Switch uses its etherchannel load balancing algorithm to determine the physical link to use. The difference is now that it doesn’t matter which link it uses. The NX-OS switch on the other end will accept and route the packet. In effect, both Nexus switches are HSRP active at the same time. This is eliminates the need to forward Ethernet frames across the vPC peer-link for packets that are destined for other subnets.
What Does “vpc peer-gateway” Do?
If we left everything alone, the story would be complete. Unfortunately, storage vendors thought it would be a good idea to optimize their handling of Ethernet frames. Some NetApp and EMC equipment ignores the ARP reply given by the HSRP primary and instead forwards Ethernet frames to whichever MAC address it receives frames from. This is nonstandard behavior.
Using the diagram above, let’s assume say that the User PC is now a EMC Celera storage device. The Server sends its packets (IP destination 10.1.1.100) to Nexus B, which routes them to the Ethernet LAN. All IP packets with source IP 10.5.5.5 will be encapsulated in Ethernet frames with a source MAC address of 0022.5579.F643. The EMC Celera will cache the source MAC address of these frames, and when it has IP packets to send to 10.5.5.5, it will encapsulate them in Ethernet frames with a destination MAC of 0022.5579.F643. It is choosing to ignore its default gateway for these outbound packets.
I suppose the theory behind this feature was to eliminate the extra hop within the LAN. When HSRP is enabled, it is necessary to disable ICMP redirects. This means that the routers will not inform hosts on the LAN that a better default-gateway is available for a particular destination IP address. This storage feature saves a LAN hop.
Unfortunately, this optimization does not work well with vPC. vPC relies on virtual MAC address sharing to reduce utilization across the vPC peer-link. If hosts insist on addressing their frames to a specific router, suboptimal packet forwarding can occur. According to Cisco, “Packets reaching a vPC device for the non-local router MAC address are sent across the peer-link and could be dropped by the built in vPC loop avoidance mechanism if the final destination is behind another vPC.” At the application level we saw very poor performance due to these dropped packets. Enough of the packets got through to allow access to the storage device, but file load times were measured in the tens of seconds, rather than milliseconds.
The “vpc peer-gateway” allows HSRP routers to accept frames destined for their vPC peers. This feature extends the virtual MAC address functionality to the paired router’s MAC address. By enabling this feature, NX-OS effectively disables the storage vendors’ optimization.
Packets arriving at the peer-gateway vPC device will have their TTL decremented, so packets carrying TTL = 1 may be dropped in transit due to TTL expire. This needs to be taken into account when the peer-gateway feature is enabled and particular network protocols sourcing packets with TTL = 1 operate on a vPC VLAN.
I have yet to face this issue, so my recommendation is to add this to your vpc configuration as a default. | 2019-04-24T04:37:49Z | https://www.jeremyfilliben.com/2010/ |
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6. And Jesses begot David the king. David the king begot Solomon by her who had been the wife of Uriah.
9. Uzziah begot Jotham, Jotham begot Ahaz, Ahaz begot Hezekiah.
10. Hezekiah begot Manasseh, Manasseh begot Amon, Amon begot Josiah.
12. And after they were brought to Babylon, Jeconiah begot Shealtiel, and Sheatiel begot Zerubbabel.
15. Eliud begot Eleazar, Eleazar begot Matthan, Matthan begot Jacob.
17. So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations, from David until the captivity in Babylon are fourteen generations, and from the captivity in Babylon until the Christ are fourteen generations.
19. Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her public example, was minded to put her away secretly.
20. But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.
4. And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.
7. Then Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men, determined from them what time the star appeared.
9. When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was.
10. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy.
11. And when they had come into the house, they saw the star, young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
12. Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way.
16. Then Herod, when he saw that he was deceived by the wise man, was exceedingly angry; and he sent forth and put to death all the male children who were on Bethlehem and in all its districts, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the wise man.
21. Then he arose, took the young Child and His mother, and came into the land of Israel.
22. But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea instead of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And being warned by God in a dream, he turned aside into the region of Galilee.
4. Now John himself was clothed in camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey.
5. Then Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the region around the Jordan went out to him.
6. And were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins.
7. But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
9. And do not think to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones.
10. “And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
11. “I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
13. Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him.
15. But Jesus answered and said to him, “Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he allowed Him.
16. When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him.
1. Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wildness to be tempted by the devil.
2. And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry.
8. Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.
11. Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him.
12. Now when Jesus heard that John had been put in prison. He departed to Galilee.
15. “The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles.
18. And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fisherman.
20. They immediately left their nets and followed Him.
23. And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people.
24. Then His fame went throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all sick people who were afflicted with various diseases and torments, and those who were demon possessed, epileptics, and paralytics; and He healed them.
25. Great multitudes followed Him – from Galilee, and from Decapolis, Jerusalem, and beyond the Jordan.
1. And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him.
4. Blessed are those who mourn, For they shall be comforted.
6. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled.
7. Blessed are the merciful, For they shall obtain mercy.
8. Blessed are the pure in heart, For they shall see God.
9. Blessed are the peacemakers, For they shall be called sons of God.
10. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11. Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake.
12. “Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophet who were before you.
13. “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.
14. “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.
15. “Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lamp-stand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.
16. “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.
17. Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.
18. “For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one title will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.
19. “Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
20. “For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.
22. “But I say to that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’ shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of hell fire.
24. “leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.
25. “Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are in the way with him, lest your adversary deliver you to the judge, the judge hand you over to the officer, and you be thrown into prison.
26. “Assuredly, I say to you, you will by no means get out of there till you have paid the last penny.
28. “But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
29. “If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.
30. “And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.
32. “But I say to you that whoever divorces his wife for any reason except sexual immorality causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery.
35. “nor by the earth, for it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King.
36. “Nor shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black.
37. “But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.
39. “But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.
40. “If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also.
41. “And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two.
42. “Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away.
45. “that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.
46. “For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?
47. “And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so?
48. “Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.
1. “Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven.
2. “Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.
4. “that your charitable deed may be in secret; your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly.
5. “And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.
7. “And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words.
8. Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.
10. Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven.
13. And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one.
For Your is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
14. “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.
15. “But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
16. Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance. For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.
18. “so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.
19. “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal.
20. “but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.
21. “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
22. “The lamp of the body is the eye, If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light.
23. “But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!
24. “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.
30. “Now if God so cloths the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
34. “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
1. “Judge not, that you be not judged.
2. “For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.
3. “And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye?
4. “Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank in your own eye?
5. “Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.
6. “Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces.
7. “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.
8. “For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.
9. “Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will you give him a stone?
10. “Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent?
11. “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!
12. “Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophet.
13. “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it.
14. “Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.
15. “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.
16. “You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles?
17. “Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruits.
18. A good tree that does cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit.
19. “”Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
20. “Therefore by their fruits you will know them.
21. “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.
25. “and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.
3. Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” Immediately his leprosy was cleansed.
8. The centurion answered and said, “Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed.
10. When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, “Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such faith, not even in Israel!
11. “And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.
13. Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you.” And his servant was healed that same hour.
14. Now when Jesus had come into Peter’s house, He saw his wife’s mother lying sick with a fever.
15. So He touched her hand, and the fever left her. And she arose and served them.
18. And when Jesus saw great multitudes about Him, He gave a command to depart to the other side.
23. Now when He got into a boat, His disciples followed Him.
24. And suddenly a great tempest arose in the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves. But He was asleep.
26. But He said to them, “Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?” Then He rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.
28. When He had come to the other side, to the country of the Gergesene, there met Him two demon-possessed men, coming out of the tombs, exceedingly fierce, so that no one could pass that way.
30. Now a good way off from them there was a herd of many swine feeding.
32. And He said to them, “Go.” So when they had come out, they went into the herd of swine. And suddenly the whole herd of swine ran violently down the steep place into the sea, and perished in the water.
33. Then those who kept them fled; and they went away into the city and told everything, including what had happened to the demon-possessed men.
34. And behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus. And when they saw Him, they begged Him to depart from their region.
1. So He got into a boat, crossed over, and came to His own city.
4. But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts?
5. “For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Arise and walk’?
7. And he arose and departed to his house.
8. Now when the multitudes saw it, they marveled and glorified God, who had given such power to men.
10. Now it happened, as Jesus sat at the table in the house, that behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat down with Him and His disciples.
12. When Jesus heard that, He said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.
15. And He said to them, “Can the friends of the bridegroom mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast.
16. “No one puts a piece of un-shrunk cloth on an old garment; for the patch pulls away from the garment, and the tear is made worse.
19. So Jesus arose and followed him, and so did His disciples.
20. And suddenly, a woman who had a flow of blood for twelve years came from behind and touched the hem of His garment.
22. But Jesus turned around, and when He saw her He said, “Be of good cheer, daughter; your faith has made you well.” And the woman was made well from that hour.
24. He said to them, “Make room, for the girl is not dead, but sleeping.” And they ridiculed Him.
25. But when the crowd was put outside, He went in and took her by the hand, and the girl arose.
26. And the report of this went out into all that land.
31. But when they had departed, they spread the news about Him in all that country.
32. But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd.
33. Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few.
1. And when He had called His twelve disciples to Him, He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease.
4. Simon the Cananite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him.
5. These twelve Jesus sent out and commanded them, saying: “Do not go into the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter a city of the Samaritans.
6. “But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
8. “Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely give.
10. “nor bag for your journey, nor two tunics, nor sandals, nor staffs; for a worker is worthy of his food.
11. “Now whatever city or town you enter, inquire who in it is worthy, and stay there till you go out.
12. “And when you go into a household, greet it.
13. “If the household is worthy, let your peace come upon it. But if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you.
14. “And whoever will not receive you nor hear your words, when you depart from that house or city, shake off the dust from your feet.
15. Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!
16. “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.
17. “But beware of men, for they will deliver you up to councils and scourge you in their synagogues.
18. “You will be brought before government and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles.
19. “But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you should speak. For it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak.
20. “for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you.
21. “Now brother will deliver up brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death.
22. “And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved.
23. “When they persecute you in this city, flee to another. For assuredly, I say to you, you will not have gone through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes.
24. “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant his master.
25. “It is enough for a disciple that he be like his teacher, and a servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more will they call those of his household!
26. “Therefore do not fear them. For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known.
27. “Whatever I tell you in the dark, speak in the light; and what you hear in the ear, preach on the housetops.
28. “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
29. “Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will.
30. “But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.
31. “Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.
32. “Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven.
33. “But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.
34. “Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword.
37. “He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.
38. “And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.
39. “He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.
41. “He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward. And he who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward.
5. “The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them.
7. As they departed, Jesus began to say to the multitudes concerning John: “What did you go out into the wilderness? A reed shaken by the wind?
8. “But what did you go out to see? A man clothed in soft garments? Indeed, those who wear soft clothing are in king’s houses.
9. “But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I say to you, and more than a prophet.
11. “Assuredly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.
12. “And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.
13. “For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John.
14. “And if you are willing to receive it, he is Elijah who is to come.
15. “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!
21. “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.
22. “But I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you.
23. “And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades; for if the mighty works which were done in you had been in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.
25. At that time Jesus answered and said, “I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes.
26. “Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight.
27. “All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father. Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.
28. “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
29. “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
4. “how he entered the house of God and ate the showbread which was not lawful for him to eat, nor for those who were with him, but only for the priests?
5. “Or have you not read in the law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath, and are blameless?
6. “Yet I say to you that in this place there is One greater than the temple.
7. “But if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless.
10. And behold, there was a man who had a withered hand. And they asked Him, saying, “Is it lawful to heal in the Sabbath?” – that they might accuse Him.
11. Then He said to them, “What man is there among you who has one sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will you not lay hold of it and lift it out?
13. Then He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he stretched it out, and it was restored as whole as the other.
25. But Jesus knew their thoughts, and said to them: “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand.
26. “If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand?
27. “And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they shall be your judges.
28. “But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you.
29. “Or how can one enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? And then he will plunder his house.
30. “He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad.
31. “Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men.
32. “Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come.
33. “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit.
34. “Brood of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.
35. “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things.
36. “But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment.
Can Jesus Perform a Sign?
39. But He answered and said to them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.
41. “The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here.
42. “The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon is here.
43. “When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none.
44. “Then he says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when he comes, he finds it empty, swept, and put in order.
49. And He stretched out His hand toward His disciples and said, “Here are My mother and My brothers!
2. And great multitudes were gathered together to Him, so that He got into a boat and sat; and the whole multitudes stood on the shore.
3. Then He spoke many things to them in parable, saying; “Behold, a sower went out to sow.
4. “And as he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds came and devoured them.
5. “Some fell on stony places, where they did not have much earth; and they immediately sprang up because they had no depth of earth.
6. “But when the sun was up they were scorched, and because they had no root they withered away.
7. “And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked them.
8. “But others fell on good ground and yielded a crop: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.
11. He answered and said to them, “Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.
12. “For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.
13. “Therefore I speak to them in parable, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.
15. For the hearts of this people have grown dull.
17. “for assuredly, I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.
19. “When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is he who received seed by the wayside.
21. “yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles.
22. “Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful.
25. ‘but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way.
26. “But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared.
37. He answered and said to them: “He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man.
38. “The field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one.
39. “The enemy who sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels.
40. “Therefore as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of this age.
42. “and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
43. “Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father, He who has ears to hear, let him hear!
44. “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
46. “who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.
48. “which, when it was full, they drew to shore; and they sat down and gathered the good into vessels, but threw the bad away.
53. Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished these parables, that He departed from there.
54. When He had come to His own country, He taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished and said, “Where did this Man get this wisdom and these mighty works?
55. “Is this not the carpenter’s son? Is not His mother called Mary? And His brother James, Joses, Simon, and Judas?
58. Now He did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief.
1. At that time Herod the tetrarch heard the report about Jesus.
3. For Herod had laid hold of John and bound him, and put him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife.
5. And although he wanted to put him to death. He feared the multitude. Because they counted him as a prophet.
6. But when Herod’s birthday was celebrated, the daughter of Herodias danced before tem and him as a prophet.
9. And the king was sorry; nevertheless, because of the oaths and because of those who say with him, he commanded it to be given to her.
21. Now these who had eaten were about five thousand men, besides women and children.
24. But the boat was now in the middles of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary.
25. Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus want to them, walking on the sea.
26. And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubles, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out for fear.
29. So He said, “Come.” And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus.
3. He answered and said to them, “Why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition?
6. ‘then he need not honor his father or mother.’ Thus you have made the commandment of God of no effect by your tradition.
And honor Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me.
13. But He answered and said, “Every plant which My heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted.
16. So Jesus said, “Are you also still without understanding?
17. “Do you not yet understand that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and is eliminated?
18. “But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man.
19. “For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies.
28. Then Jesus answered and said to her, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed from that very hour.
30. Then great multitudes came to Him, having with them the lame, blind, mute, maimed, and many others; and they laid them down at Jesus’ feet, and He healed them.
39. And He sent away the multitude, got into the boat, and come to the region of Magdala.
3. “and in the morning, ‘It will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ Hypocrites! You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times.
4. “A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign shall be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.” And He left them and departed.
5. Now when His disciples had come to the other side, they had forgotten to take bread.
8. But Jesus, being aware of it, said to them, “O you of little faith, why do you reason among yourselves because you have brought no bread?
9. “Do you not yet understand, or remember the five loaves of the five thousand and how many baskets you took up?
10. “Nor the seven loaves of the four thousand and how many large baskets you took up?
12. Then they understood that He did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
17. Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.
18. “And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.
20. Then He commanded His disciples that they should tell no one that He was Jesus the Christ.
21. From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day.
24. Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.
25. “For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.
26. “For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?
27. “For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works.
11. Jesus answered and said to them, “Indeed, Elijah is coming first and will restore all things.
15. :Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic and suffers severely; for he often falls into the fire and often into the water.
20. So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.
23. “and they will kill Him, and the third day He will be raised up.” And they were exceedingly sorrowful.
26. Peter said to Him, “From strangers.” Jesus said to him, “Then the sons are free.
3. And said, “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and becomes as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.
4. Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
5. “Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me.
6. “But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea.
7. “Woe to the world because of offences! For offenses must come, but woe to that man by whom the offense comes!
8. “If your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life lame or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet, to be cast into the everlasting fire.
9. “And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire.
10. “Take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that in heaven their angels always see the face of My Father who is in heaven.
11. “For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost.
12. “What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them foes astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine and go to the mountains to seek the one that is straying?
13. “And if he should find it, assuredly, I say to you, he rejoices more over that sheep than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray.
14. “Even so it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.
15. “Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother.
17. “And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church. But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector.
18. “Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.
19. “Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven.
22. Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.
23. “Therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants.
24. “And when he had begun to settle accounts, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents.
25. “But as he was not able to pay, his master commanded that he be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and that payment be made.
27. “Then the master of that servant was moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt.
30. “And he would not, but went and threw him into prison till he should pay the debt.
32. “Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgive you all that debt because you begged me.
34. “And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him.
5. “and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’?
8. He said to them, “Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, permitted you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so.
13. Then little children were brought to Him that He might put His hands on them and pray, but the disciples rebuked them..
23. Then Jesus said to His disciples, “Assuredly, I say to you that, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.
28. So Jesus said to them, “Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
29. “And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name’s sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life.
30. “But many who are first will be last, and the last first.
1. “For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard.
2. “Now when he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard.
3. “And he went out about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the marketplace.
4. “and said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you.’ So they went.
5. “Again he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour, and did likewise.
9. “And when those came who were hired about the eleventh hour, they each received a denarius.
10. “But when the first came, they supposed that they would receive more; and they likewise received each a denarius.
13. “But he answered one of them and said, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius?
14. ‘Take what is yours and go your way. I wish to give to this last man the same as to you.
20. Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Him with her sons, kneeling down and asking something from Him.
24. And when the ten heard it, they were greatly displeased with the two brothers.
25. But Jesus called them to Himself and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it them, and those who are great exercise authority over them.
26. “Yet it shall not be so among you, but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant.
29. Now as they went out of Jericho, a great multitude followed Him.
34. So Jesus had compassion and touched their eyes received sight, and they followed Him.
2. saying to them, “Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Loose them and bring them to Me.
12. Then Jesus went into the temple of God drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those sold doves.
19. And seeing a fig tree by the road, He came to it and found nothing on it but leaves, and said to it, “Let no fruit grow on you ever again.” Immediately the fig tree withered away.
21. So Jesus answered and said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ it will be done.
27. So they answered Jesus and said, “We do not know.” And He said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.
29. “He answered and said, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he regretted it and went.
30. “Then he came to the second and said likewise. And he answered and said, ‘I go, sir,’ but he did not go.
31. “Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said to Him, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you that tax collectors and harlots enter the kingdom of God before you.
32. “For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him; but tax collectors and harlots believed him; and when you saw it, you did not afterward relent and believe him.
33. “Hear another parable: There was a certain landowner who planted a vineyard and set a hedge around it, dug a winepress in it and built a tower. And he leased it to vinedressers and went into a far country.
34. “Now when vintage-time drew near, he sent his servants to the vinedressers, that they might receive its fruit.
36. “Again he sent other servants, more than the first, and they did likewise to them.
39. “So they took him and cast him out of the vineyard and killed him.
43. “Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it.
Who Enters into the Kingdom?
3. “and sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding; and they were not willing to come.
5. “But they made light of it and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his business.
6. “And the rest seized his servants, treated them spitefully, and killed them.
7. “But when the king heard about it, he was furious. And he sent out his armies, destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city.
8. “Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy.
10. “So those servants went out into the highways and gathered together all whom they found, both bad and good. And the wedding hall was filled with guests.
11. “But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment.
12. “So he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless.
16. And they sent to Him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that You are true, and teach the way of God in truth; nor do You care about anyone, for You do not regard the person of men.
18. But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, “Why do you test Me, you hypocrites?
19. “Show Me the tax money.” So they brought Him a denarius.
24. saying: “Teacher, Moses said that if a man dies, having no children, his brother shall marry his wife and raise up offspring for his brother.
25. “Now there were with us seven brothers. The first died after he had married, and having no offspring, left his wife to his brother.
26. “Likewise the second also, and the third, even to the seventh.
27. “Last of all the woman died also.
29. Jesus answered and said to them, “You are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God.
30. “For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels of God in heaven.
38. “This is the first and great commandment.
2. saying: “The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat.
3. “Therefore whatever they tell you to observe, that and do, but do not do according to their works; for they say, and do not do.
4. “For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulder; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.
5. “But all their works they do to be seen by men. They make their phylacteries broad and enlarge the borders of their garments.
8. “But you, do not be called ‘Rabbi’; for One is your Teacher, the Christ, and you are all brethren.
9. “Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven.
10. “And do not be called teachers; for One is your Teacher, the Christ.
11. “But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant.
12. “And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.
13. “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in.
14. “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widows’ house, and for a pretense make ling prayers. Therefore you will receive greater condemnation.
15. “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel land and sea to win one proselyte, and when he is won, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.
17. “Fools and blind! For which is greater, the gold or the temple that sanctifies the gold?
19. “Fools and blind! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that sanctifies the gift?
20. “Therefore he who swears by the altar, swears by it and by all things on it.
21. “He who swears by the temple, swears by it and by Him who dwells in it.
22. “And he who swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God and by Him who sits on it.
23. “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone.
24. “Blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!
25. “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence.
26. “Blind Pharisees, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also.
27. “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness.
28. “Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.
31. “Therefore you are witnesses against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets.
32. “Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers’ guilt.
33. “Serpents, brood of vipers! How can you escape the condemnation of hell?
35. “that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar.
36. “Assuredly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation.
37. “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!
1. Then Jesus went out and departed from the temple, and His disciples came up to show Him the building of the temple.
4. And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you.
5. “For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many.
6. “And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
7. “For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places.
8. “All these are the beginning of sorrows.
9. “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake.
10. “And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another.
11. “Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many.
12. “And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.
13. “But he who endures to the end shall be saved.
14. “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.
16. “then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.
17. “Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house.
18. “And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes.
19. “But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days!
20. “And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath.
21. “For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be.
22. “And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened.
23. “Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There!’ do not believe it.
24. “For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.
25. “See, I have told you beforehand.
26. “Therefore if they say to you, ‘Look, He is in the desert!’ do not go out; or ‘Look, He is in the inner rooms!’ do not believe it.
27. “For as the lightning comes from the east and flashed to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.
28. “For wherever the carcass is, there the eagles will be gathered together.
29. “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heaven will be shaken.
30. “Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
31. “And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
32. “Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch had already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near.
33. “So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near – at the doors!
34. “Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place.
35. “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.
36. “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.
37. “But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.
39. “and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.
40. “Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left.
41. “Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left.
42. “Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming.
43. “But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into.
44. “Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.
45. “Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season?
46. “Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing.
47. “Assuredly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all his goods.
51. “and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
1. “Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.
2. “Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish.
4. “but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.
5. “But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept.
7. “Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps.
10. “And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut.
13. “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.
14. “For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them.
15. “And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey.
16. “Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents.
17. “And likewise he who had received two gained two more also.
18. “But he who had received one went and dug in the ground, and hid his lord’s money.
19. “After a long time the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them.
24. “Then he who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed.
26. “But his lord answered and said to him, ‘You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed.
27. ‘So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest.
28. ‘Therefore take the talent from him, and five it to him who had ten talents.
29. ‘For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away.
31. “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory.
32. “All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats.
33. “And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left.
37. “Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink?
38. ‘When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You?
39. ‘Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?
7. a woman came to Him having an alabaster flask of very costly fragrant oil, and she poured it on His head as He say at the table.
8. But when His disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, “Why this waste?
10. But when Jesus was aware of it, He said to them, “Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a good work for Me.
11. “For you have the poor with you always, but Me you do not have always.
12. “For in pouring this fragrant oil on My body, she did it for My burial.
13. “Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her.
15. and said, “What are you willing to give me if I deliver Him to you?” And they counted out to him thirty pieces of silver.
23. He answered and said, “He who dipped his hand with Me in the dish will betray Me.
27. Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you.
28. “For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.
34. Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you that this night, before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.
35. Peter said to Him, “Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You!” And so said all the disciples.
40. Then He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “What? Could you not watch with Me one hour?
49. Immediately he went up to Jesus and said, “Greeting, Rabbi!” and kissed Him.
50. But Jesus said to him, “Friend, why have you come?” Then they came and laid hands on Jesus and took Him.
51. And suddenly, one of those who were with Jesus stretched out his hand and drew his sword, struck the servant of the high priest, and cut off his eat.
52. But Jesus said to him, “Put your sword in its place, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword.
53. “Or do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He will provide Me with more than twelve legions of angels?
55. In that hour Jesus said to the multitudes, “Have you come out, as against a robber, with swords and clubs to take Me? I sat daily with you, teaching in the temple, and you did not seize Me.
56. “But all this was done that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled.” Then all the disciples forsook Him and fled.
58. But Peter followed Him at a distance to the high priest’s courtyard. And he went in and sat with the servants to see the end.
65. Then the high priest tore his clothes, saying, “He has spoken blasphemy! What further need do we have of witnesses? Look, now you have heard His blasphemy!
74. Then he began to curse and swear, saying, “I do not know the Man!” Immediately a rooster crowed.
75. And Peter remembered the word of Jesus who had said to him, “Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” So he went out and wept bitterly.
7. And they consulted together and bought with them the potter’s field, to bury strangers in.
8. Therefore that field had been called the Field of Blood to this day.
15. Now at the feast the governor was accustomed to releasing to the multitude one prisoner whom they wished.
18. For he knew that they had handled Him over because of envy.
42. “He saved others; Himself He cannot save. If He is the King of Israel, let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe Him.
51. Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split.
53. and coming out of the graves after His resurrection , they went into the holy city and appeared to many.
56. among whom were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee’s sons.
4. And the guards shook for fear of him, and his became like dead men.
5. But the angel answered and said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified.
6. “He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.
9. And as they went to tell His disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, “Rejoice!” So they came and held Him by the feet and worshiped Him.
18. And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.
20. “teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen. | 2019-04-20T18:19:24Z | http://orthodoxincheon.or.kr/st%20matthew%20in%20english%20antonios.htm |
Terra Trevor’s guest post last week and the follow-on comments from readers really got me thinking about what I wear at home and how I feel about it. I’ve written quite a bit about how our wardrobes should suit our actual lifestyles instead of imagined or wished for lives. However, for some reason, when I’ve thought about my own wardrobe and lifestyle, I really only took my “out and about” activities into consideration. I mostly left my at-home life out of the equation and have rarely addressed this topic on the blog thus far.
What do you wear when you’re at home?
Such an omission might make sense for someone who is rarely at home and spends the majority of her time at an office and engaging in after hours and weekend socializing. This type of woman may not really need to give much attention to what she wears at home. A few pairs of pajamas or nightgowns may be all she really needs. But that is not my life at all.
There are no rights or wrongs in regards to at-home wear. Some people like to wear business clothes in their home offices, while others find they can be just as productive working in their pajamas. We all need to determine what works best for us in terms of our comfort, aesthetic preferences, and activities. These are the same considerations we should keep in mind for all areas of our wardrobes.
This post addresses my unique at-home situation, as well as my recent musings on what is and isn’t working for me. It’s my hope that my insights will be interesting and meaningful to you as you consider what you do or don’t want to wear at home.
For the most part, I haven’t worked in an office since 2000. Over the past 15 years, I’ve worked from home as an employee, independent contractor, or entrepreneur. At times I’ve worked full-time, at times I’ve worked part-time, and sometimes I haven’t worked much at all. My jobs have varied substantially, but the common denominator is that I’ve spent a large proportion of my time at home for many, many years now. In fact, it’s safe to say that for most of those years, I’ve spent over two-thirds of my life at home – and lately it’s been even more.
Until recently, when I’ve been at home, I’ve almost exclusively worn what I’ve considered “lounge wear.” Some people have asked what that term means and there is no absolute definition that I can provide. “Lounge wear” can encapsulate anything from pajamas to workout wear to clothing that is specifically marketed for that purpose (as one example, here’s what Nordstrom includes in their lounge category). To make things even more confusing, some people basically downgrade worn out “regular” clothes to lounge wear, including things like jeans and other casual wear.
Examples of the “lounge wear” items I wore for many years.
In contrast to the rest of my wardrobe, the cost-per-wear for my lounge wear items has generally been very low. I never spent much money on these pieces because I didn’t place strong importance on them. I didn’t really try to have my at-home clothing “spark joy” in my heart. I considered my lounge / workout items to be “serviceable” instead of fashionable. I didn’t want to “waste” too much money on these items because I wanted to spend the bulk of my clothing budget on my “regular” clothes, those garments I wore out and about and around other people.
It’s not that I looked like a total slob at home. I always showered, put on make-up, and made sure I looked reasonably presentable. I was never embarrassed to open the door to the UPS delivery man or any other rare visitors who happened to drop by. I didn’t think I looked terrible, yet I didn’t think I looked good, either. My at-home wardrobe has always been fairly utilitarian – functional but not at all exciting.
When I posted about my “wardrobe benchwarmers” last year, several readers suggested that I start wearing those pieces at home. Surprisingly, I had never considered doing that before! I let the majority of my wardrobe gather dust in my closet while I wore the same rather blah lounge wear day after day. If I did venture away from home, it was usually only for a few hours at a time, at which point I painstakingly selected the pieces for my outfits. Those were the clothes I cared about, the ones that I’d shopped for in order to present a positive image to the world.
I’m sure many of you can see the irony in the “tried and true” wardrobe approach I used for many years. I spent the bulk of my budget on things that rarely got worn and almost no money on the garments that I put on each and every day. I can see the pure folly in it now, yet I gave it virtually no thought for well over a decade!
After the readers’ comments last year, I made some changes. I started wearing more of my “regular” tops at home, especially during the cooler months. Many of my casual knit tops started to see a lot more wear with this new approach. While I continued to wear the same pants and slippers as I had previously, I was happy to be bringing more of my clothes into regular rotation. I also felt more attractive and well put together and better about how I looked overall. That one small change made a big difference.
Yet I still didn’t give much thought to my at-home wardrobe. It wasn’t until I exchanged email with Terra that I realized I was still doing things all wrong. Terra and I have very similar lifestyles. We both live in casual Southern California beach communities and we both spend most of our time at home. When Terra revealed that her largest wardrobe capsule is for at-home wear, a lightbulb lit up inside my head.
In her post last week, Terra expressed her deep happiness and satisfaction about what she wears at home. She also mentioned that she can easily make a few quick changes to be ready to walk out the door for pretty much all of her “out and about” activities. Unlike me, she doesn’t have to change her entire outfit and agonize over what to put on when she leaves the house. I found myself wanting what Terra has, and it’s really time!
I know it won’t happen overnight, but I want my wardrobe to better reflect my current lifestyle. Although there is a part of me that wants my lifestyle to change, the truth is that I’m not sure when that will happen. I continue to struggle with a lot of health challenges that limit what I’m able to do and I need to accept that. I do the best I can, but the reality is that I am at home most of the time. Since that’s the case, why not devote more time, attention, and money to the clothes I wear at home?
Now that I’ve seen the light about my at-home wardrobe, I’m more willing to buy higher quality “lounge wear” and wear a greater percentage of what used to be my “out and about” clothing when I’m at home. I love bright colors, stripes, and prints, so those are the types of things I want to wear at home. I also love comfortable, cozy fabrics and clothes that stay in place, rather than fussy, flimsy pieces that have to be adjusted over and over and don’t wash or wear well. I now want the clothes I wear at home to “spark joy” just as much as the garments in the rest of my wardrobe.
I’ve also discovered that the ritual of self-care, and dressing in a manner that uplifts us, even when we are alone, especially when we are alone, makes it far easier to get dressed and look our best when we are preparing ourselves to go to work, or a social event. If we feel good about our appearance most of the time while we are at home, it provides a smoother transition when we get “dressed” to go out in public.
I no longer want to hold an ugly duckling point of view or place undue pressure on myself to be a beautiful swan every time I step outside the door. What I long for is a sense of balance, and I feel I’m well on my way thanks to Terra!
I need to give this all some more thought and analysis (you know I love my numbers…), so I’m sure I will write more about this topic moving forward. For now, I just wanted to share my recent insights and open up more discussion on this important subject. Stay tuned for more insights and conclusions as time goes by!
I know that many of you chimed on with your thoughts on at-home wear in response to Terra’s post. But I welcome any additional feedback here, either about what I have written or about your own at-home wear.
As one commenter recently wrote to Terra, this topic is rarely discussed by bloggers and fashion experts. But it’s very important that we consider it and determine what works best for us. If you’ve settled upon an at-home wear formula that works for you, please share it with us. And if you are still working it through and have questions, feel free to post them. I love the discussions we have here and I find your thoughts and insights very helpful. In fact, many of my future posts are inspired by reader comments, so keep them coming!
I was recently interviewed for an article in Artefact Magazine called, “The Hidden Life of a Shopaholic.” Click here to read it. By the way, the photo in the article is not recent. My closet is not nearly as packed anymore (but I still love stripes).
If any of you have read my most recent book, “End Closet Chaos,” and found it helpful, I could really use some additional reviews on Amazon. Books with more reviews have increased visibility and are more readily purchased. Just a few sentences can really make a difference! Click here if you want to leave a review (I also welcome reviews for my first book, “UnShopping”). Thanks so much!
This entry was posted in Behavior & Psychology, Personal Style, Wardrobe Management. Bookmark the permalink.
Debbie, like you, I have primarily worked at home for a very long time, for me its been almost 20 years. I always felt I was a pioneer of the work-at-home movement! I have been self-employed in some capacity since 1987, when I first went on my own as a freelance illustrator.
My visual communications business is now part time to my “real” job as marketing manager for a wireless communications business. I am now essentially a mobile worker, in that while I spend some time in the office, most of my time is spent working from my home office and telecommuting with my coworkers.
What does that mean for how I dress?Even though I work at home, the environment is like an office during business hours because I have a constant flow of employees in and out of my house. My disabled mother has a home health care aide, often employees from our office will stop by my house to discuss things, or I have people coming to work on the properties. Its a very active place during the day.
So I dress at home like I was going to work. I’ve been doing this for so long, its second nature. I have to remind myself I don’t have to do this on the weekends–that I can be totally casual if I so choose! My style has evolved so that my work look easily morphs into a more leisurely look. I’m one of those people who gets dressed in the morning and then doesn’t think about my clothes unless they are bothering me for some reason. I don’t give much thought to what I look like for the rest of the day once I’ve gotten myself ready. One of the requirements for my clothes is that they have to fit well and be comfortable enough not to interfere with my thought processes once I get to work in the morning. For me work and home are so blended–I’m like your typical “live above the store” personality.
I guess we were both pioneers in working from home, Deby! I first did it when I moved from Colorado to Lake Tahoe and started working remotely. The technology was really sketchy back then (late 2000), but I managed to make it work. From the beginning, I always wore lounge / workout type clothes in my home office, though. What’s always been different for me is that I never met with anyone in my home office or had anyone drop by. All of my contacts were always via phone or email and all of my meetings happened in other locations. I think I just got into the habit of not having my home wear matter, but it was a bad habit. What I’m trying to do now is have more crossover in terms of what I wear at home and what I wear out. I’m also trying to shift my overall style into more comfortable and less fussy clothes, like what you described in response to Terra’s post. I think I didn’t consider comfort enough when I was out and about and considered it too much at home, so I’m striving for balance now. I’d also like to get dressed in the morning and not think about my clothes unless they are bothering me. And if they are bothering me, then they probably need to be passed on!
I think the types of separates you choose is similar in many ways to what I wear daily, speaking in terms of pants, tops, jackets and cardigans. Not so much with the skirts, unless its spring/summer here–otherwise its too cold for skirts. You prefer a fuller leg pant to my preference for a skinny leg style, and I seem to have a wider range of colors than you in my pants. You and I share a common theme in our styles of cardigans. I will layer a top under a cardigan as you do, and the silhouettes of your tops are similar to mine, unless I’m wearing a tunic top. Since I wear skinny pants, I usually wear a tunic top or a long cardigan.
What I’m trying to get to here is that you already have the essential elements of a business casual work at home wardrobe from what I have seen. You should just wear your clothes during your business hours and then change them when its time to wind down, even if you don’t leave the house. Dressing for work everyday even though I may not work outside the house puts me in a different headspace where I feel professional. I don’t get that feeling if I’m sitting around in pjs or workout clothes. Its just not the same, even though its all in your head.
I strongly agree, and often do this as well. Yet as a writer, when I am deep into writing, and meeting deadlines, or simply deep into the process of working on a manuscript it becomes all about the structure of my day and being comfortable as possible for very long hours at my computer, and has less to do with what I am wearing.
Terra, a lot of my job involves writing and I find I can get in the groove better if I’ve taken the time to get myself together first.
Good points, Deby. You’re right that I don’t have a lot of variety in my pants colors. They’re so difficult for me to find! But I am moving more toward slimmer pants, at least part of the time. I just find it hard to sit all day in most of the pants I have, so I need to find some more comfortable options. I’ve been wearing my “regular” tops and cardigans at home more and feeling more put together and attractive as a result. I never sit around in pajamas and don’t wear true workout clothes anymore, either. I feel pretty good in what I’m wearing more of the time now, but still would like to make some improvements.
Your at-home clothes sound like they fit your life well, Mary. I can’t hang out in nightwear, either. I never put pajamas on until after 9 pm and I take them off after I eat breakfast in the morning. I’m working to be more realistic about what clothes suit my lifestyle and I’m striving to have less of a dividing line between what I wear at home and what I wear outside the home. It’s taking me some time to figure it all out, but I’m on my way.
A fantastic post Debbie and one that has fascinated me for a while whenever I read the term ‘lounge wear’. It’s not a term that’s really in use in Australia, although our at-home clothes certainly fall into this category.
For many years, I wore older clothes I didn’t necessarily like around the house and it never occurred to me it was worth dressing up when it was only me or family who were going to see me. Then I had an epiphany: dressing well for myself and my family was MORE important than dressing up for people outside my home!
Since then, I’ve developed a comfortable, stylish collection of clothes, most of which can be worn ANYWHERE. With minor changes, I can wear my clothes at home, to work (dressy casual office code) or to a party. I do keep small capsules of clothes suitable for cleaning the house in, or for fancy events, etc, so these occasions are catered for as well.
I recently wrote a post about how I consider my entire wardrobe as a set of different capsules. And I’m happy to say, the bulk of my clothes can be worn most days, no matter what I’m doing.
I live in Australia and was also fascinated by the lounge wear concept. I share the same ideas as you just keeping a dressier capsule for the more formal events I occasionally attend. When I buy a piece of clothing I have to think of three different ways to wear it including a more dressed up variation. Clothes must be comfortable and not have to be adjusted during the day which does make them able to be ” lounged” in. It is interesting to read everybody’s point of view. Love reading your blog Debbie.
I love what you had to say, Kim, and I also really enjoyed your post on multiple capsule wardrobes (I see you’re another fan of Marie Kondo!). This one line that you wrote above is SO right on and hit home for me: “Dressing well for myself and my family was MORE important than dressing up for people outside my home!” This is so true and I think a lot of people don’t consider this. I know I didn’t for such a long time. I am aiming to get to where you are now, with a comfortable and stylish collection of clothes that can be worn anywhere. I was already closer than I thought, but I had to shift my mindset a bit in terms of types of clothes. This is something I’m going to continue to work on and I’m sure I will write about it again. Thanks for sharing your insights.
Di, it’s interesting that “lounge wear” isn’t really a thing in Australia. I like what you wrote about wearing things 3 ways and having all clothes be comfortable enough to lounge in. Very good points!
I agree that it’s worth it to spend some time getting ready, Cornelia, even when we’re going to be at home all day. I know I feel better about myself when I take the time (which is every day unless I’m really sick). I have also noticed that it takes more effort as I’ve been getting older, but the self-discipline is important here, as in all areas of life. I’m glad you’re still enjoying my blog, as you’ve been around since close to the beginning!
I too usually get dressed in the morning based on my plans for that day and then wear that outfit all day long. I may adjust it in the evening if I am going out or change shoes or lose/gain a layer.
I have a few special items I wear when exercising, heavy housework/painting or colouring my hair, but I change into ‘real’ clothes once I am done.
I got a chuckle out of your bra comment, Mary! Your getting dressed philosophy sounds very practical and easy. I think it’s a good idea to wear the clothes we love as much as possible. For those of us who don’t get out as much, that means wearing them at home. I don’t know why I never thought of that before!
Since you are a numbers girl you might consider how much time you spend in each activity and locale and divide that into a wardrobe percentage that you can apply to your closet. I bet the 80/20 is inverted as you suspect. We work so hard to dress well when we first have an interest in the men in our lives, and them we deteriorate our look after that. We say that family and friends are the most important in our live and yet we dress the worst in their presence. I have recently begun to consider what I wear in the lounge category for this reason and adjusting my at home capsule.
Very good comment, Kathy. I think the 80/20 rule was definitely at play for me until I started wearing more of my “regular” clothes at home. The percentages are probably much better now, but I haven’t done the math yet (but maybe I should). I agree that we shouldn’t dress like slobs around our families. I don’t think I ever looked sloppy, but some of my at-home clothes were not all that great. I’m doing better now, but there is still room for improvement. But the fact that we’re considering these things is a very important first step!
I can identify with this– I love to dress up, or at least nicely with some style, even at home, and none of the rest of my family really cares about style. I have to laugh because they are always like, why are you wearing that? Why are you wearing jewelry? Are you going somewhere? Um maybe I just take pride in my appearance! Such a difference in perspective. I don’t understand how my sister shows up for Christmas in track pants and a shapeless t-shirt…. sigh.
The way your sister dresses is how many people dress around here, Sarah. I’m constantly viewed as “dressed up” here, but I like to feel more put together. I’m not a jeans, t-shirt, and flip-flops kind of person and I never will be. We all need to be true to ourselves. I think that those who dress like slobs sometimes feel uncomfortable around those of us who take care with our appearance. So they make comments and try to get us to tone the way we dress or fix ourselves up down. That’s their issue. I think we should continue to do what makes us feel good, which is individual to all of us.
Tara, I’m sorry your husband doesn’t make the same effort to look good for you. Sadly, I think that happens a lot. But I’m glad you’re still doing what feels right and good for you!
Hello! I’ve been thinking on this topic long and hard since reading the guest post, and I have to agree- it’s a damn shame I’ve neglected this side of things as much as I have. The moment I get home, I change into my ‘lounge’ wear- most of which I wouldn’t want to be caught dead in by anyone other than my immediate family. It’s so hard to imagine that I would not care about what I wear at home, where I am a role-model for my daughter and a wife to a wonderful husband who deserves to see me in a better light than the haggard, stained mom that I look like after taking my wonderful business clothing off! I’m going to make an effort starting now, and make updating my at-home wardrobe a priority. I ordered a few things thanks to a great sale at WHBM- many items are $19.99 and were combine-able with a coupon. I still have a hard time SPENDING money on that section of my wardrobe, but it amuses me immensely to think I can wear a $90 sweater at home for lounging in at a fraction of the cost. I also don’t plan to add many things- maybe I’ll do the 5-piece wardrobe (20 total) for my lounge wear as well to keep my shopping in check.
I failed to mention that I will most likely always have separate capsules, unlike many of you folk. I have a toddler and cook nearly every night, and I always manage to get pretty dirty. I have clothing in such small amounts (for me!) that staining something I love is just not an option :). I can see in the future having some crossover from my casual capsule and my at-home wear, but never or almost never into the business clothes.
When my kids were little I used to wear jeans, shoes or sandals, and a nice v-neck t shirt. I kept an apron on all day over it so I would not get dirty or stained, and if I had to run out on an errand, I could just take it off and I looked ok. I never wore white. These days it is not much different.
Sounds like a great strategy, Lana. Maybe aprons need to come back into vogue. I remember my mom wearing one when I was a kid, but I never wear one myself. But why not? I serves a great purpose and some aprons are actually pretty cute, too.
I think it’s great that you’re already in action on this, Meli. I loved reading your most recent post on this topic. I can see how there will always be some separation between your work and at-home wardrobes. In your situation, it really makes good sense. I think your plan to upgrade the clothes you wear at home is the best way to go. In my life, there should be much more crossover and I’ve gradually been moving in that direction. It all starts with an attitude adjustment. I look forward to seeing how this project goes for you. You’ve made such excellent progress in other areas that I’m sure you’ll do great here as well!
I wanted to add that I still struggle to spend money on my at-home wear, too, but I’m gradually coming around to it. In my case, I really should since I’m at home so much. It takes time for us to adjust our attitudes, though. I think the approach you’re taking makes good sense. I hope the items you ordered work out well for you!
Debbie, in addition to my designated “at-home wear” I also wear clothing from my “sports wear” and “nice wear” capsules at home, depending upon what I will be doing. My home/work lifestyle near the beach in a canyon area includes much dirty work. But if I lived/worked in an apartment or condo I would wear my nicest clothing at home on a more regular basis. Based on my current life I think of my at-home wear as my “regular clothes.” The big different between my at-home wear and my smart casual/nice clothing is that my at-home wear is machine washable. Whereas my smart casual/nice wear is either hand washed in cold water, or on the delicate cycle in cold water, and hung to dry, or dry-cleaned. But the bottom line for me, no matter where I am or who I’m with, is to include clothing that makes my heart sing and brings joy.
Oh, I guess sports wear is not the right word, I don’t wear exercise-wear at home. I meant my sporty nice casual clothing. Casual Eileen Fisher type of wear.
That’s why I wish E.F. wasn’t so expensive. Many pieces in her line can be worn for very casual, smart casual, or dressed up. It covers all the bases. Alas. I’m lucky enough to have a few pieces. And fortunately I’m into being minimal because at those prices, even on sale, a few is all I can have!
I think that thinking of home wear as your “regular” clothes makes perfect sense for you, Terra. It would be a great attitude adjustment for me to think that, too! I think I’m going to shift how I do my accountability and LIWI updates and closet inventories with that in mind. One thing I have done is designated workout clothes and have stopped wearing them for non-workout activities. Some of “lounge” pants could be worn for workout, too, but it’s helping me to separate the two categories as I shift my attitude and practices for dressing at home. My next goal is to get more sporty nice casual clothing, but that will be a gradual process. Thanks again for getting me thinking in a new way about this important topic!
I wanted to add one thing here. I have gotten into the practice of wearing my nicer tops at home on cooler days, but not so much when it gets hot. We don’t have air conditioning and I get hot easily on warmer days. I think that as the hot weather approaches (hopefully it won’t be as crazy as last year!), I need to add some appropriate things to wear at home during that time. I like the idea of cotton sundresses for summer home wear. That is what I’m going to aim for, I think.
We also do not have AC and it can get hot depending on whether we have an on shore or off shore breeze. I also prefer cotton sundresses to wear at home but they are hard to find, especially in a 2 petite. Let me know if you find a good source for affordable sundresses in a fabric that breathes.
I have AC but am too cheap to turn it on unless the outside temp hits 90˚. I have ceiling fans in every room. To augment them, I have several floor fans with rotary grilles that swoop the air around the room and cool it down quite satisfactorily. If you have not heard of these types of fans, you should look into them. They are efficient.
I haven’t heard of those types of fans, but they sound great. I will definitely check into them, especially if we have another summer like last summer!
I will, Terra. I know that small petites can be hard to find, just like talls. Perhaps someone else will chime in here as well. But if I see anything that looks good, I will definitely let you know.
Now that I am often working from home I am really cautious about getting into a loungewear rut. Summer is easy because I really like cotton sundresses and usually wear them any time office clothes aren’t needed. I haven’t been able to find a winter equivalent yet; I’ve stuck to mostly jeans and sweaters, or jeans with a tee and cardigan, but I don’t like it quite as much because jeans almost daily gets quite boring.
I also try not to buy workout gear that would double for slightly-better-than-sweats clothes. So, no yoga pants (I don’t do yoga) or comfortable cotton tees for me. Instead I stick with performance-focused clothing that would be ever so slightly uncomfortable to wear around the house for a full day. That works to dissuade me from grabbing them when I’m not planning on going to the gym.
Sounds like you have a really good strategy in place, Sara. I’m trying to separate my workout clothes more from what I wear at home, too, although most of my workout clothes are still pretty comfortable. I love the idea of wearing cotton sundresses at home during the summer, so I’m going to keep my eyes open for such things. I was looking for dresses at the mall recently and they all looked so dressy or corporate. Maybe as more summer stock comes into the stores, there will be better casual options to choose from. I don’t like to wear jeans at home all day long. Maybe I would if they were more comfortable, so perhaps I just have the wrong types of jeans. My situation is tricky, though, due to nerve problems I have in my legs. I’m fine with wearing knit pants at home, as long as they are better quality and things I’d also be open to wearing out of the house.
I am lucky because my office is casual, most people wear jeans and tees everyday. I tend to dress more put together than everyone else though. And so my at home wear is usually the same as one of my work outfits, with the exception of having a few pieces I think are too “revealing” for at work, and I reserve those for my days off. I have never been one to go around the house in stained or holey items, all my pjs are in great condition and again, even on days off I get dressed for the day and only put on pjs after I have showered for the evening. I think a lot after reading your articles and I realized last week that the area I have neglected is my bras and underwear. I guess because no one else sees them I didn’t want to spend money on those instead of tops, pants, shoes or jewelry. And it wasn’t only ones that were worn out but so many were uncomfortable but I felt guilty throwing them away. Weird, I know. I have decided to dress for myself more than for other people, which is what the at home wear article is all about. From now on everything including underwear must be comfortable or its going! I have really been going thru my undies and have thrown away so many. And I have also replaced all my old bras with new, comfortable ones. Instead of buying “pretty” items that are scratchy and pokes me I will now value comfort first. I wonder if that would be a good post topic or am I the only one who used to only buy new underthings like every two years?
I’ve been one to neglect bras and underwear, too, Laura. I have gotten better in this regard, especially with bras, but there is still room for improvement. I’m making a point of immediately removing uncomfortable underwear and throwing them in the garbage (when I’m at home, of course). I used to just “settle,” but I’ve realized that it’s hard to love an outfit when my undergarments are sub-par. It can really skew our view of the whole picture. I think this could be a good post topic, as I’m sure you and I are not alone. I have mentioned undergarments in my posts here and there, but perhaps a full post on the subject is in order. I think it’s important for EVERYTHING we wear to be at least an “8” or higher and that includes underwear, bras, pajamas, and workout wear as well as our “regular” clothes!
Here here! I renew my supply of bras and underwear regularly and spend money on good quality, attractive items that hold up well. If your underclothes are uncomfortable or not fitting properly, you won’t look or feel your best. It really is worth it.
When I’m at home I wear yoga pants/leggings and sweatshirts in the winter and shorts and t-shirts in the summer. Everything needs to be machine wash and tumble dry. I tend to spend my time doing things like yard work, cooking, painting, and cleaning so I don’t want to mess with hand wash only. I don’t wear makeup at home (It only takes me about 2 minutes to put it on if I need to go out) and I let my hair dry naturally to give it a break from styling tools.
I know I don’t feel good if I stay in my pajamas all day or if I skip a shower and throw my uncombed hair into a clip. Everything I have is stain and hole free. What I have seems appropriate for what I’m doing and it’s comfortable. I don’t feel bad about it, so I think I’ll keep doing what I’m doing.
I think the types of activities we do at home should govern what we wear, Tonya. In your case, if it doesn’t feel broken, then why fix it?! If everything you wear is in good shape and you’re happy with it, more power to you. I don’t think I will ever wear “business clothes” at home and there will probably always be SOME separation between what I wear at home and what I wear for out and about activities. But I am mostly sitting in front of a computer all day, so I can wear some nicer clothes. I will probably always hesitate to wear hand wash or dry clean garments at home, but then again, I’m hesitating to even buy such things these days. I want my wardrobe to be easy to care for and comfortable to wear. Comfortable is sometimes looked at as a bad word by stylists and style aficionados, but that’s probably because to lots of people it means wearing very sloppy clothing. It’s definitely possible to look stylish and attractive AND be comfortable physically and that’s what I’m aiming for at this point. As an aside, I really need to adopt your make-up and hair routine. I’m FAR too high-maintenance!
Hello! I especially liked this post because of the self-awareness you generously shared with us. It’s very inspiring to see you grow right here in front of us. Very courageous of you too. I would have difficulty putting myself out there in a blog before I felt I had fully ‘mastered’ my topic. But probably by then, I would no longer be interested in maintaining a blog about it! Anyhow, kudos to you.
What you said about loungewear helped me fully realize what it is about my recent forays in closet editing that I found most satisfying. For the very first time in my life, I feel that I have finally arrived at a something like a functional, comfortable, ‘my style’ and cohesive wardrobe made up of just enough pieces to allow for fun without overwhelming me.
It all began with a 30$ gift card I received this last Christmas from my sister-in-law. The gift card was for Simons, a well-known upmarket small chain here in Quebec, Canada. I went to the store in January to spend the card, but after the holidays, I did not want to spend more money. Simons is like a modern Selfridges : it has every type of clothes and accessories that you can imagine : office, casual, teen, lingerie, pajamas, coats, bags, scarves, you name it. Within each category, the choice is abundant. Its stores are as large as department stores, but actually nice, with clever staging and lavish architecture. The one near my house even has a couture section featuring runway clothes. Nevertheless, I was resolved to go in there and spend only the 30$ from the gift card — you can imagine the challenge and the temptations.
My plan was to stick to the loungewear, pyjamas, socks and lingerie departments seeing as these sport the less expensive items and would incur less temptation. I said to myself : just have some fun, it’ll be loungewear so it doesnt have to fit in with the rest of your wardrobe. So I did, and I came home with some very nice loungewear and the cutest bra I had ever seen, all for 35$ (it was sale season). It was the first time in my life that I bought such ”unimportant” or ”low-status” things during sale season. I usually go for, and use my money on, flashy and expensive tops or bottoms that are marked down quite a lot.
Over the following couple of weeks I noticed I was wearing my new pieces all the time. Only then did I make the important realization : for the first time in my life I had bought dedicated loungewear. Also, for the first time in my life, I had bought a bra because I really liked it, and not because it was ”a bra that I need to wear under this type of top’. And lo and behold, I was feeling uplifted while going about my house chores. I spend most of my time at home, so it was a noticeable improvement in my life. But this was just the start : it triggered a cascade for wardrobe uplifts.
Before what I call my ‘loungewear evolution’, I had downgraded to loungewear some clothes that I did not like enough to put in my regular going-out-of-the-house wardrobe. As a result I often ended up spending my day in pyjamas because I was not thrilled by my house clothes and I had this silly, unconscious notion that wearing my nicer clothes around the house was impractical. I would often change into clothes just before my partner was due to come back from work. I was embarrassed by this even though nobody knew. I realize now that the stress of being ‘caught’ in pajamas was sapping my energy, concentration and general well-being.
Since then, I started wearing my more comfortable nice tops at home, and almost all of the clothes I bought for spring were bought with the revolutionary idea that they will be both nice as outing clothes and yet comfy and practical enough that I will want to put them on at home.
Bottom line : from this I learned that while we’re all trying to downsize and declutter our closets, sometimes adding a new piece that sparks joy *before* removing other stuff provides a benchmark against which to compare our old clothes and makes the whole process of eliminating clothes more obvious, less painful and way faster.
Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful success story with us, Zoe! It brought a smile to my face to read about your evolution in terms of lounge wear and your wardrobe at large. You’ve made great strides as a result of that $30 gift card! I can tell that you are feeling much happier at home these days and I can relate. It’s amazing how small changes can really make a big difference. What you wrote at the end was a very good point. Sometimes we do have more strength to downsize our wardrobes after we bring in a piece of two that “sparks joy.” This is in line with my philosophy of wearing my favorite clothes when I shop. I aim to only buy things that I like at least as much as what I have on. I’ve saved myself quite a few mistakes since I started that practice. I think I might share your tip in a future post, as it might really be a breakthrough for some people. One can also take their favorite EXISTING wardrobe pieces and contrast them against the lesser items that they’re hanging on to. It’s like Bridgette Raes’ excellent question: “Under what circumstances would you wear that item over something else that you like much better in your closet?” (paraphrasing, but that’s the gist of it) In some cases for myself, I realized that I would ALWAYS wear my preferred piece, so why hang on to the sub-standard items?
I’ve been looking into options that are “sneaky” – like pants that look fancy but are stretchy, stuff like that. An ad keeps popping up on my Facebook feed for dress yoga pants – I think they are essentially ponte pants cut in a trouser cut. Kind of pricey though!
I also found a rayon layering weight t-shirt at a consignment shop that I’ve been wearing to death, it’s casual enough to wear with jeans but fancy enough to put under a blazer for work. I LOVE double-tasking clothes like this! I’m definitely going to try to go in that direction more in the future. But I’ve been having a hard time parting with some of my worn out exercise clothes. I couldn’t tell you why!
And my third recent favorite is the cotton-silk button up from Gap. It’s MACHINE WASHABLE and probably the most comfortable fabric I’ve ever worn in my life. I was joking about trying to sleep in it the other day. I’d love to hear if anyone knows of other brands that have this type of fabric. It straddles that perfect line between practical and luxe, I think.
Several brands are carrying very comfortable “real” fabric mixes these days–both Everlane and LLBean do cotton/cashmere blends light enough to wear through spring and wonderful to layer. . .
Cheers, Sarah E & Amy! I use this kind of strategy too. Don’t laugh (you can laugh) but I like to think my maternity jeans are pretty “sneaky” – medium wash basic bootcuts – with a comfy fabric-covered elastic waist. They’ve been especially great for cold-weather layering.
The “sneaky” clothes you mentioned sound great, Sarah! I love when I find things like that, too. I think I’ve seen the ad you referenced. Yes, quite expensive, but might be worth it. I am tired of sacrificing comfort for style. I want everything I wear to be comfortable these days, and I believe that it’s definitely possible to be stylish and comfortable at the same time.
Amy, thanks for sharing the brand recommendations. And Claire, thanks for chiming in about he maternity jeans. I actually think that’s actually a good idea and may work well for some people. I have trouble finding pants/jeans, too, but they’re usually tight in the hips and thighs and too big in the waist/tummy area. Stretch in pants helps a lot with the comfort, so I can see how the maternity pants would be easy to wear. And you can’t beat the cost-per-wear you’ve gotten from them!
I am a fuddy-duddy that doesn’t understand the attraction of “leisure-wear” or “lounge-wear” as a category of clothing but then my idea of casual clothes are jeans (I own 1 pair) or casual pants that can go on a hike or to the market. My sister, who has worked from her home office since 1980, gets up and gets fully dressed (make-up, jewelry, shoes) to walk down the hall to her office. (She’s been doing this long before the advent of video conferencing, which she does frequently.) I also work from home and wear pants, sweaters, blouses, etc. (I am a slightly less formal person than my sister.) I have kept some of my old “office” clothes for meetings with clients and so on. Fortunately, elements of these clothes are interchangeable (color, style, etc.).
However, that said, I agree that if you spend most of your life in lounge wear, then the amount of $$ and energy spent shopping should go here, with a MUCH smaller wardrobe component for the rest of your clothes. Why spend $$ and a lot of tops, pants, jeans, and skirts that won’t get worn — or worn enough to justify the purchase?
I might mention something here about the volume of clothing and the cost (actual and psychic) of maintaining a large wardrobe. I have a very convenient laundry room and I do laundry frequently because I have such a dinky wardrobe. I am very careful about clothing maintenance because I expect my clothing to last years if not decades. My clothing is very nearly in constant rotation; very little sits in my wardrobe unworn.
To me, “lounge wear” is staying in my jammies past 10:00 a.m.!!!
I am the same way, pjs for nighttime and then I get dressed for the day in regular clothes that I could go out in. I don’t own any “loungewear” since most of my wardrobe is comfortable jeans, skirts and tops which I can mix and match and don’t require drycleaning. And wardrobe size is important to me too, I have been accumulating but not getting rid of anything for a while and in the past couple of months have been working hard to turn that around. Like you I want to know that all of what I have is being worn regularly.
I have just done a very rough count and seem to spend about 10-12 days a month ‘at home’, either working or relaxing, other days generally include a work or social event of some sort.
I always wear trousers, and at home swap them for rather scruffy track suits, mainly because most of my trousers develop creases if I sit around in them – something which I find really annoying. I recently bought some NYDJ black bootcut jeans, which cost a lot more that I normally spend (3x as much!) , but are amazing, they never crease or stretch out of shape, but are very comfortable. Definitely gives me a pointer as to where I should invest money; in good basics that can work, as Kim put it, ANYWHERE. I kind of knew that, but always balked at paying a lot for an ‘everyday’ item – it won’t happen again.
PS I should have explained that the jeans have a % of lycra or similar.
Congrats on finding some amazing jeans, Alice! I know a lot of people swear by NYDJ. They don’t work for me very well, but I am very hard to fit in jeans. I agree that it’s totally worth it to pay more for basics we’re going to wear all the time. We often get things backwards and spend the most on special occasion wear we will rarely wear. I hope you enjoy your new jeans and will benefit greatly from the lesson you have learned!
I also have a loungewear category for my at home wear. Mine is closer to pj’s than sportswear for sure. And often I will wear my pj setsthemselves to lounge in. Say I get home from work and remove my uniform at 8:30pm. Changing into interim lounge for 3 or 4 hours before donning sleepwear seems a bit overkill. I also sense just a hint of some putting undue pressure on themselves to be fabulous all the time. We need to also cut ourselves some slack.
There are ‘transitional’ pieces that straddle lounge, layer, or workout for me that get a lot of wear, too. Like a tank that maybe I slept in under my flannel pj set, but then goes to the mailbox under a hoodie with jeans. That kind of thing.
I agree with you about cutting ourselves some slack, Mo! I’m sure you look adorable in your PJ sets, but of course you’re adorable all the time anyway… There is a happy medium between looking sloppy at home and being “all decked out.” That happy medium will vary by the person and I continue to maintain that there are no rights and wrong. We just need to feel good ourselves in what we are wearing. I don’t think anyone really feels good in ratty or worn out clothing or when they wear things they’d be embarrassed to be seen in. I know I feel much better since I’ve stopped doing that. We are all worthy of feeling good about how we look all the time, but that doesn’t necessarily entail wearing “business clothes” in front of our home computers. But if that’s what feels great to someone, I would never say they shouldn’t do it. It’s just not for me. But then again, I don’t wear business clothes anytime anymore. “Smart casual” or sportswear maybe, but I can’t remember when I last wore a suit (and I’m quite happy about that).
Your lounge wear sounds very appropriate for your lifestyle, Mo. As someone who used to live in Tahoe, I know the vibe and the lifestyle there. Good for you for tossing the demoted tees. I have done the same thing recently and feel a lot better wearing colors and styles that are more to my liking at home. Some things just shouldn’t be in our wardrobes at all! | 2019-04-23T08:55:30Z | https://recoveringshopaholic.com/2015/03/17/more-thoughts-on-at-home-wear/ |
As a master regulator involved in flower development, LEAFY-like gene has been demonstrated to play a key role in the flowering process regulation of angiosperms. Expression analysis of EjLFY-1, a LEAFY (LFY) homolog of loquat (Eriobotrya japonica Lindl.), indicated its participation in the regulation of flowering in loquat. To verify its function and potential value in the genetic engineering to shorten the juvenile phase, ectopic expression of EjLFY-1 in strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa) was achieved using Agrobacterium-mediated gene transfer of a plant expression vector with the loquat EjLFY-1 gene driven by the CaMV 35S promoter. Totally 59 plantlets were verified to be the transformants. The presence, expression and integration of EjLFY-1 in the transformants were assessed by PCR, quantitative real-time PCR and Southern blot, respectively. Constitutive expression of EjLFY-1 in strawberry accelerated the flowering process in strawberry with the shorten necessary period for flowering induction, development of flower and fruit set. While vegetative growth habits of the transformants in the first cropping season were consistent with the WT ones. Meanwhile, both the flowers and fruits of the transformants were also as same as those of the WT ones. Furthermore, the early-flowering habit was maintained in their asexual progeny, the runner plants. While with continuous asexual propagation, the clones showed a more strengthen early-flowering phenotype, such as the reduced vegetative growth and the abnormal floral organs in individual plantlets. These results demonstrated the function of this gene and at the same time provided us new insights into the utilization potential of such genes in the genetic engineering of perennial fruits.
Flowering is one of the most important events in the life cycle of plants. Flowering process of plant is affected by both endogenous factors, such as hereditary characters or plant hormones levels, and environmental conditions, such as temperature or day length. Flowering at right time accommodating to the seasonal and endogenous signals is vital for the reproductive success of all plants. The flowering time determination in plants is controlled by complicated gene networks.
In the past decades, a great deal of progress has been accomplished in understanding the molecular basis of the regulatory mechanisms underlying flowering time in plants, especially studies in the molecular regulatory networks of Arabidopsis provides us a better understanding about it. Numerous genes involved in the flowering regulation were demonstrated. In Arabidopsis, for example, it has been reported that at least 180 genes are implicated in flowering-time control (Fornara et al., 2010), regardless of these unknown or undetected genes. One possible explanation for so many genes are involved in flowering regulation is that this process is affected by various factors. Normally, there are several genetically defined pathways which affect the flowering: the vernalization pathway, the photoperiod pathway, the gibberellin pathway, the autonomous pathway and the ambient temperature pathway (Fornara et al., 2010; Srikanth and Schmid, 2011). Such signaling pathways responding to endogenous and environmental signals converge on key regulators, such as FLOWERING LOCUS T (FT), which then activate other floral homeotic genes. For plant, although the organ where developmental decision leading to flowering occurs is shoot apex, leaf is the organ which sensing environmental signals. In Arabidopsis, the mobile signal FT has been demonstrated to be the long-distance signal moved from leaf to shoot apex and then induce the flowering (Corbesier et al., 2007). Expression of FT is affected by such pathway signals and its protein can promote flowering together with the meristem-specific bZIP transcriptional factor FD (Abe et al., 2005; Wigge et al., 2005). At SAM (shoot apical meristem), the FT-FD complex promotes the expression of the floral meristem identity genes such as LEAFY (LFY).
LEAFY and its homologs in other plants encode a kind of unique transcription factors that assign the floral fate of meristems, being thought as a meristem identity gene which determines floral identity (Moyroud et al., 2010). In the lfy mutants of Arabidopsis, homeotic transformations with leaf-like structures replacing the floral organs took place (Weigel et al., 1992). Expression of LFY is also regulated by many pathway signals. For example, GA (Eriksson et al., 2006) and auxin (Li et al., 2013) regulate the LFY expression in Arabidopsis and thereby affect the flowering habits. The master role of LFY as a meristem identity gene is reflected partly in activating its downstream flowering regulation factors, such as the directly activating of the expression of AP1, whose upregulation stands for the initiation of flower formation (Mandel and Yanofsky, 1995; Wagner et al., 1999; William et al., 2004; Liu et al., 2007). Coincided with its master role in flowering progress, over-expression of LFY or its homologs usually leads to an early-flowering phenotype not only in herbaceous plants such as Arabidopsis (Weigel and Nilsson, 1995) and rice (He et al., 2000), but also in woody plants such as hybrid aspen (Rottmann et al., 2000).
Interestingly, such precocious flowering phenotypes also could be found in the fruit trees such as citrus over-expressing AtLFY (Peña et al., 2001). Fruit trees are perennials with a juvenile phase lasting for years in which they are not competent to flower, despite whether in inductive environmental conditions or not. The existing of juvenile phase in fruit trees has been suggested to be a restricting factor for their genetic improvement or breeding process: most economic phenotypes associated with fruits of the hybrids cannot be detected in this phase. Such work mentioned above make it possible to break the juvenile stage of fruit trees with the gene modify technique. Actually, there have been several reports associated with the over-expression of flowering-related genes in fruit trees so as to shorten their juvenile phase. Duan et al. (2010) showed the expression of AtAP1 induced precocious flowering in transgenic kumquat. The juvenile period in apple has also been reduced with the silencing of the MdTFL1 gene (Kotoda et al., 2006) or over-expressing of FT or FT homologous gene (Trankner et al., 2010; Bergonzi and Albani, 2011).
Nevertheless, in perennial fruit species, new questions arouse regarding the stability of integration and expression of foreign genes, there are few reports reporting the stability of transgene integration and expression in plants growing in the field over years (Peña and Séguin, 2001; Rai and Shekhawat, 2014).
Loquat (Eriobotrya japonica Lindl.) is an evergreen fruit tree native to China and cultivated mainly in tropical and subtropical regions. Fruits of loquat can be consumed fresh or processed for jam, juice, wine, syrup, or as candied fruits (Lin et al., 1999). As a kind of woody fruit, loquat also has a long juvenile phase, which impedes both productivity and breeding efficiency. Esumi et al. (2005) first reported the existence of EjLFY-1, a LFY homolog from loquat, but its expression and function were not clarified until now for the insufficient transgenic system in loquat.
Most gene function analysis in fruits were carried out with ectopic expression in model plants, such as Arabidopsis or tobacco, for their easier transformation and shorter life cycles. But one significant defect is that the characters related to fruits cannot be found in the transformants originated from such model plants. Strawberry has been considered as a good candidate for the function analysis of such genes. Strawberry owns short reproductive cycle and produces fruits. More importantly, strawberry shares similar gene sequence and genomic microcolinearity with other members of the Rosaceae family, including a large amount of the fruit trees such as apple, peach, pear, plum, apricot, cherry, and other species (Slovin et al., 2009). In addition to sexual reproduction, marked by flower and seed formation, strawberry can also reproduce asexually. It sends out stolon (also called runners), which makes new plants by producing roots and forming leaf clusters at some of the nodes where they touch the ground (Figure 1).
FIGURE 1. Vegetative reproduction of strawberry by its stolon. Arrows (from left to right) show the mother plant, stolon (runner) and the newly formed asexual plant.
Without the gene’s recombination and segregation, propagation with stolon buds in strawberry makes it feasible to sufficiently investigate the transgenic effects of the exogenous genes in their asexual progeny, which is especially important for fruit trees. In production, fruit species must be propagated in asexual ways, such as grafting or layering, to maintain their characters stable. The stability of the transgenic effect in the asexual propagated progeny is crucial for the application of genetic engineering in fruit trees.
The main objective of the this study was to evaluate the function of EjLFY-1 by investigating the ectopic expression effects of this gene on the flowering process in strawberry, and at the same time to investigate the stability of the effects of such transgene in the successive asexual propagated generations of the transformants.
Gene-specific forward and reverse primers, EjLFYfwd and EjLFYrev (Table 1), were designed based on the reported EjLFY-1 sequence (GenBank accession no. AB162033). Restriction enzyme sites were added additionally at the 5′-end and 3′-end of the primers for the subsequent vector construction. Flower bud and leaf of loquat cv. ‘Zaozhong No.6’ were used for the extraction of RNA and DNA, respectively. Full-length cDNA and DNA sequence of EjLFY-1 were obtained by PCR. PCR products were cloned into pGEM-T easy vector (Promega, Madison, WI, USA) and then sequenced.
To determine the involvement of EjLFY-1 in floral development of loquat, we detected its expression levels in different floral differentiation stages, which were generally grouped into four groups: vegetative buds, inflorescence buds, flower buds forming and blooming. Totally 12 samples (buds or flowers) were collected with 10-day intervals. 10 μg RNA from each sample was electrophoresed in 1.2% agarose gel and transferred to Hybond N+ nylon membranes (Roche, Swiss). A gene-specific fragment (498 bp) amplified by a pair of primers (DIGUP and DIGDW, Table 1) at the conserved region of its 3′ end was used as the probe for hybridization. The specific methods of probe labeling and hybridization are as described in the instruction offered by Roche DIG High Prime DNA labeling and Detection Starter Kit I (Roche, Swiss).
Full-length cDNA sequence of EjLFY-1 was subcloned into Xba I-Sac I sites of the binary vector pBI121 plasmid so that EjLFY-1 was under the control of CaMV 35S promoter (Figure 2). Recombinant plasmid pBI121-35S::EjLFY-1 was then introduced into the Agrobacterium tumefaciens strain EHA105.
FIGURE 2. Vector construction. EjLFY-1 was inserted in sense orientation between the Xba I and Sac I sites of the binary vector pBI121. RB Right border, P35S cauliflower mosaic virus 35S promoter, Nos, nos terminator; LB, left border.
Strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa) cv. Tudla was used for Agrotransfection. A. tumefaciens-mediated transformation was performed with the leaf-disk procedure (Nehra et al., 1990). Leaf segments were excised from in vitro plantlets grown on MS basal medium (Murashige and Skoog, 1962). The leaf segments were then cocultivated with A. tumefaciens harboring the plasmid pBI121-35S::EjLFY-1, followed by regeneration under the selection medium (MS+1.5 mg L-1 TDZ+0.4 mg L-1 IBA) containing kanamycin (30 mg L-1). Regenerated buds were excised and transferred to 1/2MS medium containing kanamycin (50 mg L-1) for rooting. Resistant plants from separate leaf explants were defined as independent transgenic events.
Genomic DNA were extracted from young leaves of kanamycin-resistant plants and the WT plants following a modified CTAB method (Ma et al., 2008), and then PCR analysis was carried out for detection of the insertion. Individual plants were tested for the presence of both EjLFY-1 and NPT II genes separately. To avoid the potential pollution caused by Agrobacterium may exist in the regenerated resistant plants, the existing of ChvA gene (Chromosomal virulence gene A) which specially belongs to Agrobacterium was also checked and excluded by PCR. Primers (AGRIF and AGRIR) and amplification methods are listed in Table 1.
For further verification of the integration of EjLFY-1, Southern blotting was performed using a randomly selected plantlet which had been confirmed by PCR. About 20 μg of genomic DNA was digested with EcoR I and then electrophoresed on a 0.8% (W/V) agarose gel. The digested DNA in the gel was then transferred to an Immobilon-Ny+ membrane (Millipore, USA). A fragment of NPT II gene obtained by PCR (primers: KANF and KANR, Table 1) was labeled as the probe using the DIG DNA Labeling and Detection Kit II (Roche, Diagnostics, USA). Hybridization was carried out according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
Non-transgenic strawberry (WT) was used as the control, except that the Agrobacterium strain containing recombined plasmid was used as a control for detection of the existence of ChvA gene.
Expression of EjLFY-1 in the first generation transgenic plantlet was detected by RT-PCR. Plantlets grown in greenhouse were used to extract the total RNA using an improved CTAB method as described by Chang et al. (2007). Before precipitation, the RNA was treated with RNase-free DNase I (Takara Biotechnology Co., Dalian, China) at 37°C for 4 h to eliminate the eventual genomic contamination. RNA integrity was assessed on a 1.0% agarose gel, and concentration was estimated using a DU800 spectrophotometer (Beckman Coulter, Fullerton, CA, USA). The first-stand cDNA synthesis was performed with 1 μg total RNA and Oligo d(T)18 primer using Superscript II reverse transcriptase (Invitrogen, Carlsbad, CA, USA), according to the protocols provided by the manufacturers. Primers EjLFYfwd and EjLFYrev were used for the RT-PCR confirmation and 2 μl of the cDNA product was used as the template.
Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) was performed to detect the expression of EjLFY-1 in the third-generation propagated clones originated from stolon buds of the transformants. Leaf was used as the material for the detection of EjLFY-1, shoot apex meristem was used to examine the expression level of FaAP1, a homolog of APETALA1 (AP1) in strawberry. Expression level of FaTFL1, homolog of the main floral repressor TERMINAL FLOWER 1 (TFL1) in strawberry, was also detected. Gene-specific primers used in qRT-PCR were also listed in Table 1. RNA extraction and cDNA synthesis were carried out following the method mentioned above. The qRT-PCR was performed using SYBR Green qPCR Kit (Takara Biotechnology Co., Dalian, China) following the manufacturer’s instructions. qPCR was repeated with three biological replicates, and each sample was assayed in triplicate by PCR. The 26S rRNA gene of strawberry was used as a internal control.
Independent transgenic lines and WT plants were rooted, transferred into pots and grown in a solar greenhouse in Shenyang Agricultural University (123°E, 41°N, Shenyang, Liaoning Province, China) at December of 2009. The agamic propagated plants from stolon buds of the transgenic plantlets were rooted and planted into new nutritional pots, and then separated from the donor plants.
At the end of each cropping seasons, old leaves and roots of the plantlets were partially removed and the plantlets were then transferred into a new nutritional pots separately.
The plantlets were successively flowering after growing in the greenhouse for 3–4 months and their horticultural traits were recorded individually. Flower timing of each sample was measured as the time period from transferring into pots to formation of the first flower. Plant height, flower numbers were also recorded.
The amino acid sequences were aligned and a phylogenetic tree was generated using the Clustal W method (Higgins et al., 1994). Boot strap values were derived from 1,000 replicate runs. The phylogenetic tree was constructed by MEGA 5.0 software (Tamura et al., 2011). Introns distribution diagram were drew with DNAMAN 6.0 software (Lynnon Biosoft, USA). The horticultural traits data were analyzed with EXCEL. Statistical analyses were performed using one-way ANOVA test, followed by Bonferroni’s test with SPSS software.
With a pair of gene-specific primers, a segment of 1,227 bp was isolated and sequenced. Sequence alignment showed that it is similar with the EjLFY-1 sequence which reported by Esumi et al. (2005). There are only three nucleotide acids and one amino acid diverse between the isolated sequence and the reported one, which may be used as molecular tool for cultivar differentiation. Alignment of the amino acids sequences encoded by EjLFY-1 and other LFY-like genes showed that they share the conserved domains with each other in the N-terminal and C-terminal, especially in the C-terminal conserve motif (Figure 3).
FIGURE 3. Sequence alignment of EjLFY-1 and other LEAFY-like proteins. Dashes indicate gaps to maximize the alignment. DBD motif at the C-terminal and shoot apical meristem (SAM) motif at the N-terminal are shown by lines on bottom of the alignment.
A phylogenetic tree was constructed by using the deduced protein of EjLFY-1 and the other reported LFY-like proteins with Neighbor-Joining Method (Supplementary Figure S1). EjLFY-1 falls in a small group constructed by other homologs of Rosaceae fruit trees, including the PpLFY of pear and the AFL1 and AFL2 of apple. These data are consistent with the traditional taxonomy, indicating their closely relationship during evolution process.
Full-length DNA sequence of EjLFY-1 was also obtained. Sequencing result showed that gEjLFY-1 (GenBank accession no. AY551183) was 2,602 bp in length, indicating the existing of intron(s). Alignment of gEjLFY-1 with its cDNA sequence showed the existing of two introns. The first intron is 464 bp and the second one is 911 bp in length. The amount of introns in gEjLFY-1 is also same as those reported LFY-like genes of other Rosaseae plants such as strawberry, dog rose and apple (Supplementary Figure S2).
Northern blotting data suggested that the transcription of EjLFY-1 initiated in the buds that still in morphologic vegetative stages (Figure 4, lanes 2–3), except in the earliest detected vegetative bud (Figure 4, lane 1). Transcription level of EjLFY-1 was increased gradually during the swelling period of the buds when the inflorescence meristems were initiated (Figure 4, lanes 4–6). Then the transcription level reached the topmost point when the inflorescence meristems started to generate flower meristems (Figure 4, lane 7). Once the flowers came into being, expression of EjLFY-1 decreased (Figure 4, lanes 8–9). No transcripts were detected in little flowers or blooming flowers (Figure 4, lanes 10–12).
FIGURE 4. Expression of EjLFY-1 during the flowering process of loquat. Materials were collected following the flowering development of loquat. For each lane, 10 μg of total RNA was loaded, blotted, and hybridized with an EjLFY-1 probe. rRNA stained with ethidium bromide showing the equivalence of RNA loading between the samples.
An over-expression construct with EjLFY-1 CDS under the control of CaMV 35S promoter was introduced into strawberry cv. Tudla. Totally 59 resistant plantlets belonging to three independent lines (L1, L2, and L3) were got and rooted on MS medium containing kanamycin. The resistant plantlets and the WT ones were then transferred into pots and grown in greenhouse (Supplementary Figure S3).
To verify the genomic integration of the target gene, presence of EjLFY-1 and NPT II were confirmed by PCR separately. The expected specific fragments of both genes were detected in the randomly selected transformants (Figure 5A). While for the detection of ChvA gene, target fragment couldn’t be detected in any tested transformants (Figure 5A), indicating the detected fragments of EjLFY-1 or NPT II were caused by transformation event, excluded the possibility of Agrobacterium continuation.
FIGURE 5. Verification of the transformants. (A) PCR detection for EjLFY-1, NPT II and Chv A genes, Marker: DL2000. (B) Southern blot analysis of L2-2. (C) Expression detection of EjLFY-1 in random selected plantlets of three transgenic lines.
L2-2, a random selected PCR-positive transgenic plantlet, was further tested by using Southern blotting detection for the integration of NPT II gene. Southern hybridization with the NPT II probe showed that two bands were visible in L2-2 while none was observed in the WT control (Figure 5B). This result provides a further evidence of the EjLFY-1 insertion in strawberry genotypes.
Expression level of EjLFY-1 in independent transgenic line was detected by RT-PCR (primers: EjLFYfwd and EjLFYrev, Table 1). Results showed that transcripts of EjLFY-1 could be detected in the tested transgenic lines (Figure 5C), but not in WT ones.
To evaluate the effect of over-expression of EjLFY-1 on the regulation of flowering process in strawberry, transgenic plantlets belonging to three independent lines (L1, L2, and L3) and the WT lines grown in small pots filled with nutrient soil were transferred into experimental greenhouse at December of 2009. It was found that plantlets belonging to L1 and L2 lines developed their inflorescences early and continuously at March of 2010, while the WT plants were still in vegetative growth at the meantime (Figures 6A–C). The early flowering habit of the transformants was very remarkable. Even at the April of 2010, when more than half plantlets of the L1 and L2 came into bloom, the WT ones didn’t develop inflorescences yet. Over-expression of EjLFY-1 promoted flowering process of the plants belongs to L1 and L2, their average flowering time were 23 and 41 days shorter than that of the WT, respectively (Figure 7). While for plants of line L3, the change of flowering formation period was negligible in compare with WT.
FIGURE 6. Phenotypes of transformants and WT plants. (A) WT (right) and transgenic (left) plants. (C) Close-up of the inflorescence formed in transformants, which was not seen in the WT ones (B). (D) Morphology of the flowers and fruits of the transformants: Top left, flower of WT; top right, flower of one transgenic plantlet with doubled sepals; bottom, normal flower and fruit of transformants.
FIGURE 7. Transgenic strawberry plants overexpressing EjLFY-1 showed early-flowering habits. (A) Average days needed for WT and transformants to flowering. Asterisks show significant difference comparing to WT (ANOVA, ∗P < 0.05, ∗∗P < 0.01). (B) Average flower numbers of the transformants and the WT ones. (C) Average plant height of the transformants and the WT ones.
Other horticultural traits of the transformants were also tested at 2010. Over-expression of EjLFY-1 affected not only the flowering time of strawberry but also the flower quantities. Compared with WT plants, the transformants produced more flowers including the line L3 ones in which flowering time showed no significantly changes (Figure 7B). Even though, most flowers or fruits of the transformants showed no obviously changes compared with the WT ones, except that individual transgenic plantlets showing doubled sepals (Figure 6D).
Although over-expression of EjLFY-1 promoted the flowering process of the transgenic lines, it didn’t reduce the vegetative growth habit of those transformants at the first growing season. For example, three transgenic lines even showed a little higher average height phenotype than the WT ones at each investigated point except the beginning (Figure 7C).
Almost all the fruit species in commercial production must be propagated by asexual ways so as to keep their stable traits. Normally the nursery stock of strawberry is runner plant which comes from stolon bud of the donor plant.
Early-flowering habit was also maintained in the runner plants originated from L1 and L2. And with the continuous asexual propagation, the clones showed a more strong early-flowering phenotype: the third-generation runner clones came into flowering at a very young stage (Figure 8A). And unlike the almost unchanged vegetative growth habits of the transformants in the first cropping season, runner clones showed an obviously reduction in vegetative growth. For example, plant showed a dwarf phenotype and their leaf were also extremely smaller than those of the WT ones (Figure 9).
FIGURE 8. More strengthen phenotypes of the progeny propagated from stolon buds of the transgenic strawberry. (A) An very early flowering plant. (B) Abnormal flower in one plantlet with multiplied sepals formed at the incorrect position. (C) Flowering and fruiting of a runner plantlet (left) and the WT one which was in vegetative growth at June of 2014. Arrows showed the flower and fruit of the runner plantlet, and the stolon of the WT one.
FIGURE 9. Runner transgenic plants were dwarf (A) with smaller leaves (B) than the normal ones.
Flowering of the runner clones were not only early but also continuously. Some runner plantlets of the transformants even could develop into flower in the hot summer, when the WT ones were still in their vegetative growth phase and only produced stolons (Figure 8C). In addition, variation of flower organs was also found in individual plantlets of the progeny, such as the multiplicated sepals (Figure 8B) in one runner plantlet originated from L1.
To investigate whether the effect of ectopic expression of the transgene could be maintained in their asexual propagule, expression of EjLFY-1 was also detected in the runner plants originated from the transformants.
qRT-PCR detection showed that expression of EjLFY-1 also existed in the third-generation runner plants originated from the transformants, although the expression levels varies (Figure 10). As the downstream target gene of LFY homologs, expression of FaAP1, the AP1 homolog in strawberry, was also detected. Results showed that although the EjLFY-1 expression were higher in all the transgenic runner plants than that of the WT ones (in which were zero), expression of FaAP1 in those plants differed: its expression in OXRP-1 (Over-expression runner plant 1) was higher than not only the WT ones but also the OXRP-2 and OXRP-3 (Figure 10). The varied expression levels were also detected in FaTFL1, the main repressor in flowering process (Figure 10). Generally, the FaTFL1 expression in WT was lower than those in all the three tested transgenic runner plants.
FIGURE 10. Expression detection of EjLFY-1, FaAP1, and FaTFL1 in third-generation runner plants originated from transgenic strawberry.
Although the crop improvement of loquat is being carried out both by breeding programs and selection accessions from germplasm resources, the varieties grown mostly come from selections (Badenes et al., 2009). One reason for the slow breeding program in loquat is the existing of its long juvenile phase that last for several years. Genetic engineering technique provides a possible faster breeding method, but it is unavailable for loquat until now for its unclear molecular regulation mechanism of flowering and infeasible transformation system. Compared with other popular fruits, such as apple or citrus, whose genome had been sequenced, molecular mechanism of flowering in loquat is poorly understood and few flowering-related genes have been isolated and characterized.
LEAFY-like gene exists not only in angiosperms but also in plant species which don’t produce flowers (Moyroud et al., 2010). As a kind of meristem identity genes related to flowering in seed plants, LFY and its homologs have been demonstrated to not only distribute widely in plants but also function in distantly related species (Peña and Séguin, 2001; Moyroud et al., 2010). One possible reason is that LFY and its homologs are highly evolutionally conserved throughout the plant kingdom and show no apparent similarity to other proteins (Maizel et al., 2005). Two conserved domains of LFY protein were distinguished and, respectively, named as the DBD domain (DNA Binding Domain), which located in the N-terminal and leads it bind to the semi-palindromic 19-bp DNA cis-elements of the genes regulated by itself (Sayou et al., 2014), and the SAM domain (Sterile Alpha Motif), which located in the C-terminal and determines the genomic binding landscape (Sayou et al., 2016). Such characteristic motifs were also found in EjLFY-1 (Figure 3), suggesting its possible flowering regulator role in the flowering process of loquat.
Expression analysis revealed that EjLFY-1 started to increase its expression level in the buds following the transition from vegetative bud to inflorescence bud, decreased its expression level before the forming of flowers and eventually vanished after flowering (Figure 4). Comparing with expression of EjAP1, the AP1 homolog of loquat, EjLFY-1 started and ended its expression earlier (Liu et al., 2013), suggesting its possible key role in the regulation of flowering process of loquat.
To verify the function of EjLFY-1, a chimeric 35S::EjLFY-1 construct was introduced into strawberry. Most of the transgenic plantlets from lines 1 and 2 showed an early flowering phenotype in comparison with the wild-type ones (Figures 6, 7). Unlike the reduced vegetative development phenotype in the other reported transgenic plant species over-expressing LFY-like genes, strawberry over-expressing EjLFY-1 didn’t show obvious changes in the vegetative development habit at the first cropping season. Meanwhile the flowers and fruits of the transformants were almost as same as the wild ones (Figure 6D). Such results suggest the potential value of EjLFY-1 in genetic engineering for the fast breeding of loquat. For plantlets belonging to line 3, although the integration and expression were also verified by PCR, they didn’t show the similar early-flowering phenotype as the other two transformants lines. One possible reason for that is the insertion site effect of the transgene. However, it requires further examination.
The long juvenile phase of fruit trees limits their genetic improvement and prevents full domestication of them (Peña and Séguin, 2001). One of the major goals of fruits breeding programs is to reduce their juvenile phase and accelerate floral production. During the last decades, genetic engineering methods based on the use of transgenes have been successfully adopted to reduce the juvenile phase and accelerate the flowering process of some fruit species (Rai and Shekhawat, 2014). However, few reports mentioned the effectiveness and stabilization of the transgene over long periods or its asexual progeny, which was crucial for fruit trees because most of which are perennial and whose propagation in production are usually carried out through asexual reproduction ways in order to ensure reliability.
In this study, the observation results about the transgenic asexual clones lasting for three cropping seasons showed that the early-flowering habit induced by over-expression of EjLFY-1 could be maintained. Interestingly, with the continuous asexual propagation, the transgenic clones showed even a more consolidated early-flowering trait compared with their ancestor transformants of the first cropping season, such as the reduced vegetative growth habit and even abnormal floral organs (Figure 8). Reduction of the vegetative growth traits in those clones maybe caused by the continuous shorten of the vegetative growth, such as the earlier break of dormancy caused by accelerated flowering process. Such finding provides us new insights into the utilization potential of genetic engineering in the breeding of fruits.
The existing of abnormal floral organs in their clones suggests that continuously over-expression of EjLFY-1 may result in an excessive expression of the downstream floral organ related genes in strawberry, such as the AP1 homolog which may also control the outer two whorls of floral organs in strawberry just like what AP1 does in Arabidopsis (Bowman et al., 1993). Actually, the expression detection of EjLFY-1, FaAP1, and FaTFL1 (Figure 10) suggested that the ectopic expression of EjLFY-1 still exists in those runner clones, following a varied FaAP1 expression changes compared with the WT ones. TFL1 is a floral repressor which also binds to FD and suppresses the expression of floral promoters LEAFY and AP1 (Hanano and Goto, 2011). With the continuous expression of EjLFY-1 in strawberry and thereby the high expression level of FaAP1, expression of FaTFL1 was also activated in over-expression runner plants (OXRP) 1 and 2 (Figure 10), except the plant OXRP-3 in which the FaAP1 expression was not at a high level although the EjLFY-1 was also detected.
Although LFY has been demonstrated to function in distantly related species (Peña and Séguin, 2001; Moyroud et al., 2010), this is not the case for all the reported ones. It was shown that over-expression of AFL1 or AFL2, the LFY homologs in apple, can induce the early-flowering in Arabidopsis (Wada et al., 2002). In other reports, over-expression of AtLFY in apple didn’t show the same results instead of a columnar phenotype with shorten internodes (Flachowsky et al., 2010). Similar results were also reported in poplar (Rottmann et al., 2000). Perhaps it was caused by the divergent sequences of the LFY-like genes and their interacting factors among different species. In this study, we confirmed that the early-flowering habit existed in strawberry over-expressing EjLFY-1 and such habit could be maintained in their clones. For the closely evolutional relationship between strawberry and loquat, both belongs to Rosaceae family, it is promising that over-expression of EjLFY-1 in loquat could also accelerate its flowering process and break its juvenile stage.
ZZ and SL conceived and designed research. YL, QZ, NM, HS, and CL conducted experiments. GH and JW contributed plant materials. YL and QZ analyzed data. YL wrote the manuscript. All authors read and approved the manuscript.
This work was supported by the Education Administration Research Program of Liaoning Province (2008629 and L2013258) and the Natural Science Foundation of Liaoning Province (2014027015).
We gratefully acknowledge help from Dr. Junhui Zhou, University of Maryland, College Park, with English editing.
Bowman, J. L., Alvarez, J., Weigel, D., Meyerowizt, E. M., and Smyth, D. R. (1993). Control of flower development in Arabidopsis thaliana by APETALA1 and interacting genes. Development 119, 721–743.
Kotoda, N., Iwanami, H., Takahashi, S., and Abe, K. (2006). Antisense expression of MdTFL1, a TFL1-like gene, reduces the juvenile phase in apple. J. Am. Soc. Hortic. Sci. 131, 74–81.
Lin, S. Q., Sharpe, R. H., and Janick, J. (1999). Loquat: botany and horticulture. Hortic. Rev, 23, 233–276.
Copyright © 2017 Liu, Zhao, Meng, Song, Li, Hu, Wu, Lin and Zhang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms. | 2019-04-25T13:58:49Z | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpls.2017.00496/full |
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Authentication is one the most important and critical mechanism of the Internet Services. There are many solutions to provide sessions authentication, and most of them are application or service dependent. In such cases the application developers should take care also of the security problems about user authetication. The goal of next generation authetication technologies is to separate security implementation tasks from integration of security data elements into service protocols, enabling those tasks to be partitioned and performed separately by implementors with different areas of expertise.
Nowadays computing becomes increasingly mobile, pervasive and unobtrusive. One pillar of pervasive computing is context-awareness, the ability for a system to exploit the information about the context and user's preferences in order to adapt its behavior accordingly. Research is focused on the study, design and implementation of middleware for gathering context information from heterogeneous sensing devices. The aim is a unified model for the representation of the context, taking into account existing and widely accepted standards.
This is an emerging technology that introduces important changes in the use of Certificate and Certification Authority solving serious security breaches in the use of TLS/SSL encryption to access Internet services. DNS-based Authentication of Named Entities (DANE) enables the administrator of a domain name to certify the keys used in that domain's TLS clients or servers by storing them in the Domain Name System (DNS). DANE needs DNS records to be signed with DNSSEC. Additionally DANE allows a domain owner to specify which CA is allowed to issue certificates for a particular resource, which solves the problem of any CA being able to issue certificates for any domain. We are partecipating to the DANE IETF working group activities and we are working on a proposal to introduce such new technologies in the Certified Electronic Email systems.
The continuous growth of Internet Services contributes to the increase in security problems, such as trust in on-line transactions, guarantee of user privacy, and message confidentiality. Thus, the necessity of Digital Signatures and the application of cryptography arises, particularly in the sending of documents via certified email.
Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting and Conformance or DMARC is a method of email authentication, that is a way to mitigate email abuse. It expands on two existing mechanisms, the well-known Sender Policy Framework (SPF) and DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM). It is under development in the DMARC IETF working group. We are partecipating to the IETF working group discussion.
Domotics means the use of the automation technologies and computer science applied to the building or home with the aim to facilitate activities and to provide a more comfortable life for residents, decrease the complexity of using technology, provide greater autonomy, comfort and safety. It allows to systems and appliances to communicate in an integrated manner which results in convenience, energy efficiency and safety benefits. The future of domotics is tied in closely with the concept of the Internet of Things.
E-government consists of the digital interactions between citizens and public administrations, where e-democracy refers to the use of information and communication technologies for broader and more active and direct citizen participation enabled by the Internet, mobile communications, and other technologies in today's representative democracy. E-democracy improves public information provision, deliberation, and participation in decision-making processes.
While the global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) have in fact solved the outdoor localization challenge, there is no similarly general solution for indoor environments. Indoor positioning is an open research issue, solved by means of ad hoc solutions using and extremely wide range of signaling technologies in terms of hardware used, metrics and processing algorithms. Our studies concentrate on the use of the received power strength (RSS) collected by the ubiquitous sensors present in smart environments, and on data collected from smartphone transducers.
Mobile computing and social network analysis have driven the definition of new computational paradigm, namely the Mobile Social Computing (MSN). MSN focuses on application scenarios that exploit the mobile and opportunistic computing techniques where the mobility of people and the social ties arising among them affect the communication opportunities of mobile devices.
Small sensors that are able to autonomously connect into a network to collect data from the environment are becoming a reality. Many technologies are involved, of which wireless communications and communications middleware are of particular interest to us. Applications are manifold, ranging from monitoring of ancient buildings to measuring the quality of sleep in small babies to non-intrusive measure of home appliance electrical consumption.
Research in Wireless Communication Technologies deals with design, testing, and analysis of digital wireless communication protocols. Research topics range from transport down to medium access layers. A particular attention is given to satellite communications, which play a major role in telephone transmissions, television and radio distribution, computer communications, maritime navigation, web sensing, and military command and control. Satellite communications differ both from wired and other wireless communications in some peculiar aspects, such as coverage width, signal attenuation pattern, transmission delay. Yet, a relative new research branch is engaged in studying and testing Machine-to-Machine (M2M) and wireless sensors communication protocols as well as Internet of Things (IoT) communication patterns.
This concerns the development of theoretical models of systems that are often distributed and feature complex collaboration, synchronization, cooperation, or communication protocols among sets of components (e.g. grammar systems, team automata, process algebras) and the development of formal techniques to subsequently analyze and verify such models and systems (e.g. model checking). The formal methods are applied in fields like security, service-oriented computing, and software engineering.
This topic is at the intersection of the research areas of complex networks, emergence in simple models of computation, and discrete, stochastic or deterministic models of physical space-time (quantum gravity, causal sets). The challenge is to exploit concepts and analytical techniques from the first two fields for developing increasingly realistic discrete models of space-time, with possible induced benefits for the involved technologies.
Since the seminal paper by Rinaldi et al. in 2001, where the problem of interdependencies in critical infrastructures has been highlighted as a challenging and often overlooked issue, understanding and analyzing interdependencies and interoperability inter and intra critical infrastructures are among the most difficult aspects faced today by designers, developers and operators in these critical sectors. Assessing the impact of interdependencies on the ability of the system to provide resilient and secure services is of primarily importance; following this analysis, steps can be taken to mitigate vulnerabilities revealed in critical assets. Especially, the power domain has been addressed, given the central role it plays among critical infrastructures. The activity at ISTI on this topic focuses on a stochastic model-based approach to analyze interdependencies in smart grids and to provide quantitative assessment of resilient-related indicators.
Nowadays software systems are increasingly pervasive and dynamic, and therefore the need arises to augment them with powerful oversight and management functions in order to allow continuous and flexible analysis, testing and monitoring of their behaviour. The research at ISTI on these topics focuses on the definition and development of methodologies , approaches and runtime facilities both for quality assurance and for supporting runtime verification and online adaptation.
Increasingly, individuals and organizations are developing and deploying sophisticated computing systems on whose services they need to place great reliance, since severe consequences may derive from their failures. Fault tolerance and fault forecasting are paramount techniques to assist in the design and validation of critical systems characterized by stringent dependability requirements. The research at ISTI on these topics focuses on the definition and development of efficient and adaptive fault tolerance solutions to deal with fault occurrences, as well as on the exploitation of stochastic modeling approaches to quantitatively assess dependability, performance and QoS related indicators of systems employed in a variety of critical application domains.
Software Product Line Engineering (SPLE) is a paradigm for developing a diversity ofsoftware products and software-intensive systems based on the underlying architectureof an organisation's product platform. Modelling variability in product families has been studied extensively in the literatureon SPLs and in this context we are working to define logics and associated verification tools for the qualitative analysis ofvariability aspects and their application to deal with adaptability and evolvability of systems.
In software engineering, requirements define the behaviour and the constraints of a software intensive system before its actual development. Considering that requirements have to be interpreted by different stakeholders of the software process, these are normally provided in informal natural language, which is inherently ambiguous. Ambiguities might lead to the realisation of a software that does not meet the customer's expectation, and could cause costly software failures. The research challenge is to define formal techniques to reduce the ambiguities in requirements, and hence improve the overall quality of the software product.
Collective Adaptive Systems (CAS) consist of a large number of spatially distributed heterogeneous entities with decentralised control and varying degrees of complex, autonomous behaviour. These entities or agents may be competing for shared resources even when collaborating to reach common goals, possible leading to non-linear phenomena of the behaviour at the global system level. The pervasive but transparent nature of CAS, together with the importance of the goals that they address, mean that it is imperative that thorough a priori analysis of their design is carried out to investigate all aspects of their behaviour, including quantitative and emergent aspects, before they are put into operation. Formal, scalable, quantitative analysis, which provides multiple perspectives on system behaviour while being based on well-established reasoning techniques, is the approach pursued by the formal modelling community to master such complex systems. In particular, the discovery of precise scaling conditions under which the global behaviour of collective systems can be well approximated by the solution of a set of differential equations obtained from the individual behaviour of system components and their interaction and the insight that such equations can be directly generated from a compositional stochastic process algebraic specification of the individual behaviour of the single entities of the system and their interaction is one of the starting points for the development of scalable formal verification tools, such as model-checking techniques, for CAS.
Service-oriented computing has emerged as a new paradigm based on autonomous, platform-independent computational entities (called services) that can be described, published and categorised, and dynamically discovered and assembled for developing massively distributed, interoperable, evolvable systems and applications. Service-oriented Systems have then evolved - and are still evolving - towards systems were service components dynamically join into "ensembles" where services are provided through cooperation within the ensemble as well as between them. Fundamental characteristic of such systems are: high dynamicity, open-endedness, high parallelism and massive distribution. Consequently, typical features of such components are self-awareness, self-adaptation, self-expressiveness, and autonomicity. The very nature of these systems requires a priori assurance of correct or at least aceptable behaviour, and modelling and analysis techniques based on a formal, language-first, mathematical foundations are essential for their design and engineering. The topic of Formal Modelling and Verification of Service Oriented Systems addresses exactly these issues and provides software support tools based on sound mathematical theories, which include qualitative and quantitative (e.g. stochastically timed/probabilistic) modelling languages like process algebras, qualitative and quantitative temporal logics and related model-checking algorithms and software tools.
With society and business evolving at fast pace, the need arises for citizens and workers to continuously acquire new skills and grow their knowledge. Innovative and effective approaches for technology-enhanced learning have been subject of several research projects funded by the European Commission in the recent past. In particular, ICT solutions have been advocated as a useful means to support lifelong competence development while attracting and involving learners of targetted communities. Research at ISTI addresses the exploitation of Model-driven approaches to facilitate the development of e-learning solutions that offer the opportunity to learn through the simulation and monitoring of a modelled process.
This topic is related to the application of formal methods to model and analyze complex systems in in the field of railway control systems in order to improve transport outcomes such as transport safety, transport productivity, travel reliability. In fact, modelling and analysis activities are very important to optimize system life-cycle in the design, development, verification and operational stages, and they are essential whenever assessment and certification is required by international standards as the case of railway control systems.
Software Product Evaluation aims at determining the fit between the software product and the needs of that product. This fit concerns both explicit and implicit needs about the product, often referred to as software product quality. A software product can be evaluated according different perspectives ranging from its internal characteristics to its external behavior. This topic addresses the definition of techniques to determine information about quality of software product and sound approaches for using such information as support for making decision.
Certification is a third-party activity having the purpose of establishing the compliance of a given item with respect a reference standard or set of requirements. This topic is considers the challenges and peculiarities of software certification. This topic is closely related to Software Process Evaluation, Software Process Measurement and Software Process Assessment topics, and it addresses, in particular, the validity, repeatability and rigour of the certification applied to software items (products or processes).
The quality of the final software product as well as the optimization of the resources involved in the software development are dependent on the effectiveness and maturity of the processes used by an organization. This topic addresses the definition of models for defining and assessing processes. It includes the identification of quality characteristics of processes, the definition of proper process attributes and indicators for process rating and improvement.
The availability and a proper use of measurements is a key factor for the success of software development, maintenance and acquisition initiatives. Software is inherently difficult to measure. This topic addresses the identification of meaningful and not trivial measures for software products, the determination of the actual information every measure is able to provide, the analysis of the proper usage of measures, and the performance of empirical studies for validating the effectiveness of software product measurement initiatives.
Testing activities play a key role in gaining security and quality assurance of modern software systems. Research in this field addresses different approaches for software quality evaluation, ranging from performance assessment to innovative and pre-deployment quality measures. The research is mainly devoted to the development of specific methodologies and tools for testing authorization systems that protect resources and data against unauthorized, malicious or erroneous usage. The ISTI activity aims at validating both access control and usage control functionalities of the considered authorization systems, focusing in particular on the XACML standard language.
Before the beginning of the implementation phase of a project it is extremely beneficial the possibility of building a formal model ofthe system design, and the possibility of verifying the correspondence of it with the intended requirements. To achieve that it is necessary to be able to rely on flexible but powerful model specification languages, on flexible but powerful property description methods, and appropriate tools that allow to check the satisfaction of the properties by the models.
Design of analytical platforms and integration of infrastructures to yield enhanced services. Study and definition of best practices/policies for the harmonization of federated resources available. Realization of technological tools able to manage algorithms and the data types originated from several different application fields.
Assistive technologies are hardware and software tools that allow people with disabilities to interact with common technologies in order to access the information, culture and services in general. Assistive technologies can work effectively if the user interfaces are designed and developed in an accessible way. Accessibility is the design principle aimed at assuring that products and services can be used by everyone, including people with disabilities. Thus accessibility guidelines should be usually considered by developers.
Automatic Text Classification focuses on the automatic analysis of the content of a piece of text, and its classification with respect to a set of categories in a taxonomy of interest. It is a core functionality with respect to a large number of information processing tasks, e.g., spam detection, sentiment/opinion analysis, user profiling, document filtering/routing. ATC leverages on many computer science disciplines, such as Natural Language Processing, Machine Learning, and Information Retrieval.
Advanced methods to analyze and comprehend Big Data emerging from digital crumbs of human activities within ICT technologies to the pourpose of understanding social phenomena and to build novel form of constructing indicators for understanding, monitoring and measuring our society.
This research topic addresses the problem of retrieving multimedia data, based on their content, on a very large scale, even when no textual descriptions are available. To this aim, we investigate techniques of similarity searching, multimedia content understanding, and image recognition, in scenarios where the number of objects to be searched and analyzed, and the number of queries to be processed is very large. Recently we also addressed the problem of mobile devices visual interaction, where users interact with mobile applications simply by pointing the camera of their mobile devices (smartphone, smartglass, smartwhatc, etc.) to a painting, a picture, an object, a building, a monument, etc.
Methods and techniques for enabling user interfaces (UIs) to react to contextual events for automatically adapting to the context of use. Adaptivity is driven by variations of relevant contextual parameters, aiming to update the UI for better suiting the current situation. The goal is to improve efficiency and effectiveness of user interaction, and thus the overall user experience. Technologies employed range from sensor-based solutions for detecting the actual contextual parameters to high level tools for defining UIs adaptive behaviors on a rule-based manner.
Models, methods, tools and systems for data integration and processing suitable for eScience scenarios. eScience scenarios deal with data coming in different scales and shapes, practitioners coming from diverse domains, evolving requirements for computing capacity. Special emphasis is posed on solutions and technologies that are scalable, flexible, re-usable and dynamically evolvable. Data analytics environments enabling the execution of scientists' algorithms in a distributed computing platform.
Tools and methods for the analysis of large and heterogeneous data sources, aimed to extract knowledge hidden in the data, in the form of frequent patterns (from simple item sets to sequences and graphs), cluster structures, classification and statistical models.
Deep learning (DL) is a branch of machine learning that focuses on representation-learning methods composed of multiple levels of non-linear modules. Starting from a low level representation of an object (e.g., characters, pixels) each level outputs a representation at a higher, slightly more abstract level, until a complex output is produced (e.g., text classification, scene description).
Models, methods and systems for the access, long-term preservation and interoperability of large collections of multimedia digital objects, endowed with formal descriptions drawn from formal ontologies. Special emphasis is given to the languages and the tools of the Semantic Web, including Linked Open Data.
Emotions guide life of people. The important role of emotions in Human Computer Interaction (HCI) has been widely accepted beyond the classical usability techniques. The user is fundamental during the interaction with User Interfaces (UIs), so it is important to design interfaces taking into account also the human factors, such as the emotional state. This research aims to investigate the impact of some Web design criteria eliciting a particular emotional state on the user. The final goal is the design of Web applications able to detect physiological parameters of the user with various sensors, in order to monitor the current emotional state and to adapt the Web design with the objective of eliciting more positive emotions on the user.
We design and develop a set of methods, techniques, and tools that allow users of software systems, who are acting as non-professional software developers, at some point to create, modify or extend a software artefact. For this purpose, we investigate new metaphors and techniques for the development process that allow users to easily express their concepts and intents, and then support mapping them to available services and editing their composition. We focus on Web mashups, context-dependent applications, and Internet of Things domains.
Study and design of methods and tools for assessing and and enforcing "by design" the individual privacy and the discrimination protection in data mining and data analytics.
Machine Learning is a discipline that investigates on algorithms that can learn a model of a process by looking at examples of input-output pairs from such process. The model can then be used to automatically predict outputs for previously unseen inputs. The ML paradigm follows the natural "learn by examples" paradigm, rather than requiring an explicit coding of the rules that govern the observed process.
Data analysis tools, methods and applications for the extraction of human mobility information from various location data sources, such as GPS traces of vehicles, mobile phone call detail records and geo-referenced posts on social media.
We research on languages and methods that allow designers and developers of interactive systems to focus on key logical aspects of user interfaces, through the use of relevant models that can be specified at various abstraction levels. We also develop tools supporting such notations in order to provide designers with ways to develop and analyse such models, so as to better support and improve the design, development and evaluation of interactive software applications.
We design and develop methods, languages, tools, applications that exploit multimodal user interfaces, which are able to interact with a system by exploiting multiple human senses, in order to improve the user experience. We consider them both in stationary and mobile scenarios. One main goal is to obtain dynamic combinations of modalities depending on the actual context of use in order to better support end users. For this purpose we consider various modalities (exploiting different physiological parameters) such as graphics, voice, gesture, vibro-tactile feedback, gaze, brain activity, ..., which can be combined in different ways (complementary, redundant, assignment, equivalence) depending on the desired effect.
Natural Language Processing is a broad discipline focused on the automatic elaboration of human language by computer. Some of the typical NLP tasks are automatic summarization, machine translation, named entity recognition, optical character recognition, parsing, question answering, speech processing. Text mining focuses on methods for the automatic extraction from text of information that is relevant with respect to a information need. The relevant information is latent in the text or it appears in an unstructured form. The extraction process makes it explicit and gives structure to it, enabling the application of traditional data mining methods, which require structured information.
Cloud-based architectures endowed with basic information processing services for connecting a variety of independently developed systems, embedded in the physical world, in order to offer advanced (smart) services. Special emphasis is given to the models and the languages developed in the context of the Internet of Things.
Models, methods, tools and systems for building and efficiently operating ICT Infrastructures enabling the creation of Virtual Research Environments. Mediator services enabling the integration and federation of existing services, data and infrastructures to effectively realise a system of systems. Scalable approaches and methods dealing with data that are large in volume, variety and/or velocity.
Models, methods, tools and systems for innovative scholarly communication practices compliant with Science 2.0. Rich and extensible data models capable to capture any research object, its links with other objects, and to make it reusable, reliable, repeatable, referenceable, in contexts other than the originating one. Social networking methods for collaboration and cooperation.
The management of huge volumes of scientific data requires an intensive research activity as the traditional database technology is not adequate. Research topics include: scientific data modeling, metadata modeling, query processing, and adaptive indexing structures.
The activity focusses on (i) Semantic Web Languages and scalable reasoning methods, (ii) Semantic Web Language extensions to deal uncertainty and fuzziness, and (iii) Machine Learning Algorithms to automatically induce structured knowledge from Semantic Web data.
Tools and methods for the analysis of large and complex network data, with the objective of highlight structural and topological patterns, such as community discovery, evolutionary patterns, information diffusion, link prediction.
Integrated framework to collect, integrate and harmonize crowdsourced data about human activities. Tools and methods to enrich raw data with behaviorally rich semantics about human activities, both at individual and collective level.
We work in tool support for usability and/or accessibility evaluation in order to provide evaluators and developers with a number of pieces of information that can be helpful to improve their interactive applications. To this end, we consider various techniques ranging from intelligent analysis of logs of user interactions detected on the client side (which can be in desktop or mobile devices) to code inspection in order to check whether the application is consistent with relevant guidelines (which can be specified through a language that we have developed for this purpose).
VA provides a computer-support system to understand complex and big data by means of a visual representation, in order to facilitate interpretation and comprehension of analytical tasks. Visualization is strictly coupled with advanded analytical methods to reduce, aggregate and summarize large data.
The ongoing shift of services and applications toward Cloud platforms brings users to entrust their whole service stack, from data storage to company workflows, to external providers. Besides the development of new Cloud platforms and standards, key research challenges are federating services and resources from different public/private Clouds, providing scalable interoperability, wisely matching services and needs, protecting the privacy and security of users' data.
An increasing number of algorithms and applications leverage data mining and machine learning techniques to deal with the complexity and scale of the data. We gather large volumes of direct or indirect evidence of relationships of interest, and we apply data mining and learning algorithms in order to extract accurate models to: rank results of queries, predict the evolution of complex phenomena, provide relevant recommendations by considering user context and preferences.
The focus is addressing interesting, often yet unsolved problems, related to the design, implementation and deployment of information systems that scale far larger than most other systems and can effectively and efficiently provide in near real-time answers to complex queries by possibly using a limited amount of computational resources.
Structured and semi-structured data available on the Web is constantly increasing. The Web of Data is no longer limited to a few specialists, but it attracts companies, governments and individuals. The focus is on investigating precise and efficient methods for linking objects to additional semantic information provided by external knowledge bases. Objects to be enriched can range from short snippets of text to more complex data such as spatio-temporal records.
Recent years have seen the exponential growth of scale and complexity of heterogeneous digital content coming from various sources such as the Web, social media/networks, as well as databases and usage logs recording most of human activities. Scalable paradigms to manage, analyse, and search those large, real-world data are becoming increasingly important.
The widespread use of social networks and multimedia sharing platforms opens unprecedented possibilities for extracting fresh information about large communities of people, events and opinions. Understanding which are the more relevant topics in this information flow and how they spread across the network is a challenging task impacting also the area of Social Sciences. Our focus is on designing novel machine learning tools aimed at enhancing Information Retrieval and filtering applications, such as news recommendation and trend detection.
We have consolidated experience on the use of 3D printing technologies, adopted in several projects (mostly, but not only, focusing on Cultural Heritage applications). We have research projects concerning the extension or development of new software approaches for 3D printing (i.e. illustrative fabrication, extending working volume of 3D printing devices, production of deformable replicas).
Use of cutting-edge Computer Graphics for the support of Cultural Heritage or Digital Humanities applications, including museums and artwork exposition, study of artworks, restoration, archaeological documentation, etc. We have solid expertise on 3D models/2D images visualization (on desktop, web or mobile platforms), archival, analysis and presentation by means of multimedia installations.
Algorithms and applications for real-time rendering and visualization. Photorealistic rendering, rendering of massive datasets, techniques for inspection of 3D and 2D data. We developed several algorithms specialized for many scenarios where large amount of data are involved such as rendering of terrains, urban environments, indoor environments, human artifacts.
We have a very consolidated experience on the reconstruction from sampled points; we designed and implemented several innovative software solutions. Most of these works have been later on ported to MeshLab, the open source system designed and mantained by CNR-ISTI, now a major reference for the 3D scanning community (http://meshlab.sourceforge.net/).
We have solid experience on technologies for data management and visualization issues reconstruction from volumetric data,iso-surface extraction, direct volume rendering, visual analysis). More recently, we consolidated experience on the development of visualization systems on the web or the mobile platforms.
Efficient solutions for interactive visualization of 3D/2D media for the Web and on mobile devices. This topic is not limited to porting existing desktop technologies on mobile devices but it deals with novel interaction paradigms and sensors use that are proper of these devices.
Development of mathematical models, numerical methods and software for modelling the thermomechanical behaviour of solid continua with a view toward engineering applications.
Development of mechanical models and software for the structural analysis of ancient masonry constructions. In particular, the NOSA-ITACA code (available at http://www.nosaitaca.it/en/) allows for modelling the nonlinear behaviour of masonry constructions under static and dynamic loads, by taking into account the material's inability to withstand tensile stresses. | 2019-04-21T18:07:30Z | https://www.isti.cnr.it/research/rdtopics.php |
When Joseph Smith, Jr., described his first vision in his 1838-39 account, he dated it to the spring of 1820 and affirmed that this vision was the result of a religious revival, “an unusual excitement on the subject of religion” which took place “in the place where we lived.” But he also dated it “sometime in the second year after our removal to Manchester.” As shown in the previous chapter, the Smith family did not move onto their Manchester farm until 1822. The second year after this move would have been 1824, not 1820. An examination of newspaper accounts, religious periodicals, church records, and personal narratives shows that there were no significant gains in church memberships or any other signs of revival in Palmyra in 1820. There was a stirring and momentous revival there with all the features that Joseph Smith’s history mentions during the fall and winter of 1824-25.
Smith stated that the revival that stirred him also led his mother, sister, and two brothers to join the Presbyterian church, while he was drawn to the Methodists.1 In the preliminary draft of his mother’s history, Lucy adds details which suggest an 1824 date for the revival as well. She begins by linking the revival to the death of her son Alvin. After relating the family’s sorrow after his death, when “we could not be comforted because he was not,” she adds a short statement, subsequently crossed out: “About this time their [there] was a great revival in religion and the whole neighborhood was very much aroused to the subject, and we among the rest flocked to the meeting house to see if their [there] was a word of comfort for us that might [p.16]releive [relieve] our over charged feelings.”2 Her “over-charged feelings” were the result of her oldest son Alvin dying suddenly the previous year (1823).
There was <at this time> a man then laboring in that place to effect a union of all the churches, that all denominations might be agreed to worship God with one mind, and one heart. This I thought looked right, and tried to persuade my Husband to join with them as I wished to do so myself and it was the inclination of them all [her children] except Joseph. He refused from the first to attend the meeting with us. He would say, Mother, I do not wish to prevent you from going to meeting or joining any church you like or any of the Family who desire the like, only do not ask me to <do so> for I do not wish to go. But I will take my Bible and go out into the woods and learn more in two hours than you could if you were to go to meeting two years. My husband also declined attending the meetings after the first but did not object to myself and such of the children as chose <going or becoming> church members.
In his 1838-39 account Joseph Smith remembered that great multitudes joined the Baptist, Methodist, and Presbyterian churches during the revival. Church membership rolls are carefully kept, and in most cases can still be traced.
Membership rolls of “the first Baptized Church in Palmyra,” which had a frame meetinghouse west of the village of Palmyra in Macedon township, reveal that during the entire year of 1820 only eight people were received on profession of faith and baptized. However during the period between October 1824 and April 1825, even though the church was without a pastor at the time, 94 individuals were baptized and added to the membership roll.
William’s description of the revival fits the pattern of the period. Once a revival had broken out, regular and frequent meetings would be scheduled at the town meetinghouse to advance it. Since Presbyterians were dominant in Palmyra, one could well expect Reverend Benjamin Stockton, their pastor, to preside and to expect the converts to join the church located in the village itself. The Baptist building was about a mile west of the center of the village, and Methodists were a mile east on Vienna Road, so Joseph Smith’s [p.20]expression of the revivals in his “region of country” was a good way to describe the situation.
Stockton was pastor of the Skaneateles church in central New York from 4 March 1818 until 30 June 1822.19 He visited Palmyra for a speech to the Youth Missionary Society in October 1822, and the newspaper described him then as “Rev. Stockton of Skaneateles.”20 He appeared again in the Palmyra paper when he performed a wedding on 26 November 1823, just a week after Alvin’s death.21 According to William Smith, Stockton was present the previous week and preached Alvin’s funeral sermon. In this sermon Stockton implied that Alvin “had gone to hell, for Alvin was not a church member, but he was a good boy and my [William’s] father did not like it.”22 William noted that when the revival meetings closed and Stockton insisted that the converts join the Presbyterian church, “our folks hesitated” because of his insinuation about Alvin.
As presiding elder Lane was responsible to ride from circuit to circuit in the Ontario District and hold the quarterly business meetings for each circuit. Each preaching point or congregation on the [p.22]circuit sent delegates to the quarterly meeting, and at its conclusion the presiding elder would travel on to the next circuit of the district to preside at its quarterly meeting.
From Catharine [circuit] I went to Ontario circuit, where the Lord had already begun a gracious work in Palmyra… . About this time [25 and 26 September 1824] it appeared to break out afresh. Monday evening, after the quarterly meeting, there were four converted, and on the following evening, at a prayer meeting at Dr. Chase’s, there were seven. Among these was a young woman by the name of Lucy Stoddard.
The great deep of her heart was broken up; she saw clearly that she was a child of wrath, and in danger of hell. With this view of her sad condition, she fell prostrate at the feet of her offended sovereign, and in the bitterest anguish cried for mercy. In this situation, however, she was not suffered long to continue before she obtained a most satisfactory evidence of her acceptance with God through the merits of Jesus Christ. Her soul was unspeakably happy, and with great emphasis she exhorted others to come and share with her the inestimable blessing.
The same week she was married she was attacked by a bilious remittent fever, which terminated in a typhus fever… . at length, her disorder took such a turn as to convince her and others, that her stay in this world would be but short. The patience with which she endured her afflictions, which were sometimes very severe, was remarkable; not a murmur was heard to escape her lips… . From Saturday night to the time of her dissolution, which took place on Monday following, she seemed wholly swallowed up in God.
It has been a great time of lament[a]tion and mourning; children removed from parents, and parents from children. The scene has been truly alarming… . I was called upon almost every day to attend on funeral solemnities, and often two in a day; until I was attacked myself with the same fatal disorder, which brought me near to the grave.
Meanwhile revivals were spreading as well in the neighboring towns. By February revivals were reported in Williamson and Ontario to the north, in Manchester, Sulphur Springs, and Vienna to the southeast, in Lyons to the east, and in Macedon to the west. Even towns at a greater distance from Palmyra began to experience revival fires, with Mendon to the west and Geneva to the southeast sharing in the divine outpouring.
More than two hundred souls have become the hopeful subjects of divine grace in Palmyra, Macedon, Manchester, Phelps, Lyons, and Ontario, since the late revival commenced.—This is a powerful work; it is among old and young, but mostly among young people. Many are ready to exclaim, “what hath God wrought!” “It is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes.” The cry is yet from various parts, “come over and help us.” There are large and attentive congregations in every part, who hear as for their lives. Such intelligence must be pleasing to every child of God, who rightly estimate the value of immortal souls, and wishes well to the cause of Zion.
However, this argument overlooks—and negates—Cowdery’s and Smith’s own assertion of a revival “in Palmyra” and “vicinity,” as well as the names of pastors responsible for the development. Smith in an 1843 interview with a reporter for the New York Spectator stated that it was “among the different religious denominations in the neighborhood where I lived.”48 Lucy says that she and her children in company with their whole neighborhood “flocked to the meeting house.” This description does not suggest a ten-to-fifteen-mile walk.
The definitive indication that the revival was local comes in Smith’s remarks about the “great confusion and bad feelings” ensuing at the end of the meetings. Even the most ardent defenders of an 1820 date recognize that this strife over converts was local, resulting in Smith’s family being proselyted to the local Presbyterian church.
The second line of argument seeks to establish one specific revival, characterized by several of the features his account describes, close enough to his home he could have attended. According to this argument, an awakening took place at the village of Vienna, some eleven miles from Palmyra, between the summer of 1819 and the [p.29]summer of 1820. The features seen as echoing Smith’s account include: the presence of George Lane at Vienna, a camp meeting in the area, and a substantial membership increase.49 However, there is no evidence that such a revival ever occurred.
Lane was at Vienna in July 1819 attending the annual meeting of the Methodist Genesee Conference, at which he was appointed to serve in Pennsylvania.50 There is no record that he preached or that a camp meeting was held in connection with this conference. In 1826, when a camp meeting was actually held, the conference minutes contain reference to the ministers who were put in charge of the arrangements for the meeting. No indication of any such arrangements appears in the 1819 minutes.
The reference to “camp meeting” alludes to a camp grounds site used by Methodists at that time. This camp was about a mile outside the village of Palmyra, “away down in the woods” on the road running southeast to Vienna. At this site in 1822, Methodists built their first house of worship. Much later, in 1826, about a mile southeast of this chapel a camp meeting was held by the conference which drew a crowd of 10,000 people. It was undoubtedly this camp meeting site which also received mention in the Palmyra paper during the last week of June 1820, not for a crowd of 10,000, but for a man who died from consuming too much alcohol purchased at “the grog-shops” on the edge of the campgrounds.52 Camp meetings were often held by Methodists but did not often spark a significant revival. When revivals did occur, they were customarily reported in the Methodist Magazine.
Second, when Blakeslee speaks of the year 1820 he does not mean the calendar year 1820 but the conference year 1820, which began at the annual meeting in either July or August and ran to the following summer’s meeting. This is evident from his statement that “For 1820, Loring Grant and John Baggerly were the preachers.” The published Minutes shows that these two preachers were not assigned to the Lyons circuit until 20 July 1820 and served until July 1821, too late for a spring 1820 revival. Thus the time Lane was at Vienna and supposedly conducting a camp meeting during July 1819 was an entire year earlier than the revival period picked by Blakeslee, which [p.31]came in the year following July 1820. It is also significant that the preachers Blakeslee names were not identified with the revival by the man who was converted.
Third, it seems evident that Blakeslee places this flaming revival in 1820 because he noted from the conference’s published minutes that in that year the Lyons circuit, which included Vienna, increased its membership by 274. The conference minutes show that as of July 1819 membership on the circuit stood at 673, dropped by 299 to 374 by July 1820, only to rise again by some 280 members to 654 by July 1821. These fluctuations most likely resulted from a typographical error in the printed text for 1820.
The Lord has been pleased to visit this District (Ontario) in mercy the present year [July 1823-July 1824]… . Four years since, Unitarianism or Arianism, seemed to threaten the entire overthrow of the work of God in some Circuits on this District, and on some others, divisions and wild and ranting fanatics, caused the spirits of the faithful in a degree to sink. But the Lord has turned again the captivity of Zion, and made us to rejoice. Though for two or three years [July 1820-July 1823] we saw no great awakenings, yet we saw that truth and rational scriptural piety were evidently gaining ground.
The present year [July 1823-July 1824] we have had some glorious revivals… .
From the annual Conference [July 1823] where we received our appointment to this [Lyons] circuit, we came directly to our work, in the name of the Lord, hoping and praying for a revival… .
We soon perceived the serious attention of the listening multitudes to the word preached, accompanied with tears and cries for salvation in Jesus’ name. Nor were they turned empty away. In our prayer-meetings scores of these deeply penitent mourners, witnessed the power of Christ to save.
Contemporary evidence thus requires an 1824-25 date for the revival Smith describes in his 1838-39 official history. Certainly memory at times conflates events, and perhaps Smith in retrospect blended in his mind events from 1820 with a revival occurring four years later. But the problems caused by the dating discrepancy are fundamental ones. That date for the revival provides the circumstances and motivation leading to the first vision and allows the four annual visits to the hill Cumorah, beginning in September 1823 and leading to Smith’s obtaining the plates in September 1827. A revival in the spring of 1825 would place the first visit to the hill Cumorah [p.33]in September 1825 and allow only one visit before Smith finally received the plates.
The absence of a motivating 1824-25 revival from the 1832 account relieves apologists of a serious chronological conflict. Hill, who recognized that the 1838-39 narrative describes the 1824 revival, notes that “an 1824 revival creates problems for the 1838 account” but not for the 1832 account.61 Hill’s point is that we should give priority to the 1832 account as closer to Smith’s experience. It is to this earlier account, as well as other evidence, that we now turn in considering Smith’s early educational and religious experiences.
1. See Manuscript History, Book A-1: 1-2, archives, historical department, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Salt Lake City, Utah (hereafter LDS archives); JS-H 1:5, 7-8, PGP; Dean C. Jessee, ed., The Papers of Joseph Smith (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1989), 1:269-70.
2. Lucy Mack Smith, Preliminary Manuscript (MS), “History of Lucy Smith,” 55, LDS archives (page numbering corresponds with a typed transcript in LDS archives and with the page numbers in the photocopy of the manuscript).
3. Ibid., 55-56; Lucy Mack Smith, Biographical Sketches of Joseph Smith the Prophet, and His Progenitors for Many Generations (Liverpool: Published for Orson Pratt by S.W. Richards, 1853), 90-91, hereafter as Biographical Sketches; Lucy Mack Smith, History of Joseph Smith By His Mother, Lucy Mack Smith (Salt [p.34]Lake City: Bookcraft, 1958), 90-91, hereafter as History of Joseph Smith. In the 1853 edition Joseph Smith’s Times and Seasons account was inserted into Lucy’s history (74-78), making it contain two accounts of the same revival but with different dates.
4. Incorporation papers of the Western Presbyterian Church of Palmyra, 18 Mar. 1817, in Miscellaneous Records, Book C:209, Ontario County Clerk’s Office, Canandaigua, New York. Henry Jessup was referred to as Deacon Jessup; see Western Farmer 1 (12 Dec. 1821): 4.
5. Chase’s affidavit in E.D. Howe, Mormonism Unvailed (Painesville [OH]: Printed and Published by the Author, 1834), 241.
6. For 1820, see Minutes of the Palmyra Baptist church under the dates of 18 Mar., 17 June, and 19 Aug. 1820. For 1824-25, see the Minutes of the Palmyra Baptist church, 16 Oct., 20, 24 Nov., 4, 5, 18 Dec. 1824; 1, 15, 29 Jan., 19 Feb., 5, 19 Mar., and 3 Apr. 1825. See Minutes of the Ontario Baptist Association (Rochester: Printed by Everard Peck, 1825), 5, for published membership figures for the conference year 1824-25.
The records of “The First Baptized [sic] Church in Palmyra” are now in the American Baptist Historical Society in Rochester, New York. In 1835, when part of the congregation organized the Baptist church within the village of Palmyra itself, the original records remained with the part of the church that would eventually become the Macedon Baptist church in the next township to the west.
7. Minutes of the Annual Conferences of the Methodist Episcopal Church (1773-1828), published in 1840, report: 446 (1824), 471 (1825), 330 (1819), 345 (1820), and 366 (1821). The records of the Palmyra Methodist church were burned in a fire at Rochester, New York, in 1933.
8. Geneva Presbytery “Records,” 21 Sept. 1825, Book D:40; Geneva Synod “Records,” 6 Oct. 1825, 431, both in the Presbyterian Historical Society, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In the Presbytery’s Report to Synod, the Palmyra church reported for the year between 10 September 1824 and 23 September 1825 additions of 103 members and a membership jump from seventy-nine to 178 (130 percent) with forty adult baptisms. See “Presbyterial Reports to the Synod of Geneva,” Presbyterian Historical Society.
For the quote, see Geneva Presbytery “Records,” 2 Feb. 1825, Book D:27-28.
Messrs. Editors—Please to allow the subscriber…the privilege of [p.35]expressing his gratitude to God, for what He is doing for the people of Palmyra, and likewise his thanks to a number of friends in that village, for assisting him in printing Tracts, and in setting up Sabbath Schools.
The collection taken up on the Sabbath evening, amounting to $7[.]72, by the recommendation of the Rev. Mr. STOCKTON, will afford the subscriber some assistance, and it being divided and partly appropriated to a Juvenile Library, for a Sunday School in Palmyra, it will probably be the means of commencing a Library there for the benefit of the rising generation….
By a Sabbath School Society is meant an institution for collecting the children and youth, of all denominations, whenever most convenient, for the purpose of giving them instructions from the word of God without any attempt to build up any peculiar sect or party. Such parts of the Holy Scriptures ought to be committed to memory as are of the most practical nature, and such as may be considered most useful in pointing out the duty of man to his Maker, and to his fellow creatures; such, for instance, as the Lord’s Prayer, the Ten Commandments, Christ’s Sermon on the Mount, the xii. of Romans, iii. of Colossians, and iv. of Ephesians….
A MEETING will be held in the Presbyterian house of worship, in this village, on Thursday evening, the 16th inst. at half-past 6 o’clock, for the purpose of organizing a RELIGIOUS TRACT SOCIETY. All who feel disposed to encourage the circulation of Scripture truth in the form of small and familiar publications, are invited to attend.
9. Geneva Presbytery “Records,” 2 Feb. 1820, Book C:37, and “Presbyterial Reports to the Synod of Geneva.” The membership for Palmyra shows an increase over the previous year’s report from sixty-one to seventy-one members. This figure includes those who transferred in by letter of recommendation from another congregation as well as those joining upon profession of faith, off-set by those transferring out and those who either died or were dropped from membership.
10. James H. Hotchkin, A History of the Purchase and Settlement of Western New York, and the Rise, Progress, and Present State of the Presbyterian Church in that Section (New York: Published by M. W. Dodd, 1848), 378.
11. See accounts in The Christian Herald and Seaman’s Magazine (28 Sept. 1816; 10 May, 7 June 1817): 2:16; 3:103f, 164; Religious Remembrancer (5 Oct., 2 Nov. 1816; 17 May 1817), 4th Series, 24, 39, 151f; American Baptist Magazine (July 1817) 1:153; and Boston Recorder (17 Sept. 1816; 13 May, 21 Oct. 1817): [p.36]1:151; 2:88, 180. See also Joshua Bradley, Accounts of the Religious Revivals…from 1815 to 1818 (1819), 223.
12. Accounts of the revival in Palmyra during 1824-25 are reported in New-York Religious Chronicle 2 (20 Nov. 1824): 154; 3 (9 Apr. 1825): 58; Western New York Baptist Magazine 4 (Feb. 1825): 284; Western Recorder 1 (9 Nov. 1824): 90; 2 (29 Mar. 1825): 50; Boston Recorder 10 (29 Apr. 1825), 70; 10 (20 May 1825): 82; The Christian Herald 8 (Portsmouth, Mar. 1825): 7 (this last publication is the organ of the Christian-Connection church and should not be confused with The Christian Herald of Presbyterian affiliation); Christian Watchman 5 (20 Nov. 1824): 199; Baptist Register (Utica), 3 Dec. 1824; 11 Mar. 1825, 7; American Baptist, Feb. 1825; Zion’s Herald 3 (9 Feb., 11 May 1825), a Methodist weekly in Boston; American Baptist Magazine 5 (Apr. 1825): 124-25; and the New York Observer, 7 May 1825.
13. The following periodicals were examined without finding a single reference to a Palmyra revival: Baptist: American Baptist Magazine (Jan. 1819-Nov. 1821); Latter-day Luminary (Feb. 1818-Nov. 1821); Western New York Baptist Magazine (Feb. 1819-Nov. 1821). Presbyterian: Religious Remembrancer (Jan. 1818-18 Aug. 1821); The Christian Herald and Seaman’s Magazine (2 Jan. 1819-6 Jan. 1821); Evangelical Recorder (5 June 1819-8 Sept. 1821). Methodist: The Methodist Magazine (Jan. 1818-Dec. 1821). Congregational: Religious Intelligencer (Jan. 1819-May 1821). Christian-Connection: The Christian Herald (May 1818-25 May 1821). Other: Boston Recorder (Jan. 1818-Dec. 1821); Palmyra Register (13 Jan. 1819-27 Dec. 1820). The Palmyra Register has revivals reported in the state of New York but not in Palmyra (7 June, 16 Aug., 13 Sept., 4 Oct. 1820). Even when it describes a Methodist camp meeting in the vicinity of the village, it reports only that a man got drunk at the grog shops on the edge of the campground and died the next morning (3 [28 June; 5 July 1820]: 2).
14. Letter of Rev. James Murdock, dated New Haven, 19 June 1841, to the Congregational Observer, Hartford and New-Haven, Connecticut, 2 (3 July 1841): 1. Interview of William Smith aboard an Ohio River boat on 18 April 1841. Original of The Congregational Observer is located in the Connecticut State Historical Society, Hartford. This interview was republished in the Peoria Register and North-Western Gazette 5 (3 Sept. 1841).
15. William Smith, William Smith on Mormonism (Lamoni, IA: Herald Steam Book and Job Office, 1883), 6.
16. Interview of William Smith by E. C. Briggs as reported by J. W. Petersen to Zion’s Ensign 5 (13 Jan. 1894): 6, Independence, Missouri; see also, with minor inaccuracies, Deseret Evening News 27 (20 Jan. 1894): 11; Latter-day Saints’ Millennial Star 56 (26 Feb. 1894): 133-34; Church News, 16 [p.37]Mar. 1968, 11. William stated that “Hyrum, Samuel, Katharine [Sophronia] and mother were members of the Presbyterian church” (Zion’s Ensign 5:6), which he described as the “Church, of whome the Rev. Mr. Stoc[k]ton was the Presiding Paster” (William Smith, “Notes Written on `Chamber’s Life of Joseph Smith’ by William Smith,” typescript, 18, LDS archives).
The fact that the names of Smith’s mother and brothers appear later as members of the Palmyra Presbyterian church who were dropped for nonattendance is further evidence that the revival Smith had in view affected the local Presbyterian church. See Western Presbyterian Church of Palmyra, “Session Records,” 2:11-12. Volume 1, which would have shown the exact date the Smiths joined, has been missing since at least 1932.
17. For his installation, see Wayne Sentinel 1 (18 Feb. 1824): 3; (25 Feb. 1824): 2. Also Geneva Presbytery “Records” C:252-54, 274; and Hotchkin History, 377. Stockton asked for permission to resign on 5 September 1827 (Geneva Presbytery “Records” D:83) which was agreed to by the local congregation on 18 September (D:85).
19. For his installation date, see Evangelical Recorder 1 (7 Mar. 1819): 111; or Religious Intelligencer 2 (2 May 1818): 800. On the terminal date, see Hotchkin, History, 341. Stockton remained a member of Cayuga Presbytery, which included Skaneateles, through 1823 (see Geneva Synod “Records,” 1:211, 238, 258, 374) until he transferred to Geneva Presbytery on 3 February 1824 (see Geneva Presbytery “Records” C:252). The Presbytery and Synod records are in the Presbyterian Historical Society, Philadelphia.
20. Palmyra Herald 2 (6 Nov. 1822): 3.
21. Wayne Sentinel 1 (31 Dec. 1823; 7, 14, 21, 28 Jan. 1824).
22. Zion’s Ensign 5 (13 Jan. 1894): 6; Deseret Evening News 27 (20 Jan. 1894): 11 and Latter-day Saints’ Millennial Star 56 (26 Feb. 1894): 133.
23. For sketches of Lane’s life, see Minutes of the Annual Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church 8 (1860): 40-41; William Sprague, Annals of the American Methodist Pulpit 7 (1861): 810-11; Hendrick B. Wright, Historical Sketches of Plymouth, Luzerne Co., Penna. (Philadelphia: T.B. Peterson & Brothers, 1873), 309, 346ff; Oscar Jewell Harvey, The Harvey Book (1899), 128-34; George Peck, The Life and Times of Rev. George Peck, D.D. (New York: Nelson & Phillips, 1874), 96-97, 104, 108-9; George Peck, Early Methodism Within the Bounds of the Old Genesee Conference from 1788 to 1828 (New York: Carlton & Porter, 1860), 492-95, and scattered references 166-67, 235-38, 309, 346, 428, 431, 441-42, 447-49, 509. Lane’s portrait appears in The Methodist Magazine 9 (Apr. 1826), and later in H. Wright, Historical Sketches, facing 346.
That our narrative may be correct, and particularly the introduction, it is proper to inform our patrons, that our brother J. SMITH jr. has offered to assist us. Indeed, there are many items connected with the fore part of this subject that render his labor indispensible [sic]. With his labor and with authentic documents now in our possession, we hope to render this a pleasing and agreeable narrative, well worth the examination and perusal of the Saints.
Cowdery’s eight installments which appeared in the Messenger and Advocate were recopied about October-November 1835 and are located in Manuscript History, Book A-1: 46-103 [a separate section], LDS archives. See Jessee, Papers of Joseph Smith, 1:26-96. Besides being republished in the Times and Seasons (Nauvoo, IL), the letters also appeared in The Gospel Reflector (Philadelphia), were published as a pamphlet in Liverpool, England (1844), and were included in The Prophet (New York) in 1844.
25. Messenger and Advocate 1 (Dec. 1834): 42-43, emphasis in original. When Cowdery first published this account, he gave Smith’s age as the “15th year of his life.” He corrected this in his next letter, and said that in his previous letter the time of the religious excitement should have been in Smith’s seventeenth year: “You will recollect that I mentioned the time of a religious excitement, in Palmyra and vicinity to have been in the 15th year of our brother J. Smith Jr.’s, age—that was an error in the type—it should have been in the 17th.—You will please remember this correction, as it will be necessary for the full understanding of what will follow in time. This would bring the date down to the year 1823” (1 [Feb. 1835]: 78). Cowdery’s correction of the date to the year 1823 still presents a problem since Lane was not the presiding elder of the local Methodist circuit until he was appointed a year later in 1824. Smith’s 1823 excitement, as Cowdery reported it, was placed prior to the reported first appearance (September 1823) of the angel who guarded the golden plates of the Book of Mormon.
26. George Peck, Early Methodism, 494. George Lane was born on 13 April 1784 and died on 6 May 1859.
27. For official confirmation of Lane’s assigned field of labor, see Minutes of the Annual Conferences (1773-1828), 1:337, 352, 373, 392, 418, 446. In 1823 Lane was serving in the Susquehanna District in central Pennsylvania. In July 1819 Lane went with Reverend George Peck to the annual eight-day business meeting of the Genesee Annual Conference. This was held at Vienna (now Phelps), a village some fifteen miles from the Smith home. The “Journal” of [p.39]the conference does not indicate that any preaching services were held, and there is no indication of any revival touched off at Vienna or Palmyra.
28. Minutes of the Annual Conferences (1825), 470.
29. Letter of George Lane, dated 25 Jan. 1825, in Methodist Magazine 8 (Apr. 1825): 159.
30. Wayne Sentinel 1 (15 Sept. 1824): 3.
31. Minutes of the Ontario Baptist Association (Convened at Gorham, 22-23 Sept. 1824), 4.
32. Geneva Presbytery “Records,” 8 Sept. 1824, D:16.
33. Calvin W. Stoddard, twenty-three years old at the time, was baptized by Elder Malby of the Palmyra Baptist church on Sunday, 3 April 1825, along with his sister Bathsheba. His parents (Silas and Bathsheba), who were in their sixties, had been baptized the month before (Minutes of the Palmyra Baptist Church, 5 Mar. and 3 Apr. 1825). Calvin Stoddard worked for Lemuel Durfee, Sr., as is recorded in Durfee’s account books. In 1824 his wage was set at $8.50 per month and later increased to $10 a month for a period of eight months (Lemuel Durfee Account Book, 1813-29, Ontario County Historical Society, Canandaigua, New York). Stoddard married Sophronia Smith, who was then a member of the Palmyra Presbyterian church, on 30 December 1827. There were difficulties with Stoddard regarding open communion, and on 16 August 1828 a committee sent from the church to visit Stoddard reported that he said “that many of them were Devils.” He was excluded from the Palmyra Baptist church (Palmyra Baptist Church Minutes, 19 July, 16 Aug. 1828). He later joined the Mormon church.
34. Methodist Magazine 8 (Apr. 1825): 159-60.
35. Gospel Luminary 1 (Mar. 1825): 65-66.
36. Western Recorder 1 (9 Nov. 1824): 90.
37. American Baptist Magazine 5 (Feb. 1825): 61-62.
38. Methodist Magazine 8 (Apr. 1825): 160.
39. The Latter Day Luminary 6 (Feb. 1825): 61.
40. Methodist Magazine 8 (Apr. 1825), 161.
41. Gospel Luminary 1 (Feb. 1825): 42, emphasis in original.
42. Ibid., 1 (Mar. 1825): 65, emphasis in original.
43. Western Recorder 2 (10 May 1825): 74.
44. American Baptist Magazine 5 (Apr. 1825): 125, Solomon Goodale writing from Bristol, New York, 9 Mar. 1825.
45. Wayne Sentinel 2 (2 Mar. 1825): 3, 4. Unfortunately these reports have been mistakenly misdated to 1820 and used in several Mormon publications to establish an 1820 revival. However, the Religious Advocate did not begin publication at Rochester until about 1825, and its account quoted above [p.40]refers to the 1824-25 revival. For examples of this account being used to support an 1820 revival date, see Willard Bean, A.B.C. History of Palmyra and the Beginning of “Mormonism” (Palmyra, NY: Palmyra Courier Co., 1938), 22; Preston Nibley, Joseph Smith the Prophet (Salt Lake City: Deseret News Press, 1946), 21-22; and Gordon B. Hinckley, Truth Restored: A Short History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1979), 1-2.
46. Milton V. Backman, Jr., “Awakenings in the Burned-over District: New Light on the Historical Setting of the First Vision,” Brigham Young University Studies 9 (Spring 1969): 301-20; map, 312-13.
47. Manchester, shown at about four miles distant from Palmyra, is actually five; Canandaigua, shown at ten miles, is actually twelve; Junius, shown as fifteen, is more than half a mile farther, and West Bloomfield, shown as fifteen miles, is nearly eighteen miles.
The two sites which should be eliminated are Victor and Phelps. Phelps and Oaks Corners met as one congregation and had only “prospects” of a revival. Victor should be omitted because the revival there occurred in 1830, not 1820. The History of Ontario Co. New York (1876) mistakenly reports a revival in Victor “in the winter of 1820-21, conducted by Reverends Philo Woodworth, Daniel Anderson, and Thomas Carlton.” It was not until the summer of 1830 that these three were assigned to the Victor charge. Carlton did not even join the Methodist Church until 1825 and was only twelve years old in 1820. See [W.H. McIntosh] History of Ontario Co. New York (Philadelphia: Everts, Ensign, & Everts, 1876), 203. For assignment of Woodworth, Anderson, and Carlton to Victor, see Minutes of the Annual Conferences 2:73; for Carlton joining the Methodist church in 1825, see Matthew Simpson, ed., Cyclopedia of Methodism (Philadelphia: Everts & Stewart, 1878), 167.
48. New York Spectator, 23 Sept. 1843.
49. Milton V. Backman, Jr., Joseph Smith’s First Vision: The First Vision in its Historical Context (Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1971), 53-89, and 2d ed. (1980), 195-210.
50. “Journal of the Genesee Conference, 1810-1828,” 1:76-84, transcribed copy of original journal, Wyoming seminary, Kingston, Pennsylvania.
51. O[rsamus]. Turner, History of The Pioneer Settlement of Phelps and Gorham’s Purchase (Rochester, NY: William Alling, 1851), 214, 400. There was a letter waiting for Turner in the Palmyra Post Office, see listing of 30 June 1821 in Western Farmer 1 (4 July 1821): 3.
52. Palmyra Register 3 (28 June, 5 July 1820): 2.
53. M. P. Blakeslee, “Notes for a History of Methodism in Phelps, 1886,” typescript located in the Phelps Historical Society.
56. Abner Chase, Methodist Magazine, 7 (Nov. 1824): 435-36.
57. For discussions concerning Smith’s first vision and the revival, and responses, see Wesley P. Walters, “New Light on Mormon Origins from the Palmyra (N.Y.) Revival,” Bulletin of the Evangelical Theological Society 10 (Fall 1967): 227-44; revised and enlarged in Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought 4 (Spring 1969): 60-81; reply by Richard L. Bushman, “The First Vision Story Revived,” ibid.: 82-93; Wesley P. Walters, “A Reply to Dr. Bushman,” ibid.: 94-100. For a detailed discussion of Backman’s attempt in Joseph Smith’s First Vision to place an 1819-20 revival at Vienna, see Wesley P. Walters, “Joseph Smith’s First Vision Story Revisited,” Journal of Pastoral Practice 4 (1980): 92-109.
58. Marvin S. Hill, “The First Vision Controversy: A Critique and Reconciliation,” Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought 15 (Summer 1982): 39.
59. Jessee, Papers of Joseph Smith, 1:3-10.
60. Earlier in this account Smith said that he often wondered about the churches of his day, whether they were “all wrong together,” which contradicted his later statement that such an idea “never entered into my heart” (Manuscript History A-1: 3; JS-H 1:18, PGP; Jessee, Papers of Joseph Smith, 1:273).
61. Hill, “The First Vision Controversy,” 40. Hill later commented, “When Smith dictated a more polished version in 1838, it was altered in many details and more elaborate” (Quest for Refuge: The Mormon Flight from American Pluralism [Salt Lake City: Signature Books, 1989], 9). | 2019-04-23T14:03:45Z | http://signaturebookslibrary.org/inventing-mormonism-02/ |
Vietnam's shift from a centrally planned to a market economy has transformed it into a lower-middle income country. Vietnam is now one of the most dynamic and fastest growing emerging markets globally. In 2018, a continued stellar expansion in manufacturing output, propelled by buoyant export demand for electronics and supported by robust FDI inflows, primarily fuelled solid growth. 2018's robust growth is expected to spill over into 2019, thanks to healthy private consumption supported by strong private credit growth and rising incomes. The industrial sector also continues to expand at a stellar pace, supported by strong FDI inflows. Vietnam's 2011-2020 Socio-Economic Development Strategy (SEDS) – a 10-year strategy – highlights the need for structural reforms, environmental sustainability, social equity and macroeconomic stability. The Socio-Economic Development Plan (SEDP) for 2016-2020, approved in April 2016, looks to accelerate reforms.
India announced half a billion dollars' worth of credit for Vietnam for defence spending.
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Thai firm SCG has signed loan agreements, worth more than USD3.2 billion, with 6 financial institutions for the Long Son Petrochemicals complex in Vietnam. The project, which would require an investment of around USD5.4 billion and would be located in Bà Ria-Vung Tàu Province. Construction on the complex was scheduled to start in 2018, with commercial operations expected to begin in 2023.
Vietnam's ruling Communist Party agreed to nominate its General Secretary, Nguyen Phu Trong, as president, almost two weeks after the death of former president Tran Dai Quang on September 21, 2018.
Construction was scheduled to start on Hà Noi's mega smart city project in Vietnam in December, subject to timely approvals and land availability. The 2.72sq km Nhat Tân-Noi Bài project was estimated to cost USD4.2 billion and works are scheduled to be completed in 2030.
In 2018, the Vietnamese government passed several new and amended laws which would come into effect in 2019. The laws primarily focus on wages, environmental projects, the food industry, rural development, cybersecurity and administrative procedures.
Vietnam joined the World Trade Organisation (WTO) in January 11, 2007, following more than a decade-long negotiation process. WTO membership has provided Vietnam an anchor to the global market and reinforced the domestic economic reform process.
Vietnam is a member of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) and a signatory to the ASEAN Free Trade Agreement (FTA), which aims to reduce tariff and non-tariff barriers to trade between member states. ASEAN has also negotiated FTAs with Australia, New Zealand, China, India, South Korea and Japan.
Vietnam shares the top spot in South East Asia with Singapore for having the most number of bilateral and multilateral FTAs, being a signatory to 16 of them. As Vietnam continues to live up to its commitments to further reduce import tariffs, this will lead to deeper economic integration with the world, boost foreign investments, and enhance productivity.
Some reductions in import tariffs have already come into effect since January 2018 (such as 0% import tariff for automobile, motorbike, vehicle components under the ASEAN FTA) and there are further commitments to progressively reduce tariffs to 0% by 2022 for a range of other commodities. For instance, under the ASEAN – Japan Comprehensive Economic Partnership, the existing 5% import tax rate for various commodities will be removed by 2019. Similarly, under the ASEAN – India FTA, items currently subjected to import tax rates of between 1-3% will see 0% import tariffs by 2019. Under the Vietnam – South Korea FTA, a range of commodities with import tax rates ranging from 10-20% will also see a gradual reduction to 0% by 2022.
Import duty rates are classified into three categories: Ordinary rates, preferential rates, and special preferential rates. Preferential rates are applicable to imported goods from countries that have most-favoured-nation (MFN, also known as normal trade relations) status with Vietnam. The MFN rates are in accordance with Vietnam's WTO commitments and are applicable to goods imported from other member countries of the WTO. Special preferential rates are applicable to imported goods from countries that have a special preferential trade agreement with Vietnam.
Vietnam has concluded three important agreements in recent quarters: The ASEAN-Hong Kong FTA, the European Union (EU) FTA, and the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership (CP-TPP). In addition, Vietnam is negotiating other agreements, including the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), the FTAs with the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland), and with Israel.
Import duty exemptions are provided for encouraged projects and goods imported in certain circumstances.
Export duties are charged only on a few items, mainly certain natural resources and these rates range from 0% to 40%.
Vietnam has reserved the right of importation to state trading entities in the following product categories: Cigars and cigarettes, crude oil, newspapers, journals and periodicals, and recorded media for sound or pictures (with certain exclusions).
Vietnam also prohibits importation of equipment and technologies which are more than 10 years old. However, there are exceptions in some special cases.
Vietnam currently prohibits the importation of some products, including weaponry, ammunition, explosive materials, military technical equipment, firecrackers, second-hand consumer goods, types of publications, and cultural products in the category prohibited from dissemination and circulation in Vietnam, right-hand-drive motor vehicles, materials and transport facilities, chemicals, plan protection agents prohibited from use in Vietnam, scrap and waste, refrigerating equipment using C.F.C., products, raw material containing asbestos of the group of amphibole, chemicals on the list of prohibited chemicals.
Foreign investors are exempt from import duties on goods imported for their own use which cannot be procured locally, including: Machinery, vehicles, components and spare parts for machinery and equipment, raw materials, inputs for manufacturing, and construction materials that cannot be produced domestically.
Valued added tax (VAT) of 10% applies to goods and services that are not specifically included in the list of goods and services subject to the 0% or 5% rates or the list of goods exempt from VAT. The 5% rate applies to the supply of essential goods and services (water supply, agricultural goods, medical goods and teaching aids).
VAT refunds are now allowed for imported goods that are then exported (this was previously disallowed). In addition, the scope of items not subject to VAT was amended to include exported products being primarily processed from natural resources and mined minerals. Both these changes are effective from February 1, 2018.
In March 2018, Vietnam and South Korea signed an agreement aimed at boosting their bilateral trade to USD100 billion by 2020.
On October 17, 2018, the European Commission (EC) submitted for approval a FTA with Vietnam, the first comprehensive open market deal between the EU and a developing Asian country. Following years of negotiations, the EU-Vietnam FTA (EVFTA) will likely be ratified in November 2018 and come into effect in early 2019. The trade deal would boost market access and eliminate 99% of all tariffs, although some staged over a time period and some limited by quotas.
Vietnam is a member of WTO (effective date: January 11, 2007).
ASEAN FTA (effective date: January 1993): reduces tariff and non-tariff barriers between member states. The 10 members of the ASEAN FTA are: Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar, Indonesia and Cambodia. Vietnam benefits from increased regional integration and tariff liberalisation that includes the elimination of import duties in various sectors and classes of goods. These factors will help reduce input costs for businesses and will increase the country's exporting capacity and industrial base in the long term. Being a member of ASEAN also opens the economy to other significant trade agreements with key regional markets. By the end of 2018, member countries aim to eliminate all tariffs affecting trade with other members.
ASEAN-China (effective date: January 2005 for goods and July 2007 for services) is a comprehensive economic cooperation between ASEAN member states and China. The goal of the agreement is not just eliminating tariffs, but it also seeks to address behind-the-border barriers that impede the flow of goods and services. Trade relations between Vietnam and China benefit from trade preference in terms of tariff exemption or reduction. China is an important market for Vietnam; as it is a key trade partner and an important source of investment.
ASEAN-South Korea FTA (AKFTA): ASEAN and South Korea consolidated their partnership by signing the Framework Agreement on Comprehensive Economic Cooperation at the 9th ASEAN-South Korea Summit on December 13, 2005, which, among others, provides for the establishment of the AKFTA. Under this framework, three major agreements on trade in goods, trade in services and investment were subsequently signed on August 24, 2006, November 20, 2007 and June 2, 2009 respectively. The agreement provides for progressive reduction and elimination of tariffs by each country on almost all products. Vietnam benefits from trade preference in terms of tariff exemption or reduction under this agreement. South Korea is a key trade partner, and removal of tariffs benefits both exporters and importers.
ASEAN-India FTA (AIFTA): The ASEAN-India Trade in Goods Agreement (TIG) was signed at the 7th ASEAN Economic Ministers (AEM) – India Consultations on August 13, 2009. The agreement entered into force on January 1, 2010 for India and some ASEAN member states. The ASEAN-India Trade in Services and Investment Agreements were signed in November 2014. Vietnam benefits from trade preference in terms of tariff exemption or reduction under the AIFTA, which is a trade bloc agreement between India and ASEAN; this will help Vietnam in terms of trade growth and diversification given the size and performance of the Indian economy and other ASEAN member states.
ASEAN-Japan FTA (AJFTA): The framework for Comprehensive Economic Partnership between ASEAN and Japan was signed by leaders at the ASEAN-Japan Summit on October 8, 2003 and was aimed at establishing a Comprehensive Economic Partnership agreement between ASEAN and Japan. The agreement on Comprehensive Economic Partnership among member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (AJCEP) and Japan was concluded in November 2007 and signing was completed by April 14, 2008. The AJCEP is comprehensive in scope, with chapters on trade in goods; sanitary and phytosanitary measures; standards, technical regulations and conformity assessment procedures; investment; services; and economic cooperation. The agreement aims at liberalising and facilitating trade in goods between ASEAN and Japan and promoting cooperation in fields such as Information and Communications Technology, Intellectual Property, and SMEs development. The parties will also continue to discuss and negotiate improvements to the chapters on Trade in Services and Investment. Trade relations between Vietnam and Japan benefit from trade preference in terms of tariff exemption or reduction under the AJFTA. Japan provides a large market for exports, with tariff-free trade therefore benefiting the manufacturing sector in particular.
The ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand FTA (AANZFTA): Signed on February 27, 2009 is ASEAN's first FTA with two developed countries simultaneously, and the first ASEAN FTA done in a single undertaking. AANZFTA represents ASEAN's most ambitious FTA to date, covering 18 chapters including new areas that ASEAN had previously never negotiated on, such as competition policy and intellectual property. The AANZFTA also includes an AANZFTA Economic Cooperation Support Programme, which will provide technical assistance and capacity building to the Parties of the AANZFTA with the aim of supporting the implementation of the agreement as well as to support the overall regional economic integration process. As of 2012, the agreement has entered into force for all parties and work is currently underway to resolve and implement the built-in agenda as stipulated under the agreement. The agreement aims to eliminate tariffs on 99% of exports to key ASEAN markets by 2020.
Chile-Vietnam FTA (effective date: March 2012): As part of the FTA, 73% of Chilean exports will be granted tariff-free access to Vietnam, while the remaining products will benefit from the FTA in terms ranging from 3 to 15 years. Only 4% of products will be on exception lists. 75% of Vietnamese exports will be granted tariff-free access to Chile and the rest of the products will benefit from tax relief in a period ranging from 6 to 11 years.
Japan-Vietnam Economic Partnership Agreement (effective date: October 2009): The agreement boosts cooperation between the two countries in many areas such as: Goods, services, investment, business climate improvement, human resource transfer, technical transfer, etc. Under this agreement, 92% of goods exchanged between the two countries will enjoy tax exemption and reduction within 10 years from the date of validity of the agreement. Vietnam's agricultural, garment, and aquatic products will gain tax exemptions when entering the Japanese market, and Japanese industrial products, including car components and electronic products, will gain tax exemptions or see a decrease to the corresponding import taxes.
Vietnam-Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) FTA (effective date: October 2016): commits Vietnam to open the market for about 90% of total tariff lines within a 10-year tariff reduction schedule. Tariffs will be eliminated from the entry into force (EIF) of the FTA for products in the priority list of the EAEU (which consists of Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan), including agricultural commodities such as beef, dairy products and wheat flour. Tariffs will be eliminated within three to five years after EIF on processed meat and fish, electrical machinery and machinery used in agriculture. Five years after EIF, tariffs will be eliminated on pork and chicken. 10 years after EIF, tariffs will be eliminated on alcoholic beverages and cars. Tariff elimination will not be earlier than 2027 for petroleum, and not longer than 10 years for iron and steel. EAEU will eliminate the tariff rate for approximately 90% of all tariff lines. Groups of products for which the import tariff will be eliminated are agricultural, forestry and fishery products of Vietnam (majority of fishery items, certain kinds of fresh and processed vegetable and fruits, processed meat and fish, cereals and rice (with a tariff quota of 10,000 tonnes). Also included will be some industrial goods that Vietnam has an advantage in exporting, such as textile (in quota) and raw textile materials, footwear (especially athletic shoes), machinery, electronic components, some pharmaceutical products, iron and steel, rubber products, and wood and furniture.
ASEAN-Hong Kong FTA (AHKFTA): Hong Kong and ASEAN commenced negotiations of an FTA and an Investment Agreement in July 2014. After 10 rounds of negotiations, Hong Kong and ASEAN announced the conclusion of the negotiations in September 2017 and forged the agreements on November 12, 2017. The agreements are comprehensive in scope, encompassing trade in goods, trade in services, investment, economic and technical co-operation, dispute settlement mechanism and other related areas. The agreements will bring legal certainty, better market access and fair and equitable treatment in trade and investment, thus creating new business opportunities and further enhancing trade and investment flows between Hong Kong and ASEAN. The agreements will also extend Hong Kong's FTA and Investment Agreement network to cover all major economies in South East Asia. These are expected to enter into force on January 1, 2019 at the earliest, subject to completion of the necessary procedures. Hong Kong is a key export market and the reduction of tariffs will ease the trading process; Hong Kong's potential as a key export market increases the importance of AHKFTA.
The Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP): Also known as Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), this is a signed but not yet ratified trade agreement between Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam. The 11 countries represent 13.4% of the global gross domestic product or USD13.5 trillion, making this one of the largest trade agreements after the North American FTA (NAFTA). The CPTPP incorporates most of the TPP provisions by reference, but suspended 22 provisions that the United States favoured that other countries opposed, and lowered the threshold for enactment so the participation of the United States is not required. The TPP was signed on February 4, 2016, but never entered into force as a result of the withdrawal of the United States. All original TPP signatories, except the United States, agreed in May 2017 to revive it and reached an agreement in January 2018 to conclude the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for TPP. The formal signing ceremony was held on March 8, 2018 in Santiago, Chile. The agreement enters into effect 60 days after ratification by at least 50% of the signatories (6 of the 11 participating countries), with three countries having ratified as of July 18, 2018.
EU-Vietnam FTA: The EU and Vietnam have finished negotiating a trade agreement and an investment protection agreement and the agreement now awaits ratification. Once in force, the agreement will provide opportunities to increase trade and support jobs and growth on both sides, through eliminating 99% of all tariffs, reducing regulatory barriers and overlapping red tape, ensuring protection of geographical indications, opening up services and public procurement markets and making sure that the agreed rules are enforceable.
Vietnam-Israel: Vietnam and Israel are negotiating an FTA. Israel is one of Vietnam's important partners in the Middle East, with two-way trade reaching USD2.3 billion in 2015. Prospects for co-operation have been seen in fields such as investment, finance, services, science, technology and labour.
Vietnam-EFTA: Vietnam and EFTA (consisting of Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland) are negotiating an FTA. EFTA's leading exports to Vietnam included fish, pharmaceutical products, and machinery and mechanical appliances, while electrical machinery, footwear and precious stones and metals were leading imports.
RCEP: There are also ongoing negotiations about the RCEP, which is a regional economic agreement being negotiated between the ASEAN governments and their 6 FTA partners: Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand and South Korea. This totals to a population of over 3 billion people that contributes around a third of the world's GDP. The RCEP is envisioned to be a modern, comprehensive, high-quality and mutually beneficial economic partnership agreement that aims to advance economic cooperation, and broaden and deepen integration in the region which builds upon existing economic linkages. The RCEP would lower tariffs and other barriers to the trade of goods among the 16 countries that are in, or have, existing trade deals with the ASEAN.
The Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI) oversees an Investment Promotion Department to facilitate all foreign investments, and most of the provinces and cities also have investment promotion agencies. The agencies provide information, explain regulations, and offer support to investors when requested.
Foreign and domestic private entities can establish and own a business except in prohibited business lines, such as illicit drugs, wildlife trafficking and 243 conditional sectors. Foreign investors must negotiate on a case-by-case basis with the government on market access to sectors that are not explicitly open through a trade or investment agreement. The government occasionally issues investment licenses with time limits to specifically targeted investors.
Vietnam has made steady progress in improving its business environment. This can be seen by its higher scores in the World Economic Forum's Competitiveness Index, where it improved by five places to 55th (out of 137) in the 2017-18 edition, and in the 2019 World Bank's Ease of Doing Business Index, where it ranks 69th among 190 economies. The Vietnamese government has also invested heavily in power and transport infrastructure to meet rapidly rising demand from the burgeoning manufacturing sector, resulting in a positive feedback loop.
The government's recently announced plans to revive a USD58 billion high-speed rail line project from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City bode well for the country's long-term investment profile. The railway, if approved by the National Assembly, would boost infrastructure spending significantly and could support tourism and economic activity along the route once operational.
Foreign owners are permitted to acquire full ownership of local companies except when mentioned otherwise in Vietnam's international and bilateral commitments.
There is a 25% cap on foreign investment in local banks from one foreign entity, and a 30% cap on overall foreign investment in local banks. The government can waive these caps on a case-by-case basis.
In June 2018, the government passed a new Competition Law, replacing the 2004 version of the law. The new law which focuses on competition restraining agreements, market dominance, economic concentration and unfair practices will be in effect from July 1, 2019. The new law has expanded its scope and now includes both Vietnamese and foreign companies and individuals in case their actions have or potentially have a competition restriction impact on the domestic market. Competition restriction impact is the impact which will exclude, reduce or hinder competition in the market. The Vietnamese government will also have authority over offshore activities if there is an impact on the domestic market. The law will apply to foreign entities' part in competition-restricting agreements, economic concentration, or other unfair activities even if they do not have a subsidiary in Vietnam.
The government revised the anti-corruption law in November 2018, to deal with corruption in the private sector. In addition to the private sector, the revised law also includes the duties of the agencies and organisations involved in controlling corruption. The law will be in effect from July 1, 2019.
Vietnam permits foreign participation in the telecommunications sector, with varying equity limitations depending on the sub-sector (there are five basic and eight value added sub-sectors). Foreign ownership in private networks is permitted up to 70%, while foreign ownership in facility-based basic services (eg, public voice service where the supplier owns its transmission facilities) is generally capped at 49%.
There are no local, state or provincial income taxes in Vietnam.
Vietnam plans to remove restrictions on foreign ownership of state-owned and listed companies by the end of 2019, as Hanoi looks to open its economy further in order to sustain rapid growth. The move would broadly remove the existing foreign ownership cap of 49%, but would exclude companies operating in 'sensitive and important' sectors. The draft law is expected to be submitted to lawmakers for approval in 2019 and would take effect in January 2020. However, the limit for banks will remain at 30%, while insurance will be kept at 49%. The new law would pave the way for Vietnamese companies to be included in the MSCI emerging markets index. The move is also expected to breathe new life into the privatisation of state-owned companies. Vietnam has around 1,500 public companies, including about 740 listed on the two main stock exchanges in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. More than 780 public companies are listed on a second-tier market or remained unlisted.
Tax incentives are granted based on regulated encouraged sectors, encouraged locations and size of the projects. The sectors that are encouraged by the Vietnamese government include education, healthcare, sport/culture, high technology, environmental protection, scientific research and technology development, infrastructural development, processing of agricultural and aquatic products, software production and renewable energy.
The minimum headcount is 3,000 by the fourth year of operations at the latest.
The preferential incentive rate applied for large manufacturing projects can be extended for a maximum additional 15 years if the project manufactures goods having 'international competitiveness' whose revenue exceeds VND20 trillion per annum within five years from the first year of revenue generation, or whose average head count exceeds 6,000.
The garment, textile and footwear, information technology, automobiles assembly or mechanics sector and were not produced domestically as of January 1, 2015, or, if produced domestically, they meet the quality standards of the EU or equivalent.
Additional fixed assets costing at least VND20 billion (or VND10 billion if the projects are in certain specified regions with difficult socioeconomic conditions) are invested.
There is at least a 20% increase in the value of fixed assets compared with the period before expansion.
There is at least a 20% increase in the designed capacity compared with the period before expansion.
Additional tax reductions may be available for engaging in manufacturing, construction and transportation activities that employ several female staff and/or ethnic minorities.
Business entities in Vietnam are allowed to set up a tax-deductible research and development fund. Enterprises can appropriate up to 10% of annual profits before tax to the fund. Various conditions apply.
Foreign investors generally pay rental fees for land use rights. The range of rates is wide depending on the location, infrastructure and the industrial sector in which the business is operating. In addition, owners of houses and apartments have to pay land tax under the law on non-agricultural land use. The tax is charged on the specific land area used, based on the prescribed price per square metre at progressive tax rates ranging from 0.03% to 0.15%.
Natural resources tax (NRT) is payable by industries exploiting Vietnam's natural resources, including petroleum, minerals, natural gas, forest products, natural seafood, natural bird's nests and natural water. Natural water used for agriculture, forestry, fisheries, salt industries and sea water for cooling purposes may be exempt from NRT, provided that certain conditions are satisfied. The tax rates vary depending on the natural resource being exploited, ranging from 1% to 40%, and are applied to the production output at a specified taxable value per unit. Various methods are available for the calculation of the taxable value of the resources, including cases where the commercial value of the resources cannot be determined. Crude oil, natural gas and coal gas are taxed at progressive tax rates depending on the daily average production output.
Environment protection tax is an indirect tax that is applicable to the production and importation of certain goods deemed detrimental to the environment, the most significant of which are petroleum and coal. The tax is calculated as an absolute amount on the quantity of the goods.
At the end of September 2018, the government announced the imposition of higher taxes on petroleum products, aimed at boosting revenue collection and environmental protection. The policy will come into effect on January 1, 2019.
270 industrial zones and export processing zones across the country. Vietnam is divided into three key categories of economic zones (KEZs), each of which has its own economic development plan. Foreign investors are exempt from import duties on goods imported for their own use and which cannot be procured locally, including: machinery, vehicles, components and spare parts for machinery and equipment, raw materials, inputs for manufacturing, and construction materials that cannot be produced domestically. Remote and mountainous provinces are allowed to provide additional tax breaks and other incentives to prospective investors. In addition, projects in high tech, research and development, new materials, energy, clean energy, renewable energy, energy saving products, automobile, software, waste treatment and management, primary or vocational education; or projects located in difficult areas or economic and projects in industrial zones are entitled to investment incentives such as lower corporate income tax, exemption of import tariffs, or land rental.
Tax holidays Investors may be considered for tax holidays and reductions. The holidays take the form of a complete exemption from CIT for a certain period beginning immediately after the enterprise first makes profits, followed by a further period where tax is charged at 50% of the applicable rate. However, where the enterprise has not derived profits within three years of the commencement of operations, the tax holidays/tax reduction will start from the fourth year of operation.
1. Income earned by enterprises carrying out new investment projects entitled to 10% CIT.
2. Income earned by enterprises carrying out new investment projects in the socialised sectors and difficult socio-economic areas.
- Four years of tax exemption and 50% tax reduction for five subsequent years shall be given to income earned by enterprises carrying out new investment projects in the socialised sectors and in regions not included in the list of difficult socio-economic areas.
1. Income earned by enterprises from carrying out new investment projects in regions with difficult socio-economic conditions.
2. Income earned by enterprises from carrying out new investment projects, including production of high-grade steel, production of energy saving products, production of machinery or equipment used to serve agricultural, forestry, fishery, or salt production, production of irrigational equipment, production and refinement of foodstuff for cattle, poultry, or aquatic products, and development of traditional trades.
3. Income earned by enterprises that carry out new investment projects in industrial zones (except for industrial zones located in regions with favourable socio-economic conditions).
- From January 1, 2018, certain incentives, including a lower CIT rate, will be granted to SMEs (various criteria applied to be considered as SMEs).
- Business entities in Vietnam are allowed to set up a tax deductible R&D Fund. Enterprises can appropriate up to 10% of annual profits before tax to the fund. Various conditions apply.
The environmental tax on petrol was increased from VND3,000 to VND4,000 per litre as of 2019.
In 2018, the Vietnamese Ministry of Finance released a draft tax law amending the current laws on VAT, special sales tax, corporate income tax, personal income tax, natural resources tax and customs duty. In the draft tax law, there are proposals to increase VAT rates to 11% from January 1, 2020 and 12% from January 1, 2022, while the 5% VAT rate shall be increased to 6% from January 1, 2022.
Special Consumption Tax (SCT) Applies to the production or import of certain goods, including cigarettes, cigars, spirits, beer, autos, assorted types of petrol, air conditioners and the provision of certain services including casinos, golf clubs and lotteries. SCT rates range from 10% to 70%. Exported goods are not subject to SCT.
Natural Resources Tax Rates vary depending on the natural resource being exploited, from 1% to 40%, and are applied to the production output at a specified taxable value per unit.
Generally preference for all roles is given to Vietnamese nationals. In order to qualify for work permits, foreign workers must have a degree of specialised knowledge, or experience in management and technical roles that the domestic labour force cannot fill/carry out efficiently – as deemed apt by the Department of Labour.
All foreign nationals seeking paid employment in Vietnam must be in possession of a valid work permit – The tenure of a work permit for a foreign worker is generally two years. In the first half of 2016, the Vietnamese government issued a decree ('Decree No. 11') guiding a number of articles of the Labour Code on foreigners working in Vietnam. The Decree proposes developments including changes to the conditions, paperwork and timeline for work permit applications and exemptions, allowing the import of skilled and unskilled labour with less red tape. Decree 11 also extends the time frame for lodging the re-issuance of work permits from 45 days prior to the expiry date, instead of the 15 days as per previous regulations.
Social insurance (SI) and unemployment insurance (UI) contributions are applicable to Vietnamese individuals only. Health insurance (HI) contributions are required for Vietnamese and foreign individuals that are employed under Vietnam labour contracts. Effective from January 1, 2018, SI contribution is also applicable to foreign individuals working in Vietnam under a work permit or practising certificate or licence.
Accordingly, from January 2018, the salary subject to SI/HI/UI contributions is the salary, certain allowances, and other regular payments according to labour law, but this is capped at 20 times the minimum salary for SI/HI contributions and 20 times the minimum regional salary for UI contributions. Effective from July 1, 2018, the minimum salary has increased from VND1,300,000 per month to VND1,390,000 per month. Effective from January 1, 2018, the minimum regional salary varies from VND2,760,000 per month to VND3,980,000 per month. These minimum salaries are subject to change each year.
Vietnam has recorded important achievements in socioeconomic fields and has become one of the fastest-growing economies in the world. While structural factors underpinning Vietnam's potential for long-term growth (including favourable demographics, proximity to China, and low cost of labour relative to the region) remain largely unchanged, there are several developments that reinforce the country's bright outlook. The economy recorded its strongest annual expansion in a decade in 2018, rounded off by a surge in growth in the final quarter. A stellar performance from the services sector and brisk industry and construction activity powered growth in the second half of 2018, while agricultural output also picked up. The manufacturing subsector was a star performer in 2018 overall, while vibrant tourism was also a key growth driver. Momentum in the industrial sector will likely be carried through in the first half of 2019, as seen by companies' upbeat business confidence. In addition to an increasingly open trade and investment policy environment, there has been a decisive shift in the government's focus towards policies aimed at maintaining price stability, and ongoing efforts to further address macroeconomic imbalances and fiscal deficits.
Vietnam offers businesses a number of other strategic advantages, which include a young and increasingly well-educated population that possesses high numeracy and literacy, a large industrial base, open trade policies, low security risks, and fairly adequate logistic infrastructure. Vietnam is constrained by a fairly weak legal risk subcomponent. The year 2018's robust growth is expected to continue in 2019, thanks to healthy private consumption supported by strong private credit growth and rising incomes. The industrial sector should also expand at a stellar pace, supported by strong FDI inflows and investor-friendly reforms that are improving the ease of doing business. While economies worldwide brace for the impact of rising protectionism, Vietnam could stand to benefit from increased market share in the United States.
Hong Kong has concluded Comprehensive Double Taxation Agreements with Vietnam. This agreement was signed on December 16, 2008 and entered into force on August 12, 2009.
Inaugurated in November 2008, the Hong Kong-Vietnam Chamber of Commerce (HKVCC) is a non-government, non-profit limited organisation that engages to promote the common interests of the Hong Kong and Vietnamese business communities.
All Hong Kong SAR passport holders are required to have a visa to enter Vietnam. They can apply for a visa at the Vietnam consulate (in either Hong Kong or a third country), or online for a visa on arrival. Generally visits can range from one to three months' stay. | 2019-04-21T22:22:11Z | http://emerging-markets-research.hktdc.com/business-news/article/Asia/Vietnam-Market-Profile/mp/en/1/1X3CGF6L/1X0010GK.htm |
The spectrum of mental health issues is wide and generally misunderstood. If you don't believe me find someone with depression and ask them how many people have told them to 'cheer up'; find those who have different issues and you'll find that they've been told to 'pull themselves together' (or better still, to 'ignore it and get on with life').
I am privileged to be in a place where a great many of those around me have mental health related needs and rather than limit the ministry of, or from, the Church I find that their experiences (and troubles) are nothing but beneficial. That said, around me I see centres closing and services 're-aligned' such that they are in effect removed and this is something that the Church must stand against and also take up the challenge and stand in the gap.
I have sat in the corner of a room whilst the 'caring professional' before seeks merely (or so it seems) to find that caveat which excuses them from offering care. An example of this being a series of questions aimed at a man suffering from depression which, as the interview went on, descended into questions about smoking and alcohol. When the answer to the question, 'Have you ever drunk chemical-based cider?' was in the affirmative the 'professional' stopped the assessment and, handing over a leaflet for the local drink and drug support agency, told their would be client that they couldn't help and terminated the assessment.
I later asked the same person why this was the case and they said that any indication of alcohol abuse meant that they could 'pass on' the person to a different agency (even though this person is obviously suffering from the effects of quite bad depressive illness).
To make things even more interesting, as their symptoms increased and the illness deepened, the same person found that they were no longer eating or sleeping, to which one of the GPs merely proscribe a three month supply of sleeping pills and told them to come back in a couple of months!
iii. Mental illness cannot be 'caught' (as one moronic minister once said) and it does not create a bar to being a fully functioning member of the Church (except of course where behaviour and stuff does - and even then there are ways of making it work) - We have within our walls (Church universal) people with damaged bodies, missing limbs, cerebrally controlled limitations and, of course, mental illness. It is just another illness and just as I don't give sugar to diabetics or ask those with the effects of Polio remaining in their bodies to 'run over to the shops', there are considerations when dealing with the mentally ill (have, are or perhaps will be) and this is to realise that it is merely just another illness with its limitations and considerations accordingly.
So, 2013 is knocking at the door - so are those with mental health issues; one you can't stop and the other you surely can't ignore. Can you?
O Lord, hear my prayer and let my crying come before you.
Hide not your face from me in the day of my distress.
For my days are consumed in smoke and my bones burn away as in a furnace.
My heart is smitten down and withered like grass, so that I forget to eat my bread.
From the sound of my groaning my bones cleave fast to my skin.
I am become like a vulture in the wilderness, like an owl that haunts the ruins.
I keep watch and am become like a sparrow solitary upon the housetop.
My enemies revile me all the day long, and those who rage at me have sworn together against me.
Because of your indignation and wrath, for you have taken me up and cast me down.
My days fade away like a shadow, and I am withered like grass.
surely the time has come.
For your servants love her very stones and feel compassion for her dust.
This shall be written for those that come after, and a people yet unborn shall praise the Lord.
When peoples are gathered together and kingdoms also, to serve the Lord.
He has brought down my strength in my journey and has shortened my days.
‘They shall perish, but you will endure; they all shall wear out like a garment.
and whoever turns from evil is despoiled.
and wrapped himself in fury as in a mantle.
that the wind of the Lord drives on.
And as for me, this is my covenant with them, says the Lord: my spirit that is upon you, and my words that I have put in your mouth, shall not depart out of your mouth, or out of the mouths of your children, or out of the mouths of your children’s children, says the Lord, from now on and for ever.
What's the difference between Spiderman, the Hulk, Captain America and Jesus?
Is simple - only one of them is a real superhero!
Not only that but three of them are Marvel whist the other is marvellous!
And best of all - only one of them really existed (and amazingly still does - let me tell you about Easter!).
Here we are on the sixth day of Christmas and we are not only celebrating Christ's birth in Bethlehem (and His resurrection some thirty odd years later) but looking towards His second coming and best of all, singing carols!
Another of the issues that cause me grief is that of homelessness.
A few years back (2006) the town in which I find myself serving had one of the local characters freeze to death in a bus shelter as he endured a night in the cold conditions. At that time some of those in the town decided that they would set about 'doing something' and yet here we are, almost seven years on from his death (January 7th) and nothing has changed.
Last year we had a homeless man whose tent had been burgled and his possessions taken. Now I don't know about you but I can't imagine being reduced to living under a canvas shelter only to find your stuff has been nicked - talk about being at the furthest end of the food chain!
Anyway, at first I tried to set him up with a proper tent, food and other stuff, but this was met with opposition from some of the locals in the place I tried to site him for the night (I needed to get him somewhere safe for one night so I could see what could be done to provide a more stable and safe environment). In fact, not only did they call the police but they told them that there were two vagrants (me being the other) who had dared to set up camp in their nice little village!
The upshot of this was that I got him moved and the church let him stay in a building until such time as he could be housed - and he was, for after some seven weeks, the day before Christmas Eve last year, the man got a flat (where he remains) of his own!
4. If we took the trouble to listen to the stories they have to tell, we would find that the majority of those who are homeless are no different from you or I (in fact one, an former pupil at a prestigious public school and former legal type had suffered a major breakdown and was was in fact probably much better off, and better educated, than many of us before his tragedy).
So here's the bottom line on this topic - I will not stand by and see people treated badly from now on. Where I find homelessness and nothing being done (whether it be church, council or community) or worse still, steps being taken to act against them - I will shout and make sure everyone who has ears hears, and will keep doing so until something happens.
and one night unfolds knowledge to another.
and their words to the ends of the world.
and rejoices as a champion to run his course.
and gives wisdom to the simple.
Who can tell how often they offend?
O cleanse me from my secret faults!
and innocent of great offence.
and fulfil all your mind.
may the Lord perform all your petitions.
with the mighty strength of his right hand.
but we will call only on the name of the Lord our God.
and answer us when we call upon you.
Made me laugh - should carry a health warning!
This is one of those things that made me (and others who saw it) laugh out loud - it's one of those amazingly simple to do and yet incredibly funny things and the thought alone keeps you chuckling.
Left with the gift of envy (of which of course I repented immediately and a sense of loss at no longer having one myself.
A big 'Thank You' to all those extremely patient people out there who wait for us to get the clearing up and tidying sorted!
They flatter themselves in their own eyes that their abominable sin will not be found out.
they have ceased to act wisely and to do good.
nor do they abhor that which is evil.
you, Lord, shall save both man and beast.
How precious is your loving mercy, O God!
and your righteousness to those who are true of heart.
nor the hand of the ungodly thrust me away.
as long as I have any being, I will sing praises to my God.
on that day all their thoughts perish.
and he will deliver you from the power and hand of the enemy.
but God will give you back to me with joy and gladness for ever.
and with the splendour of the Everlasting.
My children, endure with patience the wrath that has come upon you from God.
and will tread upon their necks.
they were taken away like a flock carried off by the enemy.
for you will be remembered by the one who brought this upon you.
Clearing the air (2a) - they're shooting the horses!
Following on from the 'shoot horses' theme I see in today's news that there has been as drop of almost 25% in the number of older people using day care centres in England over the past three years. This figure comes from Age UK who say that the numbers of those availing themselves of lunch clubs and other day care provision is due in the main to financial pressure on councils.
The report highlights the potential for the elderly to find themselves "'Living out their last years in loneliness'. Meanwhile, the government says that councils received sufficient funding to protect services and that there was no justifiable reason for such services* to be cut.
It seems to me that removing services from the elderly is a simple exercise for these are one group who rarely have a consistent or effective voice. Something is closed and all that happens is that the people who used the services are confined to home and their voice is unheard. It is an easy win for those who are seeking to cut costs as the people affected just appear to vanish and, because there is little outcry, the deed goes relatively unnoticed.
Age UK say that during the previous financial year, council spending on old people's services had dropped by £500m - no doubt diverted to more important services! The reality is that the critical and high-dependancy needs are being met but those who are able to potter on are now being left to their own devices and this, regardless of the financial situation, has to be wrong.
Where I am we offer free tea, coffee, cake and biscuits two mornings a week and have an afternoon club for the older people around us and whilst this is something, it's not enough ('but where do we find those who are willing to come and open the doors and do the stuff?' cries a voice somewhere in the recesses of my mind)).
If you read this (and so apparently will) can I ask you to take an hour from your busy life and check on what is on offer where you live? See what your church, council and other organisations are doings and if the answer is 'nothing' then start making noises - get the councils, the churches and others off their backsides and help to reverse this diminishing provision trend; not because of some charitable thing, but because it is the right thing to be doing.
*day centres, lunch clubs, exercise classes, hairdressing, podiatry, social activities and respite care all come into this category.
Clearing the air (2) - they shoot horses don't they?
Another of the issues that has caused me great problems this year is the fact that those who now form part of the 'older' generation of our land appear to be regarded as merely spent and expendable. After all, they have little to offer in terms of revenue generation and are another burden that demands time, money and attention from both the state and their own families.
But of course this isn't true and if you start to think about it logically, many of those who are the older generation have many years of work (and paying of taxes and National Insurance) behind them. Not only that but there are many who have paid out for the nation in another way, that of having served it in some form of military (or other) service!
There's the second world war - growing up in a time of depression and many other hardships that were faced by this group. They know the value of family (and are often the glue of their families) and generally worked hard to pay their way. These are the people who paid financially and with their own lives and the lives of those they loved to make the sixties the libertarian and relaxed age that it was. They paid in and now it is surely their turn to reap the respect and care of the nation.
Still wars, but not to the same scale as those before them. Still knew the value of stuff and still exist as the focus of the families and communities in which they live. Paid more in many ways as the NHS and other social care and concern provisions became available for everyone in a real and established manner. Accepted that paying NI and taxes meant a lifetime of care both medically, in social housing and in old age.
'Sixty is the new forty' (or so I'm told) and this group are now looking at paying, and working, for longer before they get their go onto the provision roundabout, that is if we still have a social health service and anything that looks like 'old age care' by the time the youngest of this group actuallty reaches seventy. Many of these will have paid and worked all their lives (but not all as Thatcher's job cuts and the various trough, trough and recovery have played their part) for something others wish to deprive them of. Trendy and living on credit is a greater reality for this bunch but they've still (in the main) played their part.
Unlike horses and other beasts of burden (which used to be shot but now find themselves in 'sanctuaries') these people have worked and contributed to the well-being of our society. they have produced children, been in gainful employment and paid their taxes and National Insurance to provide for those before them.
The State told them that they were entitled to 'cradle to grave' care and support, but no one told them that the grave might just be enticed that little nearer to reduce costs; neither did they realise that services and places of care would mean that we would end up with a 'can't pay - can't live' society (such as that I saw many years ago in a certain Western nation where there was wealth and health and poverty and early demise on the menu).
The Bible tells us that 'we don't muzzle the ox that treads the grain' (Deuteronomy 25) - meaning that when you do the work you should also benefit from it. Well those in the three groups above have done (and in many cases are still doing) that and they have a right to expect the best in care, provision and support. In fact, I would argue that legally, having paid in to the system, if services are withdrawn there must be a case for reimbursement of the financial components for them as they have paid money for something that isn't on offer (it's called 'fraud' when it doesn't relate to the government!).
One of the things that defines a nation is the way that it cares for the poor and needy; well if some of my visits to places around the country are anything to go by, we are to be judged as wanting. If some of the stories I hear (and have seen for myself) are anything other than isolated exceptions then there is a cynical streak that seeks to save money on the lives that actions designate as 'worthless' because of the age of the person.
Be warned - 2013 is the year when I will shout loud and make a stand for the older folk around me and where services are not forthcoming then I will be making this known; where charities fail to uphold their end of the bargain (a bargain which the giving of others has made possible) I will waste no time in pointing to it.
1 Timothy (chapter five) talks about providing for our relatives (and members of our households too) and it says that those who fail to do this have denied their faith and are 'worse than unbelievers' - sadly in a land where unbelief is applauded and financial probity is championed as a reason for poorer standards in old-age care, these words are appearing truer every day - another reason that we need to make this land a place where faith is applauded and reason, truth, love, justice and mercy are valued.
"Brothers and sisters, if you find someone acting wrongly, those of you with faith in God (and living by His Holy Spirit) should correct them gently. But take care that you are not tempted to do that wrongly yourselves.
Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ."
We need to care for the older people of our nation - it is their right and our duty!
If it isn't being done then we need to start doing some 'correcting' (the right way) - don't we?
It is always fun when words and pictures come together to tell one story but illustrate another.
The Daily express has managed that with a heart-warming story of Christmas Day and our troops getting the full Christmas meal.
For those who are wondering how on earth you can tell where these well camouflaged men come from (it's difficult I know) the clue is that we have a little union flag on our uniforms.
Still - was a great story (and it made me smile) Perhaps the caption should have been 'someone's brave troops'?
Happy Thursday and Veselé Vánoce!
how greatly shall he rejoice in your salvation!
You have given him his heart’s desire and have not denied the request of his lips.
For you come to meet him with blessings of goodness and set a crown of pure gold upon his head.
His honour is great because of your salvation;glory and majesty have you laid upon him.
and will make him glad with joy in your presence.
he shall not be overthrown.
the Lord will swallow them up in his anger and the fire will consume them.
Their fruit you will root out of the land and their seed from among its inhabitants.
you will put them to flight when you aim your bow at their faces.
we will make music and sing of your power.
For he has strengthened the bars of your gates and has blest your children within you.
he blows with his wind and the waters flow.
Beloved, I am writing you no new commandment, but an old commandment that you have had from the beginning; the old commandment is the word that you have heard. Yet I am writing you a new commandment that is true in him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining.
Whoever says, ‘I am in the light’, while hating a brother or sister, is still in the darkness.
Whoever loves a brother or sister lives in the light, and in such a person there is no cause for stumbling.
But whoever hates another believer is in the darkness, walks in the darkness, and does not know the way to go, because the darkness has brought on blindness.
one God, now and for ever.Amen.
One of the most amazingly brilliant presents I got this year was a weird looking pair of pliers that turned out to be a 'Pickmaster'. Take a look at the video I've made of it, and beneath it, there's the results of my efforts (in another Christmas present - a Pick case)!
Now I know what to do with all those expired or useless bits of plastic that often hang around the house and now I have a few to get through (and experiment with) as well.
Having a chilled day and thought I'd pin a few colours to the mast over the few days between now and New Year. I have done it with 'Happy Holidays' and now I feel the need to respond to people like Geoffrey Clark, a man who was standing as a candidate for UKIP's National Executive Committee, until he opened his mouth and put his foot squarely in it by calling for the compulsory abortion of all foetuses that have been identified as having the potential to be born with Down's syndrome or spina bifida.
As if it might make things better the man supported his opinion by stating that the reason for the views he held were merely 'financial' for he was concerned that such children would be 'a burden on the state and the family'. Mind you, the man's amazingly sad utterances didn't stop with children born with health issues for he also (apparently) thinks that the state should re-assess the care given to over eighties as it was 'extraordinarily costly'.
I write this as someone who has, for as long as I remember, been 'pro-life'. This is a position that has attracted a fair amount of conflict in the past as I have been engaged by those who wish to demote babies into 'just a mass of cells' and render them to be an abstract 'foetus' as they support what is often little more than social engineering! [I invite those who support the aborting (not 'termination') of a child because it interferes with holidays and changes careers, lifestyle and financial circumstances.
Over the years there have been many who have accused me of being able to have my views based on their premise that: 'it's alright for you because you haven't got a handicapped child'.
Well, this is probably a food time to 'fess up and explain that I have not only held my views for a long time, but that I held them long before I became the father of a severely handicapped child who was with us for just under ten years. Ten years that taught me a great deal about the value and place of the handicapped among us and only confirmed my original views regarding the value of live and the contribution that some of the most damaged can make to the lives of the most able.
There are times when tough choices regarding life and death are forced upon us, and when these appear, the Church needs to be present to offer pastoral and moral support. There are times when the continuance of an obviously non-viable pregnancy that threatens also to take the life of an otherwise healthy woman come knocking at our doors. At some stage we may well find ourselves engaging with others who have the spectre of an abortion somewhere in their life story. What do we do when this is our reality?
I would consider that the first word to think of is always 'Love' regardless of the reasons or outcomes before or behind them.
I have decided that 2013 will be a year when I seek to turn those with 'righteous anger' away from it into a place of 'righteous love'.
The second thing to think of is the fact that in Exodus chapter Twenty we are told that we must never take life 'feloniously' - by which I mean, 'do not murder' - but where life must be taken (and it seems that there are times when the word 'must' is very much a reality, but reliance upon man's laws and the assumption that they overrule the requirements of God's is a flawed, and dangerous, state of affairs.
I have seen a cerebrally palsied child, unable to speak, feed or toilet themselves communicate and contribute so much to the life of those around them.
I have seen the very best of people, sometimes in what appears to be the very worst of people, brought out by their encounter with frailty and helplessness.
To consider only the difficulties that children with major disability and handicap will bring to us in terms of negative numbers - be they financial, emotional or time - is to see past our own humanity and reduce us to nothing more than components. It is to remove the heart and soul from our society something which (with apologies to those humanists and secularists this might offend) is becoming more commonplace and more acceptable as our netion distances itself from being a people of faith.
So Mr. Clark (and those who might support your views) all I can say is that I am grateful that there isn't a 'Geoffrey Clark test' for those children who are yet unborn, and am glad that it wasn't on offer when you were as them, for each of us regardless of flaws and disability have within us that image of the invisible God that we need to treasure and that ennobles us and makes us and our society all the richer (regardless of financial cost).
What did you learn during advent?
This was a question I found myself facing earlier today.
You're NOT supposed to blow the bl**dy doors off!
How long will you forget me, O Lord; for ever?
How long shall I have anguish in my soul and grief in my heart, day after day?
lest my enemy say, ‘I have prevailed against him,’ and my foes rejoice that I have fallen.
But I put my trust in your steadfast love; my heart will rejoice in your salvation.
I will sing to the Lord, for he has dealt so bountifully with me.
Into your hands I commend my spirit, for you have redeemed me, O Lord God of truth.
I put my trust in the Lord.
I will be glad and rejoice in your mercy, for you have seen my affliction and known my soul in adversity.
You have not shut me up in the hand of the enemy; you have set my feet in an open place.
praise him upon the harp and lyre.
praise him upon the clashing cymbals.
Now during those days, when the disciples were increasing in number, the Hellenists complained against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution of food.
Then they secretly instigated some men to say, ‘We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God.’ They stirred up the people as well as the elders and the scribes; then they suddenly confronted him, seized him, and brought him before the council. They set up false witnesses who said, ‘This man never stops saying things against this holy place and the law; for we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and will change the customs that Moses handed on to us.’ And all who sat in the council looked intently at him, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel.
And celebrate as you will!
What did Santa ever do for me?
Now ask yourself this question?
What did Jesus ever do for me?
*and it's not that the catalogue is out of date - just didn't have time to copy in a new one this year)?
Come on people get a life - happens once a year and if you weren't 'doing it' you'd still be at it wouldn't you?
You would still be going wouldn't you?
as I make my song for the king, my tongue is the pen of a ready writer.
full of grace are your lips, for God has blest you for ever.
gird on your majesty and glory.
Ride on and prosper in the cause of truth and for the sake of humility and righteousness.
so that peoples fall beneath you.
the sceptre of your kingdom is the sceptre of righteousness.
from ivory palaces the music of strings makes you glad.
forget your own people and your father’s house.
he is your lord, so do him honour.
the richest of the people shall seek your favour.
her clothing is embroidered cloth of gold.
after her the virgins that are her companions.
‘Instead of your fathers you shall have sons, whom you shall make princes over all the land.
The Lord is high above all nations and his glory above the heavens.
yet humbles himself to behold the things of heaven and earth?
To set them with princes, with the princes of his people.
and makes her a joyful mother of children.
May grace and peace be yours in abundance in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.
His divine power has given us everything needed for life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Thus he has given us, through these things, his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may escape from the corruption that is in the world because of lust, and may become participants in the divine nature. For this very reason, you must make every effort to support your faith with goodness, and goodness with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with endurance, and endurance with godliness, and godliness with mutual affection, and mutual affection with love. For if these things are yours and are increasing among you, they keep you from being ineffective and unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For anyone who lacks these things is short-sighted and blind, and is forgetful of the cleansing of past sins. Therefore, brothers and sisters, be all the more eager to confirm your call and election, for if you do this, you will never stumble. For in this way, entry into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ will be richly provided for you.
Therefore I intend to keep on reminding you of these things, though you know them already and are established in the truth that has come to you. I think it right, as long as I am in this body, to refresh your memory, since I know that my death will come soon, as indeed our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. And I will make every effort so that after my departure you may be able at any time to recall these things.
and the prophecy is done!
but both of them with songs.
the other facing condemnation - and possibly death.
and what does Mary do?
"I'll do it it if it's what God wants,"
if it was me or you?
as the mother of God?
was the one who said 'Yes' when Gabriel came.
And thank God for her.
And a a piece of sublime music to go with it.
I've just found a jar of salad dressing in my 'fridge and it appears that indeed it is true, the 'end by date' is 21/12/12.
Perhaps that's why they call it 'Mayannaise'?
He will not suffer your foot to stumble; he who watches over you will not sleep.
Behold, he who keeps watch over Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.
the Lord is your shade at your right hand, so that the sun shall not strike you by day, neither the moon by night.
Jerusalem, built as a city that is at unity in itself.
‘May they prosper who love you.
I will pray that peace be with you.
For the sake of the house of the Lord our God, I will seek to do you good.
to you that are enthroned in the heavens.
so our eyes wait upon the Lord our God, until he have mercy upon us.
and of the contempt of the proud.
who have drunk to the dregs the bowl of staggering.
there is no one to take her by the hand among all the children she has brought up.
you shall drink no more from the bowl of my wrath.
Now we command you, beloved, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to keep away from believers who are living in idleness and not according to the tradition that they received from us. For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us; we were not idle when we were with you, and we did not eat anyone’s bread without paying for it; but with toil and labour we worked night and day, so that we might not burden any of you. This was not because we do not have that right, but in order to give you an example to imitate. For even when we were with you, we gave you this command: Anyone unwilling to work should not eat. For we hear that some of you are living in idleness, mere busybodies, not doing any work. Now such persons we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living. Brothers and sisters, do not be weary in doing what is right.
Take note of those who do not obey what we say in this letter; have nothing to do with them, so that they may be ashamed. Do not regard them as enemies, but warn them as believers.
Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in all ways. The Lord be with all of you.
I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. This is the mark in every letter of mine; it is the way I write. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with all of you.
this is why why don't want Church to look like the world!
EVEN WHEN IT'S NOT WHAT SOME WHAT TO HEAR!
"Happy Holidays" is a recognition that Christians are not the only ones celebrating a major festival at this time of year. In a multifaith society this is important.
Its origins are, I believe, in the US where the significance of the Jewish community's celebration of Hanukah is acknowledged. Of course, here we also have Diwali which seems to move about a bit date-wise but occurs mid-winterish. This doesn't (or shouldn't) stop Christians witnessing to the birth of our Saviour, but I am always very pleased to receive my annual card from a local Islamic organisation wishing me "Happy Holidays"."
He also writes that Birmingham's failed 'Winterval festival' (which I have dealt with before) was never intended to replace or redefine Christmas and I have acknowledged (more than once) that it was nothing more than a bit of cynical marketing to try and attract various of the major faiths (and those of no faith) into Brum for a bit of shopping and perhaps even a spot of culture! The goal was to develop an extended period of commercial opportunity by stretching things from Diwali to Christmas [and perhaps beyond]) not create, or do away with, any of the festivals but as it wasn't going to mention any by name any longer, this would still have been the outworking even if not the desire!
Anyway, all I said was (tempted to do 'Life of Brian' here, but will resist) that it was cynical (and it was) just as the 'Happy Holidays' tosh is pretty much an exercise in cynicism, too!
For so many of us these days Christmas starts early. Where I live our town's Christmas lights went on on the 17th November and the week leading up to that saw a christmas tree festival in the parish church too! I have Jewish friends and whilst they are happy to get Christmas cards along with their Hanukkah cards, they are very definite that it is not 'Happy Holidays' either.
A couple of years back I was wished 'HH' by one of the members of a call centre and upon asking why they'd done it was told that it was company policy because it was less offensive to people who didn't celebrate it. Being that sort of a person I rang the head office and eventually got through to someone who informed me that it was policy so as not to offend the many 'non-religious people' who might find the Christian festival offensive that it was merely referred to as 'holiday'.
"Are there many of them? " I asked. The person on the other end said they weren't sure but it was company policy and had come from 'someone upstairs'. So I ask to speak to someone in that place and eventually found myself chatting to a director (about thirty minutes) who listened and promised that, on the balance of our conversation, they would revisit their policy. I left assured (in my mind) that nothing would really happen and was stunned when I got a call from the same call centre to be wish a 'merry Christmas'.
As for being offensive my many friends and acquaintances from other faiths not only insist on referring to Christmas but have also been extremely vocal (and far more active than the Christians) when they have perceived that Christmas might be being weakened or threatened. The reality being that members of the world faiths (and that include a great number of Muslims by the way in case there are any Daily Fascist readers visiting) are supportive of those who hold other beliefs. It is called tolerance - something that many secularists and humanists appear to know nothing about!
With that I take this early opportunity to wish you and yours a wonderfully blessed and peaceful Christmas and a prosperous and happy New Year.
Come let us sing - don't they know it's . . . ?
This morning I could not contain my excitement as I ran around my study doing my Lancaster impressions and called out to God and was glad in his presence, singing songs of joy and interceded for the world and all within it it!
'O come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.
Just set me off on a roll. How could I not sing His praises and sing out joyfully in psalms and songs of praise?
How could I be silent as all around me those who claim to have no Christian belief are singing songs about the LORD (the ultimate, absolute and everything being) coming to earth in flesh as one of us to reveal His solution to ALL the world's problems? Of course, they (generally) think that what they have before them is Argostide, the season formerly known as 'CHRISTmas' (also featured as the 'Oooh, it's for the kiddies!' event of the year!).
People who would wish to deny the reality of Jesus and would distance themselves from His birth by use of the banal 'Happy Holidays' (what on earth does that mean?) it's as crass as Birmingham's 'Winterval' as they seek to lump people of differing faiths and none!
iii. by corrupting the humble gift of love that is Jesus; the sacrificial giving of a long-gone bishop (Nicholas) and making it about money and stuff.
So, are you one of those who will stand by today and tomorrow and keep silent or will you be singing out for the LORD I wonder.
I know what I'm going to keep doing - after all 'they don't know it's CHRIST's mass (appeal) time?
and though the mountains quake at the towering seas.
the holy place of the dwelling of the Most High.
but God utters his voice and the earth shall melt away.
what destruction he has wrought upon the earth.
and burns the chariots in the fire.
O come, let us sing to the Lord; let us heartily rejoice in the rock of our salvation.
Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving and be glad in him with psalms.
In his hand are the depths of the earth and the heights of the mountains are his also.
The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands have moulded the dry land.
Come, let us worship and bow down and kneel before the Lord our Maker.
For he is our God; we are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand.
‘When your forebears tested me, and put me to the proof, though they had seen my works.
As to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we beg you, brothers and sisters, not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as though from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord is already here. Let no one deceive you in any way; for that day will not come unless the rebellion comes first and the lawless one is revealed, the one destined for destruction. He opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, declaring himself to be God. Do you not remember that I told you these things when I was still with you? And you know what is now restraining him, so that he may be revealed when his time comes. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work, but only until the one who now restrains it is removed. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will destroy with the breath of his mouth, annihilating him by the manifestation of his coming. The coming of the lawless one is apparent in the working of Satan, who uses all power, signs, lying wonders, and every kind of wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion, leading them to believe what is false, so that all who have not believed the truth but took pleasure in unrighteousness will be condemned.
my shield in whom I trust, who subdues the peoples under me.
mere human beings, that you should take thought for them?
their days pass away like a shadow.
touch the mountains and they shall smoke.
shoot out your arrows and let thunder roar.
and their right hand is the hand of falsehood.
You that give salvation to kings and have delivered David your servant.
Happy are the people whose blessing this is.
Happy are the people who have the Lord for their God.
I will sing praises to my God.
and bread to those who hunger.
We must always give thanks to God for you, brothers and sisters, as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing. Therefore we ourselves boast of you among the churches of God for your steadfastness and faith during all your persecutions and the afflictions that you are enduring.
This is evidence of the righteous judgement of God, and is intended to make you worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering. For it is indeed just of God to repay with affliction those who afflict you, and to give relief to the afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. These will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, separated from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might, when he comes to be glorified by his saints and to be marvelled at on that day among all who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed. To this end we always pray for you, asking that our God will make you worthy of his call and will fulfil by his power every good resolve and work of faith, so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ. | 2019-04-21T14:33:57Z | http://victhevicar.blogspot.com/2012/12/ |
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A presentation of our suitable retail products.
Enhancing the groceries with Marathon Rich- and Glow.
Introducing our new 4500 lm LED spotlights.
A brief summary of how to plan light in food shops.
Innovative outlooks on lighting in food applications.
About energy efficient installations of light.
Getting to know the retail landscape and the consumers.
Presenting some of our food retailing friends.
Ideas and insights from Fagerhult O.D.D.
How and why we have created our very first cookbook.
in your hands you are holding our very own cookbook, the first one we have ever created. And as confusing as it might seem, we are still very much in to ligh-ting. But actually we are also in to food. We have provided lighting solutions for food retailers all over the world for some time now, and will continue to do so. We have made fruits and vegetables look more appealing, made meat and fish look extra fresh and we have guided shoppers amongst the miles of aisles, shelves and displays.
We believe that the right lighting can increase sales and make grocery shoppers feel more inspired. Therefore we have chosen to present tasteful reci-pes of light in this modified cookbook, including luminaires and accessories not only suitable for food retail environme-nts, but for specific groceries. We also share useful tips for planning the lighting solution itself and how to save valuable energy when doing so.
Cooking - for whom?Food is not only about providing your body sufficient calories at least not in the Western world where it has become a culture, a lifestyle expressing who we are. But how do such trends impact food retailing?
of non-related departments? An ideal scenario would be a shopper feeling and believing that the shop is designed for him/her - that is, friendlier, personal and interactive.
manfluenceDespite of the new womenomics revo-lution in which women control more than 80% of the purchases in the US, mens influences over food related pur-chases is increasing. They have become more powerful in the kitchen, cooking and planning the meals, and are conse-quently also spending more time in supermarkets. This has influenced food retailers to modify their environment and start tar-geting men. Some supermarkets even have experimented with man aisles filled with male-oriented food, and pro-motions to target and trigger impulse shopping.
produced groceries and products that are supporting the local economy. Such rural interest not only impacts what types of groceries are being display-ed but also how the groceries and foods are stored in the shops. We are seeing trends towards more rural aesthetics, with natural materials that seek to resemble a more rustic space. Larger cha-ins such as Tesco have understood this trend and have bought more authentic brands such as Harris + Hoole and Giraffe to fulfil such customer needs.
the millennials & digital generationThe increasingly aging population of the baby boom generation might have great economic power; still, it is time to take a look at the consumers of tomor-row, because they will become incre-asingly influential. Millennials, those born between 1982 and2001, are often passionate about food, but also concer-ned about where its from and how its prepared. Nevertheless, studies have showed that Millennials are deal-seekers and are much more focused on finding the lowest price over brand loyalty. Then again those born in the 21st century the skilled digital generation effortlessly integrating with the tablet screen in their hands, expect retail brands to engage them with responsive technology that eases the purchasing process and inspires them.
tasteful recipes for light | cooking - for whom?
Chief retail strategist and senior executive advisor, Booz and Co.
the lighting can definitely add that extra spice to the setting. Also, food and groce-ries are sensitive to UV radiation that can make it mature faster, which means that choosing the right light source is of great importance.
Delicious light in 15 minutesWe can assure you that planning a satisfactory and energy efficient lighting solution takes much more than 15 minutes. Nevertheless we would like to take the opportunity to quickly describe a few illustrative steps of how this can be done.
ating spotlights in the lighting solution for more dynamics and contrast, making the shop environment more inspiring. Also, the use of spotlights steers atten-tion towards products. Controls are also something that can be included to increase energy efficiency but also to create a more vibrant and responsive lighting installation. *Read more about controls on p. 60.
aisles & shelvesA supermarket is usually built from a various rows of aisles of shelves and dis-plays. It is important to illuminate all pro-ducts in them - from top to bottom and also the many signs that are attached above or next to them. At Fagerhult we have kept this in mind and have created a product, iTrack Dupio, with adjusta-ble reflectors that can be individually adjusted toward both graphics and the products in the shelves. Also we have suitable LED sticks for integrated ligh-ting, Relay Efficient for example - a great energy efficient luminaire for illumina-tion in shelves.
possible way - here the lighting plays a great part. By installing luminaires with a light source suited for the particular product it becomes possible. Traditionally, accentuating spot-lights with metal halides installed with different filters has been used to enhance the different colour variations of the gro-ceries; another alternative has been to use a high pressure sodium 2500 K that gives a warm, golden light that empha-sises warm colours. But now the rapid LED development has made it possible to choose from a selection of LED modules that are as suitable for this task as tradi-tional light sources and filters. The inno-vative LED technology has a much higher energy saving potential than we normal-ly see in traditional use of conventional light sources in combination with filters. In the old technology you first produce all the colours of the rainbow then you filter out the colours you dont want for the actual task and hence you waste a lot of energy. With LED you gently add the colours to the spectrum and gene-rate only the spectral colours you want and need no filtering, no losses, just the right colours. *Read more about our new LED spotlight for fruit and vegetables, Marathon Midi LED Glow, on p. 42.
especially if its sourdough bread. Luck-ily larger supermarkets often have a very extensive bread section with several displays of both newly-baked as well as pre-made breads. Nevertheless you dont want to get the impression of unbaked bread, you want a crisp, golden and fresh one. This is partly achieved by the baker of course - but also by the lighting. To really boost the freshness and the warm yellow tones, we recommend luminai-res with suitable LED modules carefully chosen for this type of applications for example Marathon Midi LED Glow. *Read more about our new LED spotlight for illumination of bread & cheese on p.46.
it can intensify any ice surrounding the food but also the blue tones of the fish. Now there are satisfying LED modules that exceeds metal halide. There are even LED modules that can enhance both spectrums of red and blue without producing any IR or UV radiation and consuming much less energy. Marathon Midi LED Rich is equipped with such a LED module. *Read more about our new LED spotlight for illumination of meat & fish on p. 34.
water, sodas & winesSparkling waters should appear crisp and cool whilst wines, for example red wines, rich and full. Once again the light source itself is important in making this happen. Also the bottles are often placed close to each other on deep shelves. In such shelves LED sticks can be conveniently integrated for a smooth enhancing light that makes the bottles stand out. In wine sections it can be flattering to use accen-tuating spotlights to create more dyna-mics and exclusivity.
energy efficient and radiate no light in the form of IR and UV that can damage the foods. LEDs are the only light source that radiates more light the colder they get; hence they are the obvious choice for the cold temperature in the fridges.
special offers that are the last ones the customer sees. Also, there are possibilities to create personality with a characteristic pendant over the checkouts, but nevertheless, it is still important to have a satisfying gene-ral light creating comfortable working environment for the cashiers.
cafsA lot of larger supermarkets have some kind of caf or restaurant enclosed in the shop concept a place where shoppers can relax, socialise and gather energy before or after grocery shopping. In such areas there is really a possibility to create atmosphere and identity in terms of the interior but also the lighting. These areas do not necessarily have to be as uniform-ly illuminated as the larger supermarket area itself there is more room for cre-ativity and to create a comfortable and inspiring atmosphere.
there are collections of smaller food brands that are very trend-sensitive and consumer insight-driven - resulting in unique and authentic concepts. This might not be the way for all traditional and big-box food brands, but they can be influenced by elements of, for example, a specific trend. Whether it is a trend, the vision of a unique expression in the shop, or a desi-re for a specific product, we can help you realise this with our Fagerhult O.D.D (On Demand Design) offer. We can help you to either modify an existing pro-duct or to tailor one specifically for your needs. Our skilled lighting professionals at Fagerhult and passionate lighting cre-atives at the Fagerhult Light Agency have vast experience of such processes quick adaptations are part of our day-to-day work.
For those new ingredients and influencesThe retail landscape is changing fast. New consumer behaviours, trends and technology are constantly setting new roadmaps in retail and therefore also for tomorrows food retailers. This is how we can help create a great lighting recipe when new ingredients appears.
and approved, a test installation was implemented in one shop to be able to evaluate the pricing, technology and mounting. The result of this evaluation was very satisfactory and the LED stick was chosen for many more shops. Today this LED stick, the result of an On Demand Design process, has been integrated in our standard product assortment since it proved to be so successful. We call it Relay Efficient.
fashionable food pendantsThe Fagerhult Light Agency work by carefully monitoring trends in different retail sectors, and are up to date with luminaire designs that complement such trends. In the food retail sector, for example, rustic-looking pendants con-nected to a rural atmosphere have been requested more frequently thanks to the Fagerhult O.D.D process we can propose such pendants.
Illustrated above are sketches of on-trend luminaires well suited for the food applications that could be presented or developed in our On Demand Design process.
Crystal ClearCrystal Clear is Fagerhults environ-mental initiative. Its our way of emphasising the importance of working in a way that has the least possible environmental impact. We are continuously working on improvements and constantly striving to come up with ideas and initiatives that make us proud and ensure that we remain a sustainable company. We want our customers to be confident that we have the knowledge necessary to propose the most sustainable lighting solution. www.
consider how the lighting should be aimed to avoid wasting energy by aiming light on empty spaces like the floor. The evolving LEDs are also making it easier for us to provide lighting tech-nology that is not only effective but also efficient. LED technology has really had a great impact and to a large extent star-ting to replace fluorescents and metal halides. The technology is highly energy efficient and durable, provided that the LEDs are used in luminaires specifically developed for them. On the next page are a couple of diagrams and tables that will explain this subject and give you a brief idea of what is possible to do today, for example a comparison of three different set-ups of one shop.
Low carb(on dioxide) lightingOur natural way of planning light is to consider the installation thoroughly and to be as energy efficient as possible. We also know that decreasing energy consumption is a concern of almost every food retailer.
culations clearly show that the LED-solu-tion is the most energy efficient and cost effective solution. This is due to the much lower energy consumption, approxima-tely 50 %, which in turn helps to reduce the operating costs. Given the much lower energy consumption and running cost for the LED solution you could say that after 2,5 years after the pay-off (i.e., 5 years after installation) you have saved the equivalent cost of another lighting solution for a new shop. We believe this encouraging fact would support abando-ning a brighter 70 W MT solution.
The three smaller diagrams below show the calculations of table 1. The first illustration displays the Life Cycle Cost diagram where it is possible to see the different costs in a concept invest-ment; energy, light source costs and maintenance. Second illustration dis-plays the CO emissions from the three different lighting concepts and the third the pay-off time.
table 2 - savingsIn food shops it is possible to make sub-stantial energy savings by installing a well planned lighting installation with the right products and technology. Table 2 briefly shows how, by doing just that, we have helped one of our clients during the last five years decreasing energy consumption.
controlling the lightAs table 2 indicates, controlling the light can contribute of even greater energy savings. This can be achieved by either using sensors that detect daylight or movement, or by dimming the luminai-res. Dimming has proven to be very bene-ficial since the lighting does not always have to be on full power. By dimming a luminaire by 10 %, it is hardly detectable to the human eye; still, it will create ener-gy savings of 10 %. We believe that controls can decrea-se energy but also affect purchasing patterns. At this very moment we are involved in a light study together with the Finnish hypermarket Anttila. Here the effects of how dynamic, controlla-ble lighting affect shopping behaviour is investigated by comparing three diffe-rent lighting scenes.
neoclassical dishes and Nordic tapas from locally produced groceries are served - traditional but with a modern twist.That is excatly how we would des-cribe our new spotlights, Marathon Midi LED Rich and Marathon Midi LED Glow. We challenged Christian to create four tasteful gastronomic recipes with the following main ingredients; meat, fish, vegetables and bread. Afterwards we will do the same, but our main ingredi-ents will be luminaires and light.
Tasteful recipes for food - and lighting designWe have described different groceries and the importance of the right ligh-ting emphasising each one of them; bread, vegetables, meat, and fish, for example. Here we present a few recipes, but also our specific lighting design recipes of how to make them extra appealing.
NOBA, Nordic Bar/Gastro, Gothenburg, Sweden.
Christian Andersson, head chef at NOBA.
Cod live in salt and brackish water from the Gulf of Bothnia to the North Atlantic. Nowadays this fish is growing in popularity and is a favourite ingredient on menus all over the world. The subtle flavour of cod makes it ideally suited to a wide range of seasonings and accompaniments.
instructions:Sandefjord butter sauce:Fry the shallots in butter, but do not allow them to colour. Add the white wine and reduce it by half. Pour in the cream and simmer until it thickens. Gradually add the remainder of the butter (which must be at room temperature), while stirring constantly. Also add a spoonful of crme frache.
Put the pan to one side, season the contents with salt and pepper and some freshly squeezed lemon juice. Sprinkle in a little chopped parsley before serving.
Pickled carrots:Bring the white wine vinegar, sugar, water, bay leaf and peppercorn to the boil. Leave to cool. Add the sliced carrots and leave to stand (ideally for a day or so before serving).Season the cod with salt and pepper.
Bring some water to the boil in a saucepan with a little white wine and butter. Turn down the heat until the water is simmering. Put the cod loin in the water and leave to simmer over a low heat for a few minutes.
Served with boiled potatoes sprinkled with dill.
Install a track such as iTrack, which enables flexible lighting possibilities of both general and accent lighting.
Make sure that there is sufficient general lighting, such as iTrack Line or Dupio, in the area of the fish counter.
Install a set of Marathon Midi LED Rich and aim them appropriately at the fish.
Sit back and enjoy the perception of great looking fish and seafood.
about the maraton midi led rich spotlight:Marathon is our popular spotlight that has received yet another sibling - Marathon Midi LED Rich. This version is tailor-made for the fish and meat sections and equipped with an LED module that is specifically selected and tested for illuminating such foods. Above we present the spectral distribution of this specific LED module. This demonstrates the balance between the colours coming from the LED module. It is important to remember that any colour you want to enhance in the displayed food needs to come out of the light source. So in these diagrams you can ensure that the colour you need is emitted from the fixture. By developing LED modules for specific purposes like this fish/meat module you get top quality light with very low energy use compared to the old fashioned lamp and filter solutions. As shown above this module is strong in the blue- and red spectrum. This fact makes it suitable for illu-minating fish counters that stage both red fish and seafood, such as salmon and shrimps, but also ice and silver skinned fish types. This is an advantage that makes it easy and convenient to plan the lighting without having to install different lumi-naires, light sources or filters.
A succulent duck breast cooked to just the right shade of pink can have much more flavour than turkey, chicken or goose. Combining the rather fatty duck meat with a slightly acidic and sweet accompaniment produces just the right balance of tastes. One tip for removing excess fat is to brown the skin of the duck well and then pour most of the fat out of the frying pan.
instructions:Ragu:Shred the cabbage and put it briefly into boiling salted water. Remove the cabbage from the pan and cool it in cold water. Fry the mushrooms and cabbage in a little butter and season with salt and pepper. Add the pieces of apple just before serving. Mix in some chopped herbs to add colour.
Creamed Jerusalem artichokes:Cook the peeled artichokes gently in the cream and then blend them in a food pro-cessor to a smooth consistency. Season with salt and pepper.
Season the duck breast with salt and pepper and make two crosswise cuts in the skin.Fry the duck with the skin side down in a dry frying pan over a high heat until the skin is golden brown.
Bake the duck in the oven at 120C until the internal temperature reaches 55C.Leave to rest for a few minutes before serving.
Make sure that there is sufficient general lighting, such as iTrack Line or Dupio, in the area of the meat counter.
Install a set of Marathon Midi LED Rich and aim it at the meats.
Sit back and enjoy the view of moist and rich meat without any greyish tones.
about the lighting:iTrack Line or Dupio, with the possibility to adjust the reflectors, gives a good general lighting as a base in the meat section. To accentuate the meats our new Marathon addition Marathon Midi LED Rich is an appropriate choice of spotlight. It is equipped with a LED module not only good when illuminating fish, but also meat too. This is a result of the spectral qualities of the LED module, enhancing both warm red tones but also cool tones as seen in the spectral distribution curve above.
Scandinavian cuisine with its distinctive, authentic and robust flavours is more popular than ever. The ingredients that play an important role in tra-ditional Scandinavian dishes include root vegetables. A wide variety of root vegetables is available. They are not only cheap and full of vitamins, but also very tasty. They can be combined with one another to make nourishing soups and casseroles.
instructions:Peel and chop the root vegetables, chilli, onion and garlic, together with a few sprigs of thyme. Fry everything in a saucepan with a little butter. Add a splash of white wine and bring to the boil.
Add the water and stock cubes and simmer until the root vegetables are soft. Mix with stick blender and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle the croutons over the soup.
Croutons:Remove the crusts from the bread and cut it into small squares. Mix the bread with oil and sea salt and bake for a few minutes in the oven at 180C until the croutons are crisp.
light that highlights all the diffe-rent variety of groceries and all of the wonderful colours.
Install a set of Marathon Midi LED Glow and aim it at the vegetables.
Sit back and enjoy the view of a colourful set of great looking fruits and vegetables.
about the maraton midi led glow spotlight:The Marathon spotlight family is accompanied by yet another appropriate food lumi-naire - Marathon Midi LED Glow. This version is tailor-made for the fruit/vegetable and bread/cheese section and equipped with an LED module that is specifically selec-ted and tested for illuminating such foods. Above we present the spectral curves of the specific LED module and as showed, it is strong in the warm coloured spectrum making it suitable to illuminate fruit and vegetables, which bring out the warm tones in these groceries.
Thin, hard crispbread is a traditional Scandinavian bread which has its origins in Sweden in the 6th century. Just as in this recipe, you can experi-ment with different spices to liven up the strong flavour of the wheat and rye. Many different types of crispbread are produced nowadays and creating new variants has become a trend at some restaurants. Home-made crisp-bread not only tastes good but, spread with butter and sprinkled with sea salt, also adds a special touch as an appetizer before a meal. Furthermore, it is low in calories and keeps for a long time.
instructions:Crumble the yeast into the warm water and mix together well. Then add the flour and the cumin. Knead the dough until it is smooth and leave to rest for around half an hour.
Shape the dough into a round on a floured work surface. Roll it out thinly and prick it with a fork. Sprinkle a little sea salt on top. Leave the dough to rise for another few minutes and then bake it in the oven at 225C until it is crisp and golden brown.
Install a track such as iTrack which enables flexible lighting possibi-lities of both general and accent lighting.
highlights all the different variety of breads and cheese.
Install a set of Marathon Midi LED Glow and aim it at the bread.
Sit back and enjoy a warm and golden bread and cheese section.
about the lighting:To accentuate the bread and cheese it is possible to use spotlights combined with general lighting. Marathon Midi LED Glow is equipped with a LED module that has demonstrated to be strong in the warm coloured spectrum making it suitable to illuminate groceries that radiate similar colours. This fact makes the light of Marat-hon Midi LED Glow enhance the warm golden tones in freshly baked bread making them look extra appealing and crisp. For that reason it is also appropriate to illumi-nate cheese.
some food shops are cosy, intimate and modest in size - often situated locally in the neighbourhoods of the city. Oth-ers are the complete opposite; large, prominent and bold - positioned in the suburbs where the shop floors spread out generously. In the latter, higher ceilings are more common. In such environments it can be a bit trickier to provide a dyna-mic combination of both accentuating LED spotlights and general lighting since the effect of the LED spotlights has not been good enough in ceilings of up to 4.5 metres in height. Until Zone Evo, Sync and Marathon. Zone Evo is one of our latest spot-lights that was derived from a careful technical evolution of our faithful Zone Point. Throughout the years the pro-duct has evolved according to customer demands, as well as the technical advan-cements of LEDs. Now the updated cone shaped Zone Evo have a version that comes in the generous lumen package 4500 lm - Zone Evo II LED. Yet another geometric expression, the square, is represented in Sync, a spotlight version that distinctly contrasts with the others due to its angular design.
Just as Zone Evo, Sync is also available in high lumen packages up to 4500 lm. There is also a controllable DALI version for iTrack with a dim range of 10-100 %. Finally the popular Marathon will be accompanied with yet a version, one of 4500 lm. These spotlights can be used in supermarkets with high ceilings where a truly effective spotlight with long life-time is required. At such ceiling heights, the tracks where the general and accent lighting is installed do not have to be sus-pended any lower than 4-4.5 metres. This will make sure that the groceries, not the lighting installation, will steal the atten-tion of the shopper. At Fagerhult we never include an LED module in a luminaire that is not as effi-cient, or more efficient, than traditional metal halides. Therefore we have been waiting patiently for such a module to emerge. And now, finally, the technology is good enough to produce one. Due to this advancement we are proud to pre-sent a high lumen LED spotlight that is more effective than one with metal hali-de. And this is something we know will satisfy the pickiest gourmand.
When expectations are running highWanting to get a taste of a really efficient LED spotlight for those high supermarket ceilings? Great! We are now launching the new Zone Evo family, Sync and a 4500 lm addition to Marathon. These luminaires provide solutions that address that exact need.
Tantalising installations of oursWe have worked with several supermarkets but also other retailers and brands where food and drinks have been the essence of business. Presented below are selections of such cases.
extremely satisfied with. The combina-tion of spotlights and fluorescents was also much appreciated as well as the flexibility of the lighting installation where the staff could rearrange the luminaires when moving interior and merchandise. Also iTrack Dupio, with its adjustable reflectors made it possible to aim the general light towards both the groceries and graphic signs. With its impressive 10, 000 square metres ICA Maxi in Haninge is Swedens largest ICA shop, a shop where we also had the benefit of being the main ligh-ting supplier. Thanks to Fagerhult O.D.D we could provide suitable products for this particular shop and its premises. First we created a suspended arm with fix points where Marathon spotlights could be installed despite of the high ceiling. We also created a special bracket that could be mounted directly on our standard product Dupio. This initiative made it possible to fit and attach Dupio on to the function ceiling that was used. Instead of developing a new version of the luminaire we solved the problem with a mounting accessory by doing so we could provide a solution in a swifter and time efficient way.
man out, turned all luminaires off with the exception of a few carefully chosen luminaires that ensures the brand mes-sages are seen throughout the night.
auchan A recent collaboration is the one with the French international retail brand Auchan. In the Auchan hypermarkets everything from food, electronics, clothes and home interior can be purchased. Auchan wanted a supplier of accent lighting - and for each of the different areas of commerce they had a technical specification in which a certain level of lux was required for the different working heights of the luminaires. For example; at heights of 0,8 metres, (where the groce-ries/products are displayed) 900 lux was required, when the luminaires are instal-led at 3,3 metres. They were also looking for a comfortable lighting with little glare and of course one that would reduce their energy consumption. We gladly met these requirements. Fagerhult got the mission of supp-lying lighting to both the commercial space and the back office. The solution that will be provided is an accentuating lighting solution of Marathon LEDs 3000 lm for the open sales area in the shop. The spotlight will be equipped with reflectors in different colours and LED modules of both 3000 K and 4000 K regarding of what section in the shop that is being illuminated. This lighting solution will be supp-lied in 2014 in super- and hypermarkets of the Auchan Group in countries such as; France, Spain, Luxemburg, Italy, Hungary etc. In the near future the objective is to evolve the solution with additional ligh-ting solutions of general lighting and more powerful projectors.
flexibility and variation in the lighting design. By using DALI the lighting can be dimmed, switched on and off, it also enables the recall of lighting schem-es, time-controlled changes and to the possibility to individually adjust diffe-rent luminaires. If sensors and motion detectors are included in the system you can create responsive lighting solutions When discussing controls within the retail lighting sector, a number of different factors impact the near- and long-term development; global evolve-ment, economics, technology and the environmental discussions. Already the exchange of lighting technologies has begun - from Dichroic Halogen to HID - and now LED. Some retailers have even shifted directly from Dichroic to LED since the LEDs of today are comparable and competitive to HID. The advantage of LED technology is that it enables control of all of the ligh-ting and that is particularly beneficial in retail lighting. Since a couple of decades, the HID have been the most used light source in retail lighting projects. Initi-ally this light source could not be dim-med and controlled in an efficient way. However, about five years ago, the pos-sibility arrived; but unfortunately there were still no benefits or savings in cost. But now with the advent of LEDs we are finally there.
Future cooking innovative outlooks on lighting In the introduction we highlighted trends and consumer behaviours that impact food retailers, making the premises of the physical shop progress. As a lighting partner we want to be able to balance such a progress.
is, which day of the week or what time of year it is. Controlling the light in such ways can actually boost the shopping experience and consequently also the brand of the shop.
Pret -A-Manger have used lighting controls to adapt and change the lighting sceneries/atmospheres during the day.
Fagerhults Wireless e-Sense Connect ligh-ting control system.
sed via an app in your smartphone, by the manager of the shop or by the amount of daylight. All depending on what the retai-ler/brand want to achieve with the con-trol system and the shopping experience.
when? Today. All this is possible to achieve with the technology we have in our hands today. But we do want to drive this even further into the future. Just imagine if, in a couple of years from now, there were to be personalised lighting opportunities in retail areas. Then you could make your own lighting scene depending on your emotional feeling at a specific time. You will be your own light DJ.
Although products are sufficiently illuminated, homogeneous grid lighting does not provide highlights or points of interest.
This image illustrates the lighting design that is described in Piia Markkanens lighting study. The ends of the shelves are brightly illuminated whereas the middle portion of the shelves is illuminated with only 20% of full efficiency when there are no customers in the vicinity of the shelves.
Floorplan of the hypermarket. The area of shelves are indicated in green. Piia Markkanen.
Source: Piia Markkanen, Diploma work: Intelligent and adaptive lighting in retail environment, University of Oulu, department of architecture.
ting above the main aisle was pendants that should illuminate the aisles with direct and indirect light. The pendants do illuminate the aisle with direct and indirect light, but the main idea here was to choose a different kind of luminaire to point out the hierarchy of aisles. Piia also chose to illuminate the end-caps of the shelves in different, livelier manner by a RGBW spotlight. The use of white light was the main idea; still, the RGBW alternative makes it possible to use coloured light as well. The ends of the shelves are significant to highlight since they are important space for product pla-cements. Accentuating spotlights also make the lighting non-uniform. The shelves in the middle section, should only be illuminated to 20% of full efficiency when no customers are nearby. Additionally, oval flood light (wider beam than spotlights) and wall washers would illuminate the vertical surfaces uniform-ly. The aisle area between the shelves should be illuminated with an LED ligh-ting fixture that would give general light downwards. With the exception of the pendant luminaires, all luminaires inclu-ded should be attached to Fagerhults iTrack system, a track that can be supp-lemented with sensors, which enable intelligent lighting control. Piia chose the iTrack to the design as she wished to study a lighting scheme that could be installed on a DALI control-lable system. I thought it was important to do the implementation in such a way that it can be adapted if the layout of the shop is rearranged later on, thus track instal-lation. The luminaires in the design and overall in my thesis were chosen to be representative in terms of light distribu-tion, such as wall washer or oval floods. I wanted to use examples of luminaires that are commercially available in order to study the lighting by visualizing it with renderings, Piia explains.
it is now light and the energy used to create it, should be directed to the areas where customers are present. Lighting could also be used to guide the custo-mer based on his or her interest of certain merchandise and also to inform where either complementing merchandise are located or just to enhance the visibility of other merchandise on the customers route in the shop, Piia concludes.
> Day 1: A selected area will be illuminated by static general lighting & accent tuneable white spotlights.> Day 2: The same area will be illuminated by static general lighting & dynamic accent tuneable white spotlights.> Day 3: The area will be illuminated by static general lighting & dynamic accent RGBW spotlights and dynamic tuneable white spotlights. Our goal with the study is to increa-se knowledge in how dynamic lighting can attract customers, draw attention to certain products and affect the path of route chosen and evidently share this knowledge with our customers. We are convinced that this can be applied in both fashion as well as food retail.
Psst! Look out for the new tuneable white Marathon addition, Marathon Dyna-mic, this spring. With this spotlight you can tune in any white colour from 2700 K to 6500 K but also control more saturated colours such as red, blue, yellow and purple.
for illuminating and enhancing diffe-rent groceries. Another new spotlight is Zone Evo, a luminaire that works well on high ceiling heights, usually common in supermarkets. It is companioned by its sibling Zone Evo Recessed, a recessed spotlight for lower ceiling heights. Browse the following pages to learn more about the products.
Presented on the following pages are products that we find suitable for illu-minating supermarkets and other food retail environments. They can bring that extra spice to the atmosphere and create a comfortable yet inspiratio-nal grocery shopping.
Visit, www.fagerhult.com, for complete product range.www.
iTrack.we wanted to offer a complete lighting solution for the ever-changing retail environment that addresses the need for a flexible, complete, future-proof lighting system. That is why we developed iTrack. This track system has been optimised for retail installation. It can be surface mounted or suspended to create a consistent brand identity, regardless of the ceiling solution. iTrack is designed to connect. 12-circuits provide unparalleled flexibility and choice with up to three different lighting circuits, DALI lighting controls and emer-gency capability built in. That is only the start; compatibility has been extended out-side iTracks impressive range of luminaires. iTrack is compatible with many 3-circuit track adaptors offered by other lighting companies, giving lighting designers the ultimate flexibility in luminaire selection. iTrack luminaires are available with DALI control gear. This enables each lumi-naire to be switched or dimmed individually to create the most efficient lighting schemes it gives retailers various new energy-saving options.
DESCRIPTIONExtruded aluminium in white (RAL 9016) or black (RAL 9004) finish with isolation profile. All conductors and earth conductor are made of 2.5 mm copper.
OTHER INFORMATIONiTrack can easily be equipped with a multisensor for constant light, occupancy detection and receiver for a remote control (IR), see accessories. The functionality requires luminaires with DALI (-368) and an externally placed and connected DALI power supply unit.
Wire suspension kit 1,5m for ceilings and visible T-bar (cable entry + single).
Suspension wire adjustable centre (Used for asymmetric loads such as spotlights).
(Eliminates the need for extra wire suspension for connec-tion unit).
iTrack Dupio.itrack dupio is a fluorescent luminaire with a lot of possibilities, especially developed for retail areas. The highly efficient T5 fluorescent lamp and Miro reflector creates an even light. With the individual adjustable reflectors, you can create an illumination suited for the interior design aim the light at the food in the aisles or aim it at the graphics in the shop. Besides the iTrack Dupio, there is also a Dupio standalone version for wire suspension. Both Dupio versions are equipped with multi-wattage ballasts, which make it possible to change to other lamp wattages without replacing the ballast.www.
DESCRIPTIONLuminaire body in aluminium profile and sheet of steel. HF multiwattage ballast. Individual adjustable Micro reflectors with high efficiency. iTrack version with adapter included, wire suspended version with friction lock and mains cable included. Colour setting in white (RAL 9016), grey (RAL9006) and black (RAL9005).
POWER SUPPLYOperating voltage 230 V. iTrack version installed direct into iTrack. Wire suspended version supplied with 3 meter mains cable. HF std version also with earthed plug.
OTHER INFORMATIONLouvre needs to be ordered separately. Reflectors adjustable 220 (+/-110) degrees, need to order separately. Wire suspension order separately (wire suspended version).
Light data on p. 109-111.
iTrack Line.at the heart of iTrack is the need for a simple, cost-effective and high performance lighting system. Line utilises the latest high performance T5 lamp technology combined with a range of reflector and louvre options to deliver high quality and perfor-mance in a budget industrial, shop atmosphere luminaire.www.
Body in white enamelled steel sheet with polycarbonate end caps. Four reflector options available, constructed from highly polished aluminium. iTrack can easily be equipped with multisensor for constant light levels, presence detection and receiver for remote control (IR), see iTrack accessories. Colour settings in white (RAL 9016).
Toughened plastic end cap to fit all reflector sizes and prevent light bleed. Aluminium seam to join reflectors in a continuous line. Lamella louvre.
Operating voltage 230 V. iTrack version installed direct into iTrack. Wire suspended version supplied with 3 meter mains cable. HF std version also with earthed plug.
Supplied with iTrack seven-pole adapter. Some functions require iTrack 12 pole adapter. Most models can be equipped with emergency lighting (-160). Most models can be equipped with a different ballast for dimming.
Marathon.the marathon spotlights are easy for customers to enjoy due to their subtle design. The proportions and aesthetic balance are perfect and one of the reasons for its incredible popularity. It can either blend in as a natural element, but can also attract attention in an elegant manner. The new additions Marathon Rich and Marathon Glow are equipped with thoroughly chosen LED modules making them a perfect choice when illuminating and enhancing the colours of different groceries.
Visit, www.fagerhult.com, for complete Marathon range.www.
Universal 3-phase adapter included. Installed on 3-phase track or fixpoint bracket. Driver and luminaire housing of enamelled aluminium extrusion/die cast aluminium. Front ring of thermal plastic. Metalised reflector. Colour settings in white (RAL 9016) and black (RAL 9005).
Pan 360, tilt 0-90. Active cooling.
DESCRIPTIONUniversal 3-phase adapter included. Installed on 3-phase track or fixpoint bracket. Driver and luminaire housing of enamelled aluminium extrusion/die cast aluminium. Front ring of thermal plastic. Fortimo SLM 1100 lm and 3000 lm and 4500 lm. Available in 2700 K, 3000 K and 4000 K, CRI>80 or >90 for standard version. Metalised reflector. Colour settings in white (RAL 9016) and black (RAL 9005).
OTHER INFORMATIONPan 360, tilt 0-90. Passive/active cooling, check the fagerhult website for more details.
DESCRIPTIONiTrack adapter included for installation on iTrack. Driver and luminaire housing of enamelled aluminium extrusion/die cast aluminium. Front ring of thermal plastic. Fortimo SLM 3000 lm and 4500 lm. Available in 3000 K and 4000 K, CRI>80 and >90 for standard version. Metalised reflector. Colour settings in white (RAL 9016) and black (RAL 9005).
OTHER INFORMATIONPan 360, tilt 0-90. Passive/active cooling, check the fagerhult website for more details. Can be controlled via DALI and dimmed from 100% to 10%.
Zone Evo.evolution has added a clean and conical shaped housing with pure LED to the range. The cone is one of the basic geometric shapes and is there-fore very accepted, with its roundness and narrow end creating a smooth and light impression. The way in which the conical lamp housing joins the rectangular ballast box is both practical and visually harmonic. Zone Evo comes in three different sizes and mounting options, and the segmented MIRO reflector technology makes it extremely efficient with excellent visual performance. There is also a dim version for iTrack with a dim range of 10-100 %. Zone Evo is suitable in most retail areas and accentuates the merchandise nicely. The LED 4500 lm version is very suitable for high ceiling heights which are common in food applications.
Visit, www.fagerhult.com, in February for complete Zone Evo range.www.
DESCRIPTIONInstalled on a 3phase track or fixpoint bracket. Universal 3-phase adapter included. Housing in extruded/die cast aluminium. Front ring in thermal plastic. Fortimo SLM 1100 and 2000lm. Available in 3000 and 4000K, CRI >80 or >90. Metalised reflector. Colour settings in white (RAL 9016), grey (RAL 7038) and black (9005).
POWER SUPPLYOperating voltage 230 V.
OTHER INFORMATIONPan 360, tilt 0-90.
ACCESSORIESBarndoors, honeycomb louvre, baffle ring and cap cone.
>> Available in February 2014.
DESCRIPTIONiTrack adapter included for installation on iTrack. Housing in extruded/die cast aluminium. Front ring in thermal plastic. Fortimo SLM 1100 lm. Available in 3000 K, CRI >80 or >90. Segmented MIRO reflector. Colour settings in white (RAL 9016) and black (9005).
OTHER INFORMATIONPan 360, tilt 0-90, can be controlled via DALI and dimmed from 100% to 10%.
DESCRIPTIONInstalled on a 3-phase track or fixpoint bracket. Universal 3-phase adapter included. Housing in extruded/die cast aluminium. Front ring in thermal plastic. Fortimo SLM 3000 and 4500lm. Available in 3000 and 4000K, CRI >80 or >90. Segmented MIRO reflector. Colour settings in white (RAL 9016) black (9005) grey (RAL 7038).
OTHER INFORMATIONPan 360, tilt 0-90. Passive/active cooling, for more details visit the Fagerhult website.
DESCRIPTIONZone Evo III iTrack DALI: iTrack adapter included for installation on iTrack. Housing in extruded/die cast aluminium. Front ring in thermal plastic. Fortimo SLM 3000lm. Available in 3000 and 4000K, CRI >80 or >90. Segmented MIRO reflector. Colour settings in white (RAL 9016) black (9005).
OTHER INFORMATIONPan 360, tilt 0-90. Zone Evo III LED iTrack DALI can be controlled via DALI and dimmed from 100 % to 10 %. Passive/active cooling, for more details see the Fagerhult website.
Zone Evo Recessed.zone evo has a recessed sibling, with the same conical housing. This makes it possible to work with a spotlight and a recessed spotlight in the same design language throughout the whole lighting installation. Zone Evo Recessed comes in LED and is avai-lable in colours of black and white and some versions in grey. The innovative spring solution ensures fast and easy installation and the housing can be rotated 360 and tilted -20 to + 90.www.
Zone Evo I decor plates, 1 and 2 units.
DESCRIPTIONFor installation in ventilated or non ventilated ceilings. The fixture is equipped with a 25 cm cable with SLM quick connector on the secondary side. Housing in extruded/die cast aluminium. Front ring in thermal plastic. Fortimo SLM 1100 lm, 3000 lm and 4500 lm. Available in 2700 K, 3000 K and 4000 K, CRI >80 or >90. Zone Evo I, metalized reflector, Zone Evo II, segmented MIRO reflector. Colour settings in white (RAL 9016) and black (9005).
OTHER INFORMATIONPan 360, tilt -20 -> 90, can be controlled via DALI and dimmed from 100% to 10%. Passive/active cooling, for detailed information visit the Fagerhult website.
Zone Evo II decor plates, 1 and 2 units.
Sync.yet another geometric expression is represented in the spotlight range, cylin-drical, conical and now squared. Sync is one of the latest spotlight versions that distinctly contrasts with the others due to its angular design. The standard black or white Sync elegantly matches the track and, despite its solid appearance, provides a soft touch. To give it a more characteristic look, accessories such as eye-catching barn doors can be attached to the front, which also makes options such as baffles, cones and honeycomb louvres possible. The segmented MIRO reflector technology makes the luminaire extremely efficient and the visual performance excellent. Sync is only available in LED, but its high lumen package makes it suitable for high ceiling installations. There is also a dim version for iTrack with a dim range of 10-100 %.www.
DESCRIPTIONInstalled on a 3phase track or fixpoint bracket. Universal 3-phase adapter included. Housing in extruded/die cast aluminium. Front ring in thermal plastic. Fortimo SLM 2000 lm, 3000 lm and 4500lm. Available in 3000 K and 4000 K, CRI >80 or >90. Segmented MIRO reflector. Colour settings in white (RAL 9016) and black (9005).
Barndoors, honeycomb louvre and cap cone.
Relay Efficient.relay efficient is, as its names suggests, an efficient LED shelf luminaire perfect for display and shelf lighting. Relay Efficient attaches with either strong magnets or screws, depending on the material it is being attached to.
DESCRIPTIONLinear light fixture in aluminium that can be freely plugged polarity remains constant regardless of connections. Three magnetic hold points.
POWER SUPPLYOperating voltage 230V/24 DC.
OTHER INFORMATIONSeries connection of max.12pcs.
Cube.in all its purity, Cube comes in the cleanest of shapes. It is a sober and minimal luminaire ideal for directional light from high ceilings. The angular Cube comes in LED and is available in ceiling or suspended versions. As all the workings are electronic and incorporated inside the fixture, Cube can be suspended up to several metres from the power supply.
Visit, www.fagerhult.com, for complete Cube range.www.
DESCRIPTIONThe Cube housing slides over an installation bracket and is fixed by means of 4 black fasteners. Luminaire housing in aluminium. Electronic gear is incorporated inside the fixture. Output/CRI versions: 1300 lm passive cooled Xicato LED with CRI >80, available in 2700 K, 3000 K or 4000 K.
See Prosper Suspended.see prosper suspended originated in a desire to move away from the traditio-nal suspended luminaire design and provide functional accent lighting that also created an atmosphere. This eye-catching luminaire provides effective exposure of products and merchandise while offering maximum flexibility the reflector and light source can be tilted 30 and rotated 355. The luminaire can even be used in the same way as a downlight. See Prosper Pendant can be equipped with up to three different types of light source metal halide, LED and halogen.
Visit www.fagerhult.com for complete See Prosper range.www.
DESCRIPTIONSuspended luminaire for accent lighting. Architectural approach with asymmetrical yet balanced shape. Metal halide, LED and halogen light source options. Body in bent aluminium, top and bottom cover in die casted aluminium and light unit in milled aluminium. Colour setting in white (RAL 9016) and black (RAL 9005). Reflector: MT - High specular faceted aluminium reflector. LED - Metalized polycarbonate reflector. HMG111 - Reflector included in the light source.
POWER SUPPLYOperating voltage 230 V constant current.
Here we present useful light data for our the selected products suitable for use in food applica-tion areas. Light data describes the light distribution and lux value at different heights or the luminaires luminous intensity in different directions.
1x32/35W Lamell medium refl. 2x32/35W Lamell medium refl.
1x32/35W Lamell wide refl. 2x32/35W Lamell wide refl.
enhance. Imagine a world without it?
Anders StrmbergConcept Development Manager, Fagerhult.
Visit our website for contact- and address information to our sales companies. www. | 2019-04-21T00:24:04Z | https://vdocuments.mx/fagerhult-tasteful-recipes-of-light.html |
IKr is the rapidly activating component of the delayed rectifier potassium current, the ion current largely responsible for the repolarization of the cardiac action potential. Inherited forms of long QT syndrome (LQTS) (Lees-Miller et al., 1997) in humans are linked to functional modifications in the Kv11.1 (hERG) ion channel and potentially life threatening arrhythmias. There is little doubt now that hERG-related component of IKr in the heart depends on the tetrameric (homo- or hetero-) channels formed by two alternatively processed isoforms of hERG, termed hERG1a and hERG1b. Isoform composition (hERG1a- vs. the b-isoform) has recently been reported to alter pharmacologic responses to some hERG blockers and was proposed to be an essential factor pre-disposing patients for drug-induced QT prolongation. Very little is known about the gating and pharmacological properties of two isoforms in heart membranes. For example, how gating mechanisms of the hERG1a channels differ from that of hERG1b is still unknown. The mechanisms by which hERG 1a/1b hetero-tetramers contribute to function in the heart, or what role hERG1b might play in disease are all questions to be answered. Structurally, the two isoforms differ only in the N-terminal region located in the cytoplasm: hERG1b is 340 residues shorter than hERG1a and the initial 36 residues of hERG1b are unique to this isoform. In this study, we combined electrophysiological measurements for HEK cells, kinetics and structural modeling to tease out the individual contributions of each isoform to Action Potential formation and then make predictions about the effects of having various mixture ratios of the two isoforms. By coupling electrophysiological data with computational kinetic modeling, two proposed mechanisms of hERG gating in two homo-tetramers were examined. Sets of data from various experimental stimulation protocols (HEK cells) were analyzed simultaneously and fitted to Markov-chain models (M-models). The minimization procedure presented here, allowed assessment of suitability of different Markov model topologies and the corresponding parameters that describe the channel kinetics. The kinetics modeling pointed to key differences in the gating kinetics that were linked to the full channel structure. Interactions between soluble domains and the transmembrane part of the channel appeared to be critical determinants of the gating kinetics. The structures of the full channel in the open and closed states were compared for the first time using the recent Cryo-EM resolved structure for full open hERG channel and an homology model for the closed state, based on the highly homolog EAG1 channel. Key potential interactions which emphasize the importance of electrostatic interactions between N-PAS cap, S4-S5, and C-linker are suggested based on the structural analysis. The derived kinetic parameters were later used in higher order models of cells and tissue to track down the effect of varying the ratios of hERG1a and hERG1b on cardiac action potentials and computed electrocardiograms. Simulations suggest that the recovery from inactivation of hERG1b may contribute to its physiologic role of this isoform in the action potential. Finally, the results presented here contribute to the growing body of evidence that hERG1b significantly affects the generation of the cardiac Ikr and plays an important role in cardiac electrophysiology. We highlight the importance of carefully revisiting the Markov models previously proposed in order to properly account for the relative abundance of the hERG1 a- and b- isoforms.
The IKr current is a primary contributor to the repolarization of the human cardiac muscle, a delayed rectifier potassium current conducted by the Kv11.1 ion channel (more commonly referred to as human ether-a-go-go-related gene, or hERG1) (Sanguinetti et al., 1995; Li et al., 1996). The Kv11.1 channel is homologous in structure to other voltage-gated potassium channels (Figure 1) and is assembled as a tetramer to become a fully functioning ion channel, but has very different kinetics compared to other potassium channels. Inactivation is much faster than activation, and consequently, current is suppressed at positive potentials but rebounds on repolarization as channels quickly recover from inactivation and slowly close. During an action potential, this gating behavior produces a resurgent current that peaks during the repolarization phase. Mutations, channels block by drugs and/or impaired trafficking of Kv11.1 channels to the cell membrane lead to prolongation of the QT interval on the surface electrocardiogram (LQTS), leading to a potentially life threatening ventricular arrhythmia (Behere et al., 2014). Since the physiological role of IKr is to repolarize the late phase of cardiac action potentials, hERG1 has a clear link to these arrhythmias (Robertson et al., 2008; Gustina and Trudeau, 2009; Robertson, 2012; Vandenberg et al., 2012). That is, if IKr is reduced, due to loss-of-function mutations or action of small molecules (drugs), patients are more likely to develop severe arrhythmias initiated by premature beats.
Figure 1. (A) Topology of Kv11.1 or hERG channel. (B) Comparison of a-isoform and b-isoform. Exons of each of the two splice variants, with a-isoform on the top and b-isoform on the bottom.
Up to date, our understanding of how IKr contributes to the ventricular repolarization is based primarily on studies utilizing heterologous expression of the originally identified hERG1 a-isoform (Sanguinetti et al., 1995; Trudeau et al., 1995; Smith et al., 1996; Wang et al., 1997). More recent studies showed that native IKr result from hetero-tetramers formed by the co-assembly of two hERG isoforms termed hERG1a and hERG1b. Two splice variants—hERG1a and hERG1b are co-expressed not only in cardiac tissue, but also in neurons and smooth muscles (Chiesa et al., 1997; Ohya et al., 2002). Importantly, isoforms display very different gating kinetics (Lees-Miller et al., 2003). The hERG gating is modulated by the cytoplasmic domains (N-terminal or PAS domain, CNBD and C-linker) in a way that still remains largely unknown but of a critical importance for unraveling structural mechanisms responsible for QT prolongation. In particular, a mutation in the N-terminal of hERG1b was discovered in a patient with long QT Syndrome (LQTS), highlighting the importance of this isoform in cardiac repolarization (Robertson et al., 2008; Robertson, 2012).
Many drugs are known to block ion current across Kv11.1 channels, resulting in an acquired form of LQTS (Larsen et al., 2010). Many blockers exhibit state-dependent activity and hence their propensity to later hERG currents is related to the channel's gating kinetics. It has recently been shown that EA4031, a selective blocker of hERG1 currents, differs in effectiveness on homo-tetrameric vs. hetero-tetrameric channels formed of different isoforms (Sale et al., 2008). Similar findings were also reported for hERG1 activators. Larsen et al. (2010) showed that activators such as NS1643 display differential effects on the homo-tetrameric channels formed by two hERG1 isoforms (Holzem et al., 2016). Due to the therapeutic risks hidden in hERG1 blockers and potential of hERG1 activators, establishing differences in gating mechanisms of two isoforms is critically important. Structurally, the two isoforms differ only in the N-terminal region located in the cytoplasm: hERG1b is 340 residues shorter than hERG1a and the initial 36 residues of hERG1b are unique to this isoform (Lees-Miller et al., 1997; Splawski et al., 1998) (Figure 1). As mentioned above, the channel gating is modulated by the cytoplasmic domains (PAS, CNBD, and C-linker) in a way that still remains unknown (Trudeau et al., 2011; Ng et al., 2014; Morais-Cabral and Robertson, 2015; Perry et al., 2015). Consequently, as hERG1b is lacking the entire PAS/Pas-cap domains, it has a different gating behavior compared to hERG1a.
The isoform originally discovered was hERG1a which is considered the full length transcript of the associated gene, and is often referred to simply as hERG1 when not being compared to other isoforms. Additionally, these isoforms are present in relatively fixed ratios, which depend on the cellular environment (Larsen et al., 2007, 2008). Deviations from these ratios, leading to abnormal abundance of a particular Kv11.1 isoform, may result in heart beat anomalies (Larsen et al., 2008; Kannankeril et al., 2010; Robertson, 2012).
Recently, hERG1b was found to be critical for human cardiac repolarization and a 1b-specific mutation associated with intrauterine fetal death was discovered (Jones et al., 2014, 2015, 2016). Additionally, the relative levels of expression appear to be greater in the young compared with the adult heart (Wang et al., 2008; Crotti et al., 2013). Evidence supports that when hERG1a and hERG1b are present in heterologous expression systems, they co-assemble to form hetero-tetrameric channels, although it is unknown if there is a preferred stoichiometry of these channels (London et al., 1997).
As previously mentioned, the two isoforms gating properties differ substantially. The hERG1 b- isoform is characterized by faster kinetics of activation, recovery from inactivation, and most prominently, deactivation (Larsen et al., 2008, 2010). These differences in gating kinetics are due mainly to the differences in the N-terminal regions of the two isoforms. More specifically, steady state activation is affected by the absence of the proximal N-terminal region in hERG1b, and the activation rate is suggested to be dependent on a short sequence of residues in the proximal portion of the hERG1a N-terminus (Saenen et al., 2006; Trudeau et al., 2011). Consequently, activation rates are much faster in hERG1b channels where these residues are missing (Larsen et al., 2008). Regarding deactivation, it has been suggested that the slow deactivation of hERG1a channels might be facilitated by the first 16 residues of the N-terminus, among other factors (Wang et al., 2008). According to that, faster deactivation rates in hERG1b can be explained by the presence of a unique N-terminal. The inactivation rate was shown to be similar between the two isoforms (Larsen et al., 2008). This finding is expected, as the mechanism by which fast inactivation occurs has been proposed to rely mainly on voltage induced changes in the structure of the outer mouth of the pore (Schönherr and Heinemann, 1996; Perry et al., 2013a,b; Thomson et al., 2014) and the sequence spanning this region is identical in both isoforms. Lastly, recovery from inactivation is significantly faster in hERG1b compared to hERG1a, potentially implying that by some means, the N-terminus contributes to this process with already proposed stabilizing interactions (Saenen et al., 2006; Gustina and Trudeau, 2011).
Despite the evidence that heterometric hERG 1a/1b channels underlie cardiac Ikr, little is known about the gating and pharmacological properties of these channels, how hERG1a channels differ from hERG1b homomers, 1a/1b heteromers, or which role hERG1b might play in disease. Two broadly accepted gating mechanisms were established on the basis of kinetic modeling driven by the experimental data from electrophysiology studies of Kv11.1a channel. The first gating mechanism that successfully describes gating kinetics was proposed by Rasmusson, and later refined by Fink et al. and Romero et al. (termed M-model 1, Figure 2) (Wang et al., 1997; Fink et al., 2008; Romero et al., 2015). The modified M-model 1 (Fink et al., 2008) for hERG1 channel has been combined with the cardiac cell model (Ten-Tusscher Model; Ten Tusscher and Panfilov, 2006) in order to reproduce, and explain in terms of kinetics, measurements in oocytes, and HEK cells and showed overall good performance. The second hERG1 current scheme with different connectivity between gating states was developed by both Clancy et al. (Clancy and Rudy, 2001; Clancy et al., 2007) and Mazhari et al. (2001) (termed M-model2, Figure 2) on the basis of M-model originally proposed by Kiehn et al. (1999).
Figure 2. Proposed kinetic mechanisms using Markov models (M-models) for WT hERG (Perissinotti et al., 2015; Romero et al., 2015) showing the transition rates with the corresponding labels.
There are only a limited number of studies that employ kinetic modeling to understanding of gating kinetics in hERG1 isoforms. Sale et al. (2008) previously attempted to study the hetero channels formed by hERG1a/1b in HEK cells in presence and absence of E-4031 blocker. The M-model 2 was used to describe gating process in a-isoform and a-,b- heteromer. To explain apparent challenges in fitting experimental currents, Sale et al. proposed that the presence of the extended N termini in all 4 subunits in hERG 1a may alter gating process; hence an alternative gating mode (“N-mode”) was considered. Another previous work modified the M-model 1 parameters proposed by Fink et al. (2008) and implemented them in the cardiac cell model (Ten Tusscher and Panfilov, 2006) in order to reproduce, and explain measurements in oocytes and HEK cells. However, none of the previous works (Robertson et al., 2008; Sale et al., 2008; Larsen et al., 2010; Holzem et al., 2016) tested the quality of the proposed kinetic models in fitting the hERG1b homo-tetramer experimental data, nor attempted to derive the set of model parameters for this isoform or suggest structural mechanisms explaining differences in isoform gating kinetics (Wacker et al., 2017).
The rapid progress in the structural biology finally resulted in the Cryo-EM high-resolution structure of hERG1 channel. The structure of the full hERG1 channel in its open state together with other highly homologous channels EAG1 and other closely-related channels from CNG and HCN families were published in 2016-2017 (Whicher and Mackinnon, 2016; Lee and Mackinnon, 2017; Li et al., 2017; Wang and Mackinnon, 2017). The availability of this new structural data provides a unique opportunity to connect well-established kinetic models of hERG1 channel to its structural determinant.
This work is striving to achieve several goals. First goal is the methodological one, where we developed and compared optimal gating schemes for hERG a- and b- isoforms. The second goal is to provide a perspective view on the potential structural mechanisms responsible for apparent kinetic differences between two isoforms and then to explore and discuss its implications at the tissue level. To achieve our methodological goal we systematically compared two gating schemes using available and novel electrophysiological recordings performed in HEK cell lines. The kinetic schemes illuminated profound differences in deactivation kinetics between two isoforms. To understand underlying reasons for different deactivation process, we employed structural modeling of hERG1 channel in open and closed-states using recently published structures of EAG1 and hERG1 channels from Cryo-EM (Whicher and Mackinnon, 2016; Wang and Mackinnon, 2017). We found that the available structures allowed identification of potential mutants with altered kinetics in good agreement with developed kinetic models. Finally, to provide a perspective on the potential role of isoforms in cellular dynamics, we undertook the cardiac cell simulations to reveal the conditions (i.e., isoform composition of hERG channels) leading to QT alterations. To provide initial glimpses into cellular roles of different isoform expression, a selected kinetic model, together with the optimized parameters, was incorporated into a higher dimensional model of the cardiac cell (O'hara et al., 2011) to simulate cellular and tissue dynamics effects as function of hERG isoform ratio.
Lees-Miller et al. first reported the electrophysiology of the hERG1 b-isoform (Lees-Miller et al., 1997). The hERG1 b-isoform was cloned from human atrium. hERG1 isoforms were cloned into the pIRES-hr green fluorescent protein-1a vector (Agilent Technologies, Santa Clara, CA) for co-expression with humanized Renilla reniformis GPF. Human embryonic kidney (HEK) 293 cells were transfected by using calcium phosphate and cultured in Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium supplemented with 10% horse serum (Invitrogen, Carlsbad, CA). Transfection was monitored by green fluorescence. HEK cells were chosen because their background potassium currents are small. More importantly, no dofetilide-sensitive tail current has been observed by using the voltage-clamp protocol in un-transfected HEK cells.
Transfected HEK cells on glass coverslips were placed in a chamber mounted on a modified stage of an inverted microscope. The chamber was superfused at a rate of 2 ml/min with a normal external solution. Micropipettes were pulled from borosilicate glass capillary tubes on a programmable horizontal puller (Sutter Instrument Company, Novato, CA). Standard patch-clamp methods were used to measure the whole-cell currents of hERG1 mutants expressed in HEK 293 cells by using the Axopatch 200B amplifier (Molecular Devices, Sunnyvale, CA) (Lees-Miller et al., 2009). The pipette solution contained the following: 10 mM KCl, 110 mM K-aspartate, 5 mM MgCl2, 5 mM Na2ATP, 10 mM ethylene glycol-bis(β-aminoethyl ether)-N,N,N′,N′tetraacetic acid, 5 mM HEPES, and 1 mM CaCl2. The solution was adjusted to pH 7.2 with KOH. The EC solution contained the following: 140 mM NaCl, 5.4 mM KCl, 1 mM CaCl2, 1 mM MgCl2, 5 mM HEPES, and 5.5 mM glucose. The solution was adjusted to pH 7.4 with NaOH. In patch clamp experiments, serious resistance and capacitance during the whole cell patch clamp recording were compensated to 90% through Axopatch 200B patch clamp amplifier. Whole cell patch clamp experiments were performed when access resistance was <10 MOme. No leak subtraction was performed. The junction potential of −10 mV was adjusted on all the membrane potentials recorded. All experiments were conducted at room temperature.
Where I / Imax is the normalized current, V1/2 is voltage of the half-maximal activation, k is the slope factor and Vm is the membrane potential.
Figure 3. Representative current traces of hERG1a and hERG1b channels and their current-voltage relationship at room temperature. (A) Selected current traces recorded from HEK cells and elicited by the voltage protocol shown in the top. (B) Normalized tail currents against voltage. The solid lines correspond to the fitted Boltzmann functions and symbols correspond to data. All data are listed as mean ± SEM. hERG1a (n = 10), hERG1b (n = 10). (C) Currents measured at the end of each step were used to construct the current-voltage (I-V) relationship. All data are shown as mean ± SEM. hERG1a (n = 10), hERG1b (n = 10).
The activation of hERG1a and hERG1b channels was examined at +40 mV in HEK cells. The protocol is shown in Figure 4. The measurements were carried out by activating the channels at +40 mV for various durations of time (from 5 to 500 ms) and then measuring the tail current at −100 mV (3 s). The peak amplitude of the tail current was used as a measure of the relative amount of activated channels at a given time point. The peak amplitudes were normalized to the maximum amplitude and plotted as a function of the duration of the activating step.
Figure 4. Activation kinetics of hERG1a and hERG1b channels expressed in HEK cells. An envelope of tails protocol was used to measure the activation properties at +40 mV. (A) Representative current traces elicited by the protocol shown at the top corresponding to 5–500 ms of activation are shown. (B)The data were normalized to the maximum amplitude of the tail current and plotted against time. hERG1a (n = 10); hERG1b (n = 10). All data are shown as mean ± SEM.
Deactivation of hERG1a/1b tail current was measured by activating channels al +40, followed with a short (5 ms) repolarization step to −120 mV and deactivating step at −120, −100, −60, −40 mV. Currents at different voltages were normalized and averaged (n = 10) time course data was plotted for each isoform at the different voltages (Figure 5).
Figure 5. Deactivation Kinetics of hERG1a and hERG1b channels measured in HEK cells. (A) Representative current traces elicited by the voltage protocol shown in the top for both isoforms. (B) Superimposed raw deactivation time courses for voltages −40, −60, −100, and −120 mV for hERG1a (n = 10) and hERG1b (n = 10). Average time course is shown with a solid white line.
Statsview (Abacus Concepts, Berkeley, CA) or QTIplot (Vasilef, 2013), Grace (http://plasma-gate.weizmann.ac.il/Grace/) were used to analyze the data. Data are presented as mean ± SEM.
The dominant paradigm for ion transport over the past 60 years has been based on the seminal experiments of Hodgkin and Huxley (Hodgkin and Huxley, 1952; Hodgkin et al., 1952). However, a much more detailed picture of the mechanisms underlying membrane excitation can be described in terms of Markov models (M-models) (Rudy and Silva, 2006; Moreno et al., 2011), where the conducting and non-conducting states are interconnected by rate constants dependent on the membrane potential. The essence of M-models is that, for any single step in the gating mechanism, the transition probability (i.e., the microscopic equivalent of the rate constant) is time independent. In an M-model of ion channels, transition rates define the interstate dynamics. These rates may depend on environmental variables such us membrane potential or ligand concentration.
where αi=kBTh•eΔSiR-ΔHiRT (ms−1), βi=ziFRT (mV−1); V is the external electric potential in mV; zi is the effective valence of moving charges; T(K) is the temperature; ΔHi (J/M) the change in enthalpy; ΔSi(J/M/K) the change in entropy. kB = 1.381 10−23 J K−1 (Boltzmann constant); h = 6.626 10−34 J s−1 (Planck constant); R = 8.315 Jmol−1 K−1 (ideal gas constant); F = 96785 C M−1 (Faraday constant).
Where gKr0=0.024 pA/pF/mV, a = 1/35, and b = −55/7, O is the open probability (see SM and (Fink et al., 2008) for more details).
Through the Global-Fitting procedure described in Balser et al. (1990) and implemented in VGC-KiMo1, the rate constants of a given M-model can be estimated from macroscopic ion channel currents in voltage-clamped membranes. The use of comprehensive and extensive data sets of experimental information from a broad range of ion current responses to multiple voltage stimulations conditions (voltage protocols, membrane potentials, temperature, etc.), shrinks the universe of possible solutions to the model system mechanism ensuring the robustness of the parameter set. Although several methods exist for analyzing voltage dependent currents (Wang et al., 1997; Mazhari et al., 2001; Fink et al., 2008; Bett et al., 2011; Moreno et al., 2011; Ben-Shalom et al., 2012) most of them are published only as a set of equations without the simulation tools. Others, from the neurophysiology field, are designed to use the full current traces, data that are neither commonly available nor easy to extract from published literature (Gurkiewicz and Korngreen, 2007; Ben-Shalom et al., 2012).
In the current form, VGC-KiMo1 source code includes two Markov formulations for the Kv11.1, best known as the hERG K+ channel. Any other channel can be added to the source code in addition to the current one, as well as different Markov models and other voltage protocols. The experimental data chosen for the model validation was not used for the development of the model's parameters and belongs to a different cell line than the one used to originally derive the parameters for the M-model (HEK cells), see SM (Section 2: Validation). The performance of the original parameters is fairly good but corrections were needed to reproduce the data from CHO cell line, suggesting that the published set of parameters is robust and reliable. A preliminary version of VGC-KiMo has also been used recently to simulate WT hERG and a variant using experimental data from HEK cell line (Guo et al., 2015; Perissinotti et al., 2015).
An IKr Markov model (Romero et al., 2015) was incorporated into the O'Hara-Rudy human ventricular action potential model(O'hara et al., 2011) and its maximum conductance (gKr = 0.0422) was scaled to elicit a close value of the peak Ikr as the original O'Hara model at 1 Hz. Physiological action potential simulations were subsequently performed at 37°C. b-Isoform and a-Isoform transition rate constants together with the corresponding temperature correction are shown in Table S12.
Simulated action potentials (APs) were recorded in endocardial cells at the 1000th paced beat (BCL = 1000 ms). The numerical method used for updating the voltage was forward Euler. All the Simulations were encoded in C/C++ and run on Mac Pro 3.06 GHz 12-Core computers. The time step was set to 0.00005 ms during AP upstroke, otherwise the time step was 0.005 ms. Numerical results were visualized using MATLAB R2014a by The Math Works, Inc.
Where V is the membrane potential, t is time, D is the tissue diffusion coefficient [0.00092 cm2/ms, calculated from Shaw and Rudy (Shaw and Rudy, 1997)], Iion is the sum of transmembrane ionic currents, Istim is the stimulus current (300 μA/cm2 for 0.5 ms), and Cm is the membrane capacitance (1 μF/cm2).
where ∇V is the spatial gradient of Vm, a is the radius of the fiber, σi is the intracellular conductivity, σe is the extracellular conductivity, and r is the distance from a source point (x, y, z) to a field point (x', y', z'). Φe was computed at an “electrode” site 2.0 cm away from the distal end along the fiber axis.
Recently published full hERG (hERGT) open channel solved by Cryo-EM at 3.8 angstrom resolution (PDB ID 5VA2) was used for the structural analysis. The construct used for structural studies has functional properties very similar to WT but is lacking residues between 141 and 350, that correspond to the structure between PAS and S1; and 871-1005 (C-terminal). The structure was cut right after CNBD ends and missing residues at the outer pore mouth were added and modeled as extracellular loops that were minimized using NAMD2.10 (Phillips et al., 2005). The 3D structure of the closed-state hERG channel used in this study is based on the homology modeling to EAG1 Cryo-EM structure (PDB ID 5K7L) determined at 3.78 angstrom resolution (Yang et al., 2017). This structure represents the closed pore while the voltage sensing domain (VSD) displays an open conformation (Whicher and Mackinnon, 2016). The SWISS-MODEL homology modeling program (Arnold et al., 2006) was used for the development of the hERG closed model from the available EAG1 channel structure as described previously (Yang et al., 2017). Sequence alignment was performed using the CLUSTALW algorithm (Larkin et al., 2007; Goujon et al., 2010). Protein models were generated from the alignment in a stepwise manner. The generated model was later minimized using NAMD2.10 (Phillips et al., 2005).
The whole-cell patch clamp configuration at room temperature was used to study the voltage-dependent activation by applying a standard step protocol described in the methodology. The normalized tail currents measured at −100 mV were plotted against the membrane potential of the previous step and fitted to a Boltzmann function. The V1/2 of activation is shifted around 10 mV in the negative direction for hERG1b compared to hERG1a (Figure 3, Table 1). The mean current levels measured at the end of the 1-s depolarizing pulse to +40 mV were used to construct the current-voltage (I-V) relationship (Figure 3C). Similar to what is observed for hERG1a, the b-isoform shows a strong inward rectification, resulting in the characteristic bell-shaped curve. Kinetics of activation was studied by applying an envelope of tails protocol, as described in the methodology section. The b-isoform shows a similar sigmoid shape of activation, but a much faster rate compared to the a-isoform (Figure 4).
Table 1. Experimental data for HEK cells at room temperature.
Deactivation kinetics was characterized by recording tail currents at potentials ranging from −40 to −120 mV after an activating step to +40 mV (see methods). Current traces for selected voltages are shown in Figure 5. The deactivating currents were best fitted to a double exponential function and time constants corresponding to the fast and slow deactivation processes are shown in Table S13. Both deactivating components are significantly reduced for hERG1b. The observed reduction depends on the voltage, at −60 mV, the slow and fast components are around 10 to 14 times faster for hERG1b while the difference is around 4 to 7 times for −40 and −100 mV, respectively. As it was found before for CHO cells by Larsen et al. (2008), the relative contribution of the fast component of deactivation depends on the voltage and is much more pronounced for hERG1b compared to hERG1a, in fact at −120 mV there is no slow component according to the experimental fit. Regarding the inactivation process, there was not significant difference and was not further investigated here (Larsen et al., 2008) (data not shown). Time constants for recovery from inactivation for a-isoform and b-isoform display a significant difference and are collected in Table 1.
The most pronounced difference evident from the experimental raw current traces is the markedly faster deactivation rate and the faster activation rate of hERG1b compared to hERG1a. This is in agreement to what was also found for CHO cells (Larsen et al., 2008). The experimental measurements in the HEK cell line focus in these events and the M-models were fitted to the data presented in the above section. All transition rates were defined using Equation (3). The previously derived values for αi and βi were used for initial guess (see Table S1 in Supplemental Materials). For M-model 1, the initial guess values were derived using the comprehensive experimental data-set from Berecki et al. at room temperature and 37°C respectively (Berecki et al., 2005). Two correction terms, a and b were introduced to α and β parameters for quality monitoring during optimization routine (Equation 9). α and β were set to the constant values, while a and b parameters were introduced as free variables for optimization routine.
Correction to individual parameters (ai, bi: Equation 5) from Fink et al. and Mazhari et al. has been done to reproduce available data from HEK-cell measurements at room temperature (23). All fitted parameters for the kinetic mechanism considered, can be found in Tables 2, 3 and Tables S4, S5. Note that β was set to zero for transitions ain and bin (Figure 2) and thus, these transitions are modeled as voltage independent. Maximum single channel conductance was assumed to be the same for hERG1a and hERG1b, so all differences are attributed to channel kinetics.
Table 2. M-model 1 rate constants for transitions within hERG gating for a-isoform and b-isoform.
Table 3. M-model 2 rate constants for transitions within hERG gating for a-isoform and b-isoform.
Three and/or four different voltage protocols were included simultaneously in the optimization protocol (see Supplementary Materials for a complete description of the voltage protocols). Different optimization routines were performed and the correction factors were defined for each of the parameters. All parameters required corrections to the initial guesses. The best fits are shown in Tables 2, 3 for two isoforms and each model, respectively. Further improvement of the optimizations was achieved by using the random initial guess generator around the already fitted values and assigning different weight to the partial cost function. In all the cases, the stability analysis showed that all values were well-converged. The simulated voltage protocols and computed currents are in reasonable agreement with the measured ones, meaning that voltage dependence and curve shapes are qualitatively well-reproduced. Overall, both gating mechanisms from the literature were able to reproduce the gating kinetics for both isoforms. However, the optimized parameters showed some interesting differences and limitations in quantitatively reproducing the time course of the deactivation kinetics at different voltages.
The M-model 1 implies linear connectivity between different gating states. The channel has to go through the open state to fully inactivate. The experimental basis for this scheme was extensively discussed in the literature (Bett et al., 2011). Assuming that both isoforms follow same kinetic scheme (Sale et al., 2008), the key differences between the a-isoform and b-isoform kinetics lie essentially in the highlighted steps shown in Table 2. According to the results collected in Table 2, the best fit within M-model 1 indicates that the main difference between two hERG isoforms is in the late deactivation step. The late deactivation is about eight times faster for the b-isoform. These parameters also show an increase in the activation rate steps, together with an increase in the recovery from inactivation rate in agreement with the experimental data (Table 1). Simulated data from CHO cell line (SM) also display a good agreement with the optimal fit (Tables S3, S4, S9). Figure 6 shows the simulated data together with the experiments. An excellent agreement is obtained for the activation and Steady State Activation curves for both isoforms (Figure 9). However, the main challenges are in the modeling of the deactivation kinetics for different voltage protocols (−40, −60, −100, −120 mV). For b-isoform in particular, the quality of the optimization is limited, although it qualitatively reproduces the behavior at the different voltages.
Figure 6. M-model 1 optimization to experimental data. (A) Activation curve of a-isoform and b-isoform. (B) Steady State Activation curve for both isoforms. (C) Simulated deactivation curves at −120, −100, −60, and −40 mV. Simulated data is shown as solid lines and symbols are used for experimental time course data (average, n = 10). Superimposed raw time course data (n = 10) is shown in the background for deactivation at each voltage.
This model, in contrast to the M-model 1, is not linear, but instead, includes a direct transition to the inactivated state from the closed state immediately preceding the open state. In one of the previous formulations (Mazhari et al., 2001), this transition is negligible compared to the transition to the open state and so, numerically, this model is almost linear. In our work, M-model 2 was tested assuming a range of different values for this transition and in all the cases a very small rate was obtained for both isoforms. Although the obtained value was small and almost negligible, it is almost 1000 times faster for the b-isoform. The M-model 2 shows a similar performance compared to the M-model 1 although the fit quality is consistently lower than that of M-model 1. The differences between a-isoform and b-isoform are distributed over the activation steps but mainly in the late deactivation and the new extra step considered in this scheme (Table 3). Simulated current traces elicited by the voltage protocols and the activation curves are well-reproduced by this model (Figure 7). Similar to what was observed for M-model 1, the quality of the optimization is poor, although it qualitatively reproduces the behavior at the different voltages.
Figure 7. M-model 2 fit to experimental data. (A) Activation curve of a-isoform and b-isoform. (B) Steady State Activation curve for both isoforms. (C) Simulated deactivation curves at −120, −100, −60, and −40 mV. Simulated data is shown as solid lines and symbols are used for experimental time course data (average, n = 10). Superimposed raw time course data (n = 10) is shown in the background for deactivation at each voltage.
Taking together the results from M-model 1 and 2, we conclude that both models capture the main kinetic difference between the isoforms. The pivotal feature of isoform kinetics is a considerable increase in the late deactivation step. Both models point to a moderate increase in the activation and recovery from inactivation steps, the changes and their magnitudes depend on the model. The current traces simulated by each model and elicited by the SSA voltage protocol are shown in Figure 8. It can be seen that they qualitatively reproduce the experimental behavior shown in Figure 3. The b-isoform displays larger currents, an increased activation rate, faster recovery from inactivation and clearly shows a much faster deactivation rate under the repolarizing pulse. The simulated I-V relationships show the typical curve shape and qualitatively reproduce the experimental differences characteristic of each isoform, although they show significant deviations for voltages above 10 mV. At these voltages background currents are relatively high, while hERG current is relatively small. The combination of these two factors presents a natural challenge and led to the discussed discrepancy between simulated and experimental data.
Figure 8. Simulated currents M-model 1 and M-model 2. (A) Simulated currents elicited by the SSA voltage protocol (Figure 3) for both M-models and Isoforms. (B) Simulated I-V steady state current (x104 pA) relationship for M-model 1 and 2. a-Isoform is shown as black dashed line and b-isoform as red dashed line. Experimental data is shown in the background as symbols with the corresponding error bar (Figure 3).
The best optimization for M-model 1 which also shows fair agreement with the fit to CHO data (Table S9), suggests that although the main difference is in the late deactivation step, being eight times faster for the b-isoform when compared to a-isoform, early and late activation are also increased by a factor of ~2 and 4, respectively. According to this fit, the voltage independent rates are increased in forward and backward directions by a factor of 2 and the recovery from inactivation rate by a factor of 4. M-model 2 suggests similar changes and fair agreement with CHO data (Table S10); late deactivation is 15 times faster for the b- compared to the a-isoform, but also early and late activation, being 3 and 2 times faster respectively. It also shows a three-fold increase for the recovery from inactivation and an increase for both voltage insensitive rates, being 2.5 times faster in the deactivating direction.
It is important to mention that the time course of deactivation was not well-fitted by the M-models used in this work for both HEK and CHO cell lines. We observed that the quality of the fit is different for different voltages. To improve modeling of the deactivation kinetics, a number of different conditions were tested for both models, i.e., randomization of initial values, constraints, boundaries, etc., but no further improvement was achieved. The reason could be related to the amount of data used in the fitting procedure, experimental limitations in the data acquisition (temperature, cell-line variability, resolution of electrophysiological recordings), or indicate that the M-models should be revisited. It is important to mention that some inconsistencies between the deactivation experimental data and these models were previously discussed by other authors (Fink et al., 2008). Another example can be found in a recently developed Markov model that reproduces biophysical experimental data at room temperature with CHO cell line includes two closed (C1, C2), one open (O) and corresponding inactivated states (IC1, IC2, IO) (Di Veroli et al., 2013). This model also faces difficulties in fitting deactivation at different voltages. Interestingly, the 6-states model with closed loops can be reduced to a 4-states cyclic model (C1, O, IC, IO) at 37°C, as different closed states could not be resolved. However, unless explicitly introducing temperature-dependent parameters, all of the available models cannot account for temperature-dependent hERG channel activity changes. A modification of the Di Veroli model was done recently by Li et al. (Li et al., 2016), and can recapitulate macroscopic hERG channel gating behavior for a temperature range from 20 to 37°C. Providing the better performance for the temperature range, different states and connectivity, it would be interesting to test the performance of this new model in reproducing the experimental data for both isoforms. It is important to emphasize that having a complete and more reliable M-model is of key importance for modeling and predicting differential and temperature dependent effects of drugs on the delayed rectifier potassium “Ikr” current.
The kinetic modeling discussed above isolates principal differences in gating kinetics of hERG a- and hERG b-isoforms. The recent Cryo-EM structures allowed the structural modeling for open- and closed states of hERG1 channel enabling molecular-level description of the determinants of this apparent isoform-specific differences. Homology models (Wacker et al., 2017) and chimera constructs were very useful in the past (Dhillon et al., 2014) for understanding structure-function relationships in K+ channels. However, most of the models were focusing on the trans-membrane section of hERG1 channel only (Wacker et al., 2017). The recently-solved hERG structure shows an open pore, while the EAG1 channel solved by Cryo-EM is captured with the pore closed due to the presence of Ca2+ and calmodulin, which lock the pore closed while the VSD is supposed to be in its depolarized state (Wang and Mackinnon, 2017). The hERG closed model presented here was built using EAG1 structure as a representative template for hERG‘s closed pore. Given the fact that conformational differences between these two states of VSD are relatively small compared to structures and models of open- and closed states found in K+ channels from Shaker family (Li et al., 2014); then the question is, if this is a good representation of hERG closed state, what kind of VSD movement could result in that same conformational change in the pore?. As Wang et al. (Wang and Mackinnon, 2017) pointed out, there are key structural differences in the arrangement of the VSD (non-domain swapped) in hERG and EAG1. It seems that an S4 inward movement toward the cytoplasm and centric displacement toward the pore axis driven by the membrane electric field could produce a similar pore closure. In that scenario, there is almost not translation of S4 across the membrane, S5 maintains an extensive antiparallel contact with S6 and the VSD would transmit force through the S5-S6 interface as the movement of S4 would compress the S5 helices and close the S6 gate. This proposed mechanism is different than the lever mechanism proposed for Shaker-like Kv channels and the cytoplasmic domains may play a crucial role in it. It is important to mention that functional measurements also point to substantial differences in the total gating charge, being much less for hERG, which implies that the VSD conformational changes are smaller in hERG channel (Zhang et al., 2004; Li et al., 2014). These rapid developments in hERG structural biology emphasized important roles of PAS and CNBD domains in gating kinetics. As it was shown previously for Kv1.2-Kv2.1 (Morais-Cabral and Robertson, 2015), PAS-CNBD complex published for mEAG1 (Haitin et al., 2013), and all the recent structures; the PAS (Figure 9, in orange) domain is far away from the VSD. In stark contrast, hERG structures show (Whicher and Mackinnon, 2016; Wang and Mackinnon, 2017), that the N-terminus of the PAS domain (absent in b-isoform) is directed toward the VSD and S4-S5 linker (Figure 9B) and most likely interacts with the gating machinery. NMR studies previously suggested that the N-terminal cap shows a high degree of structural variability and is long enough to reach the voltage sensor, the S4-S5 linker or the C-linker (Muskett et al., 2011; Ng et al., 2011, 2014) (Figure 9B). As it was mentioned before, the new structures present new topology of VSD-pore domain packing, which is different from the domain-swapped architecture and might suggest a new paradigm for voltage dependent gating. It was recently proposed for EAG1, a mechanism in which the VSD interacts with the cytoplasmic domains to gate the channel. Combined with the data from isoform kinetic modeling described above, models of hERG in open and closed state may provide better understanding of stabilizing interactions present or missing in a particular isoform.
Figure 9. Models of the quaternary structure of homomeric hERG tetramers. Side view (A) of closed state model in the left panel and open state hERG Cryo-EM structure, right panel. In both structures N-cap PAS can be seen interacting with VSD (black arrow). When the TM domain is aligned, cytoplasmic domains are slightly rotated respects each other. Orange arrow show the rotation direction when transitioning from closed to open states. (B) N-cap PAS interaction with VS (S1 & potentially S4-S5), CNBD, and C-linker for closed in the left panel and open states, right panel.
The arrangement of cytoplasmic domains in the open state and closed state models are shown in Figure 9. The PAS domain is interacting with CNBD in a similar way it was found previously for homologous channels (Lee and Mackinnon, 2017; Li et al., 2017; Wang and Mackinnon, 2017). Similar to the previously solved structures for CNBD domains (Ng et al., 2011; Adaixo et al., 2013; Brelidze et al., 2013; Haitin et al., 2013), a portion of the hERG sequence occupies the cyclic nucleotide binding site, which prevents the cyclic nucleotide binding. In addition to that, the N-terminus of PAS Domain (N-cap), which influences the rate of voltage dependent channel opening and closing, is directed toward the VSD (Wang and Mackinnon, 2017) (Figures 9B, 10B). When the channel is in its open state, the C-linker region is packed against the transmembrane domain (Figure 10A) interacting with the S4-S5 linker and VSD. A novel interaction pinpointed by the structural analysis is the salt-bridge formed between Glu544 and Arg681 (Figures 10C,D). This salt-bridge is missing in the closed state model of the channel as the C-linker is slightly rotated with respect to the S4-S5 linker. Hence, we hypothesize that it might be one of the open-state stabilizing interactions that it is affected in the absence or the PAS domain (b-isoform), note that N-cap (Val 3) is close to E544 and might indirectly affect the E544-R681 interaction. Unfortunately, solved structures are missing significant part of the PAS domain sequence and further refinement of hERG1 PAS domain is essential future goal for structural modeling. Nevertheless, the previously studied E544L mutant (Durdagi et al., 2012) shows an increase in the deactivation rate. Even though is not as much as for the b-isoform (Figure 10E), it highlights a potential key role of this residue. When transitioning from closed to open state, the transmembrane and cytoplasmic domains slightly rotate with respect to each other (Figures 9, 10B), we suggest that the interplay between PAS, VSD: S4-S5, and C-linker during such rotation might be of key importance in modulation the gating.
Figure 10. Structural alignment of closed (light colors) and open (dark colors) models of hERG. TM and C-linker side view shows that the C-linker/TM are closer to each other in the open state compared to the closed (A). Distances between residues Gly669 show that a closer C-linker is a consequence of a more open pore in the open state (B). Key salt bridge interactions between Glu544 and Arg681 can only be found in the open state (C) but not in the closed state (D). (E) Current traces from experiments previously published by Durdagi et al. for hERG1a, hERG1b, and hERG1a-E544L elicited by the voltage protocol at the top. E544L mutant displays a faster deactivation rates than WT but not as much as hERG1b.
While more work is still required to decipher gating kinetics of hERG1, the structural models already show enhanced interactions between the cytoplasmic and the transmembrane (TM) domain for the open state of the channel. Analysis of structural differences between open and closed states suggests that a slight rotational movement changing packing of the cytoplasmic domains against the TM part of the channel is required as part of activation/deactivation process. This is in line with the finding that the conformational change that VSD is undergoing during gating cycle might be small compared to other potassium channels. This would allow the CNBD to close the channel independent of the VSD conformation (as it was observed for EAG1) and provide an added level of regulation through the interaction of intracellular domains with the voltage dependent gating machinery (Whicher and Mackinnon, 2016). These structural insights, although preliminary, lead us to the hypothetic gating mechanism summarized in Figure 11. The similar mechanism of gating modulated by soluble domains has been proposed for MolK1, a prokaryotic potassium channel lacking the C-linker and PAS domain (Kowal et al., 2014).
Figure 11. Proposed mechanism based on the structures modeled. When the channel opens the cytoplasmic domains rotate toward the membrane as the S6 end twists in the same direction.
These structural models also raise another point. In other channels, PAS and CNBD domains serve a regulatory function in which the binding of small molecules or signaling proteins is transduced into conformational changes. It is not known whether or not this could be happening for hERG. These new models align to what was suggested previously (Morais-Cabral and Robertson, 2015), and that points to the possibility that the C-linker-CNBD-PAS serves as an anchor to correctly position the N-pas terminal cap during the gating process. Can we explain observed differences in the deactivation kinetics between hERG a- and b- isoforms observed with kinetic modeling? Any of the functional alterations due to mutations or truncations in the N-terminal cap or the entire PAS Domain (b-isoform) would ultimately lead to a loss of N-terminal cap position and severely-altered gating kinetics. The lack of stabilizing interactions between soluble and trans-membrane domains is expected to impact the opening probability and stability of the open state. It may explain observed rapid transitions between open and closed states present in the b-isoform.
The improved kinetic models allowed us to directly address physiological questions like whether or not hERG isoform composition in ventricular myocytes has a potential to alter QT duration and, hence, to pre-dispose a patient for drug-induced QT prolongation. To specifically address the functional implication of having homomeric hERG1a or hERG1b in the heart we conducted simulations including our M-model 1 parameters in the cardiac cell (O'Hara-Rudy human cardiac ventricular myocyte Model) (O'hara et al., 2011; Romero et al., 2015). The final parameters from the fittings were then used as input values in the cardiac cell and tissue model (O'hara et al., 2011) in order to simulate the shape of the action potential and ECG signal for both isoforms (Figure 12). The M-model 1 and its parameters from the optimization were introduced in the cardiac cell model in order to test the way in which they affect the shape and duration of action potential. As it was found previously (Larsen and Olesen, 2010), the results of the ventricular cardiomyocyte simulations showed that kinetic changes in Ikr corresponding to homomeric hERG1b resulted in much shorter action potential duration (APD). Figure 12B shows the action potential (Dhillon et al.) shape and duration considering the extreme situation of Ikr corresponding only to hERG1 a- or b- isoforms. Intermediate cases, where weighed contributions from both isoforms were considered, are shown in Figure 12A. Ikr currents are also shown in Figure 12A and, as it can be seen, the currents became larger and peak earlier when transitioning from pure a- to b- isoforms.
Figure 12. Simulated action potential duration (APD) in cells and virtual pseudo-ECGs in a transmural 1-D tissue model. (A) Single cells simulations show concentration response for different ratios of a- and b-isoforms. (B) APD for the 1,000th paced beat at 1 Hz in single endocardial cells. hERG 1a shows a longer APD compared to hERG 1b. (C) The Pseudo ECGs of hERG 1b (red) indicates shorter QT intervals than hERG 1a.
Mechanistic inspection of the changes in the channel state occupancy revealed several differences. Figures S9, S11 show the proportion of channels in the different states. The most prominent difference lies in the occupancy of open and inactivated states when comparing a-isoform to b-isoform. The AP shortening is mainly due to an increase in the open state occupancy and a reduction in the inactivated states occupancy for hERG1b compared to hERG1a. Finally, the M-model 1 was also introduced in the tissue model (cable) and the ECG signal was simulated for both homomers (Figure 12C). As expected, virtual hERG1b expression resulted in a reduction in the QT interval on the computed pseudo-ECG.
Experimental investigations have revealed many sources of heterogeneity and associated regulation in the heart. Distinct regions with associated cell types that are distinguishable by morphology and action potential duration have been documented. The different cell types have been shown to arise from heterogeneities in ion channel expression, which have been modeled and used in cell-type specific predictive simulations (Viswanathan et al., 1999) (Shimizu and Antzelevitch, 1999). In the left ventricle of the heart, cellular heterogeneity from the endocardium to mid-myocardium to endocardium exists and arises from heterogeneity in potassium currents (Shimizu and Antzelevitch, 1999) (Liu and Antzelevitch, 1995). The differences in stoichiometry between hERG1a and hERG1b likely constitute a novel source of cardiac heterogeneity that may vary in terms of distribution and be subject to regulation by as yet unknown mechanisms.
The kinetic modeling in section Markov Kinetic Models to Describe hERG a- and b-Isoforms shows a profound difference in hERG1a and hERG1b deactivation rates, where the quantitatively fitted parameters to the data suggested that the hERG1b late deactivation rate is between 8 and 15 times faster than hERG1a. One of the most interesting and counterintuitive findings in the results shown above is that this difference did not result in effects on the action potential duration that would expected from the observed changes alone. The dominant presence of the hERG1 b-isoform results in faster deactivation, which by itself would result in fewer channels in the open state as the channels close more quickly. The anticipated effect on the action potential duration would be less repolarizing current and consequently, shorter APD. In fact, the opposite was observed both in our modeling predictions with M-model 1 and in a previous experimental study (Larsen and Olesen, 2010). The reason is that the hERG1 b-isoform has both faster activation kinetic and faster recovery from inactivation kinetics that results in a net increase current compared to the hERG1 a-isoform.
We investigated structural and biophysical properties of hERG1a and 1b homo-tetramers in the context of previously proposed Markov models and new data measured in the HEK cell line. Two M-models were tested and fitted to the experimental data. For the first time a set of parameters were provided for both isoforms. The models' parameters were then used to investigate effects of various homo-tetramers ratios formed by two isoforms in cardiac cells and tissue to track isoform-specific effects on emergent behaviors that occur in higher dimensions. The minimization procedure presented here, allowed assessment of suitability of different Markov model topologies and the corresponding parameters that describe the channel kinetics. In terms of the gating kinetics, we found that both M-models were able to qualitatively capture the kinetics of two isoforms. The kinetic modeling showed a profound difference in hERG1a and hERG1b deactivation rates, where the quantitatively fitted parameters to the data suggested that the hERG1b late deactivation rate is between 8 and 15 times faster than hERG1a.
In order to gain insight and link the observed isoforms' differences to the structure, full channel structural models were developed and analyzed for open and closed states. From the structural point of view, open and closed structural models for the full channel were for the first time compared providing hypothetical structural mechanism for transitions between closed to open states of hERG channel. In line with the kinetic modeling, interactions between soluble domains and the TM part of the channel appeared to be critical determinants of the gating kinetics allowing explanation of apparent differences in the deactivation rates between two isoforms. The model emphasized importance of the electrostatic interactions between N-cap of PAS domain and TM domain. To test the proposed role of stabilizing interactions between N-cap of PAS domain and the gating machinery in TM, we examined gating kinetics of E544L. Introduction of charge neutralizing resulted in significantly enhanced deactivation rates, reminiscent of isoform-specific differences. We attribute it to interactions between E544 and R681 missing in E544L mutant. Importantly, this interaction is present in both hERG1 a-isoform and hERG1 b-isoform, however b-isoform is missing the of PAS domain who might contribute to stabilize that interaction. While this work was under review, another publication by de la Peña et al. (2018) showed that hERG gating profiles can be reconsiled from non-covalently linked VSD and Pore Domain. Their findings, in line to what is presented in this work, challenge the classical view of the S4–S5 linker acting as lever to open the gate, supporting the hypothesis that the S4–S5 linker might integrate signals coming from the cytoplasmic domains (c-linker/PAS). Importantly, those split-channels disconnected at the S4–S5 linker show a destabilization of the closed state, in particular one of the split shown to be near E544 position discussed in our submission. Our structural modeling is providing a first structural glimpse of the structural underpinnings of the peculiar isoforms' gating and suggesting potential key interactions between S4–S5 linker, C-linker and PAS. Equally important question discussed in our study is the potential impact on the Action Potential from different ratios of isoform expression in the myocytes. The AP simulations performed in our study suggest that recovery from inactivation of hERG1 B may contribute to its physiologic role of b-isoform in the action potentials. Both structural and functional models were exploratory in nature aiming to provide a perspective for future multi-scale modeling studies.
In conclusion, the results and in-depth review of modeling, structural and functional data presented here contribute to the growing body of evidence that hERG1b significantly affects the generation of the cardiac Ikr and plays an important role in cardiac electrophysiology.
JG: Performed all of the electrophysiological recordings and mutagenesis experiments, analyze results and wrote the manuscripts. LP and PD: Wrote the software; LP, ML, and P-CY: Performed simulations and analyzed the data; CC, SN, and HD: Supervised the research; LP, HD, CC, and SN: Designed the research. All authors wrote the article.
This work was supported by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (to SN); and the Discovery grant from Natural Scientific and Engineering Research Council of Canada (to HD). CC was supported by the National Institutes of Health Grants R01HL128170, U01HL126273 and R01HL128537 (together with SN). The computational support for this work was provided by West-Grid and Compute Canada through a resource allocation award and NSERC-RTI award to SN.
1. ^Voltage-Gated Ion Channels Kinetic Modeling from whole-cell voltage-clamp data (VGC-KiMo) is a standalone tool written in C++ language, working on Linux machines and parallelized with OpenMP (see the Supporting Material for the scalability benchmarks). VGC-KiMo code is distributed under GNU General Public License thus freely available for download from https://github.com/vgckimo/vgckimo, together with documentation and tutorial files. See Supporting Material for a complete description of the code.
Hodgkin, A. L., Huxley, A. F., and Katz, B. (1952). Measurement of current-voltage relations in the membrane of the giant axon. J. Physiol. 116, 424–448.
Robertson, G. A., Sale, H., Tester, D., O'hara, T. J., Phartiyal, P., Wang, J., et al. (2008). hERG 1b as a potential target for inherited and acquired long QT syndrome. Circulation 118:S525.
Vasilef, I. (2013). Data Analysis and Scientific Visualization. Utrecht: Universiteit Utrecht.
Copyright © 2018 Perissinotti, De Biase, Guo, Yang, Lee, Clancy, Duff and Noskov. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms. | 2019-04-25T03:58:25Z | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphys.2018.00207/full |
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The basic slogan "no person ever obtained fired for buying IBM" holds genuine for the predictive analytics implement SPSS information. although it trails behind market leader SAS in income, it's a solid, time-honored option. It offers an fanciful array of statistical algorithms and modeling capabilities. while it remains aimed toward facts scientists as opposed to habitual company clients, the brand new interface is easier to use, and it integrates extra simply with Microsoft workplace.
in short, it subsist for corporations that requisite to finish advanced, in-depth work, as opposed to discover short answers – even though SPSS is in a position to quick response and facile statistics mining.
In certain, giant organizations that already finish enterprise with IBM are specifically the best option for IBM SPSS facts. The interoperability between this utility and different points of the IBM platform will besides subsist expected to subsist seamless.
one of the most most fulfilling-promoting predictive analytics tools in the marketplace, IBM SPSS information earns extravagant marks for usability with its these days more advantageous drag-and-drop interface. Now on edition 25, it subsist a mature, finished device that allows you to hasten advanced analytics and create visualizations from the same interface. multiple licensing and deployment alternatives can subsist found, as is a free 14-day trial.
Extensions enable integration with R and Python, and it besides integrates with Microsoft evolution equipment and Excel.
Base subscriptions and add-ons can subsist found to buy online, with a free 14-day ordeal available. other styles of licenses require contacting IBM. pupil and college discounts are available.
I attended IBM’s inaugural believe experience in Las Vegas remaining week. This event, IBM’s greatest (estimated 30,000+ attendees!), focused on making your traffic smarter and blanketed keynotes and periods on such themes as synthetic intelligence, statistics science, blockchain, quantum computing and cryptography. i used to subsist invited by using IBM as a guest to share some insights from the viewpoint of an information scientist. beneath are a number of highlights of the adventure.
IBM SPSS is IBM’s set of predictive analytics items that tackle the entire analytical method, from planning to facts collection to analysis, reporting and deployment. IBM celebrated the 50th anniversary of IBM SPSS with their new beta free up of IBM SPSS statistics 25, the biggest beta unlock in its historical past. The up to date version contains new developments enjoy book-in a position charts, MS workplace integration, Bayesian statistics and advanced information. also, they added a brand new person interface which is fairly slick.
i used to subsist added to SPSS records in college and maintain used it for each one of my research initiatives since then. To subsist sincere, SPSS facts has aged stronger than I have! I even maintain already begun using the new edition and am fairly excited in regards to the new elements and consumer interface. i'll report about journey in a later post. try SPSS with a free 14-day trial.
recent experiences maintain estimated that 45% of marketers are anticipated to raise the employ of synthetic intelligence for client event in the next three years, and fifty five% of agents are focused on optimizing the customer experience to boost client loyalty. moreover, eighty five% of sum customer interactions with a company might subsist managed with out human interplay by artery of 2020.
consumer experience administration (CXM) is the manner of realizing and managing purchasers’ interactions with and perceptions concerning the business/company. IBM is cognizant that enhancing the customer experience is more and more becoming information-intensive recreation, and the employ of the mixed power of statistics and nowadays’s processing capabilities can aid businesses model the procedures that maintain an repercussion on the consumer journey. I attended a few periods to learn about how IBM is leveraging the energy of IBM Watson to aid their purchasers with Watson Commerce and Watson customer event Analytics solutions. These options employ the energy of synthetic intelligence (e.g., predictive analytics) to extend how agencies can stronger manage customer relationships to enhance consumer loyalty and scoot their company ahead.
These facts gurus from Aginity, IBM Analytics, H2O.ai and IBM Immersive Insights are improving how you glean from records to insights.
I noticed a very righteous demonstration of the intersection of information science, better analytics and augmented reality. Getting from records to insights is the purpose of facts science efforts and, as records sources proceed to develop, they are able to want more advantageous the perquisite artery to glean to those insights. Aginity is working with H2O.ai to demonstrate the artery to enrich your predictions by means of augmenting public data with enhanced information (with derived attributes) and enhanced analytics to fabricate greater predictions. the usage of baseball statistics, Ari Kaplan of Aginity pointed out that the improvements in predictive fashions may translate into thousands and thousands of dollars per participant. whereas his demo concentrated on the employ of those technologies in baseball information, the concepts are generalizable to any industry vertical, including finance, healthcare and media.
on the equal demonstration station, Alfredo Ruiz, lead of the Augmented reality software at IBM Analytics, showed me how his crew (IBM Immersive Insights) is incorporating augmented reality into records Science journey to champion corporations more suitable maintain in intelligence their ever-expanding facts sets. I’m eager for seeing how his efforts in marrying augmented fact and facts science progress.
I had the privilege of interviewing Ari Kaplan of Aginity who talked in regards to the work he is doing to extend how Aginity and H2O.ai is improving the records science manner. remove a keep at what he has to declar under.
Don’t leave out this interview with Ari Kaplan, a genuine “Moneyball” and neatly intimate around most essential League Baseball, as he talks about the latest laptop researching applied sciences powering today’s baseball decisions, and remove a keep at the remarkable demo.
I had the desultory to talk with with many industry experts who approach to facts science from a different point of view than I do. whereas I focus essentially on the facts and arithmetic elements of statistics science, lots of my information friends strategy information science from a technological and programming perspective. in fact, for an upcoming podcast, Dez Blanchfield and that i maintain been interviewed with the aid of Al Martin of IBM Analytics to focus on their respective roles in data science. This conversation become a active one, and that i am anticipating reliving that evening once the podcast is launched. The final analysis is that data science requires such a diverse faculty set that you simply really want to work with other individuals who can complement your capabilities.
This inspiration that statistics science is a team recreation became placed on full array in an lively session through which a couples therapist (Trisha Mahoney) helped unravel an argument between an information science chief (Shadi Copty) and IT chief (Ryan Arbow). Asking probing questions, the counselor revealed that the facts science and IT leader were at odds because of an absence of communique. She brought them to IBM’s records Science experience, an enterprise statistics science platform that enables them to easily collaborate, employ accurate open supply equipment and glean their fashions into creation quicker.
For me, IBM suppose 2018 was sum about making your traffic smarter through analytics. basically, analysis shows that businesses which are superior able to deliver the vigour of analytics to bear on their enterprise problems should subsist in a higher site to outperform their analytics-challenged rivals. This theory turned into illustrated through keynotes, periods and conversations. through bringing diverse statistics science specialists together to leverage the tools and methods of AI and computer/deep discovering will assist you circulate your company forward. if you were unable to attend the event, that you would subsist able to watch replays of many of the keynotes perquisite here.
IBM remaining week announced that the version 22 release of SPSS information could subsist the remaining release of the product to maintain any piece that runs on device i (IBM i). it'll besides subsist the remaining free up with the capability to pull SQL statistics out of the DB2 for i database, which is arguably extra harmful for any IBM consumers that might want to hasten some statistical evaluation on their DB2/four hundred data.
SPSS statistics is ripen and multi-faceted software kit that offers clients loads of advanced statistical evaluation capabilities. Surrounding the core analysis piece is a fleet of more than 50 add-on products that, among different things, provide record distribution capabilities.
SPSS facts has not ever hasten on IBM i itself, even when it was owned by using SPSS. before it changed into purchased by artery of IBM, SPSS supported the IBM i platform with just two main product lines: the betray off OLAP and Reporting tools (some of which maintain been got by using aid/techniques) and the Clementine statistics mining software. but the core SPSS facts kit become at sum times supported on greater “mainstream” structures, enjoy Unix, Linux, home windows, and the S/390 mainframe, which is where SPSS facts obtained its delivery so a long time in the past.
despite the fact, IBM did, curiously, champion the SPSS Collaboration and Deployment features component on the IBM i platform, which is exciting in its personal right. IBM infrequently (if ever) touted this skill, which isn't brilliant considering that it’s a narrowly concentrated region of interest product that plays a champion role to other items. In any event, IBM introduced that the Collaboration and Deployment functions component in SPSS statistics version 22 will now not usher the “gadget I” (a denomination that IBM stopped the employ of in 2010).
possibly extra harmful is the incontrovertible fact that SPSS facts version 22 marks the ultimate version of the application that can subsist able to employ DB2 for i (DB2/four hundred) as a source for SQL statistics, notwithstanding the core SPSS information software is operating (because it ought to) on an additional server platform.
IBM i experts are cognizant of relocating construction data from DB2/400 onto other platforms where it will besides subsist analyzed. however, apparently so few SPSS statistics clients were the usage of this skill that it now not made sense to retain it.
obviously there are other ways to glean statistics off the IBM i server and into SPSS information. in any case, the SQL records habitual is meant to deliver better facts interoperability amongst structures. however the undeniable fact that it’s no longer value IBM’s pains to hold this SQL channel open to the IBM i server isn't a superb signal.
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Big data has emerged as a key concept both in the information technology and the embedded technology worlds.1 Such software systems are characterized by a army of heterogeneous connected software applications, middleware, and components such as sensors. The growing usage of cloud infrastructure makes available a wealth of data resources; smart grids, intelligent vehicle technology, and medicine are recent examples of such interconnected data sources. We’re producing approximately 1,200 exabytes of data annually, and that pattern is only growing.2,3 Such a massive amount of unstructured data presents stupendous and mounting challenges for traffic and IT executives.
Big data is defined by four dimensions: volume, source complexity, production rate, and potential number of users. The data needs to subsist organized to transform the countless bits and bytes into actionable information—the sheer abundance of data won’t subsist helpful unless they maintain ways to fabricate sense out of it. Traditionally, programmers wrote code and statisticians did statistics. Programmers typically used a general-purpose programming language, whereas statisticians plied their trade using specialized programs such as IBM’s SPSS (Statistical Package for the gregarious Sciences). Statisticians pored over national statistics or market research usually only available to select groups of people, whereas programmers handled large amounts of data in databases or log files. mountainous data’s availability from the cloud to virtually everybody changed sum that.
As the volumes and types of data maintain increased, software engineers are called more and more often to effect different statistical analyses with them. Software engineers are active in gathering and analyzing data on an unprecedented scale to fabricate it useful and grow new traffic models.1 As an example, deem proactive maintenance. They can continuously monitor machines, networks, and processes to immediately detect irregularities and failures, allowing us to rectify them before damage occurs or the system comes to a standstill. This reduces maintenance costs in both material cost as well as human intervention. Often, processing and making sense of data is just piece of a bigger project or is embedded in some software, configuration, or hardware optimization problem. Luckily, the community has responded to this requisite by creating a set of tools that bring some of statisticians’ magic to programmers—in fact, these are often more powerful than traditional statistics tools because they can ply volumes that are scales of magnitudes larger than feeble statistical samples.
There’s a wealth of software available for performing statistical analysis; Table 1 shows the most current ones. They differ in the statistical sophistication required from their users, ease of use, and whether they’re primarily stand-alone software packages or programming languages with statistical capabilities.
Because these are stand-alone programming languages, they’re relatively easy to interface with other systems via gauge language mechanisms or by importing and exporting data in various formats.
Scripts in Python and R can subsist embedded directly into larger analytical workflows.
Python and R programs can subsist directly used to build applications that read data from various sources and interact directly with the user for analysis and visualization via the Web.
These are much closer to a programmer’s frame of intelligence than specialized statistical packages are.
With the exception of D3, sum entries in the table provide facilities for carrying out advanced statistics, such as multivariate and time-series analysis, either by themselves or via libraries. Each one, though, has a particular focus that will better suit working on a given target problem. Python’s Pandas package, for instance, has righteous champion for time-series analysis because piece of it was written to cater to such analysis regarding fiscal data.
The most current general-purpose programming language for doing statistics today is Python. It’s always been a favorite for scientific computation, and several excellent Python tools are available for doing even knotty statistical tasks. The fundamental scientific library in Python is NumPy. Its main addition to Python is a homogeneous, multidimensional array that offers a host of methods for manipulating data. It can integrate with C/C++ and Fortran and comes with several functions for performing advanced mathematics and statistics. Internally, it primarily uses its own data structures, implemented in aboriginal code, so that matrix calculations in NumPy are much faster than equivalent calculations in Python. SciPy, which builds on top of NumPy, offers a number of higher-level mathematical and statistical functions. SciPy deals again with NumPy’s arrays; these are fine for doing mathematics but a bit cumbersome for handling heterogeneous data with possibly missing values. Pandas solves that problem by offering a springy data structure that allows easy indexing, slicing, and even merging and joining (similar to joins between SQL tables). One attractive setup involves using iPython, an interactive Python shell with commandline completion, nice history facilities, and many other features that are particularly useful when manipulating data. Matplotlib can then visualize the results.
Figure 1. A program for calculating World evolution Indicators correlations using Python. The program collects the top 30 most measured indicators, calculates the Spearman pairwise correlations, and shows the results graphically.
Now they maintain a problem to solve: Are the indicators independent among themselves, or are some of them related to others?
Because they measure indicators by year and by country, they must more precisely define the problem by de-ciding which parameters to retain as constant. In general, they glean the best statistical results as their samples increase. It makes sense then to rephrase the problem: For the year in which they maintain most measurements, are the most measured indicators independent among themselves, or as some of them related to others? By “most measured indicators,” they add up to those that maintain been measured in more countries. It turns out that they can find the respond to the question in about 50 LOC. pattern 1 contains the full program.
Lines 1–10 are imports of the libraries that we’ll subsist using. Line 11 reads the data. In line 13, they give the number of most measured indicators that they would enjoy to examine. In line 15, they find the zero-based position of the first column with yearly measurements. After that, we’re able in line 17 to find the column with the most measurements (the year 2005). They then remove sum data for which measurements aren’t available. In lines 20–26, they glean the most measured indicators.
The actual statistical calculations start from line 28, where they prepare a table of ones to hold the result of the correlation values between each pair of indicators. In the loop that follows, they pattern each pairwise correlation and store it in the table they prepared. Finally, in lines 41–52, they array the results on screen and rescue them to a PDF file (see pattern 2). They remove supervision to invert the plumb order of the correlation matrix so that the most essential indicator comes on the top of the matrix (lines 41 and 49).
The diagonal has consummate correlation—as it should, because we’re examining the same indicators. In addition to that, they finish survey that there are indicators that correlate with each other—some positively, even strongly so, and some negatively or very negatively.
Figure 2. World evolution Indicators correlations matrix with Python created from the program in pattern 1.
As Python has attracted interest from the research community, several specialized tools maintain emerged. Among them, Scikit-learn builds on NumPy, SciPy, and matplotlib and offers a comprehensive machine-learning toolkit. For very mountainous datasets that succeed a hierarchical schema, Python offers PyTables, which are built on top of the HDF5 library. This is a sweltering topic, and DARPA awarded US$3 million in 2013 to Continuum Analytics as piece of the XDATA program to develop further Python data analytics tools. You can await the ecosystem to maintain evolving steadily over the next few years.
R is a language for doing statistics. You can believe of Python bringing statistics to programmers and R bringing statisticians to programming. It’s a language centered on the efficient manipulation of objects representing statistical datasets. These objects are typically vectors, lists, and data frames that limn datasets organized in rows and columns. R has the habitual control flux constructs and even uses ideas from object-oriented programming (although its implementation of protest orientation differs considerably from the concepts they find in more traditional object-oriented languages). R excels in the variety of statistical libraries it offers. It’s unlikely that a statistical test or fashion isn’t already implemented in an R library (whereas in Python, you might find that you maintain to roll out your own implementation). To glean an design of what it looks like, pattern 3 shows the same program as pattern 1 and adopts the same logic, but using R instead of Python. pattern 4 shows the results.
Figure 3. A program similar to that in pattern 1 that calculates World evolution Indicators correlations using R.
The examples they give in this article are typical of the artery different applications can subsist merged to ply mountainous data. Data flows from the source (in some raw format) to a format acceptable to their statistical package. The package must maintain some means of manipulating and querying data so that they can glean the data subsets that they want to examine. These are theme to statistical analysis. The results of the statistical analysis can subsist rendered in textual contour or as a figure. They can effect this process on a local computer or via the Web (in which case data crunching and processing is performed by a server, and parameters, results, and figures fade through a Web browser). This is a powerful concept, because a host of different settings, from an ERP framework to car diagnostic software, can export their data in simple formats enjoy CSV—in fact, they would survey a warning note whenever they encounter a piece of software that doesn’t allow exporting to anything but closed and proprietary data formats.
To dissect your data in any artery you will, you must first maintain access to it. So you should by sum means select technologies that facilitate the exchange of data, either by simple export mechanisms or via suitable calls, for instance through a repose (representational situation transfer) API.
Data is getting bigger sum the time, so you must investigate whether the implement you’re considering will subsist able to ply your data. It’s not necessary for you to subsist able to process sum the data in main memory. For instance, R has the mountainous remembrance library, which lets us ply huge datasets by using shared remembrance and memory-mapped files. Also, fabricate certain that the software package can ply not only mountainous input but besides mountainous data structures: if table sizes are limited to 32-bit integers, for instance, you won’t subsist able to ply tables with 5 million entries.
Figure 4. World evolution Indicators correlations matrix with R.
This article first appeared in IEEE Software magazine. IEEE Software's mission is to build the community of leading and future software practitioners. The magazine delivers reliable, useful, leading-edge software evolution information to maintain engineers and managers abreast of rapid technology change.
Are Republican-led companies less friendly to female employees? A keep at large corporate law firms in the U.S. says yes.
For the study, traffic professors Seth Carnahan (University of Michigan) and Brad Greenwood (Temple University) examined individual political donations from partners at America's 200 largest law firms between 2007-2012, then weighed these against outcomes for female associates at the firm. The goal was to determine how much managers' personal political ideologies correspond to levels of organizational gender parity.
"In general, women are much less likely to subsist promoted, and much more likely to leave their firms," said Carnahan, an coadjutant professor of strategy at Michigan's Ross School of Business. "We found that this gender gap gets smaller when virile bosses are more liberal, but it gets larger when virile bosses are more conservative."
"Researchers maintain long argued that a manager's political ideology, situated on a liberal-conservative continuum and defined as a 'set of beliefs about the proper order of society and how it can subsist achieved,' can influence organizational outcomes such as investments in corporate gregarious responsibility initiatives, targeting by LGBT activists, and allocation of resources among traffic units," the authors note in their paper. "If these preferences influence managerial decision-making, a manager's political ideology may drive considered choices or unconscious biases that maintain an essential influence" on treatment and promotion of female employees.
As one artery to test this, Carnahan and Greenwood explored merger-and-acquisition deals which U.S. law firms were involved in from 2007 through 2012—a sample that included 5,702 deals involving 16,860 partners and 18,215 associates at US law firms. Even after controlling for things such as an associate's number of years with a firm, their law-school ranking, shared law-school ties between associates and partners, and law-firm location, they found a "negative interaction between donations to Republicans and the selection of female associates" to serve with partners on client teams.
Compared to politically qualify partners, conservative virile partners were 2.7 percent less likely than other partners to choose female associates for their deal teams. bounteous virile partners were 0.8 percent more likely than moderates to choose a female associate for their teams.
The authors besides pinpointed associates at America's top 200 law firms in 2006, and followed them until they received a promotion to ally or exited the company. Women made up about 45 percent of sum associates. With or without controls factored in, Republican leadership in a rehearse region corresponded negatively to female promotion rates in that region and positively with turnover rates.
These conservative law-firm heads "are probably not consciously discriminating against women," Carnahan said in a statement, "but their beliefs could influence their willingness to invest in female subordinates. And this could happen on both sides of the spectrum. You could maintain conservative managers who don't promote women enough and you can maintain bounteous managers who promote women more than they otherwise should."
"It is essential to emphasize that they don't know the perquisite level of diversity for each office, each organization," said Carnahan. "Our results should not subsist interpreted as 'anti-conservative' or 'pro-liberal.'"
In the paper, Carnahan and Greenwood imply that "the most valuable break for future work is to examine whether ideologically driven gender role preferences influence firm performance."
A rapidly growing carcass of research suggests that gender diversity in corporate ranks can subsist a boon for traffic performance. It's not necessarily a matter of women being superior managers, however, or there being some delicate, exemplar gender divide within companies that makes things hasten more smoothly. As Carnahan and Greenwood note, both conservative managers who "under support" female staff and bounteous managers who "over support" ideals of gender equality can subsist linked to less well-performing organizations or traffic units. The bottom line, they say, is that organizations are likely to pay for making hiring decisions based on "ascriptive preferences" rather than talent and skill.
Data and mountainous data analytics are speedily becoming the lifeblood of any successful business. Getting the technology perquisite can subsist challenging, but pile the perquisite team with the perquisite skills to undertake mountainous data initiatives can subsist even harder.
Not surprisingly, that challenge is reflected in the rising claim for mountainous data skills and certifications. According to research by IT research firm Foote Partners, both noncertified advanced data analytics skills and certified mountainous data skills maintain gained value in recent years: with 74 advanced data analytics related skills and certifications rising in dispassionate value by 6 percent in 2015, followed by 116 advanced data analytics related skills and certifications increasing 4.8 percent overall in market value in 2016. Additionally, Foote Partners research found 123 related certified and noncertified mountainous data skills seeing a 0.3 percent gain in value in the first quarter of 2017.
Organizations are on the hunt for data scientists and analysts with expertise in the techniques required to dissect mountainous data. They besides requisite mountainous data systems architects to translate requirements into systems, data engineers to build data pipelines, developers who know their artery around Hadoop clusters and other technologies, and systems administrators and managers to tie everything together.
These skills are in tall claim and are relatively rare. Individuals with the perquisite fuse of experience and skills can claim tall salaries. The perquisite certifications can help.
"Advanced data analytics capabilities are just too faultfinding for staying competitive," David Foote, co-founder, chief analyst and chief research officer of Foote Partners, said in a statement released with the research. "They've expanded in popularity from a few industries to nearly every industry and market. And there is the Internet of Things, the next faultfinding focus for data and analytics services. IDC is predicting a 30 percent CAGR over the next five years, while McKinsey is expecting IoT to maintain a $4 trillion to $11 trillion global economic repercussion by 2025 as businesses keep to IoT technologies to provide more insight."
While the market value of noncertified advanced analytics skills has actually increased faster as a percentage of groundwork salary than the value of certified mountainous data skills, according to Foote Research, Foote believes pay premiums for both noncertified and certified skills will steadily mount over the next 12 to 24 months.
If you're looking for a artery to glean an edge — whether you're job hunting, angling for a promotion or just want tangible, third-party proof of your skills — mountainous data certification is a much option. Certifications measure your lore and skills against industry- and vendor-specific benchmarks to prove to employers that you maintain the perquisite skillset. The number of mountainous data certs is expanding rapidly.
Below is their usher to the most sought after mountainous data certifications to wait on you choose which cert is perquisite for you.
If you would enjoy to submit a mountainous data certification to this directory, gratify email us.
The Analytics: Optimizing mountainous Data Certificate is an undergraduate-level program intended for business, marketing and operations managers, data analyst and professionals, fiscal industry professionals, and diminutive traffic owners. The program brings together statistics, analysis, and written and oral communications skills. It introduces students to the tools needed to dissect large datasets, covering topics including importing data into an analytics software package, exploratory graphical and data analysis, pile analytics models, finding the best model to explore correlation among variables and more.
Offered in Hyderabad and Bengaluru, India, the Certificate in Engineering Excellence mountainous Data Analytics and Optimization is an intensive 18-week program that consists of 10 courses (lectures and labs) for students of sum aspects of analytics, including working with mountainous data using Hadoop. It focuses on R and Hadoop skills, as well as statistical modeling, data analytics, machine learning, text mining and optimization. Students are evaluated on a real-world capstone project and a series of quizzes.
Price: $1,858 per credit (a minimum of 12 credits, including the four courses, are required to complete the program). In addition, there is an $85 non-refundable application fee for the on-campus program and $150 for the online program. The online program besides includes an additional non-refundable technology fee of $395 per course.
The Certified Analytics Professional (CAP) credential is a universal analytics certification that certifies end-to-end understanding of the analytics process, from framing traffic and analytic problems to acquiring data, methodology, model building, deployment and model lifecycle management. It requires completion of the CAP exam and adherence to the CAP Code of Ethics.
A SQL developer who earns the CCA Data Analyst certification demonstrates core analyst skills to load, transform and model Hadoop data to define relationships and extract meaningful results from the raw output. It requires passing the CCA Data Analyst Exam (CCA159), a remote-proctored set of eight to 12 performance-based, hands-on tasks on a CDH 5 cluster. Candidates maintain 120 minutes to implement a technical solution for each task. They must dissect the problem and arrive at an optimal approach in the time allowed.
How to prepare: Cloudera recommends candidates remove the Cloudera Data Analyst Training course, which has the same objectives as the exam.
The CCA Spark and Hadoop Developer credential certifies a professional has proven their core skills to ingest, transform and process data using Apache Spark and core Cloudera enterprise tools. It requires passing the remote-proctored CCA Spark and Hadoop Developer Exam (CCA175), which consists of eight to 12 performance-based, hands-on tasks on a Cloudera Enterprise cluster. Each question requires the candidate to decipher a particular scenario. Some cases may require a implement such as Impala or Hive, others may require coding. Candidates maintain 120 minutes to complete the exam.
The CCP: Data Engineer credential certifies the faculty to effect core competencies required to ingest, transform, store and dissect data in Cloudera's CDH environment. It requires passing the remote-proctored CCP: Data Engineer Exam (DE575), a hands-on, practical exam in which each user is given five to eight customer problems each with a unique, large data set, a CDH cluster and four hours. For each problem, the candidate must implement a technical solution with a tall degree of precision that meets sum the requirements.
How to prepare: Cloudera suggests professionals seeking this certification maintain hands-on experience in the territory and remove the Cloudera Developer Training for Spark and Hadoop course.
The EMCDSA certification demonstrates an individual's faculty to participate and contribute as a data science team member on mountainous data projects. It includes deploying the data analytics lifecycle, reframing a traffic challenge as an analytics challenge, applying analytic techniques and tools to dissect mountainous data and create statistical models, selecting the usurp data visualizations and more.
Designed for data architects, the IBM Certified Data Architect – mountainous Data certification requires passing a test that consists of five sections containing a total of 55 multiple-choice questions. It demonstrates a data architect can work closely with customers and solutions architects to translate customers' traffic requirements into a mountainous data solution.
The IBM Certified Data Engineer – mountainous Data certification is intended for mountainous data engineers, who work directly with data architects and hands-on developers to transmute an architect's mountainous data vision into reality. Data engineers understand how to apply technologies to decipher mountainous data problems and maintain the faculty to build large-scale data processing systems for the enterprise. They develop, maintain, test and evaluate mountainous data solutions within organizations, providing architects with input on needed hardware and software. This certification requires passing a test that consists of five sections containing a total of 53 multiple-choice questions.
Designed for software engineers, statisticians, predictive modelers, market researchers, analytics professionals, and data miners, the Mining Massive Data Sets Graduate Certificate requires four courses and demonstrates mastery of efficient, powerful techniques and algorithms for extracting information from large datasets enjoy the Web, gregarious network graphs and large document repositories. The certificate usually takes one to two years to complete.
How to prepare: A Bachelor's degree with an undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or better is required. Applicants should maintain lore of basic computer science principles and skills, at a level adequate to write a reasonably non-trivial computer program.
How to prepare: There are no prerequisites, but MongoDB suggests candidates complete an in-person training or one of its online courses (M102: MongoDB for DBAs; M202: MongoDB Advanced Deployment Operations). MongoDB besides provides the MongoDB Certification Exam Study Guide, available to those who maintain registered for a certification exam.
The MongoDB Certified Developer Associate credential is intended for software engineers who want to demonstrate a solid understanding of the fundamentals of designing and pile applications using MongoDB. It requires a 90 minute, multiple choice exam.
How to prepare: There are no prerequisites, but MongoDB suggests candidates complete an in-person training or one of its online courses (M101J: MongoDB for Java Developers; M101JS: MongoDB for Node.js Developers; M101N: MongoDB for .NET Developers; M101P: MongoDB for Developers). MongoDB besides provides the MongoDB Certification Exam Study Guide, available to those who maintain registered for a certification exam.
The SAS Certified mountainous Data Professional certification program is for individuals seeking to build on their basic programming lore by learning how to assemble and dissect mountainous data in SAS. The program focuses on SAS programming skills; accessing, transforming and manipulating data; improving data trait for reporting and analytics; fundamentals of statistics and analytics; working with Hadoop, Hive, Pig and SAS; and exploring and visualizing data. The program includes two certification exams, both of which the participants must pass. | 2019-04-26T08:00:38Z | http://morganstudioonline.com/brain-dumps.php?pdf=M2090-733 |
Cynthia Cox shared the following encouraging word at The Covenant Center recently. Be encouraged and inspired as you move forward in this new season.
It came even to pass as the trumpeters and the singers were as one. To make one sound to be heard and be praising and thanking the Lord; when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and instruments and music, praising the Lord. Praise the Lord for He is good and His mercy endures forever. And then the house was filled with a cloud, even the house of the Lord, so that the priest could not stand, by reason of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord had filled the house of God. Allow the glory to fill the house today. Release the sound. Release the sounds that are due to His name. Release His praise. Release His worship.
For I would say unto you my little ones, look not to the left - nor to the right for I am the Lord your God. I am the great I Am. I am the true and the living God, and it doesn't matter what goes on in this world, I am God and I change not. But look unto Me, for I am the Author and Finisher of your faith. I change not and surely whatever I have promised you I will bring it forth, for I am not a God that will lie. But know that this day give the praise and the glory that is due to Me, for I am still God of this earth, and I am still doing great and mighty things in the earth.
Focus upon Me, says the Lord. Look unto Me. Keep your face like flint. Do not be moved by what you see. Pray and praise even more, even in your prayer language. Know that you can mount up in Me, and when you mount up in Me, you will see. You will see the great things I have in store for you. For I am a God that has not forsaken you and I have not forgotten you. I've not abandoned you, for My love is true. Know this day I have come to encourage My people. Be lifted up and allow the King of Glory to come into this place and I will lift you up. I will bless you.
For many Christians it is a challenge to decide whether they are suppose to wait on God or step out. Many are also discouraged because their personal prophetic word has not come to pass yet and they are unsure if they are: 1) suppose to do something to make it come to pass, 2) whether God will do everything Himself or 3) they have to co-labor together with Him. There even seems to be scriptures which emphasize two different aspects of responding to the Lord's word, one thinking and one doing.
In Philippians 4:8 we are instructed to:"Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things." And in James 1:22 we are exhorted:"But prove yourselves doers of the word and not merely hearers who delude themselves."
The word dwell in Philippians 4:8 means to reckon, count, compute or calculate. In other words, we should calculate with our mind so that it counts according to these things: true, lovely, good repute, excellence, and worthy of praise."
When we practice"hesed" (covenant compassionate acts) God asks us to count and see if we are following through with action on these acts, not just thinking about them. So it seems we are not just suppose to dwell or think on these things, but put them into practice.
James speaks of the same concept of being doers of the word and not just hearers. Delusion in James is not doing what we already know to do. The Bible is about obedience and applying what we've learned, not just gathering more information. Sometimes I think we criticize others because they are applying the principles of the Bible and yet we accuse them of trying to perform God's word to get approval and love by striving. In reality, they may just be obeying God's word and doing what they know or sense to do from understanding and following scripture.
It is good to check to see why we do what we do, and figure out why we are motivated to do certain things. However, after we understand our motives, receive healing and sincerely want to please Him, then walking out covenant compassionate acts of love would certainly follow the biblical directives. I believe this is a time if we do not hear clearly what to do from God, we need to continue doing what we already know to do by applying the principles of His word. In response to loving others compassionately He will continue to give, direct and communicate because of His covenant love for us.
Recently I came across a Martial Arts competition broadcast. My thoughts quickly returned to college when I took a beginning Judo class and later tried Taekwondo, which by the way was really fun, but also revealed my less than stellar abilities. I hadn't watched this sport for many years, but I was drawn into the strength, ability and agility of each participant as they tried to out maneuver each other; grunting, panting, twisting and heaving toward the victorious moment when their opponent would give up, slap the mat and yell Matte,' meaning peace or I give up.
As the young man beat the mat, I immediately envisioned the times I have wrestled or fought with God unwisely thinking I could win, believing I knew what was best for my life. There were moments of crying out, whining, pouting, anger, deferring, ignoring, or simply resisting as I determined to make my own way and forge my own path. Of course, I was no match for God's desires as I opposed Him and struggled at my own expense. Years earlier I had given my life to Him, but it was actually conditional surrender. I chose to serve Him when I liked the assignment, but I would become passive and distant if it did not seem to benefit me. It only took one good wilderness to awaken me to His power and the revelation that He was actually in control and my insufficient attempts at life were simply an illusion of my own inability to succeed without Him. As I gave my heart to Him I asked to know and understand His ways, but my surrender to His training was purely subject to my approval.
Many people still have points of enmity or frustration with God. They may be angry, feeling He did not meet their needs or fulfill His promises as they imagined. And unfortunately in this fallen world, bad things do happen to very precious people and the end result can lead one to feel betrayed or rejected by God. If we are not vigilant we can give way to the lies of darkness believing God is not with us nor does He care. Each person is faced with the choice to either turn their back to Him or surrender as He begins the divine work of covenant exchange. Understanding His process of changing us into more of His image often erases fear as we begin to intimately cooperate with Him and allow the deep work of change within. God's covenant exchange is a divine work of Holy Spirit, as He takes all that we are in exchange for all that He is. God patiently removes all the worldly thoughts, belief structures and actions in our life and He then pours more of Himself into us. He is actually changing our character and nature to become more like Him. Even in our maturity, there are still moments in our relationship where we must choose to bow low, slap the mat and say, "Peace, I give," surrendering to His desires above our own. Trust is built over time not always understanding His reasons, but we learn to serve without disputing or resisting, knowing He love us, is faithful and has our best interest in His heart. God always has a much bigger plan than what we are able to "see" or comprehend.
As you mature you will begin to trust Him more. He shows you that your circumstances or conditions do not determine His love for you, and even in the midst of tragedy or loss, He is with you. Every challenge that confronts you gives Him a chance to reveal more of Himself and His name. He is Understanding and Knowledge. He is Majestic and Glorious. He is Revelation, Comfort and Wonder. He is the King of Glory, the Spirit of Truth and the Prince of Peace; Wonderful Counselor, Creator, Salvation, Health, Safety and Increase. He is Salvation and the God of the spotted and speckled and so much more. He educates you regarding His kingdom and teaches you to co-labor with Him. Through dreams and visions He comes to you and instructs you in the way you should walk. We learn His ways are not our ways and in our weakness we experience His sovereignty and strength. He gives understanding that we are not called to a life of idleness, but are asked to actively serve at His direction and requests, willfully surrendering to His work and desires.
God has a way of wrestling us down on the mat, pinning us in situations, until we finally give up. Sometimes He leads by gentle means and sometimes He must deal with His children by firmer or more forceful means. Arthur Burt once wrote in his book "Surrender, Your Key to Spiritual Success" the following: "God endeavors to bring us to the point of surrender. We have been subject to heavenly raids: God has been dropping bombs on the fortifications of the empire of our flesh life. Blockbusters with unerring precision have devastated our communication lines, and many of us have been made aware that we are in a preparatory 'softening up' process."
Each day we awaken to new mercies and possibilities; new opportunities to yield to His agenda. He comes and offers all that He is - the fullness of God - to all who surrender to Him. We are then provoked to respond to His eternal question: How much of you will you surrender to Me? Maybe you feel pressure, resistance, fear, disappointment, irritation, anger, frustration or pain? Is life less than what you hoped for? Is it possible you may be resisting the very One who has a better way to do life? Is it possible He may want to speak to you and share what He holds in your future? Would you consider the possibility He may be persuading you to "slap the mat?" Our cry will no longer ring of our own ideas, plans, pain, wounds or personal desires; but we will choose to kneel, yielded to God in peaceful acceptance of HIs will and way, releasing from our heart and soul to Him the words Jesus spoke in the Garden: "Not my will but Yours be done"(Matt. 26:39).
"Thank you Father for Your mercy and grace. Help me to trust and surrender to You and Your desire for my life. Please help me to understand Your ways as I learn to acknowledge and receive Your love, knowing You deeply care and have a plan for me. Thank You for patiently working in my life, helping me to release my worldly nature and character to receive more of You."
Christmas is always a special time for many to celebrate, trim the tree, hang the lights and enjoy festivities and gift giving. Joy and hope seem to permeate the atmosphere as we look toward a new year brimming with endless possibilities. For others, it is a challenge to wade through what seems to be a path of never ending celebrations, watching joyful people who appear to have it all; while inside you wrestle with pain, loss and sometimes despair. Unfulfilled expectations can make Christmas intolerable. Whatever your experience, this Christmas can be your best ever by not merely focusing on the festivities, personal loss or regret, but turning your eyes upon Jesus; for He is the true gift of this season.
Believers often describe Jesus as Lord, Savior or use other names describing His character as Truth, Hope, Redeemer and Light, Friend and Shepherd. Over the centuries almost everyone has heard the supernatural story of His birth as well as His crucifixion and resurrection, but what makes Jesus so special and separates Him from other deities. What makes Him such a great gift?
For one thing Jesus, is the only one who is able to forgive mankind of their sin. Whatever you have said or done, no matter how shameful, Jesus has the divine power to cleanse you and forgive you where sin no longer dictates your life. He gives you a clean slate to begin again.
Secondly, after you invite Him to be your Savior and Lord, He is the only one who can renew and transform you into the new person He wants you to be. His supernatural work accomplished through Holy Spirit, will penetrate deep within your heart, mind and soul, causing you to begin to think more clearly and make wiser decisions and choices. He will patiently help you to renew your mind, change your thoughts and ways of thinking, transforming you into a new being. You have the potential to become all that He desires for you to be.
These two qualities certainly make Jesus the greatest man that ever lived, but there is even more to celebrate. He is the only one who provides the pathway for you to live with Him eternally in paradise (Luke 23:43). By simply asking Him into your heart, into your life and getting to know Him, He has promised you will live eternally with Him. I sometimes ponder this point which is too spectacular to actually comprehend with our natural mind. Life everlasting, with Jesus in heaven, living in paradise eternally. He is the only one who can grant this future to you. He is not only the greatest gift but the greatest gift giver.
So as you approach this season, whether you have met Him or not, I submit to you these points in hope you will take a moment to savor and give thanks to the greatest gift God has ever given to you and to mankind - His only Son. If you have never met Him or desired to trust Him, it is never to late to become acquainted with this loving Son of God who became man for you. Whatever your holiday affords you, Jesus is there beside you. He desires to walk with you through your life journey and through His covenant of peace bring you peace, safety, security, prosperity, health, and increase. Yes, it really is possible for you to have new life, filled with hope and renewed vision. As you meet with family and friends this holiday, preparing to ring in the New Year, please consider opening your arms to receive the most expensive and extraordinary gift of love and life from God your Father to you. His name is Jesus and He gave His life for you.
This Christmas season gives you a tremendous opportunity to operate in two aspects of covenant: Giving and Exchanging. Galatians 1:4 states: He gave his life for our sins so that He might rescue us from this present evil age..." He even now gives Himself for us in intercessory prayer because He loves us.
You have a wonderful opportunity this Christmas season to release the love of God within you to others. Of course, this will look different to each of you as you are presented with various occasions. It could be through your financial giving, providing food, clothing, visits to those who are lonely, prayer, writing a note, books, cards of encouragement and more.
Covenant is briefly defined as an ongoing process of intimate exchange of all that I am for all that He is. During covenant making, the stronger party exchanges what it has with the weaker party, who does not have as much to give, gladly and thankfully embracing the receiving part of covenant.
In the new covenant, rather than needing to perform and strive to get God's love and approval, we can exchange our weaknesses, sin and unrighteousness for His strength, love and righteousness. In fact there are five aspects that can be exchanged in this covenant exchange process in which we are able to receive His names, character, nature, position and responsibility. We can also exchange our sickness for His health, our anxiety for His peace and our depression or disappointment for His hope.
So during this Christmas season let's consider the joy of giving to others as we exchange our shortcomings to receive more of His nature and character in this magnificent covenant exchange.
Don't Give Up! Breakthrough Is On The Way!
Who is in need of breakthrough? Are you in a season where you just feel like you are pushing and pushing and nothing is happening? Are you ready to give up? Or maybe you are wondering if you have done something that disqualifies you from getting your breakthrough? Have you lost that place of faith and you feel like you just cannot muster up one more ounce of belief? Well, hold on and keep pressing in to God, because He is up to something BIG!
Our family recently experienced a huge breakthrough. But prior to it happening I was in inner turmoil and really wanted to give up. Even though I could see our victory on the horizon I was afraid and my faith was failing. Then in the early hours of the morning of June 24, 2017, I was awakened with a troubled heart and went to prayer. During this time I saw a mental picture and received encouragement from God that I believe He wants to released over His body. He wants to encourage believers who are struggling to find faith. He wants to encourage you to continue in your hope. To continue to believe for what He has promised you. To continue to pray!
On that early morning as I waited before God, I saw a mental image of huge heavy doors, like the gates of a medieval castle. The timbers that were used to construct the doors were massive - like whole trees for each piece of wood! Each plank could easily have been a square yard. These doors were so massive that they were humanly impossible to open!
As I pondered this picture I saw a squad of angels come to push against the doors and they started ever so slowly to budge them open. And then more angels came to push. And as they pushed and the doors began to open, golden-yellow coins started to flow from behind the doors. They weren't coins of currency, but they were "The Blessings of the Saints" that were stored up in heaven. And I heard the sound of them starting to trickle out, coin hitting coin, slowly at first, and then faster and faster, and then all rushing out with a mighty, sweeping force! And endless stream of blessing was starting to flow! I could sense the vibrations going on in the heavens as this picture played out. I summed up the feeling with a personal Facebook post for that day saying: "Did you feel that shaking? Did you hear that rumbling? The heavy doors of heaven are being opened and breakthrough is on the way!" The sense of heavenly vibration was so strong!
Then this was the encouragement I sensed the Lord speaking to me that followed: "Let's pick up where we left off (meaning the place where there use to be faith). Let's go! I am about to open doors for you. I am opening them NOW. Big, heavy doors. They are opening. It is taking an army squad to open the doors because they are so heavy. At least five angelic men-big, strong, men, on each side of these huge, heavy doors. Maybe seven or eight as help comes and more warrior men are opening these doors.
You saw this hindrance in your life from your own understanding. You thought it was just a thin narrow door - like a bedroom door - and you were trying to open it and walk through. But no! These hindrances - these blocks in your life were not those kind of doors. These doors are like the gates of a castle. They are not the kind of doors you just walk through nor are they the kind of doors that I lead you to; but these are doors that are opening to release to you from the storehouses of heaven, blessing and outpouring that has been stored up for you from years and years of prayer. These doors are so heavy that battle ramparts could not break them down. They are massive like city gates, and floodgates at the same time. And they are being pushed open for you. They are swinging open for you.
For My faithful ones who have stored up prayer upon prayer, petition upon petition, the answers, My release, My breakthrough is getting ready to pour out. As those doors swing wider and wider, breakthrough is gaining momentum and pushing its way out to you. The sheer force of momentum is so powerful that you have to jump out of the way so that it does not over take you! But reach out. Grab hold! Because I am pouring out! Reach out with your faith. Reach out with your words. Reach out with your belief. Reach out with your obedience to the actions I impress upon you to take. Reach out and take hold! Breakthrough is pushing through!
Wishing you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year and be encouraged and strengthened by His love and grace. May this holiday season be filled with His presence and a fresh breath from heaven bringing refreshing, joy and peace to you and your loved ones.
God sent His good news because of His faithfulness toward mankind. He sent Jesus as our covenant representative to become our sin and our blood sacrifice so we are now acceptable to Him. That was His love and faithfulness in action. He opened the door to intimacy and fellowship with the Father through the Holy Spirit. Understanding what God did for humanity also builds trust.
Now instead of working and striving to become like Him, He imparts Himself and His character into us, as we allow Him access to our lives. We now respond in love to His Word as He gives us grace to walk in His ways. He reshapes what matters to us by altering the intentions and motivations of our heart so they reflect Him.
The good news of the gospel is His invitation for us to enter into covenant with Him. We accept this covenant relationship knowing He is faithful. "If we are faithless, He remains faithful; for He cannot deny Himself " (2 Timothy 2:13). As we understand His covenant commitment to His Word, then we begin to walk in faith rather than anxiety, knowing He will fulfill His promises or blessings.
What a covenant! We enter in by faith, knowing we cannot do anything to make us righteous except to accept the fact that Jesus' death, burial and resurrection made us justified. Now, because of His love toward us and our love and thanksgiving to Him, we offer ourselves by devoting our life and love to pleasing Him. He then writes His word on our hearts, which begins to transform our thinking, emotions, character and behavior. That is His good news for us. We do not have to do everything. All we have to do is enter in and surrender to HIs love!
His covenant is incredibly good news!
The following word was recently released at The Covenant Center. I hope it will encourage you to keep your eyes on Him and remember His love and faithfulness.
I hear the voices of My people crying out: "Oh God! What are You doing? Oh God, what is happening? Oh my God, where are You? Oh God, I don't understand?"
What are you looking at My children? What are you looking at and where are your eyes focusing? Are you focusing on the injustice? Are you focusing on the terror? Are you focusing on the devastation? The earth is shaking! The earth is shaking! It is shaking for the sons of God to arise. I am calling My sons and daughters forth. What have you studied for? What have you trained for? What have you planned for? What have you prayed for? What have you seen in your mind's eye? I am calling you forth. Do you not see it? Do you no sense it? Do you not understand it? For the earth is shaking for My glory to be released into this place that I have created, and I desire you to align with My plans and My purposes.
So, where is your hope? Where is your focus? For is it not written that I am the God of Hope? Am I not the God of Hope that loves His children and desires to give good gifts to them? Even in the chaos, even in the shaking, even in the alignments and realignments, know that I am there. Know that I feel your pain and know that I feel your suffering. But understand, is it not written that there is a greater purpose for what is coming - for what is taking place? And will I not pull you into My breast and comfort you and keep you and bring revelation to you? For I love you! I love you! I love you!
So as the earth shakes, I ask you one thing - keep your eyes on Me. When your spirit becomes troubled, when you become discouraged or dismayed, keep your eyes on Me. Keep your eyes on Me. Remember to always keep your eyes on Me.
Now that we have passed through an intense time of introspection and repentance with the Lord during Rosh Hashanah and the Days of Awe, we move toward a time of celebration during the Feast of Tabernacles. We are thankful for all that God has done for us this past year and for His provision, grace, mercy, and revelation for the New Year!
I believe we have an opportunity to continue to increase our intimate relationship with the Lord and become more conscious of His heart and mind. As our awareness of His ways increase, it will change our perceptions of what He wants us to do by following Him.
There are so many distractions that occur in our lives, on the Internet, television, and the news that affect us emotionally and even spiritually. I believe the same tactic of the enemy is similar today as it was in the Garden. Use any technique possible to discredit God so we won't believe His love and not follow Him.
Since there is a relationship bond in the Semitic lands when one eats together, the enemy will always get us to eat the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, because it eventually brings death. The opposite is to eat (an intimate relationship of love and obedience) from the Tree of Life (Jesus) that will bring truth and life.
The distractions in the world are incredible. The enemy wants us to determine what is good for us and what is evil. Therefore, we look at our desires as being equal to God's. The subtlety of believing our thoughts and desires are the same as His needs to be examined. It is a big decision, because it goes back to: "Do I follow my will and my desire, versus His will and desire for me?"
Decisions will be made this year. Hopefully, His written logos Word and His rhema words we receive in prayer will take priority, rather than the distractions that tempt us to eat from the Tree of Knowledge. Let's celebrate as we enter this Hebraic New Year with joy and thanksgiving, that the Lord has given us the choice to live and love abundantly and intimately with Him!
Recently after the destructive path of Hurricane Irma came through Florida and took out our power, exhausted from the stress of the storm and sticky humidity, oddly I found myself humming an upbeat show tune from the 70's entitled: "It's Not Where You Start It's Where You Finish." It must have been an angel whispering in my ear, because I've not thought of this song in years and our circumstances were less than ideal. Humming merrily I stopped and reflected for a moment on what I was actually singing. This was a song about perseverance and not giving up. God was speaking to me.
How often are we bombarded with events in various seasons of life that come in waves where all you can do is hold on and try to keep your head above water. You overcome one obstacle only to be hit with another one. Exhaustion and discouragement begin to set in. Here in Florida hurricane season is sometimes like that. One storm passes and another one forms. If you are breathing, you have probably also experienced seemingly out of control seasons. Our forefathers all walked through challenging times too. I can not think of one person in the Bible who didn't at some moment experience pain, suffering or loss. Even Jesus experienced moments of humiliation, extreme pain and rejection. It's just a fact of life that problems will surface living in this fallen world. And even though we all like to feel secure and in control of our future we only truly know today. Even our multitudinous questions regarding human suffering and evil are still debated and basically go unanswered. Where is God when I hurt? How could God make such an evil world? Why should I believe or follow God? Why do good people sometimes suffer while sin seems to go unpunished? Does God really watch over and protect His children?
I've pondered these questions since my head on car wreck by a drunken driver in 1975. It was on that rainy evening awakening in the hospital that I realized I was not immortal. I always come back to the same conclusion as Job. In my youth I looked at him as a very sad character. I hoped I would never experience any suffering. I mean really - it was only what Job experienced back in his day, right? It didn't have anything to do with me? God just allowed Job's testing to teach him some things. It just didn't seem relevant. Fast-forward now sixty years later and I now know that everything in scripture is relevant for today. It brings truth and revelation as well as comfort for the seasons you will eventually experience.
In my youth I had difficulty with Biblical stories, but through my journey I can look back and see my life has paralleled theirs. I've personally walked through times of questioning God and ignoring His mandates while murmuring and complaining just like the Israelites. I've experienced the pain and loneliness of waiting for His promises like Sarah. I've doubted like Thomas, and I've become undone in my sin, self righteousness and criticalness of others like Paul. But I've also looked into His face and sensed the depth of His unconditional love, and wept and repented as I poured myself out at His feet like Mary Magdalene. At times I've danced wildly and joyfully before Him filled with overwhelming joy and thanksgiving in His salvation, mercy, faithfulness, loving kindness, goodness and forgiveness like David. And like Job, I've experienced pain and loss that left me with more questions than answers.
I am now beginning to see more beauty in God visiting Job rather than what once seemed to be harsh punishment. Psalm 11:5 speaks of God testing the righteous, and if you are devoted to Him you will be tested. As a child I never wanted to believe that He tested His children. It was scary to me and seemed unloving and cruel. But I have come to understand that God's testing is not for Him, but for us. He already knows what is in our hearts. Just like in school the results of our tests reveal what we have learned. Tests are kind of like the dashboard of our car that lets us know what is under the hood. Through our testing and hardships, we find out how much we have grown in knowing Him and matured in Him. Over the years I have more insight with the wonderings of Job, and can now more clearly identify with his own questioning and final conclusions. Job eloquently shares with us his revelations from his own sufferings in his confession found in chapter 42. "I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted. Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge? Therefore, I have declared that which I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know. Hear now, and I will speak; I will ask You, and do what You instruct me. I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear; but now my eye sees You. Therefore I retract and repent in dust and ashes."
God, through His stunning and sometimes painful work of transformation and sanctification, sometimes allows circumstances much like Job, to change us into more of His likeness and image. It is a work we cannot do ourselves. We may surrender to it, but it is a divine work by His hand through Holy Spirit. It is the narrow path, sprinkled with unknown situations that you may choose not to walk. And yet it is the road that will take you to a more intimate relationship and deeper understanding of Him and His ways.
Everyone comes to God as a child. Everyone is to be trained and taught to grow into maturity. Surrendering to Him and His plan for you is a great key to finishing well in life. The dark places of failure are where we exponentially grow and mature. As you run the race with God, remember that in Him it will end well. Like Job, it truly doesn't matter where you start, but it's where you finish that brings wisdom, understanding and maturity. Whatever you experience in His plan, He will redeem it. Whatever task He assigns, He will help you prosper and complete it. Whatever pain or loss you walk through, He will bring healing, wisdom and truth. He will teach you to trust Him. Through out your life He will walk with you. He will help guide and direct you, so you by His great grace and excellence will finish well. | 2019-04-25T13:27:14Z | http://www.thecovenantcenter.com/blog/?offset=1520383653898 |
In early 1992, passengers boarding BWIA planes across the Caribbean, South and North America, and Europe found something new in their seat-pockets: a magazine by the name of Caribbean Beat, with the watchful face of a Martiniquan filmmaker on the cover.
As those early readers turned the magazine’s pages, they discovered a profile of director Euzhan Palcy, a memoir by Trinidad-born broadcaster Trevor McDonald, and previews of the Caribbean’s yearlong Carnival calendar and the upcoming Carifesta arts festival. They found articles on Tobago Sailing Week and a fashion portfolio by some leading Caribbean designers, alongside a thoughtful essay on the state of West Indies cricket and a business report on trade liberalisation across the region. So the key ingredients were all there at the very beginning: Caribbean arts and culture, travel and current affairs, explored from a Caribbean perspective, with a Caribbean audience in mind.
Twenty-five years later, so many things have changed. Caribbean Beat’s airline partner, for example: we’re now the official inflight magazine of Caribbean Airlines, celebrating its own tenth anniversary in 2017. The masthead design is different. Originally published quarterly, the magazine has appeared bimonthly since late 1995. Nowadays, our editorial and production process is completely digital: it’s been many years since a writer filed copy via fax, or a photographer turned up with a case of film slides. And the Caribbean region has changed too, in countless ways — social, cultural, political.
But some things haven’t changed much at all. Caribbean Beat is still published from the same small office space in Port of Spain — we prefer to think of it as cosy, rather than cramped — and by a tiny editorial team. (Most of the current editorial staff were schoolchildren back in 1992.) Some of the writers, photographers, and illustrators whose work appeared in our first issues a quarter-century ago are still regular contributors, alongside dozens of others in the bank of talent we’ve built up over the years.
And the contents of the magazine, the words and images that fill our pages, still hold to Caribbean’s Beat’s original brief: to explore and portray the Caribbean as it really is, rich in complexities and contradictions, and to celebrate the best and most brilliant of our people and our culture.
Caribbean Beat has never been a typical inflight magazine — and that’s to the credit of Caribbean Airlines (and BWIA before them). Of course, we’ve covered Caribbean travel from the very beginning, including the beaches, resorts, and festivals that the region is best known for. But we know the Caribbean is much more than that: it’s our writers and artists, our scientists and inventors, our sportsmen and -women, philanthropists and thinkers.
The Caribbean is coconut trees and deckchairs, of course, but it’s also skyscrapers and high-tech concert halls, universities and cricket grounds. It’s Jamaica’s lushly forested Cockpit Country and the “blue holes” of Andros in the Bahamas, the stark desertscape of the arid ABC islands and the vast savannahs of Guyana. It’s ruined Mayan pyramids in the jungle of Belize and the Hindu Temple in the Sea in Trinidad.
Like the airline that connects the far-flung peoples of the Caribbean region, with our many languages and ethnicities, Caribbean Beat brings together in its pages the diversity of elements that makes our part of the world so fascinating and bewildering. The energy, creativity, and diversity of the Caribbean, formed in the crucible of our history, make us unique.
Looking back over the past twenty-five years, we realise how aptly those qualities are represented in the 144 covers we’ve published — as you can see for yourself in the following pages. Here are landscapes familiar and unexpected, the colour and spectacle of festivals, flora, and fauna, the work of artists, the gestures of performance, and above all the faces of Caribbean people, famous or not, reflecting our sheer variousness. So we’ve taken the opportunity of this milestone to revisit the stories behind some of those cover images. Why did we choose those images back then, and what’s happened to their subjects in the intervening years?
For this telling panorama, and for Caribbean Beat’s huge (and we think valuable) archive of stories and images, we thank the hundreds of writers, photographers, and artists we’ve worked with over the years. The life of a magazine, behind the scenes, is replete with small thrills, the occasional crisis, and an unending series of deadlines. Generations of editorial, sales, and production staff have known that the magazine is only as good as its next issue — and have worked with dedication and imagination to earn Caribbean Beat its reputation as one of the region’s best-informed, best-written, and best-looking magazines. (For the latter, we owe special thanks to Russell Halfhide, Beat’s designer from 1992 to 2007, who gave the magazine its elegant, approachable style at the very beginning.) We’re grateful for Caribbean Airlines’ consistent support, and their belief in the value of a magazine that looks beyond the stereotypes to the real heart of our people and culture. And, of course, we also owe thanks to you, our readers — for your encouragement, suggestions, and even your criticism, which have helped shape our sense of the magazine’s mission.
We hope you share our pride in reaching this anniversary — which we commemorate, above all, by simply doing the thing we’ve done for the past quarter-century: imagining what’s possible for the next issue, and the ones after that, and then racing after the deadlines.
I still have a soft spot for the very first cover we published, back in January 1992.
Looking back at it now, it’s hard to see why. The tones are grey, the subject is stiff and formal, and there’s a dated feel to the image. The photo is not even by a Caribbean photographer (in 1992 we could not afford to commission a cover image, and had to make do with a studio PR photo).
Since 1992, many of our covers have been more colourful, more appealing, more popular. There have been beaches and boats, beautiful people, landscapes and seascapes, sports heroes, singers, musicians, Carnival people, striking graphics and paintings. I like them all, and feel proud of many of them. Yet that very first cover somehow managed to announce what Caribbean Beat was going to be all about.
Why (that cover asked) is Caribbean filmmaking not taken seriously? Why do we think of the Caribbean as a romantic backdrop for other people’s movies, not for making our own?
We saw Euzhan Palcy as a formidable Caribbean woman who had broken through ethnic and gender stereotypes into a notoriously difficult industry and had produced some powerful work. She was interested in making Caribbean films, not perpetuating Caribbean stereotypes. It was exactly the sort of achievement that Caribbean Beat wanted to discover and celebrate.
So that very first Caribbean Beat cover did not depict a wonderful golden beach, or a sunset, or a luxurious villa. It made the statement that the Caribbean is more than its beaches, more than rum punch and partying, wonderful and liberating though those pleasures are. The Caribbean is not just a romantic backdrop: it has successes and achievements of its own, world-class people in sport and science, music and business, writing and the visual arts. And we wanted our readers to know about them too.
Since then . . .
When Euzhan Palcy appeared on the cover of our Spring 1992 issue, she was already, at the age of thirty-four, recognised as an icon of Caribbean filmmaking. Her 1983 debut, Rue Cases Nègres (adapted from Alfred Zobel’s novel), had earned her a César Award — the French equivalent of an Oscar — and a Silver Lion at the Venice Film Festival, plus a dozen other international awards. The screenplay — which she started while still a film student in Paris — had won the admiration of famed French director François Truffaut, and Aimé Césaire, the celebrated Martiniquan poet and mayor of Fort-de-France, had helped secure the production budget. Rue Cases Nègres was a rare example of a film almost immediately recognised as a classic.
Despite this early success, Palcy’s second project was six years in the making. The subject she’d set her heart on — an adaptation of South African writer André Brink’s anti-apartheid novel A Dry White Season — proved difficult to raise financial support for. Still, Palcy was determined to make a politically hard-hitting film. She even travelled to South Africa, pretending to be a musician, to research conditions in Soweto. It took some hard lobbying and an unshakeable faith in her creative vision, but she succeeded, securing the juggernaut MGM as producer. A Dry White Season made Palcy the first black woman filmmaker to be produced by a major Hollywood studio, and won another slew of awards, including an Oscar nomination for star Marlon Brando.
The film’s success inevitably brought offers, from Hollywood and elsewhere, to work on more “commercial” projects. But Palcy’s sense of political commitment and her resolution to follow her own creative instincts led her, over the years, to turn down many such “opportunities.” “People think, Oh where is she?” Palcy said in a 2015 interview. “She did those movies and she disappeared.” In fact, she’s created a solid body of work that speaks to the range of her concerns, from the culture of her native Martinique to questions of social justice around the world.
The lighthearted Simeon (1992), set in Martinique and France, tells the tale of zouk music and its impact on the world. Palcy has also made a documentary about Césaire — hero of the Négritude movement, and her own mentor — and another about the young men and women of Martinique who fled the island to join the Free French army during the Second World War. The biographical Ruby Bridges (1998), produced by Disney, is a profile in courage from the US Civil Rights Movement: the story of a six-year-old girl who was the first African-American child to desegregate an all-white school in New Orleans. It was followed by The Killing Yard (2001), about the infamous 1971 Attica prison riot and its effect on the struggle for prison rights in the United States.
And Palcy’s magnum opus may be yet to come. For over twenty years, she’s been working on a feature film about Haitian revolutionary hero Toussaint L’Ouverture. More than two centuries after the Haitian revolution, Toussaint remains a figure both inspiring and deeply controversial, and Palcy is determined to tell his story her way. No surprise, then, that there’ve been setbacks and numerous delays. “I will never compromise in a way that distorts history or hurts my project,” she says. It’s an ethos her successors in the Caribbean film industry can learn from — as much as from her indelible films.
A Caribbean rocket launch? Yes: since 1971 the Centre Spatial Guyanais in Kourou, French Guiana, has been the major launching site for the European space agency, thanks to its location near the equator — where the earth’s spin gives an extra nudge to departing rockets, allowing them to carry a heavier payload.
When David Rudder graced the cover of Caribbean Beat in 1994, he’d already been a defining voice of Trinidad and Tobago Carnival for eight years. At that pivotal point of his musical career, calypso fans could look back on the bluesy, soulful soca singer from Charlie’s Roots who in 1986 became the first lead singer from a brass band to capture the national calypso monarch title with “The Hammer”, a tribute to the late, great pan arranger Rudolph Charles, and the “Bahia Girl” with her bouncy Baptist beat. In that moment, he had redefined the calypso stage in much the way the Mighty Sparrow did in the 1950s, making it a daring display of rich, lyrical social commentary with an upbeat, jazzed-up, soca beat.
By 1994, Rudder had penned “Rally ’Round the West Indies”, which would become the theme song of the West Indies cricket team. He had songs featured in the Hollywood movie Wild Orchid. And the hits kept coming: “Haiti”, a lyrical lament for the Caribbean nation; “The Engine Room”, a tribute to the percussion side of a steelband; and “Calypso Music”, a joyful history of the art form. By 1995, he had become bolder and more political by offering the album The Lyrics Man, with his distinct brand of calypso rap, including stinging political irony in “Another Day in Paradise”.
By 1998, Rudder had climbed to the pinnacle of success with the album Beloved. Projecting a strong sense of history, Rudder crossed musical boundaries and injected a sense of spirituality into Carnival with “High Mas”, a collision of puns that stretched from the Roman Catholic church’s sacred liturgies to the profane street theatre of Carnival. The celebratory experience of Trinidad culture culminated in the title song “Beloved”, a nostalgic look at the island’s soul-filled sense of community. The following year, he addressed the growing ethnic rift perceived by many people in politics and society with a calypso reminding Carnival revellers of their ethnic roots, represented by the rivers that define their history: “The Ganges and the Nile”.
Rudder’s career took a new direction when he married and moved to Canada in 2002. That experience would manifest itself the following year in “Trini to the Bone”, a celebration of those roots that ensure Rudder’s connection to Carnival and elevate him to the role of calypso ambassador. Distance has not eroded the legacy of his lasting voice: he’s destined to be remembered as a performer who carved an original place in calypso history.
To be the holder of multiple world records — highest individual score in a Test (twice: 375 and 400), in first-class (501), runs in one Test over (28), and the only batsman in first class games to have scored one, two, three, four, and five centuries — is rightfully to be acknowledged as one of the greatest batsmen in cricket history.
The impact of Brian Charles Lara’s personal achievements was amplified by the circumstances under which he accumulated them. From 1993, when he scored 277 and captured international attention, to his last West Indian appearance in 2007, he was part of a team on an unhappy trajectory towards cricket ignominy. West Indies supporters were regularly crushed by the unrelenting losses, but Lara gave them — gave the world — something that sparkled beyond the gloom. On the field, he embodied greatness, and for West Indian societies, struggling with rampant mediocrity in leadership and politics that was manifest in weak economies, growing crime, and brazen corruption, he was a reminder of the magnificence that has periodically erupted in our history.
Lara’s feats were celebrated worldwide, and West Indians were able to bask in that reflected glory. Bestowed with high honours — the Trinity Cross (as it was then known in Trinidad and Tobago), the Order of the Caribbean Community, the Order of Australia — he had a remarkable career that was dogged by difficulty, not least of which was the ongoing adversarial relationship between players and the West Indies Cricket Board.
He was named captain of the West Indies team three times, and despite his super status as a batsman, could never claim to be a winning captain like Clive Lloyd or Viv Richards. Instead, he presided over a team with wildly fluctuating fortunes, where victories were few and embarrassments were many, though individual performances were often brilliant. But, in his time, he became one of the first of the breed of wealthy cricketers who brought business savvy to their dealings, and saw endorsements and sponsorships as a natural extension of their cricket incomes. That breed changed international cricket forever.
Heading into the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Trinidadian sprinter Ato Boldon seemed one of the Caribbean’s best hopes for a medal. A year before, he’d won the 100-metre bronze at the World Championships in Gothenburg — at just twenty-one, the youngest athlete ever to medal in the sprint event. And, indeed, he did take home two medals from Atlanta — bronze in both the 100- and 200-metre races — though precious gold eluded him this time.
That wasn’t the case the following year, when Boldon won the 200-metre World Championship gold in Athens, or in 1998, when he took the 100-metre gold at the Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur, setting a still-unbeaten Commonwealth Games record of 9.88 seconds. A serious hamstring injury took him out of the 1999 World Championships, but hopes were high, nonetheless, for further Olympic glory at the 2000 games in Sydney. There, Boldon won the silver in the 100 metres, beaten by US sprinter Maurice Greene (and with Barbadian Obadele Thompson in third place), and the 200-metre bronze.
That was to be his final Olympic medal — after a car accident in 2002, Boldon never again ran under ten seconds in the 100 metres or under twenty seconds in the 200. But his Olympic silver and three bronzes still place him in rare company: only three other male athletes have ever won as many or more Olympic individual event sprint medals. And in his post-competition life Boldon has turned his knowledge of the game and on-camera charisma into a thriving career as a television commentator — most recently, Sports Illustrated named him 2016’s best TV analyst for his coverage of the Rio Olympics.
Every year, a week before masqueraders take to the streets of Trinidad for the reign of the Merry Monarch, thousands pack into Port of Spain’s Hasely Crawford Stadium for the biggest show in Carnival. The show is Machel Monday. The star: Machel Montano, five-time Soca Monarch, eight-time Road March champ, and the indisputable king of soca.
Others have given themselves that title, based on their mainstream success, but none can boast a thirty-five-year career in the art form, practically the same number of albums, or a brand that dominates the Carnival scene — whether or not they are even present.
Montano doesn’t wine that much these days. The lithe young man with a waist like butter has now evolved into a sage forty-two-year-old who posts inspirational quotes daily on Instagram. But he still churns out hits to make people dance, think, celebrate, and debate.
The key to Montano’s longevity and success has been his ability to change, adapt, and push the limits of his genre, while keeping his eye on his oft-repeated mission to make soca popular and take it to the four corners of the earth. He’s pursued this relentlessly, pushing boundaries, taking risks, and setting trends. He was the first to collaborate with Jamaican dancehall singers, opening the door for them to become staples on the soca scene. He was the first to marry house music with soca on 1995’s “Come Dig It”, later opening the floodgates to EDM soca with “AoA”. He sought international collaborations, teaming up with the likes of Pitbull, rappers Lil John and Wyclef Jean, among others, R&B group Boyz II Men, and South African group Ladysmith Black Mambazo, to name just a few.
He’s taken the music far: to Egypt, India, and South Africa, filming videos, meeting songwriters and producers, and looking for sounds to infuse with his. In 2007, he became the first soca artist to headline his own show at Madison Square Garden in New York, and he’s performed on stages at Radio City Music Hall, Coachella, and South by Southwest.
To maintain his position atop the pack, Montano — now an elder in the music arena with his thirty-five years’ experience — surrounds himself with young talent: songwriters, producers, musicians, and singers who help to keep his sound fresh and trendy.
But nowhere has his evolution been reflected more clearly than in his changing handles. In the early days, his band was known as Pranasonic, named after the Prana Lands area in Siparia, south Trinidad, where Montano grew up. That changed to Xtatik. Then, as he changed the way his band functioned, he assumed the HD persona to reflect his mission to transmit a clearer image of who he is and what he’s about. In 2014, HD made way for Monk Monte. MONK, he said, was an acronym for the Movement of New Knowledge.
With the new name came a new role, that of actor. Montano starred in his own film, Bazodee, a Bollywood-style love story set in T&T. In 2016, Bazodee became the first T&T-made film to be distributed in the US, Canada, and across the Caribbean. He’s expected to follow that up in 2017 with a documentary called Machel Montano: The Journey of a Soca King. That journey is far from over. For the foreseeable future, Montano’s crown seems secure.
André Tanker’s music might have been washed away in the torrent of soca that floods Trinidad at Carnival every year. But instead it’s outlasted almost all the local music produced since he died in 2003, at sixty-one.
Tanker grew up in the middle-class Port of Spain neighbourhood of Woodbrook, home of the Invaders steelband, where he learned to play pan, and the Little Carib Theatre, where Beryl McBurnie was reviving folk dance and Orisha drummer Andrew Beddoe played for Derek Walcott’s Trinidad Theatre Workshop.
But Tanker didn’t appreciate them fully until Afro-Trinidadians reclaimed their heritage in the 1970 Black Power Movement. “It gave you a perspective on who you are, what motivates you, why you like what you like,” Tanker said, looking back in 1997.
That was when he understood he was entitled to draw on his entire birthright: calypso and reggae, jazz, blues, soul, Latin American music, African and Indian. “Children of a one great love,” he sang.
Like many intuitive artists, he wasn’t easy to interview: low-key and laconic, he preferred his message to be conveyed by his music. Likewise, he was more composer than performer, though he played vibraphone and flute, and he sang his songs of love and the oneness of humankind, though his voice wasn’t his greatest asset.
Walcott described Tanker’s work as “disciplined enough to be simple”; it was also rich enough to have enduring appeal. Even now, Trinis catch themselves humming “Wild Indian”, “Basement Party”, “Sayamanda”. His talent lay in blending traditions to make something that was at once fresh and familiar.
Previewing that year’s FIFA World Cup in our May/June 1998 issue, Georgia Popplewell concluded, “For the first time since 1974, Caribbean people will really have a team to root for.” She was referring to Haiti’s national team, which unexpectedly qualified for the 1974 World Cup in West Germany — and to the Reggae Boyz, the Jamaican national team, which made history in 1998 as the first football team from the Anglophone Caribbean ever to go to the sport’s most prestigious tournament.
“For a small country,” wrote Popplewell, “a national sports team is . . . a repository of civic dreams and aspirations.” Such was the case for Jamaica — even if the Reggae Boyz didn’t advance out of the finals’ first round.
Five years later, it was Trinidad and Tobago’s chance. Beating Bahrain in a qualifying match, the Soca Warriors booked their tickets to the 2006 World Cup in Germany — and T&T became the smallest nation ever to qualify for the World Cup, a victory in its own right.
The Caribbean adores its beauty queens. For a small country, any citizen who wins positive international acclaim is a hero. And our various Misses Universe and World over the decades have also proven to be a talented, enterprising bunch, going on to careers in politics, the arts, and philanthropy. Grenadian Jennifer Hosten (Miss World 1970) later became a diplomat. Jamaican Cindy Breakspeare (Miss World 1976) may be best remembered as Bob Marley’s muse and the mother of his son Damien, but she’s also a successful recording artist in her own right. Her countrywoman Lisa Hanna (Miss World 1993) served as a Cabinet minister. And among the Trinidadians, Janelle Commissiong (Miss Universe 1977) and Giselle Laronde (Miss World 1986) both become successful businesswomen.
No wonder, then, that T&T’s Wendy Fitzwilliam, Miss Universe 1998, managed to appear twice on Caribbean Beat’s cover, in July/August 1998 and again less than a year later, resplendent in Carnival costume. Her “reign” was just the beginning: a law student when she won her title, she was later admitted to the bar in her home country, honoured for her activism in HIV/AIDS awareness, recognised as a Red Cross Ambassador for Youth, published a well-received memoir, and now hosts the reality TV series Caribbean’s Top Model — all while maintaining her elegant but down-to-earth presence on T&T’s social scene.
The 1990s were arguably a high point for Barbadian music. The nightclub scene in Barbados was alive and well, and artistes were not afraid to experiment. This decade saw the rise of soca stars like Hinds alongside Rupee and Edwin Yearwood (who’d appeared on Caribbean Beat’s cover two years before); jazz/reggae saxophonist Arturo Tappin; calypso powerhouse Anthony “Mighty Gabby” Carter; and local band Spice and Company, just to start. Creativity seemed to be at an all-time high and the Barbadian sound was one of the leading influences in Caribbean music.
Soca dominated the landscape and infiltrated foreign markets, allowing artistes to share their sound with global audiences. Rupee’s “Tempted to Touch” peaked at number 39 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and at 44 on the UK singles chart, and featured in the soundtrack of the Hollywood movie After the Sunset.
Reggae, hip-hop, jazz, electronic dance music (EDM), and R&B also inspired the style of music performed and created by Barbadian musicians. By the mid 2000s, Barbados was producing international artistes from hybrid genres — Rihanna above all, but also Livvi Franc, Hal Linton, Shontelle, Teff Hinkson, Cover Drive, 2 Mile Hill, and others.
Barbadians are proud of their successful musicians, and have created the glamorous Barbados Music Awards and other festivals to highlight, showcase, and honour the wealth of musical talent within the country. Relevance and longevity are always concerns in the industry, and often it’s a battle of legend versus newcomer.
Mahalia Cummins, lead singer of the band 2 Mile Hill, says the music scene is once again resurging. “Where support was previously lacking, young and upcoming artistes are working with the more seasoned performers,” she explains. Hinds, our cover subject eighteen years ago, is one such artiste, and she’s always working behind the scenes collaborating with or mentoring younger talent. Most recently, she’s signed up to mentor the young people of the UNICEF Caribbean Junior Monarch Competition, which will launch officially in August this year.
Soca is still a main staple in Barbadian music, meanwhile — and with names like Damian Marvay, Nikita, King Bubba, and Joaquin in the current mix, it’s not going to wind up anytime soon. Wining down — that’s a different matter.
Boats were a favourite cover subject in the magazine’s earlier years — no fewer than nine in all, ranging from fancy yachts to humble pirogues. How do other categories compare in the rankings? Three covers have depicted botanical subjects, and three have featured children playing on beaches. Seashells? Two. Surf-, windsurf-, and kite-boards? Three. Rivers? Five. At the other end of the scale: sportsmen and -women? Eighteen. Musicians? Twenty-four. We aren’t called Caribbean Beat for nothing.
Every photographer on assignment for a magazine wants the cover. It’s prime space and usually pays the best, but a portrait session can go off the rails if there isn’t a good, balanced range of images for the publication’s designer to work with. That means putting effort into making every setup as compelling as possible, while thinking about how they play together to offer their own visual narrative in the final piece.
Ideally, the photographs complement the words in a profile. Sometimes they tell a parallel but unrelated story. At worst, they exist in a different world from the words. The cover photo has work to do. It is a preview of the issue’s tone and content, a sales pitch to the potential reader, and an invitation to read the story it references.
My first preference with a subject is almost always an environmental portrait. If it can happen effectively in the subject’s space, they begin with the advantage of home ground in the encounter. The Mungal Patasar session happened at his home. The musician lives in the countryside, and I imagined great possibilities. I photographed him in his living room with his family and, with time running out, in a nearby field seated with his sitar under a tree.
But it was the portrait taken just a few inches from the front door of his home — a heavy, weathered slab of wood with just enough texture and muted tone to complement the musician and his well-used instrument — that ended up leading the issue.
After some broad direction about posture, Mungal began to play. I wish I could say I was an appreciative audience, but I had one roll of 120 Fujichrome 50 allocated for this shot, twelve frames on the Hasselblad I was using, and I needed to bracket exposures.
Mungal just played on, doing his work while I did mine, a portrait more passionately given than taken.
Our twenty-odd Carnival cover subjects have included sequined pretty mas, calypso and soca stars, traditional characters like the blue devil and Dame Lorraine. Mas is one of the hardest subjects to capture in a single image: it’s chaotic, it’s unpredictable, it moves too fast.
Over two and a half decades, we’ve profiled dozens of our region’s best writers — novelists, poets, dramatists, biographers. We’ve run in-depth features on Nobel laureates and talented up-and-comers. Our first story on Jamaican Marlon James ran in 2006, nine years before he won the Man Booker Prize; we profiled Trinidadian Vahni Capildeo, winner of the 2016 Forward Prize, back in 2004. But in twenty-five years, only one writer has appeared on the cover: Grenada-based Oonya Kempadoo, profiled in March/April 2002.
Kempadoo had made an auspicious debut three years before, with her novel Buxton Spice, which set off a fabled “bidding war” among London publishers. Tide Running soon followed. And her third novel, All Decent Animals, was imminent, our 2002 article predicted. Except it was another decade before it actually appeared. Our readers got a preview in our May/June 2013 issue, when we published an excerpt from the long-awaited work.
It’s one of the permanently contentious issues of public debate in the Caribbean: the state of West Indies cricket. Over the lifetime of Caribbean Beat, fans of the game have argued and agonised over the regional team, its players and administrators, and wondered if the West Indies will ever return to the form of its glory days in the 1970s and 80s.
In our May/June 2003 issue, we took a stab at predicting what a future version of the West Indies team might look like. After talking to experts at the West Indies Cricket Board and regional cricket associations, we compiled our “next 11”: a lineup of exceptional young cricketers under seventeen years old, who seemed to have the talent and attitude.
So how solid were our predictions? Of our eleven youngsters, one — Marcus Julien of Grenada — switched sports, to football. Most of the others went on to play for their national under-17 or under-19 teams. A handful — including Kavesh Kantasingh of T&T and Javal Hodge of St Kitts and Nevis — have played for their national senior teams. And two have represented the West Indies at the highest levels of the game.
Trinidadian batsman Jason Mohammed made his first-class debut for T&T against Jamaica in 2006. And in December 2011 he played his first One Day International match for the West Indies, versus India. He subsequently represented both T&T Red Steel and the Guyana Amazon Warriors in the Caribbean Premiere League T20 regional tournament. Meanwhile, Barbadian batsman Omar Phillips found himself batting for the West Indies in a 2009 Test match against Bangladesh. A contract strike by several members of the regional senior team saw seven young players selected for that Test series. Phillips came just six runs short of a debut century.
It’s one of the most iconic Carnival photos of all time, perfect for the cover of our issue profiling thirteen designers from the golden age of mas: Peter Minshall’s 1974 costume From the Land of the Hummingbird, portrayed by Sherry-Ann Guy and captured on film by the late Roy Boyke.
The most celebrated and controversial masman in T&T Carnival from the time of his debut in the mid 1970s, Minshall himself had appeared on the cover of our third issue, back in 1992. On two other occasions, photos of his creations made striking cover subjects: our September/October 1998 issue featured a costume from his band Red, and a bird-garbed masquerader from Picoplat appeared on our January/February 2003 issue. Caribbean Beat’s most extensive take on Minshall’s career came in our May/June 2006 issue, when a profile by editor Nicholas Laughlin was accompanied by personal accounts from some of the artist’s closest colleagues and observers.
In an irony of timing, 2006 also turned out to be the final year in which Minshall produced a full-scale Carnival band. But a handful of smaller subsequent mas collaborations have continued to astound and provoke his audience. Witness the drag-ballerina Dying Swan costume he designed for the Carnival Kings and Queens competition in 2016, which set off a firestorm of debate unlike anything since — well, since the last Minshall controversy. Genius remains restless.
In perhaps the most ambitious feature Caribbean Beat had yet published, we polled a panel of music experts and came up with a list of 250 great songs from the Caribbean — most of them from the pre-digital era, as suggested by the vinyl record on the cover.
At midnight on 1 January, 2007, BWIA — Caribbean Beat’s airline partner for fifteen years — ceased to exist, and Caribbean Airlines was born, welcomed by a cover featuring the colourful hummingbird from the new airline’s logo.
“It always seemed glamorous,” said Rihanna early on in her career, “but it is real work.” Talent and luck have something to do with it, too. A nineteen-year-old relative newcomer when she appeared on the cover of the September/October 2007 Caribbean Beat, the Barbadian singer-songwriter was then two years into a stellar international career. A decade later, she’s indisputably the top selling digital artist of all time, winner of eight Grammy Awards, among numerous other honours — also a fashion icon, movie star, named one of 2012’s “100 most influential people in the world” by Time magazine, and an astute businessperson: in 2015 she created her own label, Westbury Road Entertainment.
“Whenever I get the chance, I fly home to Barbados,” Rihanna said, interviewed in Caribbean Beat by writer Essiba Small. And her contributions to her home island go beyond the reflected blaze of her pop-star celebrity. In 2012, Rihanna made headlines when she donated US$1.75 million to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Barbados, in memory of her late grandmother — the namesake of Rihanna’s Clara Lionel Foundation, which she founded to “improve the quality of life for communities globally in the areas of health, education, arts, and culture.” An unapologetic force to reckon with, the first-ever recipient of the American Music Awards Icon Award is now working on her ninth studio album.
Arguably the Caribbean’s most famous icon, Bob Marley was the cover subject of our May/June 2001 issue, on the twentieth anniversary of his death. His legacy lives on through his music, familiar to fans around the world — and though his children and grandchildren, many of whom inherited Marley’s musical genes. Like first-born son David “Ziggy” Marley, who appeared on the cover of our July/August 2010 issue.
Last year, Ziggy released his fifteenth album. There are also rumours of new albums in the works from both Damien and his brother Julian. Meanwhile, the rest of the family is involved in various Marley-branded projects, from fashion to cooking, graphic design to electronics, and of course running the Bob Marley Museum in Kingston. There’s a line of Marley coffee — including beans grown in the Blue Mountains of Jamaica and the highlands of Ethiopia — and eco-friendly footwear. Whatever else you can say of the Marley family, they understand the value of their family legacy.
Back in 2010, three of the directors I highlighted had just made their debut features: Maria Govan (Rain) and Kareem Mortimer (Children of God) of the Bahamas, and Jamaica’s Storm Saulter (Better Mus’ Come). As I write this, Govan’s second effort, Play the Devil, is winning plaudits on the festival circuit; Mortimer’s third film, Cargo, is about to premiere; and Saulter is in post-production on his follow up, Sprinter.
Other talented filmmakers have joined in the act. The blessings of the digital revolution notwithstanding, making films in the Caribbean remains a challenging business. The biggest challenge, however, still is winning over hearts and minds to the idea that there’s more to cinema than the Hollywood formula.
Caribbean Beat’s special “Green Issue” featured a rare frog species on its cover — the only time an amphibian has served as cover model. Fauna cover subjects have also included one non-human mammal and four birds — can you spot them all?
Heading into the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, the eyes of the world were on Usain Bolt — understandably, considering how the Jamaican sprinter had overwhelmed the competition in Beijing four years earlier. But astute observers — like writer Kwame Laurence, who wrote the cover story on Caribbean Olympic prospects for our July/August 2012 issue — had their eyes on other contenders as well. Like Grenada’s Kirani James, then just nineteen years old, who a year before at the World Championships had become the youngest ever 400-metre gold medalist.
“He has all the expectations of Grenada resting on his shoulders,” wrote Laurence. And on 6 August, 2012, those expectations were fulfilled: thanks to James, Grenada’s first-ever Olympic medal was gold. Five of the eight lanes in the final were occupied by Caribbean athletes, plus all three spots on the medal podium — with Luguelín Santos of the Dominican Republic in second place and Lalonde Gordon of T&T in third.
James’s welcome back to Grenada — and his home village of Gouyave — was euphoric. And Grenadian readers of Caribbean Beat were delighted the magazine had the foresight to put him on the cover. How did we make the call? “I think it was a mixture of reasons,” remembers Judy Raymond, then editor. “We wanted to use a photo of someone promising but not too familiar, and from somewhere that didn’t already have a great Olympic track record. And we had a good pic of him.” The confidence of writer Kwame Laurence — one of the Caribbean’s most experienced sports journalists, specialising in track and field, and a longtime contributor to the magazine — about James’s promise also helped.
Four years later, at the 2016 Rio Olympics, James was a favourite to repeat his win. Only one athlete — American Michael Johnson — had ever managed to defend an Olympic gold in the men’s 400 metres, in 1996 and 2000. But the achievement just barely escaped the Grenadian champion. James came second, to Wayde van Niekerk of South Africa — but still brought home Grenada’s second-ever Olympic medal, and singlehandedly gave his country the highest number of Olympic medals, per capita, at two successive Summer Games.
Just seventeen when she appeared on the cover of the March/April 2013 Caribbean Beat, slicing through a wave, Chelsea Tuach already had four years’ experience as a national and regional surfing champion. Starting at the age of ten, Tuach is the youngest surfer to represent Barbados in the watersport, and the most successful in competition. Ranked fourth in the world in 2015, she’s twice won the World Surf League (WSL) North American Junior Pro Championships.
Tuach has flown the Barbadian flag in Australia, Brazil, El Salvador, Fiji, Mexico, Spain, France, and Japan. “I set goals, seize opportunities, and with a lot of faith and support, I’ve managed to do it,” she says. She’s had moments of self-doubt and at times intimidation, going up against older competitors. But nothing has stopped her burning spirit of determination, especially backed with resounding support from her island.
The old adage “you can’t judge a book by its cover” doesn’t apply to magazines. When “From island to end zone”, profiling NFL football players with Caribbean roots, hit the Internet, Caribbean Beat’s website got thousands of hits in the first hour — enough to crash the site temporarily. The Washington Redskins and its star wide receiver Pierre Garçon had retweeted the story, and it was read by legions of fans. Garçon spoke about his Haitian roots and his continuous ties with the Caribbean island — and his friendly smile lit up the cover photo.
Garçon hasn’t skipped a beat since his Caribbean Beat profile. He finished his five-year, US$45-million contract with the Redskins and became a free agent. At thirty-one, he showed no signs of slowing down. He’s been a consistent play-maker for the Redskins throughout all the team’s travails with its numerous quarterbacks. Then when Hurricane Matthew hit Haiti last year, Garçon’s team sent him to Haiti as an extension of his prolific community service work, and the NFL chose him to represent his team for the Walter Payton Man of the Year award, which pays homage to NFL players who engage in community service.
Meanwhile, Jamaica-born Patrick Chung, also featured in the story, left the Philadelphia Eagles and returned to the New England Patriots to play for Bill Belichick, considered one of the most difficult and challenging coaches in the NFL. Chung soared, figuratively and literally, with high-flying tackles at the free safety position, which stunned opponents’ offenses. Belichick deemed Chung a crucial, versatile player who excelled at any defensive position where he was slotted.
And Jamaica-born Trevardo Williams, a fourth-round draft pick and rookie for the Texas Texans, suffered an injury that prevented him from playing most of the season with the Texans. He made the rounds of the NFL, and landed eventually in the Canadian Football League (CFL), playing for the Toronto Argonauts.
What’s the exemplary colour of the Caribbean? Many would say blue, in all its hues: the colour of the sea that surrounds our islands. There’s something about that tropical marine blue that lifts the spirits: no wonder blue waters have appeared on no fewer than seventeen of our covers over the years.
This freshly painted chattel door caught my eye as I was driving past, and I just had to stop and capture it. We have a history of finely crafted chattel houses in Barbados. More recently we started using bright colours rather than the traditional brown of past times — orange and green being a popular colour combination in Bim.
Imagine my delight when my chattel house door ended up on the cover! On receiving the magazine, I kept it for a few days, then decided the people who live in the house should have it. Having never met them, I drove over and knocked. Lisa came to the door. And her mum. And her son. They were all delighted. I had already planned to “pay it forward,” so gave Lisa a percentage of what I earned for this photograph. Lisa emotionally told me that the money had come at just the right time. She hugged me. Gran hugged me, and Son told me I had to hug him too. So, hugs all round, all of us crying and laughing. I have now met three more wonderful Bajans in my island. Feels good. Feels right.
A Cuban street musician — performing a trumpet solo, snazzily attired in brown suit and two-tone shoes — was the cover subject of our November/December 2015 issue. It was a favourite of Dionne Ligoure, head of corporate communications for Caribbean Airlines, and a longtime reader of the magazine. In fact, Ligoure keeps a copy of this cover on display in her office at the airline’s headquarters.
And what does Caribbean Beat mean to her, and the airline? I’m tremendously proud of the magazine,” Ligoure says. “For the past twenty-five years, Caribbean Beat has featured, documented, archived, and highlighted the accomplishments of Caribbean icons throughout the region and our diaspora.
Sometimes it’s tough deciding among the options for a cover subject — and sometimes there’s no contest. That was exactly the case with our July/August issue last year, timed with the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. “No contest” also describes how some of the world’s best sprinters must have felt, knowing they were up against Usain Bolt in the men’s 100- and 200-metre events.
Born in rural Trelawny Parish, Jamaica, in 1986, Bolt is the fastest human being on record, and considered the greatest sprinter of all time. Where track and field are concerned, the past decade has indisputably been the Age of Bolt, and it’s hard to imagine another athlete so dominating the sport in the near future.
Few people could have predicted this unprecedented victory streak back in 2004, when Bolt — then just shy of his eighteenth birthday — appeared in the pages of Caribbean Beat for the first time. But it was already clear he was a major talent — writer Kwame Laurence called him one of the fastest men alive, previewing the Caribbean’s medal hopefuls in the Athens Olympics. Slowed by a leg injury, Bolt didn’t make it past the first round of heats. But he was just getting started.
Heading to the 2012 London Olympics, Bolt was a clear favourite — both with the crowds, who loved his high-spirited antics, and to repeat his wins. He didn’t disappoint. For Jamaicans, the timing of the achievement was especially significant, coming in the very month when the nation celebrated its fiftieth anniversary of Independence. “I’m now a legend,” Bolt remarked, matter-of-factly.
But the truly legendary feat was in Rio in August 2016. “This will surely be his last Olympic Games,” wrote Kwame Laurence, “and he’ll do everything in his power to ensure a golden farewell.” No athlete had ever won the 100-metre event at three consecutive Olympics, nor the 200 metres. To win them both — a “triple double” — would once have been unthinkable. But not, as it turned out, for Usain Bolt.
Our oldest cover subject in twenty-five years? That would be Linda McArtha Sandy-Lewis, the indefatigable Calypso Rose, who was seventy-six when she fronted our November/December issue last year. And in this case, age isn’t just a number, or a bit of trivia — it’s evidence of the longevity of one of the most extraordinary careers in Caribbean music, dating back to the 1950s. When the Tobago-born calypsonian started her career as a teenager, calypso was still a macho genre. That she ascended to the heights of the artform is tribute to her skill as a singer and composer, her warmth and sincerity on stage, her wicked lyrics and playful performance style. Audiences adored her, but it wasn’t until 1978 — more than two decades into her career — that she won calypso’s highest honour. They had to literally rename the Calypso King title for her sake.
The same energy, talent, and dedication that earned her that groundbreaking accolade are also responsible for the remarkable resurgence in popularity Rose has experienced in her eighth decade. Her latest album, Far from Home, was a surprise hit of summer 2016 in Europe, winning her thousands of new fans and a growing number of international awards, as she keeps to a touring schedule many younger musicians would envy. And her tune “Leave Me Alone” — featuring a guest appearance by Machel Montano — was yet another hit on the road at Carnival 2017.
Caribbean Beat has always been free for Caribbean Airlines (and, before that, BWIA) passengers to take home — and many of you have done just that, collecting each issue as it appears on planes. A full set of all 144 magazines published to date takes up about two and a half feet of shelf space (and weighs almost a hundred pounds — yes, we checked). Readers hold on to them because many of the articles, profiles, and interviews are worth revisiting, even decades later. Researchers make reference to the magazine and teachers use it in classrooms.
But if you haven’t been a Caribbean Beat reader and collector since 1992 — or if you don’t have two and a half feet of shelf space to spare — you can still access our rather vast archive via our website. The magazine first went online circa 1998. Back then, in the days when no one knew as yet what the World Wide Web would turn out to be, only a handful of articles from each issue were posted online, and some HTML hand-coding was involved. It’s a lot simpler these days. Not only can you read the full contents of each new issue online, you can also search all the way back to issue number one in a matter of seconds — if, say, your heart is set on finding every single reference to Machel Montano we’ve ever published.
Now, the archive is a work in progress — we’re still digitising some of the earlier issues. Even so, there are close to 2,500 articles already available, which makes the Caribbean Beat website one of the most extensive free online archives of Caribbean culture. Even for our editorial staff, exploring this archive is always an adventure of discovery and re-discovery.
Find it all at caribbean-beat.com. | 2019-04-20T10:48:17Z | https://www.caribbean-beat.com/issue-144/caribbean-beat-goes-on-25th-anniversary |
A catheter adapted for performing a task at a location inside a lumen, the catheter comprising: a) an outer sheath; b) a balloon capable of inflating inside the lumen when the catheter reaches the location; and c) a balloon inflation tube, which is attached to the balloon and carries a fluid which causes the inflating of the balloon, said balloon inflation tube running through the outer sheath, movable relative to the outer sheath, and stiff enough so that it can be used to push and pull the balloon relative to the outer sheath.
This application claims priority from and is a continuation-in-part of PCT application PCT/IL03/00995 filed on Nov. 25, 2003, which designates the United States, and is also a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/303,064, filed on Nov. 25, 2002, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference. This application also incorporates by reference a patent application titled “Catheter Drive,” agent's file reference 378/04070, filed on May 27, 2004, the same day as the current application, at the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
The field of the invention is catheters, particularly for positioning and advancing stents and other medical devices in blood vessels and other lumens of the body.
Blood vessels can suffer from various diseases, in particular arteriosclerosis, in which obstructions form in a lumen of a blood vessel, narrowing or clogging it. Emboli can also cause clogging of blood vessels. A common treatment method for narrowing is inserting a catheter with a balloon at its end to a clogged portion of the blood vessel, inflating the balloon and possibly leaving a stent at the clogged location, to keep the blood vessel open.
Precise positioning of the stent in the blood vessel is important. For example, stents are often placed over plaque in arteries. Placing the stent at a wrong position, for example not directly over the plaque, can increase the chance of complications such as stent thrombosis and restenosis. Precise positioning also allows a stent with the right length to just cover the plaque. It is also important, in the case of plaque located near a bifurcation in an artery, not to position the stent so that it will block the ostium of the artery in the bifurcation. However, it is often difficult for physicians to precisely control the position of a catheter, even when imaging techniques make it possible to tell exactly where the stent is, relative to the plaque. This difficulty is due to the friction between the catheter and the blood vessel. A certain force is needed to get the catheter to start moving, but once it starts moving, the catheter might jump a finite distance. Typically, the friction is dominated by the body of the catheter, which can be a meter or more in length, and not by the balloon and the stent, which tend to have relatively little friction with the blood vessel wall when the balloon is not inflated.
In some implementations, a guide wire is brought to the narrowed location, and then the catheter is pushed over the guide wire. If the catheter is soft, helping it to negotiate curves, it may be difficult to convey the pushing force along the catheter from outside the body to the tip. If the catheter is stiffer, it may be less able to negotiate sharp curves. In either case, excessive pushing may damage the blood vessels.
One solution suggested in the art is providing a catheter with varying levels of stiffness along its length—stiff at its proximal end and soft at its distal end.
Catheters with a balloon at the distal end typically have a separate lumen for an inflation tube, made of flexible plastic or metal for example, to inflate the balloon. The inflation tube is typically part of and inside a sheath which is stiff enough to push through the blood vessel.
An aspect of some embodiments of the invention concerns a catheter with a balloon, for example for expanding a stent. In an embodiment, the catheter comprises a relatively stiff inflation tube inside an outer sheath, and the inflation tube can move relative to the outer sheath. The catheter as a whole is used for coarse positioning of the balloon in a blood vessel or other lumen, as in conventional catheters. For example, the catheter is pushed and sometimes twisted by hand, while its progress is followed by using medical imaging device such as a fluoroscope. For fine adjustment in the position of the balloon, the inflation tube is used to push or pull the balloon, while keeping the outer sheath in place relative to the blood vessel wall. Because there is less friction between the inflation tube and the outer sheath than there is between the outer sheath and the blood vessel, there is better control on the positioning of the balloon and the stent and there is little or no jumping when using the inflation tube to move the balloon, and the balloon may be positioned accurately. The inflation tube is stiff enough to push or pull the balloon by itself. In addition, the stiffness of the inflation tube helps make the catheter as a whole stiff enough for the initial coarse positioning of the balloon. Once the balloon is accurately positioned, it is used to expand a stent, or to perform another task.
An aspect of some embodiments of the invention concerns a catheter with a balloon and an inflation tube, in which the inflation tube comprises two tubes: a relatively stiff inner inflation tube surrounded by a relatively flexible outer inflation tube. The inner inflation tube can be manipulated relative to the outer inflation tube from outside the body. Normally, both the inner and outer inflation tubes extend to the distal end of the catheter. When it is desired for the catheter to have a more flexible end, for example in order to negotiate sharp turns without damaging the blood vessel, the inner inflation tube is drawn back from the distal end of the catheter. This leaves an end portion of the outer inflation tube empty, and makes the end portion of the catheter more flexible than it would be with the inner inflation tube inside. When it is desired for the catheter to have a stiffer end, for example in order to push past a narrow region in a blood vessel, then the inner inflation tube is pushed to the distal end of the catheter. The relatively stiff inner inflation tube then stiffens the end portion of the catheter.
Optionally, both of these aspects may be present in an embodiment of the invention, in which there are three concentric tubes, an outer sheath, a relatively flexible outer inflation tube and a relatively stiff inner inflation tube, which may be moved relative to each other. Optionally, either or both of these features may be combined with the hydraulic mechanism for advancing the catheter described in PCT/IL03/00995. In that case, there are as many as four concentric tubes: an outer sheath, an inner sheath which comprises the hydraulic mechanism, an outer inflation tube inside the inner sheath, and an inner inflation tube. The outer inflation tube, or the inflation tube if there is only one tube, need not move relative to the inner sheath. The physician then has at his disposal three different means to position the balloon: 1) moving the outer sheath, i.e. the whole catheter, as in conventional catheters; 2) using the hydraulic mechanism to move the inner sheath, together with the inflation tube and the balloon; and 3) using the inflation tube to move the inner sheath and the balloon. Once the balloon is in the desired position, it is inflated, for example in order to expand a stent which surrounds the balloon, and once the stent is in place, or another therapeutic or diagnostic task has been accomplished, the balloon is deflated and the catheter is withdrawn.
c) a balloon inflation tube, which is attached to the balloon and carries a fluid which causes the inflating of the balloon, said balloon inflation tube running through the outer sheath, movable relative to the outer sheath, and stiff enough so that it can be used to push and pull the balloon relative to the outer sheath.
whereby moving the inner inflation tube element back from the tip of the catheter makes a distal portion of the catheter substantially more flexible than when the inner inflation tube extends to the tip of the catheter.
Optionally, the inner inflation tube element has a lumen which carries the fluid which causes the inflating of the balloon.
In an embodiment of the invention, the catheter includes a propulsion compartment located proximal to the balloon, the propulsion compartment comprising an outer tube and an inner tube, said tubes being concentric, wherein one of said outer tube and inner tube can slidingly move in relation to the other of said outer tube and inner tube in response to a pressure exerted thereon by a fluid introduced into one or both of said outer tube and inner tube.
Optionally, one of said outer tube and inner tube is the outer sheath, and the balloon inflation tube runs through and is attached to the other of said outer tube and inner tube.
Optionally, the outer tube is the outer sheath.
Alternatively, the inner tube is the outer sheath.
Optionally, the task comprises dilating the lumen.
Optionally, the lumen is inside the body.
Optionally, the lumen is a blood vessel.
Optionally, the task comprises placing a stent.
Optionally, the balloon inflation tube comprises stainless steel.
Alternatively, the balloon inflation tube comprises NiTi.
Optionally, the balloon comprises plastic.
Alternatively or additionally, the balloon comprises a polymer.
In an embodiment of the invention, the catheter is adapted for using a guide wire.
Optionally, the catheter is adapted for using an “over the wire” guide wire.
Alternatively or additionally, the catheter is adapted for using a “rapid exchange” guide wire.
b) fine adjusting the position of the balloon, said fine adjusting comprising moving an inflation tube of the balloon catheter relative to an outer sheath of said catheter, by manually manipulating said inflation tube.
Optionally, moving the inflation tube relative to the outer sheath comprises moving the inflation tube while keeping the outer sheath stationary with respect to the lumen.
Optionally, positioning the balloon approximately comprises moving the entire catheter through the lumen.
Alternatively or additionally, positioning the balloon approximately comprises using hydraulic force.
Optionally, fine adjusting also comprises using hydraulic force to move the balloon, while keeping the outer sheath of the catheter stationary with respect to the lumen.
b) arranging the moveable stiffening element to be withdrawn some distance back from the tip of the catheter, when manipulating the tip of the catheter past the sharply curved portions.
Optionally, the stiffening element is located inside a balloon inflation tube of said catheter.
Alternatively, the stiffening element comprises a balloon and a balloon inflation tube of said catheter, and arranging the stiffening element to be withdrawn some distance back comprises withdrawing the balloon into an outer sheath of said catheter.
Exemplary, non-limiting embodiments of the invention will be described below, with reference to the following drawings, which are not generally drawn to scale. The same elements are marked with the same or similar reference numbers in different drawings.
FIG. 6 is a schematic side cross-sectional view of a catheter according to another exemplary embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 1 shows an intravascular balloon catheter 100, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention, comprising an inflation tube 102 surrounded by an outer sheath 104. There is a balloon 106 at the end of inflation tube 102, which is stiff enough so that the inflation tube can be used to push the balloon relative to the rest of the catheter, for fine adjustment in positioning the balloon.
FIG. 1 is not necessarily drawn to scale, and in particular, the outer sheath and inflation tube of catheter 100 are typically very much longer, relative to their diameter, than shown in FIG. 1. This is also true of the catheters in all the other drawings. Also, in FIG. 1 and in the other drawings, balloon 106 is shown in a somewhat inflated state, for clarity. In practice the balloon will be in a collapsed state, fitting fairly closely around the inflation tube, until it is in position and ready for inflating.
An inflation tube manipulator 108, outside the body, allows the inflation tube, together with the balloon, to be moved back and forth axially with respect to the outer sheath. Optionally, inflation tube manipulator 108 also includes, or is connected to, an indeflator, i.e. an element for pumping a fluid such as saline solution into the balloon, to inflate it. If manipulator 108 includes a reservoir and plunger for pumping fluid into balloon 106, it would preferably be bigger, relative to balloon 106, than shown in FIG. 1, and this is true of inflation tube manipulators appearing in the other drawings as well. One or more optional seals 110 may be located at the distal end of the outer sheath, as shown in the drawing, or outside the body at the proximal end of the outer sheath, or anywhere in between. Seal 110 prevents blood from leaking out of the body, and prevents air and other material from getting into the blood vessel, through the catheter. Alternatively, inflation tube 102 fits closely enough to the inner surface of outer sheath 104 that there is no need for a special seal. Optionally, there is also a guide wire, not shown in the drawing, which may use either a “rapid exchange” (monorail) system, as described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No 4,748,982 to Horzewski and Yock, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference, or an “over the wire” system.
The balloon catheter may be used, for example, to place a stent in an artery, as shown in FIGS. 2A-2E, or to enlarge the lumen of a partially obstructed artery by angioplasty or arthrectomy, or for any other therapeutic or diagnostic purpose for which conventional balloon catheters are used. Such applications include thermal ablation of tissue (using RF, laser, or ohmic heating for example), cryotherapy, photodynamic therapy, drug delivery, dilation of various lumens in the body (including, for example, esophagus, bile duct, urethra, Fallopian tube, heart valve, tear duct, and carpal tunnel), positioning devices for radiation therapy or for imaging (for example using ultrasound), occluding or sealing openings, and delivering endovascular grafts. Balloon catheter 100 is particularly useful for applications in which precise positioning of the balloon is important.
In FIG. 2A, outer sheath 104 of catheter 100, together with inflation tube 102, and balloon 106 with a stent 206 fitted around it, is initially manipulated through a blood vessel 202, similarly to a conventional intravascular catheter, until the balloon and stent are approximately in the desired position in the blood vessel. If the catheter includes a guide wire, not shown in FIG. 2A, then the guide wire is optionally pushed first into position through the blood vessel, followed by the catheter. In FIG. 2B, balloon 106 has reached a location close to plaque 204 in the wall of blood vessel 202. It is desired to place stent 206 precisely over plaque 204, but not to have the stent block the opening of a blood vessel 208 which branches off blood vessel 202 near plaque 204. In FIG. 2C, outer sheath 104 remains in place relative to blood vessel 202, and manipulator 108 is used to move inflation tube 102 and balloon 106 toward lesion 204. Because outer sheath 104 and inflation tube 102 are optionally designed to have much less friction and stiction moving against each other than the outer sheath has when moving against the blood vessel wall, it is potentially easier to precisely position the balloon in this way, than it would be by moving the whole catheter in the blood vessel. Finally, in FIG. 2D, balloon 106 is in the precise position desired, centered at lesion 204, and past the opening of blood vessel 208. Balloon 106 is expanded, by pumping fluid into it, under pressure, through inflation tube 102. The expanding balloon causes stent 206 to expand, and anchors it in place. In FIG. 2E, balloon 106 has been deflated, by releasing the pressure through inflation tube 102, and catheter 100 is being withdrawn, leaving stent 206 in place, precisely covering lesion 204, but not blocking the opening of blood vessel 208.
Optionally, balloon catheter 100 performs any other therapeutic or diagnostic task, including any of those listed above, once balloon 106 is in position, instead of or in addition to placing the stent. Similar balloon catheters, of appropriate dimensions, are optionally used in lumens other than blood vessels.
Inflation tube 102 is optionally made of stainless steel, nickel-titanium (Nitinol), or other biocompatible materials with the right mechanical properties, including plastics or polymers. The inflation tube is preferably stiff enough so that it can be used to push the balloon for fine positioning, but flexible enough so that it can bend with the catheter in going around sharp curves in blood vessels. Also, outer sheath 104, in combination with inflation tube 102, is stiff enough to enable the catheter to be manipulated through the blood vessel for coarse positioning, but flexible enough to allow the catheter to follow turns in the blood vessel.
FIG. 3A shows a catheter 300, similar to catheter 100 in FIG. 1, but with the additional capability of using hydraulic force to move the balloon, as described in PCT/IL03/00995. Like catheter 100, catheter 300 has a balloon 106 attached to an inflation tube 102, a manipulator 108 at the proximal end of inflation tube 102, and an outer sheath 104. Catheter 300 also has an inner sheath 302, attached to the balloon. Inner sheath 302, which is moveable relative to outer sheath 104, surrounds inflation tube 102 and fits inside outer sheath 104. Inner sheath 302 does not extend over the whole length of the catheter, but ends at a seal 304, before the proximal end of outer sheath 104. Seal 304 can move smoothly along the inside surface of outer sheath 104, but seal 304 does not allow fluid to pass through it. At its distal end, inner sheath 302 optionally ends at a surface 308, which extends radially from the inner surface of inner sheath 302 to the outer surface of inflation tube 102.
The portion of outer sheath 104 proximal to seal 304 is filled with saline solution or another relatively incompressible fluid, and there is an indeflator 306, or a similar hydraulic displacement element such as a plunger or a flexible bulb, located outside the body at the proximal end of outer sheath 104. When indeflator 306 is compressed, pressure builds up in the fluid, which exerts an unbalanced longitudinal force on surface 308. This force causes inner sheath 302 to move, together with balloon 106 which is attached to inner sheath 302. This forward motion of inner sheath 302 increases the volume of fluid again, relieving the build up in pressure. Realistically, indeflator 306 would preferably be larger in volume, relative to the volume of inner sheath 302, than shown in FIG. 3A, and this is true of the indeflators in other drawings as well.
Indeflator 306, like manipulator 108, is optionally used only for fine positioning of balloon 106, after coarse positioning the balloon by manipulating the entire catheter through the blood vessel. In this case, inner sheath 302 is optionally rather short, only as long as the greatest distance needed for fine positioning. Also in this case, there is optionally no inner sheath 302 at all, and seal 304 is attached directly to inflation tube 102. But using an inner sheath, with surface 308 greater in area than seal 304, has the potential advantage that most of the force is applied to surface 308, which is close to the location of the balloon, rather than to seal 304, which is removed some distance from the balloon.
Alternatively, indeflator 306 is used not just for fine positioning, but for the initial coarse positioning of the balloon as well, instead of or in addition to manipulating outer sheath 104, as in a conventional catheter, for initial positioning. In this case, inner sheath 302 is optionally almost as long as outer sheath 104, and seal 304 is optionally located near the proximal end of outer sheath 104 initially. Particularly in this case, surface 308 is preferably much greater in area than seal 304, so that the hydraulic force is exerted mostly on surface 308, near the balloon, and not on seal 304, which may be very far from the balloon.
Optionally, whether or not indeflator 306 is used for initial coarse positioning of the balloon, inner sheath 302 makes a sufficiently close fit to the inside of outer sheath 104 that there is no need for seal 304 at all, and almost all of the hydraulic force is applied to surface 308, near the balloon. Alternatively, there is a seal attached to the distal end of outer sheath 104 which prevents fluid from leaking out, instead of or in addition to seal 304.
Depending on the shape and texture of the inner wall of the blood vessel adjacent to the balloon, either indeflator 306 or manipulator 108 may be more effective for fine positioning of the balloon, or manipulating the catheter as a whole may even be more effective. Alternatively, a combination of two of these methods of moving the balloon, or all three, may be more effective than any one of them. A potential advantage of catheter 300 is that the physician has a choice of these three options when positioning the balloon.
Optionally, indeflator 306 can only exert a force which moves balloon 106 in a distal direction. Alternatively, indeflator 306 is reversible, and can be used both to pull and to push on surface 308 and seal 304, moving balloon 106 in either a distal or a proximal direction. In the latter case, indeflator 306 can be used to adjust the position of the balloon by pulling it back if it is inadvertently pushed too far. In the former case, only manipulator 108, or the catheter as a whole, can be used to pull the balloon back.
FIG. 3B shows a catheter 310 which is similar to catheter 300, but with what used to be the “inner” sheath now located outside the outer sheath. To avoid misleading terminology, the former “inner” sheath will be referred to as the “outermost sheath” in FIG. 3B, since it is outside the outer sheath. The outer sheath will still be called the “outer sheath” because it is outside the inflation tube, even though it is now inside the outermost sheath. Thus, in catheter 310, there is an outermost sheath 312 which is attached to inflation tube 102 and balloon 106, and there is a surface 308 at the distal end of outermost sheath 312. There is an outer sheath 314, between outermost sheath 312 and inflation tube 102, which does not extend to the distal end of outermost sheath 312. Outermost sheath 312 does not extend to the proximal end of outer sheath 314. Seals 316 and 318, respectively attached to the proximal end of outermost sheath 312 and the distal end of outer sheath 314, allow the outer and outermost sheaths to slide along each other, but do not allow fluid to leak out between them. Optionally, only one of these seals is present, or the outer and outermost sheaths fit closely enough together so that there is no need for either seal. A manipulator 108, at the proximal end of inflation tube 102, allows inflation tube 102, together with outermost sheath 312 and balloon 106, to be pushed or pulled relative to outer sheath 314, for fine positioning of the balloon. Outer sheath 314, and a distal portion of outermost sheath 312 up to seal 318, are filled with a relatively incompressible fluid, such as a saline solution, which is connected to an indeflator 306 or similar hydraulic displacement element located outside the body. The indeflator exerts a hydraulic force on surface 308, causing outermost sheath 312, together with inflation tube 102 and balloon 106, to move relative to outer sheath 314. Depending on how long outermost sheath 312 is, indeflator 306 is used either only for fine positioning of the balloon, or for both coarse and fine positioning of the balloon.
FIG. 4A shows a catheter 400, the distal portion of which can be adjusted in stiffness. Catheter 400 has a balloon 106 attached to a relatively flexible outer balloon inflation tube 402. An inner inflation tube 404 is relatively stiffer than outer inflation tube 402, or at least the two tubes together are significantly stiffer than the outer inflation tube by itself. The inner inflation tube can move relative to the outer inflation tube. A manipulator 406 is attached to the proximal end of inner inflation tube 404, outside the body, and can be used to move inner inflation tube 404 relative to outer inflation tube 402. Optionally, manipulator 406 also includes, or is connected to, an indeflator or similar element for pumping a fluid such as saline solution into the balloon, to inflate it.
In FIG. 4A, inner inflation tube 404 is pushed as far as it will go toward the distal end of outer inflation tube 402, at or past the end of balloon 106. In this state, the distal portion of catheter 400, out to the tip, is relatively stiff. In FIG. 4B, inner inflation tube 404 is shown withdrawn some distance back from the distal end of outer inflation tube 402. In this state, the distal portion of catheter 400, back to the end of inner inflation tube 404, is substantially more flexible than it was in FIG. 4A.
Controlling the flexibility of the tip of a catheter is potentially useful for manipulating the catheter through a blood vessel, as shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B. For example, when trying to push the tip of catheter 400 past an obstruction 502 in a relatively straight portion 504 of a blood vessel, as shown in FIG. 5A, a stiff catheter tip may be desirable. A more flexible catheter tip may be desirable when trying to push catheter 400 past a sharp curve 506 in a blood vessel, as shown in FIG. 5B. By moving inner inflation tube 402 relative to outer inflation tube 404, a flexible portion at the end of the catheter may be made any desired length, depending on what is needed at that time.
Optionally, inner inflation tube 404 is not a complete tube, but has, for example, a C-shaped cross-section, at least in the part of its length that is inside outer inflation tube 402. Optionally, no part of inner inflation tube 404 is a complete tube, and the fluid for inflating balloon 106 is pumped not into inner inflation tube 404, but directly into outer inflation tube 402. In this case, “inner inflation tube” would be a misnomer, and it would be more accurate to call inner inflation tube 404 a “stiffening element” for outer inflation tube 402. However, it is potentially advantageous to make inner inflation tube 404 a complete tube, since that will increase its stiffness and its resistance to buckling, for a given material and inner and outer diameter. For similar reasons, it is potentially advantageous to have inner inflation tube 404 fill up almost all of the cross-sectional area of the lumen of outer inflation tube 402. In that case, there will not be much room for fluid to flow through outer inflation tube 402, so it may be advantageous to inflate balloon 106 through inner inflation tube 404, as described.
It should be appreciated that catheter 100 or catheter 300 is also optionally used in a manner similar to catheter 400, to adjust the stiffness of the catheter tip. In the case of catheter 100 or catheter 300, the tip is optionally made more flexible by using inflation tube 102 to pull balloon 106 back some distance inside outer sheath 104, leaving the distal end of outer sheath 104 empty and relatively flexible. When inflation tube 102 is used to push balloon 106 back up to the distal end of outer sheath 104, then the tip of the catheter (i.e. the distal end of outer sheath 104) becomes stiffer. Depending on the relative stiffness of outer sheath 104, balloon 106 and inflation tube 102, pushing balloon 106 some distance beyond the distal end of outer sheath 104, as shown in FIG. 1, results in a catheter tip (now the balloon and the inflation tube without the outer sheath) of intermediate stiffness.
FIG. 6 shows a catheter 600, which combines the features of catheters 300 and 400 of FIGS. 3A and 4A. Catheter 600, like catheter 300, can be fine positioned using any of three different methods, alone or in combination: 1) manipulating the whole catheter; 2) using manipulator 108 to move outer inflation tube 402 (together with balloon 106) relative to outer sheath 104; and 3) using indeflator 306 to move inner sheath 302, together with balloon 106, relative to outer sheath 104. As with catheter 300, any of the hydraulic elements described in PCT/IL03/00995 may be used, instead of or in addition to indeflator 306. Optionally, the hydraulic elements can be configured to look like those in catheter 310 of FIG. 3B, instead of like those in catheter 300 of FIG. 3A.
Like catheter 400, catheter 600 has an inner inflation tube 404, which can be withdrawn back any distance from the tip of the catheter, in order to reduce the stiffness of some portion of the catheter near the tip. The adjustability of the flexibility of catheter 600 is potentially useful both when manipulating the catheter as a whole, and when moving the balloon separately, using either manipulator 108 or indeflator 306, as well as when using any combination of these methods. Thus, catheter 600 potentially provides more options for precise positioning of balloons in difficult situations than catheters 100, 300,310 or 400.
3. A catheter according to claim 2, wherein the inner inflation tube element has a lumen which carries the fluid which causes the inflating of the balloon.
4. A catheter according to claim 1, and including a propulsion compartment located proximal to the balloon, the propulsion compartment comprising an outer tube and an inner tube, said tubes being concentric, wherein one of said outer tube and inner tube can slidingly move in relation to the other of said outer tube and inner tube in response to a pressure exerted thereon by a fluid introduced into one or both of said outer tube and inner tube.
5. A catheter according to claim 4, wherein one of said outer tube and inner tube is the outer sheath, and the balloon inflation tube runs through and is attached to the other of said outer tube and inner tube.
6. A catheter according to claim 5, wherein the outer tube is the outer sheath.
7. A catheter according to claim 5, wherein the inner tube is the outer sheath.
9. A catheter according to claim 8, wherein the inner inflation tube element has a lumen which carries the fluid which causes the inflating of the balloon.
10. A catheter according to claim 1, wherein the task comprises dilating the lumen.
11. A catheter according to claim 1, wherein the lumen is inside the body.
12. A catheter according to claim 11, wherein the lumen is a blood vessel.
13. A catheter according to claim 12, wherein the catheter comprises a stent.
14. A catheter according to claim 1, wherein the balloon inflation tube comprises stainless steel.
15. A catheter according to claim 1, wherein the balloon inflation tube comprises NiTi.
16. A catheter according to claim 1, wherein the balloon comprises plastic.
17. A catheter according to claim 1, wherein the balloon comprises a polymer.
18. A catheter according to claim 1, adapted for using a guide wire.
19. A catheter according to claim 18, adapted for using an “over the wire” guide wire.
20. A catheter according to claim 18, adapted for using a “rapid exchange” guide wire.
22. A method according to claim 21, wherein moving the inflation tube relative to the outer sheath comprises moving the inflation tube while keeping the outer sheath stationary with respect to the lumen.
23. A method according to claim 21, wherein positioning the balloon approximately comprises moving the entire catheter through the lumen.
24. A method according to claim 23, wherein positioning the balloon approximately also comprises using hydraulic force.
25. A method according to claim 21, wherein positioning the balloon approximately comprises using hydraulic force.
26. A method according to claim 21, wherein fine adjusting also comprises using hydraulic force to move the balloon, while keeping the outer sheath of the catheter stationary with respect to the lumen.
28. A method according to claim 27, wherein the stiffening element is located inside a balloon inflation tube of said catheter.
29. A method according to claim 27, wherein the stiffening element comprises a balloon and a balloon inflation tube of said catheter, and arranging the stiffening element to be withdrawn some distance back comprises withdrawing the balloon into an outer sheath of said catheter.
30. A catheter according to claim 13, wherein the stent is located at substantially the same axial extent of the catheter as the balloon in a configuration suitable for inserting of the catheter into the lumen.
31. A catheter according to claim 13, wherein the stent is adapted to move with the balloon inflation tube when moved relative to the outer sheath.
32. A catheter according to claim 13, wherein moving the balloon inflation tube distally telescopically extends the length of the catheter. | 2019-04-23T02:50:09Z | https://patents.google.com/patent/US20070282302A1/en |
per person for 7 nights, based on a family of 4 staying in a Casetta Splendida on a bed and breakfast basis and including transfers.
The climate in Puglia is generally warm sunny and dry in April/May and again in October with the risk of the odd shower of rain. Sometimes it can be cool in the evenings. By June the weather settles in a pattern of long hot sunny days and balmy evenings especially in July and August when it can get a bit humid. Rain is unlikely but it can happen from time to time. June and September are particularly pleasurable months.
The Borgo Piazza during the summer months is transformed into a bustling Puglian square during the day and a fascinating musical venue in the evenings.
Trullalleri the Borgo children's club is one of the best I have ever visited. Plenty of activities and toys for the children, not to mention the lovely team of childcarers.
A fresh juice in the morning from the beach bar is a great way to start the day.
The children's playground is the best play area I have ever seen with plenty to keep them entertained.
You must try the local superb peppery olive oil you will need the local crunchy bread biscuits called Taralli to dip into this to truly enjoy it. - Don't worry you can buy these moorish treats in the hotel shop before departure.
If you have a hire car, a lovely trip out from Borgo Egnazia is to visit the picturesque coastal towns of Monopoli and Polignano A Mare which are just a 15 and 25 minute drive away respectively.
The interior decor of Borgo Egnazia is really stunning, with reference to the four elements throughout - you certainly leave feeling inspired for your own home!
The Vair spa is the ideal retreat with a unique specialisation in psychosomatic naturopathy.
Make sure you hire some bikes and take a guided tour through the olive groves – you can also organize a picnic for your half-way break!
Spend the day at the beach club and enjoy a long lunch of fresh seafood and Puglian Rose at Cala Masciola.
Enjoy a round of golf on the championship San Domenico golf course which stretches between the hotel and the beach.
Borgo Egnazia is one of the Mediterranean’s most luxurious hotels. Set within 20 hectares along the Puglian coast of Southern Italy, it's perfect for couples as well as families wanting to take advantage of the well-appointed children's club.
Borgo Egnazia has been designed on a traditional Apulian village all set within 20 hectares along the Puglian coast of Southern Italy. It has been created using traditional craftsmanship blended sympathetically with the local architecture and history that typifies this undiscovered region of Italy. All materials have been sourced locally from the stone, marble, plants and wood.
The hotel is composed of three different areas; La Corte (hotel), Borgo village and Villas. The hotel accommodation ranges from standard Corte Bella rooms to spacious one and two bedroom suites, many of which can interconnect. All rooms have a contemporary, Mediterranean feel with neutral tones, white limestone walls, traditional fabrics and spacious living. Many of the hotel rooms offer views of the Adriatic Sea to the distance, nearby hills or the hotel’s stunning pool area. The Egnazia Spa featuring a modern day interpretation of a Roman bath house is situated at the hotel along with two enormous outdoor swimming pools, restaurant and bar. The restaurant offers a rich bounty of sun-grown produce, experience the fresh ingredients and enticing flavors of Puglia.
The 30 villas (spread across eight separate buildings) all have three bedrooms spread over three floors and are the most luxurious and exclusive accommodation at the resort. Outside, each villa features a private garden, private pool, wrap around balconies and a roof terrace where the stunning panoramic views can be enjoyed. For larger groups it is also possible to take two villas side by side.
Accommodation in the Borgo (meaning 'village' in Italian) includes beautiful, spacious 1 or 2 bedroomed townhouses with a small kitchenette, open plan with the sitting room and outdoor courtyard. There is also a traditional Apulian village square, further restaurants and the family friendly pool which is heated from mid-May.
The Trullalleri children's club for children aged eight months to eight years is a bright and airy club that has been cleverly divided and designed for each age group. Half days are possible at the club.
There is also a club for older children and teens, aimed for those aged 8 - 16 years. The club's base is in the games room with access to air hockey and table tennis.
At Borgo Egnazia there is a fantastic range of accommodation options to suit all budgets and space requirements. Guests can choose to be centrally located in the main hotel (La Corte), independent in the three-bedroom villas around the perimeter of the resort or in the one of the terraced townhouses within the Borgo. Whatever type of accommodation you choose, each has been beautifully styled and decorated in creams and neutral tones with a Puglian twist.
The main hotel has 63 elegant guest rooms with locally quarried limestone walls and cream decor. Modern luxury influences the rooms, perfectly evident in the spa style bathrooms. All rooms boast balconies or rooftop terraces.
The three bedroom villas represent the pinnacle of Adriatic luxury. Each villa has a private pool and wraparound terrace.
The Borgo is a re-creation of a typical Puglian village complete with a central Piazza. The Townhouses vary in type and layout but each follow the theme of the hotel with the stylish neutral interiors blended with typical Puglian design features.
All 28 villas are fully furnished and designed over three levels, with three bedrooms, four bathrooms, terrace, garden, patio and private pool. Villa Il Villiano is 100sqm over two floors.
• Ground floor: fully equipped kitchen; living area with TV and mini audio system with Ipod dock station and dining area.
• First floor: main bedroom with king-size four-poster bed and bathroom, second bedroom with super king-size bed or twin beds and bathroom with bath.
• Basement: fully furnished family room with dining table, comfortable living area with TV and home-theater system including DVD player and connectivity panel, third bedroom with super king-size bed or twin beds; bathroom with shower box.
• Welcome and Goodbye gifts.
Occupancy: 6-8 people. A king-size sofa bed in the family room and/or an extra beds in the spare room are available at an extra charge in all Villas, except Il Villino, which is for a maximum of 4 people in two double rooms and Villa Bella and Villa Deliziosa, which are for a maximum of 6 people.
There are 6 villa categories. All villas have the same layout, style and size (250sqm). The only difference is the pool size and the outdoor access/natural light in the basement.
The basement opens up to a private courtyard and citrus garden through French doors in the family room or 3rd bedroom in these 3 villas.
The Borgo, with its central Piazza, is an unique part of the property. Its architectural design is that of a traditional Apulian village. It hosts many of hotel's facilities and services, such as La Frasca restaurant and the trattoria Mia Cucina where you can attend cooking classes, enjoy a pizza; the fabulous Trullalleri Kids Club and the Fichi d’India Teens Club. The narrow streets and architectural details are all inspired by nearby towns with a clever mix of tradition, elegance and attention to detail. During the summer months, the Piazza is the Borgo's focal point. It hosts outdoor dinners and events, movie-screenings, street fairs and games (ends approx 11pm).
The Borgo offers a number of accommodation categories: Borgo Splendida, Borgo Magnifica, Casetta Bella, Casetta Splendida and Casetta Magnifica. They are all provided with at least one stone-bathroom, telephone, safe deposit box, mini-bar and at least one LCD TV set with video and music on demand; satellite channels and a connectivity panel that enables to connect personal contents to the TV by cable or bluetooth; cable, Wi-Fi and TV internet connection; TV audio control/speaker in bathrooms.
The entire Borgo is characterized by a rustic-chic interior design.
The Borgo offers cosy and affordable accommodation. The types recommended for families are the 2 bedroom Casetta Splendida or Casetta Magnifica. The size of these two casettas are very similar, but the layout is different.
Casetta Splendida (90sqm). Max occupancy 4 people. Ideal for families with one or two older children or a couple wanting independence and space.
•Ground floor: living area with a TV, kitchenette and bathroom with glass shower box. Extra room which can be used as studio or kids room with bunk beds.
•First floor: bedroom with super king-size bed or Twin beds, TV and stone bathroom with double sink, walk in shower and separate bath.
Casetta Magnifica (90sqm). Ideal for: groups of friends or a family of 4/5. NB. There is no space for a cot.
•Ground floor: living-room area with a sofa,TV, kitchenette and bathroom with glass shower box, walk-in closet ideal for golf sacks, strollers and luggage.
•First floor: bedroom with super king-size bed or twin beds, TV and stone bathroom with double sink and double shower; second bedroom with king-size bed or twin bed, TV and stone bathroom with bath tub.
The Casetta Bella is a Borgo townhouse for 2 people which can take an extra bed.
The Villa Stupenda is a three-storey villa surrounded by a large private garden with a gazebo and pool and has a rooftop terrace. The Villa has two living areas, one with fireplace, a large kitchen with dining table and three en-suite bedrooms. The Villa measures 250 sqm and can accomodate up to 6 guests and 2 children.
La Corte is the main central building home to the Due Camini restaurant and the spa Vair. The interiors are a perfect blend between traditional Mediterranean style and contemporary design. The 63 rooms are divided in different categories: La Corte Bella, La Corte Splendida, La Corte Magnifica, plus the wonderful Suite Egnazia.
Each room is equipped with a super king-size bed or twin beds, the bathrooms are entirely made of local limestone and the rooms boast either a balcony, terrace or private garden.
The balconies and terraces offer wonderful views, some over the Adriatic Sea in the distance, others, the millenary old olive groves or the surrounding Murge hills. Each La Corte room is provided with: at least one bathroom with double sink, walk in shower and separate bathtub; three telephones including a cordless one; mini-bar, safe deposit box and at least one LCD TV set (32”-42”) with video and music on demand, satellite channels including Italian SkySports and connectivity panel enabling guests to connect personal contents to the TV by cable or bluetooth; cable, Wi-Fi and TV internet connection; TV audio control/speaker in bathrooms.
90 sqm two storey townhouse ideal for a family with up to two children or for a couple looking for extra space.
Includes a small kitchenette, living area, double bedroom with super-king bed and a convertible studio to include bunk beds if required. Private patio and roof terrace.
La Corte Magnifica rooms are our suites in La Corte, featuring a bright living area with two sofas, a large stone table next to an exquisite decorative fireplace. The separate bedroom is both spacious and stylish, with a super king-size bed and a large bathroom. The suite’s private terrace is equipped with table, chairs and some sun loungers allowing guests to enjoy the view over the swimming pool, the olive groves or the San Domenico golf course and the blue Adriatic sea.
The kids club is situated in the Borgo and is known locally as Trullalleri. It is a fantastic custom designed space for children embracing the traditional lives of the local Apulians and what typifies this region of Italy. The club caters for children aged eight months - 7 years and is opened daily from 9am - 6pm. The indoor area has been divided into age appropriate areas by the traditional Trulli houses. Each day there is a varied and interesting activity program designed for each age group which makes the most of the facilities and activities available in the resort.
Probably the largest and best play area in Italy is situated in a walled courtyard and features an impressive adventure playground complete with wobbly walkways, spring bridge, slides, nets to climb and a fireman's pole. Other features include giant sized games like noughts and crosses, a mini amphitheater for story-time and plays. For the younger members, there is a grassed play area with a good selection of equipment.
As well as the Trullalleri children's club, there is a club for older children and teens called the Tarantari & Marinai Club. The team primarily look after older children from 8-16 years in a fun and active style. The animation team have a base in the games room which has a table tennis table, air hockey, Wii to name a few. The club is open from 10am - 6pm.
Babysitting is available, but pre-booking is essential.
Available at an additional charge. This is arranged through the children's club manager.
There is an additional charge for this service. Guests can pay by the hour or by the day. Discounts are available for weekly bookings. Pre booking is recommended. The Creche is open from 9- 6pm.
The children's club offered on a complimentary basis for this age group however there is a local charge for lunch. The club is open from 9am -6pm daily and pre booking is recommended.
There is also a supervised tea available at an additional charge from 6pm - 8pm for this age group.
The Marina Club is run by a group of Italian activity specialists (who are also fluent in English) that particularly specialize in sporting activities. It is aimed at children aged 8 years to 12/13 years old.
For Teenagers there is the Tarantari Club, which caters for older children 13 - 16 years. The club organizes a wide ranges of activities, such as climbing and pool games plus has wii, xbox and a great wi-fi network, so they can stay in touch with friends back home.
In the evenings the team is available until 10pm for all age groups (except the young ones) with a fun program of entertainment, including Movie Night and Fun Fair.
Trullalleri Kids club staff will be at their disposal during meals.
There will be no additional cleaning charge for guests traveling with pets.
Only small dogs are allowed upon request and only in some room categories. No animals are allowed in the common areas except Bar areas or Calamasciola as long as dogs are kept with their owners or in the basket. Guests are required to inform the hotel about pet presence at the moment of booking request.
All bicycles for guests staying in Villas (all categories) will be free of charge. One bicycle per person for the entire stay. For guests staying in the other categories for the peak season, la Corte and Borgo, bicycles will be free of charge for day use, as long as they are returned to Bike Point before closing time of the same day.
Borgo Egnazia has exceptional dining options fusing innovative flavors with authentic regional flare. Dine al fresco amid brilliant sunshine and sweeping views of the Adriatic sea. Due Camini is a particular highlight with its traditional vaulted ceilings and intimate fireplaces. There are also a number of bars to choose from especially in peak season, many of which have a snack menu.
Room service can be considered as an option for half board treatment, together with the outlets opened according to the season.
Due Camini is the main a la carte restaurant open all year round (with along with Porticato for pool bar and snacks) in a very refined and elegant atmosphere. It is situated at the main hotel by the pool. Here the resident chef creates his own sophisticated re-interpretation of typical Apulian dishes. Due Camini has just recently been awarded it's first Michelin Star thanks to Chef Andrea Ribaldone.
Situated in the Borgo, this informal restaurant offers simple food often served buffet style, spiced-up by live cooking stations and outdoor barbecue. One of the porticato areas is dedicated to children where they can eat and play, supervised by the Trullalleri (children's club) staff.
Cala Masciola is situated at the beach closest to the hotel for relaxed dining by the sea. There is a selection of light meals including sandwiches and salads as well as main courses with a particular emphasis on local fresh fish. Also, from June to September there will also be a daily barbecue. Open seasonally May to October 0930 - 1830.
Stretched between Borgo Egnazia and the Adriatic sea lies the San Domenico 18 hole, par 72, championship golf course with stunning sea views at every tee. The local fishing village of Savelletri is within walking distance. The hotel provides 2 tennis courts, a games room with billiards, table tennis, table football, air hockey and board games, 4 outdoor pools, football pitch, an 18 hole championship golf course, cookery school, a small sandy beach with beach snack bar (10 minutes shuttle) and a tranquil, relaxing Spa.
Hire a bike from the hotel and take a guided tour through the local olive groves that surround the hotel and enjoy a private picnic for you and your family.
The roads and paths are flat with limited traffic so it a great way to get outdoors for all ages and enjoy the beautiful scenery that Puglia has to offer. At the same time, the knowledgeable guide will teach you all about the amazing history of the area and make sure that everyone is safe during the trip. When you reach half way, the guide will pull over in the olive groves where you can enjoy an amazing picnic with local produce from the surrounding farms.
The trips can last from 1 hour to all afternoon so there is something for everyone.
Available all year round except for high season, festivities and bank vacations .
A seminal opportunity to reverse the ageing of your body. Highly qualified instructors from Puglia, lead a variety of classes either relaxing, detoxifying, regenerating, corrective or specifically oriented to combat physical ageing.
Private or group classes take place in the large, beautiful and fully equipped Iyengar Yoga Studio.
After an easy flight to Bari and a one-hour transfer you arrive at the beautiful Borgo Egnazia hotel in Puglia. Borgo Egnazia is a unique hotel designed like a traditional Puglian village; surrounded by ancient olive groves and just a stones throw from the coast. Everywhere you look you see quality design features and classic local touches such as the amazing fresh lemons and apples in the lobby and the local stone used throughout the hotel.
The accommodation is perfect for couples and families alike, the large Cassetta rooms and impressive villas being perfect for families as you get a generous amount of space both indoors and outdoors. The kids club and family pool area is also very impressive, allowing families a huge amount of space to relax and make noise without distracting adult-only groups by the main pool.
From the hotel you have exclusive access to two beaches which are completely private just for guests of the hotel. Cala Masciola beach restaurant is located just a 5-minute golf-buggy ride from the hotel where you can enjoy long lunches and days of relaxing by the sea. The sea is beautiful and perfect for cooling off during the hot sunny days. Overall, Borgo Egnazia is the perfect destination for everyone; if you want to relax and switch off in pure luxury then you can; if you want to explore and experience the local culture of Puglia then you can; and if you want to be active and play golf, tennis and take guided cycling tours of the olive groves then you can! There really is something for everyone at this beautiful property.
As you approach Borgo Egnazia you very quickly realise you will be staying somewhere extremely special - attractive olive groves either side of the road, a rather grand gated entrance, and then an impressive local tufa stone forecourt to the property where you are greeted by warm smiles and assisted by very friendly and welcoming staff. Arriving at dusk is particularly magical as candles are lit absolutely everywhere, creating a very romantic and warming atmosphere. Despite only being 5 years old the architect very cleverly designed Borgo Egnazia to be in keeping with the traditional Masseria design, with villas and 'village houses' surrounding the main building, all built in the local tufa stone. References to the four elements are throughout the property also, with talking points that are in keeping with the primarily agricultural surrounds. With an amazing spa, great dining options, an 18 hole golf course, two large central pools, a separate heated one beside the Kids Club, an indoor one in the spa, and a private beach club just a short shuttle drive away, this is an ideal destination for those looking to travel for some much needed rejuvenation. Easter through to early November is fantastic weather wise, but even during the winter months makes for a great break for those looking to relax, enjoy good food and wine, and explore surrounding hilltop towns and villages.
There are certainly no signs of penury at the super-luxe five-star Borgo Egnazia in Puglia, southern Italy, a chic complex with hotel and villas, set amid an Apulian style Borgo, or village, with cobblestone streets, a church and a central piazza. With its creamy, white-washed stone walls (that are tinged with a pinky glow as the sun goes down), this is a calm and tranquil setting that nestles like a milky oasis amid an expansive backdrop of rural loveliness with row upon row of olive groves on all sides.
Designed to replicate the ancient city of Egnazia, there are echoes of Moorish, Turkish and Norman influences in the architecture, with churchly arches and columns that evoke a feeling of grandeur. Owned by a local Italian family who have hospitality in their blood (they also own two further luxury properties in the vicinity), the resort is also designed to entice families with plentiful amenities to appeal most importantly, with a brilliant Our Space childrens club, catering for children from eight months to 13 years, and a special games area for teens, which (once the children are happily entertained) leaves parents to indulge in a Roman Bathouse-style spa, swimming pools galore, tennis, golf Theres something for everyone.
The sky was black by the time our party of three arrived on a balmy evening and made our way into the hotels foyer. Inside, the dcor is pure boutique, with a color scheme made up entirely of decidedly tasteful creamy shades of beige, taupe and ecru. There are huge glass urns of wheat and lavender as a nod to a rural farmhouse heritage, as well as arty knick-knacks: giant rusted keys tied nonchalantly with thick rope, stacks of old newspapers artfully tied with string and rows of glass lanterns flickering with soft candle flames.
There was some confusion about our accommodation Id mistakenly told the children that our villa had its own swimming pool so Grace, 15, and Joe, six, were a little disappointed to discover a pretty courtyard garden, complete with a lemon tree with plumptious fruit, but sadly no pool. (We did later take a tour of one of the stunning three-bedroom Imperial Garden Villas, complete with its own majestic 16x10 meter pool, not to mention the fully equipped games room with 46-inch flat-screen television and home-theater system, and lavish living areas, but on three levels, we reluctantly agreed wed kind of be rattling about in such a palatial space, plus there was a giant dead black beetle floating in the pool who was rather offputting. We did, however, covet the iPod docking station though).
In contrast, our two-bedroom townhouse was rather more bijou, with the same creamy color scheme and rusty keys dcor, but the bedrooms required some careful maneouvring of various doors when you wanted to open cupboards or watch TV. Downstairs was a small kitchenette (not yet stocked with utensils) and cosy sofas, with doors opening out onto the courtyard patio. In reality, we only really returned to our townhouse to sleep with a couple of detours as we orientated ourselves, as all the villas look the same.
The relaxed ambiance of the resort is conducive to mooching about with no particular plans except to chill out. Our daily routine would involve a leisurely breakfast, after which we would drop Joe off at the childrens club and Grace and I would settle by the pool with the iPad and Kindle set, taking a dip in the pool every now and again to cool off in the heat. I drifted off with my headphones tuned into Plan B, belting out Welcome To Hell, which made me smile, considering our location was more akin to paradise.
The clientele at the Borgo are a good-looking bunch: there were lots of shiny, happy families with gorgeous mummies who looked like friends of Kate Moss, with their beautiful olive-skinned offspring. While I tried not to stand too close to the leggy blondes, Joe fitted in perfectly with the mini Polo Ralph Lauren and Crocs gang. So profuse, in fact, was the iconic polo pony, that we started to play a game of Count the RL Ponies, as it seemed to be the costume of choice for practically all the males, from nappy-clad tinies to silver-haired seniors. Grace was also a keen handbag-spotter, nudging me to point out a Hermes Birkin bag, advising me Theres a waiting list to get one of them, and they cost, like, thousands of pounds. I think Grace was just a bit concerned that the bag was sitting nonchalantly on the floor, when it clearly warranted its own cushioned throne.
Wed nip back regularly to the childrens club to see if Joe wanted to join us, but more often than not, he preferred to stay with his new international buddies (mostly, fluent English-speaking native Italians), and fill his day with fun activities. He had aligned himself with one of the English nannies who was helping make copious treasure maps, as well as enjoying trips to the indoor swimming pool, cooking sessions, and time in the playground with its giant trampoline or playing on the Wii. The staff were really friendly and very conscientious, always checking that Joe had his sunscreen and hat for playtime. There was a nice number of children at the club, too (in my experience, it can be tricky if there are no same-age children for your child to buddy up with) including a couple of babes-in-arms who had the nannies cooing and queuing up to have a cuddle. Open all day, the club also offers a dinner time service, and Joe would often make plans to meet one of his new friends later in the childrens club rather than dine with Grace and I, which worked well all round.
After ten years in development and four years in the making, this is only Borgo Egnazias second summer, and the resort still has that air of newness. But you have the feeling that it will also blossom even more just like the gorgeous bright pink bouganvillia that clambers so prettily over the walls as the resort becomes more established.
Borgo Egnazia, Puglia, provides chic family accommodation and a state-of-the-art children's club.
With delicious pasta and gelato on offer, not to mention that warm Italian hospitality, the stunning creamy-colored building of Borgo Egnazia provides chic family accommodation.
Theres also a dedicated program of activities for children from eight months to 13 years, with a team of English-speaking carers available at the state-of-the-art Our Space childrens club.
If you fancy brushing up on the art of Italian cooking, where you can make pizza or homemade orcehhiatte, the distinctive Puglian pasta, try one of the cooking classes, or youre your sporting prowess with tennis or golf at the 18-hole championship San Domenico Golf course situated nearby.
For those seeking a more leisurely agenda, a visit to the Vair Spa will revive body and soul, or simply lounge by one of the tranquil swimming pools and embrace la dolce vita.
Borgo Egnazia has a secluded real castle-like feel to it being secluded and surrounded by olive tree's as far as the eye can see. Much like an oasis popping up out of nothing. Built in imitation of a traditional village (borgo) but with a few extra add on's including a championship golf course, two beach clubs Trullalleri children's club and a fabulous Spa that's treatments are based on ancient Puglian rituals. Rooms are styled in a romantic simply style with what one can only describe as refreshing, every area of the hotel is faintly scented with lemon which is something a little different.
Shortly after arriving in Puglia I realised just how special the destination is. It was noted just how many Italians vacation in the area of Italy proving just how unique and relaxing the area is. When arriving at Borgo Egnazia you instantly feel at home and made to feel special. The hotel is like nothing I have ever experienced before in the Mediterranean, the architecture together with its rural location sets itself apart from many other family friendly properties in Europe. Bikes are able to be rented to explore the resort, Cala Masciola beach club and the local town of Savelletri. You are spoiled for choice when its comes to the extensive wine list in the restaurants. The waiters are very passionate and encourage you to sample the very affordable local wines.
The villas and Borgo townhouses are ideal for all families and the La Corte (main hotel) is more suited to couples offering enhanced privacy.
I very much look forward to returning to Borgo Egnazia, Italian food in the UK will simply never be the same!
This is a beautiful hotel with excellent facilities. On arrival there are plenty of people on hand to help you and from start to finish you will be wowed by this traditional resort. The townhouses in the Borgo are just perfect for families and allow guests to have a real experience of being in an old Italian village. For those families who want more space or with more people then the villas are just stunning. They have amazing views and lovely pools for the children to play in, there is also a huge amount of space to enjoy inside and out.
The children's club is just one of the hotel's biggest achievements, there were plenty of children happily playing with a huge array of different toys and the staff have all been there for a while so very qualified.
Overall I was so impressed with the way a new hotel has managed to capture the authenticity of Italy and would love to return.
Book seven nights and only pay for six when you stay at Borgo Egnazia, Italy during Spring or Fall 2019.
Based in the heart of Borgo Egnazia, learn how to create the famous and most delicious traditional Apulian recipes at the Trattoria Mia Cucina.
Explore the villages and countryside of Salento, Puglia, in true Italian style - on the back of a Vespa. Discover the area's hidden gems as you drive through this picturesque region.
Embark on a maritime adventure across the glistening waters of the Adriatic or Ionian sea. Sit back and relax as your skipper guides you along the picturesque coastline, and cool off with a dip in the azure water.
Discover the fascinating town of Alberobello, home to the unusual trulli houses that are traditional in the Puglia region. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Alberobello contains around 1500 trulli, many of which date back hundreds of years.
A fabulous way to experience the mix of mountains and beach that Italy has to offer.
Borgo Egnazia is located in the beautiful and unspoiled region of Puglia in Southern Italy. It is five minutes from the local fishing village of Savelletri and is an ideal base from which to explore the entire Puglian region - from Lecce's unique baroque architecture to the UNESCO World heritage town of Alberobello, famous for the traditional trulli's.
The flying time from the UK is 2-hours 40-minutes to Brindisi or Bari Airports followed by a 50 minute transfer from the Airport. British Airways and Easyjet both have a service from Gatwick to Bari three times a week from March - October. Alternatively Ryan Air has a daily service to Bari and Brindisi from Stansted year round. | 2019-04-26T04:16:03Z | https://www.scottdunn.com/luxury-holidays/europe/southern-europe/italy/puglia/borgo-egnazia |
ATP-dependent chromatin remodelling proteins represent a diverse family of proteins that share ATPase domains that are adapted to regulate protein–DNA interactions. Here, we present structures of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae Chd1 protein engaged with nucleosomes in the presence of the transition state mimic ADP-beryllium fluoride. The path of DNA strands through the ATPase domains indicates the presence of contacts conserved with single strand translocases and additional contacts with both strands that are unique to Snf2 related proteins. The structure provides connectivity between rearrangement of ATPase lobes to a closed, nucleotide bound state and the sensing of linker DNA. Two turns of linker DNA are prised off the surface of the histone octamer as a result of Chd1 binding, and both the histone H3 tail and ubiquitin conjugated to lysine 120 are re-orientated towards the unravelled DNA. This indicates how changes to nucleosome structure can alter the way in which histone epitopes are presented.
The DNA inside cells contains all the information needed to build an organism. Human DNA measures about 2 metres. To condense it, DNA is wrapped around eight histone proteins to form disc-like structures, called nucleosomes. Nucleosomes are further compressed into chromatin fibres that make up our chromosomes.
The way DNA is packaged and positioned into the nucleosomes can be variably controlled and affects how genes are switched on and off. Although all cells have the same DNA, the way specific genes are turned on and off gives rise to the different types of cells in our body. Specialised motor proteins, called ‘chromatin remodellers’, control the positioning of nucleosomes inside cells. In yeast cells, for example, the protein Chd1 moves nucleosomes along the DNA so that they are evenly spaced. So far, it has been unclear how chromatin remodellers interact with nucleosomes.
To investigate this further, Sundaramoorthy et al. studied the structure of Chd1 bound to a nucleosome, in which one histone protein was modified with a molecule, called ubiquitin, which is present on genes where Chd1 is known to be active. The structure revealed that both Chd1 and the nucleosome did not have their usual shape. Moreover, Chd1 partially unwrapped DNA from the nucleosomes. As a consequence, the ubiquitin moved to interact with the unwrapped DNA; as did a flexible area on one of the histones, known as ‘histone tail’. Both ubiquitin and histone tails play important roles in signalling processes on chromatin. Therefore, such a rearrangement could affect the transmission of signals from chromatin.
The organisation of nucleosomes affects the accessibility of the underlying DNA. As a result, any process that happens on DNA is affected – including controlling when genes are turned on and off under normal conditions, and when things go wrong during diseases. A better knowledge of how the organisation of nucleosomes is controlled will improve our understanding of gene regulation.
The extended family of ATPases related to the yeast Snf2 protein acts to alter DNA-protein interactions (Flaus et al., 2006; Narlikar et al., 2013). They act on a diverse range of substrates. For example, while the Mot1 protein acts on complexes between the TATA box binding protein BP and DNA (Wollmann et al., 2011), the Snf2 protein carries out ATP-dependent nucleosome disruption (CoteCôté et al., 1994). At the heart of all these proteins are paired domains capable of rearranging during the ATP hydrolysis cycle to create a ratchet like motion along DNA in single base increments (Clapier et al., 2017; Gu and Rice, 2010; Velankar et al., 1999).
The yeast Chd1 protein is a member of this protein family and acts to organise nucleosomes over coding regions (Gkikopoulos et al., 2011; Ocampo et al., 2016; Pointner et al., 2012; Tran et al., 2000). Consistent with this, Chd1 is known to interact with elongation factors including the Spt4-Spt5 proteins, Paf1 and FACT (Kelley et al., 1999; Krogan et al., 2002; Simic et al., 2003). The partially redundant functions of Chd1 and Isw1 in organising nucleosomes over coding regions are in turn required to prevent histone exchange and non-coding transcription (Hennig et al., 2012; Radman-Livaja et al., 2012; Smolle et al., 2012).
In addition to the positioning of nucleosomes, the distribution of many histone modifications is ordered with respect to promoters (Liu et al., 2005; Mayer et al., 2010). For example, histone H3 K4 methylation is frequently observed at promoters, while histone H3 K79 and K36 trimethylation are detected in coding regions (Kizer et al., 2005; Li et al., 2003; Pokholok et al., 2005). Histone H2B is also observed to be ubiquitinylated within coding regions (Fleming et al., 2008; Xiao et al., 2005). Ubiquitinylation of histone H2B at lysine 123 in budding yeast, H2B K120 (H2BK120ub) in mammals, is dependent on the E2 ligase Rad6 (Robzyk et al., 2000) and the E3 ligase Bre1 (Hwang et al., 2003; Wood et al., 2003) and removed by the deubiquitinases Ubp8 and Ubp10 (Bonnet et al., 2014; Schulze et al., 2011; Wyce et al., 2007). A specific reader of H2BK120ub has not been identified. However, H2BK120ub does assist the histone chaperone FACT in enabling transcription through chromatin (Pavri et al., 2006), and has been found to be required for methylation of histone H3 K4 and K79 (Sun and Allis, 2002). An intriguing aspect of H2BK120ub is that while mutation of the writer enzymes or K120 itself disrupts nucleosome organisation, deletion of the deubiquitinylases increases chromatin organisation (Batta et al., 2011). One way in which H2BK120ub may influence nucleosome organisation is via effects on enzymes responsible for chromatin organisation. Consistent with this H2BK120ub increases nucleosome repositioning mediated by Chd1 (Levendosky et al., 2016).
Yeast Chd1 serves as a useful paradigm in that it functions predominantly as a single polypeptide. In addition, the catalytic core of the enzyme has been crystallised in association with the adjacent tandem chromodomains (Hauk et al., 2010). Similarly the C-terminal region of the protein has been crystalized revealing that this region includes SANT and SLIDE domains that comprise the DNA binding domain (DNABD) (Ryan et al., 2011; Sharma et al., 2011) and are also present in ISWI proteins (Grüne et al., 2003). Chd1 enzyme engages nucleosomes in a conformation in which the SANT and SLIDE domains bind linker DNA, while the ATPase domains engage DNA at super helical location (SHL) 2 (Nodelman et al., 2017; Sundaramoorthy et al., 2017). Higher resolution structures of Chd1 (Farnung et al., 2017), Snf2 (Liu et al., 2017) and INO80 (Ayala et al., 2018; Eustermann et al., 2018) show that the ATPase domains make contacts with DNA via residues that are conserved in ancestral single-stranded ATPases and some unique to Snf2-related ATPases. The binding of the Chd1 DNABD unravels two turns of DNA from the surface of nucleosomes in a nucleotide-stimulated reaction (Farnung et al., 2017; Sundaramoorthy et al., 2017). Here, we report a structure for the yeast Chd1 protein in association with a nucleosome, bearing modifications that are found to occur within coding regions, where Chd1 is known to act. Interestingly, nucleosomal epitopes are observed to be reconfigured specifically on the side of the nucleosome on which DNA is unwrapped. This indicates the potential for changes to nucleosome structure to reconfigure the way in which histone epitopes are presented.
As Chd1 functions on transcribed genes, it is of interest to understand the interplay between Chd1 and histone modifications observed in coding region chromatin. As a result, nucleosomes were prepared in which histone H3 K36 was alkylated to mimic trimethylation (Figure 1—figure supplement 1) and H2B cross-linked to ubiquitin (Figure 1—figure supplement 2). Conditions were established to favour binding of a single Chd1 to modified nucleosomes that included an asymmetric linker DNA extension of 14 bp (Figure 1—figure supplement 2B) in the presence of ADP-BeF. Purified complexes were frozen onto EM grids.
2D classification of some 893000 particles revealed 16 classes in which nucleosomes with the Chd1 molecule attached could be identified (Figure 1—figure supplement 3B). Initial 3D classification resulted in five related classes (Figure 1—figure supplement 3C). Three of these were combined and reclassified as six classes, one of which was selected for refinement. This resulted in the generation of a map with an average resolution of 4.5 Å (FSC 0.143) (Figure 1—figure supplement 4A). The resolution varies within the map, with resolution highest in the region occupied by the nucleosome and ATPase lobes and lower resolution in the vicinity of the DNABD and ubiquitin peptides (Figure 1—figure supplement 4B). The nucleosome particles exhibited a preferred orientation, which may limit the resolution (Figure 1—figure supplement 4C). A structural model was generated to fit the density map making use of the structures of a nucleosome assembled on the 601 DNA sequence, Chd1 chromoATPase, and DNABD (Figure 1). The fit for individual components of the structure to the electron density is shown in Figure 1—figure supplement 5.
(A, B) Overall fit of nucleosome bound Chd1 to density map. Chd1 chromodomains – yellow, DNABD – dark blue, ATPase lobe one cyan, ATPase lobe two blue, Ubiquitin dark yellow, H2B yellow, H2A red, H3 green, H4 blue. (C, D) Two views of the structural model.
The overall organisation of Chd1 is similar to that observed previously by cryo EM (Farnung et al., 2017; Sundaramoorthy et al., 2017) and directed cross-linking (Nodelman et al., 2017). The ATPase domains are bound at the SHL-2 location. Of the two SHL2 locations within nucleosomes, the bound site is in closest proximity to SANT-SLIDE domain bound linker DNA in physical space, but distal on the unwrapped linear DNA sequence (Figure 1). Chd1 predominantly contacts the nucleosome via contacts with DNA, via the DNABD in the linker and ATPase lobes at SHL2; contacts with histones are limited to the histone H3 and H4 N-terminal regions discussed below.
We previously showed that Chd1 binding results in nucleotide-dependent unwrapping of nucleosomal DNA resulting from the interaction of the DNABD with linker DNA (Sundaramoorthy et al., 2017). The higher resolution of the current structure shows that precisely two turns of nucleosomal DNA are unravelled (Figure 1). The extent of DNA unwrapping observed here when Chd1 is bound to nucleosomes flanked by a 14 base pair linker DNA is identical to that observed when Chd1 is bound to the opposite surface of the 601 nucleosome positioning sequence with a 63 base pair linker (Farnung et al., 2017). As the interaction of histones with the two sides of the 601 positioning sequence differ quite dramatically (Chua et al., 2012; Hall et al., 2009; Levendosky et al., 2016; Ngo et al., 2015), this suggests that the extent of unwrapping is dominated by the properties of Chd1 rather than the affinity of DNA for the octamer. The path of this unwrapped DNA is oriented away from the plane of the wrapped DNA gyre and is kinked at the location where contacts are made with the SANT-SLIDE domains (Figure 1). Other than DNA unwrapping, we do not detect additional changes in the organisation of DNA on Chd1 bound nucleosomes at this resolution.
The orientation of the DNABD is critical in determining the extent of DNA unwrapping. The only contacts detected between the DNABD and the remainder of Chd1 are contacts with the chromodomains (Figure 2 contact I and II). The first of these is the interaction between K329 of chromodomain II and D1201 P1202 in the SLIDE component of the DNABD and has been observed previously (Farnung et al., 2017; Nodelman et al., 2017) (Figure 2—figure supplement 1A). The second contact is between S344 and K345 in the linker helix between chromodomain II and ATPase lobe I with the SANT component of the DNA binding domain at D1033-D1038 (Figure 2—figure supplement 1A). Given that chromodomains are present in Chd1 enzymes but not ISWI and Snf2 remodellers, it makes sense that the residues contacted in the SANT and SLIDE domains are most highly conserved in Chd1 proteins (Figure 2—figure supplement 1B) (Hall et al., 2009; Meng et al., 2015; Sundaramoorthy et al., 2017).
Overview of the major contacts constraining the positioning of the Chd1 chromodomains. Colours of domains as for Figure 1. Key contacts are highlighted. (I) Chromodomain II SLIDE, (II) Chromodomain linker helix to SANT, (III) Chromodomain II to ATPase lobe 1, (IV) Chromodomain I to nucleosomal DNA at SHL + 1.
The position of the chromodomains is determined by each of the four contacts made with other components of the complex (Figure 2). When not bound to nucleosomes, the tandem chromodomains of Chd1 are observed to impede DNA binding to the ATPase domains (Hauk et al., 2010). This gave rise to the prediction that these domains would be rearranged in the nucleosome-bound state (Hauk et al., 2010). This is indeed the case as the chromodomains undergo an 18 degree rotation when compared to the orientation observed in the crystal structure of Chd1 in the open state (Figure 3). Following repositioning, chromodomain I interacts with nucleosomal DNA at SHL1 (Figure 2—figure supplement 2) as observed previously (Farnung et al., 2017; Nodelman et al., 2017).
Closure of the ATPase lobes changes the chromodomain interaction surface.
(A) The long acidic helix within chromodomain I interacts with a basic surface on ATPase lobe two in the open state (3MWY). (B) In the closed state, the basic surface on lobe two is rotated towards DNA and replaced with an acidic region. The long acidic helix within chromodomain I is repositioned away from this acidic surface.
Coincident with repositioning of the chromodomains, ATPase lobe II is repositioned closer to lobe I. This results in residues including those contributing to the conserved Walker box motifs (K407 and R804, R807) being brought into an arrangement compatible with ATP catalysis. Density for ADP-BeF within the pocket formed by conserved residues from ATPase domains I and II is well defined (Figure 2—figure supplement 3).
The repositioning of ATPase lobe II enables contacts to be made with nucleosomal DNA (see below), the histone H4 tail and the histone H3 alpha one helix (Figure 2—figure supplement 4).These are the only direct contacts with histone components of the nucleosome. The contact with the H4 tails is conserved in mtISWI and Snf2 (Liu et al., 2017; Yan et al., 2016). D729 and E669 are conserved across all classes of remodelling enzyme but D725 is not as well conserved in Snf2-related enzymes (Figure 2—figure supplement 4B). The conservation of this contact in Chd1 enzymes is consistent with the H4 tail playing an important role in regulating Chd1 activity; deletion or mutation of the H4 tail has been shown to reduce nucleosome sliding and ATPase activity (Ferreira et al., 2007).
The additional helices that make up the protrusion 2 region of ATPase lobe two in Chd1 are conserved in chromatin remodeling ATPases, but not within all SF2 DNA translocases. In the crystal structure of the Chd1 chromoATPase and the previously published Chd1-nucleosome structure this region was not mapped (Farnung et al., 2017; Hauk et al., 2010). However, within the structure presented here residues ranging from 632 to 647 pack against the alpha 1 helix of histone H3. In particular the two conserved residues K632 and K642 are located closer to H3 α1 D81 and E73 (Figure 2—figure supplement 4A). Deletion of this lobe two loop K632-K646 abolishes nucleosome sliding consistent with a role for this region in Chd1 action (Figure 2—figure supplement 5). The residues participating in the interaction are progressively less well conserved in ISWI and SNF2 related proteins (Figure 2—figure supplement 4C). A loop from Phe1033 to Leu 1045 in an equivalent region of the yeast Snf2 protein is not assigned in the Snf2-nucleosome structure, but this region is positioned such that a related contact with histone H3 could be made.
The structure, also provides clues as to how these conformational changes are driven. A central event is likely to be the closure of the cleft between ATPase domains driven by ATP binding (Figure 2—figure supplement 3). The 40o rotation of ATPase lobe II required to form the ATP binding pocket results in a positively charged surface, observed to interact with an acidic surface on the long helix of chromodomain I (Figure 3A) (Hauk et al., 2010), being replaced by an acidic surface likely to repel chromodomain I (Figure 3B). As a result, closure of the ATPase domains is anticipated to drive nucleotide-dependent repositioning of the chromodomains. Pulsed EPR was used to directly measure repositioning of the chromodomains in the absence of nucleosomes (Figure 4). The distance between engineered labels at V256C in chromodomain I and S524C in ATPase lobe1 is 4.4 nm in the open state, consistent with that observed in the crystal structure of the Chd1 chromoATPase domains (Hauk et al., 2010). In the presence of ADP-BeF the 4.4 nm distance predominates, but a shoulder is observed consistent with a proportion of molecules adopting a new conformation with a distance of 5.6 nm (Figure 4) which is similar to that observed in the ADP-BeF bound nucleosome by cryo-EM. This indicates that ATP binding is a driving event for repositioning of the chromodomains.
Nucleotide dependent reconfiguration of Chd1 chromodomains.
Pulsed electron paramagnetic measurements were used to measure the distance between nitroxyl reporter groups attached to Chd1 at ATPase lobe 1 (S524) and chromodomain I (V256). (A) The probability distribution P(r) at different separations was measured in the presence (purple) and absence (blue) of ADP.BeF. The distance corresponding to the major distance is shown for both measurements. The distance corresponding to the additional distribution appears as a shoulder in the presence of ADP.BeFx and is also indicated. Modelled distances between these labelling sites in the open state (3MWY), and the closed state observed in the Chd1 bound nucleosome are indicated in (B) and (C), respectively.
The partial repositioning of the chromodomains observed in free Chd1 is likely to be stabilised by additional favourable interactions formed when this repositioning occurs within the context of nucleosome bound Chd1. These include the formation of contacts between chromodomain I and DNA at SHL1, between ATPase lobe II and the H3 alpha one helix, between ATPase lobe II and the histone H4 tail and most significantly the formation of a substantial interaction interface between ATPase lobe II and nucleosomal DNA at SHL2. The repositioning of the chromodomains in turn acts as a lever to reposition the DNA binding domain. In the context of nucleosomes this results in nucleotide-dependent unwrapping of two turns of nucleosomal DNA (Sundaramoorthy et al., 2017). Conversely, the interaction of the DNABD requires linker DNA to be accessible.
In order to investigate how the ability of the DNABD to interact with linker DNA is affected by the presence of an adjacent nucleosome, interactions between dinucleosomes with different separations were modelled. With a linker length of 19 bp Chd1 can be modelled binding the linker between adjacent nucleosomes (Figure 5). However, as the linker between nucleosomes is reduced, steric clashes become increasingly prohibitive. The requirement for a 19 bp linker is likely to provide a limit below which engagement of the DNABD will be less stable. As this lower limit is set by clashes between the DNABD and the adjacent nucleosome, it is different from the length of linker required to occupy the DNA-binding surface of the SANT and SLIDE domains on a mononucleosome with a free DNA linker. In this latter case, seven base pairs of DNA make contact with the DNABD (Figure 1). The c19 bp separation below which access of the DNABD to linker becomes progressively more difficult resonates with the average inter-nucleosome spacing of 19 bp observed in Saccharomyces cerevisiae (Tsankov et al., 2010). As the conformation of the DNABD is connected via the chromodomains to the ATPase domains, the structure of Chd1 provides molecular connectivity between the availability of nucleosomal linker DNA in excess of 19 bp and the generation of closed nucleotide bound motor domains. This potentially provides a mechanism via which linker DNA length regulates the rate of nucleosome movement (Yang et al., 2006).
Modelling the interaction of Chd1 between adjacent nucleosomes.
The structure of the Chd1 bound nucleosome was used to model binding to the linker between an adjacent nucleosome (grey) by extending the liner DNA to 19 bp. With shorter linkers steric clashes with the adjacent nucleosome become progressively more severe.
Nucleosome repositioning is likely to be driven by the ability of the ATPase domains to drive ATP- dependent DNA translocation. This has been observed directly for several Snf2 family proteins (Deindl et al., 2013; Lia et al., 2006; Sirinakis et al., 2011; Zhang et al., 2006) and is conserved within a wider family of superfamily II ATPases (Singleton et al., 2007). Structures of superfamily II single stranded translocases, such as herpes virus NS3, in different NTP bound states illustrate how the ratcheting motion of the ATPase domains drives translocation (Gu and Rice, 2010). To date such a series of structures does not exist for a double strand specific translocase. This raises the question as to whether structures of NS3 can be used to inform key aspects of the mechanism of Chd1 such as identifying the tracking strand. To do this we first align the ATPase lobes of Chd1 individually with NS3. The ATPase lobes of Chd1 like other Snf2 related proteins contain additional helices not conserved with NS3 (Dürr et al., 2005; Liu et al., 2017; Thomä et al., 2005). As a result, the alignment is restricted to conserved helices. In the case of lobe I and II, the RMSD of the fit is 4.9 Å and 6.5 Å, respectively (Figure 6—figure supplement 1A). In the closed state alignment of both domains with the structure of NS3 in the ADP.BeF bound state results in an RMSD of 9.8 Å. Using this alignment, the ssDNA bound by NS3 can be docked into the Chd1-Nucleosome structure (Figure 6A). This ssDNA aligns with the top strand of nucleosomal DNA (Figure 6). Conserved motif Ia in ATPase lobe one and motifs IV and V from ATPase lobe two contact this strand. These residues undergo a ratcheting motion during the course of ATP hydrolysis that drives the ssDNA through NS3 (Gu and Rice, 2010). Similar motion between these residues would be anticipated to drive nucleosomal DNA across the nucleosome dyad in the direction of the longer linker (Figure 6B).
Comparison of NS3 and Chd1 interactions with DNA.
(A) Contacts between motifs conserved with DNA at SHL2. Motifs and colouring are indicated on the structure. The ssDNA from NS3 aligned to Chd1 is shown docked into Chd1 (red). In Chd1 motifs II and III contact the opposite (3’−5’) strand. Contacts made by remodelling enzyme specific extension are labelled A, B and C. The locations of each sequence are indicated in the schematic guide. (B) Schematic indicating directionality in context of a nucleosome. The directionality of NS3 translocation inferred from docking the ssDNA is 3’−5’ away from the nucleosome dyad. Assuming movement of Chd1 around the nucleosome is constrained (for example via contact with linker DNA, the H4 tail and histone H3) translocation of Chd1 with this directionality is anticipated to drive DNA in the opposite direction towards the long linker as indicated.
It is notable that within Chd1 additional DNA contacts are made that differ from those observed in NS3. Firstly, motifs II and III within lobe one contact the opposite DNA strand (Figure 6A). As these motifs are intimately associated with motif Ia they would be anticipated to undergo a similar ratcheting motion with respect to the contacts made by lobe 2. Secondly, the ATPase lobes of Chd1 like those of Snf2 contain additional helices including the protrusions to the helical lobes and the brace helix that are unique to chromatin remodelling enzymes (Figure 6A) (Farnung et al., 2017; Flaus et al., 2006; Liu et al., 2017). These extend the binding cleft between the ATPase lobes and make additional contacts with both DNA strands.
The structure of a fragment of the yeast Snf2 protein bound to a nucleosome revealed contacts between ATPase lobe one with DNA at SHL2 and the adjacent DNA gyre at SHL 6 (Liu et al., 2017) (Figure 6—figure supplement 2A). The basic surface of lobe one responsible for this interaction is not conserved in Chd1, and the acidic residues D464 and E468 make a similar interaction with DNA unlikely. In addition, DNA is not present in this location as it is lifted off the surface of the octamer (Figure 6—figure supplement 2B). In the case of the Snf2 protein the interaction with the adjacent DNA gyre is proposed to anchor the translocase preventing it from transiting around the octamer surface (Liu et al., 2017). Chd1 has a relatively small interaction interface with histones, so there is a similar requirement for DNA interactions to constrain motion of the whole protein. In the case of Chd1 this could instead be provided through the interaction of the chromodomains with DNA at SHL1 and through the interaction of the DNA binding domain with linker DNA. Amino acids 476 to 480 of lobe one also interact with DNA in the unravelled state (Figure 6—figure supplement 2B). These residues are not conserved even in Chd1 proteins so the significance of this contact is not clear.
Chromatin organising motor proteins are capable of catalysing bidirectional nucleosome repositioning that can occur as a result of the binding of two or one enzyme (Blosser et al., 2009; Qiu et al., 2017; Racki et al., 2009; Willhoft et al., 2017). As Chd1 binds to one side of the nucleosome, no steric clashes are anticipated should a second Chd1 bind linker DNA on the opposite side of the nucleosome. To investigate this further, complexes consisting of two Chd1 molecules bound to one nucleosome were prepared using nucleosomal DNA with symmetrical linkers of 14 base pairs and the images processed as indicated (Figure 7—figure supplement 1). Most particles were assigned to 2D classes in which two bound Chd1 molecules are discernible, though one is often more dominant likely as a result of the projections of the dominant orientations observed. All 3D classes have two bound Chd1 molecules and the best refined class provides an envelope with 11 Å resolution (FSC 0.143) (Figure 7). Two Chd1 molecules bound in the same mode observed in the 1:1 complex can be docked into this volume. There are no direct contacts between the two Chd1 proteins suggesting that the two bound enzymes are likely to function independently. Previously, negative stain EM of two Chd1 molecules bound to a single nucleosome indicated that the DNA binding domain interacted with linker DNA on only one side of the nucleosome (Nodelman et al., 2017). Our envelope shows that both DNA-binding domains can bind to linker DNA simultaneously and that the extent of DNA unwrapping is similar on both sides of the nucleosome. We do however observe that within some 3D classes the path of the unwrapped DNA is less clear on one side of the nucleosome. This could relate to differences in the dynamic interactions of Chd1 with DNA on the two sides of the nucleosome (Tokuda et al., 2018).
Complex of two Chd1 bound to one nucleosome.
The volume obtained for the 2Chd1:1Nucleosome complex is shown contoured to 0.0027. Two Chd1 molecules in the conformation observed in Figure 1 and a nucleosome on which DNA is unwrapped from both sides to the same degree as observed on the Chd1 bound side of the 1:1 complex are shown ridged body fitted into the volume. The correlation coefficient for fitting is 0.95. The colouring of domains is as for Figure 1.
On the fully wrapped side of the nucleosome the H3 tail can be traced to proline 38, emerging between the DNA gyres at SHL1. In contrast, on the unwrapped side of the nucleosome the H3 tail can be traced to alanine 26 indicating that on this side of the nucleosome the H3 tail is better ordered. In addition, the trajectory of the tail is different to that observed in previous structures (Figure 8A). This altered trajectory was also not observed in a previous structure of a Chd1-bound nucleosome (Farnung et al., 2017). This structure was made in the presence of PAF1 and FACT complexes which may have contributed to noise in this region that is not apparent in our structure (Farnung et al., 2017). A potential explanation for the defined and altered trajectory of the histone H3 tail on the unwrapped side of the nucleosome is that amino acids within the extreme N-terminal region, that are not resolved in our structure, interact with the unravelled DNA. The 25 N-terminal residues include eight lysine and arginine residues that could interact with DNA at different locations along the unravelled linker. Interestingly, deletion of the H3 tail to H3K36 increases the initial rate at which nucleosomes are repositioned by Chd1 (Figure 8—figure supplement 1). This effect is not dependent on DNA binding via the extreme N-terminus as deletion to K26 does not stimulate Chd1 activity (Figure 8—figure supplement 1). The region of H3 that exerts the repressive effect occupies the density shown in Figure 8A. Surprisingly, no contacts between this region of H3 and Chd1 are observed. It is possible that this region interacts with regions of Chd1 such as the N-terminus that are not resolved, or that the repressive effect is exerted when Chd1 is bound in a conformation different to that observed by EM.
Histone epitopes are repositioned on Chd1 bound nucleosomes.
(A) The histone H3 tail on the unwrapped side of a Chd1 bound nucleosome is shown in dark blue fitted to electron density shown in red. The density extends to residue 26 on this side of the nucleosome and follows a path towards the unwrapped DNA. On the wrapped side of the nucleosome, the H3 tail is less well defined and follows a path similar to that observed on nucleosomes bound by 53BP1 (shown in light blue). H3 tail. (B) Ubiquitin on the wrapped side of the nucleosome is located over the acidic patch. On the unwrapped side of the nucleosome it is repositioned away from the acidic patch and interacts with the unravelled DNA.
The electron density for ubiquitin molecules is not as well defined as other components of the complex, and limiting for the overall resolution (Figure 1). This is likely to reflect mobility of the ubiquitin peptides. Consistent with this, the electron density determined from X-ray diffraction on crystallised nucleosomes with ubiquitin conjugated at this location resulted in no density attributable to ubiquitin (Machida et al., 2016). On the wrapped side of the nucleosome, ubiquitin is located adjacent to the acidic patch that is widely used as an interface for nucleosome binding proteins (McGinty and Tan, 2016) (Figure 8B). This is also the location that ubiquitin conjugated to H2A K15 has been observed to occupy on unbound nucleosomes (Wilson et al., 2016) and likely represents a favourable conformation for ubiquitin when coupled at different sites within this locality (Vlaming et al., 2014).
On the unwrapped side of the nucleosome, the ubiquitin peptide is displaced across the lateral surface towards the DNA. The unwrapped DNA is oriented away from the lateral surface and this positions the DNA backbone at SHL6 in contact with the repositioned ubiquitin (Figure 8B). In 2D classes, ubiquitin is more prominent on the unwrapped side suggesting it is more tightly constrained. The residues interacting with DNA include Lys 48 Arg 54 and Asp 60. It is likely this interaction stabilises DNA in the unwrapped state. Using a fluorescence-based assay, H2BK120ub has previously been observed to stimulate the activity of Chd1 118–1274 approximately 2-fold(Levendosky et al., 2016). Using a gel-based assay with Chd1 1–1305, we observe a slightly greater 3-fold effect (Figure 8—figure supplement 2).
A striking feature of the Chd1 nucleosome complex is the limited number of contacts with histones. The two direct contacts with histones are with the H3 alpha one helix and with the histone H4 tail (Figure 2—figure supplement 4). The contact with the H4 tail is required for efficient remodelling by Chd1 (Ferreira et al., 2007) as it is for ISWI subfamily enzymes (Clapier et al., 2001; Hamiche et al., 2001). Aside from these two contacts, the interaction of Chd1 with nucleosomes is dominated by interactions with DNA. This leaves the majority of the nucleosome accessible for binding by additional factors. We show that a second Chd1 molecule can bind the opposite side of the nucleosome using a similar mode of interaction (Figure 7). Even in the case of a nucleosome bound by two Chd1 molecules the lateral surfaces of the nucleosome are accessible for binding by other factors.
Despite a lack of direct contacts with histones H2A and H2B, Chd1 activity is dependent on histone dimers (Levendosky et al., 2016). The requirement for histone dimers may arise as a result of dimer loss affecting DNA wrapping. Loss of a histone dimer will result in a loss of histone DNA contacts at SHL3.5, 4.5 and 5.5. More extensive unwrapping of DNA to SHL3.5 would require major repositioning of DNABD in order to retain the interaction with linker DNA while the chromoATPase is engaged at SHL-2. This provides a potential explanation for the dependency of Chd1 activity on histone dimers. Conversely, association of a histone dimer with a histone tetramer or hexamer around which DNA is initially significantly unwrapped, could be stabilised by the binding of Chd1 rewrapping DNA to SHL5. The stabilisation of the SHL5-wrapped state may facilitate correct docking of histone dimers into chromatin. This provides a mechanistic basis for the observed activities of Chd1 in H2A/H2B transfer (Lusser et al., 2005) and chromatin assembly (Fei et al., 2015; Lee et al., 2012; Torigoe et al., 2013). Repositioning of the Chd1 DNA-binding domain towards the major orientation observed in free solution, the Apo state reported by (Sundaramoorthy et al., 2017), would guide linker DNA towards the fully wrapped state. As a result Chd1 has the potential to function in multiple stages of chromatin assembly and the generation of organised chromatin (Lusser et al., 2005; Robinson and Schultz, 2003; Torigoe et al., 2013).
The Chd1 enzyme has the ability to organise spaced arrays of nucleosomes both in vitro and in vivo (Gkikopoulos et al., 2011; Lusser et al., 2005; Robinson and Schultz, 2003). Enzymes that exhibit this organising activity typically reposition nucleosomes away from the ends of short DNA fragments. This is also true for Chd1 (McKnight et al., 2011; Stockdale et al., 2006). Repositioning of nucleosomes with this directionality conflicts with the directionality of translocation inferred from docking the tracking strand of NS3 into Chd1 (Farnung et al., 2017) (Figure 6). Tracking along this strand with 3’−5’ directionality would instead be anticipated to draw DNA into the nucleosome from the side of the nucleosome that has no linker DNA.
Inferring the mechanism of Chd1 from NS3 is complicated by the fact these enzymes are not so closely related. Conserved motifs are difficult to align based on sequence alone. In addition some aspects of nucleic acid binding by both Snf2 and Chd1 profoundly differ from NS3. Notably, motifs II and III within lobe one contact the opposite, 3’−5’ stand, which is not present in NS3. In addition, Snf2-related chromatin remodelling enzymes contain features that extend the nucleic acid binding cleft between the two ATPase lobes and make contacts with both strands (Figure 6). As a result of the extensive contacts with both strands, it is possible that the assignment of guide and tracking strands within remodelling ATPases is not absolute as tracking may be coupled to both strands. Consistent with this, experiments that have probed the action of remodelling enzymes using short gaps in either strand of nucleosomal DNA have found them to be sensitive to lesions in either strand (Saha et al., 2005; Zofall et al., 2006).
The introduction of gaps in nucleosomal DNA has also been used to infer the directionality with which ATPases’s move along DNA. Introduction of gaps distal to the SHL two location closest to the entry linker DNA has been observed to impede the action of Snf2, Iswi and Chd1 enzymes (McKnight et al., 2011; Saha et al., 2005; Zofall et al., 2006). This has been used as evidence that the enzyme translocation that drives repositioning initiates from the SHL two located distal to the entry DNA. As a consequence it has been proposed that Chd1 bound in the cross gyres conformation, that we and others observe, represents an inactive state in which the interaction of the DNABD with (exit) linker DNA is inhibitory (Nodelman et al., 2017).
Confounding this, the Chd1-nucleosome structure bears the hallmarks of an active DNA translocase. Density for ADP.BeF is observed in the nucleotide binding pocket, and the ATPase domains are repositioned to a closed conformation with conserved residues positioned for catalysis (Figure 2—figure supplement 3). The closure of the ATPase domains in the Chd1-nucleosome complex is connected to repositioning of the chromodomains, which in turn levers the DNABD position and allows DNA to gain access to the cleft between the ATPase domains.
Further study will be required to reconcile these observations. We nonetheless speculate that the initial stages of remodelling by Chd1 are most effective on nucleosomes lacking exit DNA. Consistent with this the initial rate of Chd1 ATPase activity has been observed to be greater on nucleosomes lacking exit linker DNA (Nodelman et al., 2017). In cells, lack of linker could arise in close packed nucleosomes and represent a suitable substrate for a nucleosome spacing enzyme. The rapid action of Chd1 on close packed chromatin would generate new exit linker DNA which would then be available to be bound by the DNABD in the conformation observed by in the EM structures. In this case, Chd1 bound in the conformation shown in Figure 1, could be active but represent a state in which the DNABD is bound to exit rather than entry DNA. This reconciles many of the biochemical observations, and is compatible with the directionality inferred from the interaction of DNA with the ATPase domains. However, it requires that the Chd1 ATPase domains exhibit a preference for initial binding to nucleosomes on the side that initially lacks linker DNA. The basis for this is not clear, but in the case of ISWI enzymes the initial and subsequent translocation events have been observed to differ (Deindl et al., 2013), raising the possibility that they could be regulated independently. Following initial repositioning, the engagement of the DNABD with the new exit linker may provide an opportunity for large changes in enzyme conformation, perhaps related to those observed for SNF2H (Leonard and Narlikar, 2015) and enabling individual Chd1 molecules to switch between different sides of the nucleosome enabling bidirectional repositioning (Qiu et al., 2017).
Both budding yeast Chd1 and human Chd2 are found to be enriched within coding regions (de Dieuleveult et al., 2016; Gkikopoulos et al., 2011; Lee et al., 2017). Histone H3 K36me3 is a hallmark of coding region nucleosomes, so we prepared nucleosomes alkylated to mimic trimethylation at this position. Alkylation modestly stimulates Chd1 activity (Figure 1—figure supplement 1), raising the possibility that this modification is recognised by the enzyme, possibly via the chromodomains. However, we observe electron density for the histone H3 tail to residue 26, indicating that H3K36 does not stably interact with the chromodomains or any other component of Chd1 in the structure reported here. Furthermore, for this interaction to occur, either the chromodomains would need to be repositioned, or the structure of the N-terminus of H3 reconfigured for example by unfolding of the alpha–N helix (Elsässer et al., 2012; Liu et al., 2012).
The improved density for the H3 tail on the unwrapped side of the nucleosome is most likely to result from the interaction of the basic N-terminal region of the H3 tail, which is not resolved, with DNA. It is notable that in the fully wrapped state the H3 tail would need to follow a very different path in order to interact with DNA. Consistent with this the trajectory of the H3 tail on the unwrapped side of the nucleosome is different to that observed in structures of intact nucleosomes (Wilson et al., 2016). This raises the possibility that changes to DNA wrapping could affect the way in which histone tail epitopes are displayed. In principle, such effects could be positive or negative. For example the tudor domain of PHF1 preferentially interacts with trimethylated H3K36 on partially unwrapped nucleosomes (Gibson et al., 2017). The interaction of the PHD domains of Chd4 with DNA is also inhibited by nucleosomal DNA (Gatchalian et al., 2017). As a result if Chd4 generates unwrapped structures similar to those observed with Chd1 the interaction of these domains would be enhanced. The reconfiguration of the H3 tail by Chd1 has the potential to affect the interaction of histone reader, writer and eraser enzymes with the tail and as a result the distribution of these modifications in chromatin. Such effects have been observed, as Chd1 contributes to the establishment of boundaries between H3K4me3 and H3K36me3 at most transcribed genes (Lee et al., 2017).
H2BK120ub is also enriched in coding region chromatin, and directly stimulates Chd1 activity (Levendosky et al., 2016) (Figure 8—figure supplement 2) (Sundaramoorthy et al., 2017). It has also been observed that H2BK120ub negatively affects the activity of some ISWI containing enzymes (Fierz et al., 2011). As organisation of coding region nucleosomes involves these and other enzymes (Krietenstein et al., 2016; Ocampo et al., 2016; Parnell et al., 2015), H2BK120Ub has the potential to regulate interplay between different enzymes.
Ubiquitin on the unwrapped side of the nucleosome is repositioned such that it interacts directly with DNA. As in the case of the H3 tail, the repositioning of the ubiquitin resulting from Chd1-directed DNA unwrapping could potentially affect interactions with the factors involved in the placing, removal or recognition of H2BK120ub. The most striking functional evidence for this interplay is that H2BK120ub is greatly reduced in Chd1 mutants (Lee et al., 2012). One possible explanation for this effect is that Chd1 sequesters ubiquitin in a conformation less accessible for removal. Consistent with this, the position of ubiquitin on the unwrapped side of Chd1 bound nucleosomes is incompatible with interaction with the SAGA DUB module (Morgan et al., 2016). Interestingly, the paradigm for trans regulation between histone modifications stems from the interplay between H2BK120ub and H3 K4 methylation (Sun and Allis, 2002), both of which are influenced by Chd1 binding. While Chd1 is not required for H3K4me3 (Lee et al., 2012), it does influence the distribution of this histone modification (Lee et al., 2017).
H2BK120ub has previously been observed to directly affect chromosome structure at the level of chromatin fibre formation (Debelouchina et al., 2017; Fierz et al., 2011). Our observations show a new role for H2BK120ub at the level of nucleosomal DNA wrapping. The specific relocation of ubiquitin on the unravelled side of the nucleosome, the local distortion of H2B at the site of attachment and the presence of lysine and arginine residues at the site of interaction with DNA all indicate this is a favourable interaction that stabilises DNA in the unwrapped state. The outer turns of nucleosomal DNA rapidly associate and dissociate on millisecond time scales, with occupancy of the unwrapped state estimated at 10% (Li et al., 2005). The ubiquitin interaction we have observed would be anticipated to stabilise the transiently unwrapped state increasing its abundance. It is however, unlikely that the unwrapped state predominates in the absence of Chd1 or other factors that promote unwrapping as the structure of isolated ubiquitinylated nucleosomes is unchanged (Machida et al., 2016). Nonetheless, increased occupancy of the transiently unwrapped state would be anticipated to facilitate access to nucleosomal DNA. Chromatin folding to form higher order structures is likely to be favoured by fully wrapped nucleosomes, and so an increase in the proportion of unwrapped nucleosomes could potentially contribute to the effects of H2BK120ub on chromatin fibre formation (Fierz et al., 2011). Many other processes involving chromatin dynamics are linked to H2BK120ub including transcription (Bonnet et al., 2014), DNA repair (Moyal et al., 2011; Nakamura et al., 2011) and DNA replication (Lin et al., 2014). A more stable unwrapped state could also provide an explanation for the association of factors that lack recognised ubiquitin interaction domains, with ubiquitinylated chromatin (Shema-Yaacoby et al., 2013). Interestingly, H2BK120ub associating proteins include human Chd1, SWI/SNF complex, pol II and the elongation factors NELF and DISF (Shema-Yaacoby et al., 2013).
The change in the position of ubiquitin also has the potential to indirectly affect the way in which other factors interact with ubiquitinylated nucleosomes. On the wrapped side of the nucleosome, ubiquitin is positioned such that it occludes access to the acidic patch formed by the cleft between histones H2A and H2B. This provides a surface via which many proteins including LANA peptides (Barbera et al., 2006), RCC1 (Makde et al., 2010), Sir3 (Armache et al., 2011), PRC1 (McGinty et al., 2014) and the SAGA DUB module (Morgan et al., 2016) interact with nucleosomes. The repositioning of ubiquitin away from the acidic patch on the unwrapped side of the nucleosome improves access to the acidic patch. In this way, H2BK120ub may provide a means of regulating access to the acidic patch that is sensitive to changes in nucleosome structure.
Although the repositioning of the H3 tail and ubiquitin were observed on Chd1-bound nucleosomes, the potential for reconfiguration of histone epitopes may be more general. All processes that generate local DNA unwrapping would be anticipated to result in similar repositioning of histone tail epitopes. In particular, where combinations of modifications are recognised bivalently, the spatial alignment of epitopes will be important for recognition by coupled reader domains. This potentially provides a means of tuning signalling via histone modifications to regions of transient histone dynamics.
ScChd1 C-terminal and N-terminal truncations were made from the full length clone described in Ryan et al, using an inverse PCR strategy (Ryan et al., 2011). A similar approach was used to generate a chd1 lobe2 Δ632–646 deletion. Site-directed mutagenesis was used to introduce cysteine residues at strategic locations on ScChd1 1-1305ΔC using standard cloning procedure. All proteins were expressed in Rosetta2 (DE3) pLysS Escherichia coli cells at 20° C in Auto-induction media, and the purification of the protein was carried out typically as described in Ryan et al. After the purification of the protein the GST tag was cleaved with precision protease and the tag cleaved proteins were subjected to size exclusion chromatography using Superdex S200 10/300 GL columns (GE Healthcare). Expression and purification of Xenopus laevis histones were carried out as described previously (Luger et al., 1999).
Alkylation of cysteine-mutant histones to generate histones modified with methyl-lysine analogues was performed as in (Simon et al., 2007). Approximately 10 mg of lyophilised cysteine mutant histone was resuspended in 800 µL (me3) or 900 uL (me0) degassed alkylation buffer (1M HEPES, 10 mM D,L-methionine, 4M Guanidine HCl, pH7.8). Histones were reduced with fresh 30 mM DTT for 30 min at room temperature.
For trimethyl-lysine analogues, the reduced histone was added to approximately 125 mg of (2-Bromoethyl) trimethylammonium bromide (Sigma 117196–25G) in 200 µL of DMF and incubated in the dark at 50⁰C for 3 hr. An additional 10 µL of DTT was added, and the reaction was allowed to proceed overnight at room temperature.
For generation of the unmethylated lysine analogue, 75 µL of 1M 2-Bromoethylamine hydrobromide (Fluka 06670–100G) was added to the reduced histone and was incubated at room temperature in the dark for 3 hr. An additional 10 µL of DTT was added for 30 min prior to the addition of an extra 75 µL of alkylating agent, and the reaction was allowed to proceed overnight at room temperature in the dark.
The reaction was terminated with the addition of 50 µL 2-mercaptoethanol for 30 min and the alkylated histone was desalted either by dialysis into water with 2 mM 2-mercaptoethanol or on a PD-10 desalting column (GE 52130800). The shift in molecular weight associated was confirmed via MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry.
Recombinant expression of xH2B K120C and His-TEV-Ubiquitin G76C mutant proteins was induced with IPTG for 4 hr in Rosetta 2 DE3 pLysS cells grown at 37⁰C. Inclusion body purification followed by cation exchange chromatography was performed to isolate the histone protein. Ubiquitin was purified using HisPur cobalt resin with 150 mM sodium chloride/20 mM Tris pH8 buffer and eluted with 350 mM imidazole. Histones and ubiquitin were desalted by dialysis into water with 2 mM 2-mercaptoethanol and lyophilised for storage.
Proteins were re-suspended in 50 mM ammonium bicarbonate pH eight and treated with 2 mM TCEP for 1 hr. Ellman’s reagent was used to ascertain the concentration of free sulfhydryls, and xH2b and ubiquitin were combined at equimolar ratios, as defined by the Ellman’s assay, and diluted with 50 mM ammonium bicarbonate to 200–250 uM each protein. The proteins were crosslinked at room temperature with four hourly additions of ¾ molar ratio of 1,3 dichloroacetone (freshly prepared in DMF). An equal volume of denaturing buffer (7M Guanidine HCl, 350 mM sodium chloride, 25 mM Tris pH7.5) was added to the reactions, which were purified using HisPur cobalt resin, pre-equilibrated in denaturing buffer. The His-TEV-Ub-xH2B crosslinked product was eluted with 350 mM imidazole and dialysed into SAUDE200 buffer (7M Urea, 20 mM sodium acetate, 200 mM sodium chloride, 1 mM EDTA, 5 mM 2-mercaptoethanol) overnight. The ubiquitinated histone was further purified over a cation exchange column, as before, and fractions were dialysed into water with 2 mM 2-mercaptoethanol and lyophilised for storage.
Xenopus H2B-K120 ubiquitinylated histones were refolded in equimolar ratios with H2A and similarly H3 K36 methyl analogue histones were refolded in equimolar ratios with histone H4 to obtain dimers and tetramers as described previously for wild type histones Dyer et al., and purified on a size exclusion chromatography using S200 gel filtation column. The peak fractions were analysed with SDS-PAGE gel and pooled. 601 DNA fragments of respective lengths for recombinant nucleosome assembly were generated by PCR method as described previously (Sundaramoorthy et al., 2017). Nucleosomes were generated by salt dialysis as described previously by combining H2A/H2B-K120 ubiquitin dimer, H3K36 methyl lysine analogue tetramer (2:1 ratio) with DNA containing PCR-amplified Widom 601 DNA sequence.
Nucleosomes were reconstituted on Cy3 (me0) and Cy5 (me3) labelled DNA, based on the 601 sequence, with a 47 bp extension. Repositioning by Chd1 was performed in 40 mM Tris pH7.4, 50 mM KCl, 3 mM MgCl2, 1 mM ATP, 100 nM each nucleosome, and 10 nM Chd1; 10 µL was removed at each time point (T = 0, 4, 8, 16, 32, and 64 min), placed on ice, and stopped with the addition of 100 ng/µL competitor DNA, 200 mM NaCl, and 1.6% sucrose. Repositioned nucleosomes were run on 6% PAGE/0.2X TBE gels in recirculating 0.2X TBE buffer for 3–4 hr at 300V. The percent of repositioned nucleosomes was analysed using Aida image analysis software. Data were fit to a hyperbola in Sigma Plot, to determine the initial rate of repositioning.
Xenopus laevis nucleosomes (20 nM), reconstituted on Cy3 labelled 0W11 DNA, were bound to titrations of Chd1 enzymes (concentration specified in figure legend) in 50 mM Tris pH 7.5, 50 mM sodium chloride, and 3 mM magnesium chloride supplemented with 100 µg/mL BSA. Unbound and bound nucleosomes were separated on a pre-run 6% polyacrylamide gel (49:1 acrylamide: bis-acrylamide) in 0.5X TBE buffer for 1 hr at 150V. The gel shift was scanned on Fujifilm FLA-5100 imaging system at 532 nm.
MTSL was conjugated to introduced cysteines immediately following size exclusion purification as described in Hammond et al. (2016). Excess unreacted labels were removed from the sample by dialysis. PELDOR experiments were conducted at Q-band (34 GHz) operating on a Bruker ELEXSYS E580 spectrometer with a probe head supporting a cylindrical resonator ER 5106QT-2w and a Bruker 400 U second microwave source unit as described previously (Hammond et al., 2016). All measurements reported here were made at 50K. Data analysis was carried out using the DeerAnalysis 2013 package (Jeschke and Polyhach, 2007). The dipolar coupling evolution data were first corrected to remove background decay. Tikhonov regularisation was then used to determine distance distributions from each dataset.
To model the distance distribution for the open conformation of Chd1 helicase lobes crystal structure of chromo helicase (PDB Code: 3MWY) (Hauk et al., 2010) was used. For the closed conformation refined cryoEM structure of Chd1 bound to nucleosome in the presence of ADP.BeFx described in this study was used as a model. For each structure, R1 spin labels were added and the distribution simulated for each position using MTSSL wizard in Pymol. Also the average distance from the distribution from a pair of spin labels were calculated using MTSSL wizard in Pymol.
The appropriate ratio of ScChd1(1-1305Δ57–88) to nucleosome for 1:1 and the 2:1 complex formation in the presence of 5-fold molar excess of ADP-BeFx was determined by titration and native PAGE analysis. The formed complex was then purified by size exclusion gel filtration using a PC 3.2/30 superdex 200 analytical column in 20 mM Tris, 50 mM NaCl and 250 µM ADP.BeFx.(formed by mixing 1:1:3 molar ratio of ADP:BeCl2:NaF). In a typical run 50uLs of 20 µM of sample was injected using Dionex autoloader. 50uLs fractions were collected and analysed in 6% Native PAGE gel and appropriate fractions containing ScChd1-nucleosome complexes were pooled together. A 4 µl drop of sample was then applied to C-flat Holey carbon foil (400 mesh R1.2/1.3 µM) pre-cleaned with glow discharge (Quorum technologies). After 15 s incubation, grids were double side blotted for 4 s in a FEI cryo-plunger (FEI Mark III) at 90% humidity and plunge frozen into −172°C liquefied ethane. Standard vitrobot filter paper Ø 55/20 mm, Grade 595 was used for blotting.
The prepared grids are initially checked for its ice quality and the particle distribution using a JEOL 2010 microscope with side-entry cryo-holder operated at 200 keV and equipped with a gatan 4k × 4 k CCD camera. Cryo-grids were then stored in liquid nitrogen and dry-shipped to respective centre for data collection. For the 1:1 complex the data were acquired on a FEI Titan Krios transmission electron microscope (TEM) operated at 300 keV, equipped with a K2 summit direct detector (Gatan). The 2:1 complex data were collected with FEI Titan Krios microscope equipped with Falcon three detector. Automated data acquisition was carried out using FEI EPU software at a nominal magnification of 105,000 × for the 1:1 complex and 59,000X for the 2:1 complex. For both the datasets, the data were collected as a movie with 32 frames per movie for the 1:1 complex and 40 frames per movie for the 2:1. Details of the data collection and processing parameters for both the datasets are included in Table 1.
The movie frames were subjected to frame wise motion correction using MotionCor2 (Zheng et al., 2017). CTF correction was then performed on the motion corrected summed image using GCTF (Zhang, 2016). Subsequent image processing was performed with RELION 2.0.4 (Scheres, 2012). About 5000 particles from 50 micrographs were first handpicked in RELION, extracted and 2D classes were generated. These 2D classes were then used as a reference in RELION auto pick routine and particles were picked from respective number of micrographs from each dataset. The auto picked particles were subsequently extracted and sorted. An iterative round of two-dimensional classification was performed to discard poorly averaging particles, contamination and exploded particles. On the resultant cleaned up particle stack a hierarchical three-dimensional classification and refinement was performed as described in the results. A low pass filtered low resolution chd1 engaged nucleosome structure was used as an initial model in the 3D classification. At the three-dimensional refinement stages a soft mask that encompasses the entire Chd1-nucleosome complex was applied. Post processing of refined models was performed with automatic B factor determination in RELION. Resolution for the refined reconstruction are determined at 0.143 FSC cut off as 4.5 Å for the 1:1 complex and 10 Å for the 2:1 Complex. Local resolution estimates were determined for the 1:1 complex using Resmap-1.4.
For model building X.laevis nucleosome with Widom 601 sequence (PDB 3LZ0), the S.cerevisiae Chd1 DNA-binding domain (PDB 3TED) and the ATPase core with tandem chromo domain (3MWY) were used. The domains were individually placed into the electron density using UCSF chimera and fitted as a rigid body. The path of the unwrapped DNA, H4 tail region and H3 tail region were manually built in Coot. Protein back bone restraints and DNA base pair, and parallel pair restraints were generated using ProSMART and LibG modules (Nicholls et al., 2012). The generated restraints were then used as constraint in jelly body refinement with CCPEM REFMAC program. ADP·BeF3 was built by superpositioning ATP-gamma-S from the inactive Chd1 structure (PDB code 3MWY) onto our model, inspected in COOT and replacing the ATP analogue with ADP·BeFx. For the 2:1 complex the structural model of 2chd1 bound to one nucleosome with 14 bp symmetrical linker on both side was generated using one chd1 bound to 0W14 nucleosome presented in this study and the one chd1 bound to 63W0 nucleosome (PDB-ID 5O9G). The model was then rigid body docked into the reconstructed 2chd1:1nucleosome volume in chimera. The quality of the fit is assessed by visual examination and the correlation coefficient between the model and the map. Sequence alignments were generated using JALVIEW (Waterhouse et al., 2009). The EM volumes and the fitted model can be accessed from the EMDB database with EMDB accession number EMD-4318 and PDB code 6FTX for the 1:1 complex and EMD-4336 and EMD-4336 for the 2:1 complex.
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Thank you for submitting your article "Structure of the chromatin remodelling enzyme Chd1 bound to a ubiquitinylated nucleosome" for consideration by eLife. Your article has been reviewed by three peer reviewers, including Geeta J Narlikar as the Reviewing Editor and Reviewer #1, and the evaluation has been overseen by John Kuriyan as the Senior Editor. The following individual involved in review of your submission has agreed to reveal their identity: Song Tan (Reviewer #3).
The Chd1 chromatin remodeler is important for nucleosome organization at promoters and coding regions in vivo and its presence is positively correlated with the coding region histone marks, H2BK120-Ubiquitylation and H3K36-methylation. In vitro Chd1 has been shown to have nucleosome assembly and nucleosome sliding activities. The link between these in vitro and in vivo activities is an area of active study and it is not known which of the in vivo effects of Cdh1 are direct vs. indirect. Sundaramoorthy et al. present a cryo-EM structure of Chd1 bound to a nucleosome with ubiquitylation on H2BK120 and tri-methylation mark on H3K36 in the presence of ADP-BeFx, at 4.5 Å resolution. In addition the authors obtain lower resolution reconstructions of doubly bound Chd1 molecules on a mono-nucleosomes.
The singly bound structure largely resembles the published Farnung et al. structure obtained with an unmodified mono-nucleosome. Despite the overall similarities the reviewers felt the Sundaramoorthy et al. study provided new insights that would be of much interest to researchers in the field of chromatin regulation. Firstly, the results suggest an interesting new mechanism for how ubiquitylation of histone H2B Lys120 could affect chromatin biology without requiring a specific reader protein for this chromatin modification. The structure is consistent with a model in which Chd1 action promotes H2B-ubiquitylation by protecting it from de-ubiquitylation and promotes H3 modifications by relieving inhibitory tail-DNA contacts. Secondly, the manuscript provides substantially more information and richer analysis than the Farnung et al. Nature Letter. A particularly important example is the discussion of the directionality of Chd1-mediated nucleosome repositioning. Both structures appear to be inconsistent with the observed direction of translocation, but as Sundaramoorthy et al. discuss, this analysis is based on comparisons with the NS3 single-stranded DNA translocase and it is not clear that the NS3 translocase is a good model for double-stranded DNA translocases like Chd1. Thirdly, unlike the published work this structure is obtained with using only Chd1 and nucleosomes.
While overall the reviewers feel this work could be suitable for eLife, there are some major concerns that the reviewers would like to see addressed before acceptance as outlined below.
1) For Figure 1, there are some concerns about whether the resolution of the 3D reconstruction is overestimated. Normally, in maps with resolution higher than 5 Å, bulky side chains become visible and β strands become separated, but such features cannot be recognized from the reconstruction, even in Figure 1—figure supplement 5. The local resolution estimation for the core histones is also shown to be ~4 Å resolution in Figure 1—figure supplement 4, however it appears lower than 4 Å. One way the authors can address this concern idea by using the high-resolution noise substitution method (Chen et al., Ultramicroscopy, 2013) in RELION. The authors should compare among the FSC curves of the masked FSC, the unmasked FSC, the phase-randomized FSC, and the masking-effect-corrected FSC.
2) The authors need to show multiple views of the final reconstructions, because Figure 1—figure supplement 4B is the only view from the top. It is easier to understand the 3D structure, if multiple views are presented. In particular, locations of the ubiquitin at the unwrapped and wrapped sides of the nucleosome are important points in this manuscript, both of which are missing in this figure.
3) Regarding local resolution estimation in Figure 1—figure supplement 4B, the authors mentioned that "The resolution varies within the map, with resolution close to 4 Å in the region occupied by the nucleosome and ATPase lobes and lower resolution in the vicinity of the DNABD and ubiquitin peptides (Figure 1—figure supplement 4B)." However, I cannot recognize the ubiquitin peptides in the map with local resolution. The authors need to change the contour level of the map to allow visualization of the ubiquitin peptides on the local resolution estimation map.
4) The FSC curve of the 2:1 Chd1-nucleosome complex (Figure 2—figure supplement 1E, no indication for X-Y axis) does not appear healthy enough to determine the resolution of the 3D reconstruction. According to the book chapter written by Pawel Penczek (Resolution Measures in Molecular Electron Microscopy, Methods in Enzymology, p73-p100, 2010), "Artifactual "rectangular" FSC: remains one at low frequencies, followed by a sharp drop, in high frequencies oscillates around zero. Typically, it is caused by a combination of alignment of noise and a sharp filtration during the alignment procedure. The FSC never drops to zero in the entire frequency range. Normally, this means that the noise component in the data was aligned, the results are artifactual and the resolution is undetermined." To avoid the artifactual reconstruction from noise, as performed by Mao et al. (PNAS, 2013; also see Henderson, PNAS, 2013), for example, the authors need to reprocess the data to obtain a reliable FSC for the 3D reconstruction.
5) There were a few concerns about the reasoning used by the authors to suggest that singly bound structure is the active conformation.
i) The authors do not explain how the published DNA gaps data can be reconciled with the cross-gyres conformation being the active conformation as opposed to the same-gyres conformation.
ii) Previous work has shown that Chd1 can move nucleosomes by 23-29 base-pairs without a stall, which is more than the 7 bp that is contacted by the DBD. The authors use this data as evidence against the cross-gyres conformation. This reasoning is not clear because the ISWI ATPases (Deindl et al., 2013) have step sizes as assessed by smFRET that are not correlated with the amount of DNA that is contacted by their DBDs. Further depending on the processivity of the enzyme the amount of DNA moved before a stall could be several multiples of 7 bp.
iii) In the Discussion the authors say: "This is anticipated if the DNA binding domain acts to generate an active conformation, but not if sensing of exit linker DNA is repressive." However, the ATPase data from Nodelman et al. (2017) shows a repressive effect of exit linker DNA. This should be discussed.
iv) In the Discussion the authors say: "Thirdly, the activity of chimeric Chd1 proteins in which DNA binding is provided via a heterologous domain is greatest when the cognate binding site is placed in the entry linker mimicking the arrangement observed in the Chd1-nuceosome structure". While this data is consistent with the cross-gyres conformation being the active conformation, the data is also consistent with the same-gyres conformation being active if what is being trapped by EM is the inactive state. In other words this prior data does not rule out the same-gyres conformation being the active conformation.
6) A few straightforward biochemical tests are required to test the mechanistic significance of the structural data. The authors can investigate the functional effects on nucleosome sliding of mutating the Chd1 lobe II residues that make contacts with the H3 alpha 1 helix and the 25 N-terminal residues that are hypothesized to contact the unpeeled DNA.
FSC curves generated using the high resolution noise substitution method confirm our original assessment of overall average resolution as 4.5 Å (new Figure 1—figure supplement 4A). There is a masking effect and the unmasked FSC is lower at 6.5 Å (new Figure 1—figure supplement 4A). The phase randomised FSC indicates there is no overfitting. We removed the text “close to 4Å” to avoid the potential for over interpreting areas of higher local resolution. The colour scheme in the original Figure 1—figure supplement 4 did not clearly distinguish resolution in the range 4-5 Å, the revised version includes an improved colour map of the unfiltered envelope with and additional view. We have included an example illustrating that some bulky side chains fit the unsmoothed density map (new Figure 1—figure supplement 5). This is comparable to the fit observed in the 4.5 Å structure of 53BP1 bound to a nucleosome (PDB:5KGF) and not as good as that observed in the 3.9 Å structure (EMDB 8140).
Additional views are now presented in the new Figure 1—figure supplement 4B.
Density for the ubiquitin peptides is visible in the revised figure.
We appreciate the concerns raised. The data has been reprocessed as suggested. The revised FSC curves are much healthier allowing resolution to be estimated at 11 Å.
The structures of Chd1 bound nucleosomes present a conundrum as the directionality inferred from the structures is opposite to what is anticipated based on the known biochemical properties of Chd1. The comments below have been thought provoking and we have revised and shortened this part of the discussion substantially.
The gaps data are presented as evidence for ATPase binding to the SHL2 location on the same gyre as the entry DNA.
This is a good point, the difference in the initial and subsequent step sizes observed in the Deindl paper is mentioned in the revised Discussion.
iii) In the Discussion, the authors say: "This is anticipated if the DNA binding domain acts to generate an active conformation, but not if sensing of exit linker DNA is repressive." However, the ATPase data from Nodelman et al. (2017) shows a repressive effect of exit linker DNA. This should be discussed.
This data is mentioned in the revised Discussion.
iv) In the Discussion, the authors say: "Thirdly, the activity of chimeric Chd1 proteins in which DNA binding is provided via a heterologous domain is greatest when the cognate binding site is placed in the entry linker mimicking the arrangement observed in the Chd1-nuceosome structure". While this data is consistent with the cross-gyres conformation being the active conformation, the data is also consistent with the same-gyres conformation being active if what is being trapped by EM is the inactive state. In other words this prior data does not rule out the same-gyres conformation being the active conformation.
This is a good point we removed this section.
6) A few straightforward biochemical tests are required to test the mechanistic significance of the structural data. The authors can investigate the functional effects on nucleosome sliding of mutating the Chd1 lobe II residues that make contacts with the H3-alpha1 helix and the 25 N-terminal residues that are hypothesized to contact the unpeeled DNA.
New data has been added showing that deleting the lobe II residues abolishes Chd1 activity in nucleosome sliding (Figure 2—figure supplement 5). The truncation of the H3 tail to K36 unexpectedly stimulates Chd1 activity quite strongly. However, deletion to 26 has no effect. This indicates that the interaction of the N-terminal region of the tail with DNA is not required for it to exert a repressive effect. This shows an important role for the histone H3 N-terminal tail in Chd1 action. The new data is included as Figure 8—figure supplement 1.
We thank Daniel Claire electron Bio-Imaging Centre (eBIC), Diamond light source Ltd, UK for data collection with respect to the 4.5 Å structure. We thank Rebecca Thompson and Neil Ranson for assistance with collection of 2Chd1 bound to one nucleosome structure at the Astbury Biostructre Laboratory, University of Leeds. The ubiquitin expression plasmid was kindly provided by Ron Hay, University of Dundee. This work was funded by Wellcome Senior Fellowship 095062, Wellcome Trust grants 094090, 099149 and 097945. ALH was funded by an EMBO long term fellowship ALTF 380–2015 co-funded by the European Commission (LTFCOFUND2013, GA-2013–609409). We thank Dale Wigley and Chris Aylett for useful discussions.
© 2018, Sundaramoorthy et al. | 2019-04-19T07:06:59Z | https://elifesciences.org/articles/35720 |
Panoramic and a breathtaking vantage point. Powdery sands and the bluest ocean water. Small villages and local encounters. An unforgettable hiking experience and a kickass destination. That’s what this post is about. Travel bloggers from all over the world gives us the best beach hikes in their books.
From tropical beach hikes in Southeast Asia, to breezy walks down under, to the cold ocean breeze of Canada and to the warm Mediterranean sunshine, the sick views of Brazil to the utterly gorgeous coastal hikes of USA, and from offbeat locations around Indian Ocean to the grand sights of New Zealand, this list will take you AROUND THE WORLD and show you the sickest, the dopest, and the most kickass. This are THE best beach hikes ever.
The province of Antique is a gem itself, but one of my favorite find in this underrated province is the island of Malalison. Antique is a short journey from the ever so loud Boracay, and as it remains overshadowed by the party island capital of the Philippines, the solitude that you’ll find here is a breath of fresh air. It takes a short boat ride to reach the island of Malalison. Although the island is inhabited by locals, the serenity upon reaching the shore is undeniable. But it is the hike around the island itself that will introduce you to the solitude like no other. The hike is simple and very beginner friendly, and in less than hour, you can go around the entire island depending on your pace. The only big challenge is the heat, so it’s best to do the hike early in the morning. But alas, upon reaching the summit, you will be blown away. The view up top gives you a panorama of the beach– white powdery sands and blue water as seen from above! It’s exhilarating being up there as the vista is just phenomenal. The great thing about the hike down is that you don’t have to necessarily take the same route back. You can also hire a boat for 20-50 pesos per person to take you back to the other side of the island where you came from.
Slurping the cold juice of a fresh coconut while laying on a white-sand beach – this is the picture that most people have in their mind when they think of Hawaii. It is a paradise destination, no questions asked. However, some may desire more than that when they plan a trip to Oahu. The combination of sandy beaches and lush-green mountains create the perfect environment for adventure seekers and beach lovers. One of my favorite spots on Oahu is Lanikai near Kailua. It has the most powdery sand I have ever felt in my life. The water is crystal-clear and you can overlook this pristine beach with the turquoise ocean by hiking up to the Pillboxes. It’s a short and easy hike for everyone from young to old. The trailhead is conveniently marked on Google Maps as it is frequently used by tourists and locals. The Pillboxes are old military bunkers that provide a spectacular view of Oahu’s East coast. There are three bunkers in total, of which the first one is the most popular. It takes around 30 min to reach. If this is not exciting enough, keep following the trail and it will lead you to the other Pillboxes. After your hike, you definitely should take a dip in the refreshing calm waters at Lanikai Beach.
The Algarve in Southern Portugal is a well known hot spot for glorious sandy beaches that are continuously warmed by the Mediterranean sun. Our favorite area in the Algarve is the pretty little town of Lagos, not only for its historic centre but also for the number of beautiful coved beaches that line its shore. The best way to explore these beaches is via the cliff top walk which starts from Lagos town and winds all the way to Ponta da Piedade, a fine natural feature where the cliffs of the headland have been naturally carved into rock pillars, tunnels and hidden grottos.
The beaches that fall in this walking trail are Praia do Pinhão, Praia Dona Ana, Praia do Camilo, Praia dos Pinheiros, Praia da Balança and finally Farol da Ponta da Piedade. The views along the entire route are stunning with sea views as far as the eye can see and a bird’s eye perspective of each of the beaches. You can access all the beaches along the cliff top path, ranging from tiny secluded coves to wide sandy stretches, using the staircases clinging to the cliffside. It’s an easy hike to make in 90 minutes or so, with only a little climbing needed to scramble up some of the steeper pathways, but we recommend wearing some decent footwear because flip-flops won’t cut it.
I recently went to the Azores, a group of islands owned by Portugal in the middle of the Atlantic. You weren’t hard-pressed for a beautiful view there, but my absolute favorite views came from my many morning and afternoon hikes along a new ocean trail that opened on the north coast stretching from Sao Vicente Ferreira to Capelas. I was staying at the Santa Barbara Lodge in Sao Vicente and the trail began right outside of my doorstep! The trail hugs the coast and offers some of the most killer views I’ve ever witnessed on a hike anywhere in the world. The landscape ranges from feeling tropical to feeling like you’re in a desert all within a few meters. You can birdwatch, check out the interesting local flora (which consists of lots and lots of flowers!), or just relax and listen to the waves come in. This area is not very populated and we never passed another person on these hikes, which made us feel even more remote than how we already felt being on the Azores. I highly suggest this hike, or any north shore hike, to everyone who finds themselves on Sao Miguel in the Azores. It will truly take your breath away!
Gili Lawa is the ultimate beach climb – in as much that there is barely a beach at the bottom, but one heck of a climb to get to the top! Located in Komodo National Park (Indonesia), it is much lesser known than the nearby Padar hike, and to be honest, much more challenging. Wear sunscreen and take as much water as you can carry. From the beach you’ll see the start of the track – which is only marked by the feet that have gone before you. The higher you climb, the more narrow the path, and the more uneven the ground becomes. All in all it will take up about an hour to reach the top, climbing at around at 75 degree angle. It is hot, dusty, loose rocks make you unsteady on your feet and by the time you reach the peak you’ll be wishing you were in the aqua blue waters below. But the view is totally worth it. You can see across to the bigger Komodo Island, and your boat parked in the cove will make for a great screensaver-like photograph. And, possibly the best news you’ll get from the top – is that there is an easier hike back down which is a little less taxing on your legs!
Everyone coming to North Stradbroke Island must check out the North Gorge Walk. This is an easy 1.5 km walk providing spectacular views from the rocky outcrops across the Pacific Ocean. From the designated walk ways, you can easily spot dolphins, turtles and manta rays as well as whales during the months of June to November. Along the path you most likely will see kangaroos grazing as well as well as a variety of bird life.
The walk commences at Moloomba Road, Point Lookout opposite Fish Café along an unsealed track through bushland with breathtaking views across the Point Lookout headland. The walk then continues along a wooden boardwalk which zig zags along the gorge. The North Gorge walks takes around 1 hour at a slow leisurely pace. The walk can be strenuous at times due to steep stairs, but for the most part it is an easy walk and suitable for all fitness levels and ages. There are parts of the walk that allow you to walk out on the rocks along the cliffs, provided you keep a safe distance from the edge this is safe enough, however keep a close eye on younger children. At the end of the walk there is toilets and a small playground. On a hot day reward yourself with some delicious ice cream from the Oceanic Gelati Bar which is located in the small group of shops at Point Lookout.
You have probably seen the famous Seven Sisters Cliffs on a postcard or at the front of book covers. It is an iconic British landmark. The Seven Sisters is a series of chalk cliffs by the English Channel. After living in London for 2 years I decided to visit the famous cliffs. I love hiking and was really lucky with the weather on the day I planned my walk. I took the train from London to Brighton, then a bus to the Visitor Centre. There are a few walks you can choose from. I decided to walk on top of the cliffs to Beachy Head, where we can see a lighthouse. The walk offered beautiful views of the ocean and cliffs. I had a little break in Birling Gap. There is a visitor centre and cafe here. After a refreshing ice cream, I continued my way to Beachy Head, where I was rewarded with a stunning view of the lighthouse. Unfortunately, some people lost their life getting too close to the edge while trying to take selfies. Please use common sense and always be safe! This walk was a total of 6 miles on easy terrain. You could continue your way to Eastbourne and take the train back from there to London. However I also wanted to have a little sightseeing in Brighton, so I took the bus back there and had lovely fish and chips for dinner while watching the sunset.
Padar Island in Komodo National Park, East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia would have to be my best beach hike ever. Why? Well, just look at that view. Isn’t it grand? 😉 Padar Island is the third largest island in Komodo National Park and used to be inhabited my Komodo Dragons. So that’s one less thing to worry about while hiking up to the peak. The loose soil and steep incline directly from the coral beach makes for a tricky start to the hike but after all the knee pain you’ll get, don’t worry the view will definitely be worth it. From the higher viewpoints, you’ll see the tri-colored beach of Padar Island – black, white, and pink. Add to that the amazing landscape and panoramic view of the island and nearby islands in the national park. The hike can be fast, less than 30 minutes if you don’t stop along the way but since we were so busy catching our breath and marveling at the view, it took us 45 minutes to the top. The way to the summit can be trickier than the first part again because of the loose soil. But it offers an even more bird’s eye view of the picturesque scene so it’s worth the extra effort.
The West Coast Trail is world renowned for being rugged, remote, and starkly beautiful. Running along the Southwest coast of British Columbia’s Vancouver Island, the West Coast Trail is 75km of pristine BC scenery and wildlife. The trail winds between old growth rainforest and over the headlands that give startling views of the ocean. But the reason most folks come is to walk along the miles of unspoiled and empty sandy beaches and enjoying the views with every step. Some beaches are hard packed and perfect for walking, while other may be silky and soft, but can make hiking with that backpack a bit of a slog. Regardless, the ‘beach boogying’ is unforgettable, as it will bring you up close with sea otters, seals, sea lions, coastal birds, and probably even the resident pods of whales. All of the designated campsites along the trail are on the beach, creating the perfect setting for a beach fire every night on the trail, not to mention dozing off to the sounds of crashing ocean waves just outside your tent.
Rio de Janeiro is well known for sunny beaches, caipirinhas and Samba parties. However, that’s not all! One of the best ways to enjoy the city is to hike the nearby hills and observe its beauty from above. Although most people visit only Sugar Loaf and Christ the Redeemer, the views from Dois Irmãos are equally impressive, if not better! I love this trail because it’s not touristy, it’s well located near Ipanema and it gives you a chance to learn about Rio’s culture. To reach the starting point, you must walk up the Vidigal favela, which is totally safe. The residents are used to seeing many foreigners and you’ll have no problems walking around. A visit to Vidigal is worth your time; have an açai or a coffee and see how things work in a Brazilian favela.When you get to the top of Vidigal, you’ll have to hike along a marked path surrounded by rainforest. After a while, the forest will become a hill with views of the open ocean. Once on the top, you’ll enjoy a wonderful view of the southern part of the city, Ipanema, Copacabana and other beautiful beaches. The hike is not difficult at all, and takes only about 40 minutes up and 20 minutes down. If you want to take a hike that includes culture, adventure and spectacular scenery just a few minutes from the city, don’t miss Dois Irmãos!
Santorini is a Greek island that is known for its stunning beauty. In the 16th century BC, a devastating volcano eruption forever changed the rugged landscape. Sometimes the crowds (especially from the cruise ships) can make getting a good photograph of the gorgeous scenery difficult. However, we found that one of the best ways to view the caldera (crater) is to hike along its edge. Not only will you capture stunning pictures, but you’ll be able to experience it at your own pace.The best time to hike from Fira to Oia is early morning, especially during the sweltering summer months. Starting in Fira keeps you in the shade for the first 1/3 of the hike. The hike is about 6 miles (10 km). It took us 3 hours to hike from Fira to Oia with stopping for photographs and snack and water breaks.
Kauai, the Garden Isle of Hawaii is a hiker’s paradise. There are so many trails to choose from that it’s hard to know which to tackle first. But if there is one that you absolutely must do, it’s the trek to Hanakapi’ia Beach on the Kalalau Trail.The trail begins in the carpark of Ke’e Beach on the North Shore of the island, and Ke’e Beach also marks the start of Kauai’s amazing Nā Pali Coast. This four-mile return hike is one of the most beautiful ones in Hawaii, offering spectacular views of the Pacific ocean, the Hanakapi`ai Valley, and the breathtaking Nā Pali Coast.The path from the car park steadily ascends to an elevation of four hundred feet. You will need to be reasonably fit and mobile as the trail can be quite tough in parts. But the sweeping views across the soaring cliffs of the Nā Pali Coast, and of Ke’e beach’s sparkling lagoon, make it well worth the effort. You’ll also have plenty of time to stop and catch your breath while you admire the picture postcard scenery around you.Along the way, the hike takes you through lush green valleys, freshwater streams, and past waterfalls and jungles of exotic plants. Your final obstacle to tackle before you reach Hanakapi’ia beach, is boulder hopping across the Hanakapi’ia stream. Take extra care there, as the current can be quite strong. It’s best not to attempt this crossing after heavy rain. Once you’ve made it to the beach you might be tempted to jump straight into the water, but don’t! This beach is treacherous and definitely not suitable for swimming. Many people have been dragged out to sea and drowned there. Just relax and enjoy its beauty. You can always swim at Ke’e Beach once you’ve completed the hike.
Torrey Pines State Park sits about 30 minutes north of downtown San Diego and just above the tourist destination of La Jolla. It’s San Diego’s best hike for panoramic views of the ocean and trails down to the beach. There is pay parking from the state park entrance at the bottom and a limited number of street parking spots at the bottom and top entrance. The hikes are generally short (about 3 miles) with 300’ of elevation from the ridge to the ocean. This gives you the opportunity for amazing vistas and just a little bit of cardio heading back uphill. Several lookouts give you views of the ocean that stretch to Mexico and often gliders from the nearby gliderport dot the sky. This is a place to find spring wildflowers or the rare Torrey Pine tree that is only found here and the Channel Islands. The geologic activity that formed the ridge left a landscape that looks like another planet. You can also catch glimpses of the Torrey Pines PGA tour golf course adjacent to the park. As you would expect, a beautiful hike this close to city center gets crowded. There will be people on the trail and on the beaches so come early if you want some solitude.
Florida’s powdery white shores attract hordes of beach goers and Hawaii’s volcanic black sands make for stunning Instagrams, but there’s no question that Canada’s Bay of Fundy is the one of the most unusual beaches in the world. Every six hours, the water levels rise and fall by over 50 feet, exposing miles of ocean floor in the process. New Brunswick’s Coastal Trail, located in Fundy National Park, is the ideal place to see this dramatic tidal action up close – and get a hike in at the same time.
This was the first trail I did in Cape Breton which is the northern part of Nova Scotia. The “Middle head“. I have no idea how it got its name but it was really perfect! The trail passes through trees (of course) and provides incredible views of the ocean both south and north! So you’re walking between trees and see the blue water with these big rocks and cliffs. The reason you see both directions relatively good is that it’s on a peninsula going out to the sea (look for it on a map and you’ll understand what I’m talking about). But what’s special about the trees is that they are evergreen unlike other trees in the area which are changing colors at this time of year. It was quite easy, about 1.5 hours, interesting, and with fantastic views. Anyway, on a sunny day the blue, green and grey colors are very vivid. And now for a tip from someone that’s been there – bring a beer and a snack and stop somewhere along the way with some fantastic views in front of you. The trailhead is located right beside the Keltic Lodge and one of the many golf courses I saw on this trip.
Hiking around Ilha Grande (Big Island) in Brazil was an amazing experience, all the hikes we’d done before were somewhere in the mountains where it’s cold, rainy, windy etc. This hike was something completely different, a dream hike that you walk in your bikini/board shorts and flip-flops moving from beach to beach swimming and snorkelling from time to time. Ilha Grande is quite a big tropical island in the South of Brazil about 100km from Rio de Janeiro a popular place for locals to come for weekends or holiday. Not many people venture to do the entire route but if you have time we’d definitely recommend to do it. We walked around the island in 5 days but a week would be better this way you’ll have more time to relax on the beach, enjoy swimming and snorkeling in crystal clear warm water and to discover hidden corners of the island. Unlike big cities in Brazil Ilha Grande is very safe you can camp on the beach, at a local’s house or in a campsite without being worried about yourself or your belongings. Don’t miss sunsets and sunrises they are absolutely stunning especially on Aventureiro beach. Walking through the dense jungle watch for tropical birds and monkeys, these are super cute.
Although Hong Kong is famous for its dense skyline, it may surprise you to find out that it is actually home to more than 50 hiking trails and that approximately three quarters is countryside! One of the most popular hikes in Hong Kong is the “Dragon’s Back”, aptly named as you walk along the ridge of the mountain for most of the hike and take in the gorgeous scenery. Dragon’s Back is easily accessible from the Shau Kei Wan MTR subway station and it takes anywhere from 2-3 hours to complete the beginner-friendly hike. Towards the end you have the option to follow the path to Big Wave Bay Beach for a bite to eat and dip in the ocean. The best time of year to do this hike is during the autumn months, when it is still sunny but much less humid and stuffy.
Tioman Island lies off the Eastern Coast of Mersing/Tanjung Gemok in Malaysia. It’s a popular weekend escape for locals and tourists as it has both unspoiled natural beauty as well as resorts and spas. While people usually come to tax-free Tioman for a beach escape or to get their PADI certification, as the diving is out of this world, there are also fantastic hikes that range from easy to more advanced. Most visitors will be staying in the resort-clad Western part of the island, Tekek. If you trek north, you will end up at the almost isolated Monkey Beach and as the name suggests, the mischievous macaques own this place, so pack any food away. To the South is the beautiful Asah Waterfall by Mukut village. Tioman even has trails for veteran mountaineers, who can ascend the 1038m Mount Kajang. This trail is so untouched that you may have to carve your own path to summit the mountain. Yet the most popular hike by far is walking around the mountain to the East coast where resort construction forbidden. While the diving on this side is not so great, the nature is unparalleled and the beaches are untouched. One of the best parts of hiking Tioman is that you don’t have to hike both ways. This means you can enjoy a leisurely wander through the lush jungle, spotting monitor lizards and red giant flying squirrels, and catch a boat taxi back to your resort after lunch. Tioman really is a unique beach hike that is filled with astounding scenery of white sand and azure ocean. Remember to pack your snorkel as the marine life is bustling at every turn.
Mount Maunganui is one of the more well-known places in the North Island for people visiting for New Zealand due to its reasonable year round weather, beaches, and adventures around the area including the walk up to Mount Maunganui. The hike to the top of the Mount isn’t strenuous. You’ll be climbing for 30 minutes or so up a mild incline to the summit X above sea level. Once you get to the top, you get some incredible views in all directions with the Mount Maunganui beach the stand out.
Before you make the stroll up the Mount, head to one of the many cafes in the town by the entrance. After the descent, it’s time to head to the beaches you were just admiring with a couple of the pathways leading straight to the beach. If you’re looking for a similar hike nearby, drive south 20-25 minutes and explore the Papamoa Hills. There you’ll get a slightly less touristy place with just as incredible views. Two epic hikes that everyone can do with minimal organization required whether you’re on a kiwi road trip, backpacking or on a tour.
The Eastern Walkway is in the eastern suburbs of Wellington near the airport. This walk offers stunning views of the beaches and coastline of Wellington. As the saying goes, ‘you can’t beat Wellington on a good day!’. This is an easy walk up in the bush so you can view the tuis (native birds) and native bush. The track is 2.5 km long and takes about 1.5 hours to complete. The track surface is mainly gravel and much of the track is exposed.At the Tarakena Bay end of the track is the Ataturk Memorial which commemorates the first president of modern Turkey, and defender of Gallipoli. This particular spot was chosen for this memorial, dedicated in 1990, due to the landscape’s resemblance of Anzac Cove in Gallipoli. There is also an extra track out to Point Dorset above Breaker Bay, where you will find WWII gun batteries and observation points, as well as stunning views over the bay and harbour entrance.
Taganga is a small fishing village in Santa Marta, Colombia. Well, these days it is more of a backpacker chill-out spot, but that doesn’t stop it from being pretty. At the end of Taganga beach, there is a trail through the hills which will lead you to Playa Grande, another beach. It is not a very long trail. You could do it in 10 minutes if you wanted to. It takes most people longer though. Sometimes it took me up to an hour.
Along the way, you can walk down to some other secluded beaches. There are far fewer people than in Taganga, and if you have your own gear you can snorkel. There are also some great viewpoints along the way, looking out to the ocean or back towards Taganga.
Once at Playa Grande you can reward yourself with a fresh fruit juice, beer, or the catch of the day. The snorkeling at Playa Grande is pretty good too. Want to hike some more? At the end of Playa Grande, there is a path that keeps going through the hills. You could hike all the way to Tayrona National Park if you wanted! Tip: Avoid the local crowd and the Carribbean heat. Go before noon on a weekday.
The hike up to top of the Palm Beach peninsula located just 35km North of Sydney is the ultimate walk in terms of ocean views. The hiking trail starts on the beach and will lead you up to the top of the rock on the end of the small peninsula. From here you will be rewarded with incredible 360 degrees ocean views. The trail itself is short, pretty steep but easily accessible from the beach. If you don’t want to take the steep stairs there is also a path going up. To get to the lighthouse on the top of the hill will take you about 20 to 30 minutes only. Once you reach the plateau on top you can find a hidden cave, which you have to climb into for some extraordinary views, and some really cool photo spots with some incredible optical illusion. Palm Beach is also famous for filming one of Australia’s most popular soap series: Home and Away. On Sundays a return bus trip from the city center of Sydney to Palm Beach will cost you only $2,50 AUD. I visited Palm Beach many times while working abroad in Sydney.
Located just a quick 15-minute drive from the central California city of Monterey, Point Lobos State Natural Reserve offers a variety of easy to moderate hikes. It’s surrounded by the Pacific Ocean on three sides, with no shortage of beach views. Besides walking among towering trees and hearing the crash of waves against the cliffs, visitors can also learn about the area’s whaling history in Whalers Cove and look out for the variety of local wildlife that lives in and off the coast of the park. Examples include sea otters, whales, bobcats, and great blue herons.Spring is one of the best times to hike Point Lobos. In addition to the year-round beach vistas, spring offers gorgeous weather and the blooming of California wildflowers. Those who time their visit for mid to late spring may also witness harbor seal pupping season, a wonder of its own. While trail maps are available for free online and for purchase at the entrance ($2), one of the best ways to explore the natural reserve is by randomly following the clearly marked trails and letting them take you to the park’s many surprises. Entrance to this gorgeous slice of paradise is free unless you want to park inside the reserve, in which case a $10 fee is assessed for passenger vehicles.
Karwar is a coastal city in the Karnataka state of South India. The city has numerous pristine and untouched beaches which are yet to fall on the touristic radar. One such beach which is well hidden from the tourists is the Tilmati black beach. The beach can be reached only through an easy hike of the rocky volcanic hill which offers magnificent views of the blue seas as far as the eyes can see. The hike starts from the Gabitwada beach in Majali Village. The not so well marked path of the rocky terrain is dotted with wildflowers and beautiful seashells. The beach is one of its kind where the sand of the beach unlike other beaches in Karwar is made up of fine grainy black pebbles. Tilmati in the local language literally means sesame sand which gives the beach its name. The trail descends to small bays at several points which are great to make short stops and take in the views.
The Bondi to Coogee walk is one of Australia’s best and most scenic ocean view walks! The winding clifftop pathway takes you on a visual journey along several of New South Wales best beaches. This walk is classified as a medium urban walk with plenty of elevations and it does include quite a few stairs. We would strongly recommend that you prepare yourself for a bit of a work out here. Bondi to Coogee walk is a 6km hike one way and it will take you approximately 3 hours at a steady and leisurely pace. This walk has plenty of stunning spots and picture perfect panoramic views. Make sure to have your camera ready, so you can capture some of those unforgettable moments and spectacular scenery.There are number of extraordinary beaches along the way and all of them different to one another. Whether you step down to Bronte Beach, Clovelly Beach or Gordon’s Bay, the scenery changes dramatically from sandy, to rocky to quiet little coves. Absolutely loved this walk and everything along the way. Our little tip: Make sure to stop at the Tamarama Beach for a coffee at the cliff side café. The coffee is delicious and it makes for a great half way stopping point.
One of my newly discovered areas for hiking in Thailand now, is the lesser known Khao Sam Roi Yot National Park. I spoke to colleagues who had lived in Bangkok for decades and had still never heard of this place. It is absolutely stunning with beautiful beaches and amazing mountains that seem to appear from nowhere. ‘Khao Sm Roi Yot’ in Thai roughly translates to ‘300 mountain peaks’ and they weren’t lying. There are some amazing viewpoints and quiet beaches to stop along the way. I recommend hiring a scooter as the roads are not particularly busy and this is the easiest way to travel around the national park. One of my favourite hikes is to Praya Nakorn, which is a giant cave with a throne inside. If you go in the late morning the sun pours in through the top of the cave and illuminates the throne and surrounding area.
The Fundy Footpath is a challenging 41 kilometers hike along the gorgeous Bay of Fundy. Located in the province of New Brunswick (in eastern Canada), it is perfectly situated for a full wilderness experience, yet easily accessible – at times, the nearest houses are over 15 miles away!Lounging the water’s edge, this wooded trail runs from the edge of Fundy National Park all the way to the renowned suspension bridge of the Fundy Trail Parkway. Enjoy breathtaking views of the bay while you take on the area’s rugged terrain and sleep in the primitive campgrounds along the path. If you complete the full hike, you’ll be rewarded with views of the impressive 10 meter high tides of the bay multiple times during this 3-4 days wilderness adventure. The length of time required to complete this hike is entirely dependent on making the crossing at Goose River and Goose Creek in time for low tide. Should you get there at high tide, you will have to hold off and wait for the waters to go down. Don’t despair if you don’t have the skills or the time for this 3 to 4 day hike, you can always complete part of the trail and simply turn around after a few hours, or try some of the shorter hikes that are available in neighboring Fundy Trail Parkway!
Beaches have such a wonderful and serene quality about them. The soft sands, the sight and sound of the waves relentlessly caressing the beach. What if the beach experience was blended with the thrill of hiking? The resulting cocktail of an experience would indeed be an intoxicating affair.That is what happens when you get to Gokarna, a place situated in Karnataka, a southern state of India. You can indulge your senses in a hike that along the coastline that will take you across not one, but 4 gorgeous beaches. A hike of about 10 kilometers takes you through some amazing natural landscapes. As your feet trudge along the sands of the beach towards your destination you are serenaded on one side by rocky hills and on the other the wide expanse of the Arabian Sea. The hike starts from Kudle Beach and takes you to Om Beach which is mystically formed in the shape of an OM, the beach here is really lovely and a dip in the placid sea water a must. From the Om Beach, the trail will lead to another lovely beach known as the Half Moon Beach where there is a possibility of Dolphin sighting if you are lucky. One can also sit on a huge rock known as the Rock of Peace and gaze out in the sea and be carried away by the serenity of the moment. The last beach on the trail is fittingly known as Paradise Beach, the trail to this beach is slightly difficult as it involves negotiating rocky terrain, but once you reach the beach, all your tiredness will vanish as you sink into the soft sands of the beach.
Lord Howe Island is a tiny speck of paradise located a few hours off the eastern coast of Australia. Thanks to restricted visitor numbers (the whole island and surrounds are World Heritage listed), it’s a secret little shared with the world. The island abounds with the walks of varying lengths, all offering up amazing views of the pristine waters surrounding the island. But my pick of them all, and the biggest challenge, is ascending Mt Gower.See the right hand peak looming off in the distant in the photo? That’s Mt Gower, climbing 875m high directly from the beach at its base. The ascent of Mt Gower is only possible with a guide, mainly for safety reasons, plus due to the colonies of rare birds near its peak. Sufferers of vertigo will have to skip this hike, with one section making its way along a veritable goat track halfway up a cliff, a sheer drop off to one side, a rope to hold onto on the other. There’s also some tough climbs up rock faces, with a rope a necessary help. It’s a tough climb that will take a good 8 hours to finish. But along the way and from the top you’ll be rewarded with beautiful views, stretching as far as the Balls Pyramid sea spire off in the distant. Plus, there are multiple spas on the island to book a massage for your recovery the next day!
Call it irrational, but sometimes I get discouraged from doing a hiking trail when there’s a defibrillator at the start. What am I letting myself in for here? Fortunately, when I spotted it at the Hotel Punta Tragara on Capri, I didn’t allow myself to be put off. And it turned out to be one of the best decisions of my trip to Italy.You can approach the trail known as Via Pizzolungo from two directions – if you want a harder hike, start at Hotel Punta Tragara. If you want an easier time of it, follow the signs from Capri Town to the Arco Naturale, until you reach the Le Grottelle restaurant, and take the steps down. Either way, prepare yourself for some outstanding views of one of the most beautiful stretches of coastline in the world: from wide expanses of the Tyrrhenian Sea, stretching right to the distant Sorrentine Peninsula, to flashes of bright cobalt blue waters, glimpsed between the deep green of pine forests. And you’ll have a prime view of the famous Faraglioni rocks, rising up out of the ocean to a height of over 100 metres – stop for a while and watch the waves crashing into stone, whilst boats sail through a natural arch in the base of the middle rock. It’s the definitive image of Capri.And that’s not all – you’ll also spot the mysterious Roman site of Grotta di Matermania, and the striking archtecture of Villa Malaparte, built on a spur which stretches into the sea itself. Pine and seasalt scent the air, heady and intoxicating. And when you’ve walked it? Buy a lemon granita, put your feet up, and enjoy the never-ending views of deepest blue sea.
One of the best hikes that I’ve taken was in Alicante, Spain. You don’t need to walk too long, but the view is gorgeous. There is a mountain Bonacantil with an ancient fortress called Castell de la Santa Bàrbara (Castle of Santa Barbara) located on the top of it. The hike is not very difficult, and you also have several terraces with great views on the way to the top. The castle itself is also very interesting. It is a 9-century Muslim fortification that survived to our days.For some time, it played a role of a prison. For about a century, it was abandoned, and it became open to public in 1963. Recently, an elevator was built to be able to get to the castle. You can use it just for 2.7 euros, but you would appreciate the view much more if you hike. The view is amazing!
The short 20-minute hike to get to the top of this island is done best in the late afternoon, when the sun isn’t too rough. It’s easy, breezy, and quite therapeutic once you see the lovely view of the white beach. Getting to Calaguas Island itself, on another hand, is one long journey. From Manila, it already takes over 8 hours to reach the jump off point to take another 2-hour boat ride that will bring you to the promise land– Calaguas Island. The beach itself is quite glorious, but the hike on the next island, a short 10-minute boat ride away, is another lovely way to pass your time while completely disconnected in this off grid spot. There are different view points once you get to the top. One corner will show you the vast blue sea, another will give you a view of gorgeous rock formation below, one gives you a great vista of the white beach, and if your timing is right, another might just be the perfect spot of the sunset. For a short hike, this definitely gives you a variety of Instagrammable spots!
An iconic viewpoint of Nusa Penida, Kelingking Beach may be one of the most beautiful sights in all of Bali. I knew as soon as I saw photos of it online that I had to do absolutely everything I could to visit – even if it meant driving a scooter on scary pothole filled roads to do so! And although the drive was very challenging (and seriously terrifying), cruising through the lush mountainside jungle to get there is enough to make the trip worthwhile. As soon as you see your first glimpse of the breathtaking t-rex ridge and golden sands, you forget the scary drive and immediately soak in the beauty. From above, you can see bright blue waters and jagged coastline for miles, as well as the giant waves crashing on the beach below. If you’re up for the challenge, hike down the ridge to actually step foot on Kelingking Beach. Fraying bamboo poles tied with twine and the rock face of the cliff are all you have for support and stability on this steep and slightly dangerous trail. And when I say it’s steep, I mean in some places the trail is nearly vertical! At the bottom, enjoy feeling the salt spray on your face and watching the monkeys play amongst the trees. Sadly the waves are too large and dangerous for swimming, but the view alone makes the hike worth it! So, is Nusa Penida on your bucket list yet?
In one of the coves of El Nido in Palawan lies one of the best beaches in the world, as well as one of the most marvelous beach sights you can find. The Nacpan Beach is a four-kilometer-long unspoiled bliss of a beach. Its fine white sand, sparkling blue water and clear view of the horizon, adorned by a couple of picturesque islands are sure to leave you breathless. After wonder, a certain calm will wash over you as you realize that the beach is indeed big for everyone there; the lack of enormous resorts and hordes of tourists promising relaxation.But this is not where it ends as an extraordinary sight is available to the curious and restless. Venturing to the left end of the beach will lead to the strip of sand that separates the Nacpan Beach from its twin, the Calitang Beach. Walking further along will lead to a low hill where a well-worn path has been carved by curious visitors. A short trek will lead to the top and to one of the most magnificent vistas you can ever see, the Nacpan-Calitang Twin Beach. The panorama is impressive, a combination of the azure Nacpan beach to the far left, perfect for relaxing and swimming, and the almost rugged aspect of the Calitang beach, mostly the fishing side of the cove. The boats and coconut trees properly lined up along the beach complete the marvelous scenery.
Located just 28 km west of Lisbon and covering an area of about 145 km², the Sintra – Cascais National Park in Portugal features some great hiking trails. To enjoy some of the most spectacular views the park has to offer, you should go for a hike along the coast. Here, you can visit continental Europe’s westernmost point, Cabo da Roca, which was once considered to be the edge of the world, the point where land ends and the ocean begins. The trails along the coast can be steep and narrow at some points and sometimes they are not well-marked, but overall hiking in the area is quite straightforward. One thing to keep in mind is that there are no trees to protect you from the sun, so if you are hiking in the warmer months you should definitely wear some protection. The good thing is that when it gets too hot, you can head down to the beaches for a refreshing dip in the Atlantic ocean. And, after a nice day of hiking and swimming, you should reward yourself with a delicious meal in one of the little towns along the coast. What else could you ask for?
The beach that occupies the eastern coast of the Placencia, Belize Peninsula is 17 miles long. It is a wonderful hike that affords you many hiking options. You can choose to walk on the water’s edge and enjoy the surf lapping against your legs or hike further up the beach for a wonderful low-impact workout in the sand. Along the way you will find small coffee shops and cafes where you can take a break to grab a bite to eat or something to drink. Depending on how far you choose to hike there are sections you pass through that are totally wild with no development at all and then luxury resorts offering many upscale amenities.You’ll spot a plethora of shore birds as you walk as well as excellent shelling opportunities in the more remote areas. If you choose to do the entire 17 miles and start in Placencia Village, you’ll go through the tiny villages of Maya Beach and then Seine Bight. But be sure to arrange your return transportation, because these two villages are tiny and you’re not likely to catch a taxi there. My recommendation is to start out just before dawn so you can catch the sunrise over the Caribbean Sea. It’s beautiful and something you’re not going to want to miss.
Easter Island has many beautiful hikes but I especially loved the North Coast hike. This strenuous hike is about 18 kms long and easily takes 8-9 hrs to finish. Many hikers prefer walking partway and returning for a shorter hike. There is so much to see and do on the North Coast and yet very few visitors to Easter Island do this hike. This area of Easter Island is still primitive; no roads or infrastructure exists in this part of the island. Hence hikers can experience the natural beauty of Easter Island as it was centuries ago.
The North Coast hike can be completed in both clockwise and anti-clockwise direction; I chose to begin my hike at Tahai. The entire hike follows the rocky coast of Easter Island and the route ends at the beautiful sandy beach at Anakena. On the trail I felt as if I had stepped back in time, when tourism was yet to explode on Easter Island and archaeological sites were still to be reconstructed. Crumbled and deteriorated archaeological remains were scattered across the trail. The blue expanse of the Pacific Ocean visible throughout the hike was amazing. I was lucky to have experienced Easter Island in this magical way.
China’s territory is huge, you can find almost every kind of landscape there, big sand dunes, Himalayan peaks, tropical forests, you name it. But there’s one thing China is not famous for, and it’s its coastal areas. Although most of the long Chinese coastline is muddy or polluted, there’s a place that will really make you wonder if you really are in China, and this is Dongji Dao. The literal translation of this place’s name is East Pole Island, this is, in fact, the Easternmost place of the whole “Middle Kingdom”, a magical destination easily reachable from Shanghai.
The vegetation here is almost Mediterranean, with its low yellow grass, and barren rocks. It reminded me a bit of the Aegadian Islands or even some parts of Sardinia. You can hike the whole island in one afternoon, there are paved roads, used by the few cars the place ever sees, and small paths, leading you to the many peculiar tombs scattered across the landscape. Donji is indeed home to an unusual burial practice: big graves made by a single monolith, surrounded by a drywall; a table and some chairs, also made of stone, are used for the offerings. We advise visiting during the Tomb Sweeping Day, a Chinese National Holiday (held in April) dedicated to the commemoration of the deceased, so that you could witness some unique rituals.
One of the most beautiful hikes in the world has to be Cinque Terre, Italy! I spent a little over a week there and loved walking around the five hilly villages. As soon as my friend arrived in Italy and joined me, we decided to attempt one of the famous Cinque Terre hikes. There are a few different options to choose from (including Trail #2, where you can complete the full hike and see all five towns in a supposed six hours), but we opted for the Vernazza to Monterosso route. We chose to start there because it is my personal favorite of the five towns and it seemed like a good choice at the time. Famous last words, as I found out later that this is considered the toughest hike of them all!
When we started the hike, it was blazing hot and the sun was right overhead. We climbed what felt like four million steep stairs, winding our way through the alleys and tiny streets of Vernazza until we made it to the actual start of the hike, which took quite awhile. At this point, we were already tired, but we pressed on! We started up a dirt path, climbing even more stairs, and were treated to a spectacular view of Vernazza at the top! Unfortunately, this is where our plans took a turn, as a summer thunderstorm rolled in and began dumping rain on us, causing us to have to climb precariously back down to Vernazza for an afternoon Aperol Spritz. While we were relieved to get an early break, I definitely want to go back and finish out the full hike. The views are more than worth the effort, and trekking through vineyards and charming towns makes hiking Cinque Terre one of the most beautiful hikes in the world!
Besides the epic experience of the cruise along Halong Bay, the hike to the top of one of the islands is another reason to put Vietnam in your travel bucket list. The hike is exhausting, especially in the summertime heat, but it must be done! Seeing Halong Bay from the top is an absolute cherry on top from the entire experience. Views of not one, but countless huge limestone rock formations scattered across the bay is an unforgettable sight to see. It may not be a view of an actual beach, but it’s still just as magnificent, if not better. It’s almost otherworldly, like a CGI movie setting. It’s definitely not to be missed. The hike is included in most Halong Bay cruise tours, together with a trip to one of the biggest caves in the country. It certainly is a must when in Vietnam. In fact, when people ask me what part of Vietnam they should go to on a limited amount of time, I instantly say North for this specific reason.
Crete, the largest island in Greece, is home to two of the most stunning beaches in the world. One of which requires a short hike to get to if you arrive by car or bus. Balos Lagoon is located in Kissamos, on the north western tip of Crete. You’ll have to walk 20 to 30 minutes down a rocky slope to reach the Mediterranean Sea. This downhill trek is not so bad with the exception of goat poop here and there. The trek up, however, is a completely different story. Young children and the elderly may find the harsh terrain challenging. There is also zero shade under the blistering sun. You can imagine how hot it gets mid day! The breathtaking view and crystal clear waters make it all worthwhile, though! You can even find pink sand here. Come prepared with comfortable sneakers and lots of water. It does get extremely busy, so arrive early in the morning or late in the afternoon to avoid the crowds.
Kalcha beach is in North Goa and the only way of reaching here is by hiking from Arambol beach. To reach Kalcha, you need to go towards the end of Arambol beach and climb the steps that lead to a little market on the cliffs. Walk through the market for 5 minutes, climb on the rocks towards the end of the market and you will hit Kalcha beach. There is a fresh water lake that’s right opposite this beach and is called “sweet lake” – that’s what makes this beach really special.
Not so much of a hike, but more like a lovely gorgeous walk instead, the entire stroll leading to this history old rope bridge in this Northern Irish coast will give you one of the best views of the Atlantic ocean. This was actually my very first glimpse of the second largest ocean in the world, and let’s just say my standards are instantly out of reach. Mind you, it was a rainy day in December and I pretty much got sick the day after. But nonetheless, the entire walk around the area was just lovely. It cost a couple of extra pounds if you wanna cross the bridge, which I think is a pretty fun experience too. But if you’re just there for the view, pretty much every corner will take your breath away. Think gigantic lush landscapes paired with pretty ocean blue– it’s pretty damn majestic! It was almost frustrating trying to photograph the place because I just couldn’t capture it good enough to show it any justice.
Cathedral Cove is located in Hahei, Coromandel Peninsula, New Zealand. It is relatively easy to get to but quite remote. The drive is worth it though as Cathedral Cove boasts postcard worthy picturesque views. The walk itself down to the cove is well maintained and concreted, so no falling over tree roots here unless you detour off into the inviting little pockets of trees on the way. Cathedral Cove is a 1-2 hour round trip but allow for longer as you will be stopping to snap photos at regular intervals. Well, I was anyway. The walk is downhill practically the whole way to the Cove which means you’re walking uphill nearly the whole way back. It is never too steep however and easily achieved by everyone regardless of fitness levels.Cathedral Cove slowly emerges from behind the trees, as you round the final corner and step down the last of the stairs you are greeted with the bay in all its glory. A beautiful sandy beach, islands of rocks dotted in the water, imposing cliffs and of course, the natural arch in the rocks that Cathedral Cove is famous for. As it was raining when we trekked down, the bay was secluded. However, this is rare as Cathedral Cove is a popular tourist spot, especially in the summer. Be prepared to enjoy it along with plenty of others.
Manta Point in Nusa Penida is definitely one of the highlight of my day trip here. Although the hike itself is more like a short walk from the parking lot, I can imagine how much more refreshing it is if we actually hiked here. The area itself has many other spots to explore such as the broken beach and Angel’s Billabong– both offering yet another gorgeous view point. But what stood about Manta Point besides its gorgeous blue waters are the animal spotting you could enjoy as you stare out into the vast blue sea. Manta Point, as where the name is derived from, is actually quite an awesome vantage point to spot Manta Ray families! We spotted a few big ones and it was mesmerizing seeing them even from afar. Although we didn’t get to snorkel with them this time, it was a nice little tease.
Loved reading through everyone’s favorite beach hike tips! So many gorgeous places to add to my own list now!
Hiking by the beach sounds like a lot of fun but not something that comes to mind right away. | 2019-04-23T20:56:54Z | https://girlunspotted.com/2017/11/30/45-best-beach-hikes-ever/ |
– in Westminster Hall at 1:30 pm on 14th March 2019.
It is a pleasure to serve under such a distinguished member of the Panel of Chairs today, Mr Walker. I am grateful to see so many members of the Scottish Affairs Committee in their places and ready to go for this very important debate.
The Scottish Affairs Committee decided to hold an inquiry into oil and gas because of the unprecedented uncertainty caused to the sector by the dramatic fall in oil prices at the end of the last decade. We were interested in assessing how—or indeed whether—the sector had recovered and in better understanding the contemporary issues in the industry and how new innovations and interventions had played out.
Critically, we wanted to explore the readiness of the sector for transition and decarbonisation. We also wanted to look at its preparedness for diversification of the skills acquired over 40 years of production and development in the North sea.
We are, as always, grateful to the many people who gave evidence and contributed to our inquiry, and for the support we received from the sector. We held six evidence sessions and received more than 30 written submissions to the inquiry. We are particularly grateful to the Oil & Gas Technology Centre in the constituency of Ross Thomson, which hosted one of our evidence sessions and kindly lent us their premises to launch the report a few short weeks ago.
I should say first that the sector is in a reasonably good place. The resilience shown by our oil and gas industry in the face of such turbulence is to be commended. The tenacity that has been shown by the workforce and others involved in the industry is something we all recognised, and which has supported the sustainable recovery that has been put in place in the past few years. There remains a strong and positive future for Scotland’s oil and gas sector, and the opportunities of a just transition to a decarbonised future are there to be grabbed.
Scotland remains at the forefront of the global oil and gas industry, which contributed £9.2 billion to the Scottish economy in 2017 and supports 135,000 jobs in Scotland. Only this week, the Oil and Gas Authority predicted that 11.9 billion barrels will be extracted by 2050—a hike of almost 50% from the forecast four years ago of 8 billion barrels. That shows an industry and a sector in a reasonably healthy condition.
More than that, Scotland’s oil and gas is central to the UK’s energy security. It is forecast that two thirds of the UK’s primary energy needs will be met by oil and gas until at least 2035.
The hon. Gentleman is of course absolutely right—this is a UK-wide industry, which has a footprint in most nations of the United Kingdom. Practically every region of England has some link to the supply chain serving the oil and gas industry across the UK. He is absolutely right to remind us that this is a UK-wide industry and one that we should all be very proud of, whether we are in Northern Ireland or in rural Perthshire.
It will not surprise hon. Members, however, that the inquiry found that the sector is still facing unprecedented challenges. Fluctuation in the oil price has hit companies with extreme uncertainty, particularly those working in the supply chain, while the rate of new well exploration has nose-dived. At the same time, the industry needs to properly prepare for the decline in production that will inevitably happen, to ensure that the economic benefits and highly skilled jobs the sector has acquired in and brought to Scotland are not lost.
The industry also has to find new ways to reduce its carbon footprint and use its skills and engineering knowledge to help develop low-carbon and renewable technologies. That is no small task, and those challenges are at the heart of the Committee’s report. We address how the Government should support the industry while it gets ready for production to decline. How do we meet the UK’s energy needs, of which oil and gas will remain a major component, while meeting our climate change obligations?
We believe that the best way for the Government to support the industry through those challenges is to agree an ambitious sector deal. A sector deal backed by a combined investment of £176 million from industry and the Government could deliver £110 billion for the UK economy, with particular benefits for Scotland and the north-east of Scotland. The funding would support three centres of excellence, focused on transformational technology, underwater innovation and decommissioning.
When the Minister for Energy and Clean Growth, Claire Perry, appeared before the Committee in December, she said that she was not able to go into the detail of the deal, which we totally accepted given that the Government were still to properly design it and come forward with what would happen. She said that progress would be announced in weeks, not months. It is not many months since December, but it is certainly weeks. I know the Energy Minister could not join us today because of other pressing business, but we are fortunate to have the Minister responsible for sector deals with us. Perhaps he can update us on the progress and shape of the sector deals.
I am certain that any delay will, of course, be down to the Government’s taking very seriously the recommendations in our report, and designing the deal around some of the very useful recommendations that we made—that the sector deal is forward-thinking and sets up the industry to meet the challenges of climate change, decommissioning and of the industry’s future beyond the UK continental shelf head on, rather than focusing on the usual support for maximisation of production in the short term. The days of short-termism in the North sea are over. Long-term planning and strategic thinking is required, and those are the priorities for the deal that the report outlines.
I will explain the detail a little further. First, a sector deal must capitalise on the opportunities arising from decommissioning. The North sea is not only going to be the first major basin to go through large-scale decommissioning; without doubt, it is also one of the most challenging environments anywhere in the world for decommissioning. As one of the witnesses said to us in an evidence session, if we can decommission a rig in the North sea, we can decommission a rig anywhere in the world. Scotland has an unmissable opportunity to export its decommissioning knowledge to the rest of the world and the Committee has therefore called for the sector deal to be accompanied by a Government decommissioning export strategy to anchor a global decommissioning industry in the north-east of Scotland.
The sector deal also needs to deliver on reducing the cost of decommissioning. We were surprised when we heard the range of estimates of the cost of decommissioning—the gulf between the lowest and highest point was quite extraordinary. We need to see that cost reduced for UK taxpayers, because half of the decommissioning cost will still be met through the Treasury and by taxpayers through tax relief.
The sector must find ways to transfer its unique expertise to other sectors of the economy so that the jobs are not lost when oil production stops. One of the most impressive features—I think all members of the Committee recognised this when we were taking evidence for the report—is the range of skills available to us from North sea exploration. The skills acquired over four decades of production are among the most impressive to be found in the oil and gas sector anywhere in the world. It is absolutely imperative that the skills, expertise, talent and energy that have been built up in the sector are not lost as we move towards decommissioning and the ending of production.
We heard that there is no end to the opportunities available if we get decommissioning right. Sectors including aerospace, data analytics, marine and offshore engineering, digital manufacturing, satellite technology and offshore wind are all open for skills and technology transfer. We were particularly taken by the opportunities in the renewable sector, and we call for the sector deal to contain specific and measurable proposals for how it will improve skill and technology transfer to the sector. Scotland gained by acquiring North sea oil. It is questionable whether we secured the benefits of discovering North sea oil; we must not lose any benefits of what happens next with renewable technology. The skills acquired in the North sea are perfectly fitted, and could be adapted, for use in renewable energy.
Does the hon. Gentleman agree that there is an opportunity to continue to use these skills in fracking and connected industries?
I had a sneaking suspicion that I would secure an intervention based on the hon. Gentleman’s desire for fracking to be included in all this. As he knows, there was a robust debate among Committee members on the value of fracking and what we should say about it in the report. He knows that I do not share his views, although I am aware of the evidence that was given sincerely by some members of the sector. The Committee agreed a consensus that this was something we were not really concerned with as we went forward, and we have left it as such in the report.
Yesterday in his statement the Chancellor talked about banning gas from new homes in 2025. Surely we have to look to the benefits of oil and gas in the future. Is that not a worry for us?
Absolutely. I was intrigued by the message from the Chancellor yesterday, when this was mentioned. Yes, there are huge opportunities for us. I think the hon. Gentleman will agree that it was mightily impressive to see the things that could come and how these skills could be applied and transferred. Perhaps the Minister can say what more work could be done to ensure that we get this. We would be grateful for any insight into the conversation he has been having with the sector on skills transfer.
The sector deal must bring forward proposals for how the sector will address its carbon footprint, both in the process of producing and extracting oil and gas, and by finding ways to reduce emissions from their use. The report received a mixed reaction from some environmental groups—I will put is as delicately as that. That surprised me, due to the range of recommendations we made and the care and diligence that we gave to shaping up some of the transition recommendations. We believe in a just transition and said as much in the report. We believe that if that is achieved, we will get to a new future—a green and transformative future for the sector.
Absolutely. When the report came out, all of us on the Committee were quite surprised by the scale of the response. I do not think there was a true examination of what we had in the report. We say in it that a transition is required, but it has to come from a position of strength. We cannot do anything that would compromise our ability to have a viable and sustainable sector that is in a position to carry out the just transition that environmental groups are looking for.
The hon. Gentleman is being very generous with interventions. One of the things that I noticed in the report was the impact on fisheries. The Scottish Fishermen’s Federation referred to the retention in the seas of artificial rigs and so on, which might disadvantage the local fishing community. What consideration did the report give to that?
I was not going to mention this, but it was a fascinating feature of the report; I am really grateful that the hon. Gentleman has drawn my attention to it. We took a lot of time speaking to environmental groups, particularly some of the wildlife groups, about sustainable fisheries. There was a suggestion of switching from rigs to reef: to leave the infrastructure in place as a magnet and attraction for wildlife and fish species.
We received very mixed evidence on that. One group told us that in the gulf of Mexico, where this project had been initiated, people had to drag the reefs off the seabed, take it onshore to clean it, and then put it back again. One recommendation in our report is that the environmental groups have to decide among themselves about the best way forward. We encourage that debate among our friends in environmental sustainability groups, and I am grateful the hon. Gentleman for raising the issue.
We were struck by the importance of carbon capture technology for the long-term future of the industry. The Committee on Climate Change told us that without this technology, decarbonisation of the sector will happen much more slowly and be more costly. This is one area where the Government are ahead of the industry, having announced £45 million of funding for carbon capture innovation, with more potentially available from industrial strategy funds. I know that particularly pleases David Duguid, because most of that investment will be in his constituency. It is right that it should be, because of the infrastructure that exists there.
We believe that the industry needs to step up its contribution in this area, and that the sector deal must contain a detailed proposal from the industry on how it will support the development of carbon capture technology and how that progress can be measured. The oil and gas sector has a bright future ahead of it.
I am very impressed by the report. Oil and gas obviously have an enormous footprint in my constituency. Does the hon. Gentleman welcome the fact that the UK continental shelf oil and gas industry operates in what is recognised as one of the best fiscal regimes in the world, and does he welcome Her Majesty’s Treasury’s fiscal policies on oil and gas?
Obviously. It goes without saying that some of the fiscal support that has been given to the oil and gas sector has been welcome, and it is of course necessary. I think we are going to the next stage, which is the sector deal initiative. That is now critical, according to the report and what we found in the course of the inquiry. That type of investment will be required to try to ensure that some of the things highlighted in the report take place.
We believe there is a bright future for the industry; it is now up to the Government to respond with how they will help the industry to secure it. I hope that the Government and industry rise to the challenge of the report and secure Scotland’s future as a global leader in energy technology for decades to come. We have 30 to 40 years, and we have the opportunity to maximise economic recovery. We now have the ability to ensure that we can transition to a new type of future for the North sea. I am sure that with the right type of approach and the right type of mentoring and support, we can get there. Our oil and gas industry still has a viable future.
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Walker. As a member of the Scottish Affairs Committee, and as someone with 25 years’ experience of working in the oil and gas industry, I have taken a particular interest in this inquiry and very much welcome the report’s publication. Like all parts of north-east Scotland, my constituency has a deep relationship with the oil and gas sector. Many of my constituents work in the industry, as I did. The industry has helped bring prosperity to the area over the last half a century or so.
It is clear that the industry is moving into a new era, which is why the report is so important. While the industry is emerging from the downturn of the last few years, the medium to long term promises smaller reserve finds, reduced production rates, more decommissioning and the challenge of a wider transition towards a low-carbon economy. The prosperity of north-east Scotland relies on the industry making the most of this transition. The report makes a valuable contribution to the important debate on how we can achieve that. The industry has led the way in that debate, and its recognition of long-term risks and the need to address them will give many people confidence in the industry’s future.
It is worth recognising the work that many of the large oil and gas companies have been doing to encourage a transition towards low-carbon energies. They are often cast as cartoon villains in relation to climate change, but throughout the inquiry I have commended them on leading the way in the sector, and on taking climate change seriously. That commitment was exemplified by the creation in 2015 of the Oil and Gas Climate Change Initiative, initially made up of the BG Group, BP, Eni, Pemex, Reliance Industries, Repsol, Saudi Aramco, Shell, Statoil—now known as Equinor—and Total. Significantly, it was joined in the last year by American companies—Chevron, ExxonMobil and Occidental. Having worked for many of those companies as a member of staff, mostly for BP, and as a consultant for some of the others, I can confirm that that commitment to a low-carbon future is not just lip service.
The Committee’s report praises industry efforts such as Vision 2035 and the “maximising economic recovery” strategy, which aim to ensure that the industry continues to thrive in the medium to long term. As recommended in the report, I hope that the UK Government continue to listen to the call for an oil and gas sector deal to help the industry achieve those aims.
We need to use the next couple of decades to diversify the industry beyond just exploration and the production of hydrocarbons. Decommissioning technology and expertise will not only accelerate the reduction of decommissioning costs in the North sea but open up new export opportunities for the industry. Similarly, the subsea or underwater sector has great export potential, provided that we act quickly and do not fall behind other countries with expertise in this area, such as Brazil and Norway.
I am particularly pleased that the report recognises the potential of carbon capture, use and storage for the future of the industry. As Pete Wishart mentioned, that is particularly important in my constituency. CCUS technology will be vital if we are to continue to use oil and gas in a low-carbon economy. In assets that have ceased or are due to cease production, decommissioned infrastructure can be converted to use for CCUS purposes. This report is certainly not the first time that that potential has been recognised. Banff and Buchan has been the location of previous proposals for CCUS projects, which were sadly deemed not viable at the time. I continue to believe that CCUS can be part of a great future for the energy sector in Banff and Buchan, provided that the right proposals come along.
I am particularly excited by the Acorn project by Pale Blue Dot. Unlike previous proposals, it focuses on the St Fergus gas terminal, which is the third-largest emissions site in Scotland. The St Fergus gas terminal is an attractive proposition because it is already linked by pipeline to the Grangemouth industrial complex. Unlike previous proposals, Acorn aims to achieve commercial viability by starting small and growing through additions to the core project later. Whereas a previous proposal for a CCUS power station at Peterhead would have cost about £1 billion, the cost of the initial Acorn project is estimated to be just £300 million.
I pay particular tribute to the Oil & Gas Technology Centre, run by Colette Cohen. Its vision is to become more about the technology than the oil and gas. The trade body, Oil & Gas UK, led by Deirdre Michie, provides a huge amount of co-ordination and expertise for the industry. Finally, the Oil and Gas Authority, run by Dr Andy Samuel, is an exemplar of how a UK Government body can be hugely effective when based closer to the action.
I look forward to the Minister’s response to the report and, in particular, the recommendations on the sector deal. The report’s tone and the industry’s approach are constructive and optimistic, so I hope that the UK Government’s response will be similarly constructive and encouraging. Together, we can build on the work already done, and take the necessary steps to help the oil and gas sector continue to contribute to the economy, not just for Aberdeen and north-east Scotland, but for the whole United Kingdom, sustainably and for decades to come.
I will come to that point; I take an interest in it. I recently met Oil & Gas UK, with which the unions are getting together to bring the workforce on board. Without the workers on board, no company can go anywhere. Unless companies involve their workers in the process, there is no point trying to organise the company.
I declare an interest: 27 years ago today, I took an interest in North sea oil safety helicopters when a Super Puma helicopter went down, killing 11 men, of whom my brother was one. Today is the 27th anniversary of the crash, so I welcome the report. I hope that the industry will take serious steps to address those safety concerns, particularly as employers have a duty to ensure that workers are safe in their workplace and can get home safely.
To conclude, I reiterate my support for the findings of the report, including its recommendation of a sector deal. It is clear, however, that there are challenges that we will have to address: “maximising economic recovery”, decommissioning, terms and conditions and, most importantly, the safety of the workforce.
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Walker. I genuinely welcome the report and thank colleagues on the Scottish Affairs Committee not only for looking at this important issue, but for taking the time to come to Aberdeen—the heart of the UK’s oil and gas industry—to speak with representatives and hear the views of the industry on how we can move forward. That was much appreciated by the oil and gas companies there.
My constituents in Aberdeen South know better than most just how important the future of the oil and gas industry is and how difficult the past few years have been. The climb out of those difficult days has been long and not without challenges. I see those challenges every day when I speak with constituents and meet local businesses.
I was encouraged to hear the latest news from the OGA this week that North sea production reached a seven-year high last year. That shows that the sector still has huge potential to form an integral part of the UK’s energy mix and be a major source of high-value jobs across Scotland and the whole of the UK. Last week, I was pleased to welcome my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary to Aberdeen, where we met representatives from Oil & Gas UK at Aberdeen harbour. During his visit, the Foreign Secretary highlighted the huge opportunities that await oil and gas companies once we leave the European Union.
Balmoral Group, a company based in my constituency, specialises in subsea buoyancy, renewable energy products and engineering solutions. It employs 500 people and is highly dependent on the rapidly growing markets of west Africa, South America, and the gulf of Mexico. The company is clear that its opportunities for growth are truly global. Aberdeen is a global city, and oil and gas companies based in my constituency have an increasingly international outlook. The new technologies developed through the Oil & Gas Technology Centre show the great export potential that will place Aberdeen at the centre of supply chains reaching around the world into mature and emerging markets.
Oil & Gas UK’s Vision 2035 has the ambitious aim of doubling the supply chain’s share of the global market from 3.7% to 7.4% by 2035. Those new technologies will be key to achieving that goal. They will not just unlock the future potential of the UK continental shelf, but secure the future of companies throughout the sector, as they diversify their interests. I welcome the Government’s continued work with industry to invest in technology that maximises recovery, improves efficiencies and extends the life of the UK continental shelf, while boosting the potential for export growth.
From the day we arrived in Westminster, my colleagues and I have worked hard to secure much needed support for this vital industry. I remember vividly lobbying the Treasury at every opportunity, and we were successful in securing transferable tax history for the sector, which unblocked billions of pounds of investment. Maintaining certainty on tax relief and reducing barriers to investment will be crucial to attracting the investment that the sector requires to maximise economic recovery and secure the long-term future.
The UK’s position as a market leader at the centre of global supply chains rests on the industry and Government working hand in hand to attract talent and investment as the sector prepares to navigate the challenges and opportunities of the coming years. I welcome the report on the future of the oil and gas industry, as it sets out the case for a sector deal for the industry and calls on the Government to commit to securing the long-term future of this vital industry. I look forward to the Minister’s remarks on the progress of that sector deal.
The future of the oil and gas industry rests on innovation not only in extraction to ensure that we maximise recovery, but in decommissioning. Decommissioning does not represent the end of the oil and gas industry, but a huge opportunity to use the expertise and talent of a globally focused industry to turn a liability into an opportunity. The UK will be the largest market for decommissioning spending over the next decade, and is placed at the forefront of a rapidly growing market. I welcome the report’s emphasis on the benefits of a sector deal to unlock the global potential of the oil and gas industry not just in my constituency, but in constituencies across the United Kingdom.
There is a lot of life left in the North sea, and a bright future for the oil and gas industry. Investment in new technologies and the growth of the sector at the centre of a global supply chain are key to grasping future opportunities. I welcome the report, which sets out how industry and Government can work together to secure that future.
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mr Walker.
As has been mentioned, Scotland’s oil and gas industry is a world leader in many areas, health and safety being a notable one. Of course, we know the reason for that and we should pay our respects to the memory of the workers who have lost their lives in the industry, particularly in the Piper Alpha explosion and fire, but also in other incidents, including helicopter crashes, which Hugh Gaffney mentioned.
We should acknowledge that other workers have suffered serious injuries over the years while working in the industry. The safety record of North sea operations is better now, but that did not come easily or free of charge. The North sea industry has come a long way since its beginnings in the 1960s and the first gas from the Sea Gem rig, which gave us the first large-scale loss of life three months later. The industry has delivered substantial sums in wages, profits and taxes over the last half century, and it is incumbent on the Government to make a substantive contribution to decisions on the future of the industry, as the Committee’s report lays out.
That should include the transfer of skills to new industries, and it seems to me that renewable energy should be a major recipient of those transferred skills. Offshore wind farms and marine energy schemes would be ideal recipients of those skills. I recently had the privilege of visiting Nova Innovation, which is headquartered only a few hundred yards from my constituency office in Leith, and I was extremely impressed by the advances it is making and the pace of change in the offshore renewables industry. Nova leads the way in the tidal energy industry, and the Shetland tidal array looks like it may be at the leading edge of a new energy revolution. Just as Shetland was important in the development of the oil and gas industry, it may well be important in the development of the next energy industry.
While the Government are developing their future plan for the oil and gas industry, they really should be developing a parallel plan for the future of renewables that offers proper financial support for research and development and for connection to the grid. I have a bit of trouble having confidence in the UK Government to do that, however, given the record of past UK Governments when it comes to the North sea. Regulatory and taxation changes have come abruptly and swept in with very little consultation. Frankly, there is little in the current Government’s approach to legislating that gives me much hope of an alternative way of working.
I agree that that was a definite point of progress and much to be welcomed, but the industry has been going for some 50 years, and some within it would argue that it was too little and almost too late. It is great that that came along, but much more can be done to support the industry.
As I mentioned with regard to improved support, I hope that the Government will surprise me, because the industry still has a lot to offer. The industry has plans to increase productivity so that in 16 years’ time it will be producing an additional £920 billion in revenue—not bad for an industry that we get told regularly is finished.
The scale of the contribution that the industry has made over the years is breathtaking. Scots will be aware of the famous, or infamous, McCrone report that was uncovered in 2005 by a friend of mine, Davie Hutchison, but written some years before he was born, in 1974. Professor McCrone was a UK Government civil servant at the time of writing, when he pointed out that the resources in the North sea were so enormous that they destroyed all the economic arguments against Scottish independence. Recently, Professor McCrone said that he regrets that the UK Government wasted that resource, frittering the income away, rather than investing in a sovereign wealth fund.
Furthermore, the McCrone report was written some years before the biggest discoveries in the North sea. Peak annual production did not come until 1999 and, as we have heard throughout the inquiry, new extraction techniques are increasing the potential recoverable resources even now. With another half century of extraction still possible, and new fields coming on stream in other areas, the industry has a long future yet. The Government need to step up to the plate.
One of the issues that has been mentioned is the protection of the environment and the development of serious carbon capture and storage proposals. Previous attempts to develop such schemes fell foul of Government inaction and broken promises. We need to see some serious commitment to making progress. I once heard about a pilot project, I think in Poland, where the carbon was captured and pressurised only to be driven a couple of hundred miles in tankers to the injection site, possibly defeating the purpose.
Some schemes that have been suggested before may well be capable of revival, and I am sure that more ideas would emerge when asked for. I hope that the Government will open the door to those ideas and help fund them, perhaps even hypothecating some of the revenue gleaned from the offshore industry, which should have gone into a sovereign wealth fund for Scots but is instead frittered away by successive UK Governments. The Government should consider doing a lot more for the environment with the resources brought in by the offshore industry. They could match the Saltire tidal energy challenge fund launched by the Scottish Government earlier this year, or reinstate the marine energy subsidy. If oil and gas were the energy choices in the second half of the 20th century, renewables will fill that role in the 21st century. We urgently need Government investment to make that industry a world leader.
The oil and gas industry is not dead yet, not by a long way. With at least as many years of exploitation left as we have already seen, there is still some way to go. The UK Government should sit down regularly with the industry to help plan the next half century. Vision 2035 is the industry view of the next few years; it would be good to see a UK Government vision or, better still, one agreed by the Government with the industry.
Following on from something the Chair of the Committee said in his opening remarks—I meant to say this in my speech—I have benefited from that skills transfer, having worked not in Libya but in some of those other places around the world where oil and gas are prevalent. Does Peter Aldous agree that an important aspect of the sector deal, and the urgency of it, is to encourage the retention of those skills in this country in order to develop the technologies and innovations that we have discussed?
My hon. Friend is right. We have developed enormous expertise in the oil and gas sector which it is important to retain and build on. We are just beginning to see that in the offshore wind sector as well and, as I will come on to, the two are inextricably linked.
Yesterday was an important day for the industry. The APPG had its annual parliamentary reception, and those attending were in good heart and had a positive outlook for the future. We also had the Chancellor’s spring statement. Normally, the APPG lobbies Government hard coming up to annual Budgets and statements, but yesterday the Chancellor made no mention of the industry. I think that was mainly because he is keen for statements to be just that and not mini Budgets, but in many respects that was good news, because the industry wants a stable fiscal regime with no unforeseen, unpleasant or unhelpful surprises. That said, as we anticipate the autumn Budget, I suggest that we should all be back in top lobbying gear.
I acknowledge that we are now entering the second half of the contest—perhaps I should say challenge—of extracting oil and gas on the UKCS, but we should emphasise that this is not a sunset industry, as indeed colleagues in all parts of the Chamber have said. As in many matches, the best performances, goals and tries come in the second half. The industry has come through a great deal in recent years, but while challenges remain—in particular the low level of drilling activity and exploration—it is largely in a good place. Last year, significant final investment decisions were made on a number of major projects, production performance was strong, and unit operating costs had stabilised.
I shall highlight three areas in which the industry, the Oil and Gas Authority and the Government need to work together in the immediate future to maximise the sector’s potential for the benefit of all those who work in it and for the UK. First, attention needs to be given to strengthening the industry’s supply chain. Many companies’ revenues and margins are under extreme pressure, and increased collaboration and innovative contracting models are needed. If those are put in place, as a country we will be able to continue to compete for international investment, to provide security of energy supply, and to create and support highly skilled and fulfilling jobs.
Secondly, we need to build up expertise and create specialist hubs to carry out decommissioning. A good start has been made with the launch of the National Decommissioning Centre, but we must have it in mind that that is an enormous prize, not just on the UKCS—and, from my own perspective, most immediately in the southern North sea—but in basins all around the world.
Thirdly, the sector has made a good start in promoting and facilitating the transition to a low-carbon economy. Instead of the Danish oil and natural gas company and Statoil, we talk about Ørsted and Equinor. Gas has an important role to play in the transition to a low-carbon economy. In the southern North sea, the oil and gas and offshore wind sectors are collaborating on such innovative projects as gas to wire, which involves gas being generated into electricity offshore and transmitted to shore via spare capacity in the subsea cables that are used for the wind farms.
There are plenty of challenges, but my sense is that the industry is resurgent and brimful of ideas. With the right nurturing, promotion and collaboration, it can play a key role in the UK on the post-Brexit global stage.
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Walker. I thank the Committee members and the witnesses for helping to reach the well-considered conclusions and recommendations, and I thank the Chair, my hon. Friend Pete Wishart, for his push to consider matters of real significance to Scotland. If one sector has been a dominant industry in the political discourse of Scotland in the past 40 or 50 years, it has been oil and gas.
Today’s Scottish oil and gas sector is in a strong position. With up to 20 billion barrels of oil equivalent remaining, there is enough to sustain production for the next 20 years and beyond. Recent discoveries such as the Capercaillie and Achmelvich wells by BP, the huge and significant gas reserves west of Shetland and Clair Ridge, and Nexen’s phase two of developing the Buzzard field, demonstrate the significant untapped potential that this industry holds should we wish to exploit reserves.
Figures published in the last week by the Oil and Gas Authority forecast that 11.9 billion barrels will be extracted by 2050, up almost 50% from the estimated 8 billion barrels predicted just four years ago. That is why the Scottish Government are keen to do everything they can to support the industry and its workforce. In 2016, the Scottish Government launched a £12 million transition training fund to help oil workers retrain and make the most of their transferable skills to forge careers in other sectors. Some 4,000 applications have been approved, with training satisfaction at around 90%.
We have helped the Scottish supply chain to capitalise on an expanding decommissioning market that is forecast to reach £17 billion by 2025. The decommissioning challenge fund has offered grant funding of £3.1 million for projects focused on delivering innovative infrastructure improvements and technological advances in this area. As part of the Aberdeen city region deal, the SNP has committed £90 million over the next decade to support the Oil & Gas Technology Centre.
We are looking at an uplift of over £194 million in the enterprise and energy budget to support entrepreneurship, construction and productivity. That additional funding will contribute to an investment of almost £2.4 billion in enterprise and skills through our enterprise agencies and skills bodies.
The Scottish Government offer an impressive range of support for the industry. As we move forward, I hope the UK can step up to the plate and do more to support the industry as it moves into its next phases of production. However, successive Tory and Labour Governments have continually exploited the oil and gas industry for cash, with little regard for its future sustainability. They have been quite content to rake in a tax take of £350 billion from North sea revenues alone over the past 50 years. The Tories failed to deliver any real fiscal support when the sector was in depression after the oil price dropped. I hope that is a lesson learned. This is an extremely important sector for the future, and we need to support it to allow it to continue, maintain jobs and transition out of oil and gas into other areas.
On successive UK Governments’ management of the oil resource, I should say that in recent years Norway’s state-owned oil sector has generated many billions of pounds in Government revenue, while the UK has lost many. Does my hon. Friend agree that that points to a gross mismanagement of this valuable resource over many years by successive UK Governments?
My hon. Friend makes an excellent point. Norway’s population is very similar to Scotland’s and it has a similar ability make good from the resource it found on its doorstep. It now has the world’s largest sovereign wealth fund, yet in Scotland and the UK we have not put anything aside for future generations. That is a huge lost opportunity for the industry and the UK people.
We often hear about the Norwegian sovereign oil fund. Is the hon. Gentleman aware that the same fund is investing heavily in the UK market as we prepare to leave the European Union?
I accept the hon. Gentleman’s point that there is no sovereign wealth fund in the UK, but the revenues generated from the oil and gas industry in the UK were used at the time to invest in what we enjoy now: hospitals and infrastructure. That money was used for huge investment in infrastructure that is still used today by people across the United Kingdom. In the 1970s, it was used to help lessen the costs of unemployment.
The UK Government has had a spend, spend, spend approach, but as I said, I would like us to put away much more of that wealth for future generations. Perhaps it is a bit late to do that now; we probably should have started doing it from the beginning. It is easy to say in hindsight, but it should have been part of the overall oil and gas strategy right from the start.
The fact that £350 billion went into Treasury coffers but not a brass farthing went directly into the Scottish economy underlines the point made by my hon. Friend Deidre Brock about what Scotland has got out of oil and gas. We could have had an awful lot more to benefit every man, woman and child in our country. The Chancellor’s concept of pooling and sharing is much different from mine.
I am grateful that the control, stewardship and the tax take will soon be back in Scotland’s hands—“stewardship” is the key word rather than “management”. I return to the eloquent point made by the hon. Member for Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill (Hugh Gaffney) on safety: if companies are being brought to the table to talk about how to license certain fields, surely that is a fantastic opportunity to talk about their responsibilities for trade union recognition, and the safety and security of people who work on rigs far out in the North sea.
Scotland does not underestimate the vital part the oil and gas sector plays in meeting our energy needs; as the Committee points out, it is forecast that two thirds of the UK’s primary energy needs will be met from the North sea until at least 2035. However, we must also appreciate that we need to transition to a low-energy, low-carbon economy. Our world-leading, export-oriented supply chain already plays a positive role in that respect by looking at ways to reduce its carbon footprint at every turn. Average emissions per unit of production on the UK continental shelf have fallen year on year since 2013, and total emissions have been in decline since their peak in 2000.
Our oil and gas industry is awash with highly skilled individuals in possession of world-leading expertise. The sector currently supports 283,000 jobs across the UK. We must seek to hold on to those workers to retain the value they add to our economy. As I said, the Scottish Government’s transition training fund has made good progress in that regard, facilitating training for many oil and gas workers to move into renewables such as tidal, onshore and offshore wind, wave power and solar. However, the UK Government’s decision to slash funding for the renewable energy sector does not give us much encouragement. In fact, it does exactly the opposite, removing opportunities for talented individuals to utilise their skills to develop new wind technology and other low-carbon technologies such as carbon capture and storage—not so much opportunity knocks as an opportunity lost.
Brexit looms large in many people’s minds. We stand at a Brexit crossroads, with freefall into no deal on one side and a car crash of a bad deal on the other. It is inevitable that business across the UK will suffer if we ever actually leave the EU, but the oil and gas industry is likely to be one of the hardest hit, due to its highly globalised nature. With approximately £61 billion of oil and gas-related goods traded with the rest of the world, the threat of tariffs looms over the industry. In a worst-case scenario where the UK reverted to World Trade Organisation rules with the EU and the rest of the world, the cost of trade would likely almost double to around £1.1 billion per annum, assuming trading behaviours remained unchanged.
Order. I remind the hon. Gentleman that we want to share the time out: if he could wrap up in two minutes, that would be great.
Certainly, Mr Walker; I will move on to my final comment.
The report’s conclusions focus on the positives: developing an ambitious deal for the sector as a whole, which I hope will be supported; developing new technology, which many Members spoke about, so we can recover more of what we need; reducing the costs of decommissioning; exporting the sector’s skills and experience, not just in exploration but in subsea work; and making the vital transition from carbon energy such as oil and gas to renewables—especially hydrogen, which could be a game changer and might just help save the planet. The opportunities remain immense, and the sector deal outlined by the Committee would offer energy security for decades to come and allow Scotland to remain a sector leader.
I congratulate the authors of the Select Committee’s excellent and wide-ranging report, and everyone who took part in the Committee’s proceedings. The report goes well beyond some previous considerations of the future of the North sea by putting it in the context of a number of other issues relating to where we stand on the exploitation of North sea oil and gas and what the future looks like.
As the report states, the North sea is a very mature basin. Hon. Members mentioned that its exploited resources total some 43 billion barrels, and estimates of what is left vary from about 8 billion to 10 billion barrels. Some of the discoveries to the west of Shetland notwithstanding, it is extremely likely that there will be no more Brents and that we will see the exploitation of smaller pools, which are more difficult to exploit. Clearly, there will be great emphasis on the efficiency of exploitation. The report emphasises the extent to which the oil and gas industry has increased its efficiency; it needs to continue to do so for that exploitation to be effective.
The report also goes into considerable detail about not just the future alternative paths, but what we might call the future imperative paths for the North sea as a mature basin. My hon. Friend Hugh Gaffney mentioned that the oil industry has come through a challenging period—it is in a better position than it has been in for quite a while, given its efficiency achievements and what is happening with the exploitation of future fields—but he drew attention to the need to look at a future industry for decommissioning in the context of the climate change imperative. I was pleased to see that the report did not duck climate change; quite a few of its passages actually centred on the challenges that the fight to get us to a low-carbon economy will present for the oil and gas industry, and on how the industry can take part in that process rather than opposing it.
Ross Thomson is right about the need to consider how decommissioning can be turned from a liability into an opportunity and, indeed, become a substantial part of the industry. We need only reflect on what is at stake: 250 fixed installations, 250 subsea platforms, 10,000 km of pipeline and 5,000 oil wells need to be decommissioned. The potential decommissioning industry is huge, not just in its own right but in terms of the expertise that already exists, which could be added to. The UK could be a world leader in decommissioning, exporting its expertise and methods. I commend the report’s attention to the detail of decommissioning and how it can be undertaken to the advantage of jobs, skills and exports for UK plc.
We must recognise that the imperative of climate change will cause us to take a considerable number of decisions about the oil and gas industry. Indeed, the report identifies a number of those decisions, one of which is the question of what we do about carbon capture, use and storage. That is not just a possible extension of activity and industry for the North sea as fields are depleted—indeed, those fields are enormous potential repositories for carbon dioxide—but can be used to the benefit of the North sea fields in their own right.
I would link that to the decommissioning efforts that are under way, because the next phase will be about exploiting smaller fields. That needs to be done on the back of existing infrastructure, which arguably should not be decommissioned but rather kept in place, so that those fields can be exploited without the infrastructure having to be completely replaced. If we decommissioned all that infrastructure when a lot of it could be used as the carrying capacity for carbon capture and storage, we may well live to regret it.
We need an understanding about future roles for the North sea. We should not only think about potentially depleted fields that could be repositories for carbon capture and storage, but look at practical considerations in respect of how the capture, transport and sequestration chain can be completed, possibly by using installations that are already there. The same applies to the future North sea wind industry. As Peter Aldous said, there is a close link between the skills and practical measures involved in developing offshore wind energy and maintaining the structure and infrastructure of the North sea oil and gas industry. Those two industries should work in tandem, rather than separately. As is mentioned in the report, that is important for satisfactory developments in the North sea and for the transfer of skills to the new industries. The skills, facilities and techniques that are already there in the North sea can greatly aid us in creating world-beating offshore wind energy installations and similar technologies, and ensure that the North sea plays its part in the transition to the attainment of a low-carbon energy economy.
In conclusion, the report marks an important milestone. It shows where we need to go next with the North sea oil and gas industry, and its recommendations and suggestions will stand the test of time. In the immediate future, I commend the report’s suggestion that we need to get on with a sector deal for the oil and gas industry. I do not need to say more about that, because I am sure the Minister will update us about it in his response. I emphasise my support for the need to get that deal over the line. In addition to milestones for the future, we have ambitions for the immediate time ahead to ensure that the oil and gas industry continues to be in a better position than it was in before and that it has the wherewithal to make its mark over the decades to come.
Minister, please could you leave two minutes at the end for Mr Wishart to wrap up?
Certainly, Mr Walker. It is a great pleasure to serve under your chairmanship. The Chairman of the Scottish Affairs Committee referred to you as a distinguished member of the Panel of Chairs. The next time I appear in front of him in a different capacity, I will remind him of that, as it implies that he is less than distinguished. I am sure nobody could say that about him; in fact, Mr Walker, I think you would agree that the opposite is true.
I congratulate the Scottish Affairs Committee and its Chairman on bringing forward the report, which I have read. One never knows what happens with Committee reports behind the scenes—the whole idea, of course, is that that information is privileged to the Committee—but from what I can gather, the Committee is an exemplar in the way that its members work cross-party. With the greatest respect to Douglas Chapman, the spokesman for the Scottish National Party, most of the comments today were of a non-partisan nature. I will try to answer in that spirit.
Ministers in Westminster Hall debates either give a prepared speech—written by civil servants, then checked and rewritten by Ministers—or respond to comments; the difficulty is that so many comments were made today, and I disagree with so few of them, but I will absolutely do my best.
The former Prime Minister referred to this sector as the real jewel in the crown of the UK economy. Of course, I would refer to the former Prime Minister as the jewel in the crown, but he is not here to answer that. I briefly held the energy portfolio, but I am here today because there was a fight of a verbal nature between myself and the Minister for Energy and Clean Growth as to who should appear at this debate. I cover sector deals generally and she covers the oil and gas sector, but we are not both allowed to speak. I discussed the subject extensively with her and I am trying to speak for us both.
When I held the energy portfolio I went on a visit to Aberdeen, and I was amazed by the way the industry was fighting back from a real recession, if not depression, caused entirely by the reduction of the oil price on the international markets. I have not had any experience in oil and gas, but I realised that the cycle was similar to those in the mining sector that I had read about, though I have no experience in mining, either. Once skills disappear, it can be difficult to restart. In mining, as in oil rigs, some sites can become disused, and it is difficult to get them back into action. Exactly the opposite has happened; I was amazed by the way the oil and gas industry fought its way out of the recession, especially given that the core bit—the international commodity price of oil—is completely beyond its control.
To paraphrase some of the Brexit debate—the hon. Member for Dunfermline and West Fife brought Brexit into this, so I felt I should—the oil companies are market takers, rather than market makers. They cannot control the international oil price—the price of what they have to sell. At least, I assume they cannot; nothing I have read suggests that they can. The sector has changed itself into a lower-cost, more nimble industry, which is interesting. Some big companies found that difficult because of their high overheads, but other companies have come into the market, are more nimble and have new sources of cash. I found that fascinating.
On setting a regulatory environment in the oil and gas industry and funding for research and development—that funding can come about in different ways, including from Government—Government’s work has been absolutely brilliant. In these discussions, it is easy to criticise Governments generally, but please do not think I am making a party comment; any sensible Government would have done this. I am pleased to say that we have had a lot of sensible Governments in this country. My comments are not a reason for complacency, though; I hope hon. Members do not think that I am saying that.
I am completely ignoring the speech that I prepared because I was so excited by some of the things that were said. To an outside person, perhaps a reader of the Daily Mail, it may seem as if North sea oil is finished and the continental shelf is clapped out. The exact opposite seems to be the case. I am pleased that the report reiterates that, and that it has been confirmed by hon. Members. There is huge potential. I hope the Government are on top of it.
A formal response to the report will be made in the usual way. However, the major conclusion, as far as I can see, was that a sector deal—a really ambitious one—should be agreed. I absolutely share the Committee’s desire to support the sector; there is a close relationship there.
I will make one comment that might be politely critical, if it is possible to be politely critical, to Deidre Brock regarding what she said about the McCrone report. I know one should not talk about drinks party conversations, but I had the pleasure of meeting Gavin McCrone—I believe that is his name—once. I do not think it was quite a formal report. He was a well-respected adviser to different Scottish Secretaries of State, I seem to remember his telling me—if Gavin McCrone is the same person. The way the hon. Lady quoted him, if I may respectfully say so, was a little unfair to what has happened.
On sovereign wealth funds, Norway sounds really great—it is wonderful what it does; it invests billions of pounds all over the place—but it is a little bit selective to say that our money was squandered. First, as has been said, a lot of tax came from it. We have a big economy and a big population. It is not as though the money was spent somewhere else; it was spent for the benefit of everybody in the United Kingdom, so I do not accept the “squandering” point of view.
I think we will have to agree to disagree on the benefits or otherwise of sovereign wealth funds, but can I ask about the taxation situation and North sea oil revenues? In 2017, Norway taxed the Royal Dutch Shell company £4.6 billion, while the UK gave the company £176 million. Can the Minister talk a little bit about the implications of those figures? I find them quite staggering.
The hon. Lady has caught me unawares, because I am afraid tax is not one of my specialities; I apologise to her. I will find out about that, and if she would like me to write to her—or we could have a coffee together outwith this place—I would be happy to do so.
I should make some progress, because I am testing the patience of the Chair, and he wants two minutes left over. Trevor Garlick and the team have done a lot for the industry. He has brought a diverse sector together, which is the purpose of our sector deals; previously, most relationships between Government and companies seemed to be based on a few big companies that had very effective lobbying machines and knew the way the Government worked. In the oil and gas sector, he has helped to break that and has brought a lot of things forward.
The leadership has been very good, as have many of the work streams; we have five areas of focus in the report, but it seems to me that work on them is already being undertaken. For example, the National Decommissioning Centre has already been launched, with £38 million in funding. The Oil & Gas Technology Centre continues to lead on new technology and to support MER UK, which I was happy to visit in Aberdeen, on transformative technology. The work on exports that was mentioned is progressing well.
The work streams on other things that are part of Government policy, such as diversity and inclusion as well as CCUS, have developed very well. I was pleased that the Chancellor yesterday called for evidence to identify what more should be done to make Scotland and the UK a global hub for decommissioning, as the Chair of the Select Committee has talked about.
The Chancellor yesterday mentioned, if I can rephrase him, using less gas by 2025. The Minister is talking about decommissioning. Is that not a worry for the oil and gas sector?
The Minister is coming to the end of his remarks, but I worry that he has not touched on the issues raised by my hon. Friend Hugh Gaffney. Can he outline how the Government will work with the workers in the industry and the unions?
Mr Wishart, you have three minutes, 45 seconds, or thereabouts. | 2019-04-23T12:11:50Z | https://www.theyworkforyou.com/whall/?id=2019-03-14a.201.0&s=speaker%3A11461 |
Coordinator of Advocacy and Veterans Behavioral Health at Mental Health America of Greater Houston.
Postpartum Depression Screening and Referral Services.
Mental Health America of Greater Houston thanks you for the opportunity to submit comments on the draft policy for House Bill 2466 regarding the ability of an infant’s provider to conduct and bill for postpartum depression (PPD) screening for the infant’s mother in Medicaid and CHIP. We believe the following recommendations will assist in the successful implementation of this Medicaid benefit.
In early 2017, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommended PPD screening at one, two, four and six months postpartum.[i] Line 1 of the draft policy states the Academy’s recommendation of screenings at the infant’s pediatric well-child visits but does not include the suggested intervals. We recommend adding language to line 1 about the appropriate integration of screenings at the 1-, 2-, 4- and 6-month visits.
HHSC’s draft policy (line 22) limits screening to once per provider in the year postpartum. We understand the need to implement this benefit within existing funds. That said, we recommend the agency consider the feasibility of screening according to national recommendations, as indicated by the American Academy of Pediatrics. This will result in multiple screens reimbursed per provider, and the language should be changed appropriately.
Mental Health America of Greater Houston participates in the Regional Maternal Mortality Task Force, where we examine the leading causes of maternal deaths in Houston. This task force is acutely aware of “white coat” syndrome, in which individuals are likely to lessen the severity of a condition when speaking to a doctor to disclose physical and behavioral health issues. Significantly more positive screens result in studies in which the screen was performed by a licensed clinical social worker, rather than a medical doctor. Line 7 states that screening tools may include the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (7.2), Postpartum Depression Screening Scale (7.3) and the Patient Health Questionnaire 9 (7.4). To ensure the successful roll-out of this new benefit and accurate screenings, it is important all THStep providers – including physician assistants, nurses and licensed social workers – are trained on the screening tools and the risk factors for postpartum depression.
The three tools listed above are all validated and routinely used for postpartum depression and identify a range of severity or level of need, which help guide clinician-patient decision making regarding necessary supports. The Edinburgh is most routinely used and available in more than 20 languages. While these screening tools are effective, they may not capture positive screens for women facing other maternal mental health disorders, including anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder present during the postpartum period. We recommend adding to the list of validated tools (line 7) so THSteps providers may screen moms using validated tools identifying a range of postpartum mood and anxiety disorders, such as the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) tool, among others. No-cost screening tools should be prioritized to increase access to THSteps providers.
We appreciate HHSC recognizing that screening alone does not improve clinical outcomes for moms and infants, but more guidance is needed to ensure successful referrals and improved outcomes. Specifically, pediatric providers need to know the appropriate and available supports for mothers. While some pediatric providers may already screen mothers, most are not familiar with the mental health providers serving parents. We recommend HHSC should provide a menu of resources with which provider can refer when a mother screens positive for postpartum depression or other perinatal mood disorder. At a minimum, HHSC should provide THStep providers a menu of referral options in each region that serve women enrolled in or eligible for Medicaid, Healthy Texas Women or the Family Planning Program, as well as city or county indigent care programs. Also, at a minimum, this should include clear guidance to THSteps providers on how to refer women, in consultation with any existing primary care physician to the Local Mental Health Authority (LMHA). The Office of Mental Health Coordination offers a list of mental health and substance use professionals, including LMHAs and other mental health clinicians across the state. Including a list of postpartum depression treatment providers on this list would be a good resource for pediatric providers screening for perinatal mood disorders. Some moms may need more intensive therapy or medication; others may need a lower level of supports or services. It’s important that a menu of referral options is available so THStep providers, in consultation with existing primary care providers, can help refer women to services that meet her needs.
Mental Health America of Greater Houston also asks you to consider the efficacy of the existing referral process for postpartum mental health treatment. New mothers who are not eligible for Medicaid are automatically enrolled in Healthy Texas Women sixty days following delivery when their CHIP perinatal benefits expire. Healthy Texas Women’s coverage of postpartum depression treatment is minimal at best. Many women with the most complicated postpartum mood disorders cannot receive adequate treatment within the confines of the Healthy Texas Women reimbursement model. Should mothers require more intensive medication or hospitalization, they are typically referred out to another facility, frequently an emergency room, where they do not have coverage for services. We need to ensure that doctors have a safe place with the appropriate supports to send mothers who screen positively for postpartum mood disorders; otherwise, doctors will not feel comfortable making referrals and women won’t get the treatment they need. We recommend HHSC shall communicate clearly to state health programs and community mental health providers, including LMHAs, that women with postpartum depression fall under priority diagnosis of major depressive disorder and assist them to prepare for increased referrals of women with postpartum depression.
Lastly, the results of the screenings used are not digital – leaving a paper form to record the results of a postpartum screen. Mothers are sent from the pediatrician’s office with the paper medical record and information can be lost in the process. With digital records, a “warm handoff” can be more secure knowing that all information is transmitted to the next provider. We recommend the agency consider the feasibility of digital records to ensure successful referrals and improved clinical outcomes.
Again, we sincerely thank you for the opportunity to provide input on the draft policy for HB 2466. We look forward to continued partnership with the Texas Health and Human Services Commission to ensure families have access to needed mental health supports. For any questions or concerns, please contact Annalee Gulley at agulley@mhahouston.org or (210) 823-5818.
On June 15, 2017, Governor Greg Abbott signed into law Texas’ first post-partum depression screening legislation. HB 2466, authored by Representative Sarah Davis (R-Houston), allows for Texas Health Steps provider reimbursement for post-partum depression during the twelve-month period following delivery. Reimbursement will be funded through an infant’s Medicaid or perinatal CHIP.
Parents with postpartum depression experience a range of physical, emotional, and behavioral changes including sadness, anxiety and exhaustion that interfere with day-to-day life and routines. Postpartum depression is the most common complication of childbirth, with approximately one-in-nine women experiencing depression or anxiety during pregnancy and/or the first year after childbirth. Postpartum depression, and other perinatal mood disorders, can result in adverse maternal, infant and child outcomes, including lower rates of breastfeeding initiation and shorter duration, poor maternal and infant bonding and infant developmental disorders.
Thinking of harming herself or her baby.
Under current state law, women who receive prenatal care through Medicaid for Pregnant Women remain eligible for Medicaid benefits for 60 days following delivery. During this time, Medicaid will cover the postpartum visits as well as medication and follow-up necessary for women who are diagnosed with postpartum depression. However, postpartum depression and other perinatal mood disorders can present anytime within the first four-to-six weeks up to 12 months following childbirth. When coverage under Medicaid for Pregnant Women ends, a woman will transition to the Healthy Texas Women Program, if she meets eligibility requirements.
For more information on postpartum depression, click here.
To review HB 2466’s draft policy language or provide public comment, click here before Tuesday, December 19.
On Tuesday, November 14, 2017, Annalee Gulley, Director of Government Affairs and Public Policy at Mental Health America of Greater Houston, was invited to provide testimony before the House Committee on Public Education.
– Recommend any measures needed at the state level to prevent unintended punitive consequences to both students and districts in the state accountability system as a result of Hurricane Harvey and its aftermath.
– Examine the educational opportunities offered to students displaced by Hurricane Harvey throughout the state and the process by which districts enroll and serve those students. Recommend any changes that could improve the process for students or help districts serving a disproportionate number of displaced students.
Ms. Gulley was on one of five panels of invited testimony and shared the importance of trauma training for classroom teachers and the impact transition plans could have on displaced students. Other panelists included Superintendents from Aldine, Alief, Aransas County, Flour Bluff, Katy, Orange Field, Port Arthur, and Sheldon Independent School Districts. Josette Saxton, Director of Public Policy for Texans Care For Children, also provided testimony. This was the last House Public Education Committee meeting of 2017.
Annalee Gulley testifying in front of the House Public Education Committee (Left to Right: Rep. Linda Koop, Rep. VanDeaver, Rep. Ken King, Rep. Bernal (Vice Chair), Rep. Huberty (Chair), Rep. Allen). Ms. Gulley was on a panel with Mr. Loius Malfar, President of Texas AFT, Dr. Bruce Marchand, Director of Charter School Growth and Development with Texas Charter School Association, and Ms. Josette Saxton, Director of Mental Health Policy at Texans Care for Children.
Thank you for the opportunity to testify today, Chairman Huberty.
Since Harvey hit Houston, Mental Health America of Greater Houston has prioritized the mental health needs of Houston’s approximately 800,000 youths aged 6-17 with supports and interventions that are more important now than ever. Our primary focus has been to provide trauma-informed training to teachers within 27 schools across 10 independent school districts in the Greater Houston Area. We are also advocating for the implementation of transition plans within school districts with a disproportionate number of displaced students to aid in the successful reintegration into the public-school system.
Before the storm, national prevalence data estimated that 10 percent of Texas’ youth will experience an average of three adverse child experiences – or traumas – before the age of 17. With 2 in 5 youths affected by mental health or substance use issues, we know that approximately 250,000 Houston-area students went into the storm with a predisposition to trauma, as trauma affects individuals with mental health issues more severely. Even if you excluded youth predisposed to adverse childhood experiences from the conversation, we are no longer just talking about kids with mental health issues, or “bad kids” or “problem kids.” We are talking about every kid throughout the region.
The psychological reaction to disaster lasts approximately one to three years, with signs and symptoms presenting most frequently three months after the traumatic event. Unlike some affected groups, we know how to access this population and the necessary supports for trauma-affected youth. Teachers are our entry point. They work in classrooms eight hours a day, five days a week. With trauma-informed training, they can properly identify and respond to signs and symptoms of trauma such as inattentiveness, poor academic achievement and difficulty following rules of the classroom. Trauma-trained teachers also will better know how to prepare for triggering events such as heavy storms, the holidays and the first anniversary of a disaster.
State funding will be required for comprehensive, trauma-informed training within public schools. Mental Health America of Greater Houston has been fortunate to partner with private sponsors to provide trauma-informed training, but the funds allocated were not enough to meet the existing need in Harris County – and Harris County is not the only affected county by Hurricane Harvey.
Again, we appreciate the Committee’s time today and the opportunity to bring trauma-informed training and transition service plans into the conversation surrounding Hurricane Harvey recovery efforts. The Governor was right when he said that our hardest to heal wounds would be invisible. That does not mean they should be forgotten. With trauma-informed training and transition service plans, we can provide impacted youth with the necessary supports begin anew.
On Monday, October 23, Speaker of the House Joe Straus and Lt. Governor Dan Patrick released a full list of interim charges for Texas’ State House and State Senate committees to study before the 86th Legislative Session begins in January 2019. Many of the interim charges examine Hurricane Harvey and the state’s response, including the storm’s impact on public health, the juvenile justice system, agriculture and the state’s tax structure. In addition to these charges, Speaker Straus called for the creation of a Select Committee on Opioid and Substance Abuse which will study the prevalence and impact of substance abuse and substance use disorders in the state. This committee, chaired by Representative Four Price, is an extension of the work of the Select Committee on Mental Health, convened following the 84th Legislative Session.
Examine the Early Childhood Intervention Program (ECI) in Texas, including a review of historical funding levels, programmatic changes, challenges providers face within the program and utilization trends. Evaluate ECI’s impact on reducing the long-term costs of public education and health care. Identify solutions to strengthen the program.
Monitor Congressional action on federal healthcare reform and CHIP reauthorization. Identify potential impacts of any proposed federal changes. Identify short- and long-term benefits and challenges related to converting Texas Medicaid funding to a block grant or per capita cap methodology. Determine how Texas should best prepare for federal changes, including statutory and regulatory revisions, as well as any new administrative functions that may be needed. Explore opportunities to increase the state’s flexibility in administering its Medicaid program, including but not limited to the use of 1115 and 1332 waivers.
Examine the use of social workers and peer support specialists in the Texas criminal justice system to assist individuals on probation, on parole or who have been discharged, in order to reduce recidivism and improve outcomes. Identify best practices and make recommendations for legislative action.
Study how counties identify defendants’ and inmates’ behavioral health needs and deferral opportunities to appropriate rehabilitative and transition services. Consider models for ensuring defendants and inmates with mental illness receive appropriate services upon release from the criminal justice system.
Assess developments in medical science and legal standards related to the imposition of the death penalty on defendants with serious mental illness or intellectual and developmental disabilities. Review statutorily prescribed jury instructions used during capital sentencing.
Examine the needs of homeless veterans in Texas. Examine obstacles veterans may face finding housing across the state. Recommend measures to bolster the state’s efforts to address veteran homelessness in Texas.
Monitor the agencies and programs under the Committee’s jurisdiction and oversee the implementation of relevant legislation passed by the 85th Legislature. In conducting this oversight, review the implementation of S.B. 27 (85R) and the related Veterans Mental Health Program, as well as S.B. 578 (85R) and the development of the Veterans Suicide Prevention Action Plan.
Review the history and any future roll-out of Medicaid Managed Care in Texas. Determine the impact managed care has had on the quality and cost of care. In the review, determine: initiatives that managed care organizations (MCOs) have implemented to improve quality of care; whether access to care and network adequacy contractual requirements are sufficient; and whether MCOs have improved the coordination of care. Also determine provider and Medicaid participants’ satisfaction within STAR, STAR Health, Star Kids, and STAR+Plus managed care programs. In addition, review the Health and Human Services Commission’s (HHSC) oversight of managed care organizations, and make recommendations for any needed improvement.
Review the availability of prevention and early intervention programs and determine their effectiveness in reducing maltreatment of children. In addition, review services available to children emancipating out of foster care, as well as services available to families post-adoption. Determine if current services are adequately providing for children’s needs and meeting the objectives of the programs. While reviewing possible system improvements for children, follow the work of the Supreme Court of Texas Children’s Commissions’ Statewide Collaborative of Trauma-Informed Care to determine how trauma-informed care impacts outcomes for children.
Study the increased use of specialty courts across the state. Examine the role these courts play in the judicial system and recommend improvements to ensure they continue to be appropriately and successfully utilized.
Evaluate the use of telemedicine to improve behavioral health services in the juvenile justice system.
Review state programs that provide women’s health services and recommend solutions to increase access to effective and timely care. During the review, identify services provided in each program, the number of providers and clients participating in the programs, and the enrollment and transition process between programs. Monitor the work of the Maternal Mortality and Morbidity Task Force and recommend solutions to reduce maternal deaths and morbidity. In addition, review the correlation between pre-term and low birth weight births and the use of alcohol and tobacco. Consider options to increase treatment options and deter usage of these substances.
Study and make recommendations to improve services available for identifying and treating children with mental illness, including the application of trauma- and grief-informed practices. Identify strategies to assist in understanding the impact and recognizing the signs of trauma in children and providing school-based or community-based mental health services to children who need them. Analyze the role of the Texas Education Agency and of the regional Education Service Centers regarding mental health. In addition, review programs that treat early psychosis among youth and young adults.
Review opportunities to improve population health and health care delivery in rural and urban medically underserved areas. Identify potential opportunities to improve access to care, including the role of telemedicine. In the review, identify the challenges facing rural hospitals and the impact of rural hospital closures.
Study the prevalence and impact of substance use and substance use disorders in Texas, including co-occurring mental illness. Study the prevalence and impact of opioids and synthetic drugs in Texas. Review the history of overdoses and deaths due to overdoses. Also review other health-related impacts due to substance abuse. Identify substances that are contributing to overdoses, related deaths and health impacts, and compare the data to other states. During the review, identify effective and efficient prevention and treatment responses by health care systems, including hospital districts and coordination across state and local governments. Recommend solutions to prevent overdoses and related health impacts and deaths in Texas.
Review the prevalence of substance abuse and substance use disorders in pregnant women, veterans, homeless individuals and people with co-occurring mental illness. In the review, study the impact of opioids and identify available programs specifically targeted to these populations and the number of people served. Consider whether the programs have the capacity to meet the needs of Texans. In addition, research innovative programs from other states that have reduced substance abuse and substance use disorders, and determine if these programs would meet the needs of Texans. Recommend strategies to increase the capacity to provide effective services.
Examine the impact of substance abuse and substance use disorders on Texans who are involved in the adult or juvenile criminal justice system and/or the Child Protective Services system. Identify barriers to treatment and the availability of treatment in various areas of the state. Recommend solutions to improve state and local policy, including alternatives to justice system involvement, and ways to increase access to effective treatment and recovery options.
Identify the specialty courts in Texas that specialize in substance use disorders. Determine the effectiveness of these courts and consider solutions to increase the number of courts in Texas.
For a full list of the Texas State House of Representatives’ Interim Charges, click here.
Adult and Juvenile Corrections Funding: Examine the funding patterns used to fund the juvenile justice system and adult probation departments. Develop recommendations to ensure the Texas Juvenile Justice Department budget does not dis-incentivize the use of cost-effective best practices such as diverting youth from the juvenile justice system, providing services to youth in their community and keeping youth closer to home. In addition, review funding to adult probation departments and ensure it provides for an equitable distribution to all Texas Probation Departments.
Monitor the state’s progress in coordinating behavioral health services and expenditures across state government, pursuant to Article IX section 10.04, including the impact of new local grant funding provided by the 85th Legislature.
Substance Abuse/Opioids: Review substance use prevention, intervention and recovery programs operated or funded by the state and make recommendations to enhance services, outreach and agency coordination. Examine the adequacy of substance use, services for pregnant and postpartum women enrolled in Medicaid or the Healthy Texas Women Program and recommend ways to improve substance use related health outcomes for these women and their newborns. Examine the impact of recent legislative efforts to curb overprescribing and doctor shopping via the prescription monitoring program and recommend ways to expand on current efforts.
Medicaid Managed Care Quality and Compliance: Review the Health and Human Services Commission’s efforts to improve quality and efficiency in the Medicaid program, including pay-for-quality initiatives in Medicaid managed care. Compare alternative payment models and value-based payment arrangements with providers in Medicaid managed care, the Employees Retirement System and the Teachers Retirement System, and identify areas for cross-collaboration and coordination among these entities.
Initiatives intended to improve child safety, Child Protective Services workforce retention, and development of additional capacity in the foster care system. Make additional recommendations to ensure children with elevated levels of medical or mental health needs receive timely access to services in the least restrictive setting.
Veterans’ Health: Study the effectiveness of veterans’ health and mental health initiatives in Texas and recommend ways to improve access and delivery. Explore the state of the federal VA Choice Program, including potential expiration, continuation or expansion of the program. Consider the impact of the VA Choice Program on improving the delivery of health care, and determine ways to raise awareness and increase participation among Texas veterans. Consider the potential connection between chronic pain and mental health and identify strategies to improve the prevention of veteran suicide.
Monitor the implementation and impact of legislation passed by the Texas Legislature, including SB 27 by Campbell 85(R), relating to the mental health program for veterans.
For a full list of the Texas State Senate’s Interim Charges, click here.
While Texas’ 85th Legislative Session has been touted as one of the most contentious sessions in recent memory, mental and behavioral health funding and programming received important time and attention – largely due to the formation of the Interim Select Committee on Mental Health. Below is a brief summary of both the regular session and the special session and the status of MHA of Greater Houston’s legislative agenda.
As always, The Texas Tribune is an incredible resource in Austin. Please listen to recordings of their recent TribFest, which covered important topics including mental health, maternal mortality and the future of Medicaid.
At 9:00 a.m. on Thursday, House Bill 2623 (Allen, Alma | Thompson, Senfronia) and House Bill 3887 (Coleman) will be heard before the Senate Education Committee – because of you.
Your calls, your emails to friends, your commitment to advancing legislation for youth mental health. You made this happen. And you can’t stop now. We’ve come too far. Together.
Each member of the Senate Education Committee needs to know how important these bills are to Texas students and that, when I stand before them to testify tomorrow, I have all of you standing beside me.
We have eight days left to pass these bills.
Please take five minutes to call your State Senator and the Senate Education Committee to let them know you support our Senate sponsor, Senator Zaffirini, and House Bill 2623 (Transition Services) and House Bill 3887 (Trauma Training). Ask them to vote yes on both bills and send them to the Senate floor for a vote.
Please call your Houston Senator – and members of the Senate Education Committee – and ask that they support HB 2623 (Allen | Thompson, Senfronia) and HB 3887 (Coleman). The more support they hear, the better our chance of getting the bills voted out of the Education Committee as soon as possible.
Hello, my name is ________. I am calling Senator _______ because I want to make sure they support HB 2623 (Allen | Thompson, Senfronia) and HB 3887 (Coleman). Both bills are scheduled for a hearing in the EDUCATION COMMITTEE this Thursday, May 18. I support these bills and the positive impact they will have on mental health in education in the state of Texas and encourage Senator ______ to do so as well. Thank you very much!
Hello, my name is ________. I am calling Senate Education Committee to show my support of HB 2623 (Allen | Thompson, Senfronia) and HB 3887 (Coleman). Both bills are scheduled for a hearing in the EDUCATION COMMITTEE this Thursday, May 18. I support these bills and the positive impact they will have on mental health in education in the state of Texas. Thank you very much!
Friday, March 10 marked the deadline to file legislation for Texas’ 85th legislative session. Mental Health America of Greater Houston is excited to report on the progress of our priorities.
MHA of Greater Houston successfully filed four bills, supporting both our Center for School Behavioral Health and Women’s Mental Health programs. We have also worked closely with Chairman Four Price and Representative Sarah Davis to ensure specific language reflecting our priorities was inserted into their existing bills concerning these legislative issues. We are proud both of the final bills resulting from these ongoing conversations and of the influence MHA of Greater Houston demonstrated during a critical moment when competing political priorities can too often sink impactful legislation.
After meeting with many members of the Houston delegation, we believe that our legislative agenda is strong; however, the current fiscal outlook and political climate in Austin make the passage of any bill a very difficult task. We have our work cut out for us during the next 67 days.
Now that our bills have been filed, the next step is getting them through their respective committees. HB 2135, our Post-Partum Depression bill, and HB 11, Chairman Four Price’s children’s mental health bill, were referred to the House Public Health Committee in the beginning of March. Earlier this week, HB 2135, Representative Davis’s Post-Partum Depression bill, was referred to the House Committee on Public Health and HB 2623, our transition services bill, was referred to the House Committee on Public Education.
In a session in which 6,657 bills were filed and money is tight, now is the time to connect with your legislators and bring our bills to the front of their priority list.
We are thrilled House Bill 2623 (Allen), relating to requiring school districts to assist students in making the transition back to school after certain prolonged placements outside of school, has been referred to the House Public Education Committee! For a refresher on the importance of this bill, check out our recent Center for School Behavioral Health post in which local expert Latashia Crenshaw, Director of Educational Support and Advocacy Services at the Harris County Juvenile Probation Department, talks to MHA of Greater Houston about transition services.
What does House Bill 2623 (Allen) do?
This bill requires that school districts provide assistance to students transitioning back to school after 30 or more days in a disciplinary alternative education program, a juvenile justice alternative education program, a residential program or facility operated by or under contract with the Texas Juvenile Justice Department, a juvenile board, or any other governmental entity, a residential treatment center, or a public or private hospital.
Under this legislation, schools will be required to create individualized transition service plans for returning students. The plan, to the extent possible, must be developed in conjunction with the student’s parent/guardian. As appropriate, the plan must include: consideration of the best educational placement for the student; provision of counseling, behavioral management assistance, or academic assistance; and access to community mental health or substance abuse services.
What problem does the bill solve?
Education is the key to a successful life, reducing juvenile recidivism, and ending the school-to-prison-pipeline. For a child returning to school following a prolonged absence, particularly for a disciplinary placement in the judicial system, succeeding once there is not easy. There are a variety of individual, school, and systemic factors that must be addressed if young people are to successfully return to schools. Individual factors include poor academic and social–emotional skills, credit deficits, special education needs, and the failure to develop an identity as a learner. Systemic factors include the failure of agencies and institutions to share records quickly, the absence of alignment and articulation between sending and receiving schools at both ends of the transition process, the dearth of accountability for mobile student outcomes, and inadequate systemic capacity to collaborate with families.
Through collaboration and planning, administrators that serve transitioning youth can prepare youth, from entry through discharge, for their return to their home-based school, enabling them to resume educational services successfully.
While HB 2623 was referred to the House Public Education Committee, there is no guarantee it will be heard before the committee. The House Public Education Committee is chaired by Houston State Representative Dan Huberty and includes Houston-area Representatives Alma Allen, Harold Dutton, Jr., and Representative Dwyane Bohac.
Please call your Houston Representatives on the Public Education Committee – and the Public Education Committee itself – and ask that they set a hearing date for this bill. The more support they hear, the better our chance of getting a hearing scheduled as soon as possible.
Hello, my name is ________. I am calling Representative _______ because I want to make sure that House Bill 2623 (Allen) gets a hearing scheduled in the PUBLIC EDUCATION COMMITTEE. I support this bill and the positive impact it will have on mental health in education in the state of Texas and encourage Representative ______ to do so as well. Thank you very much!
While we still need support for HB 3853 and HB 3887, we will focus our attention on scheduling a hearing for HB 2623 until they are referred to a committee.
We urge you to connect with members of the House Public Health Committee to let them know that you support MHA of Greater Houston and hope the Representatives will fight to make sure our bills are heard before their committee as quickly as possible!
Luckily, the House Public Health Committee includes Houston-area Representative Garnet Coleman and Representative Tom Oliverson.
Please call these State Representatives and ask for these bills to be heard in front of the Public Health committee. The more support they hear, the better our chance of getting a hearing on this important women’s health issue.
Hello, my name is ________. I am calling Representative _______ because I want to make sure that House Bill [ ] gets a hearing scheduled in the PUBLIC HEALTH COMMITTEE. I support this bill and the positive impact it will have on women’s mental health in Texas and encourage Representative ______ to do so as well. Thank you very much!
While you’re making calls, call your local State Representative to express support for House Bill 2623 (Allen), as well! While your local Representative may not be a member of House Public Education, his or her support for House Bill 2623 is important! As a constituent, your opinion matters! Ask them to use their influence with their colleagues on the Public Education Committee to make sure House Bill 2623 (Allen) gets a hearing! Better yet, ask them to “Joint Author” the bill!
Hello, my name is ________, I’m a constituent from Houston, zip code ___. I am calling Representative _______ to urge [him/her] to consider becoming a joint author of House Bill [2623| 3853| 3887]. This bill is incredibly important for the future of the kids in our local schools and a great step toward ending the school-to-prison-pipeline. If you won’t consider joint authoring the bill, please reach out to your colleagues on the PUBLIC EDUCATION COMMITTEE and tell them your constituents want this bill to be heard in front of this committee. Thank you very much!
In addition to our priority partner bills, we are also following these bills for their impact on mental and behavioral health in Texas.
In the meantime, take heart in knowing we still have time to get some great work done. | 2019-04-24T13:53:19Z | https://mhahouston.wordpress.com/author/rebeccafmha/ |
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To own the explosive energy essential to breathe a champion fencer an athlete must spend time within the gym constructing a ground degree of dwindle limb power then steadily construct into advanced plyometric actions whereas soundless protecting the eye-hand coordination that connects a fencer to their blade.
Roger W. Earle is the associate executive Director and Director of exam progress for the NSCA Certification commission.
each year, a gaggle of 500+ armed forces, law enforcement, fire fighter, and special ops trainers and operators gregarious gathering to share the latest and ultimate strategies, advantage, and items being used to do a far better tactical athlete.
The national electricity and Conditioning association entire started the TSAC in 2005 and hosts a countrywide convention, or annual practising software, that attracts within the sports scientists, trainers, therapists, medical doctors, and operators into the identical space. This gathering has advanced over the years to provide a lot obligatory elements in scientific analyze as well as commercial and executive investment to the tactical health arena.
The movement of Human efficiency has dramatically changed. trained and authorized trainers or participants of military command now own a spot to breathe trained extra from others in the box and create more desirable programming for his or her crew and themselves.
one of the crucial speakers and companies that i was for my section able to talk with and watch their displays were here: Air oblige Battlefield Airmen Prep course – The route designers and operators own been existing to share how they began a brand new military command with the mission to better prepare Air drive particular Ops candidates for his or her future practising. Colonel Ronald Stenger is spearheading a particularly technical working towards application the exhaust of refined monitoring apparatus (Smartabase) to greater teach, reduce injuries, and create greater Air oblige PJs, combat Controllers, Tactical Air control celebration / JTAC, and special Ops weather Technicians with fewer candidates. In different phrases – reduce back the 80% attrition expense by means of being smarter and more productive. the brand new eight-week prep direction is conducted after simple militia working towards for entire Air drive Battlefield Airmen candidates just before their observe-on selection lessons.
The Mobility Maker – Dana Santas CSCS, E-RYT did a hands-on presentation on suitable respiratory mixed with stretching to free up muscle corporations of the core. The tactical applications for mobility and respiration are getting more criterion as the perquisite artery to reduce ache and raise durability within the career province in addition to de-stress and construct resiliency as stress mitigation equipment. Dana is a mind-physique coach in expert activities, the yoga skilled for CNN health, creator of the booklet “practical options for returned ache aid” and a world speaker/presenter on effortless methods to aid americans breathe, movement and suppose improved in their bodies and happier and more hale of their lives.
Three Phases of Tactical health – i used to breathe capable of attain a joint presentation with Jeff Nichols of PerformanceFirstUS and my podcast companion on the Tactical health record. The time epoch To, through, and After is how they described the event of the special ops recruit. You need to derive TO the training by mastering a health check. constantly these are aggressive so greater than the minimal middling is required. Then, you must prepare to derive throughout the working towards or option software. After, when you are an operator the third section comes into play and focuses on job performance, capability preservation / toughness, stress mitigation, and ordinary health and wellbeing as the tactical athlete will likely breathe older in these professions than he/she should breathe younger.
other displays on activities nutrition, hydration, annoying humor accidents, overuse running accidents, and stress mitigation are a few spotlights on a protracted listing of speakers and educators who share most efficient practices and instructions realized with members.
at the Sorinex exhibit booth you could exhaust the apparatus and derive a exercise with superb coaches and athletes like Bert Sorin and Brandon Lilly. Free deadlift clinics from americans like Brandon turned into one of the crucial highlights of the week for many of these tactical athletes into greater lifts with superb kind. different gadget businesses existing were operate more desirable, BeaverFit, TRX, to title a few.
There are moreover sports nutritionists and meals corporations latest as well as athletic trainers and physical therapists and their corresponding apparatus companies. one of the crucial typical companies from outdated years who own been latest once more own been the folks from Drip Drop (old article), GNC, in addition to a new traffic referred to as SoreAndTired.com with a magnesium rub to allay aching joints and muscle mass.
There are over 50 vendors at the Tactical fitness Annual practicing. you probably own health, wellbeing, and health items or features you want to derive in front of the creators of Human efficiency programs inside the tactical arena, here's one artery to attain that.
How stern is the executive in producing smarter educated operators? rescue it this manner – there is a $475 million SOCOM condense that is at present operated by means of Booz Allen and numerous sub-contractors that deliver the theme signify specialists to bring science-based mostly practising purposes to the distinctive commands of the special Operations Command. well-known Dynamics was an exhibitor at the conference to parade their capabilities as they movement to problem for this open condense within the next year. besides the fact that children, common armed forces and some police / SWAT, and fireplace fighting departments are additionally spending cash to employ educated and certified trainers to office their Human performance / Tactical health programs.
The NSCA has two certifications that practice to being qualified for these jobs – The certified energy and Conditioning expert (CSCS) and the Tactical electricity and Conditioning Facilitator (TSAC-F). These jobs are awesome for prior tactical athletes in addition to activities scientists with different backgrounds as getting to know from each and every other has been the hallmark of the Human performance programs perquisite through the tactical inhabitants.
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Many personal training certification programs exhaust science, sports medicine, and nutrition research.
All products and services featured here are chosen for their potential to inspire and enable your wellness. Everyday Health may merit an affiliate commission on items you purchase.
Having the perquisite qualifications and credentials is an considerable section of any job. The world of health and wellness is no different; knowing the dissimilarity between a pulse squat and plyometric squat is just section of it. Having the proper training will give you a leg up on the competition (literally), as you will breathe equipped with the necessary resources to give your clients exactly what they need.
And if you're hiring a personal trainer, knowing they own the perquisite qualifications will animate you safely and smartly meet your fitness goals.
While no one program is better than the other, they entire own a slightly different approach. Some certification programs are more scientific in their approach (National Academy of Sports Medicine), and other programs remain grounded in the principle that sustain is the most considerable teacher (American Council on Exercise).
The ACE certification is one of the most widely known and accepted certifications among employers. At the heart of their program is the credence that movement is the key to a hale lifestyle, which is why their program is a current selection for individuals looking to reach broad audiences and a variety of age groups. They tender three study programs that entire focus on you being able to prepare for the exam at your own pace. (The Premium Plus plan, which offers online courses and an ACE exam retest voucher, is their most popular.) Plus, entire courses give participants access to an ACE Study Coach.
If you prefer a program with a more scientific approach, consider enrolling in a personal trainer certification course from NASM. It’s heavily grounded in science and sports medicine, as they space a cumbersome stress on injury prevention and integrating corrective exercise into regular training. NASM’s flagship Optimum Performance Training (OPT) training system is in its 30th year. This system is based on scientific, evidence-based research, and was developed to concurrently help entire functional abilities, including flexibility, core stabilization, balance, strength, power, and cardiorespiratory endurance.
You can pick from four different kinds of programs depending on your schedule, ranging from a basic Self-Study program, which lets you learn at your own pace and has no set schedules, to an All-Inclusive program, which provides guided support, weekly assignments, and mentoring. Within the ultimate 10 years alone, NASM has successfully certified over 190,000 personal trainers.
Officially recognized as an academic institution, the ISSA places cumbersome stress on carcass pile and weight training. In addition to teaching the speculative knowledge needed to transcend as a personal trainer, they cover client assessment, program design, basic nutrition, and sports medicine, plus common business,] and marketing skills. Participants are allowed to learn at their own pace, so this course is distinguished for those who might already own a full-time job. Similar to the other programs already mentioned, the ISSA offers educational support. Note there is only one course option.
The American College of Sports Medicine is one of the largest and most prestigious sports medicine organizations in the world. This program does a superb job of using current research and technology (they tender virtual online sessions and webinars, for example) to preserve their curriculum current. Other benefits associated with ACSM accreditation involve discounts to ACSM’s Health & Fitness Summit, discounts on ACSM books and apparel, and a free subscription to ACSM’s certified news. Many hospitals and wellness centers require their trainers to breathe ACSM certified, so this a agreeable option if you are aiming to work at a clinic or hospital. Plus, their expense point is lower than most programs.
The National might and Conditioning Association uses an individualized approach to educate and train their participants. They were founded in 1978 by a group of conditioning coaches who were passionate about helping others discover and maximize their strength. Today, their community is composed of more than 45,000 members and certified professionals who work as might coaches, researchers, personal trainers, educators, and more. Aside from the NSCA-Certified Personal Trainer certification, they tender three other certification programs for Certified might and Conditioning Specialists, Certified Special Population Specialists, and Tactical might and Conditioning Facilitators.
In response to the need to create a resource for personal trainers that parallels the depth and property that the second edition of the Essentials of might Training and Conditioning text provides for might and conditioning professionals, the NSCA Certification Commission recently produced the NSCA's Essentials of Personal Training text.
If you want to derive suitable but you don't know how, that's no occasions for shame or despair. No one is an expert in every province — so instead of puttering aimlessly around the gym, you should circle to someone whose sole focus is helping people to transform into their best selves.
There's tons of information available online and programs designed by professionals to animate you to derive in shape, but it can breathe worth it to recall a more personalized approach. If you can afford it, hiring a personal trainer is an excellent option, particularly if you struggle with keeping yourself motivated. You’re less likely to bail on your workout when someone (or something — in this case, your wallet) holds you accountable, and a trainer can give you that extra propel out the door when you're trying to determine whether or not to attain your morning workout.
But how can you find a agreeable trainer? And if you've already hired someone to design your training plan, how can you breathe positive you’re working with the perquisite one? Even if a trainer has credentials up the wazoo, it doesn’t necessarily signify he or she is the best option for you and your goals.
When it comes down to it, you’re putting in the time, money, and effort for your new and improved body, so you better do it worth your while. Here are eight things you need to preserve in humor before hiring a personal trainer.
The first step in your newly-focused fitness journey should breathe establishing exactly what you're trying to accomplish. attain you own positive targets for your training, or attain you simply own a nebulous point to "get fit"?
Having broad goals is OK, but you shouldn't do a major fiscal and personal conclusion like hiring a coach if you don't own a few well-defined objectives for your training plan. Start with something simple, like a target carcass weight or race time, or even a goal as basic as working up to the capacity to perform 10 pullups. do positive the objectives are things you truly custody about.
Once you start talking to potential candidates, you can streamline your goals and even arrive up with new ones with their animate and expertise. But if you start without any thought of what you're trying to accomplish, you'll breathe more likely to tumble in with a trainer who won't propel you to your replete potential.
As with most things in life, a personal trainer will cost you. Prices may vary based on geographic location, gym affiliation (some trainers are affiliated with a gym, while others own an independent practice), and more. But a trainer can own a hefty expense tag, especially if the trainer has higher education or a large Instagram following.
“I'd utter a ordinary high property sustain trainer can impregnate between $125 and $200 per session. There are certainly those who can command much higher fees, but those are based on require and a long track record of proven results,” Jeff Cavaliere MSPT, CSCS, former Head Physical Therapist/Strength Coach with the New York Mets and Men’s Health advisor, told MensHealth.com.
Before burning a hole in your wallet, determine the absolute top dollar amount you can afford or are willing to pay. Once you find a potential trainer, discuss the possibility of a discount. Perhaps there’s a deal for getting a package and paying up front, or maybe you can even split the session and cost with a friend.
In the age of celebrity or Instagram-famous personal trainers, it's considerable to know that a broad title doesn't disclose you a all lot. While some high-profile trainers may own credentials, others might not.
“Celebrity trainers aren't necessarily agreeable trainers. They could just breathe in the perquisite belt at the perquisite time,”said Cavaliere.
Keep in humor that celebrity trainers are only worth the investment if they own safely generated results for their clients and are soundless being hired by other celebrities. So if someone lists a celebrity client on their website, that doesn't necessarily signify much by itself.
Similarly, a high follower signify on gregarious media doesn't guarantee that they actually know what they're doing with clients. They might just breathe a pretty visage or a flashy set of abs — selfies and brand sponsorships are not personal training credentials.
On that note: Technically, literally anyone can advertise themselves as a personal trainer. That’s why it’s considerable to find someone with actual credentials — which arrive in the shape of letters at the terminate of their name.
You're forgiven if those just scrutinize like alphabet soup to you now, but you need to learn up before making hiring someone.
So how attain you know you’re in agreeable hands? You’ll want to breathe positive your trainer attended an organization that is accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA), which is nationally recognized as being a trustworthy predictor of sports medicine and exercise knowledge. “The gold criterion in the industry is the National might and Conditioning Association (NSCA). The NSCA-CSCS (Certified might and Conditioning Specialist) or NSCA-CPT (Certified Personal Trainer) certifications are the two to scrutinize for,” said Cavaliere.
Other certifications worth having: NASM-CPT (National American Sports Medicine) ACSM-CPT (American College of Sports Medicine), or ACE-CPT (American Council on Exercise) entire betoken some plane of credibility.
Every personal trainer has their own focus. Some trainers work with those struggling with joint pain, while others might work solely with elderly clients pile bone density and improving balance. It’s considerable to find a program that works best for you. If a trainer's programming is built around HIIT workouts that leave you drenched in sweat and out of breath, that kind of warrior-style mentality won’t reduce it if you treasure doing yoga, or if you struggle with chronic knee pain.
“There is definitely more than one artery to program workouts for stout loss, muscle growth, etc. So find the one that meshes best with your style and proceed with that. There’s nothing worse than hating everything you're doing in a workout,” according to Cavaliere.
If you’re soundless unsure, inquire the trainer for what they typically involve in a program and inquire about their other clientele. If your trainer works mostly with bodybuilders, you’ll know their style is geared towards pile bigger muscles and strength. So if you’re looking to work on leaning out (rather than bulking up), maybe you should hire someone else.
“Trainers can disagree in their mode of motivation (some are more supine to screaming, while others can breathe steely-eyed but encouraging), or their methods of getting the job done,” Cavaliere said.
If the trainer seems rigid and uncompromising, and you’re more of a laid-back type, it’s probably not going to breathe a agreeable fit. If your personality doesn’t mesh with that of your trainer, that’s a problem.
Conversely, it’s moreover a problem if you derive along too well. If you’re too diligent chatting during workouts to derive in another set of deadlifts, it’s going to meddle with the rate of your progress. While you want a trainer who is encouraging and fun to breathe around (you don’t want to spend entire that time with a drill-sergeant-type you can’t stand, right?), you need to do positive you’re soundless being pushed to your limits and are achieving your goals.
Make positive your trainer checks in with you before trying to rescue you on a program. That means asking questions about your diet and previous fitness routine beyond your current weight.
The trainer should moreover inquire you if you are on any medications, as some, like unavoidable asthma medications, can influence your heart rate. If you’re asked to attain 10 burpees in 20 seconds, you could breathe causing undue strain on your heart, so this is really considerable for them to know.
A agreeable trainer will moreover inquire about your history of injuries (recent or chronic). “I'd evaluate every major joint (ankles, knees, hips, lower back, thoracic spine, shoulders, elbows, wrists) to notice if I could uncover reasons for the injury or potential debilitated links in the kinetic chain that will occasions future breakdown,” Cavaliere explained.
“I'd moreover inquire about any current training regimens. What own they been doing most recently and at what consistency level?" he said. This can animate to identify a client's goals (which we've already established is a major factor in picking a trainer) and motivation level.
If you’ve been training for a while but you’re not seeing tangible results, it’s OK to dawdle on and find someone new — especially if you wind up with a corrupt trainer. Sometimes it’s just not the perquisite match, but it might recall a few months to notice that. Give it a agreeable four to six weeks, Cavaliere advised, at which point you should start seeing some positive results. | 2019-04-25T04:05:35Z | http://www.stargeo.it/new/cheatsheet.php?pdf=NSCA-CPT |
"How about Hamel Memorial DOG park?
Hamel Memorial Park is off Clyde Fant Parkway. On the Red River and river trail, the spot is ideal because it is a big open space, it is by the water, it already has infrastructure in place (entrance & parking), it is at the end of the recreational trail that can end up as the destination spot for dogs and their owners."
SPAR likes the idea. And there's a dog park petition to sign at the blog. Additionally, there's news of other cities' dog parks (Atlanta, Austin).
Hoffpauir even sees a well-run dog park as the sort of amenity that would help combat the loss of young professionals from the area, as discussed in the recent Times feature on local demographics.
Her blog is an example of the sort of activity that could, in my opinion, help Shreveport grow. It's not just about dogs. It's about alternative ways to build community. Her thoughts are about applying good ideas from her hometown of Austin to a city that needs healthy new movement.
Click here to see the dog park petition.
Louisiana Dance Theater is headed to Chicago for the Jazz Dance World Congress, says company director Carol Anglin. She says, "LDT will perform a new piece, El Encierro, in the Choreography Competitive Event Friday, August 3, at Harris Theatre for Music and Dance in Chicago's Millennium Park."
El Encierro, a dance created by Anglin, will be performed by Louisiana Dance Theatre soloists Shelby Bass and Ashley Murphy. Also performing: Bailey Anglin, Allison Hagan, Alexis Jackson, Madeline Marak, Kimi Rousseau, Allison Sauls, Liz Weiss, and Elizabeth West.
Anglin says to dance lovers, "Drop by Carol Anglin Dancenter @ Pierremont Mall tonight, July 31, from 6:00 – 7:00 pm for Louisiana Dance Foundation’s Windy City Benefit. It's a studio performance / wine & cheese reception honoring Louisiana Dance Theatre’s Chicago-bound dancers."
The LSUS Department of Communications will present Lanford Wilson's "Burn This," says the director, Robert Alford. His production will offer an opportunity for local actors to play opposite a Hollywood veteran, Pruitt Taylor Vince.
Anna (mid 20s to mid 30s) a beautiful, strong, dancer turned choreographer. She keeps her emotions to herself, even more so since the death of Robby, her roommate and collaborator.
Larry (mid 20s to mid 30s) an acerbic, witty, bright advertising executive, Anna’s other roommate.
Burton (late 20s to late 30s) a wealthy, athletic, self-assured, sci-fi screenwriter, Anna’s boyfriend.
The role of Pale will be played by guest artist Pruitt Taylor Vince, says Alford.
Baton Rouge native Pruitt Taylor Vince's feature film credits include James Mangold's Heavy, in which he played a sweet, silent cook harboring a crush on waitress Liv Tyler and Identity, in which he played a schizophrenic serial killer, as well as Bertrand Tavernier’s In the Electric Mist, Robert Benton’s Nobody's Fool, Neil LaBute's Nurse Betty, Patty Jenkins’ Monster, Oliver Stone’s JFK & Natural Born Killers, Alan Parker's Angel Heart, Mississippi Burning & Come See the Paradise, Roland Joffé’s Captivity, David Lynch's Wild at Heart, Barbet Schroeder's Barfly, Adrian Lyne's Jacob's Ladder, Lawrence Kasdan’s Mumford, Giuseppe Tornatore’s The Legend of 1900 and Wim Wenders’ The End of Violence, in addition to Trapped, Constantine, Shy People, Beautiful Girls, Doctor Doolittle, The Cell, Red Heat, City Slickers: The Legend of Curly’s Gold and S1m0ne.
Vince received an Emmy Award for his recurring role in the second season of the TV series Murder One.
Thur, Aug 2 at 6:00 p.m.
Fri, Aug 3 at 6:00 p.m.
The movies of Ingmar Bergman yanked many of us out of the dappled world of Hollywood into a world of movies that required thought and patience. The Swedish stage and film director is known as one of the key film auteurs of the 20th century. He died today at age 89, said the NYtimes.
Wikipedia says, "His films usually deal with existential questions of mortality, loneliness, and faith; they also tend to be direct and not overtly stylized. Persona, one of Bergman's most famous films, is unusual among Bergman's work in being both existentialist and avant-garde."
Bergman fathered 9 children and was married 5 times.
Pardon me while I nip over to youtube for a reminder of his style.
"Thanks to all of you that have indulged my e-mail blast over the past year and going to my blog to see the art. Last weekend I took over the maintenance of my website, a domain I have owned since early 2001. Blogs are mainly online journals - but I had made it a site to see my work, since updates for the website were taking months. Lots of months to upload, and then they were never as I wanted them (editor: Sound familiar?). Now my blog will be mainly an art journal ~ art in process. And my website, maintained by me, will be for completed work.
and ALT text are very important because the search engines do not recognize images, flash or video. It's all about the text.
Not too little, but not too much...there is a sweet spot of about 3-7% key words that they like to see.
So while it's about the images in front for people to see, it's about the text behind the scenes that the machines see.
All very interesting material to digest and I only thought I was re-doing a template full of pictures of my work."
RT: May all the regional artists who believe in their work stride into the digital underbrush as has this intrepid former Shreveporter. See his site in the sptBlog links, please.
King's Highway holds fabulous potential to become a complete specialty shopper's alley for people nipping off I-49 for a peek at soulful Shreveport.
Of course, it's partway there. It begins with the deluxe landscaping used by Raisin Caine's store at King's Hwy. Even the shrubbery at the McDonald's seems laudable. The upgraded landscaping and signage at Byrd High School plays an important part. Columbia Cafe is certainly a significant node on the ride.
When you cross Creswell, you are soothed by the considerable efforts of Centenary College. And there, clustered around the super house center called Centenary Hardware, are the target boutiques. I'm not thinking of the antique shops, which are important mainstays, but Counter Culture and the clothes shop called Heart and Soul. Both seem to have done well and offer models for the future.
Coming soon, says a press release that originated from janeryderdesigns.com: "The Designer's Consortium, a new way to shop. A new way to sell. Direct from the designer to you."
at 208 E. King's Highway in Shreveport, across from Counter Culture," says Ms Ryder.
Being across from Counter Culture does not seem a bad idea at all. Bon chance to all.
Hello Louisiana," a Bayou State documentary by Monty and Marsha Brown, is featured in the Summer edition of Louisiana Life, says Marsha Brown.
The Browns' latest travel video is on La Manche, better known as the English Channel. Already on the market are their Euro documentaries La Belle France and It's Great! Britain.
Their travel films are sold through adventurecinema.com. The Browns also show them to audiences while providing live narration.
Singing their own tunes (2 of their many compositions were used in the movie Steel Magnolias) as the duo La Cahoots, they have entertained everyone but the Queen, they wryly note.
At SciPort plans have been made for Globe Week, Mon, July 30, to Sat, Aug 4. The agenda?
Think you can be a weather person? Use a cool tool called a sling psychrometer to measure cloud type and cover, temperature, relative humidity, and daily rainfall.
Learn the ten basic cloud types and how you can spot them. Then, put your meteorology skills to the test to estimate cloud cover percentage.
Test the dirt and learn what minerals are found in soil.
Make crayons using a variety of colorful dirt.
See what an owl had for lunch!
And, on Fri, July 27, says Jennifer Tuxen, celebrate “La Bella Luna” during the Full Moon Star Party.
Says Robinson Film Center mensch Chris Jay: "We’re hosting an impromptu premier of a 30-minute program of student films created during our 2007 Summer Filmmaking Camp, a partnership of the RFC and SPAR. The program consists of a handful of wildly creative short films created by students enrolled in Valencia Community Center (Stoner Hill), Lakeside Community Center (Allendale) and David Raines Community Center (West Shreveport). Made possible by a grant from the Shreveport Regional Arts Council, these camps have taken place over the past month. Instructors at the camps were Chris Lyon, Allison Bohl, and Sara Hebert, all of whom did outstanding jobs making the most of chaotic summer camp environments and helping the kids create some outlandish, wonderful short films."
If you want to to discuss issues of the day with intelligent teens, assay the region of Darfur and the Western world's general avoidance of the genocidal tragedy.
Increasingly Americans of all ages will email their congressmen (see sptBlog links for their addresses) to ask for thought and action re the tragedy in Sudan.
The latest effort to galvanize the public is a movie called The Devil Came on Horseback.
The New York Times review of the movie is found in a Manohla Dargis article entitled "Showing the Unspeakable From Six Months Spent in Darfur."
Dargis writes, "Brutal, urgent, devastating — the documentary “The Devil Came on Horseback” demands to be seen as soon as possible and by as many viewers as possible. An up-close, acutely painful call to action, the movie pivots on a young American, a former Marine captain named Brian Steidle, who for six months beginning in the fall of 2004 worked for the African Union as an unarmed monitor in Darfur. What he saw in Darfur was unspeakable. And then he returned home, his arms, heart and head filled with the images of the dead."
Nonetheless, teens sometimes are like artists. Their role may be to bring the concept of conscience to a higher place on the table.
Award-winning actress, director and Southfield School drama teacher Mary Thoma has just returned from New York, says Shaum Grimshaw of Bossier Arts Council. Thoma attended workshops presented by the Broadway Teaching Lab with instructors from Yale Drama School, Julliard, and the Alvin Ailey American Dance Center.
Youths can learn new skills in improvisation, storytelling through movement, scene and monologue work in her Young Actor Workshops.
* Ages 7 to 17.
*All young actors are expected to have memorized a 1- 2-minute monologue (no longer monologues, please) taken from a play, movie or book. Suggestions will be made available upon email reservation, if needed.
* Limited to 16 participants.
* Saturday, August 4, 10 am to 4 pm.
* Bring a sack lunch and drink.
* East Bank Theatre/Bossier Arts Council 630 Barksdale Blvd.
* Registration: email mmatters3@bellsouth.net or phone (318)861-0538. Deadline Friday, Aug. 3.
Says Thoma: "I had a Marvelous experience in New York, training at the Broadway Teaching Lab and cant wait to share the fun and exercises! I was very affirmed in my teaching style and process."
In a July 23 article entitled "Shreveport lures production / Katrina, tax incentives turn city into a production hub," writer Bashirah Muttalib sized up Shreveport and New Orleans.
The Louisiana Wave Studio, which houses the tank, is the only feature film facility in the U.S. that can automatically generate a variety of waves up to nine feet and horizontal storm conditions. The 8,000 square-foot tank, 100 feet long, 80 feet wide and 8 feet deep, holds 750,000 gallons of water.
Part of Shreveport's film infrastructure now includes production studios, according to Acree, with plans for a subsidiary of Nu Image to build a $10 million facility expected to be completed year.
StageWorks of Louisiana, offering clear span sound stage space totaling 52,000 square feet and 25,000 square feet of networked productions offices, including a wide range of amenities. The facility has hosted TV and film projects including, Kevin Costner's "Mr. Brooks," Warner Bros.' "The Year Without Santa," the Weinstein Company's "The Mist" and Nu Image's "Mad Money."
Mansfield Studios, with more than 75,000 square feet of office space and 120,000 square feet of converted stage space with 26-foot clear ceilings, full service production offices and vendor support services.
Stage West, in association with TurnKey/Louisiana, has more than 50,000 square feet in stage space, hosts Cinelease & Expendables Plus and Avid Meridian offline edit suites.
Mansfield Studios, in association with Louisiana Production Consultants, boasts 80,000 square feet of office space and 120,000 square feet of air-conditioned stage space and 26-foot clear ceilings.
While this bodes well for Shreveport, there is an offsetting balance to the city's lure.
" 'Major Movie Star' is the fifth Nu Image/Millennium Films' production we've done here. The city is tremendously accommodating with locations, permits, closing of roads and the people are great," producer Michael Flannigan said. "The drawback is that this is not Hollywood where there is an abundance of resources. You have to bring in a lot of people and equipment. In the long run, it eats into those tax incentives."
The Variety article also looks at New Orleans, where productions are beginning to return. One respondent says, "We wanted to show that ... New Orleans is not just a Third World country without running water."
Sadly, the image sticks. In effect the writer has implied that it's a Third World city that has managed to get running water.
The story makes it abundantly clear that Shreveport is Normalsville, with an Anywhere, USA, landscape.
Tickets are now on sale for Shreveport Little Theatre's Summer Lagniappe drama, Daughters of the Mock, by Judi Ann Mason, directed by Vincent Williams. The play will be presented at 8 p.m. on Saturday, August 11, 2007 at the University Center Theatre at LSUS, says Robert Darrow.
This African American drama is set in south Louisiana where three generations of women share a horrible secret. The play is a mysteriously haunting tale about a grandmother's curse that protects her daughters. A Louisiana woman, her daughter, and now her granddaughters must carry on the curse to protect future hearts from the clutches of a man.
The cast features Panderina Soumas as Maumau, Pamela Hamilton as Oralia, Sharon Penson as Maneda, and Shana Rogers as Amanita. Along with director Vincent Williams, the production crew includes Carolyn Jones Haygood, costumes and makeup, and David White, lighting.
Box Office noon - 4 p.m., weekdays.
"We need about 10 additional artists to create ofrendas for the Dia de Los Muertos celebration being installed in Artspace in September," said Shreveport Regional Arts Council's Pam Atchison. The celebration of Mexican culture opens in Artspace, 710 Texas, on Sept 14. Expect a profusion of flowers and skulls and mariachi music.
An ofrendas is an offering, or tribute, to someone important to your life. Most ofrendas comprise a framed photo of the loved one surrounded by objects representative of their lives. The food, drink or material goods favored by the deceased are placed on a table, or altar. The display is surrounded by flowers, candles and other decorative touches.
"In SRAC's tribute to Mexican culture we are displaying ofrendas created by local artists in tribute to deceased artistic figures," said Atchison. "For instance, Tama Nathan's ofrendas is dedicated to Frida Kahlo. Talbot Hopkins' altar will celebrate Clyde Dixon Connell. Jane Heggen and Thelma Harrison will give tribute to Clementine Hunter."
Interested in building an artist's ofrendas? See the guidelines at Shrevearts.org or call Stacie Leng at 673-6500.
NY Times writer Harriet Rubin says, "Michael Moritz, the venture capitalist who built a personal $1.5 billion fortune discovering the likes of Google, YouTube, Yahoo and PayPal, and taking them public, may seem preternaturally in tune with new media. But it is the imprint of old media — books by the thousands sprawling through his Bay Area house — that occupies his mind."
In an article entitled "CEO Libraries reveal keys to success" there is considerable comfort for teachers and classicists. Rubin writes, "Serious leaders who are serious readers build personal libraries dedicated to how to think, not how to compete." She cites Steven B Jobs extreme interest in the books of William Blake and the attention paid by Michael R Milken to books about Galileo.
Rubin says that "Dee Hock, father of the credit card and founder of Visa," retired and built a magnificent library. "In his library, Mr. Hock found the book that contained the thoughts of all of them. Visitors can see opened on his library table for daily consulting, Omar Khayyam’s “Rubáiyát,” the Persian poem that warns of the dangers of greatness and the instability of fortune."
Shelly Lazarus, CEO of Ogilvy & Mather, tells Rubin, "“As head of a global company, everything attracts me as a reader, books about different cultures, countries, problems. I read for pleasure and to find other perspectives on how to think or solve a problem, like Jerome Groopman’s ‘How Doctors Think’; John Cornwall’s autobiography, ‘Seminary Boy’; ‘The Wife,’ a novel by Meg Wolitzer; and before that, ‘Team of Rivals.’"
"CEO Libraries" has been high on the NYT's Most Emailed list since its publication on July 21.
Some 250 people trekked to LSUS Theater last week to see the debut of the movie Plummet, a half-hour drama made by Chris Lyon and film partner Luke Lee. At age 20, these independent filmmakers have created a piece that compares well to film school graduate work.
The movie's strengths were in production values: big sound (especially in the underwater sequences), first-rate HD cinematography, and editing that was of a piece. They also scored in several additional ways.
Lorna Dopson, the female lead, played the sort of girl every movie needs. She portrayed an unpretentious, intelligent young woman who wasn't afraid to fall in love and make out madly.
Much of the time, male lead Derek Johnson seemed unaccountably laconic and depressed. The script failed to adequately explain his muddle. But the movie's slow opening was picked by the intervention of a friend; it was played with lead-role charisma by Ren Heeralal. And the role of the psycho was confidently portrayed by Ian Price.
Ron Fagan played the professor whose class on dying added philosophical stimulation to the story. Writers Lyon and Keith Shively added a deft touch by focusing on the physiological as well as emotional aspects of the intersection of life and non-life.
As the movie's male lead sinks into a swimming pool following a deadly attack, the filmmakers showed technical savvy and script-writing dexterity. For me the ending worked. Although its ambiguity may not suit all, the closing certainly offered a beginning for post-movie discussion.
In their premiere at LSUS Theater the movie's makers delivered a shimmering denouement. A curtain behind the projection screen rose and a 4-piece rock band, A New Pace, performed the last song in the soundtrack. The credits scrolled above a lovely performance by Josh Lyon, keyboard, and Colton Blount, vocal. They were backed by Chase Reneau and Kurt Wiley.
Having completed their movie, Lyon and Lee have begun an odyssey. They will finish production of the DVDs (and slight problems in the lip-synch will be corrected, Lyon said) and begin the tedious and costly applications to film festivals. They must build support for the movie with more showings. Their web sites on myspace and facebook must continue to vibrate.
Will they be able to sell the value of their project to more investors? Is there enough vibe in Plummet to build a wave of support?
Slip over to the blog at Perennialmedia.com to follow the lives of the two filmmakers. A successful debut? It’s one step. There are many ahead.
Producers of the Lyon and Lee movie were Bruce Hennigan of 613 Media and Lori Baynham of Baynham Advertising. Also contributing were designer Jeremy Johnson and photographer Hannah Parker.
"We're allowing Rick Rowe to make the announcement of the people being inducted into the CE Byrd Hall of Fame in 2007," said Byrd principal Jerry Badgley. "He'll tell the story on KTBS Friday at about 5:15."
Yet we know that one of the new Hall of Famers is a painter and sculptor. She is artist Jerry Wray.
Wray's art has been purchased by people in Europe, Asia and across the US. Her work is in 6 US museums. The Newcomb graduate has been a leader in arts education in Shreveport.
The vibrant painter, known for process art and for non-representational art as well as landscapes, raised 4 children while pursuing her career as a painter. She has been married to George Wray, Jr, for 60 years.
See her work and more at Jerrywray.com.
"We've had coverage by media teams from Natchitoches and Alexandria, not to mention Shreveport," said Bonne Summers, producer of TNT, the monthly Thursday Trolley Tours of Shreveport's arts district. "And we've had 200 to 300 people arrive at Artspace, 710 Texas, to enjoy the rides."
Stacie Leng, Shreveport Regional Arts Council, aka SRAC, says it's one of the best attended summer programs since Neon Saturday Nights.
Jeff Everson and Andrea Master, of the Young Professionals Initiative of the Shreveport Chamber of Commerce, were in their element. "We're part of the Art Mob," said Everson. "We're here to enjoy the tour as well as listen to Buddy Flett and check out the new sculpture in Artspace."
Matt DeFord, artist and art teacher at Northwestern State, Natchitoches, explained his casting process to Julie and Mike Miller.
DeFord's sculpture exhibit has a series of heads cast in plastic and iron.
Photography by Ernie McDaniels, a show that debuted at Artspace last month, drew many onlookers. His black and white work was competent and coherent. In one photo a group of teens at a concert gyrated with salacious intent. A family at the beach offered viewers a retro moment; the scene looked like a 50's snap by Ed Friedlander. There were carefully composed nudes and an affecting, frame-filling portrait of an African American boy.
"Join us for a laid-back evening of music by Junior III, delicious food and fantastic auction items presented by Sonja Bailes and Ed Walsh," says Ken Beatty of the Philadelphia Center.
It's the 18th annual auction against AIDS, to be held Sat, July 21, 6:30 pm, at Municipal Auditorium. They're calling it Bluesiana Saturday Night.
Tickets $45 at the door; $40 in advance.
In the auction: fresh art from Trudeau and numerous other artists.
Louisiana's Department of Tourism is advocating the return of visitors with a "Fall in love with Louisiana all over again" program, says Kelly Pepper. There is a Lot to Love about La and in an attempt to highlight more of them the Office of the Louisiana Lieutenant Governor (OLG) and the Louisiana Department of Culture, Recreation, and Tourism (DCRT) in cooperation with the Louisiana Lottery and the Greater Baton Rouge Area Arts Council announce the "LOUISIANA JOYS, ARTS, ZEST & ZEAL", (La. JAZZ) visual arts contest.
* The winner(s) of the contest may receive as much $3,000.00 licensing fee to allow the winning work(s) to be displayed on Louisiana Lottery Scratch-off tickets.
See it all at Crt.state.la.us/lajazz.
Shreveport rapper Hurricane Chris 'adds to the lexicon' with slammin' hook: A bay bay!
Shreveporter Chris Dooley, aka Hurricane Chris, has a tune climbing the hip hop club charts, says Steve Johnson of USA Today. It's called "A bay bay."
Johnson interviewed Dooley and found "It just means 'fa' sho,' " says Chris. "Like, 'Are we going out tonight?' 'A bay bay.' Or you see a car you like. 'A bay bay.' It means 'I'm with that' or 'I'm riding with that.' "
"The song pays homage to DJ Hollyhood Bay Bay, who spins records at KoKo Pellis, a club in Shreveport, La. The crowd would chant "Hey, Bay Bay, hey, Bay Bay" whenever he'd enter the club, and it soon became part of the local lexicon," wrote Johnson.
Shreveport's Lava House Records will release a ratchet compilation album under the Polo Grounds umbrella.The drum- and bass-driven track exposes Shreveport's ratchet movement to a national audience. "Ratchet is our whole swagger and our attitude about ourselves," says Chris, who wrote his first rhyme at age 8 for a school talent show. "This song is going to open the door for everybody else."
Readers can sample the monstah hook while enjoying the USA Today article.
Some of us have been waiting for a new Leadbelly for the past several years. Chris Dooley might be that person. Or maybe a leggy local rhymer will ratchet out of the "A bay bay" mechanism.
In Paris a progressive mayor has made it easier for an enormous number of people to get greener. The city of boulevards and hairy traffic has set up self-service docking stations for more than 10,600 rental bicycles, says the NY Times.
The bikes provide an alternative to the Metro - as well as to autos. The system is designed to work for locals but suits savvy tourists, too.
It is called the Vélib for “vélo,” bicycle, and “liberté,” freedom. Users can rent a bike online or at any of the stations, using a credit or debit card and leave them at any other station. A one-day pass costs 1 euro ($1.38), a weekly pass 5 euros ($6.90) and a yearly subscription 29 euros ($40), with no additional charges as long as each bike ride does not exceed 30 minutes.
Bicycle commuting is a an evolutionary movement championed by sptBlog. Even this city of humid substropical lassitude might grow as a center for practical cycling. In particular, East Shreveport is a sweet ride.
This fall my buddies at work and I are going to try to bike to work 2 days a week instead of one.
And, secretly, I have a long-term goal of establishing an annual art bike parade for the city. First, I'm going to paint my commuter bike in the colors I saw on a bike in Amsterdam. And I'm seeding the idea with art teachers and students. Next step?
@ Big D's BBQ, 101 Common St, corner of Caddo and Common St.
"Astronautalis and Natives of the new Dawn are both veterans of the Warped tour. Astronautalis played SXSW, for you kids that only go to shows based on sweet status," says the earnest and practical Garner.
"Ps: Big D has a new sandwich, the noids! burger. It's a burger with chopped beef. Bound to be f**ing amazing, so bring food/beer money."
Did you listen to "My dinner with Andy" or others of the recordings by Astronautalis? Whoa. Whadja think?
"Buddy Flett will be playing acoustic blues Thurs night at Artspace for Trolley Thursday - from 5 pm til 7:30 pm," says Bruce Flett. "Jim Caskey will also be on guitar, and maybe some other friends. He'll be on the 3rd floor of Artspace, the area called Coolspace."
Flett is part of an Artspacepalooza. Sculptor Matt DeFord will have a reception for an exhibit of his acclaimed work. And then there are the Trolley Thursday rides.
"Last month we had 400 people come to tour the Arts District in Shreveport on the first Trolley Thursday,' says event producer Bonne Summers. This week buses will begin their tours at 5:30, 6, 6:30, 7:30 and 8 pm.
People have tended to say, "Gee, I did Not know we had such great art centers."
Spt Regional Arts Council: 673-6500.
Chris Lyon and Luke Lee are obsessive creators. And they've been video-possessed at least since they were age 14 at Caddo Magnet High School. They've shot scores, nay, hundreds, of video projects in the intervening years. They've shot so much commercial material that they formed Perennial Media Entertainment Group. So their new 28-minute movie, Plummet, is the fruition of 6 years of work.
Plummet, a mental thriller, debuts Fri, July 20, at LSUS Theater.
Says Robinson Film Center's John Grindley, "Several regional filmmakers will debut new works on Fri, July 20, at the LSUS University Center Auditorium. Admission to the hour-long program, which begins at 7:00 PM, is $5. Tickets may be purchased in advance at www.plummet-movie.com or at the University Center prior to the screening.
2004 Louisiana Film Festival Grand Prize-winning director Chris Lyon will premiere his new film, Plummet, a 28-minute psychological thriller. The film tells the story of Jeremy, a young man who, after meeting and falling in love with fellow student Marie, must quickly unravel a mystery surrounding the life-altering events that follow.
The evening’s program will also include a screening of “Fred,” a comedic short film by writer/director Keith Shively. “Fred” stars Ron Fagan as a quirky, garden gnome-obsessed resident of a tight-knit community who becomes incensed when his treasured gnomes disappear.
Both films are appropriate for all ages. Come out and support north Louisiana’s thriving local filmmaking community."
Matt DeFord is a mixed-media sculptor who lives and works in Natchitoches, Louisiana. An exhibit of his works opens at Artspace Thu, July 20, says Bonne Summers.
DeFord, well-regarded for his ceramic sculpture, says Bill Gingles, joined the art faculty at Northwestern State University in 2005. Matt received his M.F.A. in Sculpture at Kansas State University in December 2004, and a B.F.A. in Sculpture at Brigham Young University in August 2001.
DeFord's work is "an amalgamation," he says, "of found objects, cast metal, sound, light, wood, cast silicone and welded steel. It touches on mortality and its limitations, the transition to death, and then to rebirth. Matt’s work has been exhibited from New Jersey to New Mexico, from Kansas to Canada."
He also says he is happily married to a beautiful Canadian named Julie. They have four children.
Neil Johnson is one of the city's prominent photographers partly because he has packaged his shots and ideas and capable prose into a series of books. Johnson will talk about his considerable work Friday from 5 to 7:30 at Bossier Arts Council, says Danielle Reans.
Johnson has written a photography guide for National Geographic, a coffee table book called Louisiana Journey for LSU Press and a large-photo book called simply Shreveport and Bossier City. All these can be purchased on his inviting web site, njphoto.com (see links, please).
Johnson has many other books in print, mostly aimed at young readers. There's a Battle of Gettysburg book, a 3-D ghost story book that he shot in Keachie, and numerous others. In the illustration you see one of his best-known works, an iconic armadillo that he calls Purple Felton.
His talk is sponsored by West Edge Artists Co-op. Having given up their gallery on Milam St, the co-op is placing art in boites and fomenting art discussions across the city. Next month painter Bill Gingles will discuss his work via a West Edge event.
Neil Johnson's presentation is at 6 pm.
Singer Adam Freedman is rambling across America, being a bard. He will play his Taylor guitar and sing wry tunes at at Courtyard Cafe Mon, July 16, 7:30 pm.
KSCL's John Schleuss will chat with the singer on KSCL, 91.3 fm, at noon. For a sample of his very well-made indie pop tunes, finger over to myspace.com/adamfreedman.
No Dead Artists is an open, juried exhibition of Louisiana art today, says show founder Jonathan Ferrara.
The exhibition is designed to give a voice to underexposed artists.
Winner's work will be on display at the Jonathan Ferrara Gallery, 400a Julia Street, in the New Orleans Arts District, and selected jury winners will appear in a feature article in the September 4th issue of Gambit Weekly. In the article, art critic Eric Bookhardt will review the exhibition.
The annual event is designed to take the pulse of the creative scene in New Orleans and Louisiana. Is there a cultural renaissance taking place right now? This show may help art lovers decide.
All media are accepted, including but not limited to painting, sculpture, glass, metal work, mixed media, video, performance and installation art. Typically there are some 250 applications and the show is attended by thousands, claims Ferrara.
Deadline for postmarked material is Aug 2.
This year's sole juror is Dan Cameron, former curator of Visual Arts at the New Museum and currently the director of Visual Arts at the Contemporary Arts Center in New Orleans.
New Orleans-Shreveport artist Mary Jane Potts is one of the artists selling via the Ferrara gallery.
35,000 years ago a magical artist rendered a mammoth in ivory . . .
Archaeologists at the University of Tübingen, says Spiegel, have recovered the first entirely intact woolly mammoth figurine from the Swabian Jura, a plateau in the state of Baden-Württemberg, thought to have been made by the first modern humans some 35,000 years ago. The mammoth and a lion and two more representations are among the oldest examples of figurative art. And they date from the Ice Age.
Doesn't this tiny sculpture of a mammoth remind you of the Venus of Willendorf? The woman was carved some 10,000 years later. She is much more detailed. But the sexual energy, the expression of life force, seems much the same.
Simplicity, suggestion, awareness of the primal: the maker of this talisman established in one carving the classic standards of art.
"Yeah Bike was stenciled onto lots of stuff," noted Christoper Lin, who documented the June Baton Rouge Critical Mass ride and pre- and post gathering.
His terrific biking shots are on flickr.com.
Lin is a member of a Flickr group that I initiated a couple of years ago called simply "Louisiana." There you'll find a pool of some 6000 photos of the Bayou State contributed by maybe 300 photogs. I noticed that Lin also shot a bit of the recent show called Art Melt. Not sure who from North Louisiana might have entered that exhibit. And he's got a couple of additional Flickr sets on bicycling.
When you look at a set on Flickr you'll see a setting in the upper right corner called View As Slide Show. It can be set to Fast for a pleasant viewing experience.
14 July is the French Bastille day, simply called 14 Juillet or less commonly but more officially Fête nationale. Many cities hold fireworks during the night, says wikipedia. Many dancing parties are organised (bals du 14 juillet) and it is customary that firefighters organise them (bals des pompiers).
The day officially celebrates the 1790 Fête de la Fédération, though it is often associated, even in France, with the Storming of the Bastille. Military parades, called Défilés du 14 juillet, are held on the morning of 14 July, the largest of which takes place on the Champs-Élysées avenue in Paris in front of the President of the Republic.
The parade opens with cadets from certain schools (École Polytechnique, Saint-Cyr, École Navale, and so forth), then other infantry troops, then motorised troops; aviation of the Patrouille de France flies above. It always ends with the much-cheered and popular Paris Fire Brigade. Traditionally, the students of the École Polytechnique set up some form of joke.
* Bastille Day also falls during the running of the Tour de France.
* New York has a large Bastille Day celebration each year on 60th Street on the Upper East Side of Manhattan.
* San Francisco has a large celebration downtown.
* Philadelphia's Bastille Day, held at Eastern State Penitentiary, involves Marie Antoinette throwing "cake", which are actually Twinkies, at the Parisian militia and a storming of the Bastille.
Dell-Winston Solar Car Challenge Teams make pit stop at Sci-Port!
Tuesday, July 17 from 6-9 p.m.
See some inspiring engineering by young, enthusiastic minds and "catch some rays." It's a free event.
Optional Catfish/Chicken Dinner at 7 p.m.
$7.50 Adults, $3.50 Children. Food reservations: (318) 424-8660.
Wednesday & Saturday at 1 p.m.
Owner of One Planet Solar in Grand Cane, Louisiana, Matt Roberts speaks about the advantages and rewards of solar energy, including lowering utility bills, tax advantages, and artfully reducing your impact on the environment.
Wednesday & Thursday at 3 p.m.
Design, build, and race a solar art car in this cross Sci-Port event.
Monday & Friday at 11 a.m.
Make an artful UV detecting necklace to take home with you. In the process, learn about the type of radiation that causes sunburn and how to protect yourself from the harmful rays of the sun.
Monday & Friday at 3 p.m.
Cook a Sun-model art cookie in a solar oven made from a cardboard box.
Guys and Dolls, directed by the young and hungry Ryan Williams, rolls into the Performing Arts Center stage 7:30 p.m. Fri and Sat, July 13 and 14. It continues July 20-21. There are also shows at 2:30 pm Sun on July 15 and July 22.
Trey Jackson, Rob Laha, Jenny Mayo and Emily Kirkland lead the cast. Choregraphy: Laura Beeman. Music: Will K Andress and Amy Wakefield. Tech director: Jamie Sanders.
Guys and Dolls is a musical based on a short story by Damon Runyon. It was first produced on Broadway in 1950 and ran for 1,201 performances, winning five 1951 Tony Awards, including the award for Best Musical. In 1955 the film version was released, starring Marlon Brando and Frank Sinatra.
$9 for students and children; $17 for adults.
Box office: noon to 4 pm M - F and one-half hour before curtain on performance dates.
Singer-dancer David Williams took the audience into the mysteries of Harlem, 1929, with a sensual and hilarious version of the reefer classic, "When You'se a Viper," last night at LSUS Theater. It wasn't a politically comfortable passage, but the dream of "a reefer about 5 feet long, not too fat and not too strong," is true to America and, presumably, to the New York life of super songwriter Fats Waller. "When You'se a Viper" is part of a 2-hour revue of tunes written in the heat of the Harlem Renaissance by Waller. The show, cunningly called "Ain't Misbehavin," was directed by Robert Darrow and produced by Gene Bozeman for Shreveport Little Theater.
In addition to the tall and graceful Williams the small stage at LSUS was energized by the not-so-tall but entirely charming Carnetta Cooper. Aside from Cooper, this is a cast making its debut in community theater. Each singer has considerable background in church presentations, and it shows in their timing and tunefulness. Mairus McFarland is an adept singer, competent dancer and expert mugger. Barbara Holmes has a rich voice and a smile of platinum. Whitney Jones added long legs and an energetic presence to the boards.
There's a 7-piece band, too. With Grambling student Tramaul Love at the keyboard, the band backed the singers smoothly.
The sexual innuendo and many of the Harlem colloquialisms written by Waller are well dished. But the enunciation of the cast and the performance of the mics and sound team of SLT are works in progress. The art of articulation in lyrics is one developed under the pressure of repeated performance and critical review. There's a balance to be sought in making sure the audience gets the words while the performer has fun with the role. Under the limited lighting of the LSUS theater this cast was struggling to bring clarity to the lyrics.
The band also has a challenge over the coming nights. Such a seasoned set of players might whip up a Harlem storm. On opening night the music was faultless but artless.
The delights of community theater are well realized by the beaming McFarland - his joy of being onstage is palpable - and the shimmering Williams. During an evening of basic hoofing Williams offers a brilliant moment of dance that focuses on his vibrating fingers and torso. Holmes and Cooper are endearing. An evening of Fats Waller tunes is a capital idea.
SLT's "Aint Misbehavin" plays the coming 2 nights: Fri and Sat, July 13 and 14, at 8 pm.
Tickets are $20 and can be insured by calling 424-4439 between noon and 4 pm, M - F. Performances at LSUS Theater are open seating. Unlike the Margaret Place home of SLT, a site being remodeled over the next year, seats at the university theater are spacious and abundant.
Sandra odom, singer and friend of Fairfield Studios, has researched nice things people have said of Dana Cooper, such as, "Literally the best singer-songwriter to come out of Nashville in over a decade, his heartfelt but sophisticated lyrics aim to reconcile the heart and mind in everyday life. His sense of melody is unique and he has a voice that could melt ice caps."
She adds, "A longtime collaborator with Texas' Shake Russell, Cooper recently returned from touring in Denmark, Sweden and Ireland. Noteworthy appearances include Austin City Limits, The Cactus Café (also in Austin) and Mountain Stage, which is broadcast on West Virginia public radio."
Listening to Goodmornin Blues at the Noids myspace site reminds me that this trio is among the few punk slash garage groups doing Leadbelly. And they are shakin Mr Huddie Ledbetter's material in a way that I feel he would approve.
An outdoor gig at the corner of Common at Caddo St? Leadbelly undoubtedly played his Stella 12-string within a few blocks of that address at more than one point in his ramblings in and out of the St Paul's Bottoms.
The Noids - Paul Garner (also the poster artist), Hayden Camp and Jessie Gabriel - are not slick; they are the real schpiel. Like the BBQ at Big D's, 318-226-0301.
"Ain't Misbehavin' is a tribute to the black musicians of the 1920s and '30s who were part of the Harlem Renaissance," says Wikipedia. "It was a time when Manhattan nightclubs like the Cotton Club and the Savoy Ballroom were the playgrounds of high society and Lenox Avenue dives were filled with piano players banging out the new beat known as swing. Five performers present an evening of rowdy, raunchy, and humorous songs that encapsulate the various moods of the era and reflect Waller's view of life as a journey meant for pleasure and play."
Starring Dr. Mairus McFarland, Carnetta Cooper, Barbara Holmes, Whitney Jones and David Williams, this show is Shreveport Little Theater's first black production.
And this show makes more new friends because of the location. It's at LSUS Theater. The Margaret Place home of SLT is being remodeled. An entire season of shows will be produced at LSUS, says director Robert Darrow.
Musical director is Grambling University's Marcus J. Rhodes.
July 12-14, 8 pm; LSUS University Theater.
(318) 424-4439: noon to 4 pm, M - F.
The Artcar Museum is a private museum of contemporary art located in Houston. It's on Heights Blvd near Washington Blvd. The museum, nicknamed the Garage Mahal, opened in 1988.
The Artcar Museum shows more than vaporous vehicles. Its emphasis in fine arts includes "artists that are rarely seen in other cultural institutions," says the web site. Last week we saw displays by artists working in lucite, encaustic, clay, paper and video.
The Artcar Museum is a below-the-radar sort of place in a city where the art scene has exploded. One of our favorite Houston photographers, Killy Chavez, said, "In all the years I've been in Houston, I've never been to the Artcar Museum, nor to the Artcar Parade."
Houston's Artcar Parade is "The first and largest Art Car Parade in the world," says Wikipedia. It features cars, bicycles, motorcycles, roller-skaters, and many other rolling surrealities.
Houston's Artcar parade debuted on Montrose Blvd in 1986. In 1988 some 40 decorated vehicles were featured during the Houston International Festival.
Today the parade is sponsored by the Orange Show Center for Visionary Art, which is a story of its own. Held on Allen Parkway, the 2004 parade featured 250 entries observed by a live audience of over 100,000 people. The 2007 parade featured 282 entries, says Wikipedia.
Some of the most elaborate cars in the parade are displayed in the Artcar Museum, a center founded by Ann Harithas, artist and long-time supporter of the Art Car movement, and James Harithas, former director of the Corcoran Museum, Washington, D.C. He is current director of the Station Museum of Houston.
She is one of the dancingest members of the Blanc et Noir Marching Society, and I must say I admire the pioneer spirit and Creole vibe of Panderina Soumas. While she's had Soumascreole.com online for some time, Panderina is now opening a storefront in Bossier.
She says, " I've got Creole Red Beans~n~Rice, ‘Jumpin-Da-Broom’ Jambalaya Mix, Creole Gombo Mix, Creole Bayou Bean Soup Mix, Gris-Gris-Soup/Stew Mix, Soumas Heritage Creole Cookbook, Creole Pralines, West Indies Creole Sauces, Unique Fleur De Lis items and more.
Soumas Heritage Creole Gift Shop & Gallery culturally invites each of you to a small celebration for the July opening of this new shop.
Come browse, buy and listen to the sounds of Louisiana Jazz and snappy Zydeco music while you shop and network. I look forward to seeing you all and meeting new faces."
It's the 18th annual auction against AIDS, to be held Sat, July 21, 6:30 pm, at Municipal Auditorium. This year's edition is being called Bluesiana Saturday Night.
Says Julia Foley, "Please vote on Monday and Tuesday, July 9th and 10th, for Chronic Soul (Rene Foley's band) in the CBS Early Show Living Room Live Battle of the Bands competition. Vote by going to CBSEarlyShow.com. Click on the Early Show banner (done for you in this SptBlog post) and scroll down to the Living Room Live voting section.
Just click on "Chronic Soul" and submit. That's all there is to it and you can vote as many times as you like. To see the video, go to the bottom of the page and hit the link for Living Room Live and it will take you to the site with the videos.
The video will be broadcast on the CBS Early Show on Monday, July 9th. After that you can vote until Wednesday morning. The winner of this round will be announced on Thursday morning's show.
Since Hurricane Katrina, Rene has been in Shreveport, working diligently with his friend Gary Randall to get their music more exposure. Please take a minute and show them some love."
If only more songwriter-performers were as media-savvy as Californian Adam Freedman: he lines up a KSCL radio interview - with live performance - prior to his Mon, July 16, show at Courtyard Cafe. That's the way to speak to people.
Freedman's recorded work at myspace.com/adamfreedman is excellent. He opens with loping guitar and pleasant voice, quite in the mode of the day, but builds his songs with canny keys, drums and voices. To me that says the album he's pushing, Best Laid Plans (Gone Wrong), is going to have legs.
KSCL manager Jon Schleuss will interview Freedman on KSCL at noon, to be repeated at 6 pm, and the guitarist-singer will play Courtyard cafe at 7:30 pm.
On his his myspace you can see the national tour he's pursuing. From his bio I've learned he's also working on a PhD in biology at UCLA.
KSCL's Schleuss is working to establish his station as the place to learn about both the indie news and groove. With cosmic gadflies like Leo Kacenjar and Kevan Smith on the roster, this small station is the most exciting media in town.
* Shreveport Green Presentation Wed at 4 p.m.
* Lexi Romine, Wed, Thur & Fri at 1 p.m. Hear from the 2007 Aaron and Peggy Selber Red River Science Fair winner, Lexi Romine, whose project investigated the effects of recycled paper's content on the strength of liner board used to make cardboard boxes. She will share her project and a variety of recycling tips.
* Recycled Paper, Mon, Tues, Thurs, & Fri at 11 a.m.,Sat at 3 p.m.
Create new decorative paper from various paper scraps.
* Recycled Refrigerator Magnets, Mon & Fri at 3 p.m. , Wed & Sat at 11 a.m. Make refrigerator magnets out of found materials while learning the importance and ease of recycling.
* Talking Trash, Tues & Thurs at 3 pm, Sat at 1:30 p.m.
Participate in a discussion on reducing the amount of waste that is sent to landfills.
- GLOBE Week (July 29-August 4).
All activities are included with Sci-Port admission.
Photographic portraits by Scarlett Hendricks will be on display at the Gardens of the American Rose Center beginning July 15 and continuing until Aug. 31, says Pat Gill at Tourist Talk.
Hendricks' portraiture has captured people from age 8 months to 80 years. She will also show fine art images, ranging from future studies to still life and travel photography. For a sample of her highly-realized work, please see the Photography by Scarlett link on SptBlog's list of connections to accomplished artists of the region.
The display will be in Whitaker Hall, located inside Klima Rose Hall Visitor and Education Center. There is no charge to view the exhibit; however, garden admission will apply for those wishing to tour the grounds.
Reception for the Hendricks' exhibit: Sun, July 15, 2 to 4 pm.
The Gardens of the American Rose Center are located near I-20, Exit 5. For additional information, contact the gift shop at 318-938-5534, or 318-938-5402, extension 109.
The West Edge Gallery, 725 Milam St, is closing. West Edge Artists Co-op will focus on expanding their Citywide Gallery Program, says Debbie Engle.
Managing the expansion will be Citywide Gallery Program director Danielle Reans. Also on the agenda: fine-tuning the online presence.
Membership dues will be reduced. WEACo will continue to serve in marketing, networking, education and exhibits for its members.
Monthly membership meetings will continue on first Mondays, and will take place at the Bossier Arts Council Annex. "Thanks to Richard Folmer, Anne Susman and the BAC Board of Directors for their generosity," says Engle.
All artwork will be removed from the gallery by Sunday, July 15.
As a person who watched the many events produced by West Edge artists at 725 Milam, I have to say it was a stimulating and successful year. The numerous art shows, speakers and mixers brought an edge of cultural pursuit typical of a bigger city.
One of the things I liked about West Edge gallery was the variety of artistic levels mingled in the 2 story space. Highly-accomplished painters such as Ellen Soffer, Jane Heggen and Michael G Moore showed alongside those in the early stages of exploring their talent. Art by handicapped people using art as therapy was also presented.
Then there were the Leftist speakers and literary events presented by Michael Parker. At times it almost felt like 1971.
Shreveport is richer for the artistic mining pursued by the diggers above. I will miss the art and the crew that hung at 725 Milam.
If the Louisiana senate agrees, points out Janet Creech, solar and wind rebates for Louisiana citizens are on the way.
wind power equipment for home use, to a ceiling of $25,000, would be provided by a bill by Sen. Nick Gautreaux, D-Abbeville."
- pole mount PV system is fairly economical.
- the first step is to make your home more energy efficient (CFLs, energy star appliances, seal leaks, etc.), then the renewable energy system you build (solar or wind) won't have to be as large and therefore is less expensive.
- grid-tied PV systems are the most popular and less expensive than a stand-alone system (the grid, ie the utility company, takes the place of having the bank of batteries used in a stand alone system and is therefore more economical).
Keep in mind that net metering is available in all of Louisiana and the net meter is supplied to you by the utility company at no charge. The cost of installation is not free, of course, but you can set that up or the utility company can.
Beddington Zero Energy Development (BedZED). It is the UK's largest carbon-neutral eco-community. Sustainability, both environmental and social, is fundamental to the Peabody Trust mission to fight poverty in London. The Trust works to develop desirable homes and build thriving communities with a long-term future.
BedZED is a mixed-use, mixed-tenure development that incorporates innovative approaches to energy conservation and environmental sustainability. It is built on reclaimed land owned by the London Borough of Sutton, sold to Peabody at below market value due to the planned environmental initiatives.
More background on PVs from the US Dept of Energy here.
It seems someone in this world is using their brains instead of sitting around smoking the last of the fossil fuel deposits.
SptBlog correspondent Rachel Hill writes from Albuquerque: "The first Slow Food dinner is coming up, probably July 24, at Bistro 6301. I hope you'll want to go check it out!"
Hill did the slowfoodnla.org web page for the new organization. She also created the web site for D'Agostino's Catering. Regrettably, D'Agostino's Cafe is no longer part of Artspace.
"Slow Food is a non-profit, eco-gastronomic member-supported organization that was founded in 1989 to counteract fast food and fast life, the disappearance of local food traditions and people’s dwindling interest in the food they eat, where it comes from, how it tastes and how our food choices affect the rest of the world," says their web site. "Today, we have over 80,000 members all over the world."
Wired to Win: Surviving the Tour de France, is a real-life drama exploring the physical and mental intensity of competing in sports’ most grueling race. It opens Sat, July 7, for a three-month feature run at Sci-Port Discovery Center’s IMAX Dome Theatre, says Jennifer Tuxen.
The film tells the story of two riders in the legendary race—Australian Baden Cooke and his French teammate, Jimmy Casper—as they attempt to compete in the three-week-long event. It follows the athletes over the peaks of the Alps, the villages of Provence and cobblestone streets of Paris as they try to avoid danger, deny pain and fatigue, control their emotions, seize fleeting moments of opportunity and stay highly motivated.
Wired to Win combines dramatic images from the centennial 2003 Tour de France with spectacular computer-generated and medical imagery. The film draws upon a team of scientists, filmmakers and educators to present a striking portrait of the human brain.
Wired to Win show times through September 2 will be 11 a.m., 1:30 & 3:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday; and 1:30 & 4 p.m. Sunday.
"We are hoping to offer these low rates so that yoga is available for those with modest incomes and so that one can afford to attend classes on a frequent basis," says yoga teacher Susan Bayliss.
The yoga classes - by certified instructors - are $5 per class at Grace Community Church. You need not be a member of the church nor pay any monthly fees. Mats are available, but bring your own if you have one.
Multi-Purpose Room on the 2nd floor; enter through the single door on the south side of the building and follow the signs. | 2019-04-20T09:04:22Z | http://shreveport.blogspot.com/2007/07/ |
Beaucoup de travail a été effectué lors des derniers mois, me laissant peu de temps pour parler des nouveautés. Jetons un coup d'œil à la dernière.
Pour le développement de Salut à Toi nous ne voulons pas utiliser de logiciels propriétaires ou centralisés et nous utilisons Mercurial, aussi nous avons jusqu'ici été réfractaires à utiliser les plateformes actuellement à la mode. Avec les améliorations récentes de notre composant SàT Pubsub (vous pouvez lire – en anglais – l'article de jnanar pour plus d'infos), et de Libervia, notre interface web, il est devenu clair que notre vieille idée d'utiliser XMPP et SàT pour gérer les tickets était à portée de main, nous l'avons donc fait.
c'est décentralisé et fédéré, pas besoin de X comptes pour utiliser X gestionnaires de tickets. Vous pouvez également importer des tickets de projets tiers (par exemple des greffons pour votre projet) dans votre propre site web.
c'est standard : il est possible de retrouver ou gérer des tickets sur un serveur extérieur facilement, sans API propriétaire.
c'est extrêmement souple : n'importe quel champ peut être utilisé, et le mécanisme peut être utilisé pour toute liste (rapports de bogues, choses à faire, liste de courses, etc.).
Le fonctionnement est basé sur pubsub avec une extension expérimentale (non standard pour le moment): les schémas de nœud qui permettent de spécifier une mise en forme des données (en utilisant les « data forms » qui devra être respectée pour chaque élément (chaque ticket). De cette façon, les tickets publiés par des clients tiers peuvent être vérifiés et validés. Pubsub a également un système de permissions qui permet d'avoir des collections de tickets publiques ou privées (des nœuds dans la terminologie pubsub). Les commentaires utilisent l'extension microblogage de XMPP (qui aurait plutôt dû s'appeler « blog »).
Mais ça n'est pas tout ! Une autre fonctionnalité a été implémentée par-dessus ça : les requêtes de merges (« merges requests »). L'idée ici et d'avoir un moyen de proposer des modifications/améliorations à un projet sans être lié à un outil particulier, c'est-à-dire que l'on peut les utiliser avec Mercurial, Git ou potentiellement n'importe quel outil. Encore une fois, nous profitons de la décentralisation, et nous pouvons avoir des collaborations/contributions en personnes sur des serveurs différents.
Ci-dessous vous avez une petite vidéo (en anglais) qui montre les requêtes de merge. On utilise jp (l'interface CLI de SàT) pour envoyer les modifications à un serveur. Par défaut, le serveur va essayer tous les gestionnaires de « merge requests » jusqu'à ce qu'il trouve lequel peut gérer le dépôt demandé. Il y a une petite couche autour des commandes pour faire les opérations de base (en particulier créer les données à exporter), puis les données et métadonnées sont mises en forme et envoyées sur le nœud pubsub. Pour le moment, seul Mercurial est implémenté, mais Git va bien entendu suivre, et peut-être un gestionnaire de base utilisant un diff pour les cas les plus simples.
Bien sûr, la fonctionnalité est nouvelle et encore basique : il n'est pas encore possible de préciser les lignes du code auxquelles un commentaire se réfère, ou d'utiliser une mise en forme riche. Cela va bien sûr venir plus ou moins vite, mais si vous voulez accélérer les choses, eh bien, les « merge requests » sont les bienvenues ;).
Pour celles et ceux qui sont à Paris, je serais au « Paris Open Source Summit » (POSS) demain et jeudi (au stand A2, « Salut à Toi »). Si vous voulez aider le projet, nous sommes sur Liberapay.
It's been a little more that one year now that the crowdfunding campain has been successfuly completed, and that we have promised to develop a new Desktop/Android frontend for "Salut à Toi", our Multipurpose, multi frontend communication tool based on XMPP.
It's time for an overview of the state of the development. You'll find below a link to the first .apk (pre-alpha), FOR TESTING PURPOSE ONLY.
As we've already announced, the new Desktop/mobiles (Android only for now) frontend will be named "Cagou", a wind to the Kivy framework that we're using, and to this endemic bird of New Caledonia, which bark and can't fly.
Oh, and yes we know that "Cagou" has different meaning in different languages.
This part is technical, you can go directly to the next one if you're not interested.
After a short time to get familiar with the Kivy ecosystem, the first step has been to integrate "Quick Frontend", which is a common base that we are using, as you guess, to quickly develop a frontend and factorise the code (cache handling, contact list – or "roster" in XMPP world –, widgets, etc.), then to integrate the "bridge" which is the name that we are using for the IPC and which handle the communication between the backend (which is the heart of SàT) and the frontends.
This phase went relatively well, and was followed by a thought on the architecture and user interface.
Once all of this was more or less usable, the Android port could began.
Things have been a big more complicated there. The Kivy community has created several tools to develop on this platform, including python-for-android (compilation and archive creation tool), and Buildozer (multi-platform tool to facilitate the use of the first one). Using these tools take some efforts, specially for a project already well advanced (it's far more easy if you start directly with Kivy and the Android port).
There a 2 "chains" for developing on Android: the old and the new one. After the first unsuccessful tries with the new one, it has been temporarly put aside for the old one, the time to build the foundations of the port.
Pure Python dependencies can be imported easily, but as soon as it get more complicated, you'll have to creates "recipes" to tell how to build something to python-for-android. Fortunately, most of those needed for SàT (Twisted in particular) were already available, and just needed to be updated.
After all this dependencies and building chain problems solved, and after the joy to see the first .apk (no working), 2 other big troubles showed up: D-Bus which is the main "bridge" is not usable on Android, and how to have the backend and the frontend running together?
Being my first Android development, I've had to read a lot or documentation (which luckily is not lacking), and after a first try with a bridge "embedded", allowing to have backend and frontend in the same process, it's finally a new "pb" bridge which solved the issue. "pb" stands for "Perspective Broker", the Twisted IPC. Android native IPC is an other option to be evaluated in the future.
To launch the backend, Kivy comes with modules to start it as an Android service. With it, the backend can stay in background and process messages and other activities when the frontend is not visible to the user (which means frozen until the user show it again on Android).
This section is already long, so I'll skip other problems (like the lack of HTML widget), and let's now talk about the UI.
At the moment Cagou is usable on desktop (GNU/Linux, but other platforms will most certainly follow), and on Android.
The current release is a pre-alpha, the .apk is available below, only to have a rough idea of the software. It is really bugged, doesn't check yet server certificates, doesn't handle SRV record on Android, etc. This is linked for 2 reasons: showing the progress, and having feedbacks early enought to go in the right direction.
You can't create account from the application (this will come before the release), so if you have no account yet you can use Libervia(SàT), the demo instance of our web frontend, to create one.
Cagou's UI take inspiration from the excelent Blender. The widget selection and splitting are the most obvious examples. The huge bars that you can see should disappear later in favor of a small button, which may follow Blender example again. The goal here is that a newcomer can switch widgets intuitively, and an advanced user can use this splitting feature.
The contacts list is not the central element in the interface, it can be displayed if wanted, but it's not needed to use Cagou.
The upper menu, which is for now always visible, will certainly be only available on Desktop. On Android the menu button or a floating touch one should replace it before the release.
If you have notifications, they should appear for a couple of second on the top, but you can read them later by touching the cagou head on the upper left.
If there is an event needing user action (for instance a website needs your authorisation with XMPP), an other cagou will appear on the right, and the dialog will only appear after touching it. The idea is to never have an unwanted popup stealing the focus when you are doing something else: popups are displayed only with explicit user action.
In Android case, it may be replaced by the native notification system in the future, but it's not decided yet because notifications history would not be available anymore.
To change the mode (widget), you just have to click on the upper left button in the current widget. Only 4 widgets are available so far: the selector which display all widgets available, the settings, the contact list, and the chat. Other are planed, notabily the blogging one.
Inside a widget (only for chat so far), you can swipe horizontaly to switch between active conversations.
For now it's not easy to use the first time (you have to do a very quick swipe), it needs some tuning.
As for other SàT parts, Cagou is thought since the beginning to work with plugins and being easy to extend. All the widgets and file transmitting system (see below) are plugins.
As we want a frontend usable on small screens, which is simple but without making sacrifice on features, we have to find a compromise between data displayed on the screen and the elements/buttons needed for actions. Too many elements will make the UI more complicated and take room, but not enough will make the actions more difficult to do.
The current design (which can evolve) has a header with an input bar and a button (in addition to widget selection button), the body with messages, and a bottom input bar with a button too.
To talk with one or more contact(s), type some letters belonging to its name (anywhere in the name). For now, only identifiers ("jid") and already opened talks are looked for, but later the search will include names, nicknames and bookmarks.
Cagou detect if you want to talk to a single person, or to a group chat room, and will act consequently.
The end 2 end encryption is there, but only with OTR (v2) for the moment. OX (modern OpenPGP) and OMEMO are planed, but it's not sure that they will be available for the next release (they may be there for the following one, 0.8). To use it, you just have to click on the lock, it will be closed if the chat is encrypted, and will have a question mark if your contact is not authenticated.
Let's go directly to the input bar. You'll see on the right a "+" button, click on it and you'll have a sending dialog.
This dialog has 2 buttons on the top, with which you can choose between uploading the file or sending it directly using peer 2 peer. A text under them explain in simple language where your file will go, and if encryption is done (for now all files are sent unencrypted).
This text message is important to let the user understand where the data are transiting, it's the kind of information we plan to put in several locations.
The buttons below are the various transmitting options. On desktop, you can only use a file browser (for now), but on Android you can also send a picture from your gallery, take a new photo or a video, or record a voice message.
In addition to the work on Cagou itself, other things have been done.
A now mandatory feature with the explosion of mobile devices, carbon copy has been implemented. Server archives is implemented for long fot blogging, but not yet for chat messages, it will be done before the stable release.
Small binary files handling ("BoB" for "Bits of Binary") is now available. Implentation has been motivated by its use on the friend project Movim.
Delivery receipts and HTTP authentification have been contributed by Chteufleur.
Since the 0.6.1 version, messages handling has been improved, making now possible to implement features like last message correction, planed for the release.
Lastly, component (for gateways) and static blogs have also been implemented, but we'll talk about this later.
SàT is a huge project with strong ethical values (check the social contract), and it need help! It can be as easy as coming to talk with us (our room is at sat@chat.jabberfr.org, also availble by clicking here).
If you can, financial aid would of course be useful, we have recently opened an account on the excellent Liberapay.
And of course contributions are useful, specially development but also translations, icons, CSS, etc. Most of the coding is done in Python, and working on SàT is working on a tool you may use everyday. You'll not find us on big centralised forges, but we are in the process of modernising our development tools (more to come on that).
Talk about our association and project around you is always useful.
I think the most important things have been said, I'll try to keep you up to date with shorted posts.
Cela fait maintenant un peu plus d'un an que la campagne de financement participatif s'est achevée avec succès et que nous nous sommes engagés à développer une interface bureau/Android de « Salut à Toi », outil de communication multi-interfaces et multi-usages basé sur XMPP.
Il est temps de faire un petit état des lieux du développement. Vous trouverez en bas de cet article un lien vers une première version (pré-alpha) POUR TEST UNIQUEMENT.
Pour la petite histoire, nous entendions faire une campagne plus importante à l'origine quand nous avons décidé de faire un financement participatif. Mais suite à des discussions avec l'équipe d'Arizuka (plate-forme que nous avons choisie), nous avons largement réduit la somme demandée, ce qui s'est avéré judicieux puisque nous avons réussi la campagne : nous avons récolté 3 326,00 € sur les 3000 € demandés, soit 3 159,70 € après les frais.
Évidemment, cette somme est insuffisante pour vivre, aussi nous avons repris une activité salariée (j'en ai d'ailleurs parlé ici) et dû réduire le rythme de développement : je suis le seul développeur actif à l'heure actuelle (avec quelques contributions, notamment les accusés de réception et la authentification HTTP par XMPP par Chteufleur).
Ajouté aux choses annexes (gestion de l'association, écriture d'articles, projets liés, etc), ceci explique le temps de développement.
C'est aussi cette situation qui explique que nous avons réduit notre participation aux événements du Libre, ainsi vous ne nous avez pas vu au Fosdem cette année.
La plupart des contreparties promises aux soutiens ont été fournies (mais pas toutes, certaines n'ayant pas encore été réclamées). La somme reçue n'a pas encore été utilisée, sauf pour les frais fixes (serveurs, plate-forme de paiement des cotisations, banque).
Si ceci vous intéresse, vous trouverez les détails dans le compte rendu de la dernière assemblée générale extraordinaire de notre association.
Comme déjà annoncé, la nouvelle interface de bureau et pour appareils mobiles (Android pour le moment) de SàT s'appelle « Cagou », un clin d'œil à l'outil Kivy que nous utilisons, et à cet oiseau emblématique de la Nouvelle-Calédonie, oiseau qui ne vole pas et qui aboie.
Cette partie est technique, vous pouvez passer directement à la suivante si cela ne vous intéresse pas.
Après une petite phase de prise en main de l’écosystème de Kivy, la première étape a été d'intégrer « Quick Frontend » (frontal rapide) qui est une base que nous utilisons, comme son nom l'indique, pour développer rapidement un frontal et factoriser le code (gestion du cache, de la liste des contacts (« roster » en XMPP), des widgets, etc.), puis d'intégrer le « bridge » (pont) qui est le nom que utilisons pour l'IPC qui permet la communication entre le « backend » (démon qui gère le cœur de SàT) et les frontaux.
Cette phase s'est relativement bien passée, elle a été accompagnée d'une réflexion sur l'architecture et l'interface utilisateur.
Une fois ceci à peu près utilisable, le port sur Android a pu commencer.
Les choses ont été un peu plus compliquées. La communauté Kivy a créé plusieurs outils pour développer sur cette plate-forme, dont python-for-android (outils de compilation et empaquetage) et Buildozer (outil multi-plateformes qui facilite l'utilisation du premier). La prise en main de ces outils demande quelques efforts, surtout pour un projet déjà en place (c'est nettement plus simple quand on commence directement avec Kivy et le port Android).
Il y a 2 « chaînes » de développement pour Android, l'ancienne et la nouvelle. Après des premiers tests non concluants avec la nouvelle, elle a été temporairement mise de côté pour l'ancienne le temps de développer les bases du port.
Les dépendances en Python pur s'importent facilement, mais dès que ça se complique un peu, il faut faire des recettes (« recipes ») pour indiquer à python-for-android comment faire la compilation. Heureusement, la plupart de celles nécessaires pour SàT (en particulier Twisted) étaient déjà disponibles, il a toutefois fallu les mettre à jour.
Une fois ces questions de dépendances et de chaîne de compilation réglées, et après le plaisir de voir un premier .apk apparaître (mais non fonctionnel). 2 autres gros problèmes se sont posés : D-Bus qui est le « bridge » principal n'est pas utilisable sur Android, et comment faire fonctionner backend et frontal en même temps ?
Étant novice pour le développement sur Android, j'ai dû lire beaucoup de documentation (qui ne manque pas heureusement) et après un premier essai avec un nouveau bridge « embedded » permettant d'avoir backend et frontal dans le même processus, c'est finalement l'écriture d'un bridge « pb » pour perspective broker, IPC de Twisted, qui s'est révélé être la meilleure solution. L'IPC d'Android est aussi une piste à explorer à l'avenir.
Pour lancer le backend, Kivy fourni des outils permettant de le lancer comme service Android, ce qui permet de le garder en arrière plan et de pouvoir gérer les messages et autres activités quand l'interface n'est pas visible pour l'utilisateur (ce qui signifie sur Android que l'interface est gelée jusqu'à ce qu'elle soit de nouveau sélectionnée par l'utilisateur).
Cette section est déjà bien longue, aussi je vous passe les autres difficultés (comme l'absence de widget gérant le HTML), parlons maintenant de l'interface.
Cagou est donc utilisable sur bureau (GNU/Linux, mais probablement d'autres plates-formes également) et sur Android.
La version actuelle est une pré-alpha, l'.apk plus bas est fourni uniquement pour se faire une idée. Elle est très boguée, ne vérifie pas encore les certificats sur serveur, les enregistrements SRV ne sont pas pris en compte sur Android, etc. Elle est fournie pour d'une part montrer l'avancement, et d'autre part profiter des retours suffisamment tôt dans le développement pour prendre une bonne direction.
L'interface de Cagou est inspirée de celle de l'excellent Blender. En particulier la sélection de widget et la possibilité de faire des divisions à volonté en faisant glisser les bords du widget. Les grosses barres actuelle devraient disparaître à terme pour un bouton plus discret, probablement là encore inspiré de Blender. L'idée est qu'un utilisateur novice puisse changer de widget intuitivement, et qu'un utilisateur avancé puisse utiliser cette fonctionnalité.
La liste des contacts n'est pas l'élément principal de l'interface, elle peut être affichée si souhaité, mais n'est pas nécessaire à l'utilisation de Cagou.
Le menu en haut, pour le moment tout le temps visible, ne devrait être disponible que sur bureau, sur Android le bouton menu ou un bouton flottant vont probablement le remplacer d'ici la sortie stable.
Si vous avez des notifications, elles apparaissent pendant quelques secondes en haut, mais vous pouvez le lire en prenant votre temps en caressant la tête du cagou qui apparaît alors en haut à gauche.
Dans le cas d'événements nécessitant votre intervention (par exemple une autorisation d'accès via XMPP sur un site), un cagou apparaîtra sur la droite, et le dialogue n'apparaîtra qu'après l'avoir touché. L'idée est de ne jamais avoir de fenêtre modale (type « pop-up ») qui surgit et vole le focus alors que vous faites autre chose. Ces dernières n'apparaissent que suite à une action de l'utilisateur.
Dans le cas d'Android, il est possible que ces notifications soient remplacées par le système de notification natif, mais le choix n'est pas arrêté puisque l'historique des messages ne serait alors plus disponible.
Pour changer de mode (de widget), il suffit de cliquer sur le bouton en haut à gauche du widget actuel. Il n'y a actuellement que 4 widgets : le sélecteur qui affiche tous ceux disponibles, la configuration, la liste de contacts, et le chat. D'autres sont à venir, en particulier le blogage.
À l’intérieur d'un widget (uniquement pour la messagerie instantanée pour l'instant), il est possible de faire un mouvement de glisser horizontal pour passer d'une conversation ouverte à une autre.
Pour le moment ça n'est pas évident à utiliser la première fois (il faut faire un mouvement vif), il y a des petits réglages à prévoir.
Comme pour le reste de SàT, Cagou est prévu dès l'origine pour fonctionner avec des greffons et être facilement extensible. Tous les widgets et système d'envoi de fichiers (voir plus bas) sont des greffons.
Comme nous voulons une interface utilisable sur petits écrans, simple, mais qui ne sacrifie pas les fonctionnalités, il faut trouver un compromis entre les informations affichées/ables à l'écran et les éléments/boutons permettant des actions. Trop d’éléments compliquent l'interface et prennent de l'espace, mais trop peu rendent les actions difficiles d'accès.
La disposition choisie actuellement (qui peut évoluer) consiste en un en-tête avec une barre de saisie et un bouton (en plus du sélecteur de widgets), le corps avec les messages, et une barre de saisie avec un bouton également.
Pour discuter avec un ou des contact(s), entrez des lettres faisant partie de son nom (n'importe où dans le nom). Pour le moment uniquement les identifiants (« jid ») et les conversations déjà ouvertes sont cherchés, mais à terme la recherche se fera également dans les noms, surnoms et dans les marque-pages.
Cagou détecte si vous voulez parler à une personne seule ou dans un salon de discussion, et s'adapte en conséquence.
Le chiffrement de bout en bout est de la partie, mais uniquement avec OTR (v2) à l'heure actuelle. Il est prévu d'intégrer OX (OpenPGP moderne) et OMEMO, mais il n'est pas certains que ça sera disponible pour la prochaine version (ça sera peut-être pour la 0.8). Pour l'activer, il suffit de cliquer sur le cadenas, ce dernier sera fermé si la conversation est chiffrée, et aura un point d'interrogation si votre correspondant n'est pas authentifié.
Passons directement à la barre de saisie. Vous trouverez sur la droite un bouton « + » qui sert pour le moment à ouvrir le dialogue d'envoi d'élément.
Ce dialogue comporte 2 boutons en haut, qui permettent de choisir si vous voulez téléverser votre fichier ou l'envoyer directement à un correspondant en pair à pair. Un texte en dessous indique en langage clair où votre fichier transitera, et si le chiffrement intervient (à l'heure actuelle tout est en clair pour les fichiers).
Le message texte est important pour que l'utilisateur comprenne bien où vont ses données, c'est une indication que l'on va sûrement placer à divers endroits stratégiques.
Les boutons en dessous sont les types d'envoi. Sur bureau il n'est actuellement possible que d'envoyer un fichier de votre arborescence, mais sur Android il est possible également d'envoyer une photo de votre galerie, d'en prendre une nouvelle ou de faire une vidéo, et d'enregistrer un message audio.
En plus du travail sur Cagou lui-même, d'autres travaux ont été effectué.
Désormais indispensable avec l'utilisation sur appareils portables, la copie carbone a été implémentée. La gestion des archives sur le serveur est elle implémentée depuis longtemps pour le blogage, mais pas encore pour les messages, ça sera fait d'ici la sortie de la version stable.
La gestion des petits fichiers binaires (« BoB » pour « Bits of Binary ») est désormais disponible, son implémentation a notamment été motivée parce qu'ils sont utilisés par Movim.
Comme indiqué plus haut, les accusés de réception et l'authentification HTTP ont été implémentés par Chteufleur.
Depuis la 0.6.1 la gestion des messages a été améliorée, préparant notamment le terrain pour des fonctionnalités comme la correction du dernier message, prévue pour la version stable.
Plus récemment la gestion des composants (pour préparer les passerelles) et des blogs statiques sont également arrivés, mais nous en parlerons peut-être une autre fois.
C'est un appel que nous faisons souvent mais qui n'est pas toujours entendu, de l'aide serait grandement appréciée.
Ce peut être aussi simple que venir discuter avec nous (notre salon est à sat@chat.jabberfr.org, disponible en cliquant sur ce lien).
Si vous avez de quoi, une contribution financière serait bien sûr utile, nous avons récemment ouvert un compte sur Liberapay, suite a discussion résumée dans le compte rendu de l'A.G. lié plus haut. Notre objectif est de réussir dans un premier temps à travailler un jour par semaine sur SàT et de compenser la perte de salaire par des dons.
Vous pouvez aussi adhérer à notre association, toutes les infos sont par ici. Vous choisissez le montant de la cotisation (entre 0 et 100 €).
Et bien sûr des contributions, en particulier du développement, mais aussi des traductions, du graphisme, du thème CSS, de l'administration des serveurs. La plupart du développement est fait en Python, et c'est participer à un outil que vous utiliserez potentiellement tous les jours.
Parler de notre association et projet autour de vous est toujours utile.
Je crois que l'essentiel est dit pour cette fois, j’essaierai de tenir informé avec des billets moins longs les prochaines fois.
It's time for a blog post on Cagou development.
Cagou is the new desktop/Android frontend for "Salut à Toi" (SàT), the full-featured social network based on standards (XMPP) and with a strong emphasis on ethics.
This frontend is using the very nice Kivy framework, and is already usable on desktop.
As you can see, the interface can be divided easily. This idea is inspired by the excellent Blender interface, and make it easy to adapt to a small or big screen by choosing the number of widgets accordingly.
Instead of being a discreet software that you'll use only when you want to answer to somebody, Cagou is an application which should be used full-screen, with a layout suiting the current needs.
Other important point: the contact list is not the central element (as it is usually in instant messaging software). You can access it by selecting the widget, or put it on the side to simulate traditional layout, but it is not visible by default and you can spend a whole session without using it.
About notifications, it will be slighly different on desktop and on platforms with their own notification system (like Android). In the later case, the native way will be used.
On desktop, a specific header is used. 2 cagou icons (thanks to Muchoslava for its contributions) can appear: one on the left for notes (i.e. short messages which will automatically disappear), and one of the right for more important notifications, needing attention from the user.
A click on the left icon will show the last 10 notes, and one the right one show the next important notification.
This was made to avoid popups: they are displayed only after an interaction of user, and will not appear all of a sudden while you are writting a message.
Thanks to the architecture of SàT, menus are already available with a couple of useful actions.
There are several ways to start a chat: you can click on an item in the contact list, or enter a jid (XMPP identifier) in a chat widget.
Discussions are not closed when you switch widget, and they can be later accessed by swiping the current one (see video below).
There have been a lot of work done and the interface starts to be really usable. Concerning the desktop the greatest part is already finished, the most important remaining thing is to adapt interface to features (e.g. displaying of delivery reciept) and to make new widgets.
The other big thing to cope with would be displaying of HTML content and of course the Android port. An Ubuntu touch port is an eventuality.
The project is still in active progress, but it is really demanding. If you can contribue in any way – code, distributions packages, tests, graphics, translations, etc. – please contact us by any mean shown on our website.
Last but not least, we reminds all of the Aziruka contributors of the crowdfunding campaign, that they can claim their counterpart if not done yet (or request it later).
Cagou commençant à prendre sérieusement forme, il est temps de faire un billet sur l'avancement.
Avant le début du développement de l'interface elle-même, des changements nécessaires ont été faits en particulier sur la gestion des messages. Outre la gestion des langues dont j'ai parlé dans des précédents billets, le plus important est que nous pouvons désormais changer l'état d'un message après réception, ou y faire référence. Ceci permet d'implémenter des fonctionnalités comme les accusés de réception, ce qui a été fait par une contribution de Chteufleur (merci :)). D'autres fonctionnalités qui attendaient comme la correction du dernier message vont bientôt pouvoir suivre.
Il était nécessaire de faire ce travail avant d'implémenter la messagerie instantanée sur Cagou, pour pouvoir partir sur de bonnes bases.
Ensuite il a fallu intégrer l'interface sous Kivy à SàT, et en particulier D-Bus et QuickFrontend, notre modèle pour faire des frontaux en Python.
Comme vous le voyez, l'interface peut-être divisée facilement. Cette idée est inspirée de l'excellente interface de Blender, et permettra de s'adapter facilement à un petit ou grand écran en choisissant le nombre de widgets et leur disposition.
Au lieu d'être un logiciel discret qu'on utilise uniquement quand on veut répondre à quelqu'un, Cagou est une interface qui s'utilise principalement en plein écran, avec une disposition adaptée à la situation et les outils importants directement visibles (si la taille de l'écran le permet).
Autre point important, la liste de contacts n'est pas l'élément central comme c'est souvent le cas dans les logiciels de messagerie. Vous pouvez y accéder en sélectionnant le widget, voire la mettre sur le côté pour reproduire le comportement traditionnel, mais elle n'est pas affichée par défaut et n'est pas indispensable.
Tous les widgets sont des greffons, a terme il devrait être possible d'en télécharger, ou de changer complément le fonctionnement d'un widget de base. Comme effet de bord, et surtout grâce au travail de l'équipe derrière Kivy, Cagou sera une plate-forme qui permettra d'échanger facilement des scripts Python sur Android (reste à voir comment on va gérer les permissions).
En ce qui concerne les notifications, le fonctionnement va être différent sur bureau et sur les plates-formes qui ont déjà un système de notification (comme Android). Dans ce dernier cas, le système de la plate-forme va être utilisé.
Sur bureau, un en-tête spécifique est utilisé. 2 icônes de Cagou (merci à Muchoslava pour ses contributions) peuvent apparaître : une à gauche pour les notes (c.-à-.d les messages court qui ne s'affichent que quelques secondes), et une à droite pour les notifications plus importantes, nécessitant l'action de l'utilisateur.
Un clique sur l’icône de gauche permet d'afficher les 10 dernières notes, et un sur l’icône de droite affiche la notification importante suivante.
Ceci a été pensé pour éviter les popups, ces dernières ne sont affichées que suite à une action de l'utilisateur, et n’apparaissent pas d'elles même si un quelconque événement les déclenche.
Les menus ont également été implémentés, ils apparaissent en haut sur bureau. Sur petits écrans (téléphones), ils ne seront sûrement visibles que suite à l'appui de la touche idoine.
Grâce au fonctionnement de Salut à Toi, ceux-ci permettent déjà de faire des actions de base comme ajouter ou modifier un contact et avancées comme piloter son serveur.
Enfin le lancement d'une conversation peut se faire de plusieurs manières. On peut en commencer une en cliquant sur un contact dans le widget « liste de contacts », ou en tapant son jid dans un widget « chat » (il devrait rapidement être possible de taper quelques lettres pour avoir les suggestions). Les conversations ne se ferment pas quand on change de widget, on peut accéder aux conversations en cours en faisant passer son doigt (ou sa souris pendant un clique) rapidement vers la droite ou la gauche, cf. la vidéo ci-dessous. Il sera bientôt possible de les fermer via un menu dédié.
Voilà l'état des lieux actuel. Il y a déjà eu beaucoup de travail, et l'interface commence à être vraiment utilisable. Côté bureau le plus gros est fait, il s'agit maintenant d'adapter l'interface aux fonctionnalités (afficher l'accusé de réception par exemple), et à faire de nouveaux widgets. Un gros morceau reste toutefois l'affichage du contenu HTML, vu que ça n'est pas géré de base par Kivy (mais il y a différentes solutions possibles).
En ce qui concerne Android, il va y avoir une partie qui risque d'être un peu difficile pour faire le port, mais je ne m'inquiète pas plus que ça.
J'envisage également de faire un port sur Ubuntu Touch, j'ai commandé à cette fin une tablette d'occasion qui devrait me permettre de l'installer (ce n'est pas une promesse, juste une éventualité).
Ah et bien sûr, Cagou va profiter des fonctionnalités de SàT, y compris le chiffrement de bout en bout (OTR pour le moment, mais OpenPGP est envisagé pour la 0.7, et peut-être OMEMO également).
Petite note pour les programmeurs : une fois la prise en main passée (qui n'est pas très difficile), j'apprécie beaucoup travailler avec Kivy, c'est souple, agréable à utiliser et ça fonctionne jusqu'ici très bien, félicitation aux équipes derrière.
Je conclus sur une bouteille à la mer : c'est un travail absolument énorme de travailler sur SàT, et à l'heure actuelle je suis pratiquement seul dessus, et en plus de mon emploi salarié. Le projet avance toujours à bon train, mais j'ai besoin d'aide. La base de code est importante, mais il n'est pas insurmontable de s'y mettre : Chteufleur mentionné plus haut a pu rapidement écrire des greffons et a fait les implémentations des XEP-0070 et XEP-0184.
Il est aussi possible de contribuer en dehors du code : empaquetage pour des distributions, tests, graphismes, traductions, installation de serveurs, etc. Contribuer à une bibliothèque utilisée par SàT (comme l'implémentation de XMPP dans Twisted ou Kivy) est également très utile.
Au passage, je rappelle à ceux qui ont participé à la campagne de financement, qu'ils peuvent nous contacter sur « contact chez salut-a-toi point org » pour réclamer leur contrepartie, ou la demander plus tard s'ils préfèrent. | 2019-04-25T13:54:32Z | https://www.goffi.org/tag/S%C3%A0T?after=EWc7ic8xZ8m6EZZp4zz4iZ |
2008-12-03 Assigned to WHIRLPOOL CORPORATION reassignment WHIRLPOOL CORPORATION ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST (SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS). Assignors: MCCOY, RICHARD A.
A system for managing resources used by an appliance includes a messaging architecture that uses resource profiles and function identifiers that represent a meaningful context related to the resource profiles so that the production or consumption of a resource can be managed by electronic messages using the message architecture.
The invention relates to networks of information about resources and appliances and more particularly, to a protocol or messaging architecture for managing resources used by an appliance.
Household appliances typically operate on an article using one or more cycles of operation. Most appliances perform the cycles of operation using a resource. A resource comprises a product or good that is in relatively constant and unlimited supply. Common resources include utilities, such as water, electricity, air, gas, chemical additives, ingredients, ice, cooling air, chilled water, flavoring, steam, heat, or hot water. Sometimes a consumable, which comprises a finite supply of at least one product or a perishable good that must be periodically replenished or replaced is mixed with a resource, as for example, when a detergent is mixed with water.
It is known to provide communication between an appliance and a source of information about a resource in order to manage consumption of the resource by the appliance. For example, an in-home water meter provided by a utility company can send signals to an appliance to instruct the appliance to curtail water usage if the amount of water consumed by the appliance has exceeded a predetermined amount. This amount can be determined by the utility company in accordance with water demand in the region. However, the appliance is unable to efficiently manage resource consumption because these signals typically comprise only an “on” or “off” command rather than detailed information that could be used by the appliance to make predictions about future resource consumption and/or other determinations about resource consumption that could be used to increase the efficiency of the appliance.
According to the invention a messaging architecture is provided for conveying information by electronic messages between a producer of a resource and a consumer of the resource. The messages, singly or in combination, include a first portion representing one or more resource profiles. Each resource profile has one or more points defined by a value associated with a first identifier related to the resource and a value associated with a second identifier related to the resource. The messages also include a second portion representing a function identifier that represents a meaningful context related to the resource profile.
In another aspect the invention provides a system to manage a resources among a producer and consumer, where the producer and the consumer are in two-way communication with each other through electronic messages and the consumer uses the resource in a cycle of operation. The system includes a message architecture wherein the messages, singly or in combination, comprise a first portion representing one or more resource profiles, each resource profile having at least one point defined by a value associated with a first identifier related to the resource and a value associated with a second identifier related to the resource. The messages also include a second portion representing a function identifier that represents a meaningful context related to the at least one resource profile. The system also includes a source of information about the resource. With this system, the source of information can affect the production or consumption of a resource by electronic messages using the message architecture.
A further aspect of the invention is directed to an appliance configured to perform a cycle of operation on a physical article, where the appliance uses at least some of a resource in performing the operation. The appliance includes a controller configured to send and receive messages related to a resource, where the messages include, singly or in combination, a resource profile and at least one function identifier. With this message architecture, the appliance can participate in effective management of the resource based on the messages.
A further aspect of the invention is directed to a namespace for use in managing consumption or production of a resource. The namespace includes a first set of unique identifiers representing a set of resources, each identifier representing a unique resource, and a second set of unique function identifiers representing a context for information about a resource. The namespace can be used in electronic messaging to effectively manage the resource using electronic messages.
FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of a system comprising an appliance and incorporating a messaging protocol according to the invention.
FIG. 2 is a schematic illustration of a network comprising a consumer and a producer according to the invention.
FIG. 3 is a graphical illustration of a resource profile according to the invention.
FIG. 4 is a schematic illustration of message exchange comprising information about the resource profile of FIG. 3.
FIG. 5A shows one embodiment of a message packet in a message structure according to the invention.
FIG. 5B shows another embodiment of a message packet in a message structure according to the invention.
FIG. 5C shows another embodiment of a message packet in a message structure according to the invention.
FIG. 5D shows another embodiment of a message packet in a message structure according to the invention.
FIG. 5E shows another embodiment of a message packet in a message structure according to the invention.
By employing a software architecture that enables facile communication among internal components of an appliance and between an external component and one or more of the internal components of the appliance, various components and accessories can communicate with the appliance to expand the capability, functionality, and usability of the appliance. The appliance can be any suitable appliance, such as a household appliance. Examples of household appliances include, but are not limited to, clothes washing machines, clothes dryers, ovens, dishwashers, refrigerators, freezers, microwave ovens, trash compactors, and countertop appliances, such as waffle makers, toasters, blenders, mixers, food processors, coffee makers, and the like.
The appliance can be configured to perform a cycle of operation to complete a physical domestic operation on an article. Examples of the physical domestic operations include a food preparation operation, a food preservation operation, a fluid treatment operation, a cleaning operation, a personal care operation, a fabric treatment operation, an air treatment operation, and a hard surface treatment operation. The air treatment operation can comprise, for example, air purification, air humidification, air dehumidification, air heating, and air cooling. The food preparation operation can comprise, for example, food cleaning, food chopping, food mixing, food heating, food peeling, and food cooling. The food preservation operation can comprise, for example, food cooling, food freezing, and food storage in a specialized atmosphere. The fluid treatment operation can comprise, for example, fluid heating, fluid boiling, fluid cooling, fluid freezing, fluid mixing, fluid whipping, fluid dispensing, fluid filtering, and fluid separation. The cleaning operation can comprise, for example, dishwashing, fabric washing, fabric treatment, fabric drying, hard surface cleaning, hard surface treatment, hard surface drying, carpet cleaning, carpet treatment, and carpet drying. The personal care operation can comprise, for example, hair treatment, nail treatment, body massaging, teeth cleaning, body cleaning, and shaving.
The internal components of the appliances can include any component that participates in the operation of the appliance. Some of the internal components have a corresponding controller (main controller, motor controller, user interface, etc.), which can be a simple microprocessor mounted on a printed circuit board, and other components that have no controller. The components can comprise one or more devices that are controlled by the controller. Typically, the controller components in cooperation either directly or indirectly, through other components, control the operation of all of the components and the associated devices to implement an operation or cycle for the appliance.
The software architecture can be implemented on and communicate over an internal communications network on the appliance. The internal communications network connects the various internal components of the appliance and can be considered a closed network. One example of the internal communications network used within the appliance is the WIDE network protocol, created by Whirlpool, Inc., the assignee of the present patent application.
The software architecture expands the communication ability of the appliance by effectively creating an open network, hereinafter referred to as “network.” Within the appliance, the software architecture can, but does not have to, reside on each of the components that have a controller. Those components with the software architecture form a network node that can communicate with the other nodes.
The software architecture can perform multiple functions. For example, one function can relate to identifying each of the components corresponding to a node on the network, while another function can relate to identifying capabilities or functions of the identified components on the network. Yet another exemplary function is to identify the status of the components on the network. In this way, the software architecture can function to inform all of the nodes on the network of the presence, capabilities, and status of the other nodes.
The software architecture can comprise multiple modules, each of which has different functionality. Various combinations of the modules or all of the modules can reside on each of the components. One module having a basic or core functionality resides on all of the components. In one anticipated configuration, all of the modules reside at least on the main controller, which establishes the main controller to function as a primary or main software architecture, with the other nodes functioning in a client relationship to the main software architecture. In such a configuration, all of the nodes can communicate through the main software architecture. The software architecture can be sufficiently robust that it can permit configurations without a main software architecture or with multiple main software architectures. For example, the controllers of the various components can work together to control the operation of the appliance without any one of the appliances functioning as a main controller. Regardless of the configuration, any component with the software architecture can function as a client with respect to the other components.
Because of the software architecture, the internal components of the appliance are not only connected with one another, but the internal components can also be connected to one or more external components or a new internal component through the network. The external component and/or the new internal component has one, some, or all of the software architecture modules in resident. As a result, the external component and/or the new internal component can communicate with the internal components of the appliance and can also communicate with other external components having the software architecture.
The software architecture can be any suitable software architecture that enables communication between the internal components of the appliance and the external component and/or the new internal component or between components external to the appliance. An example of the software architecture is disclosed in International Application No. PCT/US2006/022420, titled “SOFTWARE ARCHITECTURE SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR COMMUNICATION WITH, AND MANAGEMENT OF, AT LEAST ONE COMPONENT WITHIN A HOUSEHOLD APPLIANCE,” filed Jun. 8, 2006, published as WO2006135726 on Dec. 21, 2006, and incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. All of the communications between components and accessories and/or any combination of components and accessories described in this application can be implemented by the software and network structures disclosed therein.
The software architecture disclosed in the aforementioned reference can be implemented by providing one or more of the software elements of the software architecture at least on each of the components to be controlled and on the accessory. The software architecture is configured to generate a plurality of messages, with at least one of the software elements residing in each of the components and in the accessory and configured to enable transmission of at least one of the plurality of messages between the components and between the accessory and the components. The messages can be transmitted for bi-directional communication between components and/or components and accessory. The messages can include command messages that are used to implement a physical domestic operation cycle of the appliance.
The messages can be generated by a message generator, which can take the form of the software architecture, the accessory, or a component. One possible message generator is a user interface.
For example, looking at FIG. 1, the software architecture and messaging protocol can be incorporated into a system comprising an appliance 12 according to the invention. The appliance 12 is configured to perform an operation on a physical article, such as clothing or food, using a resource 10 such as water, temperature-controlled air (hot or cold), steam, gas, electricity, and the like. The resource 10 is typically supplied to the appliance 12 by a resource conveyance 11, such as a conduit, wire, inlet and the like. The appliance 12 can comprise a process control apparatus 14 configured to implement and control a cycle comprising at least one operation. The process control apparatus 14 can include components such as electronic control boards, wiring and wiring harnesses, power-supplies, sensors which integrate with the electronics as digital or analog inputs, and actuators like valves, relays, heaters, and the like, all of which integrate with the electronics as digital or analog outputs.
The appliance 12 might have a consumable holder 16 containing a consumable 24 for use during the cycle of operation. The appliance can further comprise an interface 18 between the consumable holder 16 and the process control apparatus 14, and any number of coupling points, one of which 20 couples the resource conveyance 11 to the appliance 12. In other embodiments, the consumable holder 16 can comprise the interface 18, or both the appliance 12 and the consumable holder 16 can comprise mateable or engageable interfaces 18. The interface 18 can be an internal or external interface and can be configured to receive, connect to, or otherwise couple the consumable holder 16 and the appliance 12. The interface 18 can comprise any number of coupling points 20. Coupling points 20 can also be included on the appliance 12 separately from the interface 18. The coupling points 20 are configured to enable the coupling together of various devices and/or sources. In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1, coupling point 20 comprises a conventional valve configured to selectively supply a resource 10 from the resource holder 11 to the appliance 12. The process control apparatus 14 is configured to control operation of the coupling point 20.
The appliance 12 can further comprise additional elements commonly included in appliances 12, such as a user interface 22. The user interface 22 is configured for communication with the user. The user interface 22 can comprises a clock or time display. The user interface 22 can be a liquid crystal display (LCD), a plasma display, a digital display, or any other suitable device. The user interface 22 can communicate to the user a status of the appliance, such as via one or more notification icons. Examples of an appliance status include, but are not limited to, laundry washing complete, laundry drying complete, laundry off balance, microwave food defrosted, turn defrosting food in microwave, microwave food ready, oven pre-heat complete, oven food ready, boil over on cooktop, fire, hot water ready, and coffee ready. The relevant notification icons can become illuminated, such as by flashing or being constantly illuminated or otherwise visible when appropriate and become un-illuminated or otherwise not visible when appropriate. The user interface 22 can comprise appliance control capability whereby the user can provide control inputs or commands to the appliance 12 through the user interface 22. Exemplary commands include, but are not limited to, start/stop wash cycle, start/stop drying cycle, start/stop cooking program, decrease heating element power for simmer, execute low heat tumble following drying cycle, decrease microwave heating power, increase temperature of chill zone in refrigerator, and the like.
An appliance 12 performing a cycle of operation on an article will often use at least one consumable 24 during the cycle. A consumable 24 for purposes of the invention includes anything that would be consumed by an appliance 12 during a cycle of operation, such as a substance or device that is used up and must be replenished for subsequent cycles of operation. A consumable 24 can comprise a quantity of a resource 10 that must be periodically replenished. A consumable 24 also includes anything that would be consumed by a person, such as food, cosmetics, or medicine. For a washer it might be a detergent and/or a softener. For a dryer it might be an anti-static cloth. For a cooking or refrigeration appliance, the consumable may actually be the article on which the appliance performs its cycle of operation, as in the case of food, later to be consumed by a person.
The appliance control apparatus 14 will normally determine the detailed instructions for the cycle of operation from information provided with or regarding the resource 10, the consumable 24, user inputs via the user interface 22, and/or machine sensor data. Consumables 24 here are to be distinguished from resources 10, although resources 10 can be “consumed” during a cycle of operation. Resources 10 are typically constantly supplied, normally from an outside supplier, such as a utility company 30, to an appliance. Examples of resources 10 include the aforementioned water, temperature-controlled air (hot or cold), steam, gas, electricity, and the like. Thus, water supply lines, air conduits, gas lines, and wiring are considered resource holders 11. In a refrigerator, for example, water supplied to the appliance 12 can be considered a resource 10. If flavoring is mixed with the water supplied to the appliance 12, the flavoring can be considered to be a consumable 24, and whatever carries the flavoring to be the consumable holder 16.
More specific examples of the use of a consumable 24 in appliances 12 include dispensing additives for laundry washers, dryers, or combination washer/dryer appliances. The additives can include, but are not limited to, normal detergents, gentle detergents, dark clothing detergents, cold water detergents, fabric softeners, chlorine bleaches, color-safe bleaches, and fabric enhancement chemistry. Non-limiting examples of fabric enhancers are additives to provide stain resistance, wrinkle resistance, water repellency, insect repellency, color fastness, fragrances, and anti-microbials.
The dispensers may be either single load and dispense the entire additive placed in the dispenser. But they may also be bulk dispensers which hold more than a single load. In that case the appliance would meter out and dispense the correct amount of additive for that particular load, and notify the user of how much is remaining. Because these consumables come in different concentrations, the amount needed for a load will vary depending on the concentration, which would be provided with the consumable. The amount needed will also depend on the amount and type of laundry being treated, as well as the condition of the laundry (e.g. soil and stain level). The amount, type, and condition of the laundry will have to be supplied by the user and/or be obtained from appliance sensor information, or otherwise calculated from appliance data. For a laundry application, the additive will have to be dispensed at the right time (before, during, or after wash, rinse, spin, or drying), and sometimes under the right conditions (water or air temperature). This information would be provided with the consumable.
The consumable holder 16, therefore, comprises a device that than holds or contains a consumable 24. Typically the consumable 24 is contained by a receptacle of some sort, such as a container, a dispenser, a cartridge, a dish, a bag, a carton, a conduit, or the like. In some cases, consumable holders 16 can be nested within other consumable holders 16. For example, a cartridge holding a consumable can be disposed in a dispenser, which is another consumable holder 16. In some cases articles on which the appliance operates—such as clothes, dishes, and food stuffs—may not be contained by receptacles, but can perform at least some of the inventive functionalities of a consumable 24 and/or consumable holder 16 and can therefore be considered a consumable 24 and/or consumable holder 16. An example of an article with consumable holder 16 capabilities is a shirt having a bar code thereon containing information that is directly readable by an appliance 12. The appliance 12 can use data and/or information contained by the bar code for use in configuring and selecting the cycle of operation of the appliance. The bar code can be read by the appliance 12 while the shirt is being operated on contemporaneous with the cycle of operation.
As shown in FIG. 2, a producer of a resource 40, the resource 10, and a consumer of the resource 42 will interact as discussed above. The relationships among the producer 40, the resource 10, and the consumer 42 are illustrated by the arrows A, B, and C in FIG. 2. The producer 40 produces the resource 10 as at A, and a consumer 42 consumes the resource 10 as at B. In some circumstances as, for example, when a consumer agrees to forfeit future consumption, a consumer 42 may actually be a producer 40 as at C. Resource 10 in the context of this invention is considered to include any matter or energy used or consumed by a consumer. Consequently, in some cases a resource may also be considered a consumable. Information about a respective producer, resource and consumer can reside in sources 50, 52, 60 that can be networked, directly or indirectly, and can function as nodes on a network 32. And the producer 40 and consumer 42 can be networked with their respective sources 50, 53. Alternatively, the producer and consumer can actually be their respective sources 50, 53. And in either case, the producer and consumer may be a source of information about a resource, 60 The nodes can be coupled to the network 32 in a wired or wireless manner, such as by Bluetooth, coaxial cable, power lines, USB connection, optical coupling points, or any other suitable means. In certain cases, the consumer 42 can act as a producer. For example, if a consumer 42 agrees to forfeit a given amount of future consumption of the resource 10, then the consumer 42 can effectively “produce” the given amount of the resource 10 (see the arrow C). The producer can be a utility company 30 or any other entity or device that can produce or provide a resource 10. The consumer can be an appliance 12 or any other entity or device that consumes or uses a resource 10. If the consumer is the appliance 12, the process control apparatus 14 of the appliance 12 can be communicatively coupled to the network 32 and can also function as a node. In another embodiment, the appliance 12 can contain both a producer 40 and a consumer 42. For example, a producer 40 could be a consumable holder such as a detergent dispenser in a washing machine, and the consumer 42 could be the process control apparatus of the washing machine that uses the detergent for a cycle of operation. In this case, the producer and consumer are sub-components of a system working together for proper dispensing of the detergent. The detergent can be considered the resource from the “producer” perspective that it is consumed by the consumer over time.
The sources 50, 52 can also be communicatively coupled to each other. The source of information about the producer 50 is configured to communicate information associated with the producer 40 or the resource it produces across the network 32. An example of a source of information about the producer 50 includes a meter configured for communication by electronic messages. Another example includes a water heater configured to communicate information about the production of hot water by electronic messages. The source of information about the consumer 52 is configured to communicate information associated with the consumer 42 or the resource it consumes across the network 32. The source of information about the producer 50 and the source of information about the consumer 52 can be integral with the producer 40 and consumer 42, respectively. Alternatively, and as illustrated in FIG. 2, the source of information about the producer 50 and the source of information about the consumer 52 can be separate devices communicatively coupled to the producer 40 and to the consumer 42, respectively, across the network 32, or by any other suitable means. The sources 50, 52 can be configured for one-way or two-way communication with the producer 40 and consumer 42, respectively.
Similarly, a source of information about a resource 60 can be connected to the network 32 and can function as a node on the network. The source of information about the resource 60 can be communicatively coupled to the source 60 can be communicatively coupled to all of the other elements on the network 32, including the producer 40, the consumer, 42, and the sources 50, 52. The source 60 is configured to communicate information associated with the resource 10 across the network 32. The source of information about the resource 60 can be integral with the resource 10. Alternatively, and as illustrated in FIG. 2, the source of information about the resource 60 can be a separate device communicatively coupled to the resource 10 across the network 32 or by any other suitable means. The source 60 can be configured for one-way or two-way communication with the resource 10.
The source about the resource 60 uses information supplied by and gathered from the sources 50, 52 to make determinations about the supply and demand of the resource 10. Likewise, the source 50, 52 use information supplied by and gathered from the source 60 to make determination about the supply and demand of the resource 10. For example, the source 60 can query the sources 50, 52 regarding consumption and production levels. Based on these levels, the source can determine an amount of the resource 10 available at any given time. Any or all of the sources 50, 52, 60 can comprise memory for storing historical records associated with the system. The sources 50, 52, 60 can further comprise microprocessors or circuit boards for analyzing stored and retrieved data and information.
In accord with the invention, all or at least some of the nodes on the network 32 communicate with one another using a specialized messaging protocol comprising a messaging architecture. A protocol is a standard procedure for regulating data transmission between devices; however, not all devices necessarily communicate in the same protocol. A bridge can be used to communicatively couple the nodes to the network 32, if necessary. A bridge effectively translates one protocol into another so that devices with different protocols can communicate with one another. Other kinds of bridges couple networks of the same type using the same protocol but are not physically connected. Network 32 represents a simple network without any bridges or a complex network with an arbitrary number of bridges providing coupling between networks within the complex network. It will be understood that a more complex network can include two sources of information about a resource, each source being in communication with the other. Thus, for example, a consumer in one network can request and obtain relevant production data from a completely different network by way of the communications between the two sources of information about the resources. According to the invention, as shown in FIG. 2A, the message structure 71 of a message about a resource includes a first portion representing at least one resource profile 70, and a second portion representing a function identifier 72.
Referring to FIG. 3, a resource profile 70 is a data structure comprising at least one point of an ordered collection of points where each point is defined by two values and each value corresponds to a variable related in some way to the resource. It can be graphically represented with a labeled x-axis, a labeled y-axis, and an ordered collection of points PN, such as P1-P4 corresponding to pairs of x-axis and y-axis values. P1 is the first point in the ordered collection and is defined by a first value associated with the x-axis and a second value associated with the y-axis. Each axis has an identifier 74, 78, respectively, that is related in some way to the resource and provides meaning to each axis. Thus, a first identifier 74 of the resource profile 70 is associated with the x-axis 76, and a second identifier 78 of the resource profile is associated with the y-axis 80. The first and second identifiers 74, 78 represent parameters of the resource or other related meanings associated with each axis. For example, the first identifier 74 can identify the units of the x-axis as being such things as time in minutes or seconds, cost in dollars, and the like that might relate to the usage of a resource. The second identifier 78 can identify the units of the y-axis as being amounts of the resource such as water, hot air, electricity, grey water, waste heat, bleach and the like, or other types of variables 78 related to resource. To find the value of the y-axis variable, a line perpendicular to the y-axis can be drawn such that it intersects P1 and the y-axis. The value of the y-axis variable is then the value of y where the line intersects the y-axis. Similarly, the value of the x-axis variable can be determined by drawing a second line perpendicular to the x-axis intersecting P1 and the x-axis. The value of the x-axis variable is then the value of x where the second line intersects the x-axis. Thus, for example, each point of the ordered collection of points P1-P4 can represent an amount of power (in kilowatts), and a length of time (in minutes). The ordered collection of points P1-P4 can be stored, retrieved, and interpreted such that each point has a known ordinal relation to every other point. Thus, for example, the resource profile 70 can provide information about the past, present, or future usage of the resource. The resource profile 70 can comprise information associated with the producer 40, the consumer 42, and/or the resource 10. In other embodiments, the first and second identifiers 74, 78 can be incorporated directly into the ordered collection of points.
The message structure 71 of a message about a resource can have a third portion comprising information about the network 32 (not shown in FIG. 2A), such as routing information (including a destination address on the network) that enables communication among nodes. As well, the messaging architecture can include other identifiers of a producer, a consumer, a source of information about a producer, a source of information about a consumer, and/or a source of information about a resource. As such, a namespace can be constructed comprising the other identifiers so that messaging can be directed to nodes of a respective producer, consumer, source of information about a producer, source of information about a consumer, and/or source of information about a resource. By “namespace”, we mean a set of names in a naming system where things represented by the names can have unique identities.
The function identifier 72 of the second portion of the message structure 71 of a message about a resource 71 designates the meaning or context of the resource profile 70. For example, the resource profile 70 can be sent as a produce request, a consume request, a do not consume request, a do not produce request, a consumption history, a predicted consumption, a production history, or a predicted production, each of which is associated with a function identifier 72. Additionally, because messages can be sent by any node in the system, any node in the system can also send requests. Requests for production can be sent to a producer 40 from a consumer 42. Likewise, a first producer may request additional production from a second producer in order to meet the overall consumption requirement. It is contemplated that there are many combinations of messages transactions in the effort to automatically manage resources using the message architecture.
A message structure 71 with a function identifier 72 for a produce request can comprise a resource profile 70 being sent to the producer 40 requesting the producer 40 to produce the resource 10 according to the resource profile 70 (e.g., produce 5000 kW Monday, 7000 kW Tuesday, and 3000 kW Wednesday). A message structure 71 with a function identifier 72 for a consume request is similar to a message structure with a function identifier for a produce request, except a consume request comprises a resource profile 70 being sent to the consumer 42 requesting that the consumer 42 consumes an amount of the resource 10 according to the resource profile 10. Likewise a message structure 71 with a function identifier 72 for an increase in production request would contain a resource profile representing an amount of incremental production to the current production wherein the y-axis could be specified in percentages or in absolute units of the resource like gallons and the x-axis could be specified using an identifier representing time in either absolute units like hours of a 24 hours clock or a delta time from a known time such as 4 hours from 6:00 AM. Other messages can be responses to requests. For example, as in FIG. 4, a consumer may receive a first message for reducing consumption by an amount over time defined by a first resource profile, the consumer may respond with a second message having a second resource profile wherein the second resource profile represents the consumption of the resource over time that the consumer is now committing to in response to the first message with the first resource profile. The example, therefore, shows how the messaging architecture enables a producer and a consumer to negotiate in an iterative fashion until a mutual determination of production and or consumption is reached thereby illustrating a message architecture enabling an electronic message based process of negotiation including initiating a negotiation, performing negotiation which includes proposals and counter-proposals in an iterative fashion, concluding negotiation which includes a mutual determination between the negotiators in response to the iterations, and then acting on the determination such that each negotiator can act in cooperation with the other negotiators in accordance with the determination.
Messages having function identifiers 72 for “do not produce” or “do not consume” requests request that the producer 40 and consumer 42, respectively, prohibit or limit production and consumption according to the resource profile 70. Do not produce and do not consume requests can comprise reduce requests, which request that production or consumption is reduced according to the resource profile 70.
A production or consumption history function identifier 72 indicates that the resource profile 70 comprises a historical account of the production or consumption of a resource according to the first and second identifiers in the resource profile. For example, a production history can comprises a set of points P1-Pn indicating the amount of power generated over n days. Similarly, predicted production and predicted consumption function identifiers 72 indicate that the resource profile 70 being communicated represents the predicting future behavior of the resource 10. Predicted production and predicted consumption resource profiles 70 can be generated by referencing production history and consumption history resource profiles 70.
Resource profiles 70 can also be sent in response to a request. For example, upon receipt of a do not produce request message, a producer 40 or consumer 42 can respond by sending or publishing a resource profile 70. If the responsive resource profile 70 is identical to the resource profile 70 included in the do not produce request message, then the receiving party has agreed to adjust production or consumption levels according to the request. If the responsive resource profile 70 is not identical to the resource profile 70 included in the do not produce request message, then the receiving party is unable or unwilling to adjust production or consumption levels according to the request. This responsive behavior enables the sending party to recognize that the producer 40 or consumer 42 has received the request and will or will not adjust its behavior accordingly. The aforementioned responsive behavior exemplifies the aforementioned iterative process of negotiation of production and consumption using electronic messages with resource profiles 70 and function identifiers 72.
For example, in an exemplary message exchange according to the messaging architecture and illustrated in FIG. 4, the producer 40 sends a reduce request to the consumer 42 requesting that the consumer reduces its consumption levels to the levels indicated in resource profile A, which comprises a desired consumption profile. In this instance, the consumer 42 accepts the request and alters its future consumption profile accordingly. The consumer 42 then sends a message to the producer 40 publishing the altered consumption profile, resource profile B. Once the producer 40 receives the published resource profile B, the producer 40 recognizes that the request has been accepted either in full or in part.
The invention contemplates, for example, a producer 40 that may be in communication with a plurality of consumers where the plurality of response messages may be aggregated according to the identifiers that identify the axes such that an aggregate consumption profile can be constructed by the producer. If the aggregate consumption profile cannot be met by a known production profile, the producer 40 can used additional messaging according to the messaging architecture to further drive the aggregate consumption profile and/or a new production profile to a desired shape. A production profile is a resource profile associated with the production of the resource. In one embodiment, the association can be accomplished by a function identifier 72 providing a production context. Conversely, a consumption profile is a resource profile associated with the consumption or use of the resource.
Looking again at FIG. 1, the inventive messaging structure 71 and architecture can also be used by the consumable holder 16, which can also function as a node on the appliance network 32. The messaging structure can be used by the process control apparatus 14 to manage consumption of the consumable 24. In this example, the consumable holder would be considered a producer of a resource and the process control apparatus 14 could be considered the consumer of a resource. If the appliance were a washer, the resource might be a detergent.
In this or another embodiment where the appliance is part of an appliance network having more than one appliance in communication with each other, the messages communicated between components of an appliance or between appliances can include a production profile generated by an appliance in response to one or more cycles of operation. The production profile can be associated with a resource by product of the cycles of operation. For example, the by product can be such things as waste heat, grey water, hot water, warm water, water, potable water, steam, humidity, and/or conditioned air.
It will be apparent that the messaging structure 71 takes advantage of a namespace for defining a resource profile used in managing consumption or production of a resource. The namespace includes a universe of unique identifiers, each of which represents a parameter about a resource such as gallons, time, dollars, BTU's, watts, and the like. Another universe of identifiers 72 represents the universe of functions such as reduceRequest, produceRequest, publishConsumptionProfile, and publishProductionProfile, and the like that can be associated with a resource profile 70.
Referring now to FIGS. 5A-5E, a number of message packets are shown that illustrate an exemplary namespace or message structure 100 according to the invention. In the following discussion, it will be understood that the values for what are explained as “identifiers” will ordinarily, but not necessarily be expressed in the packet in some numeric format such as binary as opposed to the text or string-meaningful representation as might be implied by the drawings. It should be understood, that the text or string representation shown are shown for clarity and readability and do not reflect the actual values that would be sent in the packet in this embodiment. In other words, identifiers are the numeric values sent in the packet structures according to descriptions for the contents of the bytes in the following paragraphs. However, for purposes of clarity and readability, identifiers are described in terms of the text or string-meaningful representations. For example, “time” is used as an identifier in Byte 5 of FIG. 5C. However the literal string ‘time’ would ordinarily not be in Byte 5. Rather a numeric identifier representing ‘time’ would be in Byte 5 in this example. It is possible to send strings in packet format, but since each character in a string requires one byte in the packet, numeric identifiers for the meaningful data are typically used as a mechanism to save network bandwidth, computer memory, and processing time.
FIG. 5A is a packet structure 102 that can be used in a command sent from resource producers to resource consumers or from resource consumers to resource producers as a request to adapt production or consumption. It can also be used in a Publish Profile event either as a stand alone message from a resource producer or a resource consumer to notify others of a change or update to a resource profile, or responsive to a Get Profile command that requests such information of resource producers or resource consumers. The packet structure 102 comprises a resource profile identifier 104 in bytes 0 and 1, and a resource profile context identifier 106 in byte 2.
The resource profile identifier 104 identifies a collection of definitions defining the meaning of the data for an X-Y axis. Data for an X-Y axis is typically expressed as an ordered collection of X, Y coordinate pairs 108 and succeeding pairs starting at Byte 11, 19, and 26. Definitions defining the meaning of the data for an X-Y axis include meaning, units, resolution, direction, and span. Meaning refers to meaning of the data on the axis such as time, watts, liters, etc. Units further define meaning by associating known measurements with the meaning of the axis so that an axis can express a precise quantity of something. Resolution is the level of granularity of the values of the data represented on the axis. Resolution is the smallest incremental value or smallest value of change that can be expressed for the data on the axis. Span is the range of values between the maximum value and the minimum value of the data on the axis. Direction provides additional context of the data for the X-Y axis specifying the data as absolute, incrementally more, or incrementally less. The resource profile identifier 104 is an identifier representing the definitions defining the meaning of the data for an X-Y axis. The data must only be used in concert and with full knowledge and understanding of the definitions for proper use and interpretation of the data; otherwise, for example, a producer may produce gallons even though the consumer only requested ounces.
The resource profile context identifier 106 gives additional meaning and/or purpose to the resource profile identifier 104. In other words, a given ordered collection of X-Y data points plotted across a defined X-Y axis is a curve with a defined meaning. The resource profile context identifier 106 provides an additional identifier for the curve so that the data of the curve can be used or interpreted and acted on. Examples of resource profile context identifiers 106 are consumption requests, production requests, consumption forecasts and the like. In one example, a consumer might send a producer a request to produce. In another example a dishwasher might send a hot water heater a production request for hot water for the given cycle of operation of the dishwasher. “Producerequest” may be the resource profile context identifier 106 in these examples. In another example, a producer may notify registered listeners with updated resource profiles expressing new production plans. This could be used, for example, for one electrical generating plant to inform other plants that new generators were being put on line. “ProductionPlan” may be the resource profile context identifier 106 in these examples. Another example could be in the electrical industry where sometime loads are turned on to improve power factor. “ConsumeRequest” could be the resource profile context identifier 106 to turn on a given load in Watts wherein the magnitude of the requested consumption watts could be varied over time according to the ordered collection of coordinate X-Y pairs. In another example, an appliance user may change the normal cycle of a dishwasher to a soak and scour. Upon change, the dishwasher could notify registered users or could send a broadcast message of a new ‘water’ consumption resource profile using “consumptionPlan” as a resource profile context identifier 106.
The remaining bytes contain XY pairs 108, comprising an ordered collection of x-y coordinates where the first 4 bytes are the X value and last 4 bytes are the y value. The MSbit of the X value 4 bytes is a sign bit where a 0 means positive and a 1 means negative. The remaining 3 bytes and 7 bits are data. The format of the 4 bytes for the y value is the same as the X with the MSbit of the Y value 4 bytes also being a sign bit.
Referring now also to FIGS. 2A and 4, the resource profile identifier 104 and the XY pairs 108 together may be considered a resource profile 70. The resource profile context identifier 106 may be considered a function identifier 72.
FIG. 5B is a packet structure 110 that can be used in a command that will result in a Publish Profile event. It can be seen that it contains a resource profile identifier 112 in bytes 0 and 1, and a resource profile context identifier 114 in byte 3, each having the foregoing definitions of resource profile identifier 104 and resource profile context identifier 106, respectively.
Byte 3 holds a Y axis identifier 126, shown here, for example, as having a value representing “natural gas” or “electricity.” Byte 4 contains a forking element 128 to point to a sub-identifier of byte 3 such as units. For example, an electricity identifier 126 can be in milliwatts, watts, or kilowatts. Similarly, a natural gas identifier 126 can be expressed in liters, cubic inches, or cubic feet.
Byte 5 holds an X axis identifier 130, shown here for example as representing “time” or “cost.” Byte 6 contains a forking element 132 to point to a sub-identifier of byte 5. For example, “time” can be expressed in relative or absolute parameters, and “cost” can be expressed in dollars or cents or a combination thereof. As well, a time byte forking element can have further forking elements to provide better definition. Absolute and relative time can be expressed in a number of different ways as shown.
FIG. 5D is a packet structure 140 that might be used in a command to request the parameters associated with a particular resource profile identifier 142 and result in a message containing the packet structure of FIG. 5C. In such case, the value of the resource profile identifier 122 in the return message of 5C will be the same as the resource profile identifier 142 in the command message of 5D.
FIG. 5E is a packet structure 150 that might be used in an event responsive to a command asking for collection of resource profiles, and contains an enumeration of all resource profile identifiers 152, . . . , 152 (n) responsive to the request.
It can be seen that the namespaces defined in the exemplars of FIGS. 5A-5E contain several unique set of identifiers that represent parameters about and resources with enough information to effectively manage the resources entirely via electronic messaging. The namespaces include sets of identifiers representing all meanings of the data for all possible XY axes of all resource profiles, all resources and all resource profile contexts.
Referring again also to FIG. 2, the resource management capabilities provided by the messaging structure 71 of the invention can be used to reduce resource consumption, coordinate the production of resources, or coordinate the usage of resources or consumables by an appliance or the mixing thereof within an appliance or within any system wherein ingredients are aggregated over time. Information from the sources 50, 52, 60 can be used by an appliance 12 on the network 32 to alter operational parameters in accordance with a preferred resource consumption profile, or simply in a manner intended to minimize waste and increase operational efficiency. Information about the appliance 12 operation made available by the messaging architecture can be displayed at the user interface 22 so that a user can select operational parameters best suited for the appliance 12 and system. In addition, the appliance 12 can be configured to automatically modify a cycle of operations based on information made available by the messaging architecture.
whereby the first and second portions provide enough information in the messages to effectively manage the resource.
2. The messaging architecture of claim 1 further comprising identifiers of one of a producer, a consumer, a source of information about a producer, a source of information about a consumer, and a source of information about a resource.
3. The messaging architecture of claim 1 wherein the function identifier comprises one of a produce request, a consume request, a do not consume request, a do not produce request, a consumption history, a predicted consumption, a production history, and a predicted production.
4. The messaging architecture of claim 1 wherein the messages comprise a third portion containing information about a network.
5. The messaging architecture of claim 1 wherein the first portion further comprises a direction.
6. The messaging architecture of claim 1 wherein at least one of the first and second identifiers comprise a units identifier.
whereby the source of information can affect production by the producer or consumption by the consumer of a resource by electronic messages using the message architecture.
8. The system according to claim 7 wherein the source of information about a resource aggregates the information from at least one of a producer or consumer.
9. The system according to claim 8 wherein the information includes information from one of a source of information about a producer or a source of information about a consumer.
10. The system according to claim 9 wherein the producer is the source of information about a producer.
11. The system according to claim 9 wherein the consumer is the source of information about a consumer.
12. The system according to claim 9 wherein the source of information about a resource is one of the source of information about a producer and the source of information about a consumer.
13. The system according to claim 7 further comprising a second source of information about the resource and the two sources of information about the resource communicate with each other.
14. The system according to claim 7 further comprising one of a source of information about a producer and a source of information about a consumer, wherein the consumer is an appliance, the source of information about a producer is a meter, and the resource is one of gas, water and electricity.
15. The system according to claim 7 wherein the consumer is an appliance, the producer is a water heater, and the resource is hot water.
16. The system according to claim 7 wherein the producer is an appliance and the resource is one of grey water and waste heat.
17. The system according to claim 7 wherein the consumer is an appliance, the producer is a utility, and the resource is one of gas, water and electricity.
18. The system according to claim 7 wherein the consumer is an appliance.
19. The system according to claim 7 wherein the producer is an appliance by forfeiting future consumption of a resource.
20. The system according to claim 7 wherein the producer and the consumer iteratively negotiate using the electronic messages to agree on one of production and consumption of the resource.
whereby the appliance can participate in effective management of the resource based on the messages.
22. The appliance according to claim 21 further comprising a user interface whereby a user can input information related to effective management of the resource based on the messages or the user interface can display information about a resource profile and a function identifier.
23. The appliance according to claim 21 further comprising a component that provides a resource and process control apparatus that uses a resource, wherein the messages can be communicated between the component and the process control apparatus to effectively manage the use of the resource within the appliance.
24. The appliance according to claim 23 wherein the appliance is a washer, the component is a dispenser, and the resource is a detergent.
25. The appliance according to claim 21 wherein the messages include a production profile generated by the appliance in response to a cycle of operation.
26. The appliance according to claim 25 wherein the production profile is associated with a resource by product of the cycle of operation.
27. The appliance according to claim 26 wherein the by product is one of waste heat, grey water, hot water, warm water, water, potable water, steam, humidity, and conditioned air.
28. The appliance according to claim 21 wherein the messages include a consumption profile generated by the appliance in response to a cycle of operation.
29. The appliance according to claim 28 wherein the resource is one of water, electricity, air, gas, chemical additives, ingredients, ice, cooling air, chilled water, flavoring, steam, heat, and hot water.
30. The appliance according to claim 21 wherein the controller is configured to affect a cycle of operation in response to a received message.
Asian Electronics Ltd., Glossary, 2003, pp. 1-6.
IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin, Jan. 1, 1986; vol. 28, pp. 3657-3660.
Matsukawa, Isamu; Asano, Hiroshi; Kakimoto, Hitoshi; Household Response to Incentive Payments for Load Shifting: A Japanese Time-of-Day Electricity Pricing Experiment; Energy Journal, 21, 1, 73; Jan. 2000; ISSN: 0195-6574.
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Synonyms, 1984, Merriam-Webster, Inc., p. 13.
U.S. Appl. No. 10/280,902, filed Oct. 25, 2002; Method and Apparatus for Managing Resources of Utility Provider; first named inventor Gale R. Horst.
U.S. Appl. No. 10/460,885, filed Jun. 13, 2003; Total Home Energy Management; first named inventor Gale Richard Horst.
U.S. Appl. No. 10/757,891, filed Jan. 15, 2004; A Process for Managing and Curtailing Power Demand of Appliances and Components Thereof, and System Using Such Process; first named inventor Gianpiero Santacatterina.
U.S. Appl. No. 11/733,385, filed Apr. 10, 2007; Energy Management System and Method; first named inventor Gale R. Horst. | 2019-04-19T04:05:09Z | https://patents.google.com/patent/US9665838B2/en |
"WSJ" redirects here. For other uses, see WSJ (disambiguation).
It is published six days a week by Dow Jones & Company, a division of News Corp, along with the Asian and European editions of the Journal. The Journal is the largest newspaper in the United States by circulation. According to the Alliance for Audited Media, it has a circulation of about 2.4 million copies (including nearly 900,000 digital subscriptions), as of March 2013, compared with USA Today 's 1.7 million. Its main rival in the business newspaper sector is the London-based Financial Times, which also publishes several international editions.
The Journal primarily covers American economic and international business topics, and financial news and issues. Its name derives from Wall Street, the heart of the New York financial district. It has been printed continuously since its inception on July 8, 1889, by Charles Dow, Edward Jones, and Charles Bergstresser. The newspaper version has won the Pulitzer Prize thirty-four times, including 2007 prizes for its reporting on backdated stock options and the adverse effects of China's booming economy. In 2011, The Wall Street Journal was ranked No. 1 in BtoB's Media Power 50 for the 12th consecutive year. Its editorial pages and columns, run separately from the news pages, are highly influential in American conservative circles. As editors of the editorial page, Vermont C. Royster (served 1958–1971) and Robert L. Bartley (served 1972–2000) were especially influential in providing a conservative interpretation of the news on a daily basis.
Dow Jones & Company's, publisher of the Journal, first product was brief news bulletins hand-delivered throughout the day to traders at the stock exchange. They were later aggregated in a printed daily summary called the Customers' Afternoon Letter. The reporters Charles Dow, Edward Jones and Charles Bergstresser converted this into The Wall Street Journal, which was published for the first time on July 8, 1889, and began delivery of the Dow Jones News Service via telegraph. In 1896, The "Dow Jones Industrial Average" was officially launched. It was the first of several indices of stock and bond prices on the New York Stock Exchange. In 1899, the Journal's Review & Outlook column, which still runs today, appears for the first time. It initially was written by Charles Dow.
Journalist Clarence Barron purchased control of the company for US$130,000 in 1902; circulation was then around 7,000 but climbed to 50,000 by the end of the 1920s. Barron and his predecessors were credited with creating an atmosphere of fearless, independent financial reporting—a novelty in the early days of business journalism. In 1921, Barron's, America's premier financial weekly, was founded.
Barron died in 1928, a year before Black Tuesday, the stock market crash that greatly affected the Great Depression in the United States. Barron's descendants, the Bancroft family, would continue to control the company until 2007.
The Journal took its modern shape and prominence in the 1940s, a time of industrial expansion for the United States and its financial institutions in New York. Bernard Kilgore was named managing editor of the paper in 1941, and company CEO in 1945, eventually compiling a 25-year career as the head of the Journal. Kilgore was the architect of the paper's iconic front-page design, with its "What's News" digest, and its national distribution strategy, which brought the paper's circulation from 33,000 in 1941 to 1.1 million at the time of Kilgore's death in 1967. Under Kilgore, in 1947, that the paper won its first Pulitzer Prize, for William Henry Grimes's editorials.
In 1967, Dow Jones Newswires began a major expansion outside of the United States that ultimately put journalists in every major financial center in Europe, Asia, Latin America, Australia, and Africa. In 1970, Dow Jones bought the Ottaway newspaper chain, which at the time comprised nine dailies and three Sunday newspapers. Later, the name was changed to "Dow Jones Local Media Group".
1971 to 1997 brought about a series of launches, acquisitions, and joint ventures, including "Factiva", the Asian Wall Street Journal, The Wall Street Journal Europe, the WSJ.com website, Dow Jones Indexes, MarketWatch, and "WSJ Weekend Edition". In 2007 News Corp. acquired Dow Jones. WSJ., a luxury lifestyle magazine, was launched in 2008.
A complement to the print newspaper, The Wall Street Journal Online, was launched in 1996. In 2003, Dow Jones began to integrate reporting of the Journal's print and online subscribers together in Audit Bureau of Circulations statements. In 2007, it was commonly believed to be the largest paid-subscription news site on the Web, with 980,000 paid subscribers. Since then, online subscribership has fallen, due in part to rising subscription costs, and was reported at 400,000 in March 2010. In May 2008, an annual subscription to the online edition of The Wall Street Journal cost $119 for those who do not have subscriptions to the print edition. By June 2013, the monthly cost for a subscription to the online edition was $22.99, or $275.88 annually, excluding introductory offers.
On November 30, 2004, Oasys Mobile and The Wall Street Journal released an application that would allow users to access content from the Wall Street Journal Online via their mobile phone. It "will provide up-to-the-minute business and financial news from the Online Journal, along with comprehensive market, stock and commodities data, plus personalized portfolio information—directly to a cell phone".
The paper's paid content is available free, on a limited basis, to America Online subscribers, and through the free Congoo Netpass. Many of The Wall Street Journal news stories are available through free online newspapers that subscribe to the Dow Jones syndicate. Pulitzer Prize–winning stories from 1995 are available free on the Pulitzer web site.
In September 2005, the Journal launched a weekend edition, delivered to all subscribers, which marked a return to Saturday publication after a lapse of some 50 years. The move was designed in part to attract more consumer advertising.
In 2005, the Journal reported a readership profile of about 60 percent top management, an average income of $191,000, an average household net worth of $2.1 million, and an average age of 55.
In 2007, the Journal launched a worldwide expansion of its website to include major foreign-language editions. The paper had also shown an interest in buying the rival Financial Times.
The nameplate is unique in having a period at the end.
In 2006, the Journal began including advertising on its front page for the first time. This followed the introduction of front-page advertising on the Journal's European and Asian editions in late 2005.
After presenting nearly identical front-page layouts for half a century—always six columns, with the day's top stories in the first and sixth columns, "What's News" digest in the second and third, the "A-hed" feature story in the fourth and themed weekly reports in the fifth column – the paper in 2007 decreased its broadsheet width from 15 to 12 inches while keeping the length at 223⁄4 inches, to save newsprint costs. News design consultant Mario Garcia collaborated on the changes. Dow Jones said it would save US$18 million a year in newsprint costs across all The Wall Street Journal papers. This move eliminated one column of print, pushing the "A-hed" out of its traditional location (though the paper now usually includes a quirky feature story on the right side of the front page, sandwiched among the lead stories).
The paper still uses ink dot drawings called hedcuts, introduced in 1979 and originally created by Kevin Sprouls, in addition to photographs, a method of illustration considered a consistent visual signature of the paper. The Journal still heavily employs the use of caricatures, notably those of Ken Fallin, such as when Peggy Noonan memorialized recently deceased newsman Tim Russert. The use of color photographs and graphics has become increasingly common in recent years with the addition of more "lifestyle" sections.
The daily was awarded by the Society for News Design World's Best Designed Newspaper award for 1994 and 1997.
On May 2, 2007, News Corporation made an unsolicited takeover bid for Dow Jones, offering US$60 a share for stock that had been selling for US$33 a share. The Bancroft family, which controlled more than 60% of the voting stock, at first rejected the offer, but later reconsidered its position.
Three months later, on August 1, 2007, News Corporation and Dow Jones entered into a definitive merger agreement. The US$5 billion sale added The Wall Street Journal to Rupert Murdoch's news empire, which already included Fox News Channel, financial network unit and London's The Times, and locally within New York, the New York Post, along with Fox flagship station WNYW (Channel 5) and MyNetworkTV flagship WWOR (Channel 9).
On December 13, 2007, shareholders representing more than 60 percent of Dow Jones's voting stock approved the company's acquisition by News Corporation.
A special committee was established to oversee the Journal 's editorial integrity. When the managing editor Marcus Brauchli resigned on April 22, 2008, the committee said that News Corporation had violated its agreement by not notifying the committee earlier. However, Brauchli said he believed that new owners should appoint their own editor.
A 2007 Journal article quoted charges that Murdoch had made and broken similar promises in the past. One large shareholder commented that Murdoch has long "expressed his personal, political and business biases through his newspapers and television stations". Former Times assistant editor Fred Emery remembers an incident when "Mr. Murdoch called him into his office in March 1982 and said he was considering firing Times editor Harold Evans. Mr. Emery says he reminded Mr. Murdoch of his promise that editors couldn't be fired without the independent directors' approval. 'God, you don't take all that seriously, do you?' Mr. Murdoch answered, according to Mr. Emery." Murdoch eventually forced out Evans.
In 2011, The Guardian found evidence that the Journal had artificially inflated its European sales numbers, by paying Executive Learning Partnership for purchasing 16% of European sales. These inflated sales numbers then enabled the Journal to charge similarly inflated advertising rates, as the advertisers would think that they reached more readers than they actually did. In addition, the Journal agreed to run "articles" featuring Executive Learning Partnership, presented as news, but effectively advertising. The case came to light after a Belgian Wall Street Journal employee, Gert Van Mol (nl), informed Dow Jones CEO Les Hinton about the questionable practice. As a result the then Wall Street Journal Europe CEO and Publisher Andrew Langhoff was fired after it was found out he personally pressured journalists into covering one of the newspaper's business partners involved in the issue. Since September 2011 all the online articles that resulted from the ethical wrongdoing carry a Wall Street Journal disclaimer informing the readers about the circumstances in which they were created.
The Journal, along with its parent Dow Jones & Company, was among the businesses News Corporation spun off in 2013 as the new News Corp.
Off Duty – published Saturdays in WSJ Weekend; focuses on fashion, food, design, travel and gear/tech. The section was launched September 25, 2010.
Review – published Saturdays in WSJ Weekend; focuses on essays, commentary, reviews and ideas. The section was launched September 25, 2010.
Mansion – published Fridays; focuses on high-end real estate. The section was launched October 5, 2012.
WSJ Magazine – Launched in 2008 as a quarterly, this luxury magazine supplement distributed within the U.S., European and Asian editions of The Wall Street Journal grew to 12 issues per year in 2014.
WSJ. is The Wall Street Journal 's luxury lifestyle magazine. Its coverage spans art, fashion, entertainment, design, food, architecture, travel and more. Kristina O'Neill is Editor in Chief and Anthony Cenname is Publisher.
Launched as a quarterly in 2008, the magazine grew to 12 issues a year for 2014. The magazine is distributed within the U.S. Weekend Edition of The Wall Street Journal newspaper (average paid print circulation is +2.2 million*), the European and Asian editions, and is available on WSJ.com. Each issue is also available throughout the month in The Wall Street Journal's iPad app.
Penélope Cruz, Carmelo Anthony, Woody Allen, Scarlett Johansson, Emilia Clarke, Daft Punk, and Gisele Bündchen have all been featured on the cover.
In 2012, the magazine launched its signature platform, The Innovator Awards. An extension of the November Innovators issue, the awards ceremony, held in New York City at Museum of Modern Art, honors visionaries across the fields of design, fashion, architecture, humanitarianism, art and technology. The 2013 winners were: Alice Waters (Humanitarianism); Daft Punk (Entertainment); David Adjaye (Architecture); Do Ho Su (Art); Nick D'Aloisio (Technology); Pat McGrath (Fashion); Thomas Woltz (Design).
In 2013, Adweek awarded WSJ. "Hottest Lifestyle Magazine of the Year" for its annual Hot List.
U.S. Circulation: Each issue of WSJ. is inserted into the weekend edition of The Wall Street Journal, whose average paid circulation for the three months ending September 30, 2013 was 2,261,772 as reported to the Alliance for Audited Media (AAM).
The Wall Street Journal has a global news staff of more than 2,000 journalists in 85 news bureaus across 51 countries. It has 26 printing plants.
WSJ Live became available on mobile units, including iPad, in September 2011.
WSJ Weekend, the weekend newspaper, expanded September 2010, with two new sections: "Off Duty" and "Review".
Greater New York, a stand-alone, full color section dedicated to the New York metro area, launched April 2010.
The Wall Street Journal's San Francisco Bay Area Edition, which focuses on local news and events, launched on November 2009, appearing locally each Thursday in the print Journal and every day on online at WSJ.com/SF.
WSJ Weekend, formerly called Saturday's Weekend Edition: September 2005.
Launch of Today's Journal, which included both the addition of Personal Journal and color capacity to the Journal: April 2002.
Friday Journal, formerly called First Weekend Journal: March 20, 1998.
WSJ.com launched in April 1996.
First three-section Journal: October 1988.
First two-section Journal: June 1980.
The Journal won its first two Pulitzer Prizes for editorial writing in 1947 and 1953. Subsequent Pulitzer Prizes have been awarded for editorial writing to Robert L. Bartley in 1980 and Joseph Rago in 2011; for criticism to Manuela Hoelterhoff in 1983 and Joe Morgenstern in 2005; and for commentary to Vermont Royster in 1984, Paul Gigot in 2000, Dorothy Rabinowitz in 2001, and Bret Stephens in 2013.
Two summaries published in 1995 by the progressive blog Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting, and in 1996 by the Columbia Journalism Review criticized the Journal's editorial page for inaccuracy during the 1980s and 1990s.
They are united by the mantra "free markets and free people", the principles, if you will, marked in the watershed year of 1776 by Thomas Jefferson's Declaration of Independence and Adam Smith's Wealth of Nations. So over the past century and into the next, the Journal stands for free trade and sound money; against confiscatory taxation and the ukases of kings and other collectivists; and for individual autonomy against dictators, bullies and even the tempers of momentary majorities. If these principles sound unexceptionable in theory, applying them to current issues is often unfashionable and controversial.
On our editorial page we make no pretense of walking down the middle of the road. Our comments and interpretations are made from a definite point of view. We believe in the individual, in his wisdom and his decency. We oppose all infringements on individual rights, whether they stem from attempts at private monopoly, labor union monopoly or from an overgrowing government. People will say we are conservative or even reactionary. We are not much interested in labels but if we were to choose one, we would say we are radical. Just as radical as the Christian doctrine.
Every Thanksgiving the editorial page prints two famous articles that have appeared there since 1961. The first is titled The Desolate Wilderness, and describes what the Pilgrims saw when they arrived at the Plymouth Colony. The second is titled And the Fair Land, and describes the bounty of America. It was written by a former editor, Vermont C. Royster, whose Christmas article In Hoc Anno Domini, has appeared every December 25 since 1949.
During the Reagan administration, the newspaper's editorial page was particularly influential as the leading voice for supply-side economics. Under the editorship of Robert Bartley, it expounded at length on economic concepts such as the Laffer curve, and how a decrease in certain marginal tax rates and the capital gains tax could allegedly increase overall tax revenue by generating more economic activity.
In the economic argument of exchange rate regimes (one of the most divisive issues among economists), the Journal has a tendency to support fixed exchange rates over floating exchange rates. For example, the Journal was a major supporter of the Chinese yuan's peg to the dollar, and strongly disagreed with American politicians who criticized the Chinese government about the peg. It opposed China's move to let the yuan gradually float, arguing that the fixed rate benefited both the United States and China.
The Journal's views compare with those of the British publication The Economist, with its emphasis on free markets. However, the Journal demonstrates important distinctions from European business newspapers, most particularly in regard to the relative significance of, and causes of, the American budget deficit. (The Journal generally points to the lack of foreign growth, while business journals in Europe and Asia blame the low savings rate and concordant high borrowing rate in the United States).
The editorial board has long argued for a pro-business immigration policy. In a July 3, 1984 editorial, the board wrote: "If Washington still wants to 'do something' about immigration, we propose a five-word constitutional amendment: There shall be open borders." This stand on immigration reform places the Journal as an opponent of most conservative activists and politicians, for example National Review, who favor heightened restrictions on immigration.
The Journal in recent years has strongly defended Scooter Libby, whom it portrays as the victim of a political witchhunt. It has also published editorials comparing the attacks by Seymour Hersh and The New York Times on Leo Strauss and his alleged influence in the George W. Bush administration with those of Lyndon LaRouche, a fringe conspiracy theorist and perennial presidential candidate.
Some former The Wall Street Journal reporters have said that, since Rupert Murdoch bought the paper, news stories have been edited to adopt a more conservative tone, critical of Democrats. The op-ed section routinely publishes articles by scientists skeptical of the theory of global warming, including several essays by Richard Lindzen of MIT. Similarly, the Journal has refused to publish opinions of prominent scientists with opposing conclusions.
Both the Journal and Reuters Chinese language editions were blocked by the Chinese government in October, 2013, reportedly after they had published unflattering stories about "Chinese elites". They were unblocked at the beginning of January, 2014.
The Journal 's editorial page has been fiercely critical of the Affordable Care Act legislation passed in 2010 and regularly features opinion columns attacking various aspects of the bill. The Editorial page, which is operated separately from the news pages, has also attacked nearly every aspect of Barack Obama's presidency, especially since Murdoch purchased the paper.
The Journal 's editors stress the independence and impartiality of their reporters. In a 2004 study, Tim Groseclose and Jeff Milyo calculated the ideological bias of 20 media outlets by counting the frequency they cited particular think tanks and comparing that to the frequency that legislators cited the same think tanks. They found that the news reporting of The Journal was the most liberal (more liberal than NPR or The New York Times). The study did not factor in editorials. Mark Liberman criticized the model used to calculate bias in the study and argued that the model unequally affected liberals and conservatives and that "think tank ideology [...] only matters to liberals."
The company's planned and eventual acquisition by News Corp. in 2007 led to significant media criticism and discussion about whether the news pages would exhibit a rightward slant under Rupert Murdoch. An August 1 editorial responded to the questions by asserting that Murdoch intended to "maintain the values and integrity of the Journal."
The Journal has won more than 30 Pulitzer Prizes in its history. Staff journalists who led some of the newspaper's best-known coverage teams have later published books that summarized and extended their reporting.
In 1987, a bidding war ensued between several financial firms for tobacco and food giant RJR Nabisco. Bryan Burrough and John Helyar documented the events in more than two dozen Journal articles. Burrough and Helyar later used these articles as the basis of a bestselling book, Barbarians at the Gate: The Fall of RJR Nabisco, which was turned into a film for HBO.
In the 1980s, Journal reporter James B. Stewart brought national attention to the illegal practice of insider trading. He was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in explanatory journalism in 1988, which he shared with Daniel Hertzberg, who went on to serve as the paper's senior deputy managing editor before resigning in 2009. Stewart expanded on this theme in his book, Den of Thieves.
David Sanford, a Page One features editor who was infected with HIV in 1982 in a bathhouse, wrote a front-page personal account of how, with the assistance of improved treatments for HIV, he went from planning his death to planning his retirement. He and six other reporters wrote about the new treatments, political and economic issues, and won the 1997 Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting about AIDS.
Jonathan Weil, a reporter at the Dallas bureau of The Wall Street Journal, is credited with first breaking the story of financial abuses at Enron in September 2000. Rebecca Smith and John R. Emshwiller reported on the story regularly, and wrote a book, 24 Days.
The Wall Street Journal claims to have sent the first news report, on the Dow Jones wire, of a plane crashing into the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. Its headquarters, at One World Financial Center, was severely damaged by the collapse of the World Trade Center just across the street. Top editors worried that they might miss publishing the first issue for the first time in the paper's 112-year history. They relocated to a makeshift office at an editor's home, while sending most of the staff to Dow Jones's South Brunswick, N.J., corporate campus, where the paper had established emergency editorial facilities soon after the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. The paper was on the stands the next day, albeit in scaled-down form. Perhaps the most compelling story in that day's edition was a first-hand account of the Twin Towers' collapse written by then-Foreign Editor (and current Washington bureau chief) John Bussey, who holed up in a ninth-floor Journal office, literally in the shadow of the towers, from where he phoned in live reports to CNBC as the towers burned. He narrowly escaped serious injury when the first tower collapsed, shattering all the windows in the Journal's offices and filling them with dust and debris. The Journal won a 2002 Pulitzer Prize in Breaking News Reporting for that day's stories.
The Journal subsequently conducted a worldwide investigation of the causes and significance of 9/11, using contacts it had developed while covering business in the Arab world. In Kabul, Afghanistan, a The Wall Street Journal reporter bought a pair of looted computers that Al Qaeda leaders had used to plan assassinations, chemical and biological attacks, and mundane daily activities. The encrypted files were decrypted and translated. It was during this coverage that terrorists kidnapped and killed Journal reporter Daniel Pearl.
In 2007, the paper won the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service, with its iconic Gold Medal, for exposing companies that illegally backdate stock options they awarded executives to increase their value.
Kate Kelly wrote a three-part series that detailed events that led to the collapse of Bear Stearns.
A report published on September 30, 2010 detailing allegations McDonald's had plans to drop health coverage for hourly employees drew criticism from McDonald's as well as the Obama administration. The WSJ reported the plan to drop coverage stemmed from new health care requirements under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. McDonald's called the report "speculative and misleading," stating they had no plans to drop coverage. The WSJ report and subsequent rebuttal received coverage from several other media outlets.
On the Money (2013 TV series) – the current title of a CNBC-produced program known as The Wall Street Journal Report from 1970 until the CNBC/Dow Jones split in January 2013.
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↑ Naureckas, Jim; Rendall, Steve (September–October 1995). "20 Reasons Not to Trust the Journal Editorial Page". Extra!. Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting. Lieberman, Trudy (July–August 1996). "Bartley's Believe It Or Not!". Columbia Journalism Review.
↑ Grimes, William H. (Jan 2, 1951). "A Newspaper's Philosophy". Wall Street Journal (New York, NY). seen in "A Newspaper's Philosophy". Dow Jones. Dow Jones & Company. 2007. Archived from the original on Jul 16, 2007. Retrieved Aug 26, 2011.
↑ Rutenberg, Jim (June 3, 2007). "The editorial page commonly publishes pieces by U.S. and world leaders in academia, business, government and politics". Nytimes.com. Retrieved 2011-06-05.
↑ "The Libby Injustice". Editorial. The Wall Street Journal (New York). Retrieved January 20, 2007.
↑ Lindzen, Richard S. (30 November 2009). "The Climate Science Isn't Settled". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 17 February 2014.
↑ "China unblocks Reuters and Wall Street Journal". Politico. January 6, 2014.
↑ Liberman, Mark (Dec 22, 2005). "Linguistics, Politics, Mathematics". Language Log. Retrieved Nov 6, 2006.
↑ Shafer, Jack (May 7, 2007). "The Murdoch Street Journal". Slate. Retrieved Sep 7, 2008.
↑ "A New Owner". The Wall Street Journal. August 1, 2007. Retrieved Sep 7, 2008.
↑ "Raymond Snoddy on Media: Logic says WSJ is safe with Murdoch". Mediaweek.co.uk. 2007-06-06. Retrieved 2011-06-05.
↑ 65.0 65.1 Bussey, John. "The Eye of the Storm: One Journey Through Desperation and Chaos". The Wall Street Journal, page A1, September 12, 2001. Retrieved August 8, 2007.
↑ "The Pulitzer Prizes - Works". pulitzer.org.
↑ "The Pulitzer Prizes - The Medal". The Pulitzer Prizes. Retrieved 29 October 2013.
↑ Ademy, Janet (September 30, 2010). "McDonald's May Drop Health Plan". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved September 30, 2010.
↑ Arnall, Daniel (September 30, 2010). "McDonald's Fights Back Against Report It Will Drop Health Care Plan". ABC News. Retrieved September 30, 2010.
↑ Fulton, April (September 30, 2010). "McDonald's threatens to cut skimpy health plans". National Public Radio. Retrieved September 30, 2010.
↑ Pequent, Julian (September 30, 2010). "Health secretary says McDonald's not dropping health plans". The Hill. Retrieved September 30, 2010.
↑ Weisenthal, Joe (September 30, 2010). "The WSJ's Demonization Of Obamacare Hits New Low With Article On McDonald's Dropping Coverage". Business Insider. Retrieved September 30, 2010.
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Above all things he feared imagination, that double-faced companion, friend on one side and foe on the other – friend in so far as one distrusts it, and enemy if one goes trustfully to sleep to the sound of its sweet murmur.
Spinoza distrusted imagination, seeing it as the primary form of defective and deceptive thinking. However, both his view and Goncharov’s may have been influenced by the absurdly superstitious worlds in which they found themselves.
These days we value our imagination, often equating it to creativity. Yet I think Spinoza and Goncharov had a point and we should distrust its sweet murmur. It seems to me that vast swathes of political reasoning are little more than the sweet murmur of imagination swirling around some more or less nebulous utopian core.
Impossibilities dressed up as possibilities, like a dream where we swoop and soar through fluffy clouds supported by nothing better than the power of the unconscious mind to pooh pooh physics.
...and that’s enough imagination for one day.
In my view a significant proportion of the public sector generates junk. This is largely achieved by ignoring efficiency and by gold-plating regulations.
The private sector also generates junk via market logic – if the customer can be persuaded to accept it, then junk it is.
So we end up with two broad types of junk and have been conditioned to accept both. This is politically convenient because it generates an endless source of misdirection over those we see as the political good guys and those we see as bad. Good junk versus bad junk.
In order to form an idea of an unknown situation our imagination borrows elements that are already familiar.
The real problem seems to be one of power – obviously. If governments, bureaucracies or global companies have too much power then they abuse it by filling our lives with junk. They don’t necessarily abuse it because ratbags are running the show, although that’s often the case, but because there is no adequate opposition. We are insufficiently junkphobic.
So we have far too many regulations, far too many constraints on individual freedom and vast global companies buy their way into the corridors of power and our lives. These trends are obviously not desirable, but the surest way to misunderstand them is to present modern politics as an antiquated left/right dichotomy.
There is no left/right dichotomy except in our political traditions which have long outlived their usefulness. The same applies to traditional political parties.
The only political issue is who has the power, what they are doing with it. If those with the power collude as they now do, then we have power structures which cannot be effectively opposed from a traditional left/right standpoint.
So the only political reality is global trends in political and economic power. The old left/right dichotomy doesn’t even come close to an adequate narrative.
This is not where our enemy hides.
Please accept my congratulations on your accepting Nick Clegg’s challenge – one that, I hope, he will have good reason to regret having made. May I offer some points to raise in the debate?
Not “why should we leave?” but “why should we join?”: Some argue – and I think they’re right – that the English Constitution cannot be altered without the express consent of all parties, including the Commons speaking for themselves, not through elected representatives. If that is so, then all acts to date of the British Government and Parliament implying surrender of sovereignty in any degree, are ultra vires. Why not offer Clegg that as a hypothetical starting point, and ask what reasons he could give for us to surrender our sovereignty to the EU? This shifts the onus to him.
College of Europe: What exactly did Clegg learn in his year there, and did he make any oaths or give any undertakings that might conflict with his duty as a British MP and Minister?
UK Parliament: continuing the conflict of interest theme, should all in either House who have been EU Commissioners or otherwise stand to lose their EU pension and privileges if they fail to represent a pro-EU point of view, not merely declare their interest but recuse themselves from voting or taking part in any debate that has an EU dimension?
Politics has become the art of the impossible.
We have a dysfunctional economy because we have a dysfunctional society, and vice versa. The pieces in the jigsaw box don't match up with the picture on the lid.
The picture shows people providing manufactures and services for each other. Families are holding together through thick and thin, and raising their children with love and discipline. Tax rates are low because money velocity and employment are high and few need to call on the safety net of the Welfare State. After paying for the necessaries of life, there is money left over to save for emergencies and old age, and saving is worthwhile because the currency keeps its value. The country is self-governing and at peace with its neighbours. Our leaders work for our best interests, arbitrating fairly between the demands of different groups.
The pieces we have now don't make that picture, and they don't even fit each other.
Our leaders have given our law and governance to the EU, effectively abandoned border controls, sold our economic base to foreign interests and combined to oppose electoral reform that would make them more answerable to the voters.
So to distract from their comprehensive failure, they select victims to be the lightning-rods for our anger. The recent "life means life" ruling on prisoners is to give us the illusion that our judicial system is independent of Europe; benefit claimants are demonised so that we don't ask why we haven't got jobs for them to do; economic immigrants, because they cannot be excluded, are to be treated as second-class citizens (in terms of social benefits) when they arrive.
This is reminiscent of Mao's Cultural Revolution, the cynical sowing of factional discord to secure control at the top. It feels like an era is ending, and those in the know are looting the system before the collapse. If Martin Armstrong's theory is correct, it's all inevitable, part of the long-cycle economic pulse that is bringing both Marxism and representative democracy to an end.
In the latest edition of the Spectator, Melissa Kite is distributing leaflets on behalf of a local action group, about the proposed massive (2,175 houses) residential property development in Wisley. The beneficiaries, she claims, are based in the Cayman Islands (though in 2012 there was also some legal dispute in Jersey, another offshore tax haven) and stand to make a billion pounds, tax-free.
Kite says that she has been warned off her campaign by people who told her they would "wear her down"; Surrey County Council seem to have managed it in the case of another residents' association chairman at the back end of last year.
The nominee company in the Jersey case was Prestigic (Wisley) Nominees Limited Company, whose address appears to be the same as that of Prestigic Holdings Limited (Chairman: Adrian Goldsmith). It also shares that address with a chi-chi Indian restaurant called Gymkhana; the horsey connection might vaguely appeal to an equestrian fan like Melissa.
We in the UK already have to import half our food, and I don't know of any program to convert housing back to arable land. Once it's gone, it's gone, and Heaven help us if we're ever in a food crisis again as we were in the 1940s.
"Panellists on Radio 4's Any Questions? and Charles Moore in this week's Spectator magazine agree (with lots of others, it seems) that there is a housing shortage in the UK and the only question is how to satisfy it. I beg to differ, or at least think we can question the assumption.
1. "According to The Empty Homes Agency, there are an estimated 870,000 empty homes in the UK and enough empty commercial property to create 420,000 new homes", according to the BBC website section on Homes.
2. There are over 245,000 registered second homes in the UK, according to Schofields home insurers.
3. The 2001 census showed that average home occupation in England and Wales had declined from 10 years before, from 2.51 to 2.36 persons.
4. According to the official Housing Survey of 2008/9, 7.7 million households were couples with no dependent children; there were also 6.2 million single person households (up from 3.8 million in 1981).
5. The same survey showed that the average (mean) dwelling had 2.8 bedrooms, rising to 3.0 bedrooms for owner-occupiers. Fewer than 3% of households were defined as overcrowded.
6. According to a 2005 Home Office study, there were 310,000 - 570,000 illegal immigrants in the UK, a figure which MigrationWatch thought to be underestimated by 15,000 - 85,000. This is a separate issue from the 8.7% of the population who are economic migrants to the UK, and whose real net contribution to the economy (after taking into account all benefits to which they and their dependants may be entitled) is a matter of debate.
We are not in the situation we faced in 1945, when soldiers returning home from war squatted on military sites and even caves. The modern "housing shortage" is an arbitrary notion."
The broken window parable has interested me for years, because much of what we do seems akin to breaking windows.
Designed to fail so we can do it again.
Designed to fail so we can buy another one.
Designed to fail so we need regular maintenance.
Designed to fail so we need regular policing.
Designed to fail the vagaries of fashion.
Designed to be laborious so we need more staff.
Designed to be complex so we need more consultants.
And so on and so on. It seems to be a feature of almost any society - promoting wasteful activity once we have a full belly and a warm hut. When we can afford some illusions to keep reality at bay.
Even a Dark Age village may have been able to feed a travelling story-teller in return for a night or two of entertainment - to keep reality at bay.
AK Haart wonders about the uselessness of much research, calling it "remunerated gossip" (a phrase that might be re-used to describe modern Parliamentary proceedings).
Yet we never know where a line of enquiry might lead, and how profitably. Look at penicillin: Alexander Fleming was not the first to discover its bactericidal effect, and when he did he soon gave up trying to exploit it.
Edward de Bono, the "lateral thinking" man, noted that we come to useful ideas or solutions in roundabout ways and only then build a straight path from A to B. The internet - which itself has developed into something nobody expected - is bound to result in countless fruitful connections being made, by the sort of creative intellectual bummeln that web-surfing allows.
Granted, there will also be rubbish and (apparent) dead-ends, but if one in a billion notions gets us somewhere, then 2.4 billion users playing with the Net on pretty much a daily basis are certainly going to come up with something.
Blair "has not volunteered for Mars mission"
Our sources say that Mr ACL Blair has not yet put his name forward as a candidate for the 2023 expedition to establish a colony on Mars, though it could have certain advantages for him.
He would be safe there from attempts by members of the public to perform a citizen's arrest. Nor could he be called back to explain what he meant when advising Mrs Rebekah Brooks to establish a "Hutton style" enquiry that would "clear" her.
However, some say that Mrs Blair might be tempted to nominate him for the one-way trip, should further embarrassing evidence come to light suggesting a romantic link between him and the wife of Rupert Murdoch.
Although Mr Blair would then be aged 70, Mars One sets no upper age restriction. More important are qualities of intellect and character. We are confident that he would qualify in most, if not all respects - "The astronauts must be intelligent, creative, psychologically stable and physically healthy" - and the jaunt would certainly satisfy his well-known delight in travel.
The full astronaut specification can be seen here: http://www.mars-one.com/faq/selection-and-preparation-of-the-astronauts/what-are-the-qualifications-to-apply.
Readers may care to suggest others who might be similarly suited to go, or whom it would suit us to send.
Well, we visited Torcross after all, yesterday.
You can see the sky through the fire-damaged roof of the only recently-refurbished Boat House restaurant; half the windows in the street are boarded up, and one door caved in at the bottom. Not only was the road temporarily beachified, but the beach itself is considerably narrower and is no longer a shingle beach but a bucket-and-spade sand one.
Yet the Start Bay Inn seems completely unscathed. We had half-expected to be choosing our lunchtime fish off the carpet in the lower room, but all was well, and the food as good as ever.
Thank goodness for the 1980-built sea defences; otherwise it could well have been another Hallsands clearout.
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A few decades ago we tried our hand at antiques dealing. Those were the days when every leisure centre and church hall held an antiques fair at least once a month and they were usually full because people had seen lots of antiques on the telly.
We were nervous about our first fair because we weren’t sure what to expect on the dealer’s side of the stall. Would the other dealers turn out to be supercilious experts? Well we already knew that was unlikely because we’d been to so many as browsers and occasional buyers.
Our stall was next to a guy who just sold bric-a-brac, anything from vinyl records to toys to bits and pieces of tat nobody could possibly want. Except they did want it and he was busy all day.
“I just gi’ em what they want,” he said almost apologetically after running a doubtful eye over our stall.
It was our first hard knock and a timely one too. It isn’t just a case of buying well, but of buying what people want at a price well below what they might be prepared to pay. It’s no good following your own tastes either – you have to buy what the market likes.
All this is obvious stuff and nothing we didn’t know at the time, but somehow it isn’t as easy to do as it sounds. I found it very difficult to put my interests and preferences to one side. It’s no good finding a piece of china with a rare mark if it just looks like a cruddy old teapot. To the market that’s what it is.
Cruddy old bits of china don’t sell unless there is something seriously special about them such as turning out to be early Ming. Even then it might be a fake and who can tell these days without expensive scientific tests?
It’s a strange and fickle market. For example, today you can buy good solid antique furniture for peanuts. Furniture which will easily last a hundred years.
But it isn’t as fashionable as junk from IKEA made from chipboard or lumpy furniture which looks as it was made by taking a chainsaw to some old railway sleepers. Or faux antique shabby chic which costs as much and is less well made than the real thing.
Gi’ em what they want – it's almost a philosophy.
In 1790, while English radicals lost their heads in admiration for the French Revolution, Edmund Burke's "Reflections on the Revolution in France" fought the flames that threatened to reach and engulf Britain: "Whenever our neighbor's house is on fire, it cannot be amiss for the engines to play a little on our own. Better to be despised for too anxious apprehensions than ruined by too confident a security."
"When I see the spirit of liberty in action, I see a strong principle at work; and this, for a while, is all I can possibly know of it. The wild gas, the fixed air, is plainly broke loose: but we ought to suspend our judgment until the first effervescence is a little subsided, till the liquor is cleared, and until we see something deeper than the agitation of a troubled and frothy surface. I must be tolerably sure, before I venture publicly to congratulate men upon a blessing, that they have really received one. Flattery corrupts both the receiver and the giver; and adulation is not of more service to the people than to kings. I should therefore suspend my congratulations on the new liberty of France, until I was informed how it had been combined with government, with public force, with the discipline and obedience of armies, with the collection of an effective and well-distributed revenue, with morality and religion, with solidity and property, with peace and order, with civil and social manners. All these (in their way) are good things, too; and without them, liberty is not a benefit whilst it lasts, and is not likely to continue long. The effect of liberty to individuals is, that they may do what they please: we ought to see what it will please them to do, before we risk congratulations, which may be soon turned into complaints. Prudence would dictate this in the case of separate, insulated, private men. But liberty, when men act in bodies, is power. Considerate people, before they declare themselves, will observe the use which is made of power,—and particularly of so trying a thing as new power in new persons, of whose principles, tempers, and dispositions they have little or no experience, and in situations where those who appear the most stirring in the scene may possibly not be the real movers."
To us, that last sentence may serve equally as a warning against the (supposedly ex-) Communists and other cabalists influential in the modern European Union, as about the Robespierres and Napoleons who were then still bubbling their way to the top of the French Revolutionary froth.
Richard Price's "A Discourse on the Love of our Country" (4 November 1789), to which Burke's book was a riposte, claimed that the Glorious Revolution of 1688 had established the principle that we could arbitrarily choose or depose our rulers. Burke countered that although it was true that William had not been first in the royal succession and so it appeared that we had then instituted a new Constitution, yet the link with our ancient Common Law had not been broken, and had been amended by statute only so far as was necessary ("to the peccant part only") to correct the malfunction in the British body politic caused by James II's Catholicism and its concomitant threat of ceding power to persons and entities outside the kingdom.
"Though a king may abdicate for his own person, he cannot abdicate for the monarchy. By as strong, or by a stronger reason, the House of Commons cannot renounce its share of authority. The engagement and pact of society, which generally goes by the name of the Constitution, forbids such invasion and such surrender. The constituent parts of a state are obliged to hold their public faith with each other, and with all those who derive any serious interest under their engagements, as much as the whole state is bound to keep its faith with separate communities: otherwise, competence and power would soon be confounded, and no law be left but the will of a prevailing force. On this principle, the succession of the crown has always been what it now is, an hereditary succession by law: in the old line it was a succession by the Common Law; in the new by the statute law, operating on the principles of the Common Law, not changing the substance, but regulating the mode and describing the persons. Both these descriptions of law are of the same force, and are derived from an equal authority, emanating from the common agreement and original compact of the state, communi sponsione reipublicæ, and as such are equally binding on king, and people too, as long as the terms are observed, and they continue the same body politic."
The people, it should be unnecessary to remark, are an essential "constituent part of the state" and their part is an inalienable element in "the engagement and pact of society". Burke's stress on the continuity of the Common Law means that he could not possibly have approved of the surrender of national sovereignty implied in our unconstitutional (and therefore unlawful) entry into the Common Market in 1972, much less of the considered deceit and treasonable collusion by high officials whereby they usurped the immemorial social pact of the nation.
Though a Whig (progressive) himself, Burke is viewed as the founder of modern political Conservatism. (The Tories, believers in absolute authoritarian rule, supported the 1715 rising that tried to reinstate James on the throne; so to be a Conservative is to be opposed to Tories.) Today's Conservative voters and MPs, if they do indeed stand in the line of Edmund Burke, should be against EU membership to a man and woman.
"You will observe, that, from Magna Charta to the Declaration of Right, it has been the uniform policy of our Constitution to claim and assert our liberties as an entailed inheritance derived to us from our forefathers, and to be transmitted to our posterity,—as an estate specially belonging to the people of this kingdom, without any reference whatever to any other more general or prior right. By this means our Constitution preserves an unity in so great a diversity of its parts. We have an inheritable crown, an inheritable peerage, and a House of Commons and a people inheriting privileges, franchises, and liberties from a long line of ancestors."
"Though a king may abdicate for his own person, he cannot abdicate for the monarchy." Nor may a Parliament, or treacherous Ministers, Prime Ministers and civil servants abdicate our sovereignty for us. Our "entailed inheritance" of national freedom and self-determination is to be "transmitted to our posterity" and cannot be sold, mortgaged or gambled away.
AK Haart regrets what seems to be the decline of the blog - but what are we regretting?
Are we after numbers of readers (millions would be nice) or quality? Popularity, or influence? Number of visits, or average length of visit? Number of comments, or content of comments?
In the battle between the MSM and the Internet, Goliath is still pulverising David: Martin Langeveld estimates that, even though readership has declined in recent years, 96 per cent of newspaper reading is done in relation to print editions, with only some 3 per cent online.
Similarly, Paul Grabowicz says, "A visitor spends an average of a little over 1 minute per day on a newspaper website. Compare that with the 27 minutes per day that newspaper readers say they spent perusing the print product on a weekday, and 57 minutes on Sundays, according to a 2008 survey by Northwestern University's Research Institute."
But, as Grabowicz observes, you can offer more online: "More in-depth stories and richer content can be published on a website than in the relatively short snippets of information distributed to people via mobile devices, on YouTube and Flickr, or through blogs and micro-blog postings. Providing deeper content fulfills the public service function of journalism and can help form online communities at news websites where people can gather to discuss issues of importance to their communities, both geographic and topical."
This reminds us that people read in different ways, and for different purposes. In 2006, Holsanova, Rahm and Holmqvist studied eye-movements of a group of readers to test assumptions about types of readership and concluded, "there are three main categories of readers: editorial readers, overview readers and focused readers."
Which leads us to ask, how much of what we write is actually read? In 2008, Jacob Nielsen found that "on the average Web page, users have time to read at most 28% of the words during an average visit; 20% is more likely." Grabowicz's article (linked above) also observed an increasing tendency to skim and hop about: "while the total number of unique visitors and pageviews at the newspaper websites has been increasing from 2004 - 2009, the average time spent by each person on a site declined." This jackrabbit reading was turned into a very funny Radio 4 series in 1999, called "The Sunday Format."
Writing can take into account readership tendencies, so WikiHow shows us the art of composing adverts (for example, don't use punctuation in headlines, as this encourages the reader to stop).
But unless you're doing it for money, is the reader you whore after the one you should be concerned to attract? Perhaps we need to worry more about why and what we write, and less about who and how many are reading. Posterity and the estimation of one's peers outweigh meretricious éclat.
Following the decision of the highest court of the Tennessee in Pope v. Phifer, 3 Heiskell 691, and other cases, this Court holds that the Board of Commissioners of Shelby County, organized under the Act of March 9, 1867, had no lawful existence; that it was an unauthorized and illegal body; that its members were usurpers of the functions and powers of the justices of peace of the county; that their action in holding a county court was void, and that their acts in subscribing to the stock of the Mississippi River Railroad Company and issuing bonds in payment therefor were void.
While acts of a de facto incumbent of an office lawfully created by law and existing are often held to be binding from reasons of public policy, the acts of a person assuming to fill and perform the duties of an office which does not exist de jure can have no validity whatever in law.
An unconstitutional act is not a law; it confers no rights; it imposes no duties; it affords no protection; it creates no office; it is in legal contemplation as inoperative as though it had never been passed.
The same principle, that the Constitution overrules local and national law, means that until the people have spoken, the United Kingdom remains wholly outside the EU.
Hat-tip to Karl Denninger for the legal reference.
- that's David Robie's anaylsis of the current rapprochement between Australia and Commodore Bainimarama.
Like the Elizabethans, the Chinese are conscious that the fires of romantic love are dangerous. Roseann Lake's cultural and scientifc report suggests that the lessons are: love carefully, and refrain from criticism.
"The potentates of this world are [...] apt to consider themselves as possessed of an inherent superiority, which gives them a right to govern, and makes mankind their own; and this infatuation is almost every where fostered in them by the creeping sycophants about them, and the language of flattery which they are continually hearing."
"We are apt to believe that today we experience more violent upheavals of Nature than in past generations, but this is not so. Heavy storms and exceptional weather phenomena occurred much the same in past years as now."
But we can make things worse, whether it be the EU-directed failure to dredge rivers that has exacerbated the flooding this year or the late-19th-century dredging of the pebble beach at Hallsands that led to the sea's destruction of the whole village in 1917.
Some think efforts to stop coastal erosion at Slapton Ley are ultimately doomed, anyway.
Back in the seventies when Big Questions were generally sorted out at the pub over a game of darts, a philosophically-minded friend said something to me I’ve always remembered.
What he meant was obvious enough – we have our preferences and allegiances and in end we have to admit that’s all they are. We usually pad it out with reasoned argument, but may as well admit what’s behind it all – a liking for our own conclusions.
Most of us are not open to verbal persuasion and although the arts of argument can be good for the soul, it is worth remembering why we like ice cream. Or whatever else takes your fancy.
I like that cheap synthetic swirly stuff with a chocolate flake shoved in. I’m not so keen on proper ice cream full of genuine dairy products.
A quote from Santayana on the systems framing our ideas.
No system would have ever been framed if people had been simply interested in knowing what is true, whatever it may be. What produces systems is the interest in maintaining against all comers that some favourite or inherited idea of ours is sufficient and right.
A system may contain an account of many things which, in detail, are true enough; but as a system, covering infinite possibilities that neither our experience nor our logic can prejudge, it must be a work of imagination and a piece of human soliloquy. It may be expressive of human experience, it may be poetical; but how should anyone who really coveted truth suppose that it was true?
My reading of this is that experience is one thing, but framing into some kind of congenial narrative is another, much more problematic matter.
On the whole I am a data man. The data of experience may not be entirely trustworthy, but generally it is often more trustworthy than data framed by some prior allegiance, especially those covert allegiances of self-interest.
Not only that, very often the art of life lies in allowing the data of experience to tell its story, especially where the subject is complex. Unfortunately, as complexity increases so does the commercial, institutional and political value of those framing narratives. Leviathans to which we hand over our allegiance without so much as a whipped whimper.
Yet there are many times when data does tell a story if we are prepared to listen. Many folk seem to know this instinctively. They live life from day to day, being wary of confusing the data of experience with airy speculations.
I can’t help thinking it’s a good policy, but then another airy speculation comes along and off I go a-framing.
One of my minor ambitions has been to settle on a promising area of climate science and study it in depth. Downloading papers, data, plotting my own graphs and calculating my own stats – that kind of depth. However a problem arose.
The more I look at the climate sciences, the more convinced I become that we are not even close to articulating the main climate drivers with their timescales and uncertainties. Well maybe we are getting to know more and more about the uncertainties, but that's the problem.
Although we are accustomed to speak and write of climate science and climate scientist, there are no such beasts. We use the terms as established norms of verbal behaviour, but in my view they do more harm than good. Our global climate is far too complex to be studied within a single discipline and it's time we acknowledged it.
In much the same way we speak of chemistry and chemists when what we really have are specialist chemists working in related areas we place under the umbrella of chemical science.
Unfortunately, sticking with the chemistry analogy, climate science has yet to discover its periodic table. Without something of the kind, some overall theory to justify the term climate science, there is not enough coherence to stitch the various climate sciences together. It is also possible that some climate sciences such as dendroclimatology may become obsolete.
I think a good deal of confusion has arisen from a perception that the climate is a cluster of known scientific laws so the stitching together is already done by those laws. There seems to be a largely covert assumption that all will become clear if only climate scientists select the appropriate data and build models to encapsulate known scientific laws.
This is essentially philosophical assumption – that it must be possible to resolve climate behaviour into known physics. However, with numerous failed climate predictions and the current warming hiatus, it is obviously not so. The current state of the game is that climate behaviour cannot be resolved into known physical laws.
So I haven’t found an area promising enough to be worth studying in depth because so far there isn’t one. That may be one reason why the public domain is saturated with embarrassing falsehoods, emotional rhetoric and appeals to authority. For those who must persuade and those who must be persuaded, there is nothing else on which to base the arts of persuasion.
The climate is fiendishly complex on all timescales. We need much more data and a huge flash of inspiration, but in any event there are no experts with a grasp of the whole subject.
As yet there is no such thing as climate science.
Plenty more fish in the sea - and they're storing carbon for us!
From The Conversation website, a report suggesting that we may have massively underestimated the quantity of sealife in the middle levels of the ocean. It may not be catchable, but it could be helping sequester carbon and so reduce the threat of global warming.
I read your latest piece on the origins of the EU (“The 100-year plot”, 8 February) with interest and would like your opinion on the implications of the English Constitution for the UK’s membership.
Some months ago, I ran a series of posts by a man called Albert Burgess, who claims that Ted Heath and others (some still alive today) knowingly and surreptitiously committed treason in 1972 (and later acts) by surrendering our national sovereignty without the public’s informed consent. Burgess is therefore pursuing the matter using the criminal justice system, and he and his colleagues have reported the alleged crimes to police stations around the country, obtaining crime numbers and pressing the police to investigate further.
A vital element of his argument is that that in choosing to change how we are to be governed, the English people, as Commons, must give their assent with their own voice and not merely via elected representatives. Yet we have never had a referendum on the fundamental issue.
If Burgess’ reasoning is correct – and I find his logic and history persuasive – then since the appropriate consent has never been obtained, surely this must mean that all acts of the British Government and Parliament implying surrender of sovereignty in any degree, are in that respect ultra vires and so have no force or effect . So rather than arguing for exit from the EU, we should be saying that we are not in it now, and we are ready to listen – skeptically, but politely - to arguments for our joining.
Does the demon drink make people more likely to kill each other? The answers are ambiguous to say the least.
I looked up tables of adult (age 15+) annual alcohol consumption per capita here, and intentional homicides per 100,000 population here. Sifting out countries where data was not available under both headings, I was left with 184 nations for the purposes of statistical correlation.
The range runs from 1.0 (perfect correlation, so that as one figure increases so does the other, in every case) to -1.0 (perfectly negative correlation, so that as one increases the other reduces).
Overall, the correlation between the two factors for this list of countries is, surprisingly, -0.1. That is, virtually no connection at all.
What if we are more selective in our survey?
If we look at the top 30 countries by alcohol consumption, ranging from Moldova's 18.22 litres of pure acohol down to Spain's 11.62 litres (UK: 13.37 litres), there is a significantly negative correlation with homicide: -0.29.
Yet when we narrow down further to the top 10 toping nations, there appears to be a positive correlation: 0.48. Having said that, within those ten countries the level of alcohol intake is pretty similar: 18.22 to 15.11 litres; whereas the murder rate varies widely, from 0.7 to 7.5. Perhaps all this shows is that with too small a sample you get erratic results.
The list of the 30 most homicidal countries starts with Honduras (91.6 murders per 100,000) and finishes with the Democratic Republic of the Congo (21.7 murders per 100,000). The annual alcohol intake ranges from Guinea's 0.36 litres of pure alcohol up to Uganda's 11.93 litres. In this violent subset of countries, the relationship between drink and killing is pretty much random: 0.09.
The conclusion is that there is no definite conclusion, though we can suspect that other (perhaps political-economic and social) factors may have a more direct influence on the propensity to kill, than the average quantity of alcohol consumed.
If you had a "session" last night, you can at least endure your thick head today with a fairly clear conscience on that score.
If you want to know a bit more, here are the four lists, followed by the long list of 184 countries. Compare the UK with the USA, for example!
When the Prime Minister returned to the Velodrome in January 2020, the audience had been expecting a speech oriented towards the coming General Election, but Cameron had a surprise for them.
From Wallsend in the North Sea to Bowness in the Irish, a tartan curtain has descended across the British mainland. Behind that line lie all the ancient dukedoms of Scotland. Lennoxlove, Inveraray, Drumlanrig, Blair, Auchmar, Floors, Mertoun and Gordon, all these famous seats and the populations around them lie in what I must call the lairdish sphere, and all are subject in one form or another, not only to lairdish influence but to a very high and, in some cases, increasing measure of control from Holyrood.
The address has since become universally known as the "Cauld Fecht" speech.
Opinion is divided as to its long-term merits. One the one hand, it served to alert the world to the dangers in many countries of intensifying nationalism, insularity and political repression and corruption; on the other, by isolating the Scottish leadership, it can be said to have accelerated Scotland's descent into full-blown tyranny.
When I’m chatting with my better half over a glass of port with the log-burner flickering away and the wind whistling round the chimney, she often has to look up bits and pieces of information on her phone.
Nothing unusual in that, but this tiny gadget gives us access to more information than we could ever have imagined just a couple of decades ago. What difference is it making to our lives?
A few centuries ago there were chained libraries and books with locks because books were expensive and not for the common people.
Today, the ancestors of the common people are able to access anything they please from an unimaginably vast repository of information, news, comment and entertainment. Most of it dross of course, but how many of us would care to read the contents of a chained library anyway?
It changes the balance of power in subtle and not so subtle ways.
We assess the capabilities of our political leaders more easily and don’t have to rely on establishment media to do it. We bypass the genteelly selective BBC and look around for sources we trust and visit them as often as we choose.
Social status is far less important as a route to sound information. A good example is how far behind the curve our leaders are on fracking. Many of us knew about the benefits long before they did, just as we have known for years that climate science is an unholy mess.
It’s impossible to be completely sure of all this, with our political class being so untrustworthy, but their mendacity is something we are aware of too. We don’t suspect – we know.
We know some of them are thick, some dishonest, some personally unreliable, some sexually deviant, some arrogantly aggressive and a few may be good eggs but the good eggs don’t usually get anywhere. We may know all this in some detail, where years ago it was all glossed over by compliant pundits.
Is it likely to make a difference though? I don’t see how it can fail. Narratives are multiplying and for every item of establishment pap there is a more reliable, less ameliorative source of information readily available.
We have reached a stage where no intelligent person takes the BBC as reliable on any subject with an establishment narrative. This is new and unless the BBC changes, its authority has gone for good.
The deselection of Tim Yeo may have had a number of causes, but one of them was surely the persistent wash of negative information telling us about the man, the games he plays and how effective he is as an MP.
It isn’t merely that the negative information on Yeo exists, but it is far more pervasive than it ever could have been in the comparatively recent past. The web seems to keep issues alive in a way which in pre-web days was rare.
Pressure could be brought on newspaper editors and stories would disappear if indeed they ever appeared in the first place. Now anyone may launch a story and if it spreads there is little others can do. Even court injunctions have been circumvented.
The world has changed and I’m sure we have yet to see the full consequences. Although Tim has had a taster.
When things go wrong, the modern meme is to blame the “Law of Unintended Consequences”, which is the modern way of saying “it’s just God’s will”. However, in all too many instances, the “unintended” consequences could be easily predicted.
Case 1: Most stocks are now owned by mutual funds. The fund managers are interested in fees, which means waiting for price increases, and selling the stocks. Their sole interest is short-term price gains. The CEO’s are hired with bonuses for price increases, and the only oversight is the Board of Directors (consisting of CEO’s of other companies), and the annual stockholder meeting (dominated by the fund managers). Then there is general surprise that many companies are managed for short-term stock price increases, and not for long-term performance!
Case 2: Most US school systems have curricula which are dominated by methods courses, and very light on the content that they will teach. We put those ill-educated teachers into the field, and give them the message that any failure of a student means that the teacher is incompetent (I was told this by an education professor recently). We then test students and blame the teachers for every bad result. Why are we surprised at grade inflation and cheating on tests?
Arnold Bennett clearly liked electric cars. They must have been the coming thing and maybe they were also seen as a hint that the machine age could produce more than dark satanic mills. Here are a few quotes.
Richard’s car ran through the cutting — it was electrical, odourless, and almost noiseless.
He crept back to his own car, found it unharmed in the deep shadow where he had left it, and mounted.
Richard directed the car gently through the gate and then stopped; they dismounted, and crossed the great field on foot.
This vehicle, new and in beautiful order, and charged for a journey of a hundred and twenty miles, travelled in the most unexceptionable manner. The two and a half miles to the North-Western station at Dunstable were traversed in precisely five minutes, in spite of the fact that the distance included a full mile of climbing.
The electric brougham was waiting. I gathered up my skirt and sprang in.
Oh, the exquisite dark intimacy of the interior of that smooth-rolling brougham!
Notice the reference to a range of a hundred and twenty miles. There are a number of explanations as to why electric cars were ousted by the internal combustion engine after an auspicious start, but are any of them satisfactory?
Wi-Fi sky-spy eye on you - all the time!
Not only does your car spy on you and constantly report your whereabouts, so (if you've ever used free Wi-Fi) does your smartphone or portable computer - and the tattletale goes back in time to when you bought the thing.
Did Lloyds Bank have a heart attack last week?
Last Sunday, "hundreds of thousands of customers were left unable to use debit cards and 7,000 cashpoints" (Daily Mail).
The BBC News website said the cause was "a hardware failure" but - perhaps in an attempt to reassure us - the bank told them "the faults were not caused by any external upgrade work or cyber attack."
Just in time - or very nearly so, anyway?
As it happens, our current account is with Lloyds and earns 0% interest. This Harvard economist has just withdrawn $1 million from Bank of America for exactly that reason: the odds against a collapse, though presumably small, are not zero, so the risk to a depositor is underpriced.
Weekends seem to be bad for banks: on Saturday, September 13, 2008 the Federal Reserve was in talks with Lehman Brothers, Barclays backed away from making an offer (as reported in the NYT next day, Sunday) and the bankruptcy filing came on the Monday - at 1.45 in the morning. Not much chance for the likes of you and me to queue up at the counter.
Shoebox or bank account, bank account or shoebox? So hard to decide. | 2019-04-20T17:02:34Z | http://theylaughedatnoah.blogspot.com/2014/02/ |
Billing is actually a great illustration of this an activity that isn’t exclusive to this subject of overall wellbeing. Evaluation of the method to personalize a wellness and fitness billing resume. When customizing it resume, highlight not just technical expertise, but also your people skills and capacity to act as a member of a team.
Medical assistants possess a vast range of responsibilities. They have to demonstrate their interest in employed in the health care field and their ability to carry out a wide range of tasks that are related. Be aware, nevertheless, that at the lack of wellness coders and billers in hospitals, billing is performed by medical addicts. A wellness professional in a orthopedic office should possess comprehension about reconstructive systems because that is the main focus of an orthopedist.
Information not provides in the suitable arrangement is going to have to be more Reformatted earlier used, causing delay and also developing a risk that the info is going to be mismanaged during reformatting. You should also send your tax advice, so it’s likely to find yourself a 1099 form at the decision of the tax season. Assure you keep it uncomplicated yet with necessary information. Up on a positive outcome, you will be requested on the very own personal particulars. The info about your goods and solutions can interest most of your potential clients. For a financial services company, you’ll also need to include a few thorough information about the services or products that are of attention towards the particular customer.
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Try Something Creative The quickest way to discover a job will be by being aware of everything you want, where you prefer to operate, and harshly chasing it. A job for someone entry agent can be rather exciting for folks who wish to be always a portion of the health care area, but who would love to prevent their complexities of holding someone’s own life in their hands. Your job is the origin of earnings and you have never, at all probable expenses, let the other individual or some little dilemma block you by earning profits which you personally or your family members might need to live. Perhaps you have been put off and also haven’t been able position to locate a brand new endeavor. Before deciding to give up your present project and locate a brand new one, you are going to want to test your motives for quitting. Medical office helper projects are among the hot occupation options amongst many opportunities in the healthcare discipline. Keeping that in mind, in the event that you are feeling reckless at the office, experience as though you can’t advance any further, or in the event you need new job from Nigeria in order to support your relatives, you may want to examine each of your choices.
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Let’s take an example in that you suppose the component of a project supervisor who would like to find the help of men and women in their own group. It is vital to offer an example which exemplifies the method by which the candidate can be just really a terrific club player, compared to just building the blanket remark. An overall resume template will do that.
When you are completed, you’ve must generate a declaration about the location you are deciding on. The first factor to formulate is a overall announcement about the job you’re applying to. In the event you aren’t able to acquire all of your resume cover correspondence within 1 screen perspective, at least attempt to attempt to add the vital points of one’s pitch on the exact first fullscreen perspective. It’s crucial include things such as the words that characterize your existing expertise. When you’re using Microsoft Word as the editor then conserve the time on the design, by merely opening Word.
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As for resume arrangement, you also should look at the place you are on your livelihood and decide about the resume structure best suited to your own circumstance. If you should be very keen to earn a career in the banking business, you can employ in several banks and financial institutions. If you are thinking about developing your job, whatever the sort of sector you’re currently in or even the job that you hold now, you want a resume that reflects you at the most greatest way.
If you are trying to be given a job lately, you’re mindful the present labor market place is extremely competitive. Whenever you are interested at a job that you have one opportunity to obtain the interest of the potential employer and it has achieved whenever you submit your resume. Afterall, you are looking for employment since you want to make money, perhaps never to invest it first! You may want to create your resume relevant to just about each and each single job. The job from the banking market is of excellent responsibility since the patient must deal with the economic transactions and interpret the accounts prepared with the lender as a consequence of the trade.
Apply to your career only as long as you’re certain you would have the ability to perform nicely there. Consistently be certain that which you create relates to this location you are looking for. Certain clerical positions demand special skill sets such as fluency in a specific language or competence together with pick pc computer software programs.
Your aim is a great destination for a really pay attention to status outside. A well presented aim can be the exact same tool that could secure a potential employer’s interest from first. As soon as it is necessary to generate a well-written objective, remember to avoid some severe problems on your objective also. Producing a distinguishing and intriguing resume objective is not very likely to be a simple job. Producing executive resume aims is really straightforward. A job goal is normally a statement of what the candidate will really like todo or perhaps even the particular occupation they truly have been seeking.
Regardless, the job marketplace is not a game series. At the endyou shouldn’t forget to include things like the sort of business you’d like to use for, and then utilize some heavenly language. Additionally focus on the company that you are employing to, perhaps maybe not at all.
The goals element may be the optimal/optimally approach to create job specific resumes. It is first thing catches your own attention catching. Including an objectives section in the initiation of one’s resume provides a succinct introduction to this intention behind the resume, highlighting your career objectives as well as the kind of career you are looking for. It’s not uncommon for job-seekers to incorporate a short aims section at the start of these resume The objectives section can be a considerable part of an restart, and also might be the very first issue companies discusses.
When it regards a CV, they will probably need to look for the information which they want, as it’s not geared to specific employers or tasks. A CV is merely a hook to secure you a gathering with all the recruiter. If you are utilizing a CV to apply to find work in any other nation, it is essential to know about the structure common within that nation. If you figure out you have to submit a CV, then bear in mind that while there aren’t any specific formatting guidelines, you ought to utilize shared belief to create a document that’s complete and well organized.
In the event you are trying to turn to some dentist, then you may need to visit your restart first. Dental assistants must be comfortable juggling several jobs simultaneously since significantly a lot more than 1 patient is treated in a moment. They must retain a expert look and demeanor at all moments. The measures to becoming a dental helper are comparatively easy. He resume sample provides you a concise idea concerning the assorted elements that make your resume distinctive from the competition. Part of the challenge of finding jobs as a Dental Assistant will be aware of what to do during the process.
Medi cal agents spend the majority of these period around the road, making sales forecasts. Moreover, they usually work independently and are not supervised although out on the road. They must also have enough selfconfidence to deal with all the unavoidable rejection which is sold with failed sales requirements. As a result, they should have a lot of important characteristics to establish a thriving livelihood.
Being a dental assistant, you won’t only love greater. Locate all of the details which you need for example insider strategies for employed as a dentist. You are about to compose the ideal office helper resume For the exact 1st time on your own life, you’ll have complete health, dental, and vision insurance coverage.
Dental assistants are a significant section of a dental clinic also take out various activities, from aiding direct inpatient care into workplace. Our Cosmetic Attorneys are recognized as a few of those finest in the enterprise. Dental assistants in a few particular places might possibly be in a place to perform them.
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Everybody values precision and proficiency, regardless of what job you are applying for. The occupation involves quite a few projects, and also every circumstance is a bit more unique. In the event you are in require of an exceptional job that you’d need to highlight all the skills you know or have acquired working like a dentist. Much enjoy any job, the very first thing is always to earn a remarkable restart. The majority are working in minimum wage occupations, occupations that do not offer sufficient to pay standard living expenses in many regions of the nation. The volunteer work indicates a service mentality.
Employed being a hygienist requires specialized wisdom and the capability to work with a varied patient base. You may edit and download in accordance by means of your experience and profile. Dental knowledge is completely necessary. Once again, it is far better to talk with some one with knowledge in the field prior to making a last choice. In other words , it is possible to depend on me personally to really own the crucial understanding, skills, and capabilities, together with a complete comprehension of all security and procedural guidelines that has to be followed in a dental clinic. Since you imagine of your own skills and search on your chances, you want to become open minded about the jobs you are considering. Superior communication skills are critical to some wellness and fitness provider.
In the office, people are often brought together in groups for several reasons or to perform special functions. Faith classes play a main function. Work portals articles lots of offerings and there are particular collections on Facebook and linked in at which you could be in a position to locate a number of internships. Group tasks are likewise a fundamental portion of mastering surroundings.
As participants begin running throughout the road map, do not forget to track effects and solicit suggestions so you can continually increase your process and also make better roadmaps in the future. For instance, if you are in possession of a good deal of PPT presentations, make certain that the system permits people to observe slides. Extra info regarding the yatra are available here. All you want to express, you have must state through an image or, even in regards to Storiesvia a succession of graphics.
Inch word onto a patent describing details of the look might produce the difference in winning or losing an case. It is accurate, you may put in any text into your own images nevertheless the principal focus won’t be about the written writing . Detailing each one the wisdom and capabilities you need your viewers to profit out of every issue will allow one to create content after. You risk investing plenty of resources that don’t point ahead of the learning outcomes you are looking for. To discover more proceed to www.aischool.org. That was a thorough number of online courses.
Small-small business people are available in all sizes, shapes and backgrounds. On your DApp, then you’d like to really have the ability to put away exactly the ownerof every marriage contract which gets generated. Just like tech, it isn’t feasible to forecast what is going to happen within 10 a long time.
As stated by the official rules, you’ve got the opportunity for adding a URL to your Instagram Stories should you’ve got at least 10,000 followers. In fact, it is the alternative. Our thought will be based on the problem of gold.
Among the consistent replies I get is that they would get started networking every time potential. If you feel like you have to have everything ready prior to going out, you are dead wrong. You have to encourage personnel each the full time so they knowingly accept courses. The adventure role will arrive in time and you may always find out. In fact, it has THE opportunity to meet people in case you have nothing to reveal and nothing else to require. Everything finally appeared to be slipping into place. It is the the beginning maybe not the conclusion of something greater.
Create a list of everything that you need your trainees to be able todo at the decision of their learning path. Training is essential to creating partnerships work. The training course has been designed so you get an operational training at the frame. Back in Brighton and Hove’s Sanctuary on Sea’, by way of example, English lessons and soccer clubs have been all organised to furnish freshly arrived Syrian refugees an opportunity to become involved in their regional communities. Students may also additionally learn by way of a string of livelihood conversations personally or by telephone number. To take one example,, all students learn chess for a section of the standard curriculum and lots of play . Hence, if you should be considering finding a level in data science, this really is what the pros would prefer you to understand.
My customers consist of huge corporations as well as inventors working out of their own garage. It is crucial put your customer first. There is absolutely no excess application required. Much the same procedure could be achieved in order to alter the main text shade. Plus, the’s crucial that you keep in mind that professional growth does not will need to become time-consuming or costly. Research implies it is far superior to concentrate on the communications process rather than class conclusions. Moreover, a number of the technologies we have in Brazil have been brought from Africa.
Professionalism is very important. You must not choose a livelihood simply as it’s popular or get paid a bundle. Experienced professionals may appear confident to you simply because they know everything. Like any market, internet site professionals have their particular language that they have a inclination to chat in.
Journalism isn’t a preordained purchase. There is absolutely no journalism that is universal. Just like everything you can do on social media, there are good practices as well as lousy habits. Free marketing may give you having lots of of strengths but on occasion, it might only not be adequate. If you’re at a business, permit your overall current team participate a part from the hiring method, its beneficial in several ways. There exists a good deal of chances.
Make certain you have work arranged for months ahead of time even when busy. My occupation for a patent lawyer can be a significant bit more hours sensitive and painful. Needless to state there are many real-life careers offered in criminology, too, ones which are extremely satisfying and tough.
An autobiography isn’t just a handful of facts from your life the text has to be intriguing and simple to learn. To begin with, it is a great way to check at your own life from your opposing aspect. Fourthly, it is a significant method of learning how to create fiction. Even when you should be writing an official Auto Biography on your a job, it’s still true that you must entice your reader with text.
In the event you really don’t know how to compose an autobiography at the perfect way it is the right time to learn from the ideal writing illustrations. Writing an autobiography is a challenging and intriguing job. Yup , it makes it possible for you to select what job you need. A good Auto Biography produces a particular picture of the person and demonstrates just how events in their life possess formed precisely the person for someone.
Some-times auto-biography is sufficient. An autobiography can be really a major method to educate women and men in exactly the identical situation that there’s a way outside. In the event that you must write an autobiography for a volunteering company or internship, you also will require to compose an even more in-depth Auto Biography. Some times, autobiographies of noteworthy amounts have been made through cooperation with an expert author or by way of the sole initiatives of the ghost author.
Your writing needs to be powerful enough to make people act to the situation. Whether it’s occasionally a excellent creative exercise to merely describe what you see, in descriptive writing, there are many times a specific reason to describe everything you have put out to describe. Wonderful descriptive composing has got the capacity to tempt the reader, enticing their him to carry on looking at through to the endresult. Besides the office, it’s critical from a number of other areas as well. Writing about your childhood might possibly also be healing.
The producing must be literate as well as also sensible. Firstly, the expression writing has been characterized by the Oxford dictionary as Writing is your vital method of communication in a company. Likewise in case the composing is devoid of mistakes, then we’ve got a propensity to generate a very great feeling about this writer. In the event you’ve done any form of formal writing or written to get a novel, you’ve got to be conscious the composing must undergo specific steps prior to the very first draft becomes a previous backup. In regards to creative writing, there aren’t any rules about just how to get started doing such a thing. A superb deal of individuals are scared of adding an inordinate quantity of creating in their own family history books if you presume it requires a distinctive talent.
If you should be writing the correspondence rather than typing, ensure the handwriting is legible and clear. Ergo, it really is clear, letters are listed to be able to remain. These letters protect various destinations, in which you needs to grant responsibilities and power to your someone. Very good correspondence composing abilities will enable you to write proper donation petition letters.
Hence, the correspondence writing should maintain a manner that’ll justify the main reason behind the correspondence, in totality. In general, it has been noted that many folks become puzzled between an benchmark letter along with correspondence of suggestion, and usually take into account them of the specific same. So be very careful as soon as you draft such characters. A introductory letter from a brand new teacher can be a manner of welcoming the parents and students to some one’s course and thus, the tone of this correspondence should be very polite. A introductory letter for parents from your new teacher in the start of the academic year is extremely crucial to come up with a relationship together with the parents to the remaining part of their year.
Producing an autobiography results in a excellent deal of self searching and researching. It’s is one of the significant means of expressing your own thoughts, and communication thoughts and views into some the others. After having a peek at the case provided under, you need to really have the ability to find yourself a thought of how you want to start writing your own personal. Every one of the facts ought to be definitely stated as within the event of any discrepancy it is possible you will be held in contempt of the court. When producing an affidavit it is crucial that each one the important points which you have to mention are recorded out from the order in which they’ve occurred. If it is potential to do this, subsequently consist of evidence within the form of photos and see statements with this correspondence.
1 such case in point is what I am very likely to give you. In addition, there are lots of cases of dramatic poetry for children. It is essential to offer references at the beginning of letter to greatly assist the reader form a connection for the letter’s contents. Sponsorship letters illustrations will supply you with an idea concerning how essential it’s to be extremely polite and courteous whilst composing a letter .
In the world of sales, receipts have an immense role to playwith. A receipt may be utilized in various approaches, and also the objective will be set from the title. The sales receipt will serve as an evidence a particular trade done with a specific business. The sales receipt is vital in personal as well to in tax accounting for assorted organization to prevent rubbing shoulders with taxation jurisdictions. The automatic sales receipt might be customized to meet the essentials of the specific business enterprise.
From time to time, you could also have to submit receipts to companies as a piece of an expense report. For example, a lease receipt may comprise info about the owner and also the tenant of the certain home, the property which has been rented, the day of rent, the number of rent that’s due and the style of payment. You have also requested they make each of many receipts for every transaction that you engaged in during the whole lifetime of using the credit score score card. A receipt for a automobile sale involves the buy price, some very simple advice about the automobile and the time and date of purchase.
In an scenario where coming having a certain receipt might be hard, you also can decide touse statement you’ve got sent as a receipt. Furthermore if you’re able to always make you possess invoice employing a Microsoft office gear. At the organization of automobiles and vehicles, it has really a given that a bill invoice goes to be made. Sending bills is important after you sell globally. Car bill is quite a thoughtful and cheap way tackling all the cash flows. Car or truck invoice also needs to possess a signature of their authorized person covering the customer to avert any misunderstanding or any type of fraud.
Without the right paper work, the client is probably going to own a difficult time re-registering the car or truck in his title. Intelligent buyers will probably understand to appear past the outside, also also in actuality, more pragmatic truth of the motor car or truck. When you discover the perfect buyer, our Vehicle Revenue Receipt will be useful for your requirements. In the event you locate a buyer to the vehicle you are attempting to market, then our Revenue Receipt in PDF will be helpful to you personally when making one.
Many dealers are oblivious of all the instructions determined by this nation. Even though they will sometimes mis-represent an automobile as mentioned previously, the solution is an unaffiliated examination of the vehicle and any trader that won’t permit that needs to really be averted at all costs. Car traders and people can take advantage of car earnings receipts and accomplishing this really is just one of the utmost helpful ways to make sure you’re earning one with the appropriate arrangement and outline.
Few men and women are keen on purchasing autos. Purchasing a vehicle is attentive method of balancing what you want, together with exactly what it’s likely to get. Whenever you’re purchasing a pre-owned vehicle, do not don’t request the Road Tax Receipt in original.
When you have the automobile, spending off the road tax is going to function as the duty, even in case it isn’t paidoff. Additionally make sure you alter the possession of the RC whenever you get the vehicle transferred. After the vehicle is acquired, you really do not need to be concerned with doing it. Purchasing or selling a secondhand car is some thing that must be carried out precisely.
Acquiring or selling an auto is an process that necessitates attention to depth. It is a very crucial advantage, and also purchasing a vehicle is a very vital deal. While you commence searching for a secondhand automobile, you’ll want to bear in mind that the auto identification number (VIN) is the one most crucial number you require. Read … Purchasing a used automobile is quite different by getting a new car or truck.
If you’re trying to market or buy a vehicle, while it truly is an older car or truck or even a new new one, then it is critical to really own a Sale Receipt. Even should you not market us your automobile, you should be sure you sell it into a Texas Accredited Salvage Dealer. In just a handful of days, the automobile was also ours. You may well not legally drive your new vehicle if it’s not precisely enrolled. It really is important to be advised when buying or selling some other automobile. Whenever you buy a car, owner may execute a reception which is actually greatly like a charge sort.
The contribution reception template is going to become useful to build fingerprints with all the factual specifics upon receipt of a specific donation. A blank receipt template includes features that may be fairly acceptable for a huge range of organizations. Sales reception templates are employed to make the custom of producing product sales receipt much simpler.
There are times once you maynot incorporate substantially for identification amounts, since they’re not always easily available on many products that are distinct. It’s vital to mention that the moment, date or duration where you are approving the person to do this particular undertaking and it is contingent on the situation otherwise it could be billed as misuse. You might potentially be occupied doing something different. The reply is actually only a bit difficult, dependent on the context of this solitude you’re looking for. Please telephone me with any concerns you may possibly have. Please do not hesitate to call me with any questions which could have.
You can find plenty of forms of approval letter. Authorization letters need to get verified carefully. It’s typically utilised for organization purposes. At the event of any misdoing, an authorization letter could function as valid signs. A authorization letter can be used when you want to give somebody the ability to perform a task for your advantage. Authorization letters has an important part in maintaining an individual person’s NBI Clearance. A authorization letter will be issued with somebody, organization or business concern so as to devote the receiver with specified powers which may be anything away from withdrawing money from your bank account to producing a business agreement.
The letter needs to be short and simply contain the essential information. This correspondence could even be developed to find access to special data and files. It is critical to register the correspondence going through a witness, which really isn’t the specific same person whom you are committing the consent to.
In the event you don’t recognize the party together with which you are planning to be dealing or you are not certain of this name of this celebration, then you might leave the portion blank. Even the very first party is composed of the legal rights of their original holder, for example, whoever owns a passport or your parent and protector of a kid. There are plenty of instances where you might require somebody else to represent your passions.
To eliminate potential hazard, then it really is most reliable to request permission or expel use of the copyrighted content in your work. In the event you decide not to look for permission since you plan on using a very superb use discussion, be ready together with all the best-possible circumstance to safeguard your usage of the copyrighted content in case you are sued. Photo permissions can purchase sophisticated rapidly if they feature versions (you might require a model release and permission) or trademarked services and products. Some governments need an authorization letter to ensure it is possible for you to live and perform in their own nation. Give you the information with respect towards the point of your letter, and be certain to provide the full specifics of the individual or folks whom you have granted the ability to do something for your own benefit.
In the event you need some advice, don’t hesitate to get hold of me 49493949. Contact advice must be somewhat authentic. From today’s phase, information about the advent of technologies is now truly very straightforward to acquire. Should you require assistance in an authorized issue, be sure that you incorporate the scenario amount.
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The floral sample will make the kitchen seems to be eye-catching. In the event you consider using kitchen desk on your common kitchen, it is possible to pick out marble countertop. Blend of both furniture parts will boost the appearance of your kitchen. Wooden cupboard is considered as flekitchenible home furnishings since it could be coupled with any household furniture. Most of all, it might be positioned in any kitchen interior as well. That makes kitchen cupboard from Wooden material gets to be the typical choice.Carving floral sample on diverse sort of wood will create distinct perception. As an ekitchenample, dark wood operates most effective when it is carved with Victorian floral sample. In other hand, wood with lighter colour including cherry or birch does not make a good perception when floral pattern is utilized to it. Nonetheless, You ca not deny that it may make stunning kitchen cupboards also.
Instead of applying birch wood for kitchen cabinet, you can use it for kitchen table or kitchen stool. Wooden cabinets made out of wood with mild shade that ca not be carved with floral ornament can also be an ekitchencellent alternative well worth thinking of.Do you think you are trying to find something different for your kitchen? Try to adorn condominium kitchen with retro style and design then. This style evidently offers enormous influence on kitchen In particular the smaller kitchen. It makes it possible for the kitchen to be purposeful and comfortable simultaneously. Retro concept is similar to one of a kind furniture like antique picket kitchen cupboard, common kitchen island, distinctive wrought iron dining desk and chairs. Along with the record just keeps heading. You will simply just be stunned of how great your condominium kitchen will likely be with this particular theme. To beautify condominium kitchen, select the suitable colours and patterns. Retro kitchen is similar to yellow, brilliant ruby or turquoise surface to generate the playful designs. But you require to be certain to use only strong colors and patterns in lesser proportion. This is vital so the colour and pattern location doesn’t overwhelm the space.
Are you aware of why? Its so since you have to deal with the simplicity below. The fashionable kitchen style and design should really contend with the simplicity. That may be why; the kitchen table need to be in The easy layout. Underline this vital point. You need to Consider challenging regarding how to arrange home furnishings sets later on. How will you handle lighting Suggestions? Ensure that the lamps are mounted in quite a few positions. You do not only deal with single lamp application, nevertheless the lamps need to even be in several positions. Handling the lighting plan, you may get farther ekitchenplanation about how to get ideal lamps style and design with fantastic lights fikitchenture. The key detail in lighting ideas is that you have got to put in lamp above the kitchen cupboards. Then, the lamps close to the sink should be very well deemed. Make certain that every little thing is in wonderful look. Your kitchen will appear so wonderful with present day wooden kitchens.Do you think you are selective in thinking of curtain Tips for kitchen windows? Obtaining contemporary kitchen decoration may well choose you in The nice confusion about ideal curtain Thoughts. That is one thing common for new inside designers; plainly Its important to know some essential ideas in having curtain for kitchen. During this prospect, the data and advices regarding how to pick curtain will probably be sent for you personally. It must be anything helpful if you are baffled in choosing very best curtain coloration and materials.
Primary products utilized for French kitchen are wood and marble. The Wooden is usually applied over the kitchen cabinets. The decoration for this kitchen cupboard is additionally simple. Straight traces dominate the ornament of your wooden cupboards. In some instances, the cabinets also involved glass material. From The within, the glass is covered with linen. Hence, it only serves as decoration as opposed to function. Hardwood ground would be the prevalent product employed for the flooring. Stone or granite flooring is suitable. In the meantime, the marble is used for kitchen countertops. The same materials is additionally employed for the floor of kitchen desk or a kitchen island. The nekitchent characteristic of French kitchen with country interior is the color. The dominant color used for the kitchen is pale. It is not only ekitchenecuted over the furniture, but will also for the decoration too. The wooden cupboards of the kitchen are coated with white paint. White cabinets are preferred household furniture useful for it. In the meantime the marble choice for the cabinet countertops, kitchen desk, or perhaps the kitchen island is making use of white sort of marble. If you need to generate French country kitchen, be sure you opt for white home furniture and decoration manufactured outside of both Wooden or marble. Wooden kitchen countertop is unbeatable, thanks to its warmth and authentic wooden character. Wooden is Among the many most effective components for countertop Aside from marble. Nevertheless, it can not be just any wood since it has to be durable. It has to be sustainable and durable without delay.
Nonetheless, occasionally we have been puzzled in adapting the region model due to the fact there are lots of forms of the look, which include French, American and British fashion. However, at the very least a number of them contain the ekitchenact essential component or components. Region model kitchen may very well be ekitchentra by Placing a pastoral painting to the wall much like the painting of farmers working inside the fields. And you can add some kitchen furniture like salt and pepper container thats formed like pig or cow and also a decorative wood ornament that is put on the kitchen counter. This design allows anyone to go back enough time when the kitchen is the primary Portion of property.So that you can continue to keep it seems to be genuinely authentic, some homeowners put outdated model furnishings in area, including putting in a large window body that has edges. In the look of farmhouse place kitchens, the ground will likely be included by wood or tile, though the kitchen cupboard is product of pine or maple wood with all-natural finishing. The cabinets are accustomed to retailer various containers, antique kitchen machines, and ornaments assortment from other nations. For people who will not like the idea of open cabinets and painted wood cupboards, you do not have to worry as you kitchen will search lovely when developed in a country touch. Painted cupboard doorways can also be decorated in kitchen having a touch of imitation or stencil.This is often a suitable design and style in your case who want to Dwell by making art work. The kitchen ought to be artistically useful and realistic when implementing region model. With regards to to your ornamental components which might be used, most Imaginative men and women often blend up The theory like a standard components and perhaps the eu design and style to your farmhouse state kitchens. According to the principle of the minimalist kitchen structure, goods and appliances which can be put in a little-sized kitchen must also be minimalist. On the list of significant factors to help make your own minimalist kitchen is the eye you give for your kitchen cupboard layout.
That is why; just keep below To find out more and inspirations.Get greatest shade of curtain Thoughts for kitchen Home windows. Shade performs the important part in each individual decoration. It incorporates the decoration for kitchen. Coping with color collection, the most effective advice for you is about having curtain in neutral shade. The color in palette color is likely to be regarded as wonderful detail to set up. For producing, the curtain seems to be additional interesting, you could possibly decide on curtain with motif. The motif tends to make your curtain appears to be like more attractive even though you only cope with very poor product.Pick out linen substance for finest possibility of curtain ideas for kitchen windows. You may think that curtain for living room is similar to the curtain for kitchen. Thats not genuine. Its possible you will consider using cloth content for living room curtain. Nevertheless, for kitchen, the top suggestion is linen substance. This curtain is a snap to clean. That is definitely why; it is recommended for you. Managing the kitchen valences, you might ignore them. The valences might be something awesome for staying merged to curtain. Nonetheless, People are for family room curtain Suggestions. Working with the kitchen curtain, the valences could possibly be eliminated.Besides pondering the colour and content, you have to deal with the curtain hardware. The rods are necessary. Its for installing that curtain. The appliance of rods could be a thing troubled if you have not measured it before you decide to check out stores. That is certainly why; prior to deciding to make buy for rods, Be sure that you may have calculated it well.
more accessible storage, stacking wood crates, drilling them to the wall merely positioning them on the floor allows get it.In relation to lubathroomurious little bathrooms, functionality is vital. On account of minimal Room, modest bathrooms are conveniently stuffed with undesirable messes. Hence, make sure you only increase structure parts that functionality to serve a purpose in any other case you could possibly wind up adding needless stuff that may wind up cluttering the whole place. The ebathroomamples could well be like setting up a hamper beneath your sink and releasing up additional counter Room by holding as opposed to ebathroomhibiting your personal products out while in the open.Following, plan your colours effectively. When painting a little bathroom, know that neutral hues tend to provide it a more calming and relabathrooming influence. Additionally, it causes it to be much more aesthetically satisfying if in comparison to accent hues. In addition to, neutral colours are also usually ideal for forming the base of small bathrooms. To include much more creativeness and sophistication to lubathroomury tiny bathrooms, You should utilize good tebathroomture and intricate patterns to take action.
It is possible to take into consideration some successful idea to embellish your dorm bathroom by making use of adhering to techniques. The primary way to develop some dorm area bathroom Tips, you and your roommates can layout the bathroom in coordinated lovable hues. 2nd, make some opened shelves earlier mentioned your toilet in an effort to use unused Room. Third, provide mason jars with knobs in the bathroom to retailer dry compact matters which include cotton buds, cottons and and so on. Also, make a novel tub towel storage applying wooden hanger for flower, and afterwards roll and place the towels vertically. Will not neglect to give some trade marks for each towels hook with ebathroomact coloration to be able to clarify mark thats yours and and that is your roommate’s. Another ways of dorm room bathroom Tips, you can make some shampoo and shower holders to boost the bathroom space. Aside from, give rest room roll storage to keep the tissues. Then, provide further roll storage with metal holder which can be placed on the both sides of your closet to retailer additional paper rolls and several newspapers, or You may also set a little flower on the top of it. Additionally, supply an organized bathroom cabinet which you can add some colorful papers in each individual shell and place the paper Along with the name of you and your roommates to decrease the mess. In addition, if you like looking through journal, try to create a journal hanger utilizing clothing hanger to retailer them in handy location.
gap involving These tiles will a create House wherever the filthy particle can trapped into. Meanwhile, more substantial tile will build less gaps. Its instructed to utilize tiles which are simple to clean. Making use of this technique, you will not only preserve the grasp bathroom clean but additionally it will require a lot less hard work to scrub it up. Use glass being a separator for showering area Using the rest room area. Master bathroom shower Strategies set shower location and rest room in the identical area. Consequently, it is essential to add separator involving These two regions. In the shower space, the drinking water in the shower often splashes just about everywhere. The perform of this separator is to stop the water from splashing towards the sites we do not desire to get soaked. When the drinking water splashing somewhere you do not see, its going to develop a place for moss to develop.
Being a parent, creating white teenage Lady bedroom is really an thrilling minute. Picking home furniture and feature is A very powerful thing on this coming up with. Bedroom household furniture comes in various materials and design and style. Wood bedframe is common furnishings applied over the Lady bedroom. This Wooden furniture is functional can be put along with other furnishings. When it will come for Woman mattress, You can utilize colorful bedcover and blanket. The pillowcase for Lady bedroom might also use brilliant color tone likewise. Bedside desk may be the acceptable furniture to enrich any bedframe layout. Ways to select bedside table for girl bedroom?You might want to come to a decision the amount of bedside desk to complement the mattress. If you only require a person, Be sure that the dimensions is proportional Together with the bed. A helpful idea you can use is ensuring that the bedside table has a little bit better area as opposed to mattress. It is generally made use of In the event the mattress is placed on the corner. If you want a few bedside desk for white teenage Female bedroom, make sure to select identical home furniture for it. Spot them on each facet in the desk.
Few bedside desk is suitable for bedroom arrangement with mattress on the center from the bedroom. Other furniture that you could use for Lady bedroom is picket drawer. These types of furniture can be employed to retailer the girl outfits. Modular wardrobe is usually choice storage for girl garments. When the Woman wants to have analyze desk within the bedroom, you could require to include picket bookshelf in addition. The bookshelf can be employed to accommodate her book collections. If You are not positive what to put to the white teenage Female bedroom, you might have her supporting you choosing. The bedroom will likely be her In the end. It can be her correct to make your mind up what to position in it.Loft mattress with desk for child’s bedroom normally looks like the perfect thought. By some means, desk signifies ideal place for the kids to check and do several functions. It is even more significant for youths than for Older people. As well as desk with ebedroomclusive design like remaining hooked up to loft bed appeals the kids more to check. So, it’s like giving the youngsters whatever they want to motivate them to review. This loft bed and desk gets like their own personal sanctuary. They will be prepared to spend hours within their bedroom to get pleasure from their time and energy to do nearly anything they like. So, when you are thinking that of selecting this loft bed structure, you happen to be providing your Young ones great gift. The reality is kids get distracted really very easily. And when they get distracted, it truly is significantly challenging to make them concentrated on what they ended up doing previously. With loft bed with desk, it will be much simpler for them for getting concentrated on learning and various activities. And they will not get conveniently distracted since the loft bed and desk is essentially A non-public and quiet setting.
You may also place a flat Television as leisure product inside your space. To generate the home feels clean, place medium dimension of black pot is made up of of inebedroomperienced plant within the corner. A further masculine bedroom style and design that you will likely select may be the a person in blue theme coloration. Blue is ideal to ebedroomplain masculine look. This colour is likewise quite soothing which is out there in several shades which include ocean, sky blue, topaz, and so forth. For this kind of bedroom inside layout, paint the wall with blue colour you want. You will be able to set grey rug on the ground and simple wood desk in square form close to your bed. Within the corner, offer a soothing chair in close probedroomimity to e-book shelve made of glass. You are able to enjoy your time and energy to ebedroomamine your favorite guide on this chair. Bedroom is an important Place in your property. This home is among the most private location of yours that has the function to make you really feel comfort throughout your relabedroomation. To be able To mabedroomimise its function, you will need to have to decorate it for the most effective. Bedding is 1 portion that needs to be managed effectively for the very best comfort and ease. Are you continue to in search of The concept to create your bed appears to be like fantastic? For your personal suggestion, you may pick out teal and gray bedding. This can be the new style for bedding which combines the grey and teal coloration for the most effective and distinctive benefits. The combination of teal and grey bedding designs can be found in some possibilities. You will be able to select the list of bedding which has The mibedroomture hues and sample with the color of teal and gray.
form the perception that you would like, so you can also convey consolation in the shades.Purple ordinarily provide the impression of magnificence and ebedroomquisite. Quite a bit of men and women such as the purple. Purple significantly accentuates the character of the noble mother nature, a Status, loaded and brimming with superior and visionary. In building the purple bedroom, you may Convey anything at all you desire. It is possible to make the most with the place into a dominant purple bedroom, such as in the selection of wall shade or purple wallpaper and purple mattress. Or, You can also layout a bedroom purple with various degradation simply because purple also has different varieties of density. One of these is gray and purple bedrooms.Also, grey is really a neutral coloration that may provide the result of calm, tranquil, and steady with your bedroom. You may use in a method to use it from the floor, all the facet partitions and ceiling. Gray might make the place appear roomy, providing the effect of simple and quiet. Even so, you will want to take into consideration if grey is used in surplus, it may also have adverse effects including the effect of silent, cold and rigid. You can provide shades of dim brown on the key furniture in mattress. To make it seems harmonious, use bedding components in white, but for pillow you may hold using grey. Dark purple could be included to gray and purple bedrooms for household furniture for ebedroomample cabinets, tables, chairs, dressers, and also a console table. And with the wall, you need to use precisely the same colour body. Also, purple and gray is really a neutral coloration that may be applied to the partitions of ones bedroom. You may Incorporate it with heat wood floors and carpet to improve the all-natural effect.
The pedestal chairs that come combined with the table may be rotated 360 diploma with adjustable height. The set comes along with individual parts that are especially created of strong, sturdy and sturdy supplies to emphasize flare and luliving roomury. A lot of the collections are lightweight and it makes significantly easy to maneuver it across the dining home or into One more area. And yes, you can find various color options such as wood, silver, white, black and numerous additional. The good factor is, it may be additional into any spots. You can also include it into your retail retail store to furnish your retail store decorations. And, You may as well utilize it to host the attendees at Eliving roomclusive occasion like social gathering, marriage and countless more. Shortly mentioned, you will end up offered nothing but functional and delightful piece of furniture from pub table established.Placing wine on fridge is just not good technique to protect it. You need particular location to keep. One among advisable furnishings is wine cupboard storage. You might even see wine cabinet as much like regular home furnishings that bind on the wall. That is one of style and design, but you will discover several a variety of designs and types in this type of furniture. Wine cabinet is particular furnishings to shop wine, Therefore the taste and teliving roomture remains to be superior, even after while. Cupboard is not cellar which happens to be particularly suitable for wine being in suitable condition. Chances are you will set this cupboard on kitchen area or eating place.
A different gray shade to look at is medium gray. If you have chose to select this medium grey as your living room primary color, you could Blend it with yellow issue. It could be yellow pillow within the sofa or artificial daisy flower in yellow coloration. Apart from, you are able to set white table lamp in the corner of living room. Full the sofa with medium grey pillow also to improve grey living room Tips. How would you fancy your living room being like? The living room is most critical Portion of any home as it truly is heartbeat of your home. As of late, contemporary living room designs are acquiring A growing number of popular inside our entire world these days. Starting a visually beautiful Room is easier than you think that. Once you fully grasp the ideas and tips to watch out for, almost everything else just falls in place.First off, You should decide to only one design and style. This results in a sense of coherence and unity as well as allows to avoid far too much going on as part of your living and ending up hunting just like a clown home in the circus. Decorating is also built less difficult when narrowing down your scope of selections. On the other hand, this does not suggest just buying all the things premade. Its important to insert your own personal perception of private style in it too. Basically, what you need to try and do is develop a unified fashion One of the “major 5” in every residence, which can be the trendy sofas, minimalist chairs, desk, Home windows and comfortable carpet. After you’ve managed your company very well Together with the Necessities, you insert in slightly icing to your cake by incorporating such things as artwork and decorative goods.Up coming, With regards to modern living room styles you would like to follow rigid color techniques.
Normally, they have dilemma matching espresso desk with the rest of the living room, In particular the sofa. As a way to make your living room search quite, the color and its condition should be matched well with the remainder of the space. In order to be Protected, you are able to choose neutral hues that function effectively with any kind of room. Just utilize beige, white, brown, and gray. If you already have another colour in mind, Guantee that your coffee table’s shade is an efficient miliving room on your place. For instance, you can match dark blue coffee table with mild blue curtain, white wall, and yellow table decoration for an accent. As for the shape, take into consideration also the scale and the feel of it no matter whether it looks enormous or light-weight. The general really feel of the table could also have an effect on the teliving roomture of your place. As an eliving roomample, If you prefer your living room for being lighter, it is possible to go with a glass coffee desk that gives a far more clear seem. Merge it with metal shelves to create a more masculine atmosphere. Glass espresso table also performs eliving roomcellent with glass picture frames and vases.Including espresso table living room can surely boost your living room’s physical appearance. When you have got trouble selecting a nice searching espresso table, just adhere to these simple procedures to develop a good looking living room. Those who live in big international locations generally much like the modest dwelling theater room Suggestions. There are lots of eliving roomplanations why the theater home need to be bundled to the home. However, the dimensions of theater must be in modest. The one eliving roomplanation why they have got to handle small theater would be that the property needs to be divided into various factors for other rooms. Regardless that the theater room is modest, the decoration may be so pleasant if you can deal with the eliving roomcellent Concepts. With this chance, the tricks and tips to beautify smaller theater place are going to be sent for yourself.
For those who are interested in home inside like decoration, then you will want to take into account some elements including curtains, carpets, lamps, carved desk, sofa, oil portray (or at least the poster painting), stained glass, wooden chairs, and even now many Many others. You must seem To find out more about Altering your residence right into a medieval theme.The first thing you must take into consideration is the main colors. Mid Century present day rooms might be more ideal if applying the combination of some colours like dim blue, maroon, olive green, beige, gold, and cream. Just after a further choice of the color, ornament or decoration of your house is a lot more suited to the look of medieval like clay jars or decorative materials product of iron and metallic. Additionally, Its also possible to equip your room with carved ornaments and metal, wood, stone or bronze. For eliving roomample, set it from the pillars and decorative luliving roomury lighting, or as another way, put in the tufted carpets or home furniture with gold paint to make it appears so eliving roomtravagant.And the last thing you need to consider is the selection of furnishings. Definitely in your home, you need a wide range of home furniture. Therefore, the home furnishings that is certainly applied ought to be a big cozy sofa and chairs made from smooth leather-based or velvet in matching color to keep the area appears harmonious and thick that has a Mid Century contemporary rooms sense.Does one have only a position for earning a good decoration? It appears that evidently you have to think about decorating a living room over a spending plan. Are you aware of why? It is so because the finances for making an eliving roomcellent decoration is so higher. It would not be a dilemma When you have unlimited finances so as to acquire substantial design home furnishings without the need of owning any issue.
Other than chair, contemporary stool is sweet option to switch the chair. Applying stool provides much more adaptability when you sit there to operate. Little wardrobe is put on corner as your closet. As talked about before, modest Place calls for utmost management skill to make sure every little thing is in appropriate buy. From this level, you realize household furniture for smaller bedroom includes minimalist mattress, wood table or desk, practical cabinet, cabinets, and chair.To increase inventive aspect, put some paintings or ornament over the wall. If you prefer minimalist, attempt white coloration with Picture frame or wall clock. Now, it can be time for lights fibedroomture. Use LED bulb to save lots of Power and not way too brilliant through night time. Working with traditional chandelier is just not great option because it is just too significant. Another fantastic notion to use in tiny bedroom over a budget is floating shelves. This kind of household furniture does not take Considerably Place.Bed room is own position and decoration accepts many things. Considered one of ebedroomciting Suggestions to try is mid century bedroom. What do you have in mind when give thought to mid-century? It absolutely was period after Byzantium and before renaissance. Some historians have unique phrase and classification concerning this matter. Such as, kingdoms immediately after Roman Empire have been labeled as mid-century when Catholic Church in Vatican held the very best authority in religion. This ebedroompression demonstrates to what come about in Europe. Nonetheless, mid-century also takes portion in Asia, Middle East, and North Africa. Let’s place aside for minute debatable time period due to the fact mid-century is good topic for traditional inside.
Before you decide to plan to structure your bedroom, you need to know your individuality and Life style that can be matched to the look within your bedroom. This consideration is also necessary for masculine bedroom style you will decide on. This is crucial and required make a difference to layout your bedroom based on Way of living and temperament considering the fact that your bedroom will be the real mother nature of yours. It is additionally believed that men do probably not pay attention to home furniture design of their bedroom. Primarily, the things they Believe critical is aquiring a bed in wide dimension. Having said that, some components and accent can be should insert to this interior facet. There are many of masculine bedroom layouts you can select. The 1st a person is bedroom which highlights the cozy, well balanced, and elegant variable. To apply this styling is fairly basic. You only have to have to supply some leather-based factors that can be great and distinctive accent towards your bedroom interior. Regardless that men’s bedroom is often considered as contemporary and minimalist, It is usually not wrong to make it a lot more fashionable applying ultramodern or regular model. You could put just one bedroom dimension in this kind of design.
For instance, just implement grey bedding set with the line sample colored Along with the teal. There are several factors integrated as the bedding established for instance pillow addresses, blanket, and mattress address. To obtain the very best appear, deciding on the similar coloration for all of these things are your best option. Moreover, If you do not much like the energetic appears to be like for your bedding, you could possibly select a plain grey handles and select the plain teal colours for your pillows deal with and blanket. You can even do vice versa. Right after finish Along with the bedding established, to help make a surprising glance, you will be able to insert the rug or carpet to include the ground. Rug or carpet has the function to go over the floor just just in case to make you are feeling warmer in a cold night time. Pick the ebedroomact same colour of rug or carpet with the similar shade as teal and gray bedding. A similar coloration is likely to make your home appears harmony and not tacky. Then, ensure it is fantastic While using the very same wall color in addition.For those who have master bedroom in your property, the prospect is You furthermore may use hardwood floors too. The master bedrooms with hardwood floors are typical idea launched by inside designer. It is ready to develop warm natural environment that is definitely suitable for rest. Choosing what home furniture or ornamental factors to the learn bedroom is hard. If you select inadequately, the learn bedroom will shed its warm setting. In the following paragraphs, we will focus on what you will need for that master bedroom that wo not obstruct its nice inside.
One thing that might be completed by you is making use of The brand new thought to refresh the seems to be of ones bedroom. Even though you have constrained space, you could even now decorate it with a few decisions of bedroom Tips for little rooms. Before accomplishing this project, ensure you have the ebedroomperienced idea to alter the seems of ones bedroom. Usually there are some bedroom Tips for compact rooms for girls for being utilized, like pinky concept, shabby stylish and pastel Thoughts. Those people are uncomplicated and easy to generally be utilized. Pinky notion suggests that you can repaint the wall of your bedroom with pink and pink hues. Then, ebedroomchange your aged bedding established with pink go over. For that furnishings like cabinet, table, and chair, they are often painted by DIY coloring in neutral colors. If you would like a girly glance, just implement white to the home furnishings. Basically, you can do precisely the same ways for your pastel bedroom topic as well.Meanwhile for your shabby chic thought, you simply need to buy some flowery wall stickers with girly shade like pink, tender pink, purple, etcetera. Pick the smaller flowery motif to accomplish bedroom ideas for compact rooms decoration. Subsequent, paste the stickers in certain sides from the wall. For the right looks, you can buy the flowery ornaments and set up them on The top parts of mattress, or utilize it to decorate your reserve shelves. Do not overlook to vary also the mattress go over with shabby stylish them. Properly, Its not at all that tough ideal? It is possible to carry the various nuance by implementing easy Concepts.Wall painting Strategies are literally countless.
As a result, you may use this area for possessing the family gathering time. Just include a coffee desk for completion. Moreover, you should have double features area. Is that good? Occasionally, you might dismiss the wall paint Suggestions. The most important thing is how to place relaliving roomed couch and wide screen for looking at films. You merely have to manage People Suggestions. If you would like make the theater as spouse and children home, the addition of espresso desk is going to be genuinely desired. Individuals would be the points to setup in compact dwelling theater place Suggestions that you need to know.Family room is a location where you devote plenty of time in the midst of your online business with family and friends. That’s why; the space really should be at ease, wonderful and practical Even though you are in a traditional household. Many interior styles that supply the type of common house living rooms commence to look. There are many matters to think about when choosing the design of living room, such as the design, persona together with your funds. This is often definitely various through the living room in condominium with a modern minimalist fashion. In fact, apartment is intended in constrained Place. It helps make the usage of living room needs to be adjoined to another space.By building Other individuals comfortable when viewing your home, then definitely you might really feel relaliving roomed too at time in your own home. Similarly vital in arranging a living room is the look by itself. As we know it, there are plenty of design selection that may be applied as a reference when you need to create a snug residence.
Nevertheless, there has to be so many things for yourself to put in after having sofa and TV racks. What are they? Beneath, there are many ideas for additinal software for household rooms. It appears that you need to stay below for farther information. Couch variety is a major deal for producing outstanding IKEA family home Strategies. As you are aware of, couch is a vital software in a very family members room. Thus, it really is realistic if you will want to decide on sofa in outstanding style. Working with the soda style selection, there are various things to consider. To begin with, you have to pick couch in very good coloration. It means that you need to make the sofa colour consistent with the room decoration. If you wish to convey Winter season topic for the family members home, obviously You should select sofa in light blue shade possibility. It is a crucial so that you can deal.Pick out at ease rugs for the IKEA family home Tips completion. After setting up couch in superior shade and awesome style and design, it can be time to suit your needs to consider rugs software. Your loved ones place have to be snug plenty of. Which is why; picking comfy rugs is a good deal for you personally. Make certain that the rugs are so smooth. Therefore, you will get outstanding IKEA family members space Tips.
One of those 3 aspects will identify whether unique Concepts of decorating Strategies can be applied to your living room or not. The 1st component that you ought to listen is the furnishings utilized for the living room. The primary home furnishings Employed in most living rooms is sofa established. Pick out sofa established that will be able to give comfort and ease for anybody who sits on it. It can be crucial to create cozy living room. Without the need of comfortable seating, your friends will never truly feel snug when appear more than to your property. Moreover, you as the homeowner will not likely really feel at ease when sitting down on any of Those people couch sets.The second facet of cozy living room ideas is called point of interest or issue of curiosity. The focal point is a specific place that pulls the eye on the company or anybody in the living room. The focal points do not have to become located in the center with the place. Often it is found from the wall in form of high definition television. It can also be Positioned superior previously mentioned The pinnacle of the guests in kind of gorgeous crystal chandelier. Even so, easiest way To place focal point to your living room is in between the sofas in sort of coffee table. You may use glass desk with special style that will appeal to the eye of your company. Now, There may be a question pop up immediately after looking through These eliving roomplanations of focus. Can the couch set become the focus of cozy living room? The solution is no, it ca not. Couch set has repetitive colour and style and design. Repeatable sample ca not be the focus of any area.The final component to generate cozy living room is the colour plan. A harmonious shade plan will build pleasurable ambiance towards the occupants with the living room. This pleasurable ambiance will almost certainly make the friends who come around your place really feel at ease.
As with the metallic home furnishings, it is possible to choose copper coloration or gold colour furnishings. When you have been organizing on including vase to the living room, copper vase or ceramic vase would be a good get started.When it arrives for the colour topic for the Tuscan type living room, earth and gold colour is usually suggested. The shade of earth colour may be the most fitted for shade plan on Tuscan decorating Strategies for living room. Individuals colour combination deliver warm ambiance on the living room. You could collaborate with another colour which will in good shape perfectly with People colors. You can also use beige color for that accent color for that wall. As with the ceiling, You may use color that is certainly darker than the color for your wall. Keep the natural color for that wooden beams to indicate the authenticity in the setting up.Almost all of living room that comes with Tuscan decorating Thoughts is possessing fireplace. Make use of the darker colour to the fireplace as compared to the wall colour. This darker coloration will give impression of detail and dimension with the living room inside. You will be able to adorn the fireplace with a variety of add-ons like portray or relatives photograph. For painting at Tuscan model living room, you happen to be instructed to employ modern day portray that reveals portray of rural location.Decorating a household with mid century modern-day interiors thought can be eliving roomciting and difficult concurrently. | 2019-04-23T08:50:42Z | http://theblbar.com/tag/wildlife-theme-interior-wall-decoration/ |
This SENIOR SECURED CONVERTIBLE NOTE PURCHASE AGREEMENT (this "Agreement") is dated as of June 10, 2016 by and among BioCorRx Inc., a Nevada corporation (the "Company"), and BICX Holding Company LLC (the "Purchaser").
WHEREAS, the Company is agreeing to provide collateral to the Purchaser to secure the repayment of the Note, subject to the terms and conditions of the Security Agreement, among the Company and the Purchaser, the form of which is attached asExhibit C hereto (as the same may be amended, supplemented or restated from time to time (the "Security Agreement")).
1.1 Purchase and Sale of Note. Upon the following terms and conditions, the Company is offering to the Purchaser, a $2,500,000 senior secured convertible Note (the "Initial Note"), in substantially the form attached hereto as Exhibit A. For a period of six (6) months from the date of the Initial Closing Date (as defined herein) (the "Investment Period"), the Purchaser shall have the right but not the obligation to invest up to an additional $2,500,000 on the same terms and conditions as are set forth in this Agreement, subject to Section 1.6 if the Purchaser chooses not to exercise this right. Should the Purchaser choose to exercise this right, upon investment of such additional amount(s) and upon presentation of the Initial Note or any the subsequently issued Note, the Company will issue a replacement Note for the full amount invested to the date of such Closing (each a "Note" for purposes of this Agreement).
1.2 Reservation of Shares. The Company has authorized and has reserved and covenants to continue to reserve, free of preemptive rights and other similar contractual rights of stockholders, a number of shares of Common Stock equal to one hundred percent (100%) of the number of shares of Common Stock as shall from time to time be sufficient to effect conversion of the Note. Any shares of Common Stock issuable upon conversion of the Note are herein referred to as the "Shares".
1.3 Purchase Price and Closing. Subject to the terms and conditions hereof, the Company agrees to issue and sell to the Purchaser and, in consideration of and in express reliance upon the representations, warranties, covenants, terms and conditions of this Agreement, the Purchaser, agrees to purchase the Initial Note for a minimum purchase price of $2,500,000 (the "Minimum Purchase Price"). During the Investment Period, the Purchaser may invest up to an additional $2,500,000 for a total aggregate purchase price of $5,000,000 (the "Maximum Purchase Price"). Subject to all conditions to closing being satisfied or waived, the Initial Closing of the purchase and sale of the Note, at the Minimum Purchase Price, shall take place at the offices of Hunter Taubman Fischer LLC (the "Initial Closing") at 5:00 pm (EDT) (or at such earlier time agreed to by the Company and Purchaser) on June 10, 2016 (the "Initial Closing Date") which can be further extended up to thirty (30) days by the mutual agreement of the Company and the Purchaser. During the Investment Period, the Purchaser shall have the right to invest additional amounts up to the Maximum Purchase Price and, the Company and the Purchaser may hold additional closings up to the Maximum Purchase Price (each, a "Closing" and upon investment of the Maximum Purchase Price or expiration of the Investment Period, the "Final Closing"). At each Closing (each a "Closing Date"), the Purchaser shall pay the additional purchase price to be invested and tender the Initial Note or any subsequently issued Note for a new Note at each such Closing that represents the full amount invested by the Purchaser up to the date of such Closing.
Subject to the terms and conditions of this Agreement, at the Initial Closing the Company shall deliver or cause to be delivered to the Purchaser a (x) the Initial Note in the amount of $2,500,000, and (y) any other documents required to be delivered pursuant to Article 4 hereof. At the time of the Initial Closing, the Purchaser shall have delivered the Minimum Purchase Price by wire transfer or by check pursuant to the Subscription Agreement (as such terms are hereafter defined). If any subsequent Closing occurs, the Company shall deliver or cause to be delivered to the Purchaser (x) a new Note in the amount of the previously issued Note plus any additional amounts invested at such Closing, which will replace the previously issued Note, and (y) any other documents required to be delivered pursuant to Article 4 hereof. At any subsequent Closing, the Purchaser shall deliver the additional purchase price and any previously issued Note to the Company.
1.4 Increase in Authorized Shares. The Purchaser is aware that the Company filed a Preliminary Information Statement on Schedule 14C for the purposes of notifying the Company's shareholders that the Company's majority shareholders have approved an amendment to the Company's Articles of Incorporation to increase the number of shares of common stock and preferred shares authorized for issuance (the "Article Amendment"). The Company expects to file the Article Amendment approximately (but not less than) twenty (20) days after the Definitive Information Statement on Schedule 14C is mailed to the Company's shareholders. The Company expects to file the Article Amendment prior to June 30, 2016 and the Purchaser and the Company agree that the filing of the Amended Article is a post-Closing condition of this Agreement.
1.5 Conversion Price. The Note will be convertible into that number of shares of Common Stock as is equal to 51% of the total authorized common stock of the Company, as of the date of the Final Closing, assuming investment of the Maximum Purchase Price, or such lesser amount of authorized common stock pro-rata based upon the total amount invested as of the Final Closing Date. In the event that the Purchaser chooses not to exercise the right to invest the additional $2,500,000 as set forth in Section 1.1, the Note will be convertible into that number of shares of Common Stock as is equal to 25% of thetotal authorized common stock of the Company, as of the date of the Initial Closing, subject to Section 1.6.
1.6 Break-Up Fees. If for any reason the Purchaser chooses not to exercise the right to invest the additional $2,500,000 as set forth in Section 1.1, the Purchaser shall pay to the Company a break-up fee equal to 5% of the remaining balance of the Maximum Purchase Price, within five (5) business days after the Investment Period. If the Purchaser does not deliver the break-up fee within the required time period, the Conversion Price of the Note shall be increased by 8%.
(a) Organization, Good Standing and Power. The Company is an entity duly incorporated or otherwise organized, validly existing and in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its incorporation or organization, with the requisite power and authority to own and use its properties and assets and to carry on its business as currently conducted. The Company is not in violation or default of any of the provisions of its articles of incorporation or bylaws. The Company is duly qualified to conduct business and is in good standing as a foreign corporation or other entity in each jurisdiction in which the nature of the business conducted or property owned by it makes such qualification necessary, except where the failure to be so qualified or in good standing, as the case may be, could not have or reasonably be expected to result in: (i) a material adverse effect on the legality, validity or enforceability of any Transaction Document, (ii) a material adverse effect on the results of operations, assets, business, prospects or condition (financial or otherwise) of the Company, taken as a whole, or (iii) a material adverse effect on the Company's ability to perform in any material respect on a timely basis its obligations under any Transaction Document (any of (i), (ii) or (iii), a "Material Adverse Effect") and no Proceeding has been instituted in any such jurisdiction revoking, limiting or curtailing or seeking to revoke, limit or curtail such power and authority or qualification.
(b) Corporate Power; Authority and Enforcement. The Company has the requisite corporate power and authority to enter into and perform this Agreement, the Security Agreement, and the Note (collectively, the "Transaction Documents"), and to issue and sell the Note in accordance with the terms hereof. The execution, delivery and performance of the Transaction Documents by the Company and the consummation by it of the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby have been duly and validly authorized by all necessary corporate action, and no further consent or authorization of the Company or its Board of Directors or stockholders is required. Each of the Transaction Documents constitutes, or shall constitute when executed and delivered, a valid and binding obligation of the Company enforceable against the Company in accordance with its terms, except as such enforceability may be limited by applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium, liquidation, conservatorship, receivership or similar laws relating to, or affecting generally the enforcement of, creditor's rights and remedies or by other equitable principles of general application.
(iv) the Company is not a party to, and it has no knowledge of, any agreement restricting the voting or transfer of any shares of the capital stock of the Company.
(v) the offer and sale of all capital stock, convertible securities, rights, warrants, or options of the Company issued prior to the Closing complied with all applicable Federal and state securities laws. The Company has furnished or made available to the Purchaser true and correct copies of the Company's Articles of Incorporation, as amended and in effect on the date hereof (the "Articles"), and the Company's Bylaws, as amended and in effect on the date hereof (the "Bylaws") as well as a copy of the Article Amendment that the Company expects to file prior to June 30, 2016. Except as restricted under applicable federal, state, local or foreign laws and regulations, the Articles, or the Transaction Documents, or as set forth on Schedule 2.1 (c), no written or oral contract, instrument, agreement, commitment, obligation, plan or arrangement of the Company shall limit the payment of dividends on the Company's Common Stock.
(d) Issuance of Shares. The Note, to be issued at the Closing have been duly authorized by all necessary corporate action and immediately after the Closing, the Purchaser will be the record and beneficial owners of the Note and have good and valid title to the Note, free and clear of all encumbrances. When the Shares are issued in accordance with the terms of the Note such Shares will be duly authorized by all necessary corporate action and validly issued and outstanding, fully paid and nonassessable, and the holders will be entitled to all rights accorded to a holder of Common Stock and will be the record and beneficial owners of all of such securities and have good and valid title to all of such securities, free and clear of all encumbrances.
(f) Commission Documents, Financial Statements. Except as set forth on Schedule 2.1(f), the Company has filed all reports, schedules, forms, statements and other documents required to be filed by it with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "Commission") pursuant to the reporting requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act"), including material filed pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act (all of the foregoing including filings incorporated by reference therein being referred to herein as the "Commission Documents"). The Company has not provided to the Purchaser any material non-public information or other information which, according to applicable law, rule or regulation, was required to have been disclosed publicly by the Company but which has not been so disclosed, other than (i) with respect to the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, or (ii) pursuant to a non-disclosure or confidentiality agreement signed by the Purchaser. At the time of the respective filings, the Form 10-K and the Form 10-Q complied in all material respects with the requirements of the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission promulgated thereunder and other federal, state and local laws, rules and regulations applicable to such documents. As of their respective filing dates, none of the Form 10-K or Form 10-Q contained any untrue statement of a material fact; and none omitted to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. The financial statements of the Company included in the Commission Documents (the "Financial Statements") comply as to form in all material respects with applicable accounting requirements and the published rules and regulations of the Commission or other applicable rules and regulations with respect thereto. The Financial Statements have been prepared in accordance with United States generally accepted accounting principles ("GAAP") applied on a consistent basis during the periods involved (except: (i) as may be otherwise indicated in the Financial Statements or the notes thereto; or (ii) in the case of unaudited interim statements, to the extent they may not include footnotes or may be condensed or summary statements), and fairly present in all material respects the consolidated financial position of the Company as of the dates thereof and the results of operations and cash flows for the periods then ended (subject, in the case of unaudited statements, to normal year-end audit adjustments).
(g) No Material Adverse Effect. Since May 23, 2016, the Company has not experienced or suffered any Material Adverse Effect.
(h) No Undisclosed Liabilities. Other than as disclosed on Schedule 2.1(h) or set forth in the Commission Documents, to the knowledge of the Company, the Company does not have any liabilities, obligations, claims or losses (whether liquidated or unliquidated, secured or unsecured, absolute, accrued, contingent or otherwise) other than those incurred in the ordinary course of the Company respective business since May 23, 2016 and those which, individually or in the aggregate, do not have a Material Adverse Effect on the Company.
(i) No Undisclosed Events or Circumstances. To the Company's knowledge, no event or circumstance has occurred or exists with respect to the Company or their respective businesses, properties, operations or financial condition, which, under applicable law, rule or regulation, requires public disclosure or announcement by the Company but which has not been so publicly announced or disclosed.
(j) Indebtedness. Other than as set forth on Schedule 2.1(j), the Financial Statements set forth all outstanding secured and unsecured Indebtedness of the Company, or for which the Company has commitments as of the date of the Financial Statements or any subsequent period that would require disclosure. For the purposes of this Agreement, "Indebtedness" shall mean (i) any liabilities for borrowed money or amounts owed (other than trade accounts payable incurred in the ordinary course of business); (ii) all guaranties, endorsements and other contingent obligations in respect of Indebtedness of others, whether or not the same should be reflected in the Company's consolidated balance sheet (or the Note thereto), except guaranties by endorsement of negotiable instruments for deposit or collection or similar transactions in the ordinary course of business; and (iii) the present value of any lease payments due under leases required to be capitalized in accordance with GAAP. The Company is not in default with respect to any Indebtedness which, individually or in the aggregate, would have a Material Adverse Effect.
(k) Title to Assets. Except as set forth on Schedule 2.1(k), the Company has good and marketable title in fee simple to all real property owned by it and good and marketable title in all personal property owned by it that is material to the business of the Company, in each case free and clear of all Liens, except for: (i) Liens as do not materially affect the value of such property and do not materially interfere with the use made and proposed to be made of such property by the Company; and (ii) Liens for the payment of federal, state or other taxes, for which appropriate reserves have been made therefore in accordance with GAAP and, the payment of which is neither delinquent nor subject to penalties. Any real property and facilities held under lease by the Company are held by it under valid, subsisting and enforceable leases with which the Company is in compliance.
(l) Actions Pending. Except as disclosed in the Commission Documents or on Schedule 2.1(l), there is no action, suit, claim, investigation, arbitration, alternate dispute resolution proceeding or any other proceeding pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened against or involving the Company,: (i) which questions the validity of this Agreement or any of the other Transaction Documents or the transactions contemplated hereby or thereby or any action taken or to be taken pursuant hereto or thereto; or (ii) involving any of their respective properties or assets. To the knowledge of the Company, there are no outstanding orders, judgments, injunctions, awards or decrees of any court, arbitrator or governmental or regulatory body against the Company or any subsidiary or any of their respective executive officers or directors in their capacities as such.
(m) Compliance with Law. The Company has all material franchises, permits, licenses, consents and other governmental or regulatory authorizations and approvals necessary for the conduct of their respective business as now being conducted by it unless the failure to possess such franchises, permits, licenses, consents and other governmental or regulatory authorizations and approvals, individually or in the aggregate, could not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.
(n) Compliance. Except as set forth in the in Schedule 2.1(n), the Company: (i) is not in default under or in violation of (and no event has occurred that has not been waived that, with notice or lapse of time or both, would result in a default by the Company), nor has the Company received notice of a claim that it is in default under or that it is in violation of, any indenture, loan or credit agreement or any other agreement or instrument to which it is a party or by which it or any of its properties is bound (whether or not such default or violation has been waived), (ii) is in violation of any judgment, decree or order of any court, arbitrator or other governmental authority or (iii) is or has been in violation of any statute, rule, ordinance or regulation of any governmental authority, including without limitation all foreign, federal, state and local laws relating to taxes, environmental protection, occupational health and safety, product quality and safety and employment and labor matters, except in each case as could not have or reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect.
(o) No Violation. The business of the Company is not being conducted in violation of any federal, state, local or foreign governmental laws, or rules, regulations and ordinances of any governmental entity, except for possible violations which singularly or in the aggregate could not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect. The Company is not required under federal, state, local or foreign law, rule or regulation to obtain any consent, authorization or order of, or make any filing or registration with, any court or governmental agency in order for it to execute, deliver or perform any of its obligations under the Transaction Documents, or issue and sell the Note, or the Shares in accordance with the terms hereof or thereof (other than (x) any consent, authorization or order that has been obtained as of the date hereof, (y) any filing or registration that has been made as of the date hereof or (z) any filings which may be required to be made by the Company with the Commission or state securities administrators subsequent to the Closing).
(p) No Conflicts. The execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement and the Transaction Documents by the Company and the consummation by the Company of the transactions contemplated herein and therein do not and will not: (i) violate any provision of the Articles or Bylaws; (ii) conflict with, or constitute a default (or an event which with notice or lapse of time or both would become a default) under, or give to others any rights of termination, amendment, acceleration or cancellation of, any agreement, mortgage, deed of trust, indenture, note, bond, license, lease agreement, instrument or obligation to which the Company or any subsidiary is a party or by which it or its properties or assets are bound; (iii) create or impose a lien, mortgage, security interest, pledge, charge or encumbrance (collectively, "Lien") of any nature on any property of the Company or any subsidiary under any agreement or any commitment to which the Company or any subsidiary is a party or by which the Company, or any subsidiary is bound or by which any of its respective properties or assets are bound; or (iv) result in a violation of any federal, state, local or foreign statute, rule, regulation, order, judgment or decree (including federal and state securities laws and regulations) applicable to the Company or any subsidiary or by which any property or asset of the Company, or any subsidiary are bound or affected, provided, however, that, excluded from the foregoing in all cases are such conflicts, defaults, terminations, amendments, accelerations, cancellations and violations as would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect.
(q) Taxes. Other than as set forth on Schedule 2.1(q), the Company, to the extent its applicable, has accurately prepared and filed all federal, state and other tax returns required by law to be filed by it, has paid or made provisions for the payment of all taxes shown to be due other than payment being contested and all additional assessments, and adequate provisions have been and are reflected in the consolidated financial statements of the Company for all current taxes and other charges to which the Company, is subject and which are not currently due and payable. None of the federal income tax returns of the Company have been audited by the Internal Revenue Service. The Company has no knowledge of any additional assessments, adjustments or contingent tax liability (whether federal, state or foreign) of any nature whatsoever, whether pending or threatened against the Company for any period, nor of any basis for any such assessment, adjustment or contingency.
(r) Intellectual Property. The Company owns or has the lawful right to use all patents, trademarks, domain names (whether or not registered) and any patentable improvements or copyrightable derivative works thereof, websites and intellectual property rights relating thereto, service marks, trade names, copyrights, licenses and authorizations, and trade secrets, if any, and all rights with respect to the foregoing, if any, which are necessary for the conduct of their respective business as now conducted without any conflict with the rights of others, except where the failure to so own or possess would not have a Material Adverse Effect.
(s) Books and Records Internal Accounting Controls. Except as may have otherwise been disclosed in the Commission Documents, the books and records of the Company, accurately reflect in all material respects the information relating to the business of the Company, the location and collection of their assets, and the nature of all transactions giving rise to the obligations or accounts receivable of the Company. Except as disclosed on Schedule 2.1(s), the Company maintains a system of internal accounting controls sufficient, in the judgment of the Company, to provide reasonable assurance that: (i) transactions are executed in accordance with management's general or specific authorizations; (ii) transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP and to maintain asset accountability; (iii) access to assets is permitted only in accordance with management's general or specific authorization; and (iv) the recorded accountability for assets is compared with the existing assets at reasonable intervals and appropriate actions are taken with respect to any differences.
(t) Material Agreements. Any and all written or oral contracts, instruments, agreements, commitments, obligations, plans or arrangements, the Company is a party to, that a copy of which would be required to be filed with the Commission as an exhibit to a registration statement (collectively, the "Material Agreements") if the Company was registering securities under the Securities Act has previously been publicly filed with the Commission in the Commission Documents. The Company has in all material respects performed all the obligations required to be performed by them to date under the foregoing agreements, have received no notice of default and are not in default under any Material Agreement now in effect the result of which would cause a Material Adverse Effect.
(u) Transactions with Affiliates. Except as set forth in the Financial Statements or in the Commission Documents or on Schedule 2.1(u), there are no loans, leases, agreements, contracts, royalty agreements, management contracts or arrangements or other continuing transactions between the Company and any officer, employee, consultant or director of the Company, or any person owning more than 10% capital stock of the Company or any member of the immediate family of such officer, employee, consultant, director or stockholder or any corporation or other entity controlled by such officer, employee, consultant, director or stockholder, or a member of the immediate family of such officer, employee, consultant, director or stockholder.
(v) Private Placement and Solicitation. Assuming the accuracy of the Purchaser's representations and warranties set forth in Section 2.2, no registration under the Securities Act is required for the offer and sale of the Note by the Company to the Purchaser as contemplated hereby. Based in part on the accuracy of the representations of the Purchaser in Section 2.2, and subject to timely Form D filings pursuant to Regulation D of the Securities Act with the Commission, if applicable, and pursuant to applicable state securities laws, the offer, sale and issuance of the Note to be issued pursuant to and in conformity with the terms of this Agreement, will be issued in compliance with all applicable federal and state securities laws. Neither the Company nor any of its affiliates, nor any person acting on its or their behalf, has engaged in any form of general solicitation or general advertising (within the meaning of Regulation D under the Securities Act) in connection with the offer or sale of the Note.
(w) Governmental Approvals. Except for the filing of any notice prior or subsequent to the Closing Date that may be required under applicable state and/or federal securities laws (which if required, shall be filed on a timely basis), including the filing of a Form D, if applicable, no authorization, consent, approval, license, exemption of, filing or registration with any court or governmental department, commission, board, bureau, agency or instrumentality, domestic or foreign, is or will be necessary for, or in connection with, the execution or delivery of the Note or for the performance by the Company of its obligations under this Agreement and the Transaction Documents.
(x) Employees. Except as disclosed on Schedule 2.1(x), the Company does not have any collective bargaining arrangements covering any of its employees. Schedule 2.1(x) sets forth a list of the employment contracts, agreements regarding proprietary information, non-competition agreements, non-solicitation agreements, confidentiality agreement, or any other similar contract or restrictive covenant, relating to the right of any officer, employee or consultant to be employed or engaged by the Company. Since May 23, 2016, no officer, consultant or key employee of the Company whose termination, either individually or in the aggregate, would have a Material Adverse Effect, has terminated or, to the knowledge of the Company, has any present intention of terminating his or her employment or engagement with the Company.
(xv) entered into an agreement, written or otherwise, to take any of the foregoing actions.
(z) Public Utility Holding Company Act; Investment Company Act and U.S. Real Property Holding Corporation Status. The Company is not a "holding company" or a "public utility company" as such terms are defined in the Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935, as amended. The Company is not, and as a result of and immediately upon the Closing will not be, an "investment company" or a company "controlled" by an "investment company," within the meaning of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended. The Company is not and has never been a U.S. real property holding corporation within the meaning of Section 897 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended.
(aa) ERISA. No liability to the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation has been incurred with respect to any Plan (as defined below) by the Company or any of its subsidiaries which is or would be materially adverse to the Company. The execution and delivery of this Agreement and the other Transaction Documents and the issuance and sale of the Shares will not involve any transaction which is subject to the prohibitions of Section 406 of ERISA or in connection with which a tax could be imposed pursuant to Section 4975 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, provided, that, if the Purchaser, or any person or entity that owns a beneficial interest in the Purchaser, is an "employee pension benefit plan" (within the meaning of Section 3(2) of ERISA) with respect to which the Company is a "party in interest" (within the meaning of Section 3(14) of ERISA), the requirements of Sections 407(d)(5) and 408(e) of ERISA, if applicable, are met. As used in this Section 2.1(aa), the term "Plan" shall mean an "employee pension benefit plan" (as defined in Section 3 of ERISA) which is or has been established or maintained, or to which contributions are or have been made, by the Company or any subsidiary by any trade or business, whether or not incorporated, which, together with the Company is under common control, as described in Section 414(b) or (c) of the Code.
(bb) Disclosure. All disclosure provided to the Purchaser regarding the Company, their respective businesses and the transactions contemplated hereby, furnished by or on behalf of the Company (including the Company's representations and warranties set forth in this Agreement and the disclosure set forth in any diligence report or business plan provided by the Company or any person acting on the Company's behalf) are true and correct in all material aspects and do not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements made therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.
(cc) No Additional Agreements. Neither the Company nor any Affiliate has any agreement or understanding with the Purchaser with respect to the transactions contemplated by this Agreement and the Transaction Documents other than as specified in this Agreement and the Transaction Documents.
(dd) Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. The Company does not have any knowledge of the Company, any agent or other person acting on behalf of the Company, has, directly or indirectly: (i) used any funds, or will use any proceeds from the sale of the Note, for unlawful contributions, gifts, entertainment or other unlawful expenses related to foreign or domestic political activity; (ii) made any unlawful payment to foreign or domestic government officials or employees or to any foreign or domestic political parties or campaigns from corporate funds; (iii) failed to disclose fully any contribution made by the Company (or made by any person acting on their behalf of which the Company is aware) or any members of their respective management which is in violation of any applicable law; or (iv) has violated in any material respect any provision of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, as amended, and the rules and regulations thereunder which was or is applicable to the Company.
(ee) PFIC. The Company is not and does not intend to become a "passive foreign investment company" within the meaning of Section 1297 of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended.
(ff) OFAC. To the knowledge of the Company no director, officer, agent, employee, affiliate or person acting on behalf of any of the Company is currently subject to any U.S. sanctions administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Treasury Department ("OFAC"); and the Company will not directly or indirectly use the proceeds of the sale of the Note, or lend, contribute towards any sales or operations in Cuba, Iran, Syria, Sudan, Myanmar or any other country sanctioned by OFAC or for the purpose of financing the activities of any person currently subject to any U.S. sanctions administered by OFAC.
(gg) Money Laundering Laws. The operations the Company have been conducted at all times in compliance with the money laundering requirements of all applicable governmental authorities and any related or similar rules, regulations or guidelines, issued, administered or enforced by any governmental authority (collectively, the "Money Laundering Laws") and no action, suit or proceeding by or before any court or governmental authority or any arbitrator involving any of the Company with respect to the Money Laundering Laws is pending or, to the best knowledge of the Company, threatened.
(hh) Regulatory Permits. The Company possess all certificates, authorizations and permits issued by the appropriate federal, state, local or foreign regulatory authorities necessary to conduct their respective businesses, except where the failure to possess such permits could not reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect ("Material Permits"), and the Company has not received any notice of proceedings relating to the revocation or modification of any Material Permit.
(ii) Registration Rights. Except as contemplated herein, and except as set forth on Schedule 2.1(ii), no person has any right to cause the Company to effect the registration under the Securities Act of any securities of the Company.
(jj) Acknowledgment Regarding Purchaser's Purchase of Note. The Company acknowledges and agrees that the Purchaser is acting solely in the capacity of an arm's length purchaser with respect to the Transaction Documents and the transactions contemplated thereby. The Company further acknowledges that no Purchaser is acting as a financial advisor or fiduciary of the Company (or in any similar capacity) with respect to the Transaction Documents and the transactions contemplated thereby and any advice given by any Purchaser or any of their respective representatives or agents in connection with the Transaction Documents and the transactions contemplated thereby is merely incidental to the Purchaser's purchase of the Note. The Company further represents to the Purchaser that the Company's decision to enter into this Agreement and the other Transaction Documents has been based solely on the independent evaluation of the transactions contemplated hereby by the Company and its representatives.
(kk) Subsequent Closings/No Integration. The Company has not made any prior offering nor sold any securities in any prior offering that would be integrated pursuant to Rule 502(a) with the sale of the Note and the transactions contemplated by this Agreement in which the Company has not taken reasonable steps to verify that the purchaser of such securities were accredited investors. Further, the Company covenants and agrees it shall take reasonable steps to verify that all investors are accredited investors in connection with: (i) the offer, sale and issuance of the Note pursuant to this Agreement in the Closing; and (ii) pursuant to any other future securities offering that would be integrated with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.
(ll) Sarbanes-Oxley Act. Except as specified in the Commission Documents, the Company is in compliance with the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (the "Sarbanes-Oxley Act"), and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder, that are effective and for which compliance by the Company is required as of the date hereof, as required under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act for companies not listed on a national exchange.
(nn) Listing and Maintenance Requirements. Except as specified in the Commission Documents, the Company has not, in the two years preceding the date hereof, received notice from any Trading Market to the effect that the Company is not in compliance with the listing maintenance requirement thereof. The Company is, and has no reason to believe that it will not in the foreseeable future continue to be, in compliance with the listing and maintenance requirements for continued listing of the Common Stock on the Trading Market on which the Common Stock is currently listed or quoted. The issuance and sale of the Note under this Agreement and the Transaction Documents do not contravene the rules and regulations of the Trading Market which the Common Stock is currently listed or quoted, and, except as otherwise set forth in the Transaction Documents, no approval of the stockholders of the Company thereunder is required for the Company to issue and deliver to the Purchaser the Note contemplated by this Agreement and the Transaction Documents. "Trading Market" means whichever of the New York Stock Exchange, NYSE MKT, the NASDAQ Global Select Market, the NASDAQ Global Market, the NASDAQ Capital Market, OTC Markets or OTC Bulletin Board on which the Common Stock is listed or quoted for trading on the date in question.
(a) Organization and Good Standing of the Purchaser. The Purchaser is an entity and is duly incorporated, validly existing and in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its incorporation or organization.
(b) Authorization and Power. The Purchaser has the requisite power and authority to enter into and perform this Agreement and each of the other Transaction Documents to which such Purchaser is a party and to purchase the Note, being sold to it hereunder. The execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement and each of the other Transaction Documents to which such Purchaser is a party by such Purchaser and the consummation by it of the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby have been duly authorized by all necessary corporate, partnership or limited liability company action, and no further consent or authorization of such Purchaser or its Board of Directors, stockholders, partners, members, or managers, as the case may be, is required. This Agreement and each of the other Transaction Documents to which such Purchaser is a party has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by such Purchaser and constitutes, or shall constitute when executed and delivered, a valid and binding obligation of such Purchaser enforceable against such Purchaser in accordance with the terms hereof.
(c) No Conflicts. The execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement and each of the other Transaction Documents to which such Purchaser is a party and the consummation by such Purchaser of the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby or relating hereto do not and will not: (i) result in a violation of such Purchaser's charter documents, bylaws, operating agreement, partnership agreement or other organizational documents; or (ii) conflict with, or constitute a default (or an event which with notice or lapse of time or both would become a default) under, or give to others any rights of termination, amendment, acceleration or cancellation of any agreement, indenture or instrument or obligation to which such Purchaser is a party or by which its properties or assets are bound, or result in a violation of any law, rule, or regulation, or any order, judgment or decree of any court or governmental agency applicable to such Purchaser or its properties (except for such conflicts, defaults and violations as would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a material adverse effect on such Purchaser). Such Purchaser is not required to obtain any consent, authorization or order of, or make any filing or registration with, any court or governmental agency in order for it to execute, deliver or perform any of its obligations under this Agreement or any other Transaction Document to which such Purchaser is a party or to purchase the Note in accordance with the terms hereof, provided, that for purposes of the representation made in this sentence, such Purchaser is assuming and relying upon the accuracy of the relevant representations and agreements of the Company herein.
(d) Status of Purchaser. The Purchaser is an "accredited investor" ("Accredited Investor") as defined in Regulation D. The Purchaser is not required to be registered as a broker-dealer under Section 15 of the Exchange Act and the Purchaser is not a broker-dealer, nor an affiliate of a broker-dealer.
(e) Acquisition for Investment. The Purchaser is acquiring the Note and the underlying Shares, solely for its own account for the purpose of investment and not with a view to or for sale in connection with a distribution. The Purchaser does not have a present intention to sell the Note or the Shares, nor a present arrangement (whether or not legally binding) or intention to effect any distribution of the Shares to or through any person or entity; provided, however, that by making the representations herein and subject to Section 2.2(h) below, such Purchaser does not agree to hold the Shares for any minimum or other specific term and reserves the right to dispose of the Shares at any time in accordance with federal and state securities laws applicable to such disposition.
(f) Knowledge. The Purchaser acknowledges that it is able to bear the financial risks associated with an investment in the Note and the Shares and has sufficient knowledge and experience in investing in companies similar to the Company in terms of the Company's stage of development so as to be able to evaluate the risks and merits of its investment in the Company. The Purchaser further acknowledges that the purchase of the Note involve substantial risks.
(g) Review of Commission Documents. The Purchaser represents that such Purchaser has reviewed the Commission Documents and has been given full and complete access to the Company for the purpose of obtaining such information as such Purchaser or its qualified representative has reasonably requested in connection with the decision to purchase the Note. The Purchaser represents that such Purchaser has been afforded the opportunity to ask questions of the officers of the Company regarding its business prospects and the Note as Purchaser or Purchaser's qualified representative have found necessary to make an informed investment decision to purchase the Note hereunder. The Purchaser acknowledges that it has access to the Company's publicly available reports and registration statements filed with the Commission prior to the Closing via the internet at www.sec.gov. The Purchaser is satisfied that it has received adequate information with respect to all matters which it or its advisors, if any, consider material to its decision to make this investment.
(h) Additional Representations and Warranties of Accredited Investors. The Purchaser is an Accredited Investor, and further makes the representations and warranties to the Company set forth on Exhibit B-1.
(i) Opportunities for Additional Information. The Purchaser acknowledges that such Purchaser has had the opportunity to ask questions of and receive answers from, or obtain additional information from, the executive officers of the Company concerning the financial and other affairs of the Company.
(j) No General Solicitation. The Purchaser acknowledges that the Note was not offered to such Purchaser by means of any form of general or public solicitation or general advertising, or publicly disseminated advertisements or sales literature, including: (i) any advertisement, article, notice or other communication published in any newspaper, magazine, or similar media, or broadcast over television or radio; or (ii) any seminar or meeting to which such Purchaser was invited by any of the foregoing means of communications.
(k) Rule 144. The Purchaser understands that each of the Shares must be held indefinitely unless such Shares are registered under the Securities Act or an exemption from registration is available. The Purchaser acknowledges that such Purchaser is familiar with Rule 144, of the rules and regulations of the Commission, as amended, promulgated pursuant to the Securities Act ("Rule 144"), and that such person has been advised that Rule 144 permits resales only under certain circumstances. The Purchaser understands that to the extent that Rule 144 is not available, the Purchaser will be unable to sell any of the Shares without either registration under the Securities Act or the existence of another exemption from such registration requirement.
(l) General. The Purchaser understands that the Note is being offered and sold in reliance on a transactional exemption from the registration requirements of federal and state securities laws and the Company is relying upon the truth and accuracy of the representations, warranties, agreements, acknowledgments and understandings of the Purchaser set forth herein in order to determine the applicability of such exemptions and the suitability of such Purchaser to acquire the Note.
(m) Brokers. The Purchaser does not have any knowledge of any brokerage or finder's fees or commissions that are or will be payable by the Company to any broker, financial advisor or consultant, finder, placement agent, investment banker, bank or other person or entity with respect to the transactions contemplated by this Agreement and the Transaction Documents.
(n) Confidential Information. The Purchaser agrees that its employees, agents and representatives will keep confidential and will not disclose, divulge or use (other than for purposes of monitoring its investment in the Company) any confidential information which such Purchaser may obtain from the Company pursuant to financial statements, reports and other materials submitted by the Company to such Purchaser pursuant to this Agreement, unless such information is: (i) known to the public through no fault of such Purchaser or his or its employees or representatives; (ii) becomes part of the public domain other than by a breach of this Agreement; (iii) becomes known by the action of a third party not in breach of a duty of confidence; or (iv) is required to be disclosed to a third party pursuant to any applicable law, government resolution, or decision of any court or tribunal of competent jurisdiction; provided, however, that the Purchaser may disclose such information: (i) to its attorneys, accountants and other professionals in connection with their representation of such Purchaser in connection with such Purchaser's investment in the Company; (ii) to any prospective permitted transferee of the Note; or (iii) to any general partner or affiliate of such Purchaser, so long as the prospective transferee agrees to be bound by the provisions of this Section 2.2(n).
The Company covenants with the Purchaser as follows, which covenants are for the benefit of the Purchaser and their permitted assignees (as defined herein).
Section 3.1 Use of Proceeds. The use of proceeds with regards to the Minimum Purchase Price, the Maximum Purchase Price, or any additional amounts up to the Maximum Purchase Price the Purchaser invests, shall be subject to the Purchaser's review and approval, which approval shall not be unreasonably withheld.
Section 3.2 Securities Compliance. The Company shall notify the Commission in accordance with its rules and regulations, of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement and the Transaction Documents, and shall take all other necessary action and proceedings as may be required and permitted by applicable law, rule and regulation, for the legal and valid issuance of the Note to the Purchaser or subsequent holders.
Section 3.3 Liquidation. Subject to the terms of the Transaction Documents, the Company covenants that it will take such further action as the Purchaser may reasonably request, all to the extent required from time to time to enable the Purchaser to sell the Note without registration under the Securities Act within the limitation of the exemptions provided by Rule 144 promulgated under the Securities Act, as amended.
Section 3.4 Keeping of Records and Books of Account. The Company shall keep adequate records and books of account, in which complete entries will be made in accordance with GAAP consistently applied, reflecting all financial transactions of the Company, and in which, for each fiscal year, all proper reserves for depreciation, depletion, obsolescence, amortization, taxes, bad debts and other purposes in connection with its business shall be made.
Section 3.5 Amendments. Except for the Article Amendment, the Company will not amend, modify or waive any term or provision of its certificate of formation, limited liability company agreement, certificate of incorporation, by-laws, partnership agreement or other applicable documents relating to its formation or governance, or any shareholders agreement, other than amendments, modifications and waivers that are not materially adverse in any respect to the Purchaser and of which the Purchaser has received at least five (5) Business Days' prior written notice.
Section 3.6 Other Agreements. The Company shall not enter into any agreement the terms of which would restrict or impair the ability of the Company to perform its obligations under this Agreement and the Transaction Document.
Section 3.7 Senior Status. The Company shall not issue any debt or other obligation which ranks senior or pari passu to the Note.
Section 3.8 Reservation of Shares. So long as the Note remains outstanding, the Company shall take all actions necessary to at all times have authorized, and reserved for the purpose of issuance, no less than one hundred percent (100%) of the aggregate number of shares of Common Stock needed to provide for the complete issuance of the Shares underlying such outstanding Note.
Section 3.9 Disposition of Assets. So long as the Note remains outstanding, the Company shall not sell, transfer or otherwise dispose of any of its material properties, assets and rights including, without limitation, its software and intellectual property, to any person except for: (i) sales to customers in the ordinary course of business; (ii) sales or transfers between the Company; (iii) disposition of obsolete or worn out equipment; or (iv) otherwise with the prior written consent of the Purchaser.
Section 3.10 Reporting Status. So long as the Purchaser beneficially owns any of the Note, the Company shall timely file all reports required to be filed with the Commission pursuant to the Exchange Act, and the Company shall not terminate its status as an issuer required to file reports under the Exchange Act even if the Exchange Act or the rules and regulations thereunder would permit such termination.
Section 3.11 Disclosure of Transaction. The Company shall file with the Commission, a Current Report on Form 8-K describing the material terms of the transactions contemplated hereby and all material non-public information disclosed to the Purchaser prior to the filing as soon as practicable after the Closing but in no event later than 5:30 P.M. (EDT) on the fourth Business Day following the Closing. In the event that the Company is unable to disclose specific non-public information in the Form 8-K, the Company shall include such information in its Form 10-Q for the interim period during which the Closing contemplated hereby occurs. "Business Day" means any day during which the NASDAQ (or other principal exchange) shall be open for trading.
Section 3.12 Sarbanes-Oxley Act. The Company shall be in compliance with the applicable provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder, as required under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act for companies not listed on a national exchange.
Section 3.13 Conversion and Exercise Procedures. The form of Note sets forth the totality of the procedures required of the Purchaser in order to convert the Note. The Company shall honor conversions of the Note and shall deliver Shares in accordance with the terms, conditions and time periods set forth in the Transaction Documents.
Section 3.14 Subsequent Financings. Without written consent of the Purchaser, the Company shall not undertake any Subsequent Financing (as defined below) within three (3) months of the Initial Closing. As long as any portion of the Note remains outstanding, the Company covenants and agrees to promptly notify in writing (a "Rights Notice") the Purchaser of the terms and conditions of any proposed offer or sale to, or exchange with (or other type of distribution to) any third party (a "Subsequent Financing"), of Common Stock or any equity securities convertible, exercisable or exchangeable into Common Stock; provided, however, prior to delivering to the Purchaser a Rights Notice, the Company shall first deliver to the Purchaser a written notice of its intention to effect a Subsequent Financing ("Pre-Notice") within five (5) Business Days of receiving an applicable offer, which Pre-Notice shall ask the Purchaser if it wants to review the details of such financing. Upon the request of the Purchaser, and only upon a request by such Purchaser within three (3) Business Days of receipt of a Pre-Notice, the Company shall promptly, but no later than two (2) Business Days after such request, deliver a Rights Notice to such Purchaser. The Rights Notice shall describe, in reasonable detail, the proposed Subsequent Financing, the names and investment amounts of all investors participating in the Subsequent Financing (if known), the proposed closing date of the Subsequent Financing, which shall be no earlier than ten (10) Business Days from the date of the Rights Notice, and all of the terms and conditions thereof and proposed definitive documentation to be entered into in connection therewith. The Rights Notice shall provide the Purchaser an option (the "Rights Option") during the five (5) Business Days following delivery of the Rights Notice (the "Option Period") to inform the Company whether such Purchaser will purchase the securities being offered in such Subsequent Financing on the same, absolute terms and conditions as contemplated by such Subsequent Financing, provided that, the amount the Purchaser may purchase shall not exceed $5,000,000. Delivery of any Rights Notice constitutes a representation and warranty by the Company that there are no other material terms and conditions, arrangements, agreements or otherwise except for those disclosed in the Rights Notice, to provide additional compensation to any party participating in any proposed Subsequent Financing, including, but not limited to, additional compensation based on changes in the purchase price or any type of reset or adjustment of a purchase or conversion price or to issue additional securities at any time after the closing date of a Subsequent Financing. If the Company does not receive notice of exercise of the Rights Option from the Purchaser within the Option Period, the Company shall have the right to close the Subsequent Financing on the scheduled closing date set forth in the Rights Notice (or within sixty (60) days thereafter) without the participation of such Purchaser; provided that, all of the material terms and conditions of the closing are the same as those provided to the Purchaser in the Rights Notice. If the closing of the proposed Subsequent Financing does not occur on the scheduled closing date set forth in the Rights Notice (or within sixty (60) days thereafter), any closing of the contemplated Subsequent Financing or any other Subsequent Financing shall be subject to all of the provisions of this Section 3.14(a), including, without limitation, the delivery of a new Rights Notice. The provisions of this Section 3.14(a) shall not apply to issuances of securities in a Permitted Financing.
In addition, in connection with the Rights Notice, the Purchaser's right to invest the additional $2,500,000, as set forth in Section 1.1, shall be accelerated and terminated by the end of the Option Period. The Purchaser shall promptly, but no later than five (5) business days of receipt of the Rights Notice, inform the Company whether such Purchaser will exercise this right. If the Purchaser chooses to exercise this right, the Purchaser shall deliver the purchase price to the Company within five (5) business days after it informs the Company of its intention to exercise the right. If the Purchaser does not deliver the purchase price within the required time period should it chooses to exercise this right, the Purchaser shall pay a break-up fee to the Company as set forth in Section 1.6.
For purposes of this Agreement, a Permitted Financing (as defined hereinafter) shall not be considered a Subsequent Financing. A "Permitted Financing" shall mean: (i) securities issued pursuant to a bona fide acquisition of another business entity or business segment of any such entity by the Company pursuant to a merger, purchase of substantially all the assets or any type of reorganization (each an "Acquisition") provided that (A) the Company will own more than fifty percent (50%) of the voting power of such business entity or business segment of such entity and (B) such Acquisition is approved by the Company's Board of Directors and provided further that such securities are not issued for the purpose of raising capital and in which holders of such securities or debt are not at any time granted registration rights; (ii) securities issued pursuant to the conversion or exercise of convertible or exercisable securities issued or outstanding on or prior to the date of this Agreement or issued pursuant to this Agreement (so long as the terms governing the conversion or exercise price in such securities are not amended to lower such price and/or adversely affect the Purchaser); (iii) securities issued in connection with bona fide strategic license agreements or other partnering arrangements so long as such issuances are not for the primary purpose of raising capital; (iv) Common Stock issued or the issuance or grants of options to purchase Common Stock, in each case, at no less than the then-applicable fair market value, pursuant to equity incentive plans that are adopted by the Company's Board of Directors (including, without limitation, the BioCorRx Inc. 2016 Equity Incentive Plan which the Company plans to adopt prior to June 30, 2016, a form of which plan is attached hereto as Exhibit E) within thirty (30) days attached hereto; (v) securities issued to any placement agent and its respective designees for the transactions contemplated by this Agreement; (vi) securities issued at no less than the then-applicable fair market value to advisors or consultants (including, without limitation, financial advisors and investor relations firms) in connection with any engagement letter or consulting agreement, provided that any such issuance is approved by the Company's Board of Directors; (vii) securities issued to financial institutions or lessors in connection with reasonable commercial credit arrangements, equipment financings or similar transactions, provided that any such issue is approved by the Company's Board of Directors; (viii) securities issued to vendors or customers or to other persons in similar commercial situations as the Company, provided that any such issue is approved by the Company's Board of Directors; (ix) securities issued in connection with any recapitalization of the Company; or (x) securities issued pursuant to an underwritten public offering of the Common Stock. Notwithstanding anything contained herein to the contrary, although the Company shall be entitled to complete a Permitted Financing, all Permitted Financings shall rank junior to the Note.
Section 3.15 No Commissions in Connection with Conversion Note. In connection with the conversion of the Note into the Shares, neither the Company nor any person acting on its behalf will take any action that would result in the Shares being exchanged by the Company other than with the then existing holders of the Note exclusively where no commission or other remuneration is paid or given directly or indirectly for soliciting the exchange in compliance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act.
Section 3.16 No Manipulation of Price. The Company will not take, directly or indirectly, any action designed to cause or result in, or that has constituted or might reasonably be expected to constitute, the stabilization or manipulation of the price of any securities of the Company.
Section 3.17 Intentionally Left Blank.
Section 3.18 Additional Collateral; Further Assurances. The Company shall execute any and all further documents, financing statements, agreements and instruments, and take all further action (including filing Uniform Commercial Code, United States Patent and Trademark Office and other financing statements not later than five (5) business day after the date hereof) that may be required under applicable law, or that the Purchaser may reasonably request, in order to effectuate the transactions contemplated by this Agreement and in order to grant, preserve, protect and perfect the validity and applicable priority of the security interests created or intended to be created by the Note. From time to time, the Company shall, at its cost and expense and subject to the terms of the Note, promptly secure the Note by pledging or creating, or causing to be pledged or created, perfected security interests with respect to such of its assets and properties as the Purchaser shall designate (it being understood that it is the intent of the parties that, except as set forth in the Note, the obligations pursuant to the Note shall be secured by all the assets of the Company(including real and other properties acquired subsequent to the Closing Date)). Such security interests and Liens will be created under this Agreement, the Security Agreement and other security agreements, mortgages, deeds of trust and other instruments and documents in form and substance satisfactory to the Purchaser, and the Company shall deliver or cause to be delivered to the Purchaser all such instruments and documents as the Purchaser shall reasonably request to evidence compliance with this Section 3.18. The Company agrees to provide such evidence as the Purchaser shall reasonably request as to the perfection and priority status of each such security interest and Lien. In furtherance of the foregoing, the Company will give prompt notice to the Purchaser of the acquisition by it or any of its subsidiaries of any property (or any interest in property) having a value in excess of $100,000.
Section 3.19 Intentionally Left Blank.
Section 3.20 Corporate Existence. So long any of the Note remains outstanding, the Company shall maintain its corporate existence and shall not be party to any Fundamental Transaction (as hereinafter defined) without the Holder's prior written consent. "Fundamental Transaction" means that (A) the Company shall, directly or indirectly, in one or more related transactions, (i) consolidate or merge with or into (whether or not the Company is the surviving corporation) another Person or Persons, or (ii) sell, assign, transfer, convey or otherwise dispose of all or substantially all of the properties or assets of the Company to another Person, or (iii) allow another Person to make a purchase, tender or exchange offer that is accepted by the holders of more than the 50% of the outstanding shares of voting stock (not including any shares of voting stock held by the Person or Persons making or party to, or associated or affiliated with the Persons making or party to, such purchase, tender or exchange offer), or (iv) consummate a stock purchase agreement or other business combination (including, without limitation, a reorganization, recapitalization, spin-off or scheme of arrangement) with another Person whereby such other Person acquires more than the 50% of the outstanding shares of voting stock (not including any shares of voting stock held by the other Person or other Persons making or party to, or associated or affiliated with the other Persons making or party to, such stock purchase agreement or other business combination), (v) reorganize, recapitalize or reclassify its Common Stock or (B) any "person" or "group" (as these terms are used for purposes of Sections 14(d) and 15(d) of the Exchange Act) is or shall become the "beneficial owner" (as defined in Rule 13d-3 under the Exchange Act), directly or indirectly, of 50% of the aggregate ordinary voting power represented by issued and outstanding Common Stock.
Section 3.21 Consultant. Upon receiving the Maximum Purchase Price by the Company, so long as the Note remains outstanding, the Purchaser shall be entitled to appoint a consultant to work with the Company's management to further develop the Company's business and operations; the Company shall reimburse the Purchaser for the reasonable fees and expenses of such consultant, provided, however, the Company and Purchaser shall mutually agree on such fees prior to the appointment of the consultant.
Section 3.22 Director Appointment. At such time as the Company determines to apply to list its stock on the NYSE:MKT Exchange or Nasdaq Stock Market, the Purchaser shall have the right to nominate one of the independent members of the Company's board of directors, upon receiving the Maximum Purchase Price by the Company.
Section 3.23 Monthly Reports. So long as the Note remains outstanding, the Company shall furnish unaudited monthly internal financial reports to the Purchaser.
Section 3.24 Board Observer. So long as the Note remains outstanding, the Company shall permit a representative of the Purchaser to attend any meeting of the board of directors of the Company or any committees thereof, as an observer. The Purchaser shall designate such observer to the Company in writing and the Company's board of directors shall provide notice of any meetings at the same time and in the same form as are provided to its members.
Section 3.25 Payment of Prior Note. Within five (5) business days of the Initial Closing, any prior outstanding indedtedness of the Company, with the exception of trade payables incurred in the ordinary course of business, shall be paid off in their entirety.
Section 3.26 Subsequent Preferred Issuances. As long as any portion of the Note remains outstanding, the Company covenants and agrees to promptly notify in writing (an "Issuance Notice") the Purchaser of any proposed issuance of Preferred Stock (the "Preferred Stock"), with super voting rights or voting rights superior to holders of Common Stock, and provide the Purchaser an opportunity to purchase an amount of the Preferred Stock sufficient to allow the Purchaser to own a pro rata amount equal to the amount of the issued and outstanding voting rights the Purchaser owns at the time they receive the Issuance Notice, upon the same terms and conditions as such shares of Preferred Stock are offered to third parties and/or Company officers, directors or affiliates; provided, in no event the Purchaser shall own more than 51% of the outstanding Preferred Stock.
Section 4.1 Conditions Precedent to the Obligation of the Company to Sell the Note. The obligation hereunder of the Company to issue and sell the Note to the Purchaser is subject to the satisfaction or waiver, at or before each Closing, of each of the conditions set forth below. These conditions are for the Company's sole benefit and may be waived by the Company at any time in its sole discretion.
(a) Accuracy of the Purchaser's Representations and Warranties. The representations and warranties of the Purchaser in this Agreement and each of the other Transaction Documents to which such Purchaser is a party shall be true and correct in all material respects as of the date when made and as of each Closing Date as though made at that time, except for representations and warranties that are expressly made as of a particular date, which shall be true and correct in all material respects as of such date.
(b) Performance by the Purchaser. The Purchaser shall have performed, satisfied and complied in all respects with all covenants, agreements and conditions required by this Agreement to be performed, satisfied or complied with by such Purchaser at or prior to each Closing.
(c) No Injunction. No statute, rule, regulation, executive order, decree, ruling or injunction shall have been enacted, entered, promulgated or endorsed by any court or governmental authority of competent jurisdiction which prohibits the consummation of any of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.
ii. the purchase price by wire transfer to the account as specified in writing by the Company or by check as per the payment terms set forth in the Subscription Agreement.
Section 4.2 Conditions Precedent to the Obligation of the Purchaser's to Purchase the Note. The obligation hereunder of the Purchaser to acquire and pay for the Note is subject to the satisfaction or waiver, at or before each Closing, of each of the conditions set forth below. These conditions are for the Purchaser's sole benefit and may be waived by such Purchaser at any time in its sole discretion.
(a) Accuracy of the Company's Representations and Warranties. Each of the representations and warranties of the Company in this Agreement and the other Transaction Documents that are qualified by materiality or by reference to any Material Adverse Effect shall be true and correct in all respects, and all other representations and warranties shall be true and correct in all material respects, as of the date when made and as of each Closing Date as though made at that time, except for representations and warranties that are expressly made as of a particular date, which shall be true and correct in all respects as of such date.
(b) Performance by the Company. The Company shall have performed, satisfied and complied in all respects with all covenants, agreements and conditions required by this Agreement to be performed, satisfied or complied with by the Company at or prior to each Closing.
(c) No Injunction. No statute, rule, regulation, executive order, decree, ruling or injunction shall have been enacted, entered, promulgated or endorsed by any court or governmental authority of competent jurisdiction which prohibits the consummation of any of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement and the Transaction Documents.
(d) No Proceedings or Litigation. No action, suit or proceeding before any arbitrator or any governmental authority shall have been commenced, and no investigation by any governmental authority shall have been threatened, against the Company, or any of the officers, directors or affiliates of the Company seeking to restrain, prevent or change the transactions contemplated by this Agreement and the Transaction Documents, or seeking damages in connection with such transactions.
(e) Note. The Company shall have executed and delivered to the Purchaser the Note being acquired by such Purchaser at each Closing to such address set forth in Section 7.4 of the Agreement.
(f) Resolutions. The Board of Directors of the Company shall have adopted resolutions consistent with Section 2.1(b) hereof in a form reasonably acceptable to such Purchaser (the "Resolutions").
(g) Reservation of Shares. As of each Closing Date, the Company shall have reserved out of its authorized and unissued Common Stock, solely for the purpose of effecting the conversion of the Note, a number of shares of Common Stock equal to one hundred percent (100%) of the aggregate number of Shares issuable upon conversion of the Note issued or to be issued pursuant to this Agreement.
(h) Secretary's Certificate. The Company shall have delivered to such Purchaser a secretary's certificate, dated as of each Closing Date, certifying attached copies of: (i) the Organizational Documents of the Company; (ii) the Resolutions; and (iii) the incumbency of each authorized officer of the Company signing this Agreement and the Transaction Documents and any other documents required to be executed or delivered in connection herewith and therewith.
(i) Officer's Certificate. The Company shall have delivered to the Purchaser a certificate of an executive officer of the Company, dated as of each Closing Date, confirming the accuracy of the Company's representations, warranties and covenants as of each Closing Date and confirming the compliance by the Company with the conditions precedent set forth in this Section 4.2 as of each Closing Date.
(j) Transaction Documents. On each Closing Date, the Company shall have executed and delivered the Transaction Documents, including all required exhibits and schedules to the Purchaser.
(m) Stop Orders. No stop order or suspension of trading shall have been imposed by the Commission or any other governmental or regulatory body having jurisdiction over the Company or the Trading Market(s) where the Common Stock is listed or quoted, with respect to public trading in the Common Stock.
(n) Opinion. The Purchaser shall have received the opinion of Lucosky Brookman LLP, the Company's counsel, dated as of each Closing Date, in substantially the form of Exhibit D attached hereto.
(o) Certificate of Good Standing. The Company has delivered to Purchaser a certificate evidencing the formation and good standing of the Company and each of its subsidiaries in such entity's jurisdiction of formation issued by the Secretary of State (or comparable office) of such jurisdiction, dated April 22, 2016. The Purchaser and the Company agree that the Company shall deliver to Purchaser as soon as practical such good standing certificate dated within five (5) business days of each Closing Date, as a post-Closing condition of this Agreement.
(p) Transfer Agent Letter. The Company shall have delivered to the Purchaser a letter from the Company's transfer agent certifying the number of shares of Common Stock outstanding as of a date within five days of each Closing Date.
(q) Approvals. The Company shall have obtained all governmental, regulatory or third party consents and approvals, if any, necessary for the sale of the Securities.
(r) Other Documents. The Company shall have delivered to such Buyer such other documents relating to the transactions contemplated by this Agreement as such Buyer or its counsel may reasonably request.
"THESE SECURITIES REPRESENTED BY THIS CERTIFICATE (THE "SECURITIES") HAVE NOT BEEN REGISTERED UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED (THE "SECURITIES ACT"), OR ANY STATE SECURITIES LAWS AND MAY NOT BE SOLD, TRANSFERRED OR OTHERWISE DISPOSED OF UNLESS REGISTERED UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT AND UNDER APPLICABLE STATE SECURITIES LAWS OR THE COMPANY SHALL HAVE RECEIVED AN OPINION OF COUNSEL THAT REGISTRATION OF SUCH SECURITIES UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT AND UNDER THE PROVISIONS OF APPLICABLE STATE SECURITIES LAWS IS NOT REQUIRED."
(a) The restrictions on transfer contained in this Section 5.1 shall be in addition to, and not by way of limitation of, any other restrictions on transfer contained in any other section of this Agreement. Whenever a certificate representing the Shares is required to be issued to the Purchaser without a legend, in lieu of delivering physical certificates representing the Shares (provided that a registration statement under the Securities Act providing for the resale of the Shares is then in effect), the Company may cause its transfer agent to electronically transmit the Shares to the Purchaser by crediting the account of such Purchaser or such Purchaser's prime broker with the DTC through its DWAC system (to the extent not inconsistent with any provisions of this Agreement).
(b) Certificates evidencing the Shares shall not contain any legend (including the legend set forth in Section 5.1 hereof): (i) while a registration statement covering the resale of such security is effective under the Securities Act (the date such registration statement is declared effective, being referred to as the "Effective Date"); (ii) following any sale of such Shares pursuant to Rule 144; (iii) if such Shares are eligible for sale under Rule 144, without the requirement for the Company to be in compliance with the current public information required under Rule 144 as to such Shares and without volume or manner-of-sale restrictions; or (iv) if such legend is not required under applicable requirements of the Securities Act (including judicial interpretations and pronouncements issued by the staff of the Commission). The Company shall cause its counsel to issue a legal opinion to its transfer agent promptly after the Effective Date if required by the transfer agent to effect the removal of the legend hereunder. If all or any Note is converted at a time when there is an effective registration statement to cover the resale of the Shares, or if such Shares may be sold under Rule 144 and the Company is then in compliance with the current public information required under Rule 144, or if such Shares may be sold under Rule 144 without the requirement for the Company to be in compliance with the current public information required under Rule 144 as to such Shares and without volume or manner-of-sale restrictions or if such legend is not otherwise required under applicable requirements of the Securities Act (including judicial interpretations and pronouncements issued by the staff of the Commission) then such Shares shall be issued free of all legends. The Company agrees that following the Effective Date or at such time as such legend is no longer required under this Section 5.1, it will, no later than three (3) Trading Days following the delivery by a Purchaser to the Company or the transfer agent of a certificate representing Shares, as applicable, issued with a restrictive legend (such third Trading Day, the "Legend Removal Date"), deliver or cause to be delivered to such Purchaser a certificate representing such shares that is free from all restrictive and other legends. The Company may not make any notation on its records or give instructions to the transfer agent that enlarge the restrictions on transfer set forth in this Article 5.
(c) The Purchaser agrees with the Company that the Purchaser will sell the Note pursuant to either the registration requirements of the Securities Act, including any applicable prospectus delivery requirements, or an exemption therefrom, and that if the Note is sold pursuant to a registration statement, they will be sold in compliance with the plan of distribution set forth therein, and acknowledges that the removal of the restrictive legend from certificates representing Note as set forth in this Article 5 is predicated upon the Company's reliance upon this understanding.
Section 6.1 General Indemnity. The Company agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Purchaser (and their respective directors, officers, managers, partners, members, shareholders, affiliates, agents, successors and assigns) from and against any and all losses, liabilities, deficiencies, costs, damages and expenses (including, without limitation, reasonable attorneys' fees, charges and disbursements) incurred by the Purchaser as a result of any material breach of the material representations, warranties or covenants made by the Company herein. The Purchaser agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Company and its directors, officers, affiliates, agents, successors and assigns from and against any and all losses, liabilities, deficiencies, costs, damages and expenses (including, without limitation, reasonable attorneys' fees, charges and disbursements) incurred by the Company as a result of any breach of the representations, warranties or covenants made by such Purchaser herein. The maximum aggregate liability of the Purchaser pursuant to its indemnification obligations under this Article 6 shall not exceed the portion of the purchase price paid by such Purchaser hereunder. In no event shall any "Indemnified Party" (as defined below) be entitled to recover consequential or punitive damages resulting from a breach or violation of this Agreement.
Section 6.2 Indemnification Procedure. Any party entitled to indemnification under this Article 6 (an "Indemnified Party") will give written notice to the indemnifying party of any matters giving rise to a claim for indemnification; provided, that the failure of any party entitled to indemnification hereunder to give notice as provided herein shall not relieve the indemnifying party of its obligations under this Article 6 except to the extent that the indemnifying party is actually prejudiced by such failure to give notice. In case any action, proceeding or claim is brought against an Indemnified Party in respect of which indemnification is sought hereunder, the indemnifying party shall be entitled to participate in and, unless in the reasonable judgment of the Indemnified Party a conflict of interest between it and the indemnifying party may exist with respect of such action, proceeding or claim, to assume the defense thereof with counsel reasonably satisfactory to the Indemnified Party. In the event that the indemnifying party advises an Indemnified Party that it will contest such a claim for indemnification hereunder, or fails, within thirty (30) days of receipt of any indemnification notice to notify, in writing, such person of its election to defend, settle or compromise, at its sole cost and expense, any action, proceeding or claim (or discontinues its defense at any time after it commences such defense), then the Indemnified Party may, at its option, defend, settle or otherwise compromise or pay such action or claim. In any event, unless and until the indemnifying party elects in writing to assume and does so assume the defense of any such claim, proceeding or action, the Indemnified Party's costs and expenses arising out of the defense, settlement or compromise of any such action, claim or proceeding shall be losses subject to indemnification hereunder. The Indemnified Party shall cooperate fully with the indemnifying party in connection with any negotiation or defense of any such action or claim by the indemnifying party and shall furnish to the indemnifying party all information reasonably available to the Indemnified Party which relates to such action or claim. The indemnifying party shall keep the Indemnified Party fully apprised at all times as to the status of the defense or any settlement negotiations with respect thereto. If the indemnifying party elects to defend any such action or claim, then the Indemnified Party shall be entitled to participate in such defense with counsel of its choice at its sole cost and expense. The indemnifying party shall not be liable for any settlement of any action, claim or proceeding effected without its prior written consent, provided, however, that the indemnifying party shall be liable for any settlement if the indemnifying party is advised of the settlement but fails to respond to the settlement within thirty (30) days of receipt of such notification. Notwithstanding anything in this Article 6 to the contrary, the indemnifying party shall not, without the Indemnified Party's prior written consent, settle or compromise any claim or consent to entry of any judgment in respect thereof which imposes any future obligation on the Indemnified Party or which does not include, as an unconditional term thereof, the giving by the claimant or the plaintiff to the Indemnified Party of a release from all liability in respect of such claim. The indemnity agreements contained herein shall be in addition to (a) any cause of action or similar rights of the Indemnified Party against the indemnifying party or others, and (b) any liabilities the indemnifying party may be subject to pursuant to the law.
Section 7.1 Fees and Expenses. The Company has agreed to pay $60,000 with respect to certain fees in the manner set forth in Schedule 7.1 hereto. Except as expressly set forth in the Transaction Documents to the contrary, each party shall pay the fees and expenses of its advisers, counsel, accountants and other experts, if any, and all other expenses incurred by such party incident to the negotiation, preparation, execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement. The Company shall pay all Transfer Agent fees, stamp taxes and other taxes and duties levied in connection with the delivery of the Note to the Purchaser.
Section 7.2 Specific Enforcement, Consent to Jurisdiction. The Company and the Purchaser acknowledge and agree that irreparable damage would occur in the event that any of the provisions of this Agreement or the other Transaction Documents were not performed in accordance with their specific terms or were otherwise breached. It is accordingly agreed that the parties shall be entitled to an injunction or injunctions to prevent or cure breaches of the provisions of this Agreement or the other Transaction Documents and to enforce specifically the terms and provisions hereof or thereof, this being in addition to any other remedy to which any of them may be entitled by law or equity.
Each of the Company and the Purchaser: (i) hereby irrevocably submits to the jurisdiction of the United States District Court sitting in Nevada and the courts of the State of Nevada for the purposes of any suit, action or proceeding arising out of or relating to this Agreement or any of the other Transaction Documents or the transactions contemplated hereby or thereby; and (ii) hereby waives, and agrees not to assert in any such suit, action or proceeding, any claim that it is not personally subject to the jurisdiction of such court, that the suit, action or proceeding is brought in an inconvenient forum or that the venue of the suit, action or proceeding is improper. Each of the Company and the Purchaser consents to process being served in any such suit, action or proceeding by mailing a copy thereof via registered or certified mail or overnight delivery (with evidence of delivery) to such party at the address in effect for notices to it under this Agreement and agrees that such service shall constitute good and sufficient service of process and notice thereof. Nothing in this Section 7.2 shall affect or limit any right to serve process in any other manner permitted by law. Each party hereby irrevocably waives personal service of process and consents to process being served in any such suit, action or proceeding by mailing a copy thereof to such party at the address for such notices to it under this Agreement and agrees that such service shall constitute good and sufficient service of process and notice thereof. The Company hereby appoints Lucosky Brookman LLP as its agent for service of process in New York. Nothing contained herein shall be deemed to limit in any way any right to serve process in any manner permitted by law.
Section 7.3 Entire Agreement; Amendment. This Agreement and the other Transaction Documents contain the entire understanding and agreement of the parties with respect to the matters covered hereby and, except as specifically set forth herein or in the Transaction Documents, neither the Company nor the Purchaser makes any representations, warranty, covenant or undertaking with respect to such matters and they supersede all prior understandings and agreements with respect to said subject matter, all of which are merged herein. No provision of this Agreement nor any of the Transaction Documents may be waived or amended other than by a written instrument signed by the Company and the holders of at least fifty percent (50%) of the Shares then outstanding (the "Majority Holders"), and no provision hereof may be waived other than by a written instrument signed by the party against whom enforcement of any such waiver is sought. No such amendment shall be effective to the extent that it applies to less than all of the holders of the Shares then outstanding. No consideration shall be offered or paid to any person to amend or consent to a waiver or modification of any provision of any of the Transaction Documents unless the same consideration is also offered to all of the parties to the Transaction Documents or holders of Shares, as the case may be.
Any party hereto may from time to time change its address for notices by giving at least ten (10) days written notice of such changed address to the other party hereto.
Section 7.5 Waivers. No waiver by any party of any default with respect to any provision, condition or requirement of this Agreement and the other Transaction Documents shall be deemed to be a continuing waiver in the future or a waiver of any other provisions, condition or requirement hereof and thereof, nor shall any delay or omission of any party to exercise any right hereunder and thereunder in any manner impair the exercise of any such right accruing to it thereafter.
Section 7.6 Headings. The section headings contained in this Agreement (including, without limitation, section headings and headings in the exhibits and schedules) are inserted for reference purposes only and shall not affect in any way the meaning, construction or interpretation of this Agreement and the other Transaction Documents. Any reference to the masculine, feminine, or neuter gender shall be a reference to such other gender as is appropriate. References to the singular shall include the plural and vice versa.
Section 7.7 Successors and Assigns. This Agreement may not be assigned by a party hereto without the prior written consent of the Company or the Purchaser, as applicable, provided, however, that, subject to federal and state securities laws and as otherwise provided in the Transaction Documents, the Purchaser may assign its rights and delegate its duties hereunder in whole or in part: (i) to a third party acquiring all or substantially all of its Shares in a private transaction; or (ii) to an affiliate, in each case, without the prior written consent of the Company, after notice duly given by such Purchaser to the Company provided, that no such assignment or obligation shall affect the obligations of such Purchaser hereunder and that such assignee agrees in writing to be bound, with respect to the transferred securities, by the provisions hereof that apply to the Purchaser. The provisions of this Agreement shall inure to the benefit of and be binding upon the respective permitted successors and assigns of the parties. Nothing in this Agreement, express or implied, is intended to confer upon any party other than the parties hereto or their respective successors and assigns any rights, remedies, obligations or liabilities under or by reason of this Agreement, except as expressly provided in this Agreement. If any Purchaser transfers the Shares purchased hereunder, any such penalty shares or liquidated damages, as the case may be, pursuant to this Agreement shall similarly transfer to such transferee with no further action required by the purchaser or the Company.
Section 7.8 Rescission and Withdrawal Right. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in (and without limiting any similar provisions of) this Agreement and the Transaction Documents, whenever the Purchaser exercises a right, election, demand or option under this Agreement or a Transaction Document and the Company does not timely perform its related obligations within the periods therein provided, then such Purchaser may rescind or withdraw, in its sole discretion from time to time upon written notice to the Company, any relevant notice, demand or election in whole or in part without prejudice to its future actions and rights.
Section 7.9 Replacement of Note. If any certificate or instrument evidencing any Note is mutilated, lost, stolen or destroyed, the Company shall issue or cause to be issued in exchange and substitution for and upon cancellation thereof, or in lieu of and substitution therefor, a new certificate or instrument, but only upon receipt of evidence reasonably satisfactory to the Company of such loss, theft or destruction and customary and reasonable indemnity, if requested. The applicants for a new certificate or instrument under such circumstances shall also pay any reasonable third-party costs associated with the issuance of such replacement Note. If a replacement certificate or instrument evidencing any Note is requested due to a mutilation thereof, the Company may require delivery of such mutilated certificate or instrument as a condition precedent to any issuance of a replacement.
Section 7.10 Limitation of Liability. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, the Company acknowledges and agrees that the liability of the Purchaser arising directly or indirectly, under this Agreement and the other Transaction Documents of any and every nature whatsoever shall be satisfied solely out of the assets of such Purchaser, and that no trustee, officer, other investment vehicle or any other Affiliate of such Purchaser or any Purchaser, shareholder or holder of shares of beneficial interest of such a Purchaser shall be personally liable for any liabilities of such Purchaser.
Section 7.11 No Third Party Beneficiaries. This Agreement is intended for the benefit of the parties hereto and their respective permitted successors and assigns and is not for the benefit of, nor may any provision hereof be enforced by, any other person.
Section 7.12 Governing Law. This Agreement and the other Transaction Documents shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Nevada, without giving effect to any of the conflicts of law principles which would result in the application of the substantive law of another jurisdiction. This Agreement and the other Transaction Documents shall not be interpreted or construed with any presumption against the party causing this Agreement and the other Transaction Documents to be drafted.
Section 7.13 Survival. The representations and warranties of the Company hereunder and under the other Transaction Documents shall survive the execution and delivery hereof and the Final Closing hereunder for a period of three (3) years following the Final Closing Date.
Section 7.14 Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in any number of counterparts, each of which when so executed shall be deemed to be an original and, all of which taken together shall constitute one and the same Agreement and shall become effective when counterparts have been signed by each party and delivered to the other parties hereto, it being understood that all parties need not sign the same counterpart. In the event that any signature is delivered by facsimile transmission, such signature shall create a valid binding obligation of the party executing (or on whose behalf such signature is executed) the same with the same force and effect as if such facsimile signature were the original thereof.
Section 7.15 Severability. The provisions of this Agreement and the Transaction Documents are severable and, in the event that any court of competent jurisdiction shall determine that any one or more of the provisions or part of the provisions contained in this Agreement or the Transaction Documents shall, for any reason, be held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable in any respect, such invalidity, illegality or unenforceability shall not affect any other provision or part of a provision of this Agreement or the Transaction Documents and such provision shall be reformed and construed as if such invalid or illegal or unenforceable provision, or part of such provision, had never been contained herein, so that such provisions would be valid, legal and enforceable to the maximum extent possible.
Section 7.16 Further Assurances. From and after the date of this Agreement, upon the request of the Purchaser or the Company, each of the Company and the Purchaser shall execute and deliver such instrument, documents and other writings as may be reasonably necessary or desirable to confirm and carry out and to effectuate fully the intent and purposes of this Agreement and the other Transaction Documents.
(b) by the Company or the Purchaser (as to itself but no other Purchaser) upon written notice to the other, if the Initial Closing shall not have taken place by 5:00 p.m. Eastern time on June 17, 2016, unless extended to a later date by the mutual consent of the Company and the Purchaser; provided, that the right to terminate this Agreement under this Section 7.17(b) shall not be available to any person whose failure to comply with its obligations under this Agreement has been the cause of or resulted in the failure of the Initial Closing to occur on or before such time.
(c) In the event of a termination pursuant to Section 7.17(a) or 7.17(b), the Purchaser shall have the right to a return of up to its entire Minimum Purchase Price pursuant to this Agreement, without interest or deduction. The Company covenants and agrees to cooperate with such Purchaser in obtaining the return of its Minimum Purchase Price.
(d) In the event of a termination pursuant to this Section 7.17, the Company shall promptly notify the Purchaser. Upon a termination in accordance with this Section 7.17, the Company and the terminating Purchaser shall not have any further obligation or liability (including as arising from such termination) to the other.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be duly executed by their respective authorized officer as of the date first above written.
Purchaser hereby elects to purchase a total of _1___ Note in an amount of $2,500,000__________.
A bank as defined in Section 3(a)(2) of the Securities Act, or a savings and loan association or other institution as defined in Section 3(a)(5)(A) of the Securities Act, whether acting in its individual or fiduciary capacity; a broker or dealer registered pursuant to Section 15 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934; an insurance company as defined in Section 2(13) of the Securities Act; an investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the "Investment Company Act") or a business development company as defined in Section 2(a)(48) of the Investment Company Act; a Small Business Investment Company licensed by the U.S. Small Business Administration under Section 301(c) or (d) of the Small Business Investment Act of 1958; a plan established and maintained by a state, its political subdivisions or any agency or instrumentality of a state or its political subdivisions for the benefit of its employees, if such plan has total assets in excess of US $5,000,000; an employee benefit plan within the meaning of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 ("ERISA"), if the investment decision is made by a plan fiduciary, as defined in Section 3(21) of ERISA, which is either a bank, savings and loan association, insurance company, or registered investment advisor, or if the employee benefit plan has total assets in excess of US $5,000,000 or, if a self-directed plan, with investment decisions made solely by persons that are accredited investors.
An organization described in Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, corporation, Massachusetts or similar business trust, or partnership, not formed for the specific purpose of acquiring the securities offered, with total assets in excess of US $5,000,000.
A natural person whose individual net worth, or joint net worth with that person's spouse, at the time of his or her purchase exceeds US $1,000,000.
A trust, with total assets in excess of US $5,000,000, not formed for the specific purpose of acquiring the securities offered, whose purchase is directed by a sophisticated person as described in Rule 506(b)(2)(ii) (i.e., a person who has such knowledge and experience in financial and business matters that he is capable of evaluating the merits and risks of the prospective investment).
I certify that I have a "net worth" of at least $1 million either individually or through aggregating my individual holdings and those in which I have a joint, community property or other similar shared ownership interest with my spouse. For purposes hereof, "net worth" shall be deemed to include all of your assets, liquid or illiquid (excluding the value of your principal residence), minus all of your liabilities (excluding the amount of indebtedness secured by your principal residence up to its fair market value).
I certify that I have had an annual gross income for the past two years of at least $200,000 (or $300,000 jointly with my spouse) and expect my income (or joint income, as appropriate) to reach the same level in the current year.
The undersigned certifies that it is a partnership, corporation, limited liability company or business trust that is 100% owned by persons who meet either of the criteria for Individual Investors, above.
The undersigned certifies that it is a partnership, corporation, limited liability company or business trust that has total assets of at least $5,000,000 and was not formed for the purpose of investing in Company.
The undersigned certifies that it is an employee benefit plan whose investment decision is made by a plan fiduciary (as defined in ERISA §3(21)) that is a bank, savings and loan association, insurance company or registered investment adviser.
The undersigned certifies that it is an employee benefit plan whose total assets exceed $5,000,000 as of the date of the Purchase Agreement.
The undersigned certifies that it is a self-directed employee benefit plan whose investment decisions are made solely by persons who meet either of the criteria for Individual Investors, above.
The undersigned certifies that it is a U.S. bank, U.S. savings and loan association or other similar U.S. institution acting in its individual or fiduciary capacity.
The undersigned certifies that it is a broker-dealer registered pursuant to §15 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.
The undersigned certifies that it is an organization described in §501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code with total assets exceeding $5,000,000 and not formed for the specific purpose of investing in Company.
The undersigned certifies that it is a trust with total assets of at least $5,000,000, not formed for the specific purpose of investing in Company, and whose purchase is directed by a person with such knowledge and experience in financial and business matters that he is capable of evaluating the merits and risks of the prospective investment.
Initial _________ The undersigned certifies that it is a plan established and maintained by a state or its political subdivisions, or any agency or instrumentality thereof, for the benefit of its employees, and which has total assets in excess of $5,000,000.
Initial _________ The undersigned certifies that it is an insurance company as defined in §2(a)(13) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or a registered investment company.
We have acted as special outside counsel to BioCorRX Inc., a corporation incorporated under the laws of the State of Nevada (the "Company"), in connection with that certain Note Purchase Agreement, dated as of June 10, 2016 (the "Agreement"), by and between the Company and BICX Holding Company LLC, a limited liability company organized and existing under the laws of the State of Delaware (the "Purchaser"). This opinion is being provided to you pursuant to Section 4.2(n) of the Agreement.
(f) all such other agreements, instruments, documents and certificates of public officials and/or of officers and directors of the Company as we have deemed necessary or advisable as a basis for the opinion herein rendered.
In connection with the opinions expressed herein, we have made such examination of law as we considered appropriate or advisable for purposes hereof. As to matters of fact material to the opinions expressed herein, we have relied, with your permission, upon the representations and warranties as to factual matters contained in and made by the Company and the Purchaser pursuant to the Transaction Documents and upon certificates and statements of certain government officials and of officers of the Company as described below.
(v) the constitutionality and validity of all relevant laws, regulations and agency actions unless a reported case has otherwise held or widespread concern has been expressed by commentators as reflected in materials which lawyers routinely consult.
Whenever a statement herein is qualified by "to our knowledge" or similar phrase, it means that, during the course of our representation of the Company for the purposes of this opinion letter, (1) no information that would give those lawyers who participated in the preparation of the letter or who have been actively involved in negotiating or preparing the Transaction Documents (collectively, the "Opinion Letter Participants") current knowledge of the inaccuracy of such statement has come to their attention; (2) we have not undertaken any independent investigation or inquiry to determine the accuracy of such statement; (3) any limited investigation or inquiry otherwise undertaken by the Opinion Letter Participants during the preparation of this opinion letter should not be regarded as such an investigation or inquiry; and (4) no inference as to our knowledge of any matters bearing on the accuracy of any such statement should be drawn from the fact of our representation of the Company. We also call to your attention to the fact that we are not general counsel to the Company and we are not familiar audit of the Company or their files.
We are members of the bar of the State of New Jersey. We express no opinion as to the laws of any jurisdiction other than the laws of the State of New Jersey and the federal laws of the United States of America. Insofar as any entity opined upon herein may be incorporated under the laws of other states and insofar as the Transaction Documents may be governed by the laws of other states, we have assumed that such laws are identical in all respects to the laws of the State of New Jersey.
We express no opinion with respect to the effect or application of any other laws. Special rulings of authorities administering any of such laws or opinions of other counsel have not been sought or obtained by us in connection with rendering the opinions expressed herein. We express no opinions as to the application of the laws of usury to the Transaction Documents.
1. Based solely upon a good standing certificate received from the Nevada Secretary of State dated June 7, 2016, as of such date, the Company is a corporation duly organized, validly existing and in good standing under the laws of the State of Nevada.
2. The Company has the corporate power and authority to enter into, execute, deliver and perform the transactions contemplated in and its obligations under the Transaction Documents to which it is a party. The execution, delivery and performance by the Company of the Transaction Documents to which Company is a party has been duly authorized by all requisite corporate action and the Transaction Documents have been duly executed and delivered by Company.
Company enforceable in accordance with their respective terms.
4. The execution and delivery by the Company of the Transaction Documents to which Company is a party and the performance by the Company of its obligations thereunder: (i) do not conflict with or result in a violation of the Articles of Incorporation or Bylaws of the Company; and (ii) to our knowledge, do not conflict with or violate any order, writ, judgment or decree to which the Company is a party or is subject.
5. To our knowledge, no approval, authorization or other action by, or filing with, any governmental authority is required in connection with the execution, delivery and performance by Company of the Transaction Documents except as such has been obtained and except for filing a current report on Form 8-K with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission disclosing the terms and conditions of the Transaction Documents.
6. The Company has the power and authority to own its property and to carry on its business as it is now being conducted, and, based solely upon representations made to us by management of the Company, the Company is duly qualified to do business in all jurisdictions in which the nature of its activities makes such qualification necessary, except where the failure to so qualify could not reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect.
7. To our knowledge and based solely upon representations made to us by management of the Company, giving no independent investigation, there is no suit, action or proceeding filed against the Company or its management before or by any governmental authority, including, without limitation, any suit, action or proceeding which seeks to enjoin or challenge the consummation or validity of any of the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents or which would materially affect the ability of the Company to perform its obligations under the Transaction Documents.
8. The Company is not, and after the consummation of the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents shall not be, an Investment Company within the meaning of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended.
A. The effect of bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium and other similar laws relating to or affecting the relief of debtors or the rights and remedies of creditors generally, including without limitation the effect of statutory or other law regarding fraudulent conveyances and preferential transfers.
B. Limitations imposed by state law, federal law, general equitable principles, or a requirement as to commercial reasonableness, conscionability or good faith upon the specific enforceability of any of the remedies, covenants or other provisions of any applicable agreement and upon the availability of injunctive relief or other equitable remedies, regardless of whether enforcement of any such agreement is considered in a proceeding in equity or at law.
This opinion is rendered as of the date first written above, is solely for your benefit in connection with the Transaction Documents and may not be relied upon or used by, circulated, quoted, or referred to nor may any copies hereof be delivered to any other person without our prior written consent. We disclaim any obligation to update this opinion letter or to advise you of facts, circumstances, events or developments which hereafter may be brought to our attention and which may alter, affect or modify the opinions expressed herein. This opinion letter speaks only as of the date hereof and shall not be deemed to have been reissued as of any date. We have no responsibility or obligation to consider the applicability or correctness of this opinion letter to any person other than its original addressees.
A. General Purpose. The name of this plan is the BioCorRx Inc. 2016 Equity Incentive Plan (the "Plan"). The purposes of the Plan are to (a) enable BioCorRx Inc., a Nevada corporation (the "Company"), to attract and retain the types of Employees, Consultants and Directors who will contribute to the Company's long range success; (b) provide incentives that align the interests of Employees, Consultants and Directors with those of the shareholders of the Company; and (c) promote the success of the Company's business.
B. Eligible Award Recipients.The persons eligible to receive Awards are the Employees, Consultants and Directors of the Company and its Affiliates.
C. Available Awards. Awards that may be granted under the Plan include: (a) Incentive Stock Options, (b) Non-qualified Stock Options, (c) Restricted Stock and (d) Restricted Stock Units.
"Affiliate" means a corporation or other entity that, directly or through one or more intermediaries, controls, is controlled by or is under common control with, the Company.
"Applicable Laws" means the requirements related to or implicated by the administration of the Plan under applicable state corporate law, United States federal and state securities laws, the Code and the applicable laws of any foreign country or jurisdiction where Awards are granted under the Plan.
"Award" means any right granted under the Plan, including an Incentive Stock Option, a Non-qualified Stock Option, a Restricted Stock Award or a Restricted Stock Unit Award.
"Award Agreement" means a written agreement, contract, certificate or other instrument or document evidencing the terms and conditions of an individual Award granted under the Plan which may, in the discretion of the Company, be transmitted electronically to any Participant. Each Award Agreement shall be subject to the terms and conditions of the Plan.
"Board" means the Board of Directors of the Company, as constituted at any time.
"Cause" means, unless the applicable Award Agreement provides otherwise: (1) with respect to any employee or Consultant, (A) continued failure by Participant to perform substantially Participant's duties and responsibilities (other than a failure resulting from Disability) that is materially injurious to the Company and that remains uncorrected for 10 days after receipt of appropriate written notice from the Board; (B) reliable, written third-party documentary evidence of engagement in willful, reckless or grossly negligent misconduct that is materially injurious to Company or any of its affiliates, monetarily or otherwise; (C) except as provided by (D), the indictment of Participant with a crime involving moral turpitude or a felony, provided that if the criminal charge is dismissed with prejudice or if Participant is acquitted at trial or on appeal, Participant will be deemed to have been terminated without Cause; (D) the indictment of Participant for an act of criminal fraud, misappropriation or personal dishonesty, provided that if the criminal charge is subsequently dismissed with prejudice or the Participant is acquitted at trial or on appeal then the Participant will be deemed to have been terminated without Cause; or (E) a material breach by Participant of any provision of an applicable employment agreement that is materially injurious to the Company and that remains uncorrected for 10 days following written notice of such breach by the Company to Participant identifying the provision of the applicable employment agreement that the Company determined has been breached; and (2) with respect to a Director, a determination by a majority of the disinterested Board members that the Director has engaged in (A) malfeasance in office; (B) gross misconduct or neglect; (C) false or fraudulent misrepresentation inducing the Director's appointment; (D) willful conversion of corporate funds; or (E) repeated failure to participate in Board meetings on a regular basis despite having received proper notice of the meetings in advance. The Board, in its absolute discretion, shall determine the effect of all matters and questions relating to whether a Participant has been discharged for Cause.
"Change in Control" means the occurrence of any one or more of the following events (1) any Person becomes a "beneficial owner" (as defined in Rule 13d-3 under the Exchange Act), directly or indirectly, of securities of the Company representing more than 25% of the voting power of the then outstanding securities of the Company; provided that a Change of Control shall not be deemed to occur as a result of a transaction in which the Company becomes a subsidiary of another corporation and in which the stockholders of the Company, immediately prior to the transaction, will beneficially own, immediately after the transaction, shares entitling such stockholders to more than 50% of all votes to which all stockholders of the parent corporation would be entitled in the election of directors; (2) the consummation of (A) a merger or consolidation of the Company with another corporation where the stockholders of the Company, immediately prior to the merger or consolidation, will not beneficially own, immediately after the merger or consolidation, shares entitling such stockholders to more than 50% of all votes to which all stockholders of the surviving corporation would be entitled in the election of directors, (B) a sale or other disposition of all or substantially all of the assets of the Company, or (C) a liquidation or dissolution of the Company; or (3) Directors are elected such that a majority of the members of the Company's Board shall have been members of the Board for less than two years, unless the election or nomination for election of each new director who was not a director at the beginning of such two-year period was approved by a vote of at least two-thirds of the Directors then still in office who were Directors at the beginning of such period.
"Code" means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as it may be amended from time to time. Any reference to a section of the Code shall be deemed to include a reference to any regulations promulgated thereunder.
"Committee" means a committee of one or more members of the Board appointed by the Board to administer the Plan in accordance with Section III(D).
"Common Stock" means the common stock, $0.001 par value per share, of the Company. "Company" means BioCorRx Inc. a Nevada corporation, and any successor thereto.
"Consultant" means any individual who is engaged by the Company or any Affiliate to render consulting or advisory services, whether or not compensated for such services.
"Continuous Service" means that the Participant's service with the Company or an Affiliate, whether as an Employee, Consultant or Director, is not interrupted or terminated. The Participant's Continuous Service shall not be deemed to have terminated merely because of a change in the capacity in which the Participant renders service to the Company or an Affiliate as an Employee, Consultant or Director or a change in the entity for which the Participant renders such service, provided that there is no interruption or termination of the Participant's Continuous Service; provided further that if any Award is subject to Section 409A of the Code, this sentence shall only be given effect to the extent consistent with Section 409A of the Code. For example, a change in status from an Employee of the Company to a Director of an Affiliate will not constitute an interruption of Continuous Service. The Board or its delegate, in its sole discretion, may determine whether Continuous Service shall be considered interrupted in the case of any leave of absence approved by that party, including sick leave, military leave or any other personal or family leave of absence.
"Disability" means either (A) a Participant's inability to engage in any substantial gainful activity by reason of any medically determinable physical or mental impairment that can be expected to result in death or can be expected to last for a continuous period of not less than 12 months, or (B) by reason of any medically determinable physical or mental impairment that can be expected to result in death or can be expected to last for a continuous period of not less than 12 months, a Participant's receiving income replacement benefits for a period of not less than three months under an accident and health plan covering the Company's employees. A Participant will be deemed permanently disabled if determined to be totally disabled by the Social Security Administration or if determined to be disabled in accordance with a disability insurance program that applies a definition of disability that complies with the requirements of this paragraph.
"Disqualifying Disposition" has the meaning set forth in Section XIV(I). "Effective Date" shall mean the date as of which this Plan is adopted by the Board.
"Employee" means any person, including an officer or Director, employed by the Company or an Affiliate; provided, that, for purposes of determining eligibility to receive Incentive Stock Options, an Employee shall mean an employee of the Company or a parent or subsidiary corporation within the meaning of Section 424 of the Code. Mere service as a Director or payment of a director's fee by the Company or an Affiliate shall not be sufficient to constitute "employment" by the Company or an Affiliate.
"Exchange Act" means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and any successor thereto.
"Fair Market Value" means, on a given date, (i) if there is a public market for the shares of Common Stock on such date, the closing price of the shares as reported on such date on the principal national securities exchange on which the shares are listed or, if no sales of shares have been reported on any national securities exchange, then the immediately preceding date on which sales of the shares have been so reported or quoted, and (ii) if there is no public market for the shares of Common Stock on such date, then the fair market value shall be determined by the Board in good faith after taking into consideration all factors which it deems appropriate, including, without limitation, Sections 409A and 422 of the Code.
"Grant Date" means the date on which the Board adopts a resolution, or takes other appropriate action, expressly granting an Award to a Participant that specifies the key terms and conditions of the Award or, if a later date is set forth in such resolution, then such date as is set forth in such resolution.
"Incentive Stock Option" means an Option intended to qualify as an incentive stock option within the meaning of Section 422 of the Code.
"Non-qualified Stock Option" means an Option that by its terms does not qualify or is not intended to qualify as an Incentive Stock Option.
"Option" means an Incentive Stock Option or a Non-qualified Stock Option granted pursuant to the Plan. "Optionholder" means a person to whom an Option is granted pursuant to the Plan or, if applicable, such other person who holds an outstanding Option.
"Option Exercise Price" means the price at which a share of Common Stock may be purchased upon the exercise of an Option.
"Participant" means an eligible person to whom an Award is granted pursuant to the Plan or, if applicable, such other person who holds an outstanding Award.
"Permitted Transferee" means: (a) a member of the Optionholder's immediate family (child, stepchild, grandchild, parent, stepparent, grandparent, spouse, former spouse, sibling, niece, nephew, mother-in-law, father-in-law, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, brother-in-law, or sister-in-law, including adoptive relationships), any person sharing the Optionholder's household (other than a tenant or employee), a trust in which these persons have more than 50% of the beneficial interest, a foundation in which these persons (or the Optionholder) control the management of assets, and any other entity in which these persons (or the Optionholder) own more than 50% of the voting interests; or (b) such other transferees as may be permitted by the Board in its sole discretion.
"Person" means any individual, entity or group (within the meaning of Section 13(d)(3) or 14(d)(2) of the Exchange Act). "Plan" means this BioCorRx Inc. 2016 Equity Incentive Plan, as amended and/or amended and restated from time to time.
"Restricted Period" has the meaning set forth in Section VII.
"Restricted Stock" means Common Stock, subject to certain specified restrictions (including, without limitation, a requirement that the Participant provide Continuous Service for a specified period of time) granted under Section VII of the Plan.
"Restricted Stock Unit" means an unfunded and unsecured promise to deliver shares of Common Stock, cash, other securities or other property, subject to certain restrictions (including, without limitation, a requirement that the Participant provide Continuous Service for a specified period of time) granted under Section VII of the Plan.
"Ten Percent Shareholder" means a person who owns (or is deemed to own pursuant to Section 424(d) of the Code) stock possessing more than 10% of the total combined voting power of all classes of stock of the Company or of any of its Affiliates.
A. Authority of Board. The Plan shall be administered by the Board or, in the Board's sole discretion, by the Committee. Subject to the terms of the Plan, the Committee's charter and Applicable Laws, and in addition to other express powers and authorization conferred by the Plan, the Committee shall have the authority: (1) to construe and interpret the Plan and apply its provisions; (2)to promulgate, amend, and rescind rules and regulations relating to the administration of the Plan; (3) to authorize any person to execute, on behalf of the Company, any instrument required to carry out the purposes of the Plan; (4) to delegate its authority to one or more officers of the Company; (5) to determine when Awards are to be granted under the Plan and the applicable Grant Date; (6) from time to time to select, subject to the limitations set forth in this Plan, those Participants to whom Awards shall be granted; (7) to determine the number of shares of Common Stock to be made subject to each Award; (8) to determine whether each Option is to be an Incentive Stock Option or a Non-qualified Stock Option; (9) to prescribe the terms and conditions of each Award, including, without limitation, the exercise price and medium of payment and vesting provisions, and to specify the provisions of the Award Agreement relating to such grant; (10) to amend any outstanding Awards, including for the purpose of modifying the time or manner of vesting, or the term of any outstanding Award; provided, however, that if any such amendment impairs a Participant's rights or increases a Participant's obligations under his or her Award or creates or increases a Participant's federal income tax liability with respect to an Award, such amendment shall also be subject to the Participant's consent; (11) to determine the duration and purpose of leaves of absences which may be granted to a Participant without constituting termination of their employment for purposes of the Plan, which periods shall be no shorter than the periods generally applicable to Employees under the Company's employment policies; (12) to make decisions with respect to outstanding Awards that may become necessary upon a change in corporate control or an event that triggers anti-dilution adjustments; (13) to interpret, administer, reconcile any inconsistency in, correct any defect in and/or supply any omission in the Plan and any instrument or agreement relating to, or Award granted under, the Plan; and (14) to exercise discretion to make any and all other determinations which it determines to be necessary or advisable for the administration of the Plan.
B. Acquisitions and Other Transactions. The Board may, from time to time, assume outstanding awards granted by another entity, whether in connection with an acquisition of such other entity or otherwise, by either (i) granting an Award under the Plan in replacement of or in substitution for the award assumed by the Company, or (ii) treating the assumed award as if it had been granted under the Plan if the terms of such assumed award could be applied to an Award granted under the Plan. Such assumed award shall be permissible if the holder of the assumed award would have been eligible to be granted an Award hereunder if the other entity had applied the rules of this Plan to such grant. The Board may also grant Awards under the Plan in settlement of or in substitution for outstanding awards or obligations to grant future awards in connection with the Company or an Affiliate acquiring another entity, an interest in another entity, or an additional interest in an Affiliate whether by merger, stock purchase, asset purchase or other form of transaction.
C. Board Decisions Final. All decisions made by the Board pursuant to the provisions of the Plan shall be final and binding on the Company and the Participants, unless such decisions are determined by a court having jurisdiction to be arbitrary and capricious.
D. Delegation. The Board, may delegate administration of the Plan to a committee or committees of one or more members of the Board, and the term "Committee" shall apply to any person or persons to whom such authority has been delegated. Except as otherwise determined by the Board, the Committee shall consist solely of two or more Directors appointed to the Committee from time to time by the Board. The Committee shall have the power to delegate to a subcommittee any of the administrative powers the Committee is authorized to exercise (and references in this Plan to the Board or the Committee shall thereafter be to the committee or subcommittee), subject, however, to such resolutions, not inconsistent with the provisions of the Plan, as may be adopted from time to time by the Board. The Board may abolish the Committee at any time and revest in the Board the administration of the Plan. The members of the Committee shall be appointed by and serve at the pleasure of the Board. From time to time, the Board may increase or decrease the size of the Committee, add additional members to, remove members (with or without cause) from, appoint new members in substitution therefor, and fill vacancies, however caused, in the Committee. The Committee shall act pursuant to a vote of the majority of its members or, in the case of a Committee comprised of only two members, the unanimous consent of its members, whether present or not, or by the written consent of the majority of its members and minutes shall be kept of all of its meetings and copies thereof shall be provided to the Board. Subject to the limitations prescribed by the Plan and the Board, the Committee may establish and follow such rules and regulations for the conduct of its business as it may determine to be advisable.
E. Indemnification. In addition to such other rights of indemnification as they may have as Directors or members of the Committee, and to the extent allowed by Applicable Laws, the Board shall be indemnified by the Company against the reasonable expenses, including attorney's fees, actually incurred in connection with any action, suit or proceeding or in connection with any appeal therein, to which the Committee may be party by reason of any action taken or failure to act under or in connection with the Plan or any Award granted under the Plan, and against all amounts paid by the Board in settlement thereof (provided, however, that the settlement has been approved by the Company, which approval shall not be unreasonably withheld) or paid by the Board in satisfaction of a judgment in any such action, suit or proceeding, except in relation to matters as to which it shall be adjudged in such action, suit or proceeding that such Board did not act in good faith and in a manner which such person reasonably believed to be in the best interests of the Company, or in the case of a criminal proceeding, had no reason to believe that the conduct complained of was unlawful; provided, however, that within 60 days after institution of any such action, suit or proceeding, such Board shall, in writing, offer the Company the opportunity at its own expense to handle and defend such action, suit or proceeding.
IV. Shares Subject to the Plan.
A. Subject to adjustment in accordance with Section XI, a total of 65,625,000 shares of Common Stock shall be available for the grant of Awards under the Plan; provided that, no more than 65,625,000 shares of Common Stock may be granted as Incentive Stock Options. During the terms of the Awards, the Company shall keep available at all times the number of shares of Common Stock required to satisfy such Awards.
B. Shares of Common Stock available for distribution under the Plan may consist, in whole or in part, of authorized and unissued shares or treasury shares.
C. Any shares of Common Stock subject to an Award that is canceled, forfeited or expires prior to exercise or realization, either in full or in part, shall again become available for issuance under the Plan. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein: shares subject to an Award under the Plan shall not again be made available for issuance or delivery under the Plan if such shares are (a) shares tendered in payment of an Option or (b) shares delivered or withheld by the Company to satisfy any tax withholding obligation.
D. If the Board authorizes the assumption of awards pursuant to Section III(B) or Section XII(A) hereof, the assumption will reduce the number of shares available for issuance under the Plan in the same manner as if the assumed awards had been granted under the Plan.
A. Eligibility for Specific Awards. Incentive Stock Options may be granted to Employees only. Awards other than Incentive Stock Options may be granted to Employees, Consultants and Directors.
B. Ten Percent Shareholders. A Ten Percent Shareholder shall not be granted an Incentive Stock Option unless the Option Exercise Price is at least 110% of the Fair Market Value of the Common Stock at the Grant Date and the Option is not exercisable after the expiration of five years from the Grant Date.
A. Term. Subject to the provisions of Section V(B) regarding Ten Percent Shareholders, no Incentive Stock Option shall be exercisable after the expiration of 10 years from the Grant Date. The term of a Non-qualified Stock Option granted under the Plan shall be determined by the Board; provided, however, no Non-qualified Stock Option shall be exercisable after the expiration of 10 years from the Grant Date.
B. Exercise Price of an Incentive Stock Option. Subject to the provisions of Section V(B) regarding Ten Percent Shareholders, the Option Exercise Price of each Incentive Stock Option shall be not less than 100% of the Fair Market Value of the Common Stock subject to the Option on the Grant Date. Notwithstanding the foregoing, an Incentive Stock Option may be granted with an Option Exercise Price lower than that set forth in the preceding sentence if such Option is granted pursuant to an assumption or substitution for another option in a manner satisfying the provisions of Section 424(a) of the Code.
C. Exercise Price of a Non-qualified Stock Option. The Option Exercise Price of each Non-qualified Stock Option shall be not less than 100% of the Fair Market Value of the Common Stock subject to the Option on the Grant Date.
D. Method of Exercise. The Option Exercise Price shall be paid, to the extent permitted by Applicable Laws, either (a) in cash or by certified or bank check at the time the Option is exercised or (b) in the discretion of the Board, upon such terms as the Board shall approve: (i) by delivery to the Company of other shares of Common Stock, duly endorsed for transfer to the Company, with a Fair Market Value on the date of delivery equal to the Option Exercise Price (or portion thereof) due for the number of shares being acquired; (ii) by a "net exercise" procedure effected by withholding the minimum number of shares of Common Stock otherwise issuable in respect of an Option that are needed to pay the Option Exercise Price; (iii) by any combination of the foregoing methods; or (iv) in any other form of legal consideration that may be acceptable to the Board. Unless otherwise specifically provided in the Option, the Option Exercise Price that is paid by delivery to the Company of other Common Stock acquired, directly or indirectly from the Company, shall be paid only by shares of Common Stock that have been held for more than six months (or such longer or shorter period of time required to avoid a charge to earnings for financial accounting purposes).
E. Transferability of an Incentive Stock Option. An Incentive Stock Option shall not be transferable except by will or by the laws of descent and distribution and shall be exercisable during the lifetime of the Optionholder only by the Optionholder. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Optionholder may, by delivering written notice to the Company, in a form satisfactory to the Company, designate a third party who, in the event of the death of the Optionholder, shall thereafter be entitled to exercise the Option.
F. Transferability of a Non-qualified Stock Option. A Non-qualified Stock Option may, in the sole discretion of the Board, be transferable to a Permitted Transferee, upon written approval by the Board to the extent provided in the Award Agreement. If the Non-qualified Stock Option does not provide for transferability, then the Non-qualified Stock Option shall not be transferable except by will or by the laws of descent and distribution and shall be exercisable during the lifetime of the Optionholder only by the Optionholder. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Optionholder may, by delivering written notice to the Company, in a form satisfactory to the Company, designate a third party who, in the event of the death of the Optionholder, shall thereafter be entitled to exercise the Option.
G. Vesting of Options. Each Option may, but need not, vest and therefore become exercisable in periodic installments that may, but need not, be equal. The Option may be subject to such other terms and conditions on the time or times when it may be exercised (which may be based on performance or other criteria) as the Board may deem appropriate. The vesting provisions of individual Options may vary. No Option may be exercised for a fraction of a share of Common Stock. The Board may, but shall not be required to, provide for an acceleration of vesting and exercisability in the terms of any Award Agreement upon the occurrence of a specified event.
H. Termination of Continuous Service. Unless otherwise provided in an Award Agreement or in an employment agreement the terms of which have been approved by the Board, in the event an Optionholder's Continuous Service terminates (other than upon the Optionholder's death or Disability), the Optionholder may exercise his or her Option (to the extent that the Optionholder was entitled to exercise such Option as of the date of termination) but only within such period of time ending on the earlier of (a) the date three months following the termination of the Optionholder's Continuous Service or (b) the expiration of the term of the Option as set forth in the Award Agreement; provided that, if the termination of Continuous Service is by the Company for Cause, all outstanding Options (whether or not vested) shall immediately terminate and cease to be exercisable. If, after termination, the Optionholder does not exercise his or her Option within the time specified in the Award Agreement, the Option shall terminate.
I. Disability of Optionholder. Unless otherwise provided in an Award Agreement, in the event that an Optionholder's Continuous Service terminates as a result of the Optionholder's Disability, the Optionholder may exercise his or her Option (to the extent that the Optionholder was entitled to exercise such Option as of the date of termination), but only within such period of time ending on the earlier of (a) the date 12 months following such termination or (b) the expiration of the term of the Option as set forth in the Award Agreement. If, after termination, the Optionholder does not exercise his or her Option within the time specified herein or in the Award Agreement, the Option shall terminate.
J. Death of Optionholder. Unless otherwise provided in an Award Agreement, in the event an Optionholder's Continuous Service terminates as a result of the Optionholder's death, then the Option may be exercised (to the extent the Optionholder was entitled to exercise such Option as of the date of death) by the Optionholder's estate, by a person who acquired the right to exercise the Option by bequest or inheritance or by a person designated to exercise the Option upon the Optionholder's death, but only within the period ending on the earlier of (a) the date 12 months following the date of death or (b) the expiration of the term of such Option as set forth in the Award Agreement. If, after the Optionholder's death, the Option is not exercised within the time specified herein or in the Award Agreement, the Option shall terminate.
K. Incentive Stock Option $100,000 Limitation. To the extent that the aggregate Fair Market Value (determined at the time of grant) of Common Stock with respect to which Incentive Stock Options are exercisable for the first time by any Optionholder during any calendar year (under all plans of the Company and its Affiliates) exceeds $100,000, the Options or portions thereof which exceed such limit (according to the order in which they were granted) shall be treated as Non-qualified Stock Options.
VII. Restricted Awards. A Restricted Award is an Award of actual shares of Common Stock ("Restricted Stock") or an Award of hypothetical Common Stock Units ("Restricted Stock Units") having a value equal to the Fair Market Value of an identical number of shares of Common Stock. Restricted Awards may, but need not, provide that such Restricted Award may not be sold, assigned, transferred or otherwise disposed of, pledged or hypothecated as collateral for a loan or as security for the performance of any obligation or for any other purpose for such period (the "Restricted Period") as the Board shall determine. Each Restricted Award granted under the Plan shall be evidenced by an Award Agreement. Each Restricted Award so granted shall be subject to the conditions set forth in this Section VII, and to such other conditions not inconsistent with the Plan as may be reflected in the applicable Award Agreement.
A. Restricted Stock. Each Participant granted Restricted Stock shall execute and deliver to the Company an Award Agreement with respect to the Restricted Stock setting forth the restrictions and other terms and conditions applicable to such Restricted Stock. If the Board determines that the Restricted Stock shall be held by the Company or in escrow rather than delivered to the Participant pending the release of the applicable restrictions, the Board may require the Participant to additionally execute and deliver to the Company (A) an escrow agreement satisfactory to the Board, if applicable and (B) the appropriate blank stock power with respect to the Restricted Stock covered by such agreement. If a Participant fails to execute an agreement evidencing an Award of Restricted Stock and, if applicable, an escrow agreement and stock power, the Award shall be null and void. Subject to the restrictions set forth in the Award, the Participant generally shall have the rights and privileges of a shareholder as to such Restricted Stock, including the right to vote such Restricted Stock and the right to receive dividends.
B. Restricted Stock Units. The terms and conditions of a grant of Restricted Stock Units shall be reflected in an Award Agreement. No shares of Common Stock shall be issued at the time a Restricted Stock Unit is granted, and the Company will not be required to set aside funds for the payment of any such Award. A Participant shall have no voting rights with respect to any Restricted Stock Units granted hereunder. To the extent provided in an Award Agreement, the holder of Restricted Stock Units shall be entitled to be credited with dividend equivalent payments (upon the payment by the Company of dividends on shares of Common Stock) either in cash or, at the sole discretion of the Board, in shares of Common Stock having a Fair Market Value equal to the amount of such dividends (and interest may, at the sole discretion of the Board, be credited on the amount of cash dividend equivalents at a rate and subject to such terms as provided by the Board), which accumulated dividend equivalents (and interest thereon, if applicable) shall be payable to the Participant upon the release of restrictions on such Restricted Stock Units, and if such Restricted Stock Units are forfeited, the Participant shall have no right to such dividend equivalent payments.
1. Restrictions on Restricted Stock. Restricted Stock awarded to a Participant shall be subject to the following restrictions until the expiration of the Restricted Period, and to such other terms and conditions as may be set forth in the applicable Award Agreement: (A) if an escrow arrangement is used, the Participant shall not be entitled to delivery of the stock certificate; (B) the shares shall be subject to the restrictions on transferability set forth in the Award Agreement; (C) the shares shall be subject to forfeiture to the extent provided in the applicable Award Agreement; and (D) to the extent such shares are forfeited, the stock certificates shall be returned to the Company, and all rights of the Participant to such shares and as a shareholder with respect to such shares shall terminate without further obligation on the part of the Company.
2. Restrictions on Restricted Stock Units. Restricted Stock Units awarded to a Participant shall be subject to (A) forfeiture until the expiration of the Restricted Period and satisfaction of any applicable performance goals during such period, to the extent provided in the applicable Award Agreement, and to the extent such Restricted Stock Units are forfeited, all rights of the Participant to such Restricted Stock Units shall terminate without further obligation on the part of the Company and (B) such other terms and conditions as may be set forth in the applicable Award Agreement.
3. Board Discretion to Remove Restrictions. The Board shall have the authority to remove any or all of the restrictions on the Restricted Stock or Restricted Stock Units whenever it may determine that, by reason of changes in Applicable Laws or other changes in circumstances arising after the Grant Date, such action is appropriate.
D. Restricted Period. The Restricted Period shall commence on the Grant Date and end at the time or times set forth on a schedule established by the Board in the applicable Award Agreement; provided, however, that notwithstanding any such vesting dates, the Board may in its sole discretion accelerate the vesting of any Restricted Award at any time and for any reason. The Board may, but shall not be required to, provide for an acceleration of vesting in the terms of any Award Agreement upon the occurrence of a specified event.
E. Delivery of Restricted Stock and Settlement of Restricted Stock Units. Upon the expiration of the Restricted Period with respect to any shares of Restricted Stock, the restrictions set forth in Section VII(A) and the applicable Award Agreement shall be of no further force or effect with respect to such shares, except as set forth in the applicable Award Agreement. If an escrow arrangement is used, upon such expiration, the Company shall deliver to the Participant, or his or her beneficiary, without charge, the stock certificate evidencing the shares of Restricted Stock which have not then been forfeited and with respect to which the Restricted Period has expired (to the nearest full share) and any dividends credited to the Participant's account with respect to such Restricted Stock and the interest thereon, if any. Upon the expiration of the Restricted Period with respect to any outstanding Restricted Stock Units, the Company shall deliver to the Participant, or his or her beneficiary, without charge, one share of Common Stock for each outstanding Restricted Stock Unit and any dividend equivalent payments credited to the Participant's account with respect to such Restricted Stock Units and the interest thereon, if any; provided, however, that if explicitly provided in the Award Agreement, the Board may, in its sole discretion, elect to pay part cash or part cash and part Common Stock in lieu of delivering only shares of Common Stock for vested Restricted Stock Units. If a cash payment is made in lieu of delivering shares of Common Stock, the amount of such payment shall be equal to the Fair Market Value of the Common Stock as of the date on which the Restricted Period lapsed.
No Restricted Award may be granted or settled for a fraction of a share of Common Stock.
A. Securities Registration. No Awards shall be granted under the Plan and no shares of Common Stock shall be issued and delivered upon the exercise of Options granted under the Plan unless and until the Company and/or the Participant have complied with all applicable federal and state registration, listing and/or qualification requirements and all other requirements of law or of any regulatory agencies having jurisdiction.
B. Representations; Legends. The Board may, as a condition to the grant of any Award or the exercise of any Option under the Plan, require a Participant to (i) represent in writing that the shares of Common Stock received in connection with such Award are being acquired for investment and not with a view to distribution and (ii) make such other representations and warranties as are deemed appropriate by counsel to the Company. Each certificate representing shares of Common Stock acquired under the Plan shall bear a legend in such form as the Company deems appropriate.
IX. Use of Proceeds from Stock. Proceeds from the sale of Common Stock pursuant to Awards, or upon exercise thereof, shall constitute general funds of the Company.
A. Acceleration of Exercisability and Vesting. The Board shall have the power to accelerate the time at which an Award may first be exercised or the time during which an Award or any part thereof will vest in accordance with the Plan, notwithstanding the provisions in the Award stating the time at which it may first be exercised or the time during which it will vest.
B. Shareholder Rights. Except as provided in the Plan or an Award Agreement, no Participant shall be deemed to be the holder of, or to have any of the rights of a holder with respect to, any shares of Common Stock subject to an Award unless and until such Participant has satisfied all requirements for exercise or settlement of the Award pursuant to its terms and no adjustment shall be made for dividends (ordinary or extraordinary, whether in cash, securities or other property) or distributions of other rights for which the record date is prior to the date such Common Stock certificate is issued, except as provided in Section XI hereof.
C. No Employment or Other Service Rights. Nothing in the Plan or any instrument executed or Award granted pursuant thereto shall confer upon any Participant any right to continue to serve the Company or an Affiliate in the capacity in effect at the time the Award was granted or shall affect the right of the Company or an Affiliate to terminate (a) the employment of an Employee with or without notice and with or without Cause or (b) the service of a Director pursuant to the By-laws of the Company or an Affiliate, and any applicable provisions of the corporate law of the state in which the Company or the Affiliate is incorporated, as the case may be.
D. Transfer; Approved Leave of Absence. For purposes of the Plan, no termination of employment by an Employee shall be deemed to result from either (a) a transfer of employment to the Company from an Affiliate or from the Company to an Affiliate, or from one Affiliate to another, or (b) an approved leave of absence for military service or sickness, or for any other purpose approved by the Company, if the Employee's right to reemployment is guaranteed either by a statute or by contract or under the policy pursuant to which the leave of absence was granted or if the Board otherwise so provides in writing, in either case, except to the extent inconsistent with Section 409A of the Code if the applicable Award is subject thereto.
E. Withholding Obligations. To the extent provided by the terms of an Award Agreement and subject to the discretion of the Board, the Participant may satisfy any federal, state or local tax withholding obligation relating to the exercise or acquisition of Common Stock under an Award by any of the following means (in addition to the Company's right to withhold from any compensation paid to the Participant by the Company) or by a combination of such means: (a) tendering a cash payment; (b) authorizing the Company to withhold shares of Common Stock from the shares of Common Stock otherwise issuable to the Participant as a result of the exercise or acquisition of Common Stock under the Award, provided, however, that no shares of Common Stock are withheld with a value exceeding the minimum amount of tax required to be withheld by law; or (c) delivering to the Company previously owned and unencumbered shares of Common Stock of the Company.
XI. Adjustments Upon Changes in Stock. In the event of changes in the outstanding Common Stock or in the capital structure of the Company by reason of any stock or extraordinary cash dividend, stock split, reverse stock split, an extraordinary corporate transaction such as any recapitalization, reorganization, merger, consolidation, combination, exchange, or other relevant change in capitalization occurring after the Grant Date of any Award, Awards granted under the Plan and any Award Agreements, the exercise price of Options and the maximum number of shares of Common Stock subject to Awards stated in Section IV will be equitably adjusted or substituted, as to the number, price or kind of a share of Common Stock or other consideration subject to such Awards to the extent necessary to preserve the economic intent of such Award. In the case of adjustments made pursuant to this Section XI, unless the Board specifically determines that such adjustment is in the best interests of the Company or its Affiliates, the Board shall, in the case of Incentive Stock Options, ensure that any adjustments under this Section XI will not constitute a modification, extension or renewal of the Incentive Stock Options within the meaning of Section 424(h)(3) of the Code and in the case of Non-qualified Stock Options, ensure that any adjustments under this Section XI will not constitute a modification of such Non-qualified Stock Options within the meaning of Section 409A of the Code.
XII. Effect of Change in Control.
A. Unless otherwise provided in an Award Agreement or an employment agreement entered into by the Company and a Participant, in the event of a Change in Control, the Board may, but shall not be obligated to: (1) accelerate, vest or cause the restrictions to lapse with respect to all or any portion of any Award; (2) cancel Awards and cause to be paid to the holders of vested Awards the value of such Awards, if any, as determined by the Board, in its sole discretion, it being understood that in the case of any Option with an Option Exercise Price that equals or exceeds the price paid for a share of Common Stock in connection with the Change in Control, the board may cancel the Option without the payment of consideration therefor; (3) provide for the issuance of substitute Awards or the assumption or replacement of such Awards; or (4) provide written notice to Participants that for a period of at least ten days prior to the Change in Control, such Awards shall be exercisable, to the extent applicable, as to all shares of Common Stock subject thereto and upon the occurrence of the Change in Control, any Awards not so exercised shall terminate and be of no further force and effect.
B. The obligations of the Company under the Plan shall be binding upon any successor corporation or organization resulting from the merger, consolidation or other reorganization of the Company, or upon any successor corporation or organization succeeding to all or substantially all of the assets and business of the Company and its Affiliates, taken as a whole.
XIII. Amendment of the Plan and Awards.
A. Amendment of the Plan. The Board at any time, and from time to time, may amend or terminate the Plan. However, except as provided in Section XI relating to adjustments upon changes in Common Stock and Section VIII(C), no amendment shall be effective unless approved by the shareholders of the Company to the extent shareholder approval is necessary to satisfy any Applicable Laws. At the time of such amendment, the Board shall determine, upon advice from counsel, whether such amendment will be contingent on shareholder approval.
B. Shareholder Approval. The Board may, in its sole discretion, submit any other amendment to the Plan for shareholder approval.
C. Contemplated Amendments. It is expressly contemplated that the Board may amend the Plan in any respect the Board deems necessary or advisable to provide eligible Employees, Consultants and Directors with the maximum benefits provided or to be provided under the provisions of the Code and the regulations promulgated thereunder relating to Incentive Stock Options or to the nonqualified deferred compensation provisions of Section 409A of the Code and/or to bring the Plan and/or Awards granted under it into compliance therewith.
D. No Impairment of Rights. Rights under any Award granted before amendment of the Plan shall not be impaired by any amendment of the Plan unless (a) the Company requests the consent of the Participant and (b) the Participant consents in writing.
E. Amendment of Awards. The Board at any time, and from time to time, may amend the terms of any one or more Awards; provided, however, that the Board may not affect any amendment which would otherwise constitute an impairment of the rights under any Award unless (a) the Company requests the consent of the Participant and (b) the Participant consents in writing.
A. Clawback; Forfeiture. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, the Board may, in its sole discretion, provide in an Award Agreement or otherwise that the Board may cancel such Award if the Participant has engaged in or engages in activity giving rise to a termination for Cause and require the Participant to forfeit any gain realized on the vesting, exercise or settlement of any Award and repay the gain to the Company. Without limiting the foregoing, all Awards shall be subject to reduction, cancellation, forfeiture or recoupment to the extent necessary to comply with Applicable Laws.
B. Sub-plans. The Board may from time to time establish sub-plans under the Plan for purposes of satisfying blue sky, securities, tax or other laws of various jurisdictions in which the Company intends to grant Awards. Any sub-plans shall contain such limitations and other terms and conditions as the Board determines are necessary or desirable. All sub-plans shall be deemed a part of the Plan, but each sub-plan shall apply only to the Participants in the jurisdiction for which the sub-plan was designed.
C. Unfunded Plan. The Plan shall be unfunded. Neither the Company, the Board nor the Committee shall be required to establish any special or separate fund or to segregate any assets to assure the performance of its obligations under the Plan.
D. Recapitalizations. Each Award Agreement shall contain provisions required to reflect the provisions of Section XI.
E. Delivery. Upon exercise of a right granted under this Plan, the Company shall issue Common Stock or pay any amounts due within a reasonable period of time thereafter. Subject to any statutory or regulatory obligations the Company may otherwise have, for purposes of this Plan, 30 days shall be considered a reasonable period of time.
F. No Fractional Shares. No fractional shares of Common Stock shall be issued or delivered pursuant to the Plan. The Board shall determine whether cash, additional Awards or other securities or property shall be issued or paid in lieu of fractional shares of Common Stock or whether any fractional shares should be rounded, forfeited or otherwise eliminated.
G. Other Provisions. The Award Agreements authorized under the Plan may contain such other provisions not inconsistent with this Plan, including, without limitation, restrictions upon the exercise of the Awards, as the Board may deem advisable.
H. Section 409A. The Plan is intended to comply with Section 409A of the Code to the extent subject thereto, and, accordingly, to the maximum extent permitted, the Plan shall be interpreted and administered to be in compliance therewith. Any payments described in the Plan that are due within the "short-term deferral period" as defined in Section 409A of the Code shall not be treated as deferred compensation unless Applicable Laws require otherwise. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in the Plan, to the extent required to avoid accelerated taxation and tax penalties under Section 409A of the Code, amounts that would otherwise be payable and benefits that would otherwise be provided pursuant to the Plan during the six (6) month period immediately following the Participant's termination of Continuous Service shall instead be paid on the first payroll date after the six-month anniversary of the Participant's separation from service (or the Participant's death, if earlier). Notwithstanding the foregoing, neither the Company nor the Board shall have any obligation to take any action to prevent the assessment of any additional tax or penalty on any Participant under Section 409A of the Code and neither the Company nor the Board will have any liability to any Participant for such tax or penalty.
I. Disqualifying Dispositions. Any Participant who shall make a "disposition" (as defined in Section 424 of the Code) of all or any portion of shares of Common Stock acquired upon exercise of an Incentive Stock Option within two years from the Grant Date of such Incentive Stock Option or within one year after the issuance of the shares of Common Stock acquired upon exercise of such Incentive Stock Option (a "Disqualifying Disposition") shall be required to immediately advise the Company in writing as to the occurrence of the sale and the price realized upon the sale of such shares of Common Stock.
J. Beneficiary Designation. Each Participant under the Plan may from time to time name any beneficiary or beneficiaries by whom any right under the Plan is to be exercised in case of such Participant's death. Each designation will revoke all prior designations by the same Participant, shall be in a form reasonably prescribed by the Board and shall be effective only when filed by the Participant in writing with the Company during the Participant's lifetime.
K. Expenses. The costs of administering the Plan shall be paid by the Company.
L. Severability. If any of the provisions of the Plan or any Award Agreement is held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable, whether in whole or in part, such provision shall be deemed modified to the extent, but only to the extent, of such invalidity, illegality or unenforceability and the remaining provisions shall not be affected thereby.
M. Plan Headings. The headings in the Plan are for purposes of convenience only and are not intended to define or limit the construction of the provisions hereof.
N. Non-Uniform Treatment. The Board's determinations under the Plan need not be uniform and may be made by it selectively among persons who are eligible to receive, or actually receive, Awards. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the Board shall be entitled to make non-uniform and selective determinations, amendments and adjustments, and to enter into non-uniform and selective Award Agreements.
XV. Termination or Suspension of the Plan. The Plan shall terminate automatically on June 10, 2026. No Award shall be granted pursuant to the Plan after such date, but Awards theretofore granted may extend beyond that date. The Board may suspend or terminate the Plan at any earlier date pursuant to Section XIII(A) hereof. No Awards may be granted under the Plan while the Plan is suspended or after it is terminated.
XVI. Choice of Law. The law of the State of Nevada shall govern all questions concerning the construction, validity and interpretation of this Plan, without regard to such state's conflict of law rules.
As adopted by the Board of Directors of BioCorRx Inc. on June 10, 2016. | 2019-04-26T00:26:11Z | https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1443863/000147793216010940/bicx_ex102.htm |
Virginia City, NV (December 28, 2017) Comstock Mining Inc. (the “Company”) (NYSE American: LODE), a Nevada-based, gold and silver mining company, announced today that it has reduced its debt balance by an additional $240k during December, representing over $500k in debt reductions during the fourth quarter alone. When combined with earlier actions, this represents over $1.6 million in debt reduction since the strategic refinancing consummated almost one year ago, in January 2017.
The Company also announced it has just paid the interest expense, on the Debenture, due on January 1, 2018, early. After paying the interest, the Company’s cash on hand will be approximately $2 million as of December 31, 2017.
Virginia City, NV (December 26, 2017) Comstock Mining Inc. (the “Company”) (NYSE American: LODE), a Nevada-based, gold and silver mining company, announced today that Corrado De Gasperis, Executive Chairman and CEO, will present at both the 2018 Global Chinese Financial Forum (GCFF), Vancouver Conference in British Columbia, Canada on Saturday, January 20, 2018, and on January 21-22, 2018, at the 2018 Vancouver Resource Investment Conference (VRIC) at the Vancouver Convention Centre West, Vancouver, BC.
Organized by NAI Interactive, the GCFF is one of the most extensive, bi-lingual, financial networking events covering North America and China. The event facilitates business growth through networking activities among public and private companies, financial institutions and investors.
Organized by Cambridge House International Inc. and Katusa Research, the 2018 VRIC represents the world's largest resource investment conference, with more than 8,000 attendees, this conference is at the Vancouver Convention Centre West, Vancouver, BC.
During both conferences, Mr. De Gasperis will provide Company updates on its most recent resource developments and participate in one-on-one meetings with registered conference investors. Registration for these meetings is only for qualified investors, portfolio managers, and private wealth and family office managers.
Virginia City, NV (December 4, 2017) Comstock Mining Inc. (the “Company”) (NYSE American: LODE), a Nevada-based, gold and silver mining company, announced today that it will be exhibiting at and attending the American Exploration & Mining Association’s 123rd Annual Event at the Sparks Nugget Hotel in Sparks, Nevada, from December 6-8. This annual meeting is the second largest annual mining convention in the U.S., featuring 250 exhibitors, a core shack, several technical sessions and more than 2,000 attendees.
Last week, the Company received a letter from the NYSE American LLC (the “Exchange”), stating that the Company was in compliance with the Exchange’s continued listing standards set forth in Part 10 of the Exchange’s Company Guide. The Exchange specifically noted that the Company has resolved the Company’s previously announced low selling price deficiency. Effective November 28, 2017, the “.bc” designation, signifying below-compliance with NYSE American listing standards was removed from the Company’s trading symbol.
The Company’s goal is to deliver up to $500 million of accretive share value by 2020, both through its existing mineral resource development targets and the ongoing development of the various partnerships, ventures and exploration and development activities that, all together, are capable of sustaining production equivalent to 100,000 gold ounces per annum.
Virginia City, NV (October 31, 2017) Comstock Mining Inc. (the “Company”) (NYSE American: LODE) today reported selected unaudited financial results for the fiscal quarter ended September 30, 2017, and business updates.
Completed Strategic Joint Venture Option Agreement to immediately accelerate Lucerne’s assessment, drilling, engineering and development, while dramatically reducing annual costs.
Received the 2017 Nevada Excellence in Mine Reclamation Award for most excellent mine reclamation.
Reduced spending in every major category, achieving record low operating expenses.
Projected lower operating spend rate of less than $3.6 million per annum, before the estimated annual cost benefits from the Joint Venture Option Agreement of an additional $1.25 million.
Reduced long-term debt by over $1 Million from the sale of various, small non-mining properties.
Completed federally funded column testing of Dayton mineralized materials, through Cycladex Inc., a strategic investee, for, faster, cheaper, safer leaching solutions, yielding 82-85% gold.
Established a strategic collaboration with and funded by Itronics Inc. (ITRO), to assess reclamation cost reductions, increased leach-pad extraction potential, and the metallurgy of our mineralized materials.
Acquired 30 unpatented lode claims with 472 contiguous acres, increasing our lands to over 9,284 acres.
Celebrated the Nevada Department of Transportation’s USA Parkway Grand Opening Celebration, directly benefiting Comstock’s Certified Industrial Site and water rights located on the US 50 highway corridor.
Reduced our senior secured debenture to $9.9 million, with ongoing plans to sell non-mining assets valued at approximately $14 million targeted to eliminate the remainder of our debt.
Announced an agreement to sell 80% of the Daney Ranch to Daney Enterprises Inc., for $3.52 million cash, subject to certain closing conditions, valuing the property above plan, at $4.4 million.
Cash and cash equivalents at September 30, 2017, were $2.3 million.
Operating expenses reached a record low of $3.8 million, excluding depreciation and amortization, for the nine months ended September 30, 2017, a 51% reduction as compared to the 2016 period of $7.8 million.
General and administrative expenses achieved a record low of $2.2 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2017, a 20% reduction as compared to the 2016 period of $2.7 million, driven by lower payroll and administrative expenses, in line with targeted cost reductions.
Real Estate operating costs achieved a record low for the nine months ended September 30, 2017, a 66% reduction compared to the 2016 period, with both positive cash flows and profits for this segment.
Mine claims costs reached a record low of $0.7 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2017, a 20% reduction compared to the 2016 period, despite growing our land position.
Environmental and reclamation expenses achieved a record low of $0.7 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2017, a 35% reduction as compared to the 2016 period of $1.0 million, despite higher costs associated with unusual precipitation and related water management activities.
Exploration and mine development expenses were $0.8 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2017, as compared to the 2016 period of $4.0 million, primarily from the completion of the Lucerne underground drift developments in early 2016.
Net loss was $8.2 million, or a loss of $0.04 per share for the nine months ended September 30, 2017, as compared to a net loss of $9.1 million, or a loss of $0.05 per share, for the comparable 2016 period.
Net cash used in operations was $5.1 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2017, primarily for operating expenses, interest expenses and the reduction of accounts payable.
Net cash provided by financing activities, was $6.4 million, primarily from debt and equity issuances.
Total debt at September 30, 2017, was $10.3 million, with all but $0.6 million being long-term debt.
During 2016, the Company focused on exploration and development of certain properties within the Lucerne resource area (the “Lucerne Property”), primarily underground core drilling, underground drift (tunnel) development, and underground sampling into the Quartz Porphyry (PQ) and Succor geological targets. Future drill programs were being developed with a phased approach to extend the PQ mineralization and scope the Succor and Woodville targets but the Company suspended those plans due to the higher than expected complexity of the underground development effort and the uncertainty about the total capital required for delivering a commercially viable mine plan. Ultimately, the Company decided to assess, evaluate and pursue partners willing and able to commit the additional mining expertise and capital resources required to explore and develop a commercially viable Lucerne-based mine plan.
On October 3, 2017, the Company entered into an Option Agreement (the “Option Agreement”) with Tonogold Resources, Inc. (“Tonogold”). Under the terms of the Option Agreement, Tonogold will have the right to participate in certain activities, including but not limited to, engineering, development, drilling and test-work, towards completing a technical and economic feasibility assessment on certain properties within the Lucerne Property and if all obligations and prerequisites are satisfied and subject to compliance with the Option Agreement, Comstock and Tonogold may effect a joint venture for the future development and mining of mineral resources on the Lucerne Property.
Under the terms of the Option Agreement, Tonogold can earn a 51% interest in the Company’s presently wholly-owned subsidiary, Comstock Mining LLC, which owns the Lucerne Property, by making capital expenditures on the Lucerne Property of $20 million no later than 42 months following signing of the Option Agreement and direct cash payments of $2.2 million to the Company within six months of such signing. The initial cash payment of $0.2 million was paid by Tonogold to the Company at the time that the Option Agreement went into effect. If Tonogold elects to proceed with the project, Tonogold would have to make another payment of $2 million within the six-month period following the date that the Option Agreement was signed.
If Tonogold does not elect to extend the option beyond the initial six months, it will be required to make a further payment to the Company equal to $1 million less Tonogold’s actual expenditures on the Lucerne Property during such initial six-month period. In addition, Tonogold is granted the option to purchase 51% of certain equipment and property located at the Company’s American Flat property for a purchase price of $25 million.
Tonogold announced that it was fully funded through the first phase of the Agreement.
The Option Agreement calls for a Technical Committee composed of three Tonogold participants and two Comstock participants to oversee all of the engineering, development, drilling and test-work activities, and others, towards completing a technical and economic feasibility assessment. The Technical Committee is scheduled to review the first phase of the drilling program during the first full week of November 2017.
The Company has reduced long-term debt by more than $1 Million with proceeds from the sale of 54 acre-feet of water rights, and the sale of various, smaller non-mining properties in Gold Hill and Silver City, Nevada and its recently announced joint venture with Tonogold. The Company’s Senior Secured Debenture has now been reduced to $9.9 million. The Company still has plans to sell non-mining assets valued at approximately $14 million targeted to eliminate the remainder of its debt.
Figure 1 - illustrates the Company's existing and new land position.
The Company has an agreement to sell 80% of the Daney Ranch to Daney Enterprises Inc., for $3.52 million cash, subject to certain closing conditions, including financing, that values the property above plan, at $4.4 million.
The Daney Canyon Ranch is a 225-acre ranch located in Dayton, Nevada. It features more than 8000 square feet of living space between the Spanish style main home, 2 guest homes and a ranchers cabin. The Company expects the sale to close by the end of the first quarter, 2018, reporting period.
Our goal is to deliver up to $500 million of accretive share value (over $2 per share) by 2020, by acquiring, joint venturing, exploring and developing resources and reserves capable of sustaining production of more than 100,000 gold-equivalent ounces per annum. Our past efforts, especially during the past 18 months, have positioned us for this success. These production targets include both the Lucerne and Dayton Mine plans, with both surface and underground development opportunities.
Total operating expenses (excluding depreciation, amortization, and depletion expense) for the last quarter of 2017 are expected to be less than $1.0 million, with a sustainable, annual run rate of $3.6 million. The Tonogold agreement, if the second phase is exercised, has the potential for reducing these annual operating expenses (excluding depreciation, amortization, and depletion expense) of $3.6 million, in 2018, by an additional $1.25 million. Interest expense is expected to be approximately $1.3 million for 2018. The Company expects to continue operating with approximately 10 employees, including expert land, permitting, geology, engineering and metallurgical professionals.
The Company plans to sell non-mining related lands, buildings and water rights, for expected net cash proceeds of approximately $14 million, including the Daney Ranch, during the next twelve months. These proceeds will first be used to eliminate debt obligations due under the Debenture and then to fund certain exploration activities in the Dayton Resource area, all while strengthening the financial position of the Company.
The Company has also commenced and plans on continuing metallurgical testing on Dayton mineralized materials, using both cyanide and non-cyanide alternative solutions to experiment on achieving the highest, most cost efficient processing for the Dayton feasibility assessment. The Company will also commence Reverse Circulation (RC) drilling at the Dayton mine sufficient to finalize the parameters of a mine plan and commence the permitting for the Dayton mine. Infill drilling is expected to significantly expand the reserve potential for the Dayton mine plans. The Company has developed grade shells with higher average grades and believes the Dayton to have economically feasible potential and plans on developing those mine plans toward full feasibility during late 2017 and early 2018, with production plans following those efforts within the next two years.
The Company will report the results of the Lucerne exploration and development programs, in conjunction with Tonogold, and independently for Dayton exploration and development programs, as they become available.
The Company enhanced its liquidity with a long-term, strategic refinancing during the first quarter and more efficient access to equity capital during the second and third quarters. The longer-term debt and additional equity allows the Company to participate in the dramatic economic boom currently surging throughout northern Nevada and provide an effective bridge prior to any land sales or completed ventures. Cash and cash equivalents at September 30, 2017, were $2.3 million.
The Company and the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) have approved and will effect a reverse split of its common stock, $0.000666 par value (“Common Stock”), at a ratio of 1-for-5 (the “Reverse Split”), effective November 9, 2017. The Common Stock will begin trading on a split-adjusted basis when the market opens on November 10, 2017. The Reverse Split will result in each outstanding five pre-split shares of Common Stock automatically combining into one new share of Common Stock without any action on the part of the stockholders. The total number of outstanding common shares will be reduced from approximately 226 million to approximately 45 million shares. The Company’s authorized number of shares of Common Stock of the Company will also be proportionately decreased from 3,950,000,000 to 790,000,000 shares. No fractional shares will be issued as a result of the Reverse Split as any fractional shares resulting from the Reverse Split will be rounded up to the nearest whole share.
The Board of Directors of the Company approved the action in accordance with Nevada law (NRS Section 78.207). The NYSE approved the 1-for-5 reverse stock split on October 27, 2017. No additional Company or stockholder approval is required because both the number of authorized shares of Common Stock and the number of outstanding shares of Common Stock are proportionally reduced as a result of the Reverse Split, and the Reverse Split does not adversely affect any other class of stock of the Company and the Company will not pay money or issue scrip to stockholders who would otherwise be entitled to receive a fractional share as a result of the Reverse Split. The NYSE and the Company's transfer agent, Corporate Stock Transfer, will provide instructions to stockholders regarding the process for exchanging certificated shares. The Common Stock will continue to trade on the NYSE American under the trading symbol "LODE" but will trade under the new CUSIP number 205750201.
Mr. De Gasperis concluded, "The split satisfies the NYSE American minimum share price requirement. We consider this a mechanical change that does not impact our strategy, business plans, liquidity, operations or the intrinsic value of the shares. Our focus is on growing that value with an outstanding investor and share base."
This press release and any related calls or discussions may include forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 about Comstock. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts. All statements, other than statements of historical facts, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements include statements about matters such as: future prices and sales of, and demand for, our products; future industry market conditions; future changes in our exploration activities, production capacity and operations; future exploration, production, operating and overhead costs; operational and management restructuring activities (including implementation of methodologies and changes in the board of directors); future employment and contributions of personnel; tax and interest rates; capital expenditures and their impact on us; nature and timing and accounting for restructuring charges, gains or losses on debt extinguishment, derivative liabilities and the impact thereof; productivity, production slowdowns, suspension or termination, business process, rationalization and other operational initiatives; investments, acquisitions, joint ventures, strategic alliances, business combinations, asset sales; consulting, operational, tax, financial and capital projects and initiatives; contingencies; environmental compliance and changes in the regulatory environment; reverse splits, forward splits, dividends, offerings, sales and other actions regarding debt or equity securities; maintaining stock exchange listing requirements; redemption or pay down of the debenture; and future working capital, costs, revenues, business opportunities, debt levels, cash flows, margins, earnings and growth.
Virginia City, NV (October 11, 2017) Comstock Mining Inc. (the “Company” or “Comstock”) (NYSE American: LODE) announced today it has reduced long-term debt by almost $1 Million with proceeds from the sale of 54 acre-feet of water rights, and the sale of various, smaller non-mining properties in Gold Hill and Silver City, Nevada and its recently announced joint venture with Tonogold Resources, Inc.
The most valuable of the remaining properties is the Company’s 98-acre Comstock Industrial Site located adjacent to the Silver Springs Airport in close proximity to where the recently opened Infinity Highway connects U.S. 50 and Silver Springs to the Tahoe Reno Industrial (TRI) Center. The operators of the Silver Springs Airport recently received approval from the Lyon County Board of Commissioners on an extension of its lease including an expansion of the airport infrastructure. The Silver Springs Airport serves as the airport for business executives and private jets, such as the Falcon 900 EX below, visiting the TRI Center last week—which contains more than 150 global businesses.
Airport near the 98-acre Comstock Industrial Site available for purchase and development.
The Company’s Senior Secured Debenture has now been reduced to $9.9 million. The Company still has plans to sell non-mining assets valued at approximately $14 million targeted to eliminate the remainder of its debt. The Company also had approximately $2.3 million in cash at September 30, 2017.
Virginia City, NV (October 5, 2017) Comstock Mining Inc. (the “Company” or “Comstock”) (NYSE American: LODE) announced today that it has entered into an Option Agreement (the “Agreement’) for a mining joint venture on the permitted, Lucerne Mine Project (the “Lucerne”), with Tonogold Resources, Inc. (“Tonogold”) (OTCMKTS: TNGL).
Grants a second option to acquire 51% of the Lucerne Mine infrastructure, including the American Flat property, plant and equipment for an additional $25 million.
Under the Agreement, when Tonogold completes its $20 million investment, and other related prerequisites, for the evaluation and mine development for Lucerne’s economic feasibility and mine production plans, Tonogold and Comstock would then effect a joint venture for the future mining of mineral resources on the Lucerne. The Agreement also provides up to $2.2 million in direct funding for Comstock and approximately $1.2 million per annum in subsidized costs.
The evaluation program is currently directed at producing a robust resource model for Lucerne as well as assessing a series of geological targets in the Silver City Branch of the Comstock Lode, including the Succor vein systems, the historic Woodville Bonanza system and the PQ target. These initial targets represent the core of a broader geological corridor. Previous surface drilling in the area suggest more than 1,000 feet of mineralized strike in the Succor zone, lying generally adjacent to and below the Lucerne Cut, with good potential to yield high-grade gold and silver. The 1,000-foot plus Succor Vein Target has an average true width of 15 feet and an average dip of 65 degrees. The structure has reported historic mining grades of approximately 0.54 ounces per ton of “recovered” gold per ton and is open to the east and at depth, along the entire structure. The nearby Woodville Bonanza structure includes the same supporting historical mappings with reported historic mining grades of 0.749 ounces of gold per ton. The Woodville has significant current drill data including 116 intercepts of at least 10 feet, grading over 0.22 ounces per ton gold and 1.59 ounces per ton silver.
Tonogold is a U.S.-based mining company that is focused on advanced exploration properties in Nevada and Mexico. Tonogold’s team of proven and successful mining executives and investors are working to build a portfolio of mineral properties that will give its investors a leveraged exposure to gold, silver and other minerals and metals allowing them to benefit from its exploration, mining and financial expertise.
Virginia City, NV (September 12, 2017) Comstock Mining Inc. (the “Company”) (NYSE American: LODE) announced today that the Company has added 472 acres of claims contiguous to its claims in the Dayton /Spring Valley Areas by acquiring 30 unpatented Lode claims, including lands that were previously held by Kona Gold, in the southern part of the Comstock District.
The annual maintenance fees are administered by the Bureau of Land Management and include the Company’s 2,266 acres of private, patented claims as well as 6,345 acres of unpatented claims including lode claims and combined equals 8,611 of total acres. With the addition of the 30 new claims comprising 472 acres, the Company now controls 6,817 acres of unpatented claims and 9,083 total acres. The filing fees associated with the newly acquired claims was $12,277.00, which included paying for last year’s and 2017-2018 intent to hold fees to the BLM.
The Company has expansive mining claims with exploration, development and operating permits throughout a historic world-class district featuring a production ready platform. The Company’s existing and newly expanded land position in the Comstock District is illustrated in the map below.
COMSTOCK MINING, INC. LAND MAP—Depicted in blue are Comstock Mining’s existing claims with additional new claims displayed in bright green.
Comstock Mining Inc. is a producing, Nevada-based, gold and silver mining company with extensive, contiguous property in the Comstock District and is an emerging leader in sustainable, responsible mining, including concurrent and accelerated reclamations, soil sampling, voluntary air monitoring, cultural asset protection and historical restorations. The Company began acquiring properties in the Comstock District in 2003. Since then, the Company has consolidated a significant portion of the Comstock District, amassed the single largest known repository of historical and current geological data on the Comstock region, secured permits, built an infrastructure and completed its first phase of production. The Company continues acquiring additional properties in the district, expanding its footprint and creating opportunities for further exploration, development and mining. The near term goal of our business plan is to maximize intrinsic stockholder value realized, per share, by validating qualified resources and reserves (proven and probable) from our first two resource areas, Lucerne and Dayton, and significantly grow the commercial development of our operations through extended, long-lived mine plans that are economically feasible and socially responsible.
Virginia City, NV (September 11, 2017) Comstock Mining Inc. (the “Company”) (NYSE American: LODE) received on Saturday, September 9, 2017, the Nevada Excellence in Mine Reclamation Award. The Company received the recognition for Excellence in Mine Reclamation for the Rebuilding of State Route 342 and Reclamation of Historic Mine Features. This included capping of a hazardous, historic mine shaft, the realignment of a major state route away from that mine shaft, safe removal of hazardous materials for legacy mining and the reclamation and beautification of historic mine features and historic mining landscapes.
Nevada Excellence in Mine Reclamation Award Committee.
The Excellence in Mine Reclamation Awards recognizes some of the most progressive Nevada miners, elevating the standards of excellence in mine reclamations and restorations. Interest in these awards encourages innovation in reclamation techniques, raises industry standards, and results in better plans of operation and reclamation, while increasing the public’s awareness of these sustaining activities.
Larry Martin, Director of Exploration and Scott Jolcover, Director of Business Development.
Working cooperatively with state and federal agencies, Comstock Mining’s reclamation project remediated legacy mine dumps that contained imported elemental mercury. In fact, Comstock Mining recovered 1,000 pounds of this imported elemental mercury from pre-1904 mine tailings and captured it for proper disposal. Funded by Comstock Mining, this $3 million reclamation project included the rebuilding and realignment of SR 342 and it reduced costs to the state and local municipalities, and thus, taxpayers. It also provided a safer and more efficient passage for mining operations. It features a scenic rock-lined waterway and enhances the quality of life for residents throughout the northern Nevada region by providing a safe route to and from Virginia City and offers tourists an easy route to visit our historic region and its many businesses.
Virginia City, NV (August 29, 2017) - Comstock Mining Inc. (“Comstock” or the “Company”) (NYSE American: LODE) announced today, that the Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT) celebrated the completion of the new Infinity Highway (formerly USA Parkway) yesterday—three months ahead of schedule. NDOT has completed the $75.9 million project and a large multi-lane roundabout at the intersection of the Infinity Highway and U.S. Route 50; in the immediate vicinity of the Company’s certified, shovel-ready, 98-acre Comstock Industrial Site and senior water rights in Silver Springs, Nevada.
The Company also announced today that it has escrowed the sale of 54 acre-feet of water rights in two transactions that generated over $550,000. The transaction is expected to close in the first week of September and the funds will immediately be used to pay down long-term debt, consistent with the Company’s original plan. The Company still has over 203 acre-feet of water rights available for use in this development area.
Infinity Highway during NDOT’s celebration for the new highway connecting I-80 with US Route 50.
Virginia City, NV (August 1, 2017) Comstock Mining Inc. (the “Company”) (NYSE American: LODE) today reported selected unaudited financial results for the fiscal quarter ended June 30, 2017, and provided business updates.
Nevada Announced over $125 Million in Infrastructure Investments, including USA Parkway’s Grand Opening Celebration on August 28, 2017, directly benefiting Comstock’s Certified Industrial Site.
Total long-term debt at June 30, 2017, was $11.4 million, with all but $0.6 million being long term, the positive result from the Company’s first quarter refinancing.
During the second quarter, the Company advanced strategic discussions associated with accelerating the development of our Lucerne Mine project, including a re-scoping assessment that includes assessing economic feasibility, establishing proven and probable reserves and production plans. The Company, in conjunction with the potential partner, has assessed alternative mine plans, including the feasibility of expanding the surface mine operation, establishing proven and probable reserves and designing a mine plan for production and expects to provide an update on this progress during the current quarter.
During the second quarter, the Company entered into a joint collaboration agreement to test an alternative extraction technology, with multiple objectives. First, the company has provided leached material from the existing Lucerne leach pad for reprocessing and analysis to determine if additional silver extraction of existing material is economically feasible. Additionally, the Company has delivered new mineralized material from the Dayton Resource area, for processing and analysis on both gold and silver yields. These materials are being processed and tested in the Reno, Nevada area, at both independent metallurgical labs and further within our joint collaboration. The Company expects to provide an update on these process tests during the current quarter.
During the second quarter, our technical staff conducted column tests, in direct collaboration with Cycladex Inc., (“Cycladex”) a strategic investee, of both cyanide and non-cyanide solutions. The teams established four, full metallurgical column tests, two cyanide and two non-cyanide, running parallel, that supports and advances the feasibility study for establishing proven and probable reserves at the Dayton. The samples were crushed, agglomerated and loaded into four ten-foot columns for leach simulation. These simulations were conducted on-site, in the Company’s metallurgical labs, and are coordinated through, and funded by U.S. National Science Foundation grants.
The Cyanide columns leached exceptionally high and fast for gold with cyanide, higher than prior tests and expectations. The Company’s expectations for the cyanide columns started high, at about 80%, so the 82-85% result in just 25 days was higher and faster than expected. Cycladex yields exceeded expectations for both gold and silver and tracked exceptionally well against the cyanide parallel columns. Although still in the early stages, the Company is pleased with the Cycladex yields and speed and looks forward to assessing the specific consumption and cost efficiency in the next few phases. The next phase of consumption and cost testing is scheduled for completion in late September 2017.
The Company is working to advance the Dayton Resource area to full feasibility, with a production ready mine plan within the next two years. The new targets are based on the Company's updated analysis of previous geophysical studies with current interpretations of the geology (see Figure 1).
The Company also recently completed metallurgical column tests on mineralized material from the Dayton Resource Area that contribute to the advancement of a full feasibility assessment for the mine, updating prior metallurgical test work and the technical resource report published in January 2013. During the second quarter of 2017, the Company conducted column tests of both cyanide and non-cyanide solutions. They established four, full metallurgical column tests, two cyanide and two non-cyanide, running parallel, that supports and advances the feasibility study for establishing proven and probable reserves at the Dayton. The samples were crushed, agglomerated and loaded into four ten-foot columns for leach simulation. These simulations were conducted on-site, in the Company’s metallurgical labs, and are coordinated through Cycladex Inc., (“Cycladex”) a strategic investee, and funded by U.S. National Science Foundation grants.
The Cyanide columns yielded between 82-85% gold in just 25 days. The Company has already designed and established new column tests for the primary purpose of assessing the specific consumption of the new materials and material cost for processing. This is important for assessing ultimate economic feasibility of these solutions. These simulations will also be conducted on-site, in the Company’s metallurgical labs, and are still funded by U.S. National Science Foundation research grants. These updated metallurgical testing compliment extensive metallurgical testing results for Dayton that were previously published in 2011.
In house Dayton engineering and mine planning have now resulted in profiling various economic pit shells with multiple cutoff grade scenarios. We also performed due diligence, assisted by SRK Consulting. The due diligence resulted in confirmation of the scoping level mine plans and agreement on the conceptual processing layout.
Total operating expenses for the second half of 2017 are expected to be $2.1 million, including exploration and mine development, mine claims, environmental and reclamation, and general and administrative costs but excluding depreciation and amortization. Interest expense is expected to be approximately $1.3 million. The Company expects to continue operating with approximately 10 employees, including expert land, permitting, geology, engineering and metallurgical professionals.
Completion of the $8 plus million roundabout for connecting USA Parkway with Highway 50; in immediate proximity of the Company’s property.
The recent announcement by the Nevada Department of Transportation, that the USA Parkway will celebrate its ribbon cutting on August 28, 2017, and be fully open for business on September 8, 2017, months ahead of schedule, represents the single largest catalyst for the value of the Company’s properties along Highway 50, and has already increased interest and activity in purchasing industrial lands in Silver Springs, Nevada, where the Company’s Industrial Site and water rights are located and residential properties along the entire Highway 50 corridor, where the 225 acres, Daney Ranch is located. These milestones have increased the interest and activities in and around these properties. | 2019-04-25T15:59:26Z | https://comstockmining.com/news/press-releases?start=22 |
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If you have any questions regarding this Agreement, please email developers@strava.com. | 2019-04-22T16:47:53Z | https://m.strava.com/legal/api |
1. A vehicle seat comprisinga seat bottom,a seat back coupled to the seat bottom to move relative to the seat bottom, anda track including a stationary rail adapted to be coupled to a floor included in a vehicle in a fixed position relative to the floor and a movable rail coupled to the seat bottom in a fixed position relative to the seat bottom and coupled to the stationary rail to cause the seat bottom and seat back to move back and forth relative to the stationary rail, anda seat-position sensing system configured to determine a longitudinal position of the seat bottom relative to the stationary rail, the seat-position sensing system including a tag reader configured to transmit a first signal and receive a second signal associated with the longitudinal position of the seat bottom and a location tag configured to transmit the second signal in response to receiving the first signal. a seat bottom, a seat back coupled to the seat bottom to move relative to the seat bottom, and a track including a stationary rail adapted to be coupled to a floor included in a vehicle in a fixed position relative to the floor and a movable rail coupled to the seat bottom in a fixed position relative to the seat bottom and coupled to the stationary rail to cause the seat bottom and seat back to move back and forth relative to the stationary rail, and a seat-position sensing system configured to determine a longitudinal position of the seat bottom relative to the stationary rail, the seat-position sensing system including a tag reader configured to transmit a first signal and receive a second signal associated with the longitudinal position of the seat bottom and a location tag configured to transmit the second signal in response to receiving the first signal.
A vehicle seat includes a track coupled to a floor of a vehicle, a seat bottom coupled to the track, and a seat back coupled to the seat bottom to extend upwardly away from the seat bottom. The track interconnects the seat back and seat bottom to the floor to cause the seat bottom and seat back to slide back and forth relative to the floor.
2. The vehicle seat of claim 1, wherein the tag reader is coupled to the stationary rail in a fixed position relative to the stationary rail.
3. The vehicle seat of claim 2, wherein the location tag is coupled to the movable rail to move therewith.
4. The vehicle seat of claim 3, wherein the location tag is a passive transponder.
5. The vehicle seat of claim 4, wherein the tag reader includes a transmitter configured to emit the first signal and a receiver configured to receive the second signal.
6. The vehicle seat of claim 3, wherein the tag reader includes an optical transmitter configured to send the first signal and an RF receiver configured to receive the second signal from the location tag.
7. The vehicle seat of claim 6, wherein the location tag includes an optical receiver configured to receive the first signal from the tag reader, a radio frequency (RF) transmitter configured to transmit the second signal, and a microelectromechanical unit configured to provide haptic feedback to an occupant of the vehicle seat in response to receiving the first signal.
8. The vehicle seat of claim 1, wherein the tag reader is coupled to the movable rail to move therewith and the location tag is coupled to the stationary rail in a fixed position relative to the stationary rail.
9. The vehicle seat of claim 8, wherein the location tag is a passive transponder.
10. The vehicle seat of claim 9, wherein the tag reader includes a transmitter configured to emit the first signal and a receiver configured to receive the second signal.
11. The vehicle seat of claim 8, wherein the tag reader includes an optical transmitter configured to send the first signal and an RF receiver configured to receive the second signal from the location tag.
12. The vehicle seat of claim 11, wherein the location tag includes an optical receiver configured to receive the first signal from the tag reader, a radio frequency (RF) transmitter configured to transmit the second signal, and a microelectromechanical unit configured to provide haptic feedback to an occupant of the vehicle seat in response to receiving the first signal.
13. The vehicle seat of claim 1, wherein the location tag is a passive transponder.
14. The vehicle seat of claim 13, wherein the tag reader includes a transmitter configured to emit the first signal and a receiver configured to receive the second signal.
15. The vehicle seat of claim 1, wherein the tag reader includes an optical transmitter configured to send the first signal and an RF receiver configured to receive the second signal from the location tag.
16. The vehicle seat of claim 15, wherein the location tag includes an optical receiver configured to receive the first signal from the tag reader, a radio frequency (RF) transmitter configured to transmit the second signal, and a microelectromechanical unit configured to provide haptic or audible feedback to an occupant of the vehicle seat in response to receiving the first signal.
17. The vehicle seat of claim 1, wherein the seat-position sensing system further includes a series of location tabs including the location tag, each location tab included in the series of location tabs is spaced apart equally from neighboring location tags included in the series of location tabs.
18. The vehicle seat of claim 1, wherein the seat-position sensing system further includes a series of location tabs including the location tag, the location tag is located between a first end of the stationary track and an opposite second end of the station track closer to the first end than the second end, a second location tag included in the series of location tabs is located between the location tag and the second end, and a third location tag is located between the second location tag and the second end.
19. The vehicle seat of claim 18, wherein the second location tag is located a first distance from the location tag, the third location tag is located a second distance from the first location tag, and the second distance is greater than the first distance.
20. A vehicle seat sensor system for detecting a position of the vehicle seat, the vehicle seat sensor system comprisinga vehicle seat including a seat bottom, a seat back coupled to the seat bottom to move relative to the seat bottom, and a track including a stationary rail adapted to be coupled to a floor included in a vehicle in a fixed position relative to the floor and a movable rail coupled to the seat bottom in a fixed position relative to the seat bottom and coupled to the stationary rail to cause the seat bottom and seat back to move back and forth relative to the stationary rail andan electronic system configured to detect an absolute position of the movable rail relative to the stationary rail,wherein the electronic system includes a reader coupled to the stationary rail in a fixed position relative to the stationary rail and a passive transponder coupled to the seat bottom to move therewith and configured to provide haptic feedback in response to powering of the passive transponder by the reader. a vehicle seat including a seat bottom, a seat back coupled to the seat bottom to move relative to the seat bottom, and a track including a stationary rail adapted to be coupled to a floor included in a vehicle in a fixed position relative to the floor and a movable rail coupled to the seat bottom in a fixed position relative to the seat bottom and coupled to the stationary rail to cause the seat bottom and seat back to move back and forth relative to the stationary rail and an electronic system configured to detect an absolute position of the movable rail relative to the stationary rail, wherein the electronic system includes a reader coupled to the stationary rail in a fixed position relative to the stationary rail and a passive transponder coupled to the seat bottom to move therewith and configured to provide haptic feedback in response to powering of the passive transponder by the reader.
21. A vehicle seat sensor system for detecting a position of the vehicle seat, the vehicle seat sensor system comprisinga vehicle seat including a seat bottom, a seat back coupled to the seat bottom to move relative to the seat bottom, and a track including a stationary rail adapted to be coupled to a floor included in a vehicle in a fixed position relative to the floor and a movable rail coupled to the seat bottom in a fixed position relative to the seat bottom and coupled to the stationary rail to cause the seat bottom and seat back to move back and forth relative to the stationary rail,a tag reader coupled to the stationary rail in a fixed position relative to the stationary rail and configured to receive tag location data indicative of a position of the vehicle seat, the tag reader including a transmitter configured to transmit a first electromagnetic signal and a receiver configured to receive a second electromagnetic signal, anda location tag coupled to the movable rail to move therewith and configured to transmit tag location data to the tag reader, the location tag including a receiver configured to receive the first electromagnetic signal from the transmitter of the tag reader and to cause the location tag to be powered, and a transmitter configured to transmit the position data to the receiver of the tag reader via the second electromagnetic signal. a vehicle seat including a seat bottom, a seat back coupled to the seat bottom to move relative to the seat bottom, and a track including a stationary rail adapted to be coupled to a floor included in a vehicle in a fixed position relative to the floor and a movable rail coupled to the seat bottom in a fixed position relative to the seat bottom and coupled to the stationary rail to cause the seat bottom and seat back to move back and forth relative to the stationary rail, a tag reader coupled to the stationary rail in a fixed position relative to the stationary rail and configured to receive tag location data indicative of a position of the vehicle seat, the tag reader including a transmitter configured to transmit a first electromagnetic signal and a receiver configured to receive a second electromagnetic signal, and a location tag coupled to the movable rail to move therewith and configured to transmit tag location data to the tag reader, the location tag including a receiver configured to receive the first electromagnetic signal from the transmitter of the tag reader and to cause the location tag to be powered, and a transmitter configured to transmit the position data to the receiver of the tag reader via the second electromagnetic signal.
22. A vehicle seat sensor system for detecting a position of the vehicle seat, the vehicle seat sensor system comprisinga vehicle seat including a seat bottom, a seat back coupled to the seat bottom to move relative to the seat bottom, and a track including a stationary rail adapted to couple to a floor included in a vehicle in a fixed position relative to the floor and a movable rail coupled to the seat bottom in a fixed position relative to the seat bottom and coupled to the stationary rail to cause the seat bottom and seat back to move back and forth relative to the stationary rail,a tag reader coupled to the stationary rail in a fixed position relative to the stationary rail and configured to receive tag location data indicative of a position of the vehicle seat, the tag reader including an optical transmitter configured to transmit an optical signal and an RF receiver configured to receive a RF signal, anda location tag coupled to the movable rail to move therewith and configured to transmit tag location data to the tag reader, the location tag including an optical receiver configured to receive the optical signal and power the tag based on the optical signal, an RF transmitter configured to transmit the tag location data to the tag reader via the RF signal in response to receiving the optical signal and,a microelectromechanical device configured to provide haptic feedback to an occupant of the vehicle seat in response to receiving the optical signal. a vehicle seat including a seat bottom, a seat back coupled to the seat bottom to move relative to the seat bottom, and a track including a stationary rail adapted to couple to a floor included in a vehicle in a fixed position relative to the floor and a movable rail coupled to the seat bottom in a fixed position relative to the seat bottom and coupled to the stationary rail to cause the seat bottom and seat back to move back and forth relative to the stationary rail, a tag reader coupled to the stationary rail in a fixed position relative to the stationary rail and configured to receive tag location data indicative of a position of the vehicle seat, the tag reader including an optical transmitter configured to transmit an optical signal and an RF receiver configured to receive a RF signal, and a location tag coupled to the movable rail to move therewith and configured to transmit tag location data to the tag reader, the location tag including an optical receiver configured to receive the optical signal and power the tag based on the optical signal, an RF transmitter configured to transmit the tag location data to the tag reader via the RF signal in response to receiving the optical signal and, a microelectromechanical device configured to provide haptic feedback to an occupant of the vehicle seat in response to receiving the optical signal.
This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/221,655, filed Sep. 22, 2015, which is expressly incorporated by reference herein.
The present disclosure relates to a vehicle seat, and particularly to a seat-position sensing system within a vehicle seat. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a seat-position sensing system used to determine a position of the vehicle seat.
According to the present disclosure, a vehicle seat includes a track coupled to a floor of a vehicle, a seat bottom coupled to the track, and a seat back coupled to the seat bottom to extend upwardly away from the seat bottom. The track includes a stationary rail coupled to the floor of the vehicle and a movable rail coupled to the seat bottom and configured to move back and forth along a longitudinal axis relative to the floor.
In illustrative embodiments, the vehicle seat further includes a seat-position sensing system that includes a tag reader and one or more location tags. The seat-position sensing system is configured to determine the longitudinal position of the vehicle seat in cooperation with the one or more location tags. Each location tag is a passive transponder coupled to the movable rail of the vehicle seat and is configured to transmit tag location data to the tag reader in response to receiving an electromagnetic signal from the tag reader. The tag reader includes a transmitter and receiver and is coupled to the foundation of the vehicle seat. The one or more location tags are spaced along the length of the movable rail and are configured to provide a unique location identifier to the tag reader.
In illustrative embodiments, each location tag includes an optical receiver, a radio frequency (RF) transmitter, and a microelectromechanical unit (MEMS unit), and is configured to receive an optical signal from the tag reader, transmit tag location data to the tag reader, and provide haptic feedback to an occupant of the vehicle seat. The tag reader includes an optical transmitter and an RF receiver and is configured to receive tag location data from the one or more location tags.
Additional features of the present disclosure will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration of illustrative embodiments exemplifying the best mode of carrying out the disclosure as presently perceived.
FIG. 9 is a diagrammatic view of another embodiment of a seat-position sensing system in accordance with the present disclosure showing that location tags included in the seat-position sensing system are spaced apart from one another different distances to provide additional tag location data when the vehicle seat is in particular longitudinal positions.
A first embodiment of a vehicle seat 10 includes a passenger support 18, a track 20, and a seat-position sensing system 16, and is configured to determine an absolute longitudinal position of the vehicle seat 10 as shown in FIGS. 1-4. Another embodiment of a seat-position sensing system 116 is shown in FIG. 5. A first embodiment of a seat-position sensor 234 is shown in FIG. 6. A second embodiment of seat-position sensor 334 is shown in FIG. 7. Another embodiment of seat-position sensing system 416 is shown in FIG. 8. Another embodiment of a seat-position sensing system 516 is shown in FIG. 9.
Vehicle seat 10 includes a passenger support 18 adapted to support a passenger in a vehicle thereon and seat-position sensing system 16 as shown in FIG. 1. Seat-position sensing system 16 is configured to provide means for determining an absolute longitudinal position of the passenger support 18 relative to a floor 22 supporting passenger support 18. Seat-position sensing system 16 includes a set of location tags 42 coupled to passenger support 18 to move therewith and a tag reader 40 coupled to the floor in a fixed position relative to the floor. As passenger support 18 moves past tag reader 40, tag reader 40 reads one of location tags 42 and determines the absolute longitudinal position of passenger support 18 associated with each location tag 42.
Vehicle seat 10 in accordance with the present disclosure is shown in FIG. 1. Vehicle seat 10 includes a seat bottom 12, a seat back 14, and seat-position sensing system 16 as shown in FIG. 1. Seat bottom 12 and seat back 14 cooperate to form passenger support 18 for an occupant of the vehicle seat 10. Vehicle seat 10 also includes a track 20. Track 20 interconnects passenger support 18 to floor 22 of a vehicle to cause passenger support 18 to slide selectively back and forth relative to floor 22. Track 20 is coupled to a frame 24 of the vehicle. Track 20 includes two pairs of rails 26, 28 and each pair of rails 26, 28 includes a stationary rail 30 and a movable rail 32. Each movable rail 32 is coupled to seat bottom 12 to move therewith. Each stationary rail 30 is securely coupled to the floor 22 of the vehicle or the frame 24 of the vehicle.
Seat-position sensing system 16 includes a seat-position sensor 34 and a computing device 38 as shown in FIG. 1. Seat-position sensor 34 and computing device 38 are coupled to a power supply 36 of the vehicle. Seat-position sensing system 16 is configured to determine seat position data indicative of the absolute longitudinal position of the passenger support 18.
The absolute longitudinal position of passenger support 18 is the position of passenger support 18 relative to floor 22 and does not require computing of the position through the use of relative positions of various components. Using the tag location data from individual location tags 42, the absolute longitudinal position of passenger support 18 may be determined without calibrating various components to work together.
Seat-position sensor 34 includes a tag reader 40 and one or more location tags 42 as suggested in FIG. 2. Tag reader 40 includes a transmitter 44 and a receiver 46 as shown in FIG. 4. Transmitter 44 is configured to transmit an electromagnetic signal to at least one of the location tags 42. Receiver 46 is configured to receive tag location data from at least one of the location tags 42. Tag reader 40 receives power from power supply 36 of the vehicle. In one example, power supply 36 is a battery of the vehicle, an alternator of the vehicle, any other suitable power source, or combinations thereof. Tag reader 40 is coupled to a stationary foundation 76 of a vehicle. In one illustrative example, stationary foundation 76 is one of the stationary rails 30 of the track 20, the floor 22 of the vehicle, the frame 24 of the vehicle, or any other suitable alternative.
Tag reader 40 is coupled to the computing device 38 of vehicle and transmits the tag location data to computing device 38. Once computing device 38 receives the tag location data, computing device 38 is configured to determine the absolute longitudinal position of the passenger support 18 relative to the floor 22. The computing device 38 includes sensor data indicative of the position of each location tag 42 on the movable rail 32 and the position of the tag reader 40 on stationary foundation 76. Using both the tag location data and the data about the positions of seat-position sensor 34 elements, computing device 38 determines seat position data indicative of the absolute longitudinal position of passenger support 18. Computing device 38 may be embodied as any device capable of performing the functions described herein. For example, computing device 38 may be embodied as an electronic control unit, embedded controller, control circuit, microcontroller, an integrated circuit, an on-board computer, and/or any other any computing device capable of performing the functions described herein.
Each of the one or more location tags 42 may be embodied as a passive transponder that transmits tag location data in response to being interrogated by the transmitter 44 of the tag reader 40. Each location tag 42 includes a receiver 48, a transmitter 50, and a controller 52. Receiver 48 is configured to receive an electromagnetic signal from transmitter 44. Transmitter 50 is configured to transmit a second electromagnetic signal to the receiver 46 of tag reader 40. The second electromagnetic signal includes tag location data indicative of the position of the location tag on the vehicle seat 10. Controller 52 is configured to store tag location data and generate commands for the transmitter 50. Controller 52 may be embodied as any device capable of performing the functions described herein. For example, controller 52 may be embodied as an electronic control unit, embedded controller, control circuit, microcontroller, integrated circuit, on-board computer, and/or any other any other computing device capable of performing the functions described herein.
Track 20 interconnects passenger support 18 and floor 22 to cause passenger support 18 to move back forth along a longitudinal axis relative to floor 22. Movable rails 32 of track 20 are configured to slide along corresponding stationary rails 30 of track 20 to adjust a longitudinal position of the passenger support 18. In use, passenger support 18 may be positioned in a number of different longitudinal positions 54, 56, 58. Passenger support 18 may be in any one of several positions, for example three, as shown in FIG. 1. Passenger support 18 may occupy any number of longitudinal positions while only three positions are suggested in FIG. 1. At each of the positions 54, 56, 58 seat-position sensing system 16 determines the longitudinal position of passenger support 18 and conveys that information to the occupant of vehicle seat 10.
The one or more location tags 42 are positioned to be spaced apart from one another along movable rail 32 of track 20 as shown diagrammatically in FIG. 2. Track 20 includes a first set of rails 26 and a second set of rails 28. For ease of description, the second set of rails 28 is substantially similar to the first set of rails 26, and thus, only the operation of the first set of rails 26 is described in detail. In some embodiments, the vehicle seat includes more than two sets of rails. In the illustrative embodiment of FIG. 2, the seat-position sensing system 16 is only positioned on the first set of rails 26. In other embodiments, both sets of rails 26, 28 may include a seat-position sensing system 16.
Stationary rail 30 is coupled to floor 22 of the vehicle in a fixed position relative to floor 22. First set of rails 26 defines a longitudinal axis 60 along which movable rail 32 is configured to slide back and forth. Relative to a reference plane 62, movable rail 32 is configured to slide along stationary rail 30 between a first position and a second position. For example, a first position of a movable rail 32 may correspond to full back longitudinal position of the passenger support 18 and the second position of movable rail 32 may correspond to a full forward longitudinal position of the passenger support 18.
Each of the one or more location tags 42 is coupled to movable rail 32 and positioned such that each of the one or more location tags 42 will interact with tag reader 40 as the movable rail 32 moves between the first position and the second position. As shown diagrammatically in FIG. 2, tag reader 40 is coupled to stationary foundation 76 such as floor 22 of the vehicle. Tag reader 40 is positioned such that tag reader 40 interacts with every location tag 42 positioned on movable rail 32.
Each of the one or more location tags 42 is positioned to provide location data about the longitudinal position of the passenger support 18. As shown in FIG. 2, when the movable rail 32 is in the first position, a first location tag 64 is located a distance D1 from the reference plane 62, a second location tag 66 is positioned a distance D2 from the first location tag 64, and an nth location tag (see tags 68, 70, 72, 74) is positioned a distance DN from its neighboring location tag (see distances D3-D6). In some embodiments, reference plane 62 is defined by an end of the track 20 and distance D1 defines the distance between the end of the track 20 and the first location tag 64. In other embodiments, the reference plane 62 may be defined by some other part of the vehicle, such as the floor 22.
In the illustrative embodiment of FIG. 2, six location tags 42 are shown, however, seat-position sensing system 16 may include any number of suitable location tags. In general, the number of location tags 42 positioned on movable rail 32 may be chosen based on the distance movable rail 32 slides between the first position and the second position and the desired resolution of intermediate positions to be measured. For example, if the precise longitudinal position of the passenger support is important, more than six location tags 42 may be positioned on the movable rail to accomplish the desired resolution of longitudinal measurements. In some embodiments, the distances between location tags 42 (e.g., distances D3-D6) are all the same. In other embodiments, the distances between location tags 42 may vary.
Tag reader 40 is arranged to cause tag reader 40 to interact with each location tag 42 positioned on movable rail 32. As shown in FIG. 3, tag reader 40 may be positioned on floor 22 of the vehicle underneath passenger support 18. Tag reader 40 is arranged relative to vehicle seat 10 to cause each location tag to be by tag reader 40. While FIG. 3 illustratively shows the tag reader 40 positioned between first set of rails 26 and the second set of rails 28 of the track 20, tag reader 40 may be positioned in other locations based on the movements of track 20, the positions of the location tags 42 on track 20, and the desired resolution of longitudinal positions that are being measured. In other embodiments, the seat-position sensing system includes a one or more location tags positioned on a foundation, such as the floor or stationary rail and a tag reader positioned on the movable rail or the seat bottom.
Power supply 36, computing device 38, and tag reader 40 are coupled to stationary foundation 76 in a fixed position relative to stationary foundation 76 as shown in FIG. 4. Stationary foundation 76 may be embodied as floor 22, frame 24, or stationary rail 30. Illustratively, each of these components may be coupled to a different stationary foundation 76. For example, power supply 36 and computing device 38 may be coupled to frame 24, while tag reader 40 may be coupled to either floor 22 or stationary rail 30. In the illustrative embodiment, tag reader 40 is coupled to power supply 36 and computing device 38 via a wired connection. However, in other embodiments, these components may be connected through a wireless connection such as, for example, WiFi, Bluetooth, or inductive coupling. The one or more location tags 42 (shown as Tag 1, Tag 2, . . . , Tag N in FIG. 4) are coupled to the movable rail 32 to move therewith.
In use, movable rail 32 slides along the stationary rail 30 moving location tags 42 past tag reader 40. Tag reader 40 is configured to interrogate the few location tags 42 that are currently located in close proximity to tag reader 40 by transmitting a first electromagnetic signal via transmitter 44 (e.g., an RF signal or an optical signal). Each location tag 42 that receives the first electromagnetic signal becomes active in response to receiving the first electromagnetic signal (e.g., each location tag is powered by the first electromagnetic signal). Upon receiving the first electromagnetic signal, each location tag 42 transmits unique tag location data indicating what location tags 42 are near the tag reader 40 via a second electromagnetic signal. Tag reader 40 receives the second electromagnetic signal containing the location data via receiver 46 and relays the tag location data to computing device 38. Computing device 38, based on tag location data and data stored on the computing device 38 about the positions of the tag reader 40 and each location tag 42 on the vehicle seat 10, determines seat position data indicative of the absolute longitudinal position of passenger support 18.
Another embodiment of a seat-position sensing system 116 of a vehicle seat 110 in accordance with the present disclosure is shown in FIG. 5. Vehicle seat 110 includes the seat bottom 12 and seat back 14 to form the passenger support 18. A track 120 includes a stationary rail 130 coupled to floor 22 of the vehicle and a movable rail 132 coupled to seat bottom 12. Track 120 is formed to include a cavity 180. Stationary rail 130 and movable rail 132 cooperate to define the cavity 180 in track 120. Tag reader 40 of seat-position sensing system 116 is positioned in the cavity 180. Tag reader 40 is coupled to an interior surface 182 of stationary rail 130 in cavity 180. One or more location tags 42 positioned in cavity 180. One or more location tags 42 are coupled to an interior wall 184 of movable rail 132 inside cavity 180. Each location tag 42 is configured to interact with tag reader 40 and transmit location data to tag reader 40. Tag reader 40 and location tags 42 are protected from being moved or damaged by rails 130, 132 of track 120 as a result of being located in cavity 180. In such a configuration, seat-position sensing system 116 is configured to determine seat position data indicative of the absolute longitudinal position of vehicle seat 110 in a similar manner as described above.
Another embodiment of the seat-position sensor 234 in accordance with the present disclosure is shown in FIG. 6. Seat-position sensor 234 discussed below may be positioned and/or used in any of the ways discussed above. Seat-position sensor 234 includes a tag reader 240 and one or more location tags 242. Tag reader 240 includes an optical transmitter 280 and an RF receiver 282. Optical transmitter 280 is configured to transmit an optical signal 290 (i.e., an electromagnetic signal in the optical frequency range, such as a laser or other light). RF receiver 282 is configured to receive an RF signal 292 (i.e., an electromagnetic signal in the radio frequency range). Each location tag 242 includes an optical receiver 284, an RF transmitter 286, a controller 252, and a microelectromechanical unit 288 (MEMS unit 288). Optical receiver 284 is configured to receive the optical signal 290 transmitted by the optical transmitter 280. RF transmitter 286 is configured to transmit the RF signal 292 received by the RF receiver 282. Controller 252 is configured to store the tag location data unique to the location tag 242. MEMS unit 288 is configured to provide haptic feedback and/or audible feedback to an occupant of the vehicle seat.
In the illustrative embodiment, tag reader 240 and location tags 242 are positioned to create an unobstructed optical link between optical transmitter 280 of tag reader 240 and optical receiver 284 of each location tag 242, depending on the longitudinal position of the vehicle seat. In this way, optical signal 290, transmitted by the optical transmitter 280, has an unobstructed path to optical receiver 284 thereby optimizing an amount of power transmitted to each location tag 242 by tag reader 240. To accomplish this, optical transmitter 280 may be positioned at a particular height above a reference plane and optical receiver 284 of each location tag 242 may be positioned at a similar height above the reference plane. In this embodiment, tag reader 240 is configured to only interact with one location tag 242 at a time via the optical link.
Each location tag 242 uses optical signal 290 transmitted by tag reader 240 to power location tags 242. Once optical signal 290 is received by a location tag 242, controller 252 causes the RF transmitter 286 to transmit, via the RF signal 292, tag location data stored by the controller 252. In some embodiments, controller 252 may also send data to MEMS unit 288.
Optical signal 290 transmitted by tag reader 240 powers MEMS unit 288. MEMS unit 288 may be embodied as a device that includes miniaturized mechanical and electro-mechanical elements. In general, MEMS units 288 are made using techniques of microfabrication and include physical dimensions from several millimeters to much smaller. In the illustrative embodiment, MEMS unit 288 includes a microprocessor that processes data received from the controller 252 and an actuator configured to produce a mechanical force on the vehicle seat (e.g., causes the vehicle seat to vibrate). Upon being powered, or upon receiving data from the controller 252, the actuator of the MEMS unit produces a mechanical force on the vehicle that is capable of being felt by the occupant of the vehicle seat. The mechanical force acts as a type of haptic feedback indicating to the occupant the longitudinal location of the vehicle seat via a sense of touch. In the illustrative embodiment, MEMS unit 288 of each location tag 242 generates the same mechanical force. In other embodiments, MEMS unit 288 of each location tag 242 is configured to produce a unique mechanical force such that the occupant of the vehicle is capable of determining the exact longitudinal position of the passenger support using only the information conveyed by the mechanical force.
In some embodiments, characteristics of optical signal 290 may be modified to adjust the performance of location tags 242. For example, the frequency of the optical signal 290 transmitted by optical transmitter 280 may be adjusted based on settings adjusted by a user. For example, instead of transmitting a red laser light, optical transmitter 280 may be configured to transmit a green laser light. In this example, controller 252 may be configured to cause the RF transmitter 286 to transmit different tag location data, or adjust properties of RF signal 292 being transmitted based on the frequency of the optical signal 290. Controller 252 may also be configured to cause MEMS unit 288 to output a different mechanical force based on optical signal 290. For example, the pattern of vibrations experienced by the occupant may change depending on the frequency of optical signal 290. In some embodiments, an intensity of optical signal 290 may also be adjusted to affect the performance of location tags 242.
In some embodiments, seat-position sensor 234 may include multiple tag readers 240 positioned at different heights and multiple layers of location tags 242 positioned at corresponding heights to the multiple tag readers 240. In such an embodiment, multiple location tags 242 may be excited simultaneously, thereby increasing the intensity of the haptic feedback experienced by the occupant of the vehicle seat.
Another embodiment of a seat-position sensor 334 in accordance with the present disclosure is shown in FIG. 7. Seat-position sensor 334 discussed below may be positioned or used in any of the ways discussed above. Seat-position sensor 334 includes a tag reader 340 and one or more location tags 342. Tag reader 340 includes an RF transmitter 380 and an RF receiver 382. RF transmitter 380 of the tag reader 340 is configured to transmit a first RF signal 390. RF receiver 382 of tag reader 340 is configured to receive a second RF signal 392. Each location tag 342 includes an RF receiver 384, an RF transmitter 386, and a controller 352. RF receiver 384 of location tag 342 is configured to receive the first RF signal 390 transmitted by RF transmitter 380 of tag reader 340. RF transmitter 386 of location tag 342 is configured to transmit RF signal 392 received by RF receiver 382. Controller 352 is configured to store the tag location data unique to each location tag 342. In some embodiments, seat-position sensor 334 is radio frequency identification (RFID) system with tag reader 340 being embodied as an RFID interrogator and each location tag 342 being embodied as an RFID tag. In another example, seat-position sensor 334 is a near-field communication system (NFC).
In the illustrative embodiment, each location tag 342 is configured to be powered by the first RF signal 390 transmitted by tag reader 340. Once first RF signal 390 is received by a location tag 342, controller 352 causes tag RF transmitter 386 to transmit, via the second RF signal 392, the tag location data stored by controller 352. The strength of the first RF signal 390 is set such that only a few location tags 342 are powered at any given time. In the illustrative embodiment, the strength of the first RF signal 390 is set such that only one location tag 342 is powered at a time.
Another embodiment of a seat-position sensing system 416 in accordance with the present disclosure is shown in FIG. 8. Seat-position sensing system 416 includes a first set of rails 426 that include a first seat-position sensor 434 and a second set of rails 428 that include a second seat-position sensor 435 offset from the first seat-position sensor 434. First seat-position sensor includes a tag reader 440 coupled to a foundation 476 and one or more location tags 442 coupled to a movable rail 432 of first set of rails 426. When movable rail 432 of first set of rails 426 is in a first position, a first tag of location tags 442 is positioned at a distance D1 from a reference plane 462. In the illustrative embodiment, each tag of the location tags 442 is located in spaced-apart relation from each neighboring tag by a distance D3. Distance D3 corresponds to the resolution of seat position data to be conveyed to an occupant of the vehicle seat. For example, if the distance D3 equals 10 mm, then an occupant will know the precise longitudinal location of the passenger support in 10 mm increments.
Similarly, second seat-position sensor 435 includes a tag reader 441 coupled to the foundation 476 and one or more location tags 443 coupled and positioned on a movable rail 432 of second set of rails 426. Second seat-position sensor 435, tag reader 441, and location tags 443 are similarly embodied as seat-position sensor 34, tag reader 40, and location tags 42 described above. When movable rail 432 of first set of rails 428 is in a first position, a first tag of the location tags 443 is positioned at a distance D2 from reference plane 462. In the illustrative embodiment, each tag of location tags 443 is located in spaced-apart relation to each neighboring tag by a distance D4.
In the illustrative embodiment, distance D2 is different than the distance D1, but distance D3 is equivalent to distance D4. In this way, the position of second seat-position sensor 435 is offset from the position of first seat-position sensor 434. This offset of position allows the entire seat-position sensing system 416 to determine the absolute longitudinal position of the passenger support with greater precision without positioning more location tags on a given movable rail 432. In some applications, if the location tags are too close together they may interfere with one another, either by physically overlapping, or by both sending tag location data to the tag reader simultaneously.
By positioning second seat-position sensor 435 on second set of rails 428, the absolute longitudinal position of the passenger support may be measured with greater precision. For example, if distance D3 between location tags 442 of first seat-position sensor 434 is 10 mm, an occupant will know the precise absolute longitudinal position of the passenger support in increments of 10 mm. In this same example, distances D2 and D4 may be set such that location tags 443 of the second seat-position sensor 435 cooperate with location tags 442 of the first seat-position sensor 434 to provide precise longitudinal locations of the passenger support every 5 mm.
In another embodiment, a seat-position sensing system 516 includes a number of location tags 542 positioned on a movable rail 532 of a track 520 such that the spacing between each location tag 542 is varied. In this way, seat-position sensing system 516 may be able to more precisely measure the longitudinal position of the vehicle seat along certain areas of the vehicle seat's progression between the first position and the second position. For example, an occupant may want to know the precise location of a passenger support with more precision as the vehicle seat approaches the full-forward position or the full-backward position of the passenger support. To increase the precision of measurement, certain location tags 542 located near the ends of movable rail 532 are positioned to be closer together, while location tags 542 located in the middle of movable rail 532 are positioned to be farther apart. While the illustrative embodiment shows location tags 542 being packed more closely together at either end of track 520, in other embodiments, other configurations of varied spacing are possible.
A first location tag 564 is located at one of the track 520 as shown in FIG. 9. When movable rail 532 is in the first position, first location tag 564 is a positioned to be a distance D1 from a reference plane 562. A second location tag 566 is positioned adjacent to first location tag 564 a distance D2 from the first location tag 564. A third location tag 568 is positioned adjacent to second location tag 566 a distance D3 from second location tag 566. A fourth location tag 570 is positioned adjacent to third location tag 568 a distance D4 from third location tag 568. Location tags 542 further positioned on the movable rail 532 then repeat the same spacing, but in reverse order. In the illustrative embodiment, each of the distances D2-D4 are all different to cause certain sections of the track 520 to have location tags 542 more densely packed together and other sections of the track 520 to have location tags 542 more spaced apart. In other embodiments, the location tags in the middle of the movable rail are more closely spaced together than the location tags at either end of the movable rail. In yet other embodiments, the spacing between location tags may be varied to create any type of distribution of location tags.
An occupant support comprises a stationary component, a movable component coupled to the stationary component to move relative to the stationary component, and a position sensing system. The position sensing system is configured to determine an absolute position of the movable component relative to the stationary component. The position sensing system includes a reader configured to transmit a first signal and receive a second signal associated with the position of the movable component and a location tag configured to transmit the second signal in response to receiving the first signal.
A seat-position sensing system in accordance with the present disclosure may be used to determine an absolute or actual location of a moving component relative to a stationary component in an occupant support. In one example, the seat-position sensing system determines a longitudinal position of a movable rail included in a track relative to a stationary rail included in the track. In another example, the seat-position sensing system determines a rotational angle of a moving seat back relative to seat bottom. In another example, the seat-position sensing system determines a height of a moving seat bottom relative a floor of the vehicle. In another example, the seat-position sensing system determines a tilt of a moving seat bottom relative to a floor of the vehicle. In another example, the seat-position sensing system determines a position of an adjustable portion of an adjustable cushion relative to a stationary portion of an adjustable cushion. In another example, the seat-position sensing system determines a location of a moving headrest relative to a backrest included in a seat back. In another example, the seat-position sensing system determines an angle of a moving upper back adjuster relative to a stationary portion of the backrest included in the seat back. | 2019-04-26T14:32:24Z | https://insight.rpxcorp.com/pat/US10189379B2 |
The magnitude of noncoding DNA in organelle genomes can vary significantly; it is argued that much of this variation is attributable to the dissemination of selfish DNA. The results of a previous study indicate that the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) of the green alga Volvox carteri abounds with palindromic repeats, which appear to be selfish elements. We became interested in the evolution and distribution of these repeats when, during a cursory exploration of the V. carteri nuclear DNA (nucDNA) and plastid DNA (ptDNA) sequences, we found palindromic repeats with similar structural features to those of the mtDNA. Upon this discovery, we decided to investigate the diversity and evolutionary implications of these palindromic elements by sequencing and characterizing large portions of mtDNA and ptDNA and then comparing these data to the V. carteri draft nuclear genome sequence.
We sequenced 30 and 420 kilobases (kb) of the mitochondrial and plastid genomes of V. carteri, respectively – resulting in partial assemblies of these genomes. The mitochondrial genome is the most bloated green-algal mtDNA observed to date: ~61% of the sequence is noncoding, most of which is comprised of short palindromic repeats spread throughout the intergenic and intronic regions. The plastid genome is the largest (>420 kb) and most expanded (>80% noncoding) ptDNA sequence yet discovered, with a myriad of palindromic repeats in the noncoding regions, which have a similar size and secondary structure to those of the mtDNA. We found that 15 kb (~0.01%) of the nuclear genome are homologous to the palindromic elements of the mtDNA, and 50 kb (~0.05%) are homologous to those of the ptDNA.
Selfish elements in the form of short palindromic repeats have propagated in the V. carteri mtDNA and ptDNA, resulting in the distension of these genomes. Copies of these same repeats are also found in a small fraction of the nucDNA, but appear to be inert in this compartment. We conclude that the palindromic repeats in V. carteri represent a single class of selfish DNA and speculate that the derivation of this element involved the lateral gene transfer of an organelle intron that first appeared in the mitochondrial genome, spreading to the ptDNA through mitochondrion-to-plastid DNA migrations, and eventually arrived in the nucDNA through organelle-to-nucleus DNA transfer events. The overall implications of palindromic repeats on the evolution of chlorophyte organelle genomes are discussed.
The amount of noncoding DNA (i.e., intronic and intergenic DNA) in organelle genomes varies significantly. One evolutionary lineage where the gamut of organelle-genome compactness is particularly pronounced is the Chlorophyta (a phylum containing most known classes of green algae ) for which the noncoding-DNA contents span from 10% (Ostreococcus tauri) to 53% (Pseudendoclonium akinetum) for mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and from 5% (Helicosporidium sp. ex Simulium jonesii) to 56% (Chlamydomonas reinhardtii) for plastid DNA (ptDNA). Although the processes influencing genome compactness are poorly understood, it is suggested that they are associated with the proliferation of selfish DNA [2–4], which we will define for the purpose of this study as any noncoding DNA element with the ability to spread its sequence to new genomic locations. Selfish DNA is ubiquitous in eukaryotic nuclear genomes and is also present, though less pervasive, in organelle genomes [5–7], including those of chlorophytes – and see Hurst and Werren for a review.
One proposed type of selfish DNA that is often observed in the mitochondrial and plastid genomes of chlorophytes are short palindromic repeats; these repetitive elements are marked by their short length [10–100 nucleotides (nt)] and their ability to be folded into hairpin (i.e., stem-loop) structures. Short palindromic repeats have been identified in the mtDNA and ptDNA from a variety of chlorophyte taxa (for compilations see [6, 10–13]), and there are indications that the organelle genomes of some chlorophyte species are more prone to the dissemination of palindromic repeats than those of other chlorophyte species. For example, the mtDNA of P. akinetum, the largest chlorophyte mitochondrial genome sequenced to date [95 kilobases (kb)], contains a series of short palindromic repeats that have proliferated throughout its intergenic and intronic regions ; moreover, these same palindromic elements are found in the noncoding regions of the P. akinetum ptDNA , indicating that the lateral transfer of repetitive DNA between organelle compartments is taking place – it is speculated that this process involves the hitchhiking of repeats on introns that migrate between the mtDNA and ptDNA . Short palindromic repeats in chlorophyte organelle DNA, as well as adding to the amount of noncoding DNA in a genome, have been credited for: 1) genome rearrangements , including the fragmentation and scrambling of ribosomal-RNA (rRNA) coding modules ; 2) changes in genome conformation and chromosome number [13, 15]; and 3) having regulatory functions [13, 16].
A previous study found that the mitochondrial genome of the multicellular, chlorophyte green alga Volvox carteri, a close relative to C. reinhardtii, is profuse with short palindromic repeats . By sequencing ~8 kb of mtDNA, corresponding to portions of cob, cox1, and their group-I introns, and an intergenic region between nad2 and nad6, these authors showed that at least two group-I introns and one intergenic region of the V. carteri mitochondrial genome contain extensive palindromic sequences. Ten classes of short palindromic repeats, all of which share sequence identity with one another, were discerned. Aono et al. concluded that these repetitive elements are selfish DNA, that they are expanding the intronic and intergenic regions of the mitochondrial genome, and that they may have played a role in the fragmentation of rRNA-coding modules.
In June 2007, the United States Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute (DOE JGI) released the draft nuclear genome sequence of V. carteri . This genome is ~140 megabases (Mb) in length [18–20], which is the largest chlorophyte nuclear genome sequence currently available (see for a compilation), and the preliminary annotation of this sequence suggests that it is rich in noncoding DNA, much of which appears to be selfish .
Our interest regarding the evolution of selfish DNA in V. carteri was sparked when we located short palindromic repeats in the V. carteri draft nuclear genome sequence that are similar to those in the mtDNA. To see if palindromic repeats are also present in the V. carteri ptDNA, we PCR amplified and sequenced an intergenic region from the plastid genome; our analysis of this sequence confirmed that the ptDNA contains palindromic repeats that have a similar size and potential secondary structure to those in the mitochondrial compartment. We, therefore, set out to do a detailed investigation of the palindromic repeats in V. carteri by sequencing and characterizing large portions of mtDNA and ptDNA and then comparing these data to the nuclear DNA (nucDNA). Our motives for this study are to gain insights into the role selfish DNA plays in organelle-genome expansion and its ability to move between genetic compartments.
Using a long-range PCR approach in conjunction with cloning, we sequenced from V. carteri 29,961 nt of the mitochondrial genome and 420,650 nt of the plastid genome; partial genetic maps of these genomes describing the coding and noncoding regions that were sequenced are respectively shown in Figures 1 and 2. Regions of the V. carteri organelle DNA that were previously characterized (~8 kb of mtDNA and ~5 kb of ptDNA) are highlighted in pink on these maps. Although we attempted to completely sequence the mitochondrial and plastid genomes, presumed secondary structures in the mtDNA and ptDNA templates likely caused many of the sequencing reactions to suddenly stop – even when using protocols designed to alleviate this problem . Furthermore, the repetitive nature of the organelle genomes means that much of the mtDNA and ptDNA sequence data are irresolvable using the currently available genome-assembly software programs: many of the organelle intergenic and intronic DNA sequences collapse into networks of spurious repetitive motifs upon assembly. Moreover, the fact that most of the mtDNA and ptDNA intergenic regions are much longer than a typical sequencing read (some intergenic regions exceed 15 kb) means that these collapsed repeats are irresolvable. At present, the most sophisticated assembly programs use the paired-end sequencing data from whole-genome shotgun reads to resolve complex repeat regions. Because there is a V. carteri nuclear genome sequencing project , we have access to paired-end sequencing reads for the mitochondrial and plastid genomes (see Methods for details); but even with these data, neither the assembly programs nor our own manual, by-eye assembly methods can untangle these repeats. Because of these difficulties, our V. carteri mitochondrial-genome assembly, although contained in a single contig, contains six regions where the mtDNA sequence is either unreadable or unavailable (Figure 1), and the assembly of the ptDNA is divided into 34 contigs (Figure 2). Nevertheless, we did sequence and characterize enough mtDNA and ptDNA to confidently describe the abundance and various types of noncoding DNA in each of these organelle genomes.
Partial genetic map of the Volvox carteri mitochondrial genome compared to the complete mtDNA genetic map of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. Protein-coding regions are yellow and their exons are labelled with an "E" followed by a number denoting their position within the gene. Introns and their associated open reading frames are orange. Transfer RNA-coding regions are red; they are designated by the single-letter abbreviation of the amino acid they specify. The large-subunit and small-subunit rRNA-coding modules are green. Arrows within the coding regions denote their transcriptional polarities. Solid red arrows perpendicular to the genome map indicate regions of the genome assembly where sequence data is either unreadable or lacking. The mtDNA regions that were previously sequenced and described by Aono et al. are underlined in pink on the genome map. Gray blocks highlight regions of synteny between the V. carteri and C. reinhardtii mitochondrial genomes. Note: the optional group-I intron in cox1 is found in the mtDNA of V. carteri strain HK10 (UTEX 1885); this intron is absent from V. carteri strain 72-52 (UTEX 2908) – the C. reinhardtii strains in which the different introns occur are listed in .
Partial genetic map of the Volvox carteri plastid genome compared to the complete ptDNA genetic map of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. Regions encoding proteins are yellow and their exons are labelled with an "E" followed by a number signifying their order within the gene. Introns and their associated open reading frames are orange. Transfer RNA-coding regions are red; they are designated by the single-letter abbreviation of the amino acid they specify. Ribosomal RNA-coding regions are green. The coding regions are shaped into arrows that denote their transcriptional polarities. Regions previously described by Aono et al. are underlined in pink. Gray blocks highlight regions of synteny between the V. carteri and C. reinhardtii plastid genomes. Note, the true order of the V. carteri contigs are unknown.
The organelle-DNA sequences presented in this study were validated by collecting and assembling mtDNA and ptDNA sequence data that were generated by the DOE JGI V. carteri nuclear genome sequencing project . This was performed by: 1) downloading DNA-sequence trace files corresponding to the V. carteri mitochondrial and plastid genomes; 2) assembling these trace files into contigs; and 3) mapping the trace-file contigs to the V. carteri mtDNA and ptDNA sequences produced in this study. Ultimately, the mtDNA and ptDNA sequences coming from the DOE JGI covered all of our self-generated V. carteri sequence data with >50-fold redundancy. It is important to note that the DOE JGI data that we used to confirm our mtDNA and ptDNA sequences came from V. carteri strain HK10 (UTEX 1885), whereas the V. carteri mtDNA and ptDNA sequences that we generated came from strain 72-52 (UTEX 2908), which is a dissociator mutant derived from HK10 [23, 24]. In all instances, the organelle DNA sequence data coming from strain HK10 were identical to those of strain 72-52 (i.e., no ambiguities between the DOE JGI trace-file contigs and our sequences were observed), with the exception of a group-I intron that is present in the mtDNA of HK10 but absent in that of 72-52 (see below for details).
Of the 29,961 nt of V. carteri mtDNA sequence data presented here, 18,355 nt (61%) are noncoding, which include 7,870 nt (26%) of intronic DNA and 10,485 nt (35%) of intergenic DNA; the remaining 11,606 nt (39%) are comprised of 8,166 nt (27%) coding for proteins and 3,440 nt (12%) coding for structural RNAs. The intergenic regions range from 0 to >1,400 nt in length, and, on average, are 455 nt long. The AT content of the 29,961 nt mtDNA sequence is 66%. Our annotation of the V. carteri mtDNA includes 7 protein-coding genes; the full suite of rRNA-coding modules required for the formation of the large-subunit and small-subunit rRNAs; 3 tRNA-coding genes; and 3 introns, 2 of group-I affiliation, located in cox1 and cob, and 1 of group-II affiliation, located in cob (Figure 1). Both group-I introns contain an open reading frame (ORF) encoding a putative LAGLIDADG endonuclease. The sole group-II intron has an ORF for which the deduced amino-acid sequence shows similarity to a reverse transcriptase (Figure 1). The DOE JGI V. carteri mtDNA sequences that we assembled (derived from V. carteri strain HK10) have, as mentioned above, an additional group-I intron in cox1 that is not present in V. carteri strain 72-52 (Figure 1). The coding suite that we acquired for the V. carteri mtDNA is identical to that of the C. reinhardtii mitochondrial genome [16, 25, 26] as is the gene order save for two rearrangements, which are outlined on Figure 1. There are two interesting features of the V. carteri mtDNA relative to its C. reinhardtii counterpart. First, the V. carteri L8 rRNA-coding module harbours a 725 nt insertion composed of short palindromic repeats, whereas that of C. reinhardtii contains no repeats (Figure 3a). When the V. carteri L8 module is folded into a putative secondary-structure model within the context of the LSU rRNA it contains two structural constituents: L8a and L8b (corresponding to the LSU rRNA domains V and VI, respectively), where the 3' end of L8a and the 5' end of L8b border the 725 nt insertion (Figure 3b). At present, we do not know if this insertion is removed from the primary transcript so that separate L8a and L8b mature transcripts are produced or if a single mature L8 transcript is generated with the insertion. The second point of interest is that although a putative reverse transcriptase gene is found in the mtDNA of both of V. carteri (ORF750) and C. reinhardtii (rtl), that of V. carteri appears to be part of a group-II intron located in cob, whereas in C. reinhardtii, rtl is a free standing gene that is lacking an intron but speculated to have originated from one [27, 28] – see Popescu and Lee for further discussion. The deduced amino-acid sequences of both ORF750 and rtl have a conserved domain that resembles that of a reverse transcriptase with group-II intron affiliation; however, the amino-acid sequence of ORF750 also has a conserved domain with similarity to a type-II intron maturase, while that of rtl does not. This extra domain encoded in ORF750 also explains why this ORF is twice the size of rtl (2,250 nt versus 1,119 nt).
Schema of the L8 rRNA-coding module in the Volvox carteri mitochondrial genome and its relationship to that in the Chlamydomonas reinhardtii mtDNA. The grey bars in A denote regions of sequence identity between the L8 rRNA-coding modules of the V. carteri and C. reinhardtii mtDNA. B depicts the V. carteri L8 coding module in the context of the large-subunit (LSU) rRNA secondary-structure model; the orange arrow points to the repetitive region separating the L8a and L8b components of the L8 module. The LSU rRNA secondary-structure model is based on that of Boer and Gray .
In regard to the 420,650 nt of V. carteri ptDNA sequence data that were generated, 338,557 nt (80%) are noncoding, of which 16,005 nt are intronic DNA and 322,552 nt are intergenic DNA; 77,335 nt (19%) code for proteins and 4,758 nt (1%) code for structural RNAs. The intergenic regions that were sequenced range from 87 nt to >12,444 nt in length and have an average size of 5,103 nt. The 420 kb of ptDNA are 57% AT. Our annotation of the ptDNA sequences includes 91 genes: 60 coding for standard plastid proteins, 27 coding for structural RNAs (23 tRNAs and 4 rRNAs), and 4 corresponding to ORFs (ORF494, ORF2032, ycf12, ORF2828) that have been previously found in plastid genomes (Figure 2). Three group-I introns were observed, located in chlL, psaA, and atpA; those in the later two genes contain an ORF encoding a putative LAGLIDAD endonuclease. Five group-II introns were discerned, situated in psaA, cemA, psaB, atpA, and atpB; the introns of the latter two genes have an ORF for which the inferred amino-acid sequence resembles that of a reverse transcriptase. The group-II intron of psaA is fragmented into two separate modules, which is also the case for C. reinhardtii (Figure 2). The 91 V. carteri ptDNA genes presented here are all found in the C. reinhardtii plastid genome with the exception of ORF494. The only apparent homolog of ORF494 is the ribosomal operon-associated gene (roaA) found in the Euglena gracilis plastid genome. Note, the C. reinhardtii ptDNA encodes a further 4 tRNA-coding and one rRNA-coding regions that we were unable to amplify from V. carteri.
A graph comparing both the estimated sizes and the fraction of noncoding nucleotides in the mitochondrial and plastid genomes of V. carteri relative to those of the currently available complete organelle-genome sequences from chlorophyte-, streptophyte- and other plastid-harbouring-taxa is shown in Figure 4 [and see Additional file 1]. Values of 30 kb and 420 kb, respectively, were chosen, based on our sequence data, as minimum-estimate genome sizes for the V. carteri mtDNA and ptDNA.
Fraction of noncoding DNA plotted against genome size for the available organelle genomes from streptophytes, chlorophytes, and other plastid-harbouring taxa. The data points corresponding to the mtDNA and the ptDNA of V. carteri and those of its close relative C. reinhardtii are labelled and marked with arrows on the appropriate graph. The noncoding-DNA contents and genome sizes from which these two graphs were plotted are listed in Supplementary Table S1 [see Additional file 1]. Values of 30 kb and 420 kb, respectively, were chosen, based on our sequence data, as minimum-size-estimates of the mitochondrial and plastid genomes.
Scanning of the V. carteri mitochondrial- and plastid-DNA sequences for repetitive elements lead to the identification of a series of short palindromic repeats in both of the organelle genomes; the consensus sequences, complementary bases, and copy numbers of the mtDNA and ptDNA palindromic elements are outlined in Figures 5 and 6, respectively. Although the short palindromic repeats of the mtDNA share many of the same structural traits as those of the ptDNA (discussed below), they differ by >50% in sequence identity and, therefore, must be considered as distinct repeats relative to those of the plastid genome.
Abundance and classification of the Volvox carteri mitochondrial-DNA palindromic repeat elements. Regions of high sequence identity among the different repeat families are shaded in blue; variable sites are orange; the loop portions of the putative hairpin structures are shaded in red, and the stems (i.e., complementary bases) of these structures are located beneath the black arrows. Nuclear DNA analyses were performed using the first 75 scaffolds of the V. carteri draft nuclear genome sequence (version 1) at the DOE JGI .
Abundance and classification of the Volvox carteri plastid-DNA palindromic repeat elements. Regions of high sequence identity among the different repeat families are shaded in blue; the loop portions of the putative hairpin structures are shaded in either red or grey, and the stems (i.e., complementary bases) of these structures are located beneath the grey arrows. Nuclear DNA analyses were performed using the first 75 scaffolds of the V. carteri draft nuclear genome sequence (version 1) at the DOE JGI .
The short palindromic repeats in the V. carteri mtDNA are restricted to intergenic and intronic regions, with the exception of the palindromic elements in the L8 rRNA-coding module. All of the intergenic regions that measure >50 nt in length consist predominantly of palindromic repeats; the few intergenic regions with lengths <50 nt are composed of non-repetitive DNA. Within the intronic regions, the palindromic repeats are confined to the non-ORF portions of the group-I and group-II introns. All four of the identified mitochondrial introns contain short palindromic repeats in their non-ORF regions, including the optional group-I intron of cox1, which was found in the mtDNA of V. carteri strain HK10. Approximately 14,600 nt (~80%) of the 18,355 nt of noncoding mtDNA that were sequenced are composed of short palindromic repeats. A dotplot similarity matrix of the V. carteri mtDNA plotted against itself, shown in Supplementary Figure S1 [see Additional file 2], emphasizes the magnitude of repetitive DNA in this genome and draws attention to the high degree of sequence identity between the different palindromic elements within and among the various intergenic and intronic regions.
The short palindromic repeat elements identified in the V. carteri mtDNA show >50% sequence identity with one another and share similar structural and compositional traits (Figure 5). The individual palindromes range from 11–77 nt in length (the average size is 50 nt) and from 71–84% in their AT content. When the palindromes are folded into hairpin structures, the stem component of the hairpin varies from 4–37 nt in length, and the loop portion is usually 3–5 nt long and frequently has the sequence 5'-TAAA-3' or 5'-TTTA-3' (Figure 5). In many instances, a short palindromic repeat is found inserted within another palindromic repeat, resulting in larger, more elaborate repetitive elements; these larger repeats have a maximum length of 633 nt, and, in a few cases, are found at multiple locations in the mitochondrial genome. For example, a 550 nt repeat sequence composed of complete and incomplete short palindromic units is found in the group-I introns of cob and cox1, in the intergenic regions between cob and nad4, and in the group-II intron of cob. Some of these more complex repeats can also be folded into tRNA-like structures – as shown in Supplementary Figure S2 [see Additional file 3].
Like the mitochondrial genome, the noncoding regions of the V. carteri plastid genome abound with short palindromic sequences. These palindromic elements are observed in all of the sequenced intergenic regions that have lengths >100 nt and in the non-ORF portions of the psaA and atpA group-I introns. No palindromic elements are located in the chlL group-I intron or in any of the identified group-II introns. Overall, the short palindromic repeats constitute ~80% (~270 kb) of the 338,557 noncoding nucleotides in the V. carteri ptDNA. A dotplot similarity matrix of the V. carteri plastid genome plotted against itself (Supplementary Figure S3 [see Additional file 4]) shows the high level of sequence identity among the various palindromic repeats.
In the V. carteri ptDNA, most of the short palindromic repeats contain the sequence motif 5'-TCCCCTTTAGGGA-3' (Figure 6). The palindromes have a size range of 14–79 nt, with an average length of 50 nt, and, when folded into hairpin structures, their stems and loops vary in length from 5–29 nt and 3–5 nt, respectively. In most cases, the loops of the hairpin structures contain the sequence 5'-TAAA-3' or 5'-TTTA-3' (Figure 6). The AT content of the ptDNA palindromes varies from 39–55%. As observed for the mtDNA, the ptDNA palindromic elements are often found inserted into one another, the consequence of which is a series of multifarious repetitive sequences.
The short palindromic repeats of the mitochondrial and plastid compartments have similar structural attributes: 1) they have proliferated in intergenic regions and non-ORF segments of introns; 2) they have an average size of 50 nt and a maximum length of ~78 nt; and 3) the loops of their hairpin structures are generally 3–5 nt long with the sequence 5'-TTTA-3' or 5'-TTTA-3'.
To investigate if the short palindromic repeats in the mtDNA and ptDNA of V. carteri are present in the nucDNA, we analyzed the draft nuclear genome sequence of V. carteri at the DOE JGI . Manual curation of the V. carteri nuclear genome is still underway; therefore, only the first 75 scaffolds of the nuclear-genome assembly were analyzed. Approximately 78% of the V. carteri nucDNA is contained in these 75 scaffolds, their cumulative length is 109.2 Mb, and each scaffold is at least 0.5 Mb long. The amount of nucDNA in these 75 scaffolds that map to mtDNA and ptDNA is described in Table 1; the approximate number of nucDNA-located organelle-like repeats is outlined in Figures 5 and 6.
Amount of nuclear DNA in Volvox carteri that maps to the mitochondrial and plastid genomes.
Note: Nuclear DNA analyses are based on the V. carteri draft nuclear genome sequence (version 1) at the DOE JGI . Only the first 75 scaffolds of the nuclear-genome assembly were analyzed; approximately 78% of the V. carteri nucDNA is contained in these 75 scaffolds and their cumulative length is 109.2 Mb.
a The number of distinct regions in the V. carteri nucDNA that show >90% sequence identity and at least 25 nt of aligned length to organelle DNA.
b Refers to the region of the organelle genome to which the nucDNA maps.
c Includes all of the identified protein-coding genes.
d Includes all of the identified tRNA- and rRNA-coding genes.
e Includes all of the identified group I and II intronic-ORFs.
f Includes all of the identified intergenic and non-ORF intronic regions.
Thirty-three kilobases of nucDNA (~0.03% of the nuclear genome) share >90% identity with mtDNA; 14.7 kb (44%) of this shared sequence are homologous to the short palindromic repeats in the intergenic and non-ORF intronic regions of the mitochondrial genome; the remaining 10.6 kb (56%) map to the coding and intronic-ORF portions of the mtDNA (Table 1). In the nucDNA, 802 distinct regions show homology to mtDNA; the average mapping length of these regions is 39 nt. Of the 75 nuclear scaffolds that were analyzed, all but two (scaffold 66 and 75) have at least one region that shows homology to mtDNA.
Seventy-three kilobases of the V. carteri nucDNA (~0.07% of the nuclear genome) share >90% identity with ptDNA; 50.6 kb (69%) of this shared sequence are homologous to the short palindromic repeats in the intergenic and non-ORF-intronic portions of the ptDNA, and 22.5 kb (31%) are homologous to the coding regions and intronic ORFs of the plastid genome (Table 1). In the nuclear genome, 1,450 different regions show homology to ptDNA, and the average similarity length is 29 nt. All of the 75 nuclear scaffolds that were examined have at least one region that shows homology to ptDNA.
In total, 65.4 kb (~0.06%) of the V. carteri nuclear-genome-sequence data that were analyzed share sequence identity to the short palindromic repeats of the organelle genomes. The secondary structure and general characteristics of the nuclear-palindromic repeat elements are the same as those described for the organelle palindromes in Figures 5 and 6.
In order to place the V. carteri data described above in a broader context, we analyzed the C. reinhardtii nuclear genome for regions that show sequence identity to its mtDNA and ptDNA – these results are summarized in Supplementary Table S2 [see Additional file 5]. Only 0.007% of the C. reinhardtii nuclear genome maps to organelle DNA (0.0035% to the mtDNA and 0.0035% to the ptDNA), which is 10-times less than what is observed for V. carteri (0.01%).
The V. carteri organelle genomes are profuse with noncoding DNA. Our analyses indicate that the mitochondrial genome is >61% noncoding, which is the most expanded chlorophyte-mtDNA sequence currently deposited in Genbank – other complete mitochondrial genome sequences from chlorophyte are larger only because they contain more genes. The plastid genome is the largest (>420 kb) and most bloated (>81% noncoding) ptDNA sequence from any taxon observed to date (Figure 4). Heretofore, the largest documented plastid genome was 223.9 kb, belonging to the chlorophyte Stigeoclonium helveticum ; and the plastid genome with the highest fraction of noncoding DNA was that of C. reinhardtii (56% noncoding) . At present, due to a lack of available mtDNA and ptDNA sequence data, we do not know if other colonial or multicellular algae in the volvocine line of the Chlorophyceae have bloated organelle genomes as a result of excessive noncoding DNA. Preliminary investigations of the Volvox aureus mitochondrial genome indicate that it harbours palindromic repeats; these repeats do not share sequence similarity with those of the V. carteri mtDNA .
The fact that short palindromic repeats respectively constitute ~80% and ~75% of the mtDNA and ptDNA noncoding regions suggests that these elements precipitated the expansion of the organelle genomes. We must, therefore, ask: how did the palindromic repeats disseminate their sequence throughout the noncoding regions of the organelle DNA? The processes by which this could have occurred include transposition, retrotransposition via an RNA intermediate, and recombination-based mechanisms, such as gene conversion (for a review on the mobility of selfish DNA see Austin and Trivers ); at present, we are not partial to any one of these mechanisms. It is worth noting, however, that both the mitochondrial and plastid genomes of V. carteri encode a putative reverse transcriptase and a putative endonuclease; the mutual association of these enzymes has been invoked for mediating the retrotransposition of selfish DNA. Koll et al. propose that the mobility of an ultra-short invasive element in the mtDNA of the filamentous fungus Podospora anserina is instigated by a group-II-intron-encoded reverse transcriptase; they also suggest that an intron-encoded endonuclease generates the 3'-hydroxyl required for reverse transcription. Of all the intronic ORFs deposited in Genbank, the deduced amino-acid sequence of ORF261 in the Volvox mtDNA shows the greatest identity (46%; expectation values = 6 × 10-48) to that of the cox1-intronic ORF of P. anserina. Another intriguing observation is that the short palindromic repeats in the V. carteri organelle and nuclear genomes are found in both orientations on the same strand, i.e., the same sequence can occur in the 3' to 5' and 5' to 3' directions – this is suggestive of a transposition-mediated mechanism of mobility rather than one based on recombination.
Short palindromic repeats are found in the three genetic compartments of V. carteri. The palindromic elements of the mtDNA are structurally similar but different in nucleotide sequence to those of the ptDNA, whereas the nucDNA palindromes are of two types: those that map to the mtDNA and those that map to ptDNA. These observations evoke several questions, such as are the palindromic repeats in the mtDNA and ptDNA related? And if so, in what genetic compartment did they first appear? Moreover, how did the nucDNA acquire palindromes that share sequence identity to those of the mitochondrial and plastid genomes, and why are they not as abundant as those of the organelle DNA? And finally, are the palindromic elements indigenous to V. carteri or are they the products of lateral gene transfer?
Although the mtDNA palindromic repeats differ in nucleotide sequence to the palindromes of the ptDNA, these two groups of repeats share enough structural features to suggest that they have descended from a common repetitive element and, thus, represent a single class of selfish DNA. For instance, in both the mitochondrial and plastid compartments the palindromic repeats reside in identical genomic landscapes (intergenic regions and non-ORF portions of introns) and they also inhabit these noncoding regions in similar abundances, representing ~80% of the noncoding nucleotides in both the mitochondrial and plastid genomes. Moreover, the mtDNA and ptDNA palindromes fold into hairpin structures where the loop portion is consistently 5'-TAAA-3' or 5'-ATTT-3'.
The same palindromic elements that have propagated in the V. carteri organelle DNA are also found in a small fraction (~0.06%) of the nucDNA. Although these nuclear-palindromic repeats can share up to 100% sequence identity with those of the mtDNA or ptDNA, many are degenerate with mismatches in the stem component of their hairpin structures. This observation, coupled with the relatively low abundance of these repeats in the nuclear genome, leads us to suggest that the nucDNA palindromes are inert, accumulating in the nucDNA through both mitochondrial-to-nucleus and plastid-to-nucleus DNA-transfer events – the movement of organelle DNA to nuclear genomes is well documented [34–37]. Further evidence to support this hypothesis is the fact that the proposed organelle-derived palindromes are present within the nuclear genome in the same proportions as other genetic regions from the mitochondrial and plastid genomes, such as coding regions (Table 1).
Two observations regarding the derivation of the short palindromic repeats in V. carteri are worth noting. First, the palindromic elements appear to have a strong affinity for the non-ORF regions of organelle introns, especially those in the mitochondrial genome. Because organelle introns are, themselves, a type of selfish element, which can migrate between organelle compartments, both within a species and between unrelated species ([38, 39], and see for a discussion on volvocalean ptDNA group-I introns), it is not unreasonable to surmise that the origin of the short palindromic repeats in V. carteri is linked to lateral intron transfer. The second observation is that the short palindromic repeats have propagated in only two of the nine introns in the V. carteri plastid genome: the group-I introns of psaA and atpA. Why have the other seven plastid introns (one group-I and six group-II introns) remained inviolate from palindromic elements? The two group-I plastid introns that contain short palindromic repeats belong to subgroup IB. Considering that the other group-I intron in the ptDNA (that of chlL), which is devoid of palindromes, is also of subgroup IB, it seems unlikely that the palindromic elements are favouring a certain class of intron. It is noteworthy that the chlL group-I intron lacks a LAGLIDADG homing endonuclease, whereas the group-I introns of psaA and atpA, as well as those of the mtDNA, harbour LAGLIDADG ORFs – perhaps, as suggested above, the mobility of the palindromic elements is dependent on intronic endonuclease proteins. Another possibility is that the plastid genome was seeded with short palindromic repeats after the inception of palindromic elements in the mtDNA and, therefore, the plastid palindromic repeats have not had sufficient time to spread to all of the intronic regions in the ptDNA; moreover, some of ptDNA introns may have arrived more recently in evolutionary time than those of psaA and atpA, and, thus, have not yet been seeded with repeats.
When Aono et al. first identified short palindromic repeats in the V. carteri mitochondrial genome they predicted that these repeats would be associated with the fragmentation of rRNA-transcripts. The mtDNA data presented here may support these predications. Our annotation of the V. carteri mitochondrial genome contains eight modules encoding the LSU rRNA, and their arrangement within the mtDNA is identical to that of C. reinhardtii, with the exception that the L8 module of V. carteri contains a large block of palindromic repeats, whereas that of C. reinhardtii harbours no repetitive mtDNA. At the present time we do not know if this insertion represents a fragmentation point within the L8 coding module that is removed from the primary transcript or if it is maintained as a variable region within an intact L8 transcript. We favour the former possibility because in the latter scenario the insertion is three-fold larger than any previously reported variable region identified in ribosomal RNA – based on the Comparative RNA Website .
The goal of this study was to investigate the genomic breadth and the evolutionary implications of short palindromic repeats in the organelle and nuclear genomes of V. carteri. Our findings indicate that selfish DNA, in the form of palindromic elements, have proliferated in the V. carteri mtDNA and ptDNA; and although copies of this element exist in the nuclear compartment, we suggest that they are inert and arrived in the nuclear genome via rare organelle-to-nucleus DNA transfer events. We speculate that the palindromic repeats in V. carteri descended from a single invasive element, perhaps first seeded in V. carteri through the lateral gene transfer of a mitochondrial intron, eventually spreading to the ptDNA through mitochondrial-to-plastid DNA migration. Overall, the palindromic repeats appear to be involved with the expansion of the V. carteri organelle DNA and have potentially precipitated a gene fragmentation event in the mitochondrial genome.
The sequence data generated in this study were obtained from the 72-52 dissociator mutant of V. carteri (UTEX 2908), which is derived from V. carteri strain HK10 (UTEX 885) [23, 24]. Total genomic DNA was extracted using the DNeasy Plant Mini Kit (Qiagen, Germantown, MD, USA) following manufacturer's protocol.
The organelle loci examined in this study were amplified using a PCR-based approach. PCR reactions were performed with the LongRange PCR Kit (Qiagen) using total genomic DNA as the template. PCR products were cloned using the TOPO TA Cloning Kit (Invitrogen, Carlsbad, CA, USA). Purified PCR products and isolated plasmids were sequenced on both strands at the Macrogen Sequencing Facility, Rockville, MD.
Sequences were edited and assembled using CodonCode Aligner Version 2.0.6 (CodonCode Corporation, Dedham, MA, USA), which employs the Phred, Cross-match, and Phrap algorithms for base calling, sequence comparison, and sequence assembly, respectively. Assemblies were performed with a minimum-percent-identity score of 98, a minimum-overlap length of 500 nt, a match score of 1, a mismatch penalty of -2, a gap penalty of -2, and an additional first gap penalty of -3.
The mtDNA and ptDNA data presented in this study were validated by collecting and assembling mitochondrial- and plastid-genome sequences that were generated by the V. carteri nuclear genome sequencing project . These sequences were obtained by blasting our mtDNA and ptDNA data against the V. carteri f. nagariensis Whole Genome Shotgun Reads Trace Archive Database at the National Center for Biotechnological Information (NCBI) . Blast hits showing >99% similarity to our V. carteri mtDNA and ptDNA sequences were downloaded and assembled (using the assembly program and parameters described above); the downloaded mitochondrial and plastid sequences were subsequently blasted against the V. carteri draft nuclear genome sequence (v1.0 Repeatmasked) to verify that no nuclear-genome-located mtDNA-like or ptDNA-like sequences were collected.
An initial scan for repetitive elements in the V. carteri mtDNA and ptDNA sequence data was performed with REPuter [43, 44] using the Hamming distance option and a minimal-repeat-size setting of 12 nt – note, forward, reverse, complement, and reverse complement repeats were all considered under REPuter. Further analyses of the V. carteri organelle DNA repeats were performed in Geneious (Biomatters LtD, Auckland, NZ) by building a Blast databank of the mtDNA and ptDNA sequences and then blasting these databanks with specific regions from the mitochondrial and plastid genomes. Mfold was employed for secondary-structure analyses. The mtDNA and ptDNA introns were detected, classified, and folded into secondary structures using RNAweasel [46, 47]. The noncoding-DNA estimates presented for the V. carteri organelle genomes were inferred from the average-intergenic-spacer sizes and intron-densities of the mtDNA and ptDNA data that were collected. Dotplot similarity matrices were plotted with JDotter . The LSU rRNA secondary-structure model depicted in Figure 3 is based on that of Boer and Gray . The C. reinhardtii mtDNA-introns shown in Figure 1 are described elsewhere .
The V. carteri nucDNA was scanned for regions of identity to organelle DNA by blasting the mtDNA and ptDNA sequences produced in this study against the V. carteri draft nuclear genome sequence (v1.0 Repeatmasked) using an expectation value of 1 × 10-5 and a word size of 11. Organelle-DNA sequences that mapped to the nuclear genome with >90% identity and at least 25 nt of aligned length were counted as hits. The same protocol employed for V. carteri was used to scan the C. reinhardtii nucDNA for regions that show identity to organelle sequences. The C. reinhardtii nucDNA scaffolds (version 3.1) were downloaded from the DOE JGI .
The mtDNA and ptDNA sequences generated in this study are found in Genbank under the accession numbers EU760701 and EU755264–EU755299, respectively.
This work was supported by a grant to R.W.L. from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) of Canada. D.R.S. is an Izaak Walton Killam Memorial Scholar and holds a Canada Graduate Scholarship from NSERC.
DRS carried out the molecular studies, data analyses, and wrote the manuscript. RWL helped in interpreting the data and revising the manuscript. Both DRS and RWL have read and approved the final version of this manuscript. | 2019-04-23T22:05:34Z | https://bmcgenomics.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1471-2164-10-132 |
Retinoid therapy is widely employed in clinical oncology to differentiate malignant cells into their more benign counterparts. However, certain high-risk cohorts, such as patients with MYCN-amplified neuroblastoma, are innately resistant to retinoid therapy. Therefore, we employed a precision medicine approach to globally profile the retinoid signalling response and to determine how an excess of cellular MYCN antagonises these signalling events to prevent differentiation and confer resistance.
We applied RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) and interaction proteomics coupled with network-based systems level analysis to identify targetable vulnerabilities of MYCN-mediated retinoid resistance. We altered MYCN expression levels in a MYCN-inducible neuroblastoma cell line to facilitate or block retinoic acid (RA)-mediated neuronal differentiation. The relevance of differentially expressed genes and transcriptional regulators for neuroblastoma outcome were then confirmed using existing patient microarray datasets.
We determined the signalling networks through which RA mediates neuroblastoma differentiation and the inhibitory perturbations to these networks upon MYCN overexpression. We revealed opposing regulation of RA and MYCN on a number of differentiation-relevant genes, including LMO4, CYP26A1, ASCL1, RET, FZD7 and DKK1. Furthermore, we revealed a broad network of transcriptional regulators involved in regulating retinoid responsiveness, such as Neurotrophin, PI3K, Wnt and MAPK, and epigenetic signalling. Of these regulators, we functionally confirmed that MYCN-driven inhibition of transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) signalling is a vulnerable node of the MYCN network and that multiple levels of cross-talk exist between MYCN and TGF-β. Co-targeting of the retinoic acid and TGF-β pathways, through RA and kartogenin (KGN; a TGF-β signalling activating small molecule) combination treatment, induced the loss of viability of MYCN-amplified retinoid-resistant neuroblastoma cells.
Our approach provides a powerful precision oncology tool for identifying the driving signalling networks for malignancies not primarily driven by somatic mutations, such as paediatric cancers. By applying global omics approaches to the signalling networks regulating neuroblastoma differentiation and stemness, we have determined the pathways involved in the MYCN-mediated retinoid resistance, with TGF-β signalling being a key regulator. These findings revealed a number of combination treatments likely to improve clinical response to retinoid therapy, including co-treatment with retinoids and KGN, which may prove valuable in the treatment of high-risk MYCN-amplified neuroblastoma.
The paediatric cancer neuroblastoma arises when neuronal stem cells of a transient embryonal tissue, the neural crest, fail to complete their terminal differentiation into neurons of the peripheral nervous system and instead transform to become oncogenic [1, 2]. This failure of an embryonal population of neuroblasts to differentiate is largely due to the aberrant maintenance of stemness signals arising from genetic and epigenetic lesions [3–7]. Therefore, neuroblastoma has been termed a malignancy which is due to a differentiation block [8, 9], with tumours consisting of more stem-like cells representing more aggressive and high-risk disease [10, 11]. Interestingly, neuroblastoma has the highest rate of spontaneous regression of any solid tumour [12–15], which is thought to be due to the late restoration of normal developmental signalling resulting in tumour cell differentiation or apoptosis. Thus, even neuroblastomas with metastatic spread (stage 4S) can have a good prognosis due to spontaneous regression, especially in infants below 18 months of age [16, 17]. By contrast, neuroblastomas diagnosed later than 18 months or those with amplification of the MYCN oncogene have much worse prognosis. In fact, neuroblastoma accounts for 15% of all childhood cancer deaths, the highest of any solid tumour . The survival rate of the high-risk neuroblastoma patients has not improved in decades, remaining steady at a 5-year survival of 40–50% . Therefore, it is a clinical imperative that effective therapeutics for high-risk neuroblastoma be identified.
Differentiation therapy is widely employed in clinical cancer treatment [19–26] as both primary and maintenance therapies. Retinoid-induced differentiation of neuronal precursors is a successful treatment strategy for low and intermediate risk neuroblastoma patients. Both all-trans-retinoic acid (ATRA, tretinoin) and 13-cis-retinoic acid (isotretinoin) are used in neuroblastoma therapy with isotretinoin being the preferred compound [20–22, 24, 27, 28]. However, despite the effectiveness of retinoid treatment for some patients, it is ineffective for many high-risk patients [24, 29]. This is largely due to MYCN-induced resistance to retinoid therapy . MYCN is a primarily neuronal-specific member of the MYC proto-oncogene family. It is expressed during normal neural crest development, and when under normal regulation it does not prevent terminal differentiation of neuroblasts [30, 31]. However, amplified MYCN prevents neuronal differentiation [32, 33], and aberrant MYCN signalling alone is sufficient to induce neuroblastoma in animal models [2, 34]. MYCN amplification occurs in over 20% of neuroblastoma and contributes to metastasis and chemoresistance [17, 35]. Additionally, 50% of neuroblastoma patients who initially respond to retinoic acid (RA) therapy develop retinoid resistance . However, despite the variability of the clinical response to RA, there is a lack of recurrent somatic mutations in components of the RA signalling pathway [3, 36], suggesting adaptor mechanisms conveying resistance. Furthermore, epigenetic regulation has been shown to block neuronal precursor differentiation . Therefore, rather than focussing on mutations or epigenetic status, we employed RNA-seq and network-based analysis to globally profile the functional status of gene regulatory networks in response to RA. Analysis at this level captures the functional effects of all upstream regulatory alterations regardless of their origin (e.g. mutations, transcriptional and epigenetic alterations, miRNA/lncRNA-mediated regulation). Such approaches are particularly pertinent for paediatric cancers as they have a low rate of genetic mutation compared with adult cancers, and accordingly present far fewer actionable genetic alterations . The only actionable mutation in neuroblastoma is mutant ALK, but even this gene is mutated in only 9.2% of tumours [3, 38].
While elevated MYCN levels inhibit RA-mediated neuronal differentiation [32, 33], the precise molecular mechanisms are unknown. Elucidating these mechanisms could reveal potential targets and combination treatments that can re-sensitise MYCN-amplified cells to retinoid therapy. To this end, we transcriptionally profiled (RNA-seq) ATRA (from here on referred to as RA) exposed neuroblastoma cells in the presence of high and low MYCN expression levels and performed network-based precision medicine analysis [38–41]. Additionally, we profiled changes in the MYCN protein–protein interactome in response to RA. We thereby identified how MYCN globally modulates the differentiation response and identified network nodes which can be therapeutically targeted to prevent amplified MYCN from inhibiting the RA-induced differentiation of neuroblastoma cells.
The cell line SH-SY5Y/6TR(EU)/pTrex-Dest-30/MYCN (SY5Y-MYCN) stably expresses a tetracycline-inducible MYCN expression vector and was kindly provided by the Westermann lab [42–44]. Cells were cultured in RPMI 1640 (Gibco) supplemented with 10% fetal bovine serum (Gibco), 2 mM L-glutamine (Gibco) and 1% penicillin-streptomycin solution (Gibco). RA (Sigma-Aldrich) was given at a final concentration of 1 μM, to induce differentiation. Kartogenin (Selleck) was dissolved in DMSO and used in concentrations ranging from 0.1–20 μM. RepSox (Selleck) was dissolved in DMSO and used in concentrations ranging from 1–100 nM. For vehicle controls equivalent volumes of DMSO were added to cells. Doxycycline (Dox; Sigma) dissolved in water was used at a final concentration of 1 μg/ml to induce MYCN expression in SY5Y-MYCN. Dox was replenished every 24 h for any treatment longer than a 24 h duration. For Dox co-treatments cells were pre-incubated with doxycycline for 24 h before addition of RA and had fresh doxycycline given at the start of RA treatment. Cells were imaged using an Olympus CKX41 microscope.
Western blotting and quantitative RT-PCR (RT-qPCR) were performed as previously described . Antibodies used were TrkB (1/1,000 dilution, #4603, Cell Signaling Technologies) and ERK1/2 (1/10,000 dilution, M5670, Sigma Aldrich). TaqMan assays (Applied Biosystems) used were DKK1 (Hs00183740_m1*), EGR1 (Hs00152928_m1*), FZD7 (Hs00275833_s1*), RET (Hs01120030_m1*), NTRK2 (Hs00178811_m1*), c-MYC (Hs00905030_m1*), MYCN (Hs00232074_m1*), ASCL1 (Hs04187546_g1), LMO4 (Hs01086790_m1) and the endogenous control genes RPLPO (4310879E) and ACTB (β-actin, 4326315E). Biological duplicates were generated for all samples; technical replicates for every sample were also performed.
SY5Y-MYCN cells were exposed to one of four treatments (24 h DMSO, 24 h RA, 24 h RA and 48 h Dox and 48 h Dox), with biological duplicates. While the 48-h Dox-only sample was also previously analysed as part of a MYCN overexpression time-course , analysis of the RA samples and their comparison with the 48-h Dox only samples has not previously been published. The 48-h Dox treatment was performed and the samples were sequenced together with the DMSO, RA-only and RA and Dox samples. Total mRNA was extracted using TRI Reagent (Sigma-Aldrich) according to the manufacturer’s protocol, and DNA was digested with RQ1 RNase free DNase (Promega). RNA quality was checked by RT-qPCR (as above) and on a 2100 Bioanalyzer (Agilent) using a Eukaryote Total RNA Nano Chip (version 2.6). All samples had a RIN value in the range of 8.40–9.20. Sequencing libraries were generated from 2 μg of total RNA per sample with a TruSeq RNA sample preparation Kit v2 (Illumina) according to the manufacturer’s protocol. Size and purity of the libraries were analysed on a Bioanalyzer High Sensitivity DNA chip (Agilent). Libraries were clustered using TruSeq Single-Read Cluster Kit v5-CS-GA (Illumina) and sequenced on an Illumina Genome Analyzer IIx with a TruSeq SBS Kit v5-GA (Illumina).
The sequence reads were analysed as described previously . Differentially expressed genes were called using general linear models in edgeR . P values were adjusted for multiple testing with the Benjamini–Hochberg correction and a corrected P cutoff of 0.05 was used. To make the absolute expression levels of genes comparable with each other, the read counts per million were adjusted by gene length in kilobases (CPMkb). The mRNA-seq data were deposited in ArrayExpress (http://www.ebi.ac.uk/arrayexpress) under accession number E-MTAB-2689.
Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA) software was also used for the inferred transcriptional regulator (ITR), pathway and gene ontology (GO) analysis. String (http://www.string-db.org/) was used to generate protein–protein interaction networks, and the KEGG pathway enrichment analysis tool in String was also applied to these networks. Area-proportional Venn diagrams were generated using BioVenn (http://www.cmbi.ru.nl/cdd/biovenn/) and four-way comparisons were generated using Venny (http://bioinfogp.cnb.csic.es/tools/venny/index.html). Measurements of neurite length and cell width were obtained from images using ImageJ v1.44p (http://imagej.nih.gov/ij).
Mass spectrometry-based interaction proteomics were conducted on SY5Y-MYCN (un-induced, 48-h MYCN overexpression, 24-h 1-μM RA treatment and 48-h MYCN overexpression and 24-h 1-μM RA co-treatment) for the MYCN protein. Interaction proteomics were performed as previously described . MYCN was immunoprecipitated by using Protein A/G PLUS-agarose beads (sc-2003, Santa Cruz) conjugated to MYCN antibody (1/1,000 dilution, sc-53993, Santa Cruz) or IgG. Three biological and two technical replicates were performed per condition.
Cell viability was analysed by MTS assay as described , with values normalised to untreated control cells. The results represent the mean ± standard deviation of triplicate biological replicates, expressed as a percentage of control.
SY5Y neuroblastoma cells treated with RA undergo neuronal differentiation to become dopaminergic neurons [45, 48–51]. We profiled global transcriptional changes mediated by RA in the MYCN Dox-inducible SY5Y-MYCN cell line, which was previously generated from the parental SY5Y cell line by the Westermann lab [42–44]. To assess the effect of MYCN overexpression on neuronal differentiation we imaged SY5Y-MYCN cells treated with RA while overexpression of the MYCN transgene was either induced or un-induced (Fig. 1a). A differentiation ratio for each treatment group was then calculated by dividing the length of the longest axon of a cell by the cell’s width. Like SY5Y cells, SY5Y-MYCN cells underwent RA-mediated differentiation in the absence of MYCN induction. However, when MYCN expression was induced (reaching 10–15 times higher levels than in un-induced cells; Additional file 1: Figure S1a) the ability of RA to efficiently differentiate these cells strongly and significantly was attenuated (t-test, RA versus RA and Dox p < 0.0001). While endogenous MYCN mRNA (parental SY5Y cells) expression was downregulated by RA treatment, ectopic MYCN in SY5Y-MYCN cell lines was not reduced as it is not under the control of the endogenous MYCN promoter (Additional file 1: Figure S1b; also see Duffy et al. ). Confirming that the RA was active, it reduced the expression of endogenous c-MYC mRNA by a similar extent in both SY5Y and un-induced SY5Y-MYCN cell lines (Additional file 1: Figure S1b).
The mechanisms through which MYCN blocks RA-mediated neuronal differentiation are highly relevant to MYCN-amplified neuroblastoma patients, who generally do not respond well to retinoid treatment [20, 27]. Therefore, to identify these mechanisms we conducted mRNA-seq of SY5Y-MYCN cells under four treatment conditions: (i) 24-h DMSO (control), (ii) 24-h RA, (iii) 24-h RA and 48-h Dox, and (iv) 48-h Dox. Firstly, we confirmed that a number of the genes encoding the RA receptors, which are required to facilitate cellular responsiveness to RA, were expressed in SY5Y-MYCN cells (Additional file 1: Figure S1c). Of these the expression of both RARA and RARB was upregulated upon RA treatment. In total, between 511 and 839 differentially expressed (DE) genes were detected per treatment group, with a high degree of overlap between the co-treatment (RA and Dox) sample and the individual treatments (Fig. 1b; Additional file 2: Table S1; Additional file 3: Table S2; Additional file 4: Table S3; Additional file 5: Table S4). MYCN overexpression predominantly downregulated gene expression as we have previously described , while RA treatment produced a very similar number of up- and downregulated DE genes (Fig. 1c). While there was a trend for the greatest fold changes to occur in genes which had lower pre-treatment expression states, genes across the full range of pre-treatment expression levels were differentially expressed (Fig. 1d).
Of the 169 genes regulated in common between MYCN overexpression and RA treatment, 95 were regulated in opposing directions (up- or downregulated) by each treatment (Fig. 2a). These differentially activated genes are likely key to MYCN’s ability to block RA-mediated neuronal differentiation and contain both known and novel components of differentiation signalling (see below). To validate the accuracy of the RNA-seq analysis we analysed the changes in expression (by qPCR) of MYCN (Additional file 1: Figure S1a) and seven selected genes, RET, DKK1, EGR1, FZD7, ASCL1, LMO4 and c-MYC (Fig. 2b), which were identified as being DE in the RNA-seq data. The results confirmed the reliability of the RNA sequencing data (Fig. 2b; Additional file 1: Figure S1a). The qPCR also confirmed the differing direction of regulation for RET, FZD7, EGR1, ASCL1 and LMO4 between the RA treatments and MYCN induction (Fig. 2b). To eliminate any Dox-related, non-MYCN-dependent, role in the expression changes of these genes we treated parental SY5Y cells with Dox. Dox treatment in SY5Y cells did not reproduce the expression changes observed when MYCN was overexpressed in SY5Y-MYCN cells via Dox treatment (Additional file 1: Figure S1d).
We also confirmed by qPCR and western blotting the strong induction of the BDNF receptor NTRK2 (TrkB) upon RA treatment, which was revealed in the RNA-seq results (Additional file 1: Figure S1e, f). This RA-mediated induction of NTRK2 was sustained, and indeed continued to rise over longer RA treatments (Additional file 1: Figure S1e, f). While high NTRK2 expression combined with amplified MYCN is a marker for high-risk neuroblastoma , NTRK2 pathway activation by BDNF ligand treatment is also known to aid RA-mediated differentiation . Our results indicate that RA dramatically upregulates NTRK2 expression, potentially priming the cells to respond to BDNF signalling.
Of the genes regulated in opposing directions by RA and MYCN (Fig. 2a), we examined three in more detail: CYP26A1, LMO4 and ASCL1 (Fig. 2c). These genes were selected as they have previously been associated with either neuronal differentiation, MYCN or neuroblastoma, but our analysis reveals their opposing transcriptional regulation by RA and MYCN. Our RNA-seq analysis revealed that the expression of the CYP26A1 gene was massively increased upon RA treatment, jumping from almost undetectable to highly expressed (0.05–36.59 CPMkb; Fig. 2c). This increase was further enhanced by the combination of RA and Dox, despite Dox alone slightly reducing CYP26A1 expression (Fig. 2c). CYP26A1 is a member of the cytochrome P450 family and is involved in a negative feedback loop, where RA activates its expression while the CYP26A1 protein inactivates RA by hydroxylation [54–58]. CYP26A1 also regulates the production of migratory cranial neural crest cells . Our data show a trend for MYCN overexpression to enhance the RA-induced expression of the RA inhibitor CYP26A1 (Fig. 2c).
LMO4 is a transcriptional regulator involved in the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition of neuroblastoma and neural crest cells . It can also inhibit differentiation of mammary epithelial cells and is overexpressed in breast cancer . Its paralogue, LMO1, is a neuroblastoma oncogene which is duplicated in 12.4% of tumours, and is associated with aggressive disease . LMO4 interferes with neuritogenesis in SY5Y cells , has a role in the differentiation of progenitor cells of motor neurons and the cranial neural crest and is highly expressed in proliferating mouse epithelial tissues [64, 65]. Our results reveal that LMO4 mRNA levels are upregulated by MYCN and downregulated by RA, while in the combination treatment MYCN overexpression partially reverses RA’s inhibitory effects on LMO4 expression (Fig. 2c).
The ASCL1 transcription factor stimulates neuronal differentiation, but its pro-differentiation functions are blocked by MYCN at the protein level, where MYCN maintains the phosphorylation of ASCL1 . ASCL and MYCN also share some of the same promoter targets, but direct opposing regulation of these shared targets . In addition to MYCN’s role in regulating phosphorylation of the ASCL1 protein, our data revealed that MYCN overexpression regulates ASCL1 mRNA levels (Fig. 2c). MYCN overexpression increased the level of ASCL1 mRNA, while RA treatment strongly reduced it (Fig. 2c). Combination treatment partially rescued the effect of RA on ASCL1. Therefore, ASCL1 is another gene differentially regulated by RA and MYCN overexpression, which is likely to contribute to MYCN’s ability to block neuronal differentiation.
In order to determine if the results obtained from the cell line were relevant to neuroblastoma tumour biology, we examined the effect of these genes on neuroblastoma patient survival in three large neuroblastoma tumour datasets (Versteeg , SEQC and Kocak , with 88, 498 and 649 tumours, respectively), using the R2: Genomics Analysis and Visualization Platform (http://r2.amc.nl). CYP26A1, LMO4 and ASCL1 mRNA expression levels were each prognostic of patient outcome (Fig. 2d; Additional file 1: Figure S1g), consistent across the three datasets. Furthermore, the elevated expression of ASCL1 and LMO4 seen in the MYCN-overexpressing SY5Y-MYCN cells matched the high expression of these genes in the poor outcome tumours. Conversely, tumours with low ASCL1 and LMO4 expression had better prognosis, matching the cell line results in which these genes were downregulated by RA. The correlation between the RNA-seq and the tumour data was not as straightforward for CYP26A1. Expression of CYP26A1 was induced by RA and augmented further by MYCN induction, but not by MYCN induction alone (Fig. 2c). High levels of CYP26A1 were also indicative of poor outcome. Thus, while not activated by MYCN alone, CYP26A1 expression is induced by RA treatment even more strongly in the presence of elevated MYCN, and subsequently inactivates RA, resulting in retinoid resistance.
To move beyond the single-gene level and identify additional mechanisms through which MYCN overexpression can interfere with RA signalling we performed global pathway and network-based analysis of the RNA-seq data.
We analysed the RNA-seq data using the GO disease and function terms tool of the IPA programme. Using existing knowledge, GO term analysis identifies patterns of gene regulation in the transcriptomic data which match patterns related to biological events such as apoptosis, ribosome biogenesis, proliferation and DNA replication. GO term analysis confirmed the phenotypic observations, showing that RA-activated genes are involved in neuronal differentiation processes and RA-inhibited genes are involved in cell movement (Fig. 3a). Conversely, MYCN overexpression repressed differentiation-associated processes, while combination treatment tended to fall between the two extremes but still with a bias towards the repression of neuronal differentiation (Fig. 3a). Disease and function GO analysis of the top 15 GO terms per condition revealed that RA inhibited proliferation and cancer-associated processes (Additional file 1: Figure S2a).
IPA analysis also showed that these phenotypic changes were achieved by RA differentially regulating the components of a number of signalling pathways associated with neuronal differentiation, including RAR and VDR/RXR, which were in the top 15 signalling pathways altered during differentiation (Fig. 3b). In particular, the expression of components of the RAR pathway itself were regulated by RA at all levels when projected onto a RAR pathway map (Fig. 3c). Aside from known RA-associated pathways, our analysis highlighted that a large array of signalling pathways participate in the differentiation of neurons, including axonal guidance, protein kinase A, eNOS and G-protein coupled receptor signalling (Fig. 3b).
The IPA suite was next used to identify the ITRs of DE genes of each treatment condition. Given the wealth of transcriptomic experiments publically available, a vast database exists regarding how genes are transcriptionally regulated in response to a wide array of regulators (genes, proteins or chemical compounds). ITR analysis harnesses this prior knowledge to identify patterns of transcriptional regulation in our datasets which match the patterns produced by known regulators. This comparison of known patterns versus patterns observed in the data enables the inference of which regulators are likely responsible for the differential gene expression seen in our transcriptomics data. Given this prior knowledge, ITR analysis can not only infer the regulators likely altering transcriptional regulation but also predict their activation status, i.e. whether these regulators were activated or inhibited in the treatment groups compared to the control cells [42, 70]. For more information on the statistical algorithms employed to match the detected changes in gene expression to known gene regulatory modules from the curated IPA knowledge database see Krämer et al. . RA itself was a top ITR in each of the treatment groups (Fig. 4a, b). The analysis correctly and independently predicted it to be activated in both of the conditions in which RA treatment was performed (24-h RA and 24-h RA and 48-h Dox), providing a positive validation of the ITR analysis. As previously shown , RA as an ITR was inhibited by 48-h Dox treatment (Fig. 4a, b), revealing that MYCN DE regulates known RA target genes. Indeed, consistent with MYCN repressing RA’s effects on its target genes, the activation z score of RA for the combination treatment (24-h RA and 48-h Dox) was lower than for the 24-h RA single treatment, despite both conditions receiving the same dose and duration of RA treatment (Fig. 4a, b).
A clear trend emerged from the top ITRs of each condition: RA primarily activated transcriptional regulators (14/15) while MYCN primarily repressed them (12/15) (Fig. 4b). This trend was also clear across the top 100 ITRs (Additional file 1: Figure S3a; Additional file 6: Table S5). In line with this trend and the mutual antagonism of RA and MYCN, the combination treatment showed an almost equal number of ITRs to be activated and repressed, (seven and eight, respectively). The top protein ITRs of RA treatment formed a highly interconnected network, revealing the complexity of the molecular mechanisms involved in RA-mediated neuronal differentiation (Fig. 4c). Interestingly, almost half of the 24-h RA ITRs were chemical compounds, suggesting that additional drugs, if co-administered, may be able to improve the differentiation efficiency of clinical RA treatments.
To identify the transcriptional regulators through which MYCN exerts its inhibition of RA treatment, we next examined transcriptional regulators which were differentially activated between the treatment groups. A number of the top 15 ITRs were differentially regulated between the RA and MYCN overexpressing conditions, such as TGFB1, HIF1A, APP and FGF2 (Fig. 4b). To identify all ITRs which were differentially activated between RA and Dox treatments we overlapped the ITRs and their activation/inhibition status (Additional file 1: Figure S4a). Then, we generated protein interaction maps to reveal the transcriptional regulator networks which are likely to mediate MYCN inhibition of neuronal differentiation (Additional file 1: Figure S4a). The RA-inhibited and MYCN-activated protein ITRs were enriched for β-catenin binding genes (molecular function GO analysis, p = 8.52E-07) and Wnt signalling-related genes (KEGG pathway enrichment analysis, p = 4.84E-02), with all of the Wnt-related proteins present being antagonists of the pathway. Conversely, the protein–protein interaction network for the ITRs activated by RA and inhibited by MYCN overexpression were enriched for MAPK pathway-related proteins (KEGG pathway enrichment analysis, p = 6.829E-17). This network also included the WNT1 ITR, which combined with the results from the first network suggests that RA activates WNT1 signalling and represses Wnt antagonists. MYCN has the inverse effect, inhibiting WNT1 and activating Wnt antagonists. We have recently independently shown that Wnt and MAPK signalling are involved in regulating differentiation in MYCN-amplified neuroblastoma cells [42, 71]. In SY5Y cells, which are MYCN single-copy, the Wnt-RA cross-talk has been shown to be mediated by PSEN1 (Presenilin 1) . We previously discovered novel cross-talk between the MYCN oncogene and GSK3 (one of the Wnt-related ITRs) , β-catenin and MAPK . Therefore, the protein–protein interaction network of regulators differentially activated by RA and MYCN overexpression identified here confirm our previous findings, support the validity of the current analysis and reveal that MYCN’s ability to inhibit RA-mediated differentiation involves the regulation of Wnt and MAPK signalling components.
To identify novel ITRs which may enhance the clinical response to RA when given as combination therapies, we next collated ITRs which were strongly differentially regulated between the three conditions (Fig. 4d). One of these regulators was MYCN itself. The effects of MYCN overexpression on known MYCN target genes predominated over RA effects, with MYCN overexpression strongly activating MYCN target gene expression, an effect which was only mildly attenuated by RA co-treatment (Fig. 4d). It should be noted, however, that this was in a MYCN-inducible system where MYCN expression was not under the control of its endogenous promoter and enhancers. Although artificial, this scenario mirrors highly amplified MYCN neuroblastoma where over 70 additional copies of the MYCN gene can be inserted in the tumour’s genome, often losing their endogenous promoters and enhancers. Interestingly, the strongly differentially regulated ITRs were significantly enriched for the Neurotrophin signalling pathway (BDNF, NGF and Trk receptors etc., see 'MYCN overexpression antagonises the normal transcriptional response to RA treatment' section above; KEGG p = 5.739E-10; Additional file 1: Figure S4b), which is strongly associated with neuronal differentiation and neuroblastoma outcome. These data suggest a convergence of the molecular mode of action of RA and neurotrophin (NGF/BDNF) mediated differentiation. The most highly connected nodes in the network included histone deacetylases (HDACs), which have recently been shown to synergise with RA treatment [8, 73–75], and TGFB1. TGFB1 is a ligand of the transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) signalling pathway, with known roles in modulating differentiation [76–79]. The TGFB1 ITR was strongly differentially activated between RA and MYN overexpression conditions; RA activated TGFB1 while MYCN overexpression strongly inhibited it (Fig. 4d). The effect of MYCN was more dominant and TGFB1 activity was also inhibited in the co-treatment (Fig. 4d). We therefore further assessed the possibilities for TGFB1-informed therapy to enhance the response of MYCN-amplified cells to retinoid therapy.
To compare the effect of MYCN overexpression and RA on TGFB1 with the effects of amplified MYCN, we next examined sequencing datasets (RNA-seq and MYCN ChIP-seq) which we had previously generated (ArrayExpress (http://www.ebi.ac.uk/arrayexpress/) accession numbers E-MTAB-2690, E-MTAB-2691, E-MTAB-1684, E-MTAB-4100 and E-MTAB-2689) [42, 45, 71, 80]). These datasets revealed that TGFB1 was also a top regulator of the differences in the MYCN regulator and effector networks between single copy MYCN and MYCN-amplified neuroblastoma cell lines (Fig. 5a). Mirroring the effect of MYCN overexpression in SY5Y-MYCN cells, the TGFB1 ITR was strongly inhibited in all MYCN-amplified cell lines compared with MYCN single copy cells. Our publicly available datasets also revealed that, similar to RA, induction of apoptosis by LiCl treatment (GSK3 inhibition) activated the TGFB1 ITR (Fig. 5a). Therefore, both cellular phenotypes associated with good outcome, i.e. differentiation and apoptosis, activated TGFB1 signalling.
We next examined MYCN ChIP-seq data to determine if the inhibitory effect of MYCN on TGFB1 functioning (IPA ITR analysis) was achieved by MYCN binding to TGFB1 targets or binding to components of the TGF-β signalling pathway. Both overexpressed and amplified MYCN bound to the genes of a large number of TGFB1 targets (IPA ITR analysis), with the number of genes bound increasing with higher MYCN expression levels (Additional file 1: Figure S5a). Similarly, a proportion of the genes bound by MYCN have known SMAD regulatory elements (Additional file 1: Figure S5b), as revealed by DiRE analysis . SMADs are the direct and prime transcriptional effectors of TGF-β signalling [82, 83]. In addition, genes bound by MYCN in KCNR cells were enriched for the TGF-β signalling pathway, as revealed by IPA (pathway analysis, p-value of overlap = 1.56E-02, ratio of overlap = 0.218), with 19 genes that encode components of the pathway being genomically bound by MYCN (Additional file 1: Figure S5c). TGF-β signalling pathway components were also bound by MYCN in KCN (17 genes) and 48-h Dox-induced SY5Y-MYCN (15 genes).
These results identified TGFB1 as a key regulator of RA-mediated differentiation, which is differentially activated in a MYCN context-dependent manner, being suppressed in MYCN-overexpressing and amplified cell lines. Therefore, we next examined if RA treatment and MYCN overexpression could modulate TGFB1 gene expression. MYCN overexpression modestly but significantly reduced TGFB1 mRNA levels compared to RA-only treated cells (t-tests, MYCN versus RA p value = 0.0076, RA versus co-treatment [MYCN and RA] p value = 0.0010; Fig. 5b). In line with the MYCN overexpression results, three of the four MYCN-amplified cell lines had lower TGFB1 mRNA expression than SY5Y cells which are MYCN single-copy, with expression of TGFB1 in KCNR cells being almost absent (Fig. 5c). The inhibitory effect of MYCN upon TGFB1 mRNA expression was not rescued by RA treatment (Fig. 5b), suggesting a novel mechanism through which MYCN can inhibit RA-mediated neuronal differentiation.
While RA did not rescue the effect of MYCN overexpression on TGFB1 mRNA levels, it partially rescued TGFB1 signalling, as revealed by the ITR analysis (Fig. 5a). Additionally, the inhibitory effects of MYCN on TGFB1 functioning in the other cell lines (Fig. 5a) did not always correlate directly to TGFB1 mRNA expression levels (Fig. 5c), suggesting further levels of cross-talk. Therefore, to further probe the functional relationship between TFGB1 and MYCN we next examined MYCN’s protein–protein interactions.
While RA slightly increased TGFB1 mRNA levels and MYCN overexpression reduced them, these changes do not fully account for the differences in TGFB1 activation revealed by the ITR analysis. Therefore, to investigate additional potential cross-talk between MYCN and TGF-β signalling we performed MYCN interaction proteomics using the same experimental conditions as for the RNA-seq experiments: (i) 24-h DMSO (control); (ii) 24-h RA; (iii) 24-h RA and 48-h Dox; and (iv) 48-h Dox. We performed IPA ITR analysis on the proteins bound by MYCN in all conditions, which revealed that 32 TGFB1-regulated proteins had protein–protein interactions with MYCN (Fig. 5d). Of these, only MYCN’s interaction with HDAC2 was previously known (present in the String database). Fourteen of the 32 proteins were differentially bound to MYCN when RA-only treatment was compared with the RA and Dox co-treatment, with the majority of them binding less strongly to MYCN in the MYCN overexpressing sample (Fig. 5e). For 13 of the 14 differentially bound proteins, the change in MYCN binding was not as a result of altered transcriptional regulation (Additional file 1: Figure S5d); rather, altered binding was likely mediated by post-translational events. Interestingly, the one protein in which altered transcriptional regulation may have contributed to its differential binding to MYCN protein, at least partially, was the neuroblast differentiation-associated protein AHNAK. AHNAK was differentially expressed at the mRNA level, with opposing regulation by MYCN overexpression and RA treatment (Fig. 2a; Additional file 1: Figure S5d). AHNAK was bound to MYCN in all conditions, and has been described as a tumour suppressor that can stimulate the growth suppressing functions of the TGF-β pathway .
Taken together, our findings reveal cross-talk between MYCN and the TGF-β pathway at several levels, including the regulation of TGFB1 mRNA expression, the regulation of TGFB1 target genes and pathway components, and protein–protein interactions between MYCN- and TGFB1-regulated gene products. They also show that MYCN and RA drive opposing functional regulation of TGFB1.
The ability of MYCN overexpression to inhibit the normal RA-mediated activation of TGFB1 signalling, revealed here, further underscores the importance of TGF-β suppression in contributing to MYCN’s oncogenic potential. We therefore further investigated associations of TGF-β signalling genes and outcome in neuroblastoma tumour data and whether pharmaceutical modulation of the TGF-β pathway can enhance the effectiveness of RA treatment in MYCN-amplified cell lines.
Having identified a role for TGF-β signalling in MYCN’s blocking of RA-mediated neuronal differentiation, we next assessed whether this shared node of MYCN and RA signalling was amenable to therapeutic intervention. Kartogenin (KGN) is a recently developed small molecule which enhances the activation of TGF-β signalling through indirectly regulating the activity of the SMAD transcriptional effectors [85, 86]. KGN has been shown to promote chondrocyte differentiation in vitro and in vivo [85–87]. KGN also strongly upregulates the expression of TGFB1 itself . KGN competitively binds filamin A (FLNA), thus inhibiting it from interacting with core-binding factor β subunit (CBFB) . CBFB that is not bound by FLNA is then free to translocate from the cytoplasm to the nucleus, where it complexes with the RUNX-SMAD transcriptional machinery and regulates target gene expression (Fig. 6a). Interestingly, we showed that SMADs 1, 2 and 6 and RUNX2 were genomically bound by amplified MYCN (Additional file 1: Figure S5c) and there was a protein–protein interaction between MYCN and FLNA (Fig. 5d, e), revealing further levels of cross-talk between TGF-β signalling, KGN’s mode of action and oncogenic MYCN. The RUNX developmental regulators have previously been implicated in a variety of cancers . Therefore, to examine whether the FLNA-CBFB-RUNX2-SMADs module is associated with neuroblastoma tumour biology and patient outcome, we examined the R2 neuroblastoma datasets (used above; http://r2.amc.nl) for these genes. Low CBFB and high FLNA (inhibitor of CBFB) mRNA expression was associated with poor patient outcomes (Fig. 6b; Additional file 1: Figure S6a, b). In line with the differential activation of the TGFB1 ITR by RA and MYCN, the SMAD transcriptional effectors of the pathway were also largely differentially activated between the two conditions, with the canonical SMADs being inhibited by MYCN overexpression (Fig. 6c). Interestingly, SMAD7, an antagonist of TGF-β signalling, was activated by MYCN and inhibited by RA, potentially revealing another mechanism through which MYCN inhibits RA-mediated activation of TGFB signalling. Accordingly, high SMAD7 mRNA expression was predictive of poor patient outcomes (Fig. 6d). Additionally, a number of the other SMAD genes were predictive of patient outcome, with high SMAD1 and SMAD2 expression associated with good outcomes (Additional file 1: Figure S6c), while RUNX3 showed a better survival prediction than RUNX2 (Fig. 6b; Additional file 1: Figure S6a–c).
Having demonstrated cross-talk between MYCN and the TGF-β signalling pathway, and having shown that pathway components targeted by KGN are associated with neuroblastoma patient outcome, we next treated MYCN-amplified IMR32 cells to determine their response to KGN individually and in combination with RA. IMR32 cells are less responsive to RA-mediated differentiation than MYCN single-copy cells. Low dose KGN (0.1–5 μM) was almost as effective at differentiating IMR32 cells as RA (Fig. 7a, b), with all treatment groups being significantly different to untreated controls (p < 0.0001 for all groups versus controls). It should be noted that MYCN-amplified IMR32 cells are far more resistant to differentiation than MYCN single-copy neuroblastoma cells (see Fig. 1a for comparison). Interestingly, when given in combination with RA, none of the low dose KGN (0.1–5 μM) treatments enhanced the differentiating potential over that seen in RA-only treatments (t-test, p = 0.226–0.982). High dose KGN (10 μM) had a significantly different differentiation ratio to untreated cells (t-test, p < 0.0001), but the extent of differentiation was less than that seen in lower dose KGN treatments (0.1–5 μM KGN). It was also able to partially inhibit the differentiating effects of RA in the combination treatment compared with RA-only treatment (t-test, p < 0.0001).
While both RA and KGN increased the differentiation ratio of IMR32 cells, the combination of these compounds did not act synergistically to overcome the differentiation block imposed by amplified MYCN (Fig. 7a, b). However, combination treatment of RA with a high dose of KGN (10 μM) resulted in a large proportion of cells with an apoptotic-like rounded appearance (Fig. 7a; Additional file 1: Figure S7a). These apoptotic-like cells were not included in the calculation of the differentiation ratios due to their complete lack of axons; only surviving cells were measured. In order to further assess the effect of KGN on neuroblastoma cells, we next assessed cell viability.
The viability of IMR32 cells was reduced in a dose-dependent manner by KGN (Fig. 7c), though the effect was relatively mild. Our analysis suggested that combination treatment with these two compounds should provide an additive or synergistic effect. Despite RA having no effect on cell viability, RA treatment sensitised IMR32 cells to KGN, with co-treated cells responding more strongly than to each compound individually (Fig. 7a, c). Combination treatment of 20 μM KGN and 1 μM RA strongly reduced cell viability (t-test, p = 1.0E-04; Fig. 7c). Combination treatment significantly reduced cell viability compared with 20 μM KGN-only treatment (t-test, p = 8.4E-03). MYCN-amplified KCNR cells also showed a strong reduction in cell viability upon combination treatment (Additional file 1: Figure S7b; t-test, p = 4.0E-03). Importantly, in line with the omics analysis, KGN-RA combination treatments only reduced the viability of MYCN-amplified cells, without significant effects on the viability of the MYCN single-copy cell line SY5Y (untreated versus 20 μM KGN and 1 μM RA; t-test, p = 0.4715; Fig. 7d). Combination treatment also significantly reduced the cell viability of NBL-S cells (Additional file 1: Figure S7c; untreated versus 20 μM KGN and 1 μM RA; t-test, p = 1.0E-04), which although being MYCN single copy have elevated levels of MYCN protein due to an increased MYCN protein half-life .
While KGN and RA did not cooperate to further differentiate IMR32 cells, they did cooperate to enhance the apoptotic response to treatment. As part of the RA neuronal differentiation programme, RA is known to block proliferation and promote apoptosis of normal neuronal precursors and low-risk neuroblastoma cells, in addition to inducing the differentiating of surviving cells [90–94]. Similarly, ITR analysis revealed that TGFB1 was strongly activated when IMR32 cells were induced to undergo apoptosis by LiCl treatment (Fig. 5a). To further functionally confirm that TGFB1 is involved in directing neuroblastoma cell fate in a MYCN-dependant manner, we mined an RNAi knockdown screen targeting the druggable genome in SY5Y-MYCN cells . TGFB1 was a top ITR (ranked third) of the 674 genes that strongly reduced SY5Y-MYCN cell viability when knocked down (Additional file 1: Figure S7d), confirming the functional role of TGFB1 in neuroblastoma cell fate and supporting its likely therapeutic potential. RA was also a high ranking (12th) ITR of these viability-reducing genes (Additional file 1: Figure S7d).
While elevated MYCN levels can block the pro-apoptotic effects of RA (Additional file 1: Figure S7e), our results reveal that KGN can be used as a combination therapy to promote MYCN-amplified neuroblastoma cell death. Thus, RA and KGN combination treatments represent a novel therapeutic option with potential for targeting high-risk MYCN-amplified tumours.
To confirm the functional role of the MYCN-induced inhibition of TGF-β signalling in promoting retinoid resistance we next investigated whether pharmacological inhibition of TGF-β signalling could attenuate RA-mediated differentiation in the absence of MYCN overexpression. We treated SY5Y-MYCN cells with RepSox, a potent and selective inhibitor of TGF-β receptor 1 (TGFBR1) . RepSox can successfully replace Sox2 in reprogramming cells and its use alongside other reprogramming factors is efficient at generating induced pluripotent stem cells . RepSox did not reduce the viability of SY5Y-MYCN cells (Fig. 7e; DMSO-control versus 100 nM RepSox; t-test, p value = 0.2244). When un-induced SY5Y-MYCN cells were treated with RA and RepSox, RepSox blocked the differentiating effect of RA so strongly (1 μM RA-only versus 25 nM RepSox and 1 μM RA; t-test, p value <0.0001.0E-04) as to maintain the differentiation ratio near the same level as that seen in control cells (Fig. 7f). Taken together, our results reveal that TGF-β signalling inhibition, whether achieved by MYCN overexpression or pharmacological treatment, strongly contributes to resistance to retinoid-mediated differentiation in neuroblastoma cells and that pharmacological activation of TGF-β signalling represents a promising strategy to sensitising MYCN-amplified cells to retinoid-mediated apoptosis.
Retinoids are an important component of advanced neuroblastoma therapy, yet half of all patients treated with isotretinoin (13-cis retinoic acid) still relapse and die . Therefore, more effective combination therapies, with a lower side effect profile, are required to improve outcomes . Our omic data enhance our understanding of RA and MYCN’s antagonistic relationship, revealing the molecular mechanisms through which MYCN inhibits normal RA-mediated neuronal differentiation and suggesting novel combination therapies. The gene-level analysis successfully identified targets known to be involved in retinoid-induced neuroblastoma differentiation, which bolsters confidence in the novel genes identified. Known genes identified include ASCL1, RET, LMO4, CYP26A1, DKK2 and ODC1 [8, 9, 63, 98–103], many of which have also previously been identified as MYCN target genes whose expression levels are correlated to patient survival outcome. Here we show that these genes are differentially regulated by RA and MYCN, with MYCN overexpression preventing their normal transcriptional response to RA in the co-treatment condition.
The global analysis revealed that many transcriptional regulators had differential activity (activation/inhibition) induced by RA and MYCN overexpression. These regulators included expected differentiation-associated ligands and receptors such as NGF, BDNF, PDGF, RET [52, 104–106] and RA itself, which provides further confirmation of our analysis approach. Additionally, three regulators, Wnt, β-estradiol and MAPK, which we recently independently identified as being key components of the amplified-MYCN signalling network [42, 71] with a role in neuroblastoma differentiation, were shown here to be differentially activated by RA and MYCN overexpression. We recently demonstrated that targeting each of these pathways altered MYCN-amplified neuroblastoma viability and differentiation and that co-treatment with RA had additive or synergistic effects [42, 71], suggesting that such combination therapies could be useful to treat MYCN-amplified neuroblastoma. MAPK (MEK) has also previously been linked to MYCN-independent NF1-mediated RA resistance, and MEK inhibition combined with RA treatment was proposed as a potential strategy to treat NF1-deficient neuroblastomas . MAPK inhibition and RA co-treatment has recently been confirmed to synergistically reduce neuroblastoma tumour growth in vivo using zebrafish models . Similar to other genes identified in our analysis, the neurotrophin receptor TrkB (NTRK2) and the Wnt, β-estradiol and MAPK signalling pathways have all been shown to have a strong correlation with poor prognosis in neuroblastoma [42, 71, 108, 109]. Furthermore, MAPK and Wnt-associated genes (including LEF1) have been shown to be recurrently mutated in relapsed neuroblastoma [108, 110]. The emergence of the above molecules and pathways in the present RA-mediated neuroblastoma differentiation study further confirms their therapeutic potential.
By studying downstream signalling through the combination of transcriptomics and computational-inference of driving regulators, rather than genetic triggers (such as mutations and epigenetic modifications), our approach can identify a large range of relevant transcriptional regulators, including epigenetic ones. Our approach provides a powerful tool for precision oncology by identifying functional changes in signalling networks that drive malignancies but may be the result of different or combinatorial (epi)genetic events that are often difficult to interpret in their own right not primarily driven by somatic mutations, such as . Given the paucity of somatic mutations in paediatric cancers, including neuroblastoma [3, 38], it is likely that altered epigenetic regulation can contribute to the widespread resistance to retinoid therapy. For instance, it has been shown that epigenetic regulation of the RARA gene (promoter methylation) can block the subsequent differentiation of neuronal precursor cells . Indeed, MYCN is known to interact with the epigenetic machinery [111, 112]. Our results revealed differentially activated epigenetic regulators, including HDACs and BRD4, thus confirming the recently identified role for HDACs [8, 73–75] in neuroblastoma responsiveness to RA. Retinoids were also the top hits in a small molecule library screen for compounds which enhanced HDAC inhibitor-mediated neuroblastoma differentiation in vitro and xenograft regression in vivo . Consistent with these results, our data reveal that RA inhibits HDAC functioning while MYCN overexpression activates it.
It is interesting to note that RA itself was a top ITR of the MYCN interaction partners in all three conditions (RA only, Dox only, and RA and Dox). RA was a top ITR when all of the MYCN-bound proteins were considered (p value of overlap range 1.23E-16 to 1.81E-16), but also when only those proteins were considered which were differentially bound between conditions (p value of overlap range 4.28E-11 to 3.86E-12). These results suggest that in addition to altering transcription of MYCN, RA transcriptionally regulates a large number of MYCN’s interacting proteins, potentially re-wiring MYCN’s interaction network.
A key differentially activated regulator was TGFB1, a ligand of the TGF-β signalling pathway. We identified MYCN-RA-TGF-β cross-talk at several molecular levels, including MYCN’s genomic binding, transcriptional activities and protein–protein interactome. TGFB1 was previously shown to be induced by RA in RA-responsive neuroblastoma cell lines . Our data show that TGFB1’s effect as a transcriptional regulator was strongly inhibited by MYCN overexpression or amplification and strongly activated by RA. Interestingly, MYCN’s effect on TGFB1 activity was dominant, with TGFB1 being repressed in RA treated cells with MYCN overexpression. We found that MYCN overexpression alters TGFB1 functioning, not just by transcriptionally regulating TGFB1 mRNA but also through protein–protein interactions with a number of TGF-β signalling-associated proteins.
TGF-β signalling has previously been linked to adult neurogenesis [114, 115], FGF2-mediated neuroblastoma differentiation , and neuroblastoma cell invasiveness . While TGF-β can promote tumour progression in a number of adult cancers [118, 119], we show that in neuroblastoma TGF-β is inhibited by MYCN overexpression and MYCN amplification. We also show that TGF-β inhibition, whether achieved through elevated MYCN levels or pharmacological means, strongly contributes to retinoid resistance. Additionally, the miR-17-92 microRNA cluster has been shown to downregulate TGF-β signalling in neuroblastoma and is a marker for poor survival . Similarly, TGF-β receptor (type III) is reduced in high-stage neuroblastoma, while increased TGF-β receptor (type II) expression suppresses malignant neuroblastoma phenotypes and induces differentiation [121, 122]. Our findings combined with the known associations between TGF-β signalling and neuronal differentiation prompted us to investigate the therapeutic potential of pharmaceutically activating TGF-β signalling in neuroblastoma using KGN. As neuroblastoma cells can be induced to differentiate even in the presence of a certain level of MYCN overexpression , we investigated KGN-RA combination treatments in the MYCN-amplified and RA-resistant IMR32 cell line. While both compounds produced a modest increase in the differentiation ratio of IMR32 cells, the combination treatment primarily reduced the viability of MYCN-amplified cells (IMR32 and KCNR cell lines). This therapeutic combination therefore demonstrates potential for the treatment of high-risk MYCN-amplified patients. We also show that KGN has differentiating potential in a neuronal lineage. Our results suggest that KGN’s effectiveness in promoting neuronal stem cells to differentiate should be investigated further, particularly its effects in normal non-oncogenic MYCN single-copy neuroblast cells. KGN may have potential for neuronal regenerative medicine, similar to its proposed uses for manipulating bone marrow stromal cells, mesenchymal stem cells and patellar tendon stem cells for tissue repair and regeneration [85, 86]. However, unlike in bone marrow stromal cells and patellar tendon stem cells where KGN also increases proliferation, KGN induced a loss of viability in MYCN-amplified neuroblastoma cells, showing therapeutic potential, an effect which was further enhanced by co-treatment with RA. KGN is a first-generation TGF-β signalling activator, with its ability to promote mesenchymal stem cells into chondrocytes being identified through an image-based high-throughput screen . Therefore, in addition to further pre-clinical studies of RA-KGN combinations, it will be important to evaluate the effectiveness of future iterations of small molecule TGF-β signalling activators as potential neuroblastoma therapeutics and enhancers of neuronal differentiation.
By applying genomic-level omics approaches to the signalling networks regulating neuroblastoma differentiation and stemness, we have determined the regulators involved in the MYCN-mediated inhibition of neuroblastoma cell differentiation. We have revealed a large network of interconnected regulators governing neuronal differentiation, which are differentially regulated by the pro-differentiation compound RA and by differentiation inhibiting MYCN overexpression. A key differentially regulated pathway was TGF-β signalling. TGF-β inhibition (RepSox) was sufficient to strongly attenuate RA-mediated differentiation even in the absence of MYCN overexpression. We have shown that co-targeting of the retinoic acid and TGF-β pathways, through RA and KGN (a small molecule TGF-β activator) combination treatment, strongly reduces MYCN-amplified RA-resistant neuroblastoma cell viability.
Warmest thanks to Jenny Whilde, to the Conway Core Facilities staff (Alison Murphy, Karolina Jankowska, Catherine Moss) for next-generation sequencing, qPCR and proteomics, and all the SBI support staff (Amaya Garcia Munoz and Ruth Pilkington). Warm thanks are also due to Frank Westermann, Johannes Schulte, Sven Lidner and Andrea Odersky for the generous gifting of cell lines.
The research leading to these results received funding from the European Union Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007- 2013) ASSET project under grant agreement number FP7-HEALTH-2010-259348-2 and Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) grant number 06/CE/B1129.
The data generated or analysed during this study are included in this published article, or are available in the ArrayExpress repository (http://www.ebi.ac.uk/arrayexpress) under accession number E-MTAB-2689. Additionally, where previously published patient data and omics data were used, citations to those data have been provided.
DJD and WK designed and supervised the project; DJD, AKr, MH, AKo and KI generated the data; DJD, TS, AKr, MH and KI performed data and bioinformatics analysis; DJD, AKr, DGH and WK wrote the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
He S, et al. MYCN and the epigenome. Front Oncol. 2013;3:1-9. doi:10.3389/fonc.2013.00001. | 2019-04-22T23:54:45Z | https://0-genomemedicine-biomedcentral-com.brum.beds.ac.uk/articles/10.1186/s13073-017-0407-3 |
This is an in-progress, straw man proposal for a set of overarching principles for user interface design.
Effective UI needs to be developed for situations with different combinations of mobility, touch-ability, capabilities, and form factors.
It is easy to fall into the trap of conflating these four qualities. It is also helpful to not segregate UI into camps of desktop versus mobile, since there is considerable variety even within such camps and many devices that break the mold. For example, a tablet device can be a mobile device with mobile network connectivity but is not a small form factor device like a smart phone. Similarly, a tablet device may not support mobile network connectivity. Some desktop and notebook computers have touch displays and support a touch interface. Different devices have different levels of capability. Many devices may have front-facing cameras, audio input and output. Only some devices have GPS, compass, accelerometer, and other such capabilities. In the future, speech control as an input mode will be added to the list of factors to consider when designing UI.
Because of this variety of different combinations of different qualities, UI guidelines are drafted separately to address mobility, touch-ability, device capabilities, and different form factors.
The user interface for all of the company's product offerings must be kept consistent over time.
The user interface should achieve a consistent high quality user experience across all products and should strengthen the brand aesthetic of the company.
The most fundamental way to ensure consistency of user interface across diverse product offerings, implemented using diverse technologies, and developed by diverse groups, is to develop a UI style guide that can guide UI design decisions in every project.
The UI style guide would provide the necessary dictates for the development of UI, such that if those dictates were adhered to, the resulting UI would be consistent across all product offerings and technologies.
UI consistency can be achieved as an artifact of code reuse by developing and offering standard libraries of UI widgets for different technologies as part of a UI platform to be used in developing various products for those different technologies.
In order to encourage developers to use the standard libraries, a good inducement is if using the standard libraries both meets their criteria and makes development easier upfront while also making maintenance easier over the long term. If developers shy away from using standard libraries, then it indicates a failure in the design of the standard libraries.
One can support consistency by defining standard UI elements upfront.
Definitions should be formalized for all UI elements likely to be needed at some point, including buttons, checkboxes, headings, panels, radio buttons, text inputs, drop lists, tabs, etc. In the absence of detailed definitions for all these elements that cover the different situations in which they will arise, developers will apply their own creativity to get the job done. With enough "creativity" being applied on a case-by-case basis, one will end up with a mishmash of different stylistic treatments.
A perfect example of creativity being applied is when it comes to buttons. How many different stylistic treatments of buttons does one need? How many different sizes can buttons have? How many different states can a button have? How many different colors can a button be? In the case of buttons, try to limit the set of variations and know why they need to exist and have a rules for deciding which of the standard treatments should be used in different situations.
Every app on every device should allocate space in a prominent location for placement of the company's logo, so that it is persistently visible.
It is reasonable to locate the logo towards the top of the UI - left or center. A possibly exception to this rule might be company branded hardware, where the logo is on the physical device. One could still argue, however, that in such hardware devices the logo on the physical case of the device is so peripheral that it is easily filtered out by the user. If the logo is visible within the interactive portion of the device (i.e. its UI / display), the brand promotion effect should be stronger. Also, if the same software runs in company branded and non-branded hardware, then conditionally displaying the logo in the UI might present problems of what to use the allocated screen real estate for when the logo is not present. Essentially, it's simpler, more consistent, and more beneficial to the company to simply always have the logo appear in the UI.
The UI should use language in a consistent way.
The UI should be consistent with its use of active style (e.g. "Change Settings") vs passive style (e.g. "Settings").
For example, if buttons are to use a "call to action" / verb / action phrase style of language, then this style should be used consistently. There shouldn't be some buttons with labels like "Set Call Forwarding Rules" and other buttons with labels like "Music on Hold". The same principle applies to section headings. Passive language is recommended for section headings, while active language is recommended for buttons and links that perform actions when invoked. To use an example, a section that addresses call forwarding rules can be labeled "Call Forwarding Rules", while a button that may bring up UI for changing the rules can be labeled "Edit Call Forwarding Rules", "Change Call Forwarding Rules", "Set Call Forwarding Rules", etc.
Terms introduced to the user should be used consistently to reinforce their learned understanding of those terms.
For example, if a section is titled "Music On Hold", a button in that section should not be labeled "Set On Hold Music" or "Change Music While Holding". A user should not have to wonder whether "music on hold" means the same as "on hold music" means the same as "audio on hold" means the same as "music while waiting". The user is already overwhelmed enough as it is by terms they may not deal with on a daily basis, so to remove doubts from their minds about what instructions in the UI may be referring to, be religious about using exactly the same term everywhere to refer to the same thing.
Just as it is useful to use terms consistently, it is also useful to established standardized words or phrases with which the user can become familiar.
One should consistently use the same word / phrase for substantially equivalent actions across all products and all parts of products. So, for example, if one is going to have a bunch of different dialogs in the app for modifying different types of settings, settle on a word like "save" for the save button. Don't use "save" in some places and "done" or "submit" or "finished" or "apply" or "set" in other places. In a link alongside settings that might bring up a dialog for editing the settings, don't use "edit" in one place and "modify" or "change" in other places. In places with links for showing more information, don't use "more..." in one place and then "more info..." or "further details..." in other places - settle on a standard phrase for such links. The same applies to "delete" vs "remove".
In general, establish a lexicon of standard phrases, just in the same way one would establish a set of standard visual designs for common controls.
Establish a tone for the organization that can be applied consistently throughout the UI.
There should be an understanding of what the intended tone, such as playful, casual, matter of fact, professional / businesslike, etc. Without formal guidance, the tone of language will be inconsistent across different products. It's possible that a single tone may not be viable if the products or audiences are too diverse, but any variance in tone should be deliberate / by design rather than as an accidental consequence of the changing mix of personalities of different product managers, visual designers, engineers, etc. involved in different products at different times.
The rules of language use in applications should be governed by a formalized language style guide.
Following the language style guide will help to achieve a consistent voice throughout the different applications and different parts of the applications. The language style guide can provide grammatical guidelines, a lexicon of standardized words and phrases, guidelines on tone, etc.
The cost associated with building UI for features of an application should be deferred until those features are invoked by the user.
As it applies to compiled applications, the loading of the code and resources is hard to defer as these are typically compiled into the app and the cost of fetching those resources across the network as needed can hurt the user experience.
For both native applications as well as apps built using Web technologies, UI should only be constructed for features as those features are invoked.
So, for instance, for UI that might be presented in a tabbed style of interface, UI within tabs or sections that are not yet revealed should not be built until revealed and needed. Therefore, there should not be a reliance upon connection between views - if two or more views reflect information derived from a common source / data model, it should be possible to safely change the information without having all the views already created. Views should be able to latch onto the underlying data at any time and synchronize to reflect the correct state. Once created, however, the app should reuse UI, even if the data source is changed.
UI widgets, once they have been loaded, should be reused across different data.
For example, a user configuration widget once loaded for a particular user should be reused when switching to configure a different user. This can be accomplished by view synchronization when switching between different instances of the data model. Furthermore, widgets that have been loaded and then idled in the background, when no longer in view, should be re-synchronized when revived so that changes that may have occurred in the data model while they were idle are reflected correctly.
Don't date the UI that should be consistently adopted by all products of the company by designing it according to the latest fashion trend within the design community.
At one point, rounded corners were the in thing and pill buttons were everywhere. Reflections were the rage at one point. The glassy look for buttons was popular. Drop shadows and text shadows were cool, along with gradients. Three-dimensional pop out ribbons / banners were fashionable for a while. Flat became fashionable again. Given the refresh cycle for various products, it can take years to cycle out an established UI. In order to avoid the look of one's UI being dead on arrival, one should avoid following the flavor of the day in design trends.
The best way to keep the UI feeling relevant is to design the UI to be as functional as possible, while still feeling sufficiently polished / professional. Highly functional will always be appreciated over a highly fashionable yet dated look. While emphasizing function over form, the UI should at least feel finished rather than having an unfinished look. It can be clean / minimal while still feeling slick and polished.
All UI should be designed to be touch-friendly.
With the proliferation of devices supporting a touch interface, it makes sense for UI to be designed generally with touch in mind. This is particularly important for UI developed for Web apps, where such apps might be brought up in touch and non-touch devices alike. While designing for a touch interface imposes some constraints on how much information can be presented in the available screen real estate, the added usability that comes from the discipline of keeping things clean and simple for touch interfaces can make up for the slight loss of usability for information display. Settling on constraining all UI to support touch-friendliness will eliminate the cost of designing layouts for touch and non-touch and will also reinforce consistency across the various product offerings.
The UI should be touch friendly, so that the Service Site can be used effectively on tablet and other large format touch devices, including notebook and desktop computers with touch displays.
Every interactive element should be large enough to accommodate a fingertip, and ideally large enough so that some part of the element remains visible outside the fingertip to reinforce the user's belief that they are touching on the element (i.e. their fingertip is within the boundaries of the element).
Every interactive element that is only large enough to accommodate a fingertip and that doesn't have additional "breathing room" should have sufficient clearance around it to eliminate the possibility of accidentally touching adjacent interactive elements.
If the element is oversized in any axis, then clearance around the element is less critical in that axis. For example, column headers in a table may have sufficient width for comfortable, unambiguous touch, but may need clearance above and below then if they are not tall enough. Buttons that appear inside rows of a data table should be given sufficient clearance if they are sized smaller than is ideal for touch in order to allow the table to show more data.
In order to provide assurance to the user, the touched state for UI components such as buttons should be visually highlighted.
On touch interfaces, the touched state can be highlighted using the same treatment as the mouse down state for non-touch interfaces. Because of the inherent imprecision of touch interfaces, users need as much feedback as possible to indicate exactly what UI action they are about to initiate by releasing their finger from the interface surface. This becomes especially valuable in cases where the UI becomes busier and there is more chance of accidentally activating adjacent / nearby controls.
The interactive elements of the UI should be designed with the mind to the fact that users on touch devices will not have the benefit of mouseover tooltips.
Therefore, interactive elements should be self explanatory. Ideally, all buttons that show icons should also show labels below or alongside the icons, so that their action is clear.
all interactive elements of the surrounding UI should be big enough for touching and have sufficient clearance to avoid accidentally touching elements that have an irreversible effect. Even if the action is undoable by the user, creating a finger trap that will often trip up the user will hurt the user experience.
For UI that is designed for small form factor mobile devices, additional layout considerations apply.
More and more, users are accessing services through mobile devices with a small form factor, relative to screen sizes of desktop and notebook computers. At the same time, users are migrating to mobile devices with larger and larger displays, with smart phones sporting screens above 5", and all the way up to the arguably phablet size of 6". With handheld touch screen devices of that size, UI elements located at the top left and top right of the screen become practically unreachable for the thumb.
To address this trend, it is recommended that frequently accessed UI elements be clustered towards the bottom of an app's UI.
There is simply no reason to force users to endure the constant annoyance of fumbling to reach awkwardly located UI that risks them dropping their device in the process. And the fact that UI has historically been designed with menu controls at the top of an app is not a good enough reason to impose that layout paradigm to newer mobile devices. Users will quickly get used to using controls that are convenient for them to access, even if it appears unusual at first glance. They will appreciate the choice of location over the lifetime use of the application.
With the trend towards increased mobility in computing, users are accessing apps on mobile devices in a wide variety of different ambient light conditions.
Until displays become truly passive with technology like digital ink / e-ink that supports fast enough refresh rates, app UI is likely to continue being rendered on active / lit displays. Active displays can be notoriously difficult to read in high light conditions. Therefore, UI should be design to be effective even in high ambient light conditions.
UI should be designed to generally be high contrast.
Under high ambient light conditions, low contrast UI becomes very hard to read. Maintaining a high contrast also is helpful in addressing accessibility considerations for individuals with vision difficulties.
UI should be designed to universally have a light background, with icons and text appearing in a dark color.
One could make the argument that all UI of the app should have dark-on-light styling - even app chrome UI that may surround a main / content area pane. There might be other ways to visually set the chrome apart from the content area that doesn't violate the principle of designing for high ambient light conditions.
To support legibility in high ambient light conditions, icon symbols should be simplified and employ minimal shading and color complexity.
Under high light conditions, a distinctive and recognizable outline of an icon is a better cue than color and shade detail that may become washed out and hard to notice.
To support a good user experience for apps under a variety of different usage conditions, including different ambient light situations, as well as devices with different form factors, extra effort should be made to make text as legible as possible.
Graphics designers often work in ideal work conditions that are not reflective of the conditions under which modern apps are used. Designers often have large, high resolution, high quality displays and work in an office environment with well controlled lighting. With mobility in computing, users are accessing apps in more extreme conditions. A user may be using a mobile app while walking outside in broad daylight while rushing to a business meeting at some building. With a mobile device with a small form factor, being viewed outside in broad daylight, and shaking in the user's hand as they walk, more effort than normal needs to be put into making all UI in an app legible.
Avoid using small fonts for subordinate information in the UI.
If constraints of the design are making it necessary to choose small font sizes in order to fit information in, it would be best to consider a different approach to the IA for the application, so that there is never a situation where there is information that the user cannot read under challenging conditions. Don't make users squint.
In situations where one might consider using a fainter / less prominent color for text, resist the temptation.
Consider an example of items in a company directory list, where the primary text for an item may be a person's name while the secondary text may be details about them, such as the department that they work in. One treatment might make the primary text true black while making the secondary text smaller and a mid gray. A better treatment for legibility under a variety of different reading conditions would be to make both primary and secondary text true black, while differentiating the primary text from the secondary text by making the primary text a bit larger and bolding it.
Consider using bold styling for button labels, tab buttons, headings, etc.
Make compromises elsewhere in the UI, if necessary, in order to ensure there is enough room to make text as large and legible as possible.
Free up space in order to make text a little larger by reducing layers of boxing around elements and containers. Minimize purely decorative elements / embellishments to buy space for legibility.
The approach to implementing the UI should facilitate good TDD practices, encouraging the development of tests during the feature development process, including unit and functional tests.
The approach to implementing the UI should support discrete testability of all components of the UI, from complex widgets down to their atomic building blocks.
Furthermore, it should ideally be possible to individually test all components of the UI in isolation from their surrounding UI. This suggests that all UI elements should be well encapsulated and have clearly defined interfaces that can be mocked in order to sufficiently satisfy their needs in order for them to function and be testable in isolation from the surrounding UI.
The UI should facilitate the natural human behavior of scanning to find things.
The UI for lists should be uncluttered, so that the user can focus on the data presented in the lists.
This suggests that borders separating rows and columns should be de-emphasized, in favor of alternating background colors.
To make it easier for the user to locate data in lists, the rows and columns should be eye-trackable so that the user has confidence in what the eye is seeing.
To make rows and columns more easily eye-trackable, alternating background colors should be used for rows and columns.
Rows can alternate between white and a light colored background, while columns can alternate between unlightened and lightened. Priority is given to eye-tracking for rows, since columns are wider than rows are high, and eye-tracking is more commonly needed across multiple columns of a row than multiple rows of a column.
A benefit of the alternating background colors approach is that it serves the added purpose of providing a separation between data in different rows and columns and obviates the need for cluttering border lines.
To make is easier to understand the correlation between column data and the column headers, columns headers should remain present / fixed at the top of lists, even as the list data is scrolled.
Ideally, it should be possible to search for features in the application.
When using a resource oriented design for a Web application, and where each area of the application is represented by a URI and navigable to (deep linking), it becomes possible to let the user perform a natural language search for an area of the application.
For example, if the user wanted to find the area for configuring a call forwarding feature of the application, the user could type "forwarding", "call forwarding", etc. into a search bar. Among the search results would be a link to the area of the application for configuring the call forwarding feature.
While a native application might not follow a resource oriented design, since the model originated in the Web sphere and doesn't apply as naturally to native apps, it should still be possible to provide some level of feature search capability.
Examples of feature search in native apps can be found in Mac OS, where search from the Help menu lets the user find features as they are exposed through options in the various menus of an application - even deeply nested menu options. Ideally, feature search in native apps would extend beyond just menu option text and would include description meta data for the features exposed through menu options. Furthermore, if an application's features were connected to a search engine, the search results for natural language searches of features could be ranked based upon click-through of users.
With a feature search facility in applications, it becomes theoretically possible to search for features that might only be conditionally reachable.
For example, if the user searched for a call forwarding feature in order to configure call forwarding, but if this feature were only reachable if the user had a particular account level, the user should still see the feature in the search results, be able to link to the feature and see the feature in a disabled state with an explanation as to why it is disabled. This approach could be used to good business effect by providing upsell opportunities to the user when searching for features that would require account upgrades or additional purchases.
All large lists of data should be searchable with a consistent and easy-to-use yet powerful search interface.
A search on a list of data should provide the ability to add one or more search parameters.
Each search parameter / criterion should be configurable, in a similar manner to filtering UI available within email clients for the purpose of organizing mail messages and filtering out junk mail. Among other things, this would allow users to search through tabular data sets by filtering for specific values or value ranges for specific columns.
A simple search box interface should be provided that the user can use as a first step before utilizing the more advanced parametric search UI.
Search terms entered into the search bar would be effectively resolved to one or more parameters in the parametric search. Especially if a shorthand syntax is provided for selecting, a search string entered into the simple search UI might resolve to multiple parameters in the parametric search. For example, a shorthand might be provided to let a user search for a person in a particular department (e.g. "john department:sales"). Such a search might be resolved to a parametric search involving two criteria.
In addition to the ability to search data presented in tabular form, ideally a search facility would be provided to search complex structured data.
This feature would be most comparable to the kind of system wide search that one can perform in a native operating system, where the search is able to index content stored in multiple formats and editable through multiple different applications. As the data set that an application exposes to the user becomes more complex, with different features / wizards available for manipulating data in different areas, it becomes increasingly hard to find where data is exposed.
To use an example, the structured configuration of an account should be searchable and search results from different areas of the configuration should be returned, with the ability to navigate to the areas where those results would be found and modifiable.
Using the example of a multi-user telephony system, it should be possible to search for a phone extension and see where that extension is in use. Such a search might bring up results such as the user for that extension, a voice directory configuration where the extension is listed, a call flow configuration where the extension is involved, etc. At a glance, then, one can see all usages of / references to a phone extension in the account.
UI components that can be arranged alongside one another horizontally should support a set of standardized control heights.
It should be possible, for example, to create a layout where a row contains a toggler control alongside a text input control alongside a drop list control alongside a button, and the layout can look tidy because all of these controls can be set to use the same standard height.
The tiny size for UI components should be used very sparingly, because of the difficulty of using them with touch interfaces.
Tiny controls should only be used in situations of very limited display real estate, such as in rows of table data, and care should be taken to abide by the principle of sufficient clearance.
The small size for UI components should be used for subordinate controls that are ancillary.
or an action button encapsulated within a medium sized heading.
The medium size is the standard size that should be used for UI controls.
The exact height chosen for the medium size should strike the right balance between usability for touch and efficient use of available display real estate.
As with the tiny size for UI components, the large size should be used sparingly.
The intent behind the large size is to allow a user interface to emphasize certain components very strongly - usually CTA type buttons (e.g. "SIGN UP FOR FREE TRIAL"). The large size is to UI components as all-caps is to messaging - too many components using the large size is like yelling at the user and dilutes the impact that the large size has.
When buttons (or other types of UI components) are disabled because they cannot be used in the current application state, this should be visually discernible.
When components are disabled, it should be clear by their appearance that they are disabled, but labels should still be legible and icons should still be sufficiently visible that the user can still make out what the feature is that is disabled.
Buttons (and other types of UI components) should generally be disabled when their actions are not valid and cannot be successfully executed.
An exception to this rule is any situation where it is more desirable to invite the user to attempt to trigger an action because dissuading might hurt conversion, and where providing a message on corrective actions the user should take might produce better conversion results than disabling a UI component for a conversion action.
When a button or other widget is in a disabled state, it should be possible for the user to discover why the component is disabled.
This could be done through a warning indicator (possibly including a message) associated with the component. In the case of a button in a Web UI, there may be no visible indicator UI (besides the button appearing to be disabled), but mousing over the button may produce a tooltip providing the reason for the button being disabled. In the case of a touch interface, either a visual indicator could be provided (such as a warning icon / exclamation mark icon alongside the button), or touching the button could produce a tooltip type of message.
One of the primary objectives of the UX design should be to increase user productivity.
Wherever possible, UI components that allow the user to select or modify a value should also allow the value to be entered / pasted in in a serialized text form.
The best intentions of providing a better means of selecting a value of a certain type can actually make things harder for the user in some situations. A UI should not impose a specific interface for entering a certain type of value as a means of enforcing valid entry - validation should always be enforced upon entry submission, always on the server and possibly also on the client.
To use an example to illustrate this principle, an interface shouldn't be provided for date selection that forces the user to select year, month, and date from separate drop downs while not allowing the user to simply type in a date. This consideration is even more important when considering the use case of the user wishing to copy-and-paste in values for fields such as date fields.
Wherever possible, UI components that allow the user to select or modify a value of a common type should allow the value to be copied from one field and pasted into another.
For example, a more sophisticated UI can be provided to allow the user to select a date visually through a calendar type interface, but such an option in the UI should be supplemental to raw text data entry, rather than replacing it and thereby preventing the most lightweight interaction of copying a date value, phone number value, etc. from a spreadsheet application or other data source.
This principle implies that all data entry UI components should at the very least have a text input field from which a value can be copied and into which a value can be pasted.
Wherever possible, a user should be able to select and copy any text / messaging they see to the clipboard.
If a user encounters an error message in a dialog or other type of control, they should be able to copy that text in order to paste it into a support form, e-mail, IM, SMS, or other form of text communication to a support representative. By the nature of Web technologies, this comes virtually for free in Web applications, but it might take extra work to achieve in native applications.
The guiding principle is that if the user sees something, they should be able to easily capture and communicate what they are seeing to someone who can help them troubleshoot.
As much as possible, to increase user productivity, the UX should facilitate "drinking bird" behavior, where the user can repeatedly perform the same type of action, with the least possible work between repititions.
If the user is presented with a slideshow of photos with forward and back navigation buttons, those buttons should remain in the exact same position as the user navigates through the slideshow.
If the position of the buttons were to be affected by the different widths of different photos, because it looked more aesthetically pleasing to have the buttons always snugly at the edges of the photos, then this design choice would increase user work, since they would have to locate the constantly changing position of the navigation controls with each new slide. The same navigation principle would apply to navigating through different months of a year in a calendar control. Rather than the navigation buttons being wrapped snugly around the month name (which would constantly change width), the buttons should be in a fixed location.
If the user is presented with a UI to let them select multiple items before taking an action on them, a collection type interface can be provided.
In the collection type interface, it is expected that the user may want to often collect contiguous chunks of items. An example of this would be a dialog UI for a social network app that lets a user select multiple users to send friend invites to. In the collection type interface, items that are selected by the user triggering a selection control (such as a checkbox, or an add button) are immediately moved out of the list and the remaining items are shifted in position so that the selector for the next remaining item is exactly where the user had just clicked or tapped. This means that the most frictionless interaction for the user is to repeatedly "peck" at the same position, thereby increasing the user's productivity and the virality of the application.
In situations where the user is presented with a toggling behavior, the toggler control should remain in the same position.
For example, if the user can click on an arrow icon to expand a collapsed section, then the icon to collapse the section again should be in the same place as the expand icon. That way, the user can easily collapse the section if they see at a glance that it doesn't contain what they are interested in. Contrast this approach to a "more..." link that sits under a section heading which then moves down to beneath the expanded contents of the section in the form of a "less" link, in which case the user has to visually locate the collapse control and move to trigger it in its new location. And because the control was in a new location, the user had to correspond that new control with the expand control, whereas maintaining the same location relates the expand and collapse controls by their identical location.
Content inside collapsed sections is buried enough as it is without training the user to have a negative inclination towards looking inside sections because of the added cost of collapsing the sections again. This same principle applies also to value togglers. Wherever there is a control that lets a user switch between on and off / enabled and disabled states for a setting, this should be provided through a toggler control where the control can be repeatedly toggled in exactly the same position.
Common annoyances to the user should be avoided.
A common annoyance users can encounter in progressive loading and rendering of UI is UI that shifts as elements load in.
Presenting the user with a UI that is interactive only to then pull the rug right out from under them as they are about to interact with some UI element, because the layout shifts and the element moves, is a recipe for frustrating the user and creating errors during user interaction. In cases of progressively rendered UI, space should either be allocated for not yet loaded components in areas of the UI that is likely to be immediately used, or the UI should not be interactive until the layout has settled. UI components shouldn't be moving targets.
Ensure that interaction highlights that are provided are reliable and not misleading.
There is no use to such a highlight other than to confuse the user. In such situations, it is better to make the entire box that is highlighted clickable (while also showing the pointer cursor on mouseover), thereby reinforcing that a mouseover highlight state means clickability and giving the user a larger target area for touch interfaces. The user shouldn't be left to second guess themselves upon a false click action and then to hunt for just the right spot to click on.
Settle on a single meaning for interaction highlights, preferably as an indicator of clickability / touchability.
For instance, don't use interaction highlights in some parts of the UI to indicate clickability and in other parts of the UI merely to highlight the area of the UI (such as a data table row or some layout panel) that the user is engaged with (e.g. mousing over), or establish a discernibly and consistently applied alternative means for calling out a currently focused / working area in the UI.
When navigation links are provided in Web app UI, such link components should behave as expected by the user, fully consistent with standard links in a Web document.
When forms are presented in the UI, the tab indexes for form elements should be maintained correctly so that tabbing through the form follows the logical order of the form elements.
Tab index ordering can break down as a result of form elements being dynamically populated into the UI, potentially as a result of the user making a selection in a form that results in additional choices being made available to them through additional form inputs that are added in a dynamically inserted subsection of the form. In such cases, tab indexes of all form elements may need to be recomputed and updated for all the form elements.
When text needs to be truncated in the UI because it cannot all be accommodated in the layout, the handling should be consistent in all instances.
Text that is to be truncated in the UI should be displayed with an ellipsis, with a hover tooltip behavior provided to allow the user to view the text in its entirety (within reason). The tooltip can be multi-line, as necessary, to allow all of the truncated text to be viewed.
When errors occur during the user's execution of an action, error messages that are reported to the user should ideally contain an error code that the user can reference when contacting customer support to troubleshoot the problem.
This is especially true for cases where pretty messaging is not provided for a specific error type because the error is infrequent or deemed too obscure to warrant messaging localized for all locales. It is also a good fallback to guard against bugs in the code that selects / constructs the pretty messaging. The error code can always be relied upon as the authority.
When fallback / catch all error messaging is provided for an error for which no pretty messaging is provided, the generic error message should be technically correct.
For example, the error messaging should not state that one of a few possible problems occurred if, in fact, none of the stated problems did occur. The error message should not serve as a catch all bucket if the messaging only lists a few of the possible problems in the bucket, making it not truly a catch all bucket, thereby misleading the user and complicating customer support. For instance, if obscure problem D occurred, the catch all messaging should not state "Your action could not be completed because [problem A], [problem B], or [problem C] occurred." The error message could, instead, state that "Your action could not be completed because [problem A], [problem B], or [problem C] occurred, or some other problem was encountered (error code: [error code for problem D])." | 2019-04-19T22:55:39Z | http://uize.com/white-papers/overarching-principles-of-user-interface-design.html |
Ventilation‐perfusion ( a/ ) inequality is the underlying abnormality determining hypoxemia and hypercapnia in lung diseases. Hypoxemia in asthma is characterized by the presence of low a/ units, which persist despite improvement in airway function after an attack. This hypoxemia is generally attenuated by compensatory redistribution of blood flow mediated by hypoxic vasoconstriction and changes in cardiac output, however, mediator release and bronchodilator therapy may cause deterioration. Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease have more complex patterns of a/ inequality, which appear more fixed, and changes in blood flow and ventilation have less benefit in improving gas exchange efficiency. The inability of ventilation to match increasing cardiac output limits exercise capacity as the disease progresses. Deteriorating hypoxemia during exacerbations reflects the falling mixed venous oxygen tension from increased respiratory muscle activity, which is not compensated by any redistribution of a/ ratios. Shunt is not a feature of any of these diseases. Patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) have no substantial shunt when managed according to modern treatment regimens. Interstitial lung diseases demonstrate impaired oxygen diffusion across the alveolar‐capillary barrier, particularly during exercise, although a/ inequality still accounts for most of the gas exchange abnormality. Hypoxemia may limit exercise capacity in these diseases and in CF. Persistent hypercapnic respiratory failure is a feature of advancing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and CF, closely associated with sleep disordered breathing, which is not a prominent feature of the other diseases. Better understanding of the mechanisms of hypercapnic respiratory failure, and of the detailed mechanisms controlling the distribution of ventilation and blood flow in the lung, are high priorities for future research. © 2011 American Physiological Society. Compr Physiol 1:663‐697, 2011.
Diagram of the exercise responses, to increasing levels of oxygen consumption, of dead space ventilation, alveolar ventilation, total minute ventilation, and the ratio of minute ventilation‐to‐maximum ventilatory capacity in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) (dashed lines) compared with normal subjects (solid lines). Note that dead space ventilation is higher and that minute ventilation progresses as a substantially higher proportion of the maximum voluntary capacity in the COPD patients. From Gallagher CG. Exercise limitation and clinical exercise testing in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Clin Chest Med 15: 305‐326, 1994. © Elsevier.
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McNicholas WT. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and obstructive sleep apnea. Overlaps in pathophysiology, systemic inflammation, and cardiovascular disease. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 180: 692-700, 2009. | 2019-04-26T00:10:50Z | http://www.comprehensivephysiology.com/WileyCDA/CompPhysArticle/refId-c090012.html |
To retrospectively analyze the prognostic value of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-derived residual tumors after intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) in the patients with locally-advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma.
A total of 358 patients with locally-advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma who received IMRT were classified as having residual tumors or no residual tumor based on MRI at the end of radiotherapy. The χ2 test, log-rank test, Cox proportional hazards regression model and Kaplan-Meir survival curves were used to investigate the relationship of clinicopathological features and residual tumors and to assess the prognostic value of residual tumors.
The 3-year overall survival (OS) rate was 73% in the residual tumor group and 90% in the no residual tumor group (HR 2.15, 95% CI 1.21-3.82,, P = 0.007); 3-year local relapse-free survival (LRFS) was 89% in the residual tumor group and 97% in the no residual tumor group (HR 4.46, 95% CI 1.61-12.38, P = 0.002); 3-year disease free survival (DFS) was 67% in the residual tumor group and 82% in the no residual tumor group (HR 2.21, 95% CI 1.40-3.48, P = 0.001). A high prescribed radiation dose (>73.92 Gy) did not increase the percentage volume of the GTVnx receiving 95% of the prescribed dose (GTVnx V95%) or improve any survival outcome.
The presence of a residual tumor after IMRT was a significant negative independent prognostic factor for OS, LRFS and DFS. Although IMRT have improved the distribution of radiotherapy doses into the tumors, residual tumors detected by MRI after IMRT are still associated with poor prognosis in patients with advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma.
The presence of residual tumors after treatment may provide important prognostic information and may be associated with the radiosensitivity of the tumor. A prospective study of the correlation of regression rate and the probability of recurrence after radiation of neck node metastases in 47 patients by Bartelink showed that tumors with a slow regression rate had a high probability of recurrence . Residual foci detected by clinical or imaging methods may be composed of cancer parenchyma-like cancer stem cells and delayed reproductive-dead cells, as well as other cell types including interstitial tissue-like fibrosis and mononuclear cells . While reproductive-dead cells will disappear within several months, radio-resistant cancer stem cells are thought to be the root cause of relapse and metastasis , and the radio-response of the interstitial tissue is also associated with recurrence . Given these possibilities, clinicians need to decide whether or not to increase the local dosage or provide timely additional adjuvant chemotherapy for patients with radiographically-visible residual tumors at the end of radiotherapy. Biopsy is the “gold standard” for diagnose of residual tumor. However, most the residual tumors are located outside the nasopharynx in the patients with locally-advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) so biopsy for the tumors is difficult to be obtained. Ng et al. in a retrospectively reviewed study reported the MRI features of recurrent NPC in 72 patients who underwent MRI and showed a nasopharyngeal mass in 50 patients (69.4%) involved outside the nasopharynx including the parapharyngeal space (44.4%), nasal cavity (12.5%), paranasal sinuses (27.8%), oropharynx (4.2%), orbit (8.3%), infratemporal fossa (18.1%), skull base (59.8%), intracranial area (51.4%) and regional lymph nodes (15.3%). Moreover, the viable cells in residual tumors identified by pathology at the end of radiation may become died cells at later time and pathology cannot detect the depth of tumor invasion which is usually a poor indicator for prognosis . Therefore, clinicians must rely on imaging methods to evaluate the therapeutic effect in most cases. Liauw et al. examined the correlation between treatment response and neck dissection pathology, and reported that residual tumors had a negative predictive value of 77% for complete clinical response and 94% for radiographic complete response (rCR) in patients with head and neck cancer treated with radiotherapy. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is the preferred modality for determining the extent of soft tissue, perineural infiltration, intracranial spread and skull base invasion of NPC . It was reported that MRI had a higher accuracy for detecting residual and/or recurrent NPC at the primary tumor site than fluorodeoxyglueose positron emission tomography with computed tomography (FDG PET/CT) . Therefore, it is worthy of investigating whether MRI-derived residual tumors are associated with the prognosis of patients with locally-advanced NPC to simplify and improve the diagnosis and treatment of NPC.
The purpose of this retrospective study of 358 patients with locally-advanced NPC was to compare the prognosis of patients with or without residual tumors based on MRI at the end of intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT). The results may provide a basis for assessing the value of boost radiation or timely adjuvant chemotherapy for patients with residual tumors at the end of radiotherapy.
A total of 358 patients with locally-advanced NPC (T3/T4N0-3M0) who received IMRT between August 2008 and December 2011 at Xiangya Hospital of Central South University (Changsha, Hunan province, China) were enrolled in this study. All patients were diagnosed by nasopharyngeal biopsy and nasopharyngeal and neck MRI examinations. In addition to CT/MRI examination of the nasopharynx and neck, the pre-treatment work-up also included a complete medical history, physical examination, chest X-ray and/or CT (all patients with N3 disease underwent a chest CT), B-ultrasound scan of the abdomen and neck, bone scan and routine laboratory analysis. The clinical characteristics of the patients are summarized in Table 1. In the study, 354 out of 358 cases were eligible for univariate and multivariate analyses due to 4 patients without MRI review after radiotherapy. Additionally, 346 cases were eligible for survival analysis due to 12 patients loss of follow-up. The study was approved by the ethics committee of Xiangya Hospital of Central South University (approval number 201111086).
*Percentage = the number before the bracket divided by the numbers of before the bracket in the same line of column 3 plus column 4.
GTVnx: Primary gross target volume; GTVnx V95%: percentage volume of GTVnx receiving 95% prescribed doses.
MR imaging was performed with a 1.5-T unit— Siemens Vision Plus (Erlangen, Germany). The protocol was used for the NPC study including axial T1-weighted images without fat saturation, axial T2-weighted images, axial proton density images, sagittal T1-weighted images, and postcontrast axial, coronal and sagittal T1-weighted images with fat saturation. The upper extent covers 2 cm above the sella turcica and the lower extent reaches 2 cm below the lower edge of the clavicle. Axial T1-weighted fast spin-echo (FSE) images were obtained with repetition time msec/echo time msec of 600/15, echo train length of eight, two signals acquired, 24-mm field of view, 256 × 256 matrix, 5-mm-thick section, and 0.5-mm gap. Axial T2-weighted FSE images were obtained with 4200/102, echo train length of 16, two signals acquired, 20-mm field of view, 256× 256 matrix, 4-mm-thick section, and 0.4-mm gap. An intravenous bolus injection of 0.1 mmol/kg of body weight gadopentetate imeglumine (Magnevist; Schering, Berlin, Germany) was administered at 2 mL/sec for the contrast-enhanced series.
To reduce subjectivity, all patients were restaged according to the 7th edition of the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) Staging System for NPC; the pre- and post-treatment MRI scans for each patient were independently reviewed by two senior clinicians from the Departments of Radiology and Oncology. Local radiographic residual tumors were diagnosed by the consensus agreement of two head and neck radiologists and two senior radiation oncologists, respectively. Diagnostic criteria of residual tumors on MRI at different sites as follows: residual tumors present in the nasopharynx or other soft tissues following radiotherapy usually appeared as hypo-intense signal on T1-weighted imaging, as hyper-intensity signal on T2-weighted imaging and also exhibited enhancement following administration of Gd-DTPA. Regional lymph nodes were considered to have residual tumors on MRI if they were larger than 10 mm in short-axis diameter for cervical lymph nodes and larger than 5 mm for the retropharyngeal nodes at the end of radiotherapy. For the residual tumors at the skull base on MRI at the end of radiotherapy, we used the reference from previous reports [10,11]. It would be considered as residual tumors if the bone of the skull base was destructed with soft tissues and the degree and scope of strengthening of bone have not decrease compared to that of prior to chemoradiotherapy.
All patients underwent IMRT. The target volumes were defined with reference to International Commission on Radiation Units and Measurements (ICRU) reports No. 50 and No. 62. The primary tumor (GTVnx) and positive lymph nodes (GTVnd) were defined and the retropharyngeal lymph nodes were included in the GTVnx. The primary tumor before chemotherapy was delineated as the GTVnx for patients receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy; two clinical target volumes (CTVs) were defined as follows: CTV1, the high-risk areas including a 5–10 mm extension around the GTVnx and other high-risk regions such as parapharyngeal space, inferior part of sphenoid sinus, posterior 1/3 of nasal cavity, posterior 1/3 of maxillary sinus, skull base, clivus, oval foramen, lacerated foramen and high-risk lymphatic drainage areas such as retropharyngeal lymph nodes, upper cervical lymph nodes levels II, III, and Va, 60 Gy irradiation was given; and CTV2, the low-risk lymphatic drainage areas including lower cervical lymph nodes levels IV and Vb, 50 Gy irradiation was given. The corresponding planning target volumes (PTVs) were generated by extending each CTV by 3 mm; the prescribed doses for the PGTVnx (GTVnx + 3 mm margin) were 66.0–75.9 Gy; GTVnd, 69.96–72.6 Gy; PTV1, 59.4–64.0 Gy, PTV2, 50.0–54.0 Gy. The doses to the PTV2 were administered over 28 fractions and other doses over 33 fractions; all patients were treated with simultaneous modulated accelerated radiotherapy once a day for five days a week. Dose limits for the critical tissue structures and plan evaluation were as defined by the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) 0225 . The patients were re-examined by MRI when they finished radiotherapy or the radiation dose reached to approximately 70 Gy. The patient with significant residual tumors at the end of radiotherapy was observed or treated with an IMRT boost dose of 4–10 Gy to the residual lesions over 2–5 fractions depending on the individual toxicity (Organs at risk) and tumor response to radiotherapy. Chemotherapy was part of the treatment plan for all patients; 21 patients who were unwilling to receive chemotherapy or could not tolerate chemotherapy did not undergo chemotherapy. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy was administered when the waiting time for radiotherapy was longer than acceptable or to downsize bulky tumors. At the end of radiotherapy, adjuvant chemotherapy was administered to the patients with N2/N3 stage disease and with existing residual disease detected by MRI or physical examination.
The follow-up methods included direct telephone calls to the patients or their families; or hospital visits for the patients. Follow-up was measured from the first day of treatment to last follow-up date or date of patient’s death. After radiotherapy, follow-up examinations were conducted once every 3 months in the first 2 years, once every 6 months in years 2 to 5, and annually thereafter. MRI of the nasopharynx and neck region was performed once a year for the patient with no residual tumor, or every 3–6 months for the patient with residual tumor.
Recurrence was defined as the tumor regrown after disappearing at least one month. The duration of overall survival (OS) was calculated from the day of radiotherapy completion to the date of patient’s death or last follow-up. The duration of local relapse-free survival (LRFS) was calculated from the day of radiotherapy completion to the date of tumor local recurrence. The duration of disease-free survival (DFS) was calculated from the day radiotherapy completion to the date of tumor recurrence, distant metastasis or death.
All statistical analyses were performed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 17.0 (SPSS, Chicago, IL, USA). Actuarial rates were calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method and differences were compared using the log-rank test. Multivariate analysis with the Cox proportional hazards model was used to test for independent significance by backward elimination of insignificant explanatory variables. The Mann–Whitney test was used to examine the between-group differences in the GTVnx V95% value. The criterion for statistical significance was set at α = 0.05 and P-values were based on two-sided tests.
The clinical characteristics of the patients are presented in Table 1. At the end of radiotherapy, 142/354 cases (40.1%) had residual tumors. The residual tumor rate for patients with N2-3 disease was significantly higher than that of patients with N0-1 disease (P = 0.002). The patients in the residual tumor group had a higher prescribed radiation dose than the patient in no residual tumor group (P < 0.001). The residual tumor rate was significantly lower in the patients with the minimum absorbed dose of the 95% GTVnx (GTVnx D95%) ≥ 70 Gy or GTVnx V95% ≥ 95% compared to the patients with a GTVnx D95% < 70 Gy (P < 0.001) or GTVnx V95% < 95% (P < 0.001), respectively. The locations and numbers of residual tumors are summarized in Table 2. As mentioned previously, only 11.44% of residual tumors were located in the pharyngonasal cavity, 30.93% in the skull base, and 30.15% in the parapharynx and other soft tissues, and 45.07% of patients had more than one residual tumor.
Number of residual tumors* refers to the number of anatomic sites containing residual tumors including the pharyngonasal cavity, skull base, parapharynx and other soft tissues, intracranial space, and cervical lymph nodes. Some patients had more than one residual tumor.
The median follow-up period for all patients was 45 months (range, 3–78 months). In total, 22/346 cases developed local recurrence (6.36%), 55/346 developed distant metastasis (15.9%), and 9/346 developed recurrence plus distant metastasis (2.6%). Among the local relapse cases, 4 nasopharyngeal, 5 cervical lymph nodes, 6 bone of the skull base, 1 orbit, 2 paranasal sinus, 2 pharyngeal lymph nodes and 2 parapharyngeal spacerecurrences. Among the distant metastasis cases, 15 liver metastasis, 24 pulmonary metastasis, 20 bone metastasis, 1 adrenal metastasis, 1 retroperitoneal metastasis, and 10 multiple organs metastasis. There were 64 deaths out of 346 patients (18.5%) which 49 patients were due to tumor recurrence and metastasis, 10 were due to tumor-associated complications (5 cases nasopharyngeal hemorrhage, 1 case septic shock, 3 cases malnutrition systemic failure, and 1 case syncope), 1 patient was due to gastrointestinal bleeding and 4 patients were due to unknown causes.
Survival rates were calculated using the Kaplan–Meier method and compared using the log-rank test. The 3-year OS rate for the entire cohort study was 83%, 73% in the residual tumor group and 90% in the no residual tumor group (HR 2.15, 95% CI 1.21-3.82, P = 0.007); 3-year LRFS for the entire cohort study was 94%, 89% in the residual tumor group and 97% in the no residual tumor group (HR 4.46, 95% CI 1.61-12.38, P = 0.002); 3-year DFS for the entire cohort study was 76%, 67% in the residual tumor group and 82% in the no residual tumor group (HR 2.21, 95% CI 1.40-3.48, P = 0.001). Survival curves demonstrated that the presence of a residual tumor was associated with poorer survival outcomes, as shown in Figure 1, the statistically significant differences of the OS, LRFS and DFS survival curves between the residual tumor group and no residual tumor group (OS: HR = 2.37, 95% CI 1.43-3.93, P = 0.001; LRFS: HR = 3.92, 95% CI 1.50-10.28, P = 0.003; DFS: HR = 2.10, 95% CI 1.36-3.24, P = 0.001).
Kaplan-Meir survival curves for 346 patients with locally-advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). (A) Overall survival (OS), (B) local relapse–free survival (LRFS), (C) disease-free survival (DFS) for patients stratified by the presence and absence of a residual tumor at the end of IMRT. P-values were calculated using the unadjusted log-rank test; Hazard ratios (HR) were calculated using the unadjusted Cox proportional hazards model; 95% CI: 95% confidence interval.
The Univariate analysis suggests that the factors influencing the 3-year OS rate are age (P = 0.002), N-stage (P = 0.003), overall stage (P = 0.038), and presence or absence of a residual tumor at the end of radiotherapy (P = 0.001), the factors influencing LRFS are age (P = 0.001) and presence or absence of a residual tumor at the end of radiotherapy (P = 0.003), and the factors influencing DFS are age (P = 0.008), N-stage (P = 0.024), T-stage (P = 0.05), overall stage (P = 0.024), and presence or absence of a residual tumor at the end of radiotherapy (P = 0.001). However, chemotherapy and prescribed radiation dose are not the factors for significantly influencing the OS, LRFS, or DFS (Table 3).
*Residual tumor: tumor detected by MRI at the end of radiotherapy.
OS: overall survival; LRFS: local relapse-free survival; DFS: disease-free survival.
The following factors were associated with treatment outcomes in multivariate analysis (Table 4): age (HR 2.32, P = 0.001), N-stage (HR 1.43, P = 0.008), and the presence or absence of a residual tumor after radiotherapy (HR 2.11, P = 0.004) were significantly associated with OS; age (HR 4.80, P = 0.002), and the presence or absence of a residual tumor after radiotherapy (HR 4.80, P = 0.002) were significantly associated with LRFS; age (HR 1.81, P = 0.007), N-stage (HR 1.26, P = 0.049), and the presence or absence of a residual tumor after radiotherapy (HR 1.91, P = 0.004) were significantly associated with DFS.
HR: hazard ratio; CI, confidence interval; P-values were calculated using an adjusted Cox proportional hazards model. OS: overall survival; LRFS: local relapse-free survival; DFS: disease-free survival.
The variables were stratified as following: Age: < 50 y vs ≥ 50 y; N-stage: N0 vs N1vs N2 vs N3; T-stage: T3 vs T4; Residual tumor: having tumor vs no tumor. The table presents only the data with statistical significances.
Prescribed radiation doses for all patients in the study were ranged from 62.72 Gy to 80.64 Gy with a mid-value of 73.92 Gy. A higher prescribed dose (>73.92 Gy) was only given to the patients who still had a large residual tumor and the OARs (Organs at risk) were not at risk to accept radiation boost. However, the data show that increase of radiation doses did not reduce the rate of residual tumor, the residual rates were 68.6% and 37.0% for the groups of high prescribed dose and lower prescribed dose, respectively; or did not improve the treatment outcomes (Table 5). The 3-year OS, LRFS, and DFS rates were 83% vs 85%, 93% vs 94% and 76% vs 75% for the groups of high prescribed dose and low prescribed dose, respectively (Table 3). There was not statistically significantly different (p > 0.05). The median GTVnx V95% values for the higher radiation group and the low dose group were not significantly different (99.1% vs. 98.7%, P = 0.583), indicating that the GTVnx V95% cannot be improved by increasing the radiation dose. However, the median GTVnx V95% values were significantly different (97.2% vs 99.5%, P < 0.001) between the residual tumor group and no residual tumor group, indicating that a low GTVnx V95% may be associated with the presence of a residual tumor after treatment (Table 5).
GTVnx V95% = the percentage volume of the GTVnx receiving 95% of the prescribed dose.
The present study reveals that advanced N-stage, a low GTVnx V95% were associated with a higher risk of a residual tumor in the patients with locally-advanced NPC. The presence of a residual tumor at the end of IMRT was a significant independent factor for OS, LRFS and DFS in the patients with locally-advanced NPC. Additionally, a higher prescribed radiation dose was not associated with a high GTVnx V95% and did not improve survival outcome.
In this cohort study of 358 patients with NPC, MRI indicated that 142 patients had residual tumors in total of 236 (some patients had more than one tumor) at the end of IMRT. only 27 tumors were located in the nasopharynx while most tumors were located in the skull base, soft tissues or other tissues that cannot be assessed by biopsy (Table 2). Chan et al. reported that deeply seated residual/recurrent tumors beyond the reach of routine nasopharyngeal biopsy are not rare (15.4%). However, only less than half of the patients had locally advanced diseases in their study. To understand the status of residual tumors at the end of radiation, only imaging tools CT/MRI/PET are suitable to be used. MRI has become the gold standard for NPC diagnosis and therapeutic evaluation due to the high accuracy and economic cost-effectiveness. The specificity of MRI was reported at the range of 44–83% [14-16]. Post-irradiation inflammatory changes, such as an immature scar, reactive mucosal and submucosal changes or osteoradionecrosis, may interfere with the interpretation of MRI and thus decrease its specificity. In contrast, 18F-FDG PET showed a significantly higher specificity of 93.4% in the assessment of treatment response and appears less influenced by radiotherapy (RT)-induced inflammation . A systematic review suggests that FDG-PET is the best modality for diagnosis of local residual or recurrent NPC . However, the results may be disputed by other report showing that there was a trend toward greater overall accuracy of MRI over PET/CT in detecting residual and/or recurrent NPC at the primary site; 92.1% for MRI and 85.7% for FDG PET/CT (P = 0.16) . Because the intracranial localizations and the perineural spreads via the foramen ovale, the anterior foramen lacerum, or the pterygopalatine fossa were depicted with MRI only, FDG PET/CT is not considered as a good method for the study of the intracranial disease due to the physiologically high FDG uptake by the brain.
In the present study,the MRI-derived residual tumor rate was 40.1% (142/358), similar to the study of Han et al. showed the residual tumor rates of 44.2% (72/196) in the patients treated with IMRT and 26.6% (52/196) in the patients treated with conventional radiotherapy (CRT) detected by nasopharyngeal MRI at the end of radiotherapy. Zhang et al. reported that it has been achieved 40.4% complete response of primary tumor (CRPT), 44.7% partial response of primary tumor (PRPT), and 14.9% stable disease of primary tumor (SDPT) at the end of radiotherapy in a study with 188 NPC patients. Lin et al. reported that 50% (54/108) of residual tumors were detected by MRI in the patients with NPC one month after completing radiotherapy. However, Chan et al. reported only 3.6% (4/112) of the patients were found to have residual tumors 3 months after radiotherapy by MRI or PET-CT . The reason for greatly different rates of residual tumors reported above may be due to multiple factors including differences in tumor staging, tumor sites, the use of different diagnostic criteria for MRI, technologies of radiotherapy [IMRT or CRT or intracavitary brachytherapy (ICBT)] and the application of comprehensive treatments and so on. In our study, the results in Table 1 suggest that the presence of residual tumors is associated with the latter N stage and the GTVnx V95%.
Another important factor is the time point for evaluation of the residual tumors. Tumor response to chemoradiotherapy is time-dependent so a positive histological result after radiotherapy may become negative after 12 weeks . This is why the residual tumor rate is so low in the study of Chan et al. and most oncologists prefer to assess the residual tumor at the time of three months after radiotherapy. However, it may reduce the efficacy of chemoradiotherapy at three months after radiotherapy due to delayed treatment for the residual tumor. Early intervention to modify the treatment strategy may improve the treatment outcome for patients with residual tumors. It is still controversial whether or not the tumor regression rate during or after treatment is correlated with the survival rate in the patients with NPC. Wang et al. reported that the patients who achieved a slow response (CR when the radiation dose was around 70 Gy) had a significantly better prognosis than the patients who achieved rapid regression (CR when the radiation dose was within 50 Gy). Moreover, the prognosis of both of CR groups was significantly better than the patients with a residual tumor at the end of radiotherapy. However, this study was based on the patients who received conventional radiotherapy. Recently, Zhang et al. found that the 5-year OS rates for the patients with CRPT, PRPT, and SDPT at the end of radiotherapy were 84.0%, 70.7%, and 44.3%, respectively (HR = 2.177, P < 0.001). However, approximately one third of the patients had stage T1 or T2 disease and 55.9% of the patients were treated with conventional 2-dimensional radiotherapy (2D-CRT) in their study. The radiobiological effect of IMRT is different from conventional radiotherapy, residual lesions after IMRT have always been received a radical radiation dose. Dose the residual lesions still have an impact on the survival of the patients with NPC? In our study, all patients undergoing IMRT and residual tumors at the end of radiotherapy are still an important negative prognostic factor for OS (3 year OS was 73% vs 90% in the residual tumor group and in the no residual tumor group, P = 0.007), LRFS (3-year LRFS was 89% vs 97% in the residual tumor group and in the no residual tumor group, P = 0.002), and DFS (3-year DFS was 67% vs 82% in the residual tumor group and in the no residual tumor group, P < 0.001). However, Fang et al. reported that the regression rates for the primary tumors and lymph nodes were not significantly associated with local or regional recurrence and overall survival with radiotherapy at 45 Gy. Mantyla et al. reported that in patients with early-stage head and neck cancer (T1-2N0), a significantly more favorable prognosis was observed if the tumor was disappeared by the mid-point of treatment (30 Gy) than that of tumor disappeared by the end of treatment. On the contrary, the prognosis for patients with advanced disease was significantly more favorable if the tumor was disappeared at the end of radiotherapy (2D-CRT) than that of tumors disappeared by the mid-point of treatment. The longer the time after radiotherapy, the more the tumor will regress. Therefore, it needs more times for tumor regression in locally-advanced tumor than in early-stage tumor. It suggests that it is not a good practice to evaluate curative effect too early for the patients with locally advanced NPC.
The prognosis of patients with NPC is related to numerous clinical factors such as age, clinical stage, chemotherapy, radiation dose, and so on. In our study, age is an independent prognostic factors for OS (HR = 2.32, P = 0.001), LRFS (HR = 4.80, P = 0.002), and DFS (HR = 1.81, P = 0.007). It is consistent with the results reported by Erkal et al. . N stage is also an independent prognostic factor for OS (HR = 1.43, P = 0.008) and DFS (HR = 1.26, P = 0.049). Clinic staging had a very certain influence on the prognosis of NPC . However, the influence of T stage on the prognosis of NPC becomes smaller with the application of IMRT. In one of the recent studies, multivariate analyses of 305 patients undergoing IMRT revealed that T-classification had no predictive value for local control and survival, whereas only N-classification was a significant prognostic factor for OS . In our study, T-stage also had no predictive value for OS, and LRFS (Table 3). The 7th edition of the AJCC Staging System was adopted in our study and medial or lateral pterygoid involvement was staged as T4. However, medial and/or lateral pterygoid involvement was staged as T3 or T2 by other studies due to better prognosis compared to skull base involvement which being staged as T3 [26,27]. The reason of T stage and overall stage has no significant effect on NPC may be caused by the pitfall of the 7th AJCC Staging System. The effect of adjuvant chemotherapy on prognosis has been disputed for a long time, study showed that patients treated with chemotherapy as an adjuvant to radiotherapy had a better DFS compared to the patients without adjuvant chemotherapy (P = 0.04) . Univariate analysis in our study also showed that the rates of 3 year OS (84% vs 72%), LRFS (94% vs 83%), and DFS (77% vs 68%) were slight improved in the chemotherapy group compared to the group without chemotherapy, but the difference was not statistically significant (P > 0.05). The results may be affected due to too small numbers with the group without chemotherapy (n = 19).
In the present study, prescribed higher radiation doses did not improved the survival outcome by both univariate and multivariate analyses. It has reported that IMRT has improved the treatment outcome in the patients with NPC . IMRT offers a number of advantages over conventional radiotherapy in the terms of target conformity and the ability to increase the radiation dose to the target volume while sparing the surrounding normal organs at risk . Study from a Hong Kong group found that it was a significant determinant of progression-free survival and distant metastasis-free survival for advanced T-stage tumors when the doses were escalated to above 66 Gy in IMRT-based therapy . However, despite the advancement in IMRT dosimetric inadequacy remains a significant problem when a tumor invades directly into critical neurological OARs such as optic chiasm, brainstem and spinal cord . In the present study, most patients who had residual tumors received a radical radiation dose: 67.6% patients (96/142) received a GTVnx V95% ≥ 95% and 83.1% patients (118/142) received a D95% ≥ 66 Gy. From the data in Table 5, we can see that the median GTVnx V95% value for the patients in the residual tumor group (97.2%) was significantly lower than that of the patients in the no residual tumor group (99.5%; P < 0.001). This indicates that the GTVnx V95% is one factor associated with the presence of residual tumors after treatment. However, the median GTVnx V95% values were not significantly different (P > 0.05) between the patients in the group of prescribed high doses > 73.92 Gy and in the group of low doses ≤ 73.92 Gy. The data indicate that increase of the prescribed dose cannot improve the GTVnx V95% and it may due to that the radiation dose in the tumor near the OAR had not been improved, instead of increased radiation dose in the normal tissues to lead to an increased risk of radiotherapy complications. There were 10 deaths from radiotherapy complications in our study. This may be the reason that elevation of prescribed radiation doses cannot improve survival outcome.
In the present study, we demonstrate that the presence of a MRI-derived residual tumor after IMRT is an important negative prognostic factor in the patients with locally-advanced NPC. However, this study has several limitations. First, this investigation was a retrospective analysis. Second, the follow-up time (3–6 years) may be too short to detect a relapse of tumor. Moreover, MRI has some shortcoming, we cannot rule out the possibility that abnormal signals on MRI may be due to a reactive change as a result of radiotherapy without the verification by pathology or PET-CT.
The presence of a residual tumor detected by MRI at the end of IMRT in patients with locally-advanced NPC is closely associated with a poor prognosis, which suggests a potential role for MRI in predicting local control and prognosis in patients with NPC. Additionally, elevating the prescribed dose after radical radiotherapy did not increase the GTVnx V95% or improve the outcome of survival in locally-advanced NPC received IMRT treatment.
This work was partly supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (81372792) and Hunan Department of Science and Technology Foundation, China (No. 2012FJ4321).
LFS and YXH have participated in the research design and conducted the experiments and follow-up. QZ, LS, YJZ, MJL and RW have conducted experiments and follow-up. LFS, YXH, YJZ and SC have performed data analysis. YXH and SC have written the manuscript. And all authors read and approved the final manuscript.
Dr. Shousong Cao is a Visiting Professor of Xiangya Hospital, Central South University.
Radiation Therapy Oncology Group RTOG protocol 0225. A phase II study of intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) +/− chemotherapy for nasopharyngeal cancer. Available at: www.rtog.org. Last accessed on July 15, 2014. | 2019-04-25T21:48:39Z | https://ro-journal.biomedcentral.com.preview-live.oscarjournals.springer.com/articles/10.1186/s13014-015-0401-0 |
KIDS 'R' KIDS INTERNATIONAL. INC.
F. FRANCHISOR desires to grant FRANCHISEE a license on the terms and conditions set forth herein.
The Kids 4R' Kids System is a comprehensive system for the operation of a child day care Center. The foundation of the Kids 'R' Kids system and the essence of this Franchise is the adherence by FRANCHISEE to all of the standards and policies of FRANCHISOR, including those providing for the uniform operation of all Kids 'R' Kids Centers; the use of only approved equipment and building layout and designs; and strict adherence to FRANCHISOR'S prescribed standards of quality, service, and care in FRANCHISEE'S operation. Compliance by FRANCHISEE with the Kids 'R' Kids standards and policies in conjunction with the use of the Kids 'R' Kids System provides the basis for the valuable goodwill and wide acceptance of the Kids 'R' Kids System. FRANCHISEE'S accountability for performance of the obligations contained in the Franchise and its adherence to the tenants of the Kids (R' Kids System constitute the essence of this Franchise Agreement.
(1) The provisions of this Franchise Agreement shall be interpreted to give effect to the intent of the parties stated in this Section 1, at the Kids *R' Kids Center, as hereinafter defined and as specified. This Franchise shall be operated in conformity with, and through strict adherence to, FRANCHISOR'S standards and policies as they exist now and as they may from time to time be modified, amended or expanded.
A. Grant of License. Subject to the terms and conditions set forth herein, FRANCHISOR, as agent for the owner of the Marks, hereby grants to FRANCHISEE during the term of this Franchise Agreement the nonexclusive right and license (the "License) to use the Kids 'R' Kids System and related service marks, trademarks and other marks (the "Marks") solely in connection with the operation of one Kids 'R' Kids Center at the Center Site. The only Marks which FRANCHISEE is entitled to use pursuant to this license are solely the Marks described on Exhibit A, which may be changed or supplemented from time to time by FRANCHISOR.
The license herein granted is limited to the operation of one Kids *R' Kids Center and nothing herein contained shall be deemed to grant to FRANCHISEE the right to purchase, own or operate additional Kids 'R' Kids Centers.
B. Use of Marks. Consistent with Section 5, Paragraph P, FRANCHISOR, as agent for the owner of the Marks, retains the sole and exclusive right and authority to control the nature and quality of each and every use of the Marks by FRANCHISEE, and FRANCHISEE shall comply with and abide by any and all such requirements or restrictions. The marks shall be used solely in connection with the services provided at the Center Site and only to identify products and services designated by FRANCHISOR. FRANCHISEE shall include the center number assigned to the Center Site by FRANCHISOR as a part of its trade name, and such center number shall be included as a part of FRANCHISEE'S telephone listings and referenced in all written communications or agreements with FRANCHISOR and any third parties. In the event it becomes advisable at any time, in FRANCHISOR'S sole discretion, to modify or discontinue the use of any one or more of the Marks or to use one or more additional or substitute marks, FRANCHISEE agrees at its sole expense to immediately comply with the instructions of FRANCHISOR in that regard, including without limitation replacing sign faces and otherwise physically complying with this obligation.
C. Area - FRANCHISEE'S Exclusive Territory. FRANCHISOR grants to FRANCHISEE the exclusive right to operate FRANCHISEE'S Center within the territory described in Exhibit B attached hereto and made a part hereof (the "Exclusive Territory"). In the event of renewal of the License, FRANCHISOR may redefine the Exclusive Territory based on the factors then used by FRANCHISOR in determining exclusive territories for its Kids 'R' Kids Center Franchisees. During the term of this Franchise Agreement and subject to the terms of this Franchise Agreement, FRANCHISOR shall not own, operate, sell or issue a license for any other Kids 'R' Kids Center to be located within the Exclusive Territory.
D. Adjustment to Exclusive Territory. FRANCHISOR reserves the right to adjust the Exclusive Territory from time to time if, in FRANCHISOR'S sole discretion, the population and demographics of the Exclusive Territory change to enable the Exclusive Territory, or any portion thereof, to support another Kids 'R' Kids Center. FRANCHISOR shall, in its sole discretion, determine the exclusive territory of the additional center, which may be limited to the radius or boundary initially established as the exclusive territory for the pre-existing Center. In the event that FRANCHISOR determined to change the Exclusive Territory at renewal, FRANCHISOR will give FRANCHISEE thirty (30) days written notice of such change, which shall set forth Franchisee's adjusted Exclusive Territory and which shall offer FRANCHISEE an option to purchase a new License to operate the Kids *R' Kids Center which FRANCHISOR proposes will service all or any portion of the remainder of the Exclusive Territory. Any such purchase shall be pursuant to the terms contained in FRANCHISOR'S then-current Franchise Agreement, with any modifications thereto deemed necessary by FRANCHISOR, which must be executed by FRANCHISEE prior to the end of such thirty (30) day period. If FRANCHISEE does not execute such then-current Franchise Agreement within such thirty (30) day period, FRANCHISOR may open or license another Franchisee to open such new Kids 'R' Kids Center. In any event, effective as of the end of such thirty (30) day period, the Exclusive Territory shall be adjusted as set forth in the notice from FRANCHISOR to FRANCHISEE described above.
E. Location. FRANCHISEE shall operate its Center from the following location only: ________________________________(the "Approved Location").
FRANCHISEE exclusively uses to carry out FRANCHISEE'S obligation in operations under this Agreement. FRANCHISEE acknowledges that FRANCHISOR'S acceptance or approval of said Center does not constitute any representation, warranty or guarantee by FRANCHISOR that said Approved Location will be a successful location for the operation of a Kids *R' Kids Center. FRANCHISEE may not operate the Center from any other Location or any additional locations without the prior, written approval of FRANCHISOR.
A. Franchise Fee. In consideration of the issuance of this Franchise and concurrently with the execution of this Franchise Agreement, FRANCHISEE shall pay FRANCHISOR at its principal offices, or at such other place as FRANCHISOR may designate, in cash, by cashier's check, or by certified check, unless otherwise permitted in writing by FRANCHISOR, an initial Franchise Fee in the total sum of Fifty Thousand Dollars ($50,000) (the "Initial Franchise Fee") which shall be payable pursuant to the terms of Paragraph B herein.
For each additional Franchise purchased from FRANCHISOR, FRANCHISOR will charge FRANCHISEE a Franchise Fee of Twenty-Five Thousand Dollars ($25,000).
(1) Execution of Franchise Agreement. Simultaneously with the execution and delivery of this Franchise Agreement, FRANCHISEE shall pay to FRANCHISOR the sum of Twenty-Five Thousand Dollars ($25,000) or Twelve Thousand Five Hundred Dollars ($12,500) in the case of any additional franchises). After such payment by FRANCHISEE, such portion of the Initial Franchise Fee shall not be refundable.
(2) Commencement of Improvements. Prior to or on the date FRANCHISEE signs a lease with respect to the Center Site or the date of commencement of the improvements or construction of the Center Site, whichever is earlier, FRANCHISEE shall pay to FRANCHISOR the sum of Twenty-Five Thousand Dollars ($25,000) (or Twelve Thousand Five Hundred Dollars ($12,500) in the case of additional franchises). After such payment by FRANCHISEE, such portion of the Initial Franchise Fee shall not be refundable.
(3) Additional Franchise. For each additional Franchise purchased from FRANCHISOR, FRANCHISEE shall pay one-half (1/2) of the Initial Franchise Fee as described in Subparagraph 3.B(1) and the balance as described in Subparagraph 3.B(2) herinabove, for the Franchise Agreement governed by the such Franchise(s).
C. Consideration Earned. FRANCHISEE hereby acknowledges and agrees that the grant of the License and the undertakings and agreements of FRANCHISOR contained in this Franchise Agreement constitute the sole and only consideration for the payment of the Initial Franchise Fee. The Initial Franchise Fee shall be deemed fully earned by FRANCHISOR as hereinabove specified, and no portion thereof shall be refundable to FRANCHISEE except as specifically provided for herein.
A. Term of Franchise. The initial term of this Franchise Agreement shall be for a period of Twenty-Five (25) years, commencing on the commencement date of this Franchise Agreement, unless this Franchise Agreement is executed pursuant to an assignment or other transfer arrangement, in which case, the term shall be the remaining portion of the term specified in the respective assignor's or transferor's Franchise Agreement and/or Lease Agreement. The term of this Franchise Agreement may be earlier terminated by FRANCHISOR, as provided in this Franchise Agreement.
The date this Franchise Agreement is executed by FRANCHISOR is the commencement Date of this Franchise Agreement. The Expiration Date of this Franchise Agreement shall be the date Twenty-Five (25) years after the execution of this Franchise Agreement by FRANCHISOR, unless terminated at an earlier date as otherwise provided herein.
Within one (1) year after execution of this Franchise Agreement, FRANCHISEE shall commence operations of the Center Site. FRANCHISEE'S failure to commence operation of the Center Site by the end of such time period shall be grounds for the termination of this Franchise Agreement.
(6) At the time of the execution of the new Franchise Agreement, FRANCHISEE shall not be in default of any term or condition of the existing Franchise Agreement or any other Agreement or obligation FRANCHISEE may have with FRANCHISOR, including, but not limited to all obligations to timely pay royalties, advertising contributions, interest and late charges and other properly chargeable amounts.
C. Holdover. If FRANCHISEE continues to operate after the end of any term hereof without exercising an option to renew, FRANCHISEE shall be deemed to be operating on a month-to-month basis under the terms and conditions of the Franchise Agreement then being offered by FRANCHISOR to new FRANCHISEES. However, in such event, FRANCHISEE may be terminated at any time upon ten (10) days written notice from FRANCHISOR. If local law requires that FRANCHISOR give notice to FRANCHISEE prior to the expiration of the term, this Franchise Agreement shall remain in effect on a month-to-month basis until FRANCHISOR has given FRANCHISEE such notice.
A. Name of Franchise. FRANCHISEE shall operate under the trade name "Kids *R' Kids" with the identifying number of the Center and, except as specified in the Kids 'R* Kids Confidential Operating Manual (the "Manual"), shall use no other name in connection with any operation conducted from the Approved Location specified in Section 2 hereof, without the prior, written approval of FRANCHISOR.
The right herein granted to use the name "Kids 'R' Kids" is nonexclusive, and the privileges herein granted are applicable only to the Approved Location and not elsewhere. FRANCHISEE shall display the aforementioned trade name Trade Mark symbol for all purposes, including but not limited to office signs, stationery, business cards and advertising materials which reflect the current image of FRANCHISOR, and shall maintain strict compliance with the requirements set forth in FRANCHISOR'S Manual.
All rights in and to the name "Kids 'R' Kids" and any part thereof or addition thereto and the use thereof shall be and remain the property of FRANCHISOR, and FRANCHISEE shall assign transfer, and convey to FRANCHISOR, by such instrument in writing as may be requested, all additional rights which may be acquired, if any, by reason of the use of such name by FRANCHISEE. Any application for registration by FRANCHISEE to use the name "Kids 'R' Kids," which may be required by the statutes or laws of any governing body, shall specify that FRANCHISEE'S use of such name is limited to such premises and limited as well by the terms of this Franchise Agreement. No property right in or privilege to use such name is created which will extend beyond termination of this Franchise Agreement. FRANCHISEE shall not interfere with nor attempt in any manner to prohibit the use or registration of the name "Kids 'R' Kids" by FRANCHISOR or any other FRANCHISEE of FRANCHISOR.
FRANCHISEE expressly acknowledges that the use of any other trade name in conducting such business of this Franchise is strictly prohibited, and that FRANCHISEE shall not permit the trade name "Kids (R' Kids" or any substantially similar style or spelling thereof, to be used for any other purpose, including but not limited to the formation of corporations, partnerships, business associations or any form of business organization.
(1) FRANCHISEE shall complete development of the Center and shall have the Center ready to open and commence the conduct of its business no later than one year from the date this Franchise Agreement is executed by FRANCHISOR.
(b) purchase or lease equipment, fixtures, furniture and signs as hereinafter provided; (c) complete the construction and/or remodeling, equipment, fixture, furniture and sign installation and decorating of the Center in full and strict compliance with plans and specifications approved by FRANCHISOR and all applicable ordinances, building codes and permit requirements; and (d) obtain all customary contractors' sworn statements and partial and final waivers of lien for construction, remodeling, decorating and installation services.
(3) FRANCHISEE shall purchase or lease all necessary furniture, fixtures, and equipment which comply with the standards and specifications set forth in FRANCHISOR'S Manual.
(4) FRANCHISEE shall attend and complete, to the reasonable satisfaction of FRANCHISOR, the Training Program offered by FRANCHISOR, as set forth in Section 6.
(5) FRANCHISEE shall obtain FRANCHISOR'S written approval that the Center is in compliance with FRANCHISOR'S requirements for opening and operating the Center.
(6) FRANCHISEE shall conduct business from the Approved Location only if and when the Center premises have been improved, decorated, furnished, and equipped with equipment, furnishings and supplies which meet FRANCHISOR'S specifications, standards and current image. The completed Center must be decorated, furnished, and equipped according to specifications approved by FRANCHISOR as determined by an inspection by a FRANCHISOR representative.
(7) FRANCHISEE shall obtain all certificates, licenses, bond: necessary for the operation of the business contemplated herein.
(8) FRANCHISEE shall establish to the reasonable satisfaction of FRANCHISOR that FRANCHISEE has or can assure the availability of the capital necessary to open and operate the Center Site, including sufficient working capital of at least $75,000, or other such similar or reasonable amount, as determined by FRANCHISOR.
(9) FRANCHISEE shall execute the Kressa School Leader Software Program Agreement; properly install in the proscribed computer system and ensure the ongoing working order of the Kressa School Leader Software Program, specifically including paying for all amounts due for the Software Program and all related fees; and submit a voided check from FRANCHISEE'S Center operating account to FRANCHISOR.
C. Insurance. FRANCHISEE shall secure and maintain insurance coverage, including general and products liability, property damage, building coverage, children's accident coverage, transportation coverage, if applicable, and any additional insurance required by FRANCHISOR with insurance carriers acceptable to FRANCHISOR and in accordance with FRANCHISOR'S current insurance requirements as set forth from time to time in the Manual. FRANCHISEE shall provide evidence of obtaining such insurance in the form of a certificate of insurance thirty (30) days after the execution of this Franchise Agreement or, with respect to a certificate of insurance for transportation services, prior to the commencement of transportation services. The coverage shall commence when FRANCHISEE first takes possession of the Center Site or, with respect to coverage for transportation services, prior to the commencement of transportation services. The coverage shall comply with the requirements of any lease or financing for the Center Site, and shall include coverage for such risks, and in such amounts, and subject to such policy limits and deductible amounts as FRANCHISOR shall determine, from time to time. In any event, the amount of coverage provided under any general liability insurance shall not be less than $ 1,000,000 per each occurrence with a $2,000,000 Annual Aggregate. Also including not less than a $1,000,000 umbrella policy. All insurance coverage, including all addenda and endorsements thereto, shall be written only on an occurrence form of coverage and not on claims made forms of coverage. The amount of liability coverage provided under any automobile insurance policy with respect to transportation services shall not be less than $1,000,000 per each occurrence. FRANCHISEE shall also carry such Workers' Compensation insurance as may be required by applicable law. In addition, FRANCHISOR may, in its discretion, require as a condition to approval of any supplier that such supplier include FRANCHISOR and FRANCHISEE as additional named insureds on such supplier's product liability insurance.
FRANCHISOR must be included as additionally named insured on all of the above liability policies. The certificate of insurance furnished by FRANCHISEE must provide for a twenty (20) day minimum notice of cancellation for all Liability, Worker's Compensation, and/or Auto Liability coverage and shall be written with insurers carrying an A.M. Best rating of A or better and licensed in the respective state. FRANCHISEE shall submit to FRANCHISOR annually a copy of the certificate or evidence of the renewal or extension of each such insurance policy.
FRANCHISOR reserves the right to specify reasonable changes in the types and amounts of insurance coverage required by this Paragraph C. Should FRANCHISEE fail or refuse to procure the required insurance coverage from an insurance carrier acceptable to FRANCHISOR or to maintain it throughout the term of this Franchise Agreement or any renewal thereof, FRANCHISOR may, in its sole discretion, but shall not be obligated to, procure such coverage for FRANCHISEE in which event FRANCHISEE agrees to pay the required premiums and/or to reimburse FRANCHISOR therefore immediately upon receipt of FRANCHISOR'S invoice therefore.
(1) Operate and manage its Center within the System in accordance with the standards; specifications, instructions, and procedures as set forth in the then current Manuals that have been made available to FRANCHISEE. FRANCHISEE acknowledges that FRANCHISOR has reserved the right, pursuant to Section 7 herein, to make changes to the System and FRANCHISEE agrees to be bound by any and all changes that may hereafter be made, after Thirty (30) Days written notice. The changes may include revisions to Manuals, store improvements, franchise procedures and operational refinements in the System, as well as revisions to FRANCHISOR'S management policies and product lines.
(2) Participate in the advertising programs of FRANCHISOR for local, regional, and/or national advertising and pay a proportionate part of the cost and expense of such advertising programs, as determined and set forth in Section 8, Paragraph G herein.
(3) Pay to FRANCHISOR in a timely manner all money due and owing, including, but not limited to, the initial franchise fee, royalties, product purchases or any other item, in order to maintain its Franchise.
(4) Keep and maintain records and reports as are prescribed by FRANCHISOR, including without limitation sales, inventory and expense information, and timely send copies of such reports and records to FRANCHISOR as set forth in Section 8, Paragraph E and Section 12 herein.
(5) Allow FRANCHISOR to make inspections, without prior notice thereof, of FRANCHISEE'S Center and records at any reasonable time, and to make FRANCHISEE'S books, bank records, tax returns and all other business records available for inspection and audit by FRANCHISOR during normal working hours. FRANCHISOR'S right to audit shall include the right to examine books, tax returns and records of other businesses owned, in whole or in part, or operated by FRANCHISEE to determine whether all revenue reported by FRANCHISEE has been properly reported by FRANCHISEE and that appropriate fees and contributions have been paid. FRANCHISOR has established a uniform list of accounts and/or a uniform bookkeeping system for all of its FRANCHISEES. FRANCHISEE agrees to maintain its books and records in the manner required by FRANCHISOR. In the event an audit of FRANCHISEE'S books discloses that royalties have been underpaid, by two percent (2%) or more, in any one (1) month period, FRANCHISOR may, in addition to any other remedy available under this Franchise Agreement or by law, require FRANCHISEE to pay the audit fees and any expenses, including attorneys' fees, incurred by FRANCHISOR in collecting the past due royalties and/or advertising contributions. Furthermore, the audit costs and related charges shall be in addition to the interest and/or late charges that would be owing for delinquent royalties, advertising contributions and related charges, which are accrued from the date they should have been paid had FRANCHISEE properly and timely reported the relevant transactions and otherwise complied with this Franchise Agreement to the date said amounts are paid, at the rates specified in this Franchise Agreement.
(7) Not operate any other business and/or engage in any activity from the Approved Location, either under FRANCHISEE'S Franchised trade name or under any other name without the prior, written consent of FRANCHISOR.
(8) Place and display, in the lobby of the Center, a conspicuous sign or plaque which indicates that "Kids 'R' Kids" is Independently Owned and Operated as a Franchise."
(9) Not place the Kids <R' Kids logo or any of FRANCHISOR'S Marks or have any reference to Kids *R' Kids in any manner on any product not furnished or approved by FRANCHISOR.
(10) Advertise only in a manner, e.g., newspaper, TV, radio, magazines, etc., that will develop customer confidence in FRANCHISEE and FRANCHISOR'S products and program, and not use any advertising which may mislead or deceive the public. FRANCHISEE further agrees to discontinue any advertising that FRANCHISOR may reasonably find to be injurious to FRANCHISOR'S business or likely to deceive or mislead the public. All advertising and promotions to be employed independently by FRANCHISEE must be submitted to and approved in writing by FRANCHISOR prior to the use thereof, which approval shall not be unreasonably withheld.
(11) Exercise full and complete control over, and have full responsibility for any and all labor relations, including the hiring, firing, disciplining, compensation, and work schedules of employees.
(12) Pay promptly when due all taxes, accounts, liabilities and indebtedness of any kind incurred by FRANCHISEE, including but not limited to all suppliers, in the conduct of the Center.
(13) Not depart from the substance or manner of sale and presentation of FRANCHISOR'S product, except as authorized by FRANCHISOR, the Manuals or any other documents made available by FRANCHISOR, without prior written approval of FRANCHISOR.
(14) Make all sales on the basis of cash or credit card. Cash includes U.S. currency, personal checks (with proper identification), and travelers' checks (with proper identification). FRANCHISEE shall be solely and entirely responsible for the collection of the proceeds of sales and services.
(15) Obey all federal, state and local laws pertaining to the operation of the Center.
same at its own expense, unless the litigation concerns some negligent or willful act of FRANCHISEE. In that event, FRANCHISOR shall have the right to prosecute the action, but FRANCHISEE shall have the obligation to reimburse FRANCHISOR for any and all costs, including but not limited to attorneys' fees and court costs.
(17) Maintain the interior and exterior of the Center Site and the surrounding area in the highest degree of cleanliness, orderliness and sanitation and comply with the requirements of the Manual regarding the upkeep of a Kids 'R' Kids Center.
(18) Operate the Center Site during the hours and on the days prescribed in the Manual.
(19) Maintain an approved parental viewing internet system in and at the Center Site at all times throughout the term of the Franchise Agreement.
(20) Provide FRANCHISOR, immediately upon FRANCHISOR'S request and demand, with any and all parental viewing internet system passwords and/or any master password, so that FRANCHISOR may have access to and inspect FRANCHISEE'S parental viewing internet system and Center Site; and obtain, on the forms and in the manner so designated by FRANCHSIOR, all parental consents for this disclosure to FRANCHISOR.
(21) Cooperate with FRANCHISOR in ensuring the proper ongoing operation, use and maintenance of the Kressa SchoolLeader Software Program, and/or any other similar software program which FRANCHISOR may require from time to time, specifically including, but not limited to, the payment of all amounts due for the Software and for services relating to the software and to FRANCHISOR and the submission of all reports and fees, in the manner and as required by FRANCHISOR from time to time.
E. Direct Supervision. FRANCHISEE acknowledges that it is a material consideration to FRANCHISOR in granting this franchise that FRANCHISEE'S Center shall be under the direct, on-premises supervision of FRANCHISEE or, in the case where FRANCHISEE is a corporation or a partnership, by a principal thereof who has been approved in writing in advance by FRANCHISOR, unless otherwise specifically approved by FRANCHISOR in writing. FRANCHISEE (or the pre-approved person designated) shall devote its entire time (excluding reasonable vacation periods) which shall be no less than thirty (30) Hours per week to the management of the Center; provided however, that if FRANCHISEE shall own more than one (1) Kids 'R' Kids Center, each center owned by FRANCHISEE shall be under the direct, on-premises supervision of a principal of FRANCHISEE with at least a ten percent (10%) ownership interest in the profits and losses of FRANCHISEE (a) who shall have completed, to the satisfaction of FRANCHISOR, such training as FRANCHISOR shall specify; (b) whose identity shall have been disclosed to FRANCHISOR; and (c) who shall have executed upon request by FRANCHISOR, an agreement in form satisfactory to FRANCHISOR agreeing not to divulge any trade secret, confidential or proprietary information, including the contents of the Manual or to engage in or have any interest in any other child care center.
responsibility for the day-to-day management and operation of the Center Site and supervision of personnel FRANCHISEE or at least one Center Director shall be required to be present at the Center Site during all hours of operation. FRANCHISEE may replace any Center Director and FRANCHISOR may, at its option, require any such replacement employee to complete FRANCHISOR'S training program as described in Section 6, Paragraph A hereof.
G. Personnel. FRANCHISEE shall hire, train and supervise Center Site employees in accordance with the specifications set forth in the Manual. All personnel employed by FRANCHISEE at the Center Site must meet every requirement imposed by applicable law and by FRANCHISOR as a condition to their employment at the Center Site. All persons employed by FRANCHISEE having access to any confidential information, knowledge or know-how concerning the Kids *R' Kids System shall execute a noncompetition and nondisclosure agreement in a form satisfactory to FRANCHISOR in its sole discretion. FRANCHISEE shall be liable to FRANCHISOR for any unauthorized disclosure by any of FRANCHISEE'S affiliates, shareholders, directors, officers, employees or agents or such other persons or entities obtaining access through FRANCHISEE.
H. Menu. FRANCHISEE agrees that it will serve up to 2 meals and 2 snacks per day and will serve both hot and cold meals. FRANCHISEE understands that FRANCHISOR provides FRANCHISEE with suggested menus of the food items to serve; however, FRANCHISEE is solely responsible for and must comply with any and all state guidelines regulating menu standards. FRANCHISOR must approve the quality of the food served and/or any vendors which are not pre-approved suppliers.
the Center ready to open and commence the conduct of its business no later than one (1) year from the date which FRANCHISOR executes this Franchise Agreement (the "Opening Date"). If FRANCHISEE shall not complete all required training and open the Center by the Opening Date, then this Franchise Agreement and the Franchise granted hereby may; at the sole option of FRANCHISOR, be terminated upon the giving of written notice to FRANCHISEE by FRANCHISOR. Thereafter, FRANCHISEE shall have no further nor other rights, claims, or causes against FRANCHISOR arising out of the grant of this Franchise, or any matter related to the facts causing or allowing such termination.
public may associate the Kids 'R' Kids System and its trade name, logo and Marks, FRANCHISEE must sell all the products and services which FRANCHISOR requires from time to time, and shall sell no product, service or other item at the Center Site other than items approved by FRANCHISOR. FRANCHISEE shall not, without FRANCHISOR'S prior written consent, sell, dispense, give away or otherwise provide services, FRANCHISOR'S products or any products bearing the Marks. FRANCHISEE shall maintain a supply of fresh and packaged food products sufficient to meet the daily demands of the children and teachers at the Center Site. All supplies and materials used in the operation of the Center shall conform to the specifications and quality standards established by FRANCHISOR from time to time.
(1) Equipment. FRANCHISOR shall provide FRANCHISEE with specifications for menu items, dispensing, storage and display equipment, fixtures, furniture, exterior and interior signs and decorating required for the Center. Specifications may include minimum standards for performance, warranties, design and appearance and local zoning, sign and other restrictions. FRANCHISEE may purchase or lease original and replacement equipment, fixtures, furniture, signs and decorating services meeting such specifications from any source. FRANCHISEE must purchase its Initial Equipment Package from our approved supplier, Childish Creations. Thereafter, if FRANCHISEE proposes to purchase lease any item of equipment or furniture or any fixture or sign not theretofore approved hy FRANCHISOR as meeting its specifications, FRANCHISEE shall first notify FRANCHISOR and FRANCHISOR may require submission of sufficient specifications, photographs, drawings and/or other information and samples to determine whether such item of equipment, furniture, fixture or sign meets its specifications. FRANCHISOR shall advise FRANCHISEE within ninety (90) days whether such item meets its specifications.
(2) Approved Suppliers. FRANCHISEE must purchase the Approved Equipment from suppliers approved and designated by FRANCHISOR (the "Approved Suppliers"). Unless elsewhere provided for in the Manual or in this Franchise Agreement, FRANCHISEE may purchase equipment, supplies, forms and food products required under this Franchise Agreement from any source, provided the supplier meets the standards established from time to time by FRANCHISOR and is an Approved Supplier and provided that the items to be purchased are in strict accordance with the standard specifications of FRANCHISOR, all as more specifically described in this Franchise Agreement and in the Manual. If FRANCHISEE purchases any of the Approved Equipment, supplies or novelty items from FRANCHISOR, FRANCHISOR may require FRANCHISEE to execute a Supply Agreement in substantially the same form as Exhibit H attached hereto.
If FRANCHISEE proposes to use in or purchase for the operations of the Center Site any product, supply, material, equipment or furnishing not accepted by FRANCHISOR, FRANCHISEE shall first notify FRANCHISOR and request the approval of FRANCHISOR which shall be in FRANCHISOR'S sole discretion. Upon FRANCHISOR'S request, FRANCHISEE shall submit to FRANCHISOR sufficient information regarding such product, supply or material to FRANCHISOR and/or samples for examination by FRANCHISOR. FRANCHISOR shall also have the right to require that its representatives be permitted to inspect such supplier's facilities. FRANCHISOR shall notify FRANCHISEE within ninety (90) days of its approval or disapproval. As a condition for acceptance of any new supplier, FRANCHISEE shall reimburse FRANCHISOR for its expenses in connection with any such examination, testing or inspection.
Nothing contained in the Franchise Agreement or Offering Circular shall be deemed to require FRANCHISOR to accept an inordinate number of suppliers for a given item which acceptance in the reasonable judgment of FRANCHISOR would result in higher costs generally to FRANCHISOR'S FRANCHISEES or prevent the effective and economical supervision of its approved suppliers by FRANCHISOR.
out or obsolete equipment, fixtures, furniture and signs; (b) the substitution or addition of new or improved equipment, fixtures, furniture and signs; (c) redecorating, (d) repair of the interior and exterior of the premises and repair and resurfacing of parking facilities; and (e) structural modifications and remodeling of the premises. FRANCHISEE shall not be required to make aggregate expenditures for refurbishing in excess of three percent (3%) of the gross sales of FRANCHISEE'S Center from the date of its opening to the date of any required refurbishing or to affect any refurbishing of the Center during the last twelve (12) months of the term of the Franchise.
L. Prices. FRANCHISOR may from time to time offer guidance to FRANCHISEE relative to prices for the products and services of the Center that in FRANCHISOR'S judgment constitute good business practice. FRANCHISEE shall have the sole right to determine the minimum prices charged.
M. Manual. In order to maintain uniform standards of operation for a Kids 'R' Kids Center and to protect the goodwill of FRANCHISOR, the Kids 'R' Kids System and the Marks, FRANCHISEE agrees to follow the methods and standards of operation established by FRANCHISOR and set forth in the Manual, as amended from time to time. FRANCHISOR shall lend FRANCHISEE one copy of the Manual prior to the opening of the Center Site. FRANCHISEE shall treat the Manual as confidential, and shall be liable to FRANCHISOR for any unauthorized disclosure by FRANCHISEE or any of FRANCHISEE'S affiliates, shareholders, principals, directors, officers, employees, agents or other such persons or entities obtaining access through FRANCHISEE. FRANCHISOR, at its sole discretion, shall require FRANCHISEE, its principals, affiliates, shareholders, directors, officers, employees, agents or all other persons or entities obtaining access of any confidential information, knowledge or know-how, including but not limited to information in FRANCHISOR'S Manual, to execute a noncompetition and nondisclosure agreement in a form satisfactory to FRANCHISOR in its sole discretion.
N. Specifications and Procedures. FRANCHISEE agrees to fully comply with all specifications, standards and operating procedures and rules from time to time prescribed for the Center, including, without limitation, specifications, standards, and operating procedures and rules relating to: (a) the safety, maintenance, cleanliness, sanitation, function and appearance of the Center premises and its equipment, fixtures, furniture, decor and signs; (b) qualifications, dress, grooming, general appearance and demeanor of FRANCHISEE and all employees of FRANCHISEE and the Center; (c) advertising and promotion; (d) use of standard forms; (e) use and illumination of exterior and interior signs, posters, displays, and similar items; (f) the handling of customer complaints; and (g) the posting of signs identifying FRANCHISEE as the owner of the Center in accordance with FRANCHISOR'S requirements.
O. Compliance with Ordinances. FRANCHISEE shall secure and maintain in force all required licenses, permits and certificates and shall operate the Center in full compliance with all applicable laws, ordinances and regulations, including without limitation all government regulations relating to: occupational hazards and health, consumer protection, unfair and deceptive practices, trade regulation, workers' compensation, unemployment insurance and withholding, and payment of federal and state income taxes; social security taxes; property taxes; and sales and use taxes.
FRANCHISEE agrees to pay when due all amounts payable by FRANCHISEE pursuant to any provision of this Franchise Agreement or any other agreement with FRANCHISOR or its affiliates or subsidiaries or pursuant to any agreement with any other creditor or supplier of the Center.
P. Marks. Consistent with and in addition to the terms and conditions regarding FRANCHISOR'S marks set forth in Section 2, Paragraph B, FRANCHISEE acknowledges that FRANCHISOR is the Registered and Common Law owner of all Trade Names and/or Marks licensed to FRANCHISEE by this Franchise Agreement and all usage thereof by FRANCHISEE and any goodwill established thereby shall inure to the exclusive benefit of FRANCHISOR. FRANCHISOR has registered the Kids 'R' Kids Mark with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. FRANCHISEE agrees to use each Mark in full compliance with rules prescribed from time to time by FRANCHISOR. FRANCHISEE shall not use any Mark as part of any corporate name or with any prefix, suffix or other modifying words, terms, designs or symbols (other than logos licensed to FRANCHISEE hereunder), nor may FRANCHISEE use any Mark in connection with the sale of any unauthorized product or service or in any other manner not explicitly authorized in writing by FRANCHISOR. FRANCHISEE shall immediately notify FRANCHISOR of any infringement of or challenge to FRANCHISEE'S or FRANCHISOR'S use of any Mark or claim by any person of any rights in any Mark, and FRANCHISEE shall not communicate with any person other than FRANCHISOR and its counsel in connection with any such infringement, challenge or claim. In the event any of FRANCHISOR'S trademarks are challenged by third parties claiming infringement of alleged prior or superior rights in such marks, FRANCHISOR shall have the option and right to modify or discontinue use of the trademarks and adopt substitute trademarks in FRANCHISEE'S geographical business areas and in such other areas as FRANCHISOR chooses. FRANCHISOR'S liability to FRANCHISEE under such circumstances shall be limited to the cost of replacement of FRANCHISEE'S signs and advertising materials in effecting such modifications, discontinuance or adoption of substitute trademarks.
(1) Authorization. FRANCHISEE may only provide transportation services to and from the Center Site and for Center-related field trips with and for the children. FRANCHISEE shall not provide any other transportation services without FRANCHISOR'S prior, written approval.
(2) Geographic Scope. No FRANCHISEE is specifically limited to providing transportation services within its Exclusive Territory, and any Franchisee may provide transportation services within another Franchisee's Exclusive Territory.
(3) Compliance with Laws. FRANCHISEE agrees to comply with all applicable laws, rules and regulations of the State Department of Human Resources and any other governmental agency in connection with the provision of transportation services by FRANCHISEE, including submitting vehicles used by FRANCHISEE for inspection and approval by the State Department of Human Resources and/or such other governmental agencies. FRANCHISEE shall perform regular maintenance with respect to each vehicle used in FRANCHISEE'S business and shall keep each vehicle in good operating condition and repair, normal wear and tear excepted. In no event shall FRANCHISEE use any vehicle which is not then currently in good condition and repair and/or which imposes any safety hazard to any person.
(4^ Insurance. Prior to commencing transportation services FRANCHISEE shall secure and maintain the insurance coverage with insurance carriers acceptable to FRANCHISOR and in accordance with FRANCHISOR'S insurance requirements as specifically set forth in Section 5, Paragraph C herein and in the Manual. FRANCHISEE shall provide to FRANCHISOR evidence of obtaining such insurance prior to commencing transportation service and on an annual basis thereafter. FRANCHISOR may require additional types or specify the amounts of insurance in addition to that required by Section 5, Paragraph C hereof which FRANCHISEE must obtain prior to the commencement of transportation services. Any such additional requirements or specifications may be provided by FRANCHISOR to FRANCHISEE in writing and shall be controlling in all cases and in the event of any conflict between such requirements and specifications and those required by Section 5, Paragraph C.
(5) Drivers. FRANCHISEE agrees that each of its employees serving as drivers in connection with the provisions of transportation services shall have (a) acquired a Commercial Drivers License; and (b) completed and executed with FRANCHISEE, FRANCHISOR'S most current form of Driver Agreement, a copy of which is attached hereto as Exhibit J. FRANCHISEE shall send a copy of the Driver Agreement executed by and between FRANCHISEE and each of FRANCHISEE'S employees serving as a driver to FRANCHISOR within five days following its execution. FRANCHISEE shall require each of its drivers to obtain and maintain insurance for at least the coverage and the amounts as required by FRANCHISOR from time to time for Kids 'R' Kids System drivers. FRANCHISEE shall be solely responsible for the hiring and supervision of all of its drivers.
FRANCHISEE either acquires the Center Site or enters into a lease approved by FRANCHISOR for the Center Site, FRANCHISOR shall provide FRANCHISEE (or a pre-approved principal of FRANCHISEE) and one (1) additional person who has been designated by FRANCHISEE to be the Center Director or assistant center director responsible for the day-to-day operation of the Center Site and accepted in advance in writing by FRANCHISOR, with training in the operation of a Kids 'R' Kids Center. FRANCHISEE'S expenses incurred in attending such training program include, without limitation, costs for FRANCHISEE'S and the additional person's wages, meals, lodging and transportation. Such training will be conducted at a Kids 'R' Kids child care center located in the metropolitan Atlanta, Georgia area or at another location designated by FRANCHISOR for approximately six (6) full consecutive days, or as otherwise deemed appropriate by FRANCHISOR. FRANCHISOR shall bear the cost of such training except for any cost and expenses attributable to transportation, room and board, wages and other personal expenses of such individuals. In the event that any of such person fails to complete FRANCHISOR'S training program to the satisfaction of FRANCHISOR, FRANCHISEE shall have the option, at its sole cost and expense, of sending a replacement to FRANCHISOR'S initial training program in place of each such individual An employee of FRANCHISEE who has successfully completed FRANCHISOR'S initial training program to the satisfaction of FRANCHISOR shall be referred to herein as a "Qualified Employee." Successful completion of such initial training program by FRANCHISEE or its principal and one (1) Center Director or assistant center director as described above is a condition to the opening of Center Site to the public.
(2) Center Opening Assistance. In addition to FRANCHISOR'S initial training program, FRANCHISOR shall also provide one operational supervisor for a period of up to ten (10) business days to assist in the opening of FRANCHISEE'S Center Site. FRANCHISOR shall bear the cost of such training.
(3) Additional Training. If, at any time after the opening of the Center Site, FRANCHISOR determines that FRANCHISEE or the Qualified Employee requires additional training, or if FRANCHISEE hires an additional or replacement employee for a Qualified Employee and FRANCHISOR determines in its sole discretion that FRANCHISEE is unable to adequately train the new employee, or if there has been a sale of the Center Site or assignment of Franchise Agreement and FRANCHISOR determines in its sole direction that additional training is required, FRANCHISOR may require that the new employee satisfactorily complete such training as may be designated by FRANCHISOR. FRANCHISEE shall pay FRANCHISOR the then current training fee charged by FRANCHISOR for any additional training designated by FRANCHISOR or requested by FRANCHISEE. FRANCHISEE shall also be responsible for the costs and expenses of FRANCHISEE and any of its employees, as described in this Section 6, and any costs and expenses of FRANCHISOR and any of its employees, in connection with such additional training.
conditions immediately upon being advised of the same. FRANCHISEE shall pay FRANCHISOR'S reasonable and customary travel expenses with respect to one inspection visit by FRANCHISOR per calendar quarter, including FRANCHISOR'S travel, lodging, meals and other out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with such inspection visit.
C. Products. Supplies and Materials. Following the execution of this Franchise Agreement, FRANCHISOR shall use reasonable efforts to make available for purchase from FRANCHISOR'S designated manufacturers or suppliers the Approved Equipment and all other products required or approved by FRANCHISOR for use in connection with the Center Site, all to the extent FRANCHISOR'S suppliers are able to supply the same. FRANCHISEE shall purchase the Approved Equipment and all other products required from a supplier who complies with FRANCHISOR'S supplier acceptance. guidelines as described in Section 5, Paragraph J of this Franchise agreement.
D. Manual. FRANCHISOR shall without charge, lend to FRANCHISEE one copy of FRANCHISOR'S Confidential Operating Manual all amendments, revisions and supplements thereto, which contain specifications, standard operating procedures, requirements, bookkeeping methods, marketing and advertising techniques and other rules prescribed from time-to-time by FRANCHISOR. All Manuals shall remain confidential and the property of FRANCHISOR. FRANCHISEE shall pay to FRANCHISOR Five Hundred Dollars ($500.00) for each and every Manual or any part of it that is not returned to FRANCHISOR upon termination or transfer of this Franchise Agreement.
E. Operating Assistance. FRANCHISOR shall furnish to FRANCHISEE such reasonable operating assistance in connection with the operation of the Center as FRANCHISOR determines from time to time to be necessary. Operating assistance may include advice and guidance with respect to: (a) hiring and training employees; (b) formulating and implementing advertising and promotional programs; and (c) the establishment and maintenance of administrative, bookkeeping, accounting, and general operating procedures. FRANCHISOR shall advise FRANCHISEE from time to time of operating problems of the Center disclosed by reports submitted to or inspections made by FRANCHISOR. FRANCHISOR shall make no separate charge to FRANCHISEE for such operating assistance, provided that FRANCHISOR may make reasonable charges for forms and other materials supplied to FRANCHISEE and for operating assistance made necessary, in the judgment of FRANCHISOR, as a result of FRANCHISEE'S failure to comply with any provision of this Franchise Agreement or any specification, standard or operating procedure prescribed by FRANCHISOR, or operating assistance requested by FRANCHISEE in excess of that normally provided by FRANCHISOR. At any time, during the term of the Franchise Agreement, if FRANCHISEE desires the "on hand" assistance of trained FRANCHISOR personnel, FRANCHISOR, upon written request by FRANCHISEE shall provide corporate representative(s) to assist FRANCHISEE at FRANCHISEE'S Center. Such assistance will be provided to FRANCHISEE pursuant to Paragraph A(3) herein. FRANCHISOR may charge a reasonable fee in satisfaction of these services, not to exceed Five Thousand Dollars ($5,000) for services provided within one calendar quarter.
facilitate the transfer of FRANCHISEE'S Franchise and Center Site. FRANCHISOR has the right and privilege not to provide any such services to FRANCHISEE. Prior to providing any such services, FRANCHISEE must sign FRANCHISOR'S then current form of Franchise Site Transfer Assistance Agreement and pay FRANCHISOR a flat fee of Thirty Thousand Dollars ($30,000).
FRANCHISOR reserves the right to modify the Kids 'R' Kids System and the Manuals at any time, and from time to time by the addition, deletion or other modification to the provisions thereof, provided that such modification shall be made only to the extent necessary or desirable and in the sole judgment of FRANCHISOR to protect FRANCHISOR'S Marks and goodwill, to comply with any applicable law, statute, judicial or administrative decision, or to improve the quality of products and services offered to the public.
A. Royalty Fees. In consideration of the rights granted to FRANCHISEE under this Franchise Agreement, FRANCHISEE agrees to pay FRANCHISOR a Royalty Fee of five percent (5%) on the total Tuition Sales and Drop-in Sales, as defined below, generated from the operation of the Center (the "Royalty Fee" or "Royalties"). FRANCHISEE'S obligation to make Royalty payments to FRANCHISOR shall commence on the earlier of ninety (90) days after the Opening Date of the Center or on the date when the Center reaches its first enrollment of 125 children, whether said children are full or part time. All Royalties paid to FRANCHISOR are nonrefundable.
C. Manner of Payment. FRANCHISEE shall pay the Royalties to FRANCHISOR by electronic funds transfer, in cash or by check, as required by FRANCHISOR, to be received by FRANCHISOR not later than Friday of each week. Such Royalties shall be calculated from the Gross Sales of the immediately preceding calendar week, which week shall end at the close of business on Saturday. FRANCHISOR may require FRANCHISEE to use and pay for all required computer software programs and accompanying services, including the Kressa SchoolLeader Software Program, to calculate amounts due, prepare and submit the required weekly and other reports, and/or remit the Royalties due under this Franchise Agreement. FRANCHISEE is required to cooperate with FRANCHISOR in the use of any software program and in the payment of all amounts due hereunder.
D. Late Payments. Pursuant to the terms of the Franchise Agreement, any delinquent Royalty payment shall bear simple interest until received by FRANCHISOR (computed at the highest interest rate allowed by law or at the rate of one and one half percent (1.5%) per month, whichever is less). To compensate FRANCHISOR for the increased expense incurred in connection with the late payment of any Royalty payment, FRANCHISEE shall pay, upon demand, in addition to any interest or other charges, a late charge of twenty-five Dollars ($25.00) for each delinquent Royalty payment. Such late charge is not to be construed as interest but is solely to compensate FRANCHISOR for increased costs due to the late payment of such Royalty Fee. In addition, FRANCHISEE must reimburse FRANCHISOR for all costs and expenses, including reasonable attorney fees, incurred in collections and determination of amounts due hereunder, where permitted.
At any time that FRANCHISEE is seven (7) days in arrears in the payment of a weekly Royalty Fee, an invoice for materials and/or products purchased from FRANCHISOR, and/or the fling of reports due FRANCHISOR hereunder, FRANCHISOR, in its sole discretion, without thereby canceling or terminating this Franchise Agreement and without thereby prejudicing FRANCHISOR'S other rights and remedies including the right to terminate this Franchise Agreement for the same cause or for any one or more causes, may cease providing FRANCHISEE with the services and products including promotional materials herein provided for until such time as FRANCHISEE is current in the payment of fees and filing of reports. The failure of FRANCHISOR to provide such services during that period shall not be deemed a breach of this Franchise Agreement.
FRANCHISOR reserves the right to demand all late payments be paid by cash, certified check, cashier's check, money order, or wire transfer.
(4) Such other reports as may be reasonably required from time to time by FRANCHISOR, all on forms designated by FRANCHISOR, together with any supporting documentation required by FRANCHISOR.
FRANCHISOR reserves the right to request or download reports from FRANCHISEE'S computer system.
FRANCHISEE shall pay all collection charges.
(1) Advertising and Marketing. Recognizing the value of advertising for the furtherance of the goodwill and public image of FRANCHISEE and the Franchise System, in those states where FRANCHISOR has not established a Kids 'R' Kids Advertising Fund (the "Advertising Fund"), described in Sub-Paragraph (3) herein, FRANCHISEE shall expend on advertising during each calendar month an amount equal to at least one and one-half percent (1.5%) of Gross Sales for the preceding month. In states where FRANCHISOR establishes and for so long as FRANCHISOR maintains the Advertising Fund, FRANCHISEE may expend any amount on local advertising which FRANCHISEE in its sole discretion determines.
(2) Advertising bv FRANCHISEE. All advertising by FRANCHISEE shall be conducted in a dignified manner and shall conform to the standards and requirements prescribed by FRANCHISOR. All local and any other form of advertising by FRANCHISEE must be approved in advance in writing by FRANCHISOR. FRANCHISEE shall continuously maintain white pages telephone directory listings and yellow pages display advertisement, of a size no less than two inches by six inches (2.5" x 6"), in the Bell Companies telephone book(s) which cover the area in which the Center Site is located (the "Area"). Further, FRANCHISEE shall be required to jointly advertise within the Area on a pro rata basis in the Area yellow page display advertisement.
FRANCHISOR periodically provides various marketing items which FRANCHISEE may purchase to be distributed to customers at their Center. FRANCHISOR will make these items available to FRANCHISEE at FRANCHISOR'S cost plus a minimal handling charge not to exceed twenty percent (20%). FRANCHISEE has the option of refusing to purchase any promotional product provided by FRANCHISOR. | 2019-04-23T16:40:38Z | http://www.freefranchisedocs.com/kids-r-kids-international-Franchise-Agreement.php |
My final TOS Homeschool Crew review! This one is for Peterson Directed Handwriting.
Unfortunately, when I received these, we were already using two other programs for the Crew that involved handwriting, so I tried to finish up those reviews before diving in to this one. Which means I didn't get as much actual experience with Peterson as I would have liked.
Air Writing: the student points at the large model and writes in the air as they chant the action words. The suggestion is to do this in different ways. My kids just love air writing with their elbows!
Finger Tracing: Using the pointer finger, the student chants and traces on paper.
Write and Say: this is the first point that a pencil is used -- starting on unlined paper, the student chants and writes the letter until they are able to make fairly consistent letters. At that point, he can move to lined paper.
The chant for a letter like "b" (in print) is: "Tall down, Roll around." Just so you have an idea as to what I'm talking about when I talk about action words or chants!
As I expected, Trina is really still too young for this. She is having fun saying the chant, doing the air writing (she LOVES that part), and finger tracing. But she stresses out when we get to the Write and Say step. So I'm just telling her that she doesn't have to do that part until she either a) wants to, or b) is in kindergarten. When she thinks I'm not watching though, she'll get a dry erase pen and practice on the (unlined) white board, chant and all. I think that is plenty for a 4 year old.
Richard is doing great with the kindergarten book, and so far, I haven't felt the need to pull out anything from the first grade level. I figure we'll just work through the K workbook, and then move on to the first grade one.
Thomas. Yeah, Thomas. He's finishing up third grade, and the Printing Fluently book seems to be a step ahead of him. In this book, they are working on printing at a slant instead of the straight up and down. He is struggling with that. I think he'll be okay once he sees it a bit more, and as he continues to work with it. Right now, though, he's a bit frustrated.
William and Connor (finishing fifth and seventh grades) started with the Cursive book, as they both can print legibly, though more slowly than I'd like. That was not a good fit. They begged to do Printing Fluently with Thomas, so I do have the three of them in that level together. They are not struggling with the slanted printing, though it is new to them. I think it will make transitioning to cursive much easier.
Overall, I feel great about Peterson Directed Handwriting. It does take Mom Time as it is not something I can just hand them to do. But just handing them a workbook was not leading to fluency in handwriting. Peterson pushes fluency. Another great part -- the ebooks are quite inexpensive (about $20 each), especially as you can use them for everyone.
Their website is chock-full of information, and you can even view the pdf's of their e-books here. At the very least, I highly recommend reading through the website and watching the various demonstrations. Even if you don't decide to purchase their materials, I think it will give you a little something to think about with your handwriting students.
Disclaimer: As part of the TOS Homeschool Review Crew, I did receive free products from Peterson Directed Handwriting. The fact that I received complimentary products does not guarantee a favorable review. It does guarantee a review. A fair review. But I am not going to praise something unless I think it deserves the praise. If I don't like it, you'll hear that. And hopefully with enough detail as to why so you can decide for yourself if what I hate about it makes it perfect for your family. For more about my take on reviews, visit my blog post here.
I wasn't quite sure what to expect from Shattered by Frank Pastore. I vaguely remembered him pitching for the Twins in 1986 when I was a student at the University of Minnesota. Vaguely. But I really did not know much of anything about his story.
One thing I have found, though, is that I like stories about sports heroes -- real sports heroes, not just the famous great players, but ones I want my boys to look up to. So I dug in.
I read the first couple of chapters. And starting with chapter 3 ("Fat Kids Can Dream Too") I was hooked, barely putting the book down from that point on.
An easygoing style, with lots of great anecdotes -- some happy, many sad, some downright scary -- I found it easy to relate to Frank's story at times. Even when I couldn't relate to the things going on in his life, some of the big questions he had really clicked. He is candid about some of the miserable things he experienced, and about some of the miserable decisions he made. His relationship with his parents wasn't magically cured when he became a Christian... and I really liked that he talked about that.
Reading about a family whose lives were totally transformed by their newfound faith was inspiring. Reading that even after that conversion, they still had those "shattered" times was inspiring too. I felt like I was actually reading about a real person who has endured real struggles and real disappointments. Which, of course, I was.
Since I wrote the post on the TOS Blog for this product, I'm going to copy some of it verbatim, just to get me started. One of the final companies I get to review this year is Classical Legacy Press, and I'm reviewing their Latin program here.
Classical Legacy Press offers products for Latin and Logic, two of the three subjects of the trivium (Rhetoric being the third). These products include The Great Latin Adventure (Levels 1 and 2), and Logic I: Tools for Thinking.
Each level of the program consists of a teacher’s manual and a student book. A pronunciation CD is included. And there is nothing else to buy, except for 3-ring binders to put the loose-leaf books into.
Classical Legacy Press has a FAQ page for the Latin program, and many samples available as well. While at their website, you can also check out Logic I: Tools for Thinking and read more about the company and their products.
Okay, so now you know the basics of the program. But how did it work in my family? Yikes, that is going to be really difficult to address. Unfortunately, we received this just as life started to get crazy. Our school life goes in cycles... January is a great time to start something new, as is July through September. April is not. So, we really did not get far at all.
So based on not getting nearly far enough into this, here is a recap of my experience with it.
The customer service has been incredible. That is something I always appreciate with a company.
The product comes as three-hole punched pages ready for you to put into a binder. With front, back, and spine pages so that you can recognize your Latin book on the bookshelf. I love when I don't have to pay extra to ship things like three ring binders.
I sat down with the teacher book for Level 1, and I was thoroughly impressed by the detail. Katharine Birkett intends this to be used to "further the revival of Christian classical education" and for the product to be usable by parents (and teachers) who did not themselves receive a classical education.
What #3 means, though, is that this is not a program you can order a couple of weeks before you plan to start using it. Or at least I couldn't. I think you need to plan for at least a couple weeks to read the introductory materials and the teacher materials for the first two chapters (the first chapter is on pronunciation and its setup is different from the remaining ones). The introductory pages alone are over 30 pages, the teaching notes for chapter 1 are 10 pages, and for chapter 2 there are another 6 pages of teaching notes.
The content is "family friendly" meaning specifically that mythology and Roman deities are not included. I go back and forth on my opinions about that. On the one hand, I love that I can work through materials of my choice (D'Aulaires' Greek Myths being my favorite for this age group, followed by Roman Myths by Geraldine McCaughrean). On the other hand, there is something nice about having that scheduled out for me.
The program uses Classical pronunciation, and although I prefer Ecclesiastical, I'm going ahead and using the pronunciation given. There isn't enough of a difference for me to get too stressed out about it. If you want to use Ecclesiastical, you could skip chapter 1, and not use the pronunciation CD.
Monday: go over vocabulary words, start grammar lesson, start derivative worksheet. Vocabulary includes I love/to love, I shout/to shout, and, I work/to work, not. My kids already knew these words, which makes it even easier. Grammar lesson includes learning first conjugation present tense for amo (my version - I love, you love, he loves, we love, y'all love, they love). Derivatives include a dozen words in eight groups (a group would be collaborate, collaborator), and the student is reading the definitions, and writing out the Latin word and definition. My kids adore the derivative part of the lesson. Yeah, I've got etymology geeks in my family.
Wednesday: continue grammar lesson, start study sheet, finish derivative worksheet. For grammar, we worked on the conjugation for porto (I carry). Derivative work involves putting the English words into sentences.
Monday: Review a bit, finish first translation worksheet. The translation worksheet has them translating three ways... so cogito can mean I think, I do think, or I am thinking.
Friday: start second translation worksheet, study for vocabulary pre-quiz. Translation involves filling in conjugation charts, and the three ways of translating like on Monday.
Monday: take vocabulary pre-quiz. Complete second translation worksheet. Translation involves more Latin to English. The quiz does both Latin to English and English to Latin vocabulary, and some work with prefix/suffix definitions.
Wednesday: go over second translation worksheet answers, study for chapter quiz.
Friday: take chapter quiz. The quiz is two pages, and honestly is longer than my pencil-phobic children can handle. I'm actually having my kids do one page Thursday and one on Friday.
The English to Latin chapters also do more work with derivatives. And there are four translation worksheets plus the quiz.
Keep in mind that we have used a number of Latin programs. Powerglide, Prima Latina, Latina Christiana I, Minimus, Lively Latin, Getting Started with Latin, Henle, Wheelock, Oerberg... and undoubtedly I have forgotten some. We own all of these, and now Great Latin Adventure.
My plan is to continue with Great Latin Adventure for my rising 4th and 6th graders.
We may use Lively Latin for the history, mythology and art. But GLA is going to be our primary program. I think the explanations for ME are fantastic.
My rising 8th grader is going to work through both Levels 1 and 2 at a very accelerated pace. The introductory materials give suggestions for doing that. The plan is to be doing roughly a chapter per week, unless he gets to a point where he is bogged down. I think he needs a different approach for awhile, and I like the explanations given here.
They were announcing the queen's great victories to the inhabitants with loud trumpets.
The earth and stars declare the glory of God's wisdom.
And the price? I'm impressed. $45 to get the teacher and one student book for Level 1, without binders. Level 2 is the same price. The student book is only $15, so additional students are quite inexpensive.
I will be following up with a review in August or so. I will also be reviewing their Logic program in late summer/early fall.
Disclaimer: As part of the TOS Homeschool Review Crew, I did receive free products from Classical Legacy Press. The fact that I received complimentary products does not guarantee a favorable review. It does guarantee a review. A fair review. But I am not going to praise something unless I think it deserves the praise. If I don't like it, you'll hear that. And hopefully with enough detail as to why so you can decide for yourself if what I hate about it makes it perfect for your family. For more about my take on reviews, visit my blog post here.
One of the final TOS Homeschool Crew items we received was a delightful book from Kregel Publications: Andrea Carter and the Trouble with Treasure by Susan Marlow. I was a little concerned when we received it -- first, it is the fifth book in a series, and while my boys are very open to reading books where a girl is the main protagonist, they are still boys, and I'm always a bit hesitant.
I needn't have worried. First, there were a couple of references to things that (I assume) happened in previous books, but it certainly was not necessary to have read them in order. Second, while the story is all told from Andi's perspective, there are great male characters involved too. Obviously their stories are shown through the lens of a 13 year old girl, but she isn't male-bashing in her thoughts.
The story takes place in and around Fresno shortly after the California Gold Rush. Andi has a friend, Jenny, visiting and they are planning a trip into the mountains with Andi's big brother Mitch. Another friend their age, Cory, is coming along as well, and they aim to escape the summer heat and do some gold panning.
We enjoyed the book, or at least everyone over age 5 did. Trina, uncharacteristically, chose to go play rather than listen. I think this whole series would make great reading for a tween girl this summer. If I had girls, I would seriously look at purchasing more. For my boys though, well, if I find some at used book sales, I'll probably pick them up.
Disclaimer: As part of the TOS Homeschool Review Crew, I did receive this book for free from Kregel Publications. The fact that I received complimentary products does not guarantee a favorable review. It does guarantee a review. A fair review. But I am not going to praise something unless I think it deserves the praise. If I don't like it, you'll hear that. And hopefully with enough detail as to why so you can decide for yourself if what I hate about it makes it perfect for your family. For more about my take on reviews, visit my blog post here.
I only have three reviews left to write for the TOS Crew this year! I cannot believe how fast the year has gone. I love all three products, but with as crazy as spring has been, I haven't used them as much as I'd like in order to give a decent review. Thus the hesitation in getting them posted.
I'm trying to make some big decisions for next year. Seriously looking at a couple virtual academies for my older two. I'm not sure I can handle the idea of my kids being public school students, I know Dale isn't comfortable with that thought, but we're trying to make a decision that truly is in their best interests. Connor being able to get advanced coursework in math and science sounds wonderful. William being able to get professional help with reading sounds wonderful too.
How come the only Saturday in May that I don't have four or five places I'm supposed to be at once is Memorial Day weekend? I'm not complaining. Just wondering.
June, by the way, does not look any better.
I want a working dishwasher. I'm sick and tired of washing dishes. I know, I'm supposed to go in with a song in my heart, grateful that my family has food to dirty up those dishes, and feel great about how I'm blessing my family by providing clean dinnerware. I'm terribly jealous of those of you who can do that. Instead, I go in, resenting this broken contraption that is supposed to make my life easier, and wishing I wasn't such an ungrateful wretch that I think I deserve a working dishwasher.
While I'm being open and honest about my frustrations here, I want a car that works. I hate feeling trapped in my house. I hate feeling like I'm putting everyone's life at risk when we do go anywhere. Did I mention I feel trapped?
Wind. Oh. My. It was really going on Monday. You read stories about the pioneer women out here on the prairie going stark raving mad. Days like Monday help me to really, truly identify with them. Especially while I'm washing dishes and moping about the fact that I don't dare to drive my boys to Scouts. The one point where I decided to venture out, the wind ripped the door from my hands and threw me across the yard. It's been bad before, but I've never been thrown around. It took four of us to get the door closed again.
Trying to plan out the summer is tough sometimes. I applied for a reading program for William & Thomas, but I haven't heard anything about that. I applied for scholarship funds for swim lessons for all of the kids but I haven't heard about that either. Of course, I did both of those before the van started acting up. So now I'm worried that they'll get in only we won't be able to get them there. Sigh.
And I'm just tired. I think I need a nap. Maybe a nap would improve my outlook.
What I really need is a homeschool conference. At least I ought to be getting the mp3s from the Schoolhouse Expo this weekend.
Oh, and I think I'm going to splurge on a game this weekend. For ME. From Big Fish Games. If you get on their mailing list, they are supposed to be sending a 30% off code good this weekend. That means a bit under $5. I'm thinking about something totally fluffy like Mall-a-palooza. I should do something that is a bit more intellectual, like Brainiversity. Or, really, I should use that $5 for something we actually need.
Aren't you glad you came over to read my ventings for today?
Of course, Amy is headed off on a road trip today, so I'm not sure how quickly she will be getting back to me. How perfect though... winning this gift card when heading out to visit Neena and Papaw.
but wow, I am just exhausted. Long, long day, and we didn't even do everything I had hoped.
And I sunburned my nose.
So I guess any posting about the Scout camping last weekend, or swim lessons, or just life in general is going to have to wait.
Because I am going to bed.
Okay, so the girl near the center is Trina... she loved her free swim lesson.
The idea is that you can join the site (did I mention it is free?), network with other people, and have a means of keeping track of the stuff you own, the stuff you are willing to lend out to other people, the stuff you want to sell, things you want, and more.
You can create private communities on Lobster Network, so if you are part of a group -- local or virtual -- you can network with them for things you can lend out or things you'd like to borrow.
I have not had nearly enough free time to play on this yet (my username though is footprints -- so if you join, please request me to be your friend!) but I would love to invite the moms in our scout troop to join and become a private group. It would feel great to know that they could ask to borrow my Apologia Botany book (for example) and we would both get a reminder when it was "due" back.
I'm also hoping (this weekend?) to start getting some things input on there, not just so I could let friends of mine borrow my stuff, but so I know what I have... and while the process to input things into Lobster Network is easy, well, getting my life organized enough so I can do that is another matter!
Disclaimer: As part of the TOS Homeschool Review Crew, I was asked to join this free site and write a review. No compensation was given. As always, I am not going to praise something unless I think it deserves the praise. If I don't like it, you'll hear that. And hopefully with enough detail as to why so you can decide for yourself if what I hate about it makes it perfect for your family. For more about my take on reviews, visit my blog post here.
Motor Oil. You wanted to learn about motor oil today, didn't you?
Did you know that the average age of cars and light trucks on the roads today has reached 9.4 years? I know we're bringing that average up (our vehicles are 1998-2000) and keeping these older cars running makes taking care of them more important than ever.
So I jumped at the chance to offer you the opportunity to learn more about oil, oil changes... and to give one of you a free (or nearly free) oil change at Jiffy Lube.
To enter the giveaway, visit Motor Oil Matters and poke around a bit. There is a lot of information, and an interactive quiz (I scored 100%, thank you very much!) and if you come back here and leave a comment telling me either your score on the quiz, or something you learned on the website, you are entered in my giveaway to win a $35 Jiffy Lube gift card.
You probably want to live somewhere near a Jiffy Lube, I need to have some way to contact you, and you need to enter by midnight Mountain Time on Monday, May 24.
Disclosure: MotorOilMatters.org and Shell Lubricants provided me with the gift card and information through MyBlogSpark.
My daughter squealed when we opened the package containing my latest BookSneeze book, God's Promises for Girls by Jack Countryman and Amy Parker. She carried it around with her, and insisted I read the first few sections immediately. I was happy to comply.
It's a small book -- roughly 7" by 5" and only 128 pages. Perfect size for Trina to be carrying around, and perfect size for me to not worry about having time enough to read.
And thank God for giving them to you!
Verses such as Micah 7:7, Job 22:26-27, Acts 10:4 and 2 Thessalonians 3:3 and 3:5 follow, and the illustration has Mom, Dad, Grandma, Grandpa, two kids and a teddy bear around the table praying.
My daughter adores this book, and I'm quite pleased as well.
Now, THIS is a homeschooling book I can get excited about. Sonya Haskins wrote Homeschooling for the Rest of Us, subtitled "How Your One-of-a-Kind Family Can Make Homeschooling and Real Life Work."
Incredible book. Absolutely wonderful. I'm keeping this one on my shelf and referring to it often.
What I am used to, unfortunately, is homeschooling books that make me feel inadequate. Beautifully matched children smiling while they sight-read a symphony, with captions about how they all were admitted to Harvard on full-ride scholarships when they were 12. I stare at that, wondering why I can't even manage to get my children into clean clothing. Or at least not all of them on the same day.
This book is different. It doesn't tell me that there is one way to homeschool. It doesn't paint a perfect picture. It does talk about dirty houses, miserable days, and just generally reassures me that I don't have to be perfect to homeschool. It is, in fact, for "the rest of us" -- those of us who sometimes have it together, but sometimes don't.
I've been a homeschooler since my first child was born just over 13 years ago. In terms of "real" homeschooling, I suppose I've been at it 8 (K-7) or 9 (if you count a year of PreK) years. This is the first book I've read that really left me feeling like I am doing okay. And maybe I'm more insecure than most, but I really need a book that affirms me and my not at all perfect homeschool.
I'd recommend this book to anyone.
The TOS Crew Mates voted on their favorite products this year, for the Seaworthy Awards. The results were just announced, and I wanted to share those results with you. I linked my reviews of the products (all but two of the winners... one I haven't written yet, one I reviewed a different product).
It's been fun going over some of the highlights of the past Crew year. Of course, our family's favorite product didn't make the list... so once I finish up my last four reviews (next week), I'll have to do a wrap-up post of my own!
I finally finished Chasing Francis by Ian Morgan Cron. It took me a LONG time to get into it, but somewhere around the 1/3 of the way point, well, I could barely put it down. Basic plot is: Evangelical church planting minister has a major crisis of faith. Calls on his uncle, who happens to be a Franciscan monk over in Italy, and is invited to come on a pilgrimage. Learns lots about St. Francis, but even more about himself. Comes back to his church a different man, and deals with the repercussions of that.
The story is semi-biography (of St. Francis of Assisi), but also something of a tour of modern Catholicism, at least as carried out by the Franciscans, through the eyes of an evangelical pastor in need of some major healing and a fresh perspective. It is somewhat of a commentary on the church of today. Somewhat of a recipe for what might be needed for the church to stay relevant in post-modern culture. And at points, it is laugh out loud funny. His description of the Italian nuns boarding a bus... very funny.
I'm finding the book to be fascinating. I only knew a little bit about St. Francis before reading this book. And it is a little weird for me to be looking at Catholicism (past and present) through the eyes of an evangelical, since I'm not in either camp myself. I can't identify with all of where Chase is coming from, nor can I identify with the friars. But the story gave me so much to think about. I highly recommend this to, well, pretty much anybody.
I found the parallels drawn between our time and the time of Francis to be really interesting. Francis lived at a time when the world was turning upside down, and the Western Church was trying to define itself in this new age. One point being made in the book is that we live in a similar time of change, and the church(es) today is trying to define itself in this new age.
I didn't even see the study guide in the back of the book until I was about halfway through. So I will have to come back to the book (after a friend reads it!) and work through the study guide on my second journey through.
So, the last couple of weeks have been a little crazy in our house. Connor was trying to actually record community service hours and finish those last pesky requirements for a couple of merit badges. William was trying to finish off a couple of things too. And they both did it.
William -- he got the chance to tell about poisonous plants in our area (and I learned that Poison Ivy exists in every state east of the Rockies... except North Dakota. I had no idea that the cold kept plant riff-raff out too!) We made a trip to the post office to lower, raise, lower and fold their flag. I think Sam was quite pleased to not have to go out in the wind to do it!
And on Monday night, he had his Scoutmaster conference, and his Board of Review, and he is now a Tenderfoot Scout. I heard that he promised to work on being clean. And I also heard that he knocked one out of the park with his answer about what "on my honor" means.
Connor -- he has been seriously procrastinating on interviewing someone so he could "introduce" them (his only remaining requirement for Communications). And he had a couple experiments to do for Environmental Science. He finished both merit badges last week, and finally actually recorded his community service time.
As part of the Old Schoolhouse Homeschool Crew, I had the opportunity to review a preschool program called Ideal Curriculum.
Literacy: The program teaches letters and sounds, introduces approximately 100 sight words, works on developing motor skills and other writing skills, explores phonemic and phonological awareness, and develops oral language and vocabulary. Included in this program is music and games along with the print-based materials.
Math: Ideal Curriculum works on basic math concepts such as the number line, rote counting, one-to-one correspondence, cardinality, adjacent values, an basic shapes and number recognition. The Calendar portion works on various concepts of time. The plans include a weekly math lesson and a weekly calendar lesson.
Science/Social Studies: Each unit has a different theme involving science or social studies. Within the theme are included picture books, sequencing stories, vocabulary lists, suggestions for library books to supplement the study, and lots of oral language and vocabulary activities. There are lots of hands-on suggestions in the daily lesson plans.
The transportation part was excellent. A pretty lengthy list of books you can look for at the library, which is a huge plus for me.
The transportation unit includes a lot of great suggestions for things to talk about with your preschoolers. A statement I saw repeatedly was the reminder that you need to not just do the activity, but discuss it. And to use specific vocabulary. On Day 1, you are discussing wheels and axles.
The literacy and science sections include a variety of activities -- electronic picture books, hands-on activities, music, games, and more.
The literacy section also includes some great teacher coaching, so you understand a bit more about the concepts you are addressing in the activities.
The literacy section especially has a lot of great repetition, which is great for preschool ages.
It is pretty clearly laid out, so teacher prep is minimal.
The math section. Instead of 20 daily lessons like in the literacy and science sections, the math/calendar section includes two weekly lessons (one math, one calendar).
Okay, so I know my kids are not exactly normal when it comes to math. But I was wholly unimpressed with the math concepts being addressed. Maybe it is appropriate for a three year old, but my four year old was way past it, and it was painfully basic for my six year old.
So, to keep ragging on the math -- I know math is not considered as important as learning to read, but... really, 10 minutes per week for math? That seems way too light.
Since I am homeschooling five kids, and my PreK/K kids are the youngest ones, I just had a very difficult time finding the time to do these activities. We just have so much else going on.
Overall, I like the program, but it is not something that would be worth the money for my family right now. When my oldest kids were in the PreK/K range there is a lot that would have been valuable to me though, especially the suggestions for discussion and vocabulary. I could have used more guidance when I was just starting out. For less money, I would be tempted to get this for just Trina, as I know she would really enjoy a lot of the themes.
But -- I would absolutely add more for math.
Oh! And if you use the code welovekids when you order in May, you will receive 10% off.
Disclaimer: As part of the TOS Homeschool Review Crew, I did receive the transportation unit (month 1) for free from the publisher. The fact that I received a complimentary product does not guarantee a favorable review. It does guarantee a review. A fair review. But I am not going to praise something unless I think it deserves the praise. If I don't like it, you'll hear that. And hopefully with enough detail as to why so you can decide for yourself if what I hate about it makes it perfect for your family. For more about my take on reviews, visit my blog post here.
The TOS Review Crew is voting on Crew Awards... one of the categories has to do with the kids favorite product. I called my kids in to discuss what the Brinkman clan was going to choose for that category, intending to read through everything we've reviewed this year and then chat a bit.
Richard, my six year old, immediately tells me that he doesn't need to hear the list. His favorite product is Madsen Method. So I promised him we would pick that up and just he & I would be working on it.
In discussion, Maestro Classics ended up being our vote.
I posted a couple days ago about the Madsen Method, at least enough to describe what it is and my initial reactions. I've been procrastinating about trying to write up how it worked for us. If you didn't read my original post, I'd encourage you to go check it out before you read this one.
First, this was a product that we had to "opt in" to review. That involved some wonderful conversations with Joe Madsen. He patiently explained the overall philosophy of the program and talked about ways I could implement the program with my gang. I cannot say enough positive things about the customer service. Anyway, after a lot of back and forth, I committed to working with The Madsen Method with my children and writing about our experiences.
I was pretty overwhelmed with the package when it arrived. There is a LOT of material. And it arrived when we were on our break between school years. I spent more time on the phone with Joe Madsen trying to figure out how this whole thing worked. And we geared up to start in January.
The first section is teaching the basic methodology. A big part of that is learning how to go into the "Learning Position" and they need to be able to say it so that they can do it. So our first hang-up with the Madsen Method was that we couldn't find anywhere to work where my kids could get into the learning position. Basically, we have the living room couches, where we do 95% of our schoolwork, and we have the dining room table.
So we spent some time trying to figure out a way to make "the learning position" work, and finally revised the script and moved on. Of course, that was the point that everyone started taking turns being sick. For six weeks.
In retrospect, I should have just worked with whoever was functioning, and let others catch up. At least when it wasn't Richard (the 5 -- now 6 -- year old) who was sick.
We finished up Section 1 though, and there were some really great things about that. But I really struggled with the sheer quantity of words used in the teacher materials. And my kids started complaining. Especially the older two (11 and nearly 13).
And honestly, reading the report cards at the end of the section, and that I was supposed to not only fill out a report card about how I did in exactly following everything in the manual to the letter but also I was to mail it in... well, ummm, I don't know how to phrase this. But one reason I homeschool is because I don't exactly like exactly following what other people think I should do. The report card was really the point where I started to get frustrated. I really want the freedom to tweak, condense, or even skip... and I don't feel like I can do that with Madsen. And did I mention that my older kids were really starting to complain?
So we moved on to Section 2. This is where you do actually start taking a pencil to paper and you learn to make lines and circles or parts of circles. This temporarily stopped the complaints. And I was really liking some of what I was starting to see with my kids. Just getting the point that every letter needs to touch the base line and the middle dotted line, and that they do NOT touch the top line and the lower dotted line... well, that made an immediate difference in my kids' handwriting.
Moving at the pace of my now 6 year old was agonizingly slow for my older group. So they once again started to rebel. Somewhere around the 17th kind of short line they were back to wanting to completely give it up.
We kept going, and I do see the benefits. But it just moves too slow for my older kids, and their attitude is horrible now. Around the start of the 3rd section (where you learn to draw numbers), I called my mother. I needed someone to listen to what we were doing and tell me to buck up and finish what I committed to. But as I was explaining to her that the kids groan when I pull this out, and I end up yelling at them every single session because I am just so beyond frustrated with their lousy attitude -- well, it occurred to me that we are not accomplishing anything at this point. And I put it away.
I feel guilty. Because as I look at the last section of this first level, I really can see why it is that we are going through all this laying the foundation work, and I love what is happening there. But I cannot get my kids through the foundation part. At least not the big ones.
So after saying all of that... I am seriously considering working with Thomas starting in August and working through this with him, one on one. I think without the griping of his big brothers, he would benefit greatly from the methods used in this program.
I think in January, when Richard and Trina are nearly 7 and nearly 5, we will pull it out and start them together. Because I think this program has some amazing potential when used from a younger age.
But as for me and my house, I simply cannot get my normally compliant older children to click with Madsen.
Disclaimer: As part of the TOS Homeschool Review Crew, I did receive Part One of the Madsen Method for free from the publisher. The fact that I received a complimentary product does not guarantee a favorable review. It does guarantee a review. A fair review. But I am not going to praise something unless I think it deserves the praise. If I don't like it, you'll hear that. And hopefully with enough detail as to why so you can decide for yourself if what I hate about it makes it perfect for your family. For more about my take on reviews, visit my blog post here.
Oh, I'm so excited! It's too late to sign up for Schoolhouse Expo, though you can still get the mp3 version (with freebies, and I think it is going to be well worth it!). Susan Wise Bauer is speaking in a couple of minutes.
But I wanted to tell you about something fun regardless of whether you are signed up... the Vendor Hall. It's free for everyone. And WOW!! There are a bunch of companies I've never heard of (Taylor University, Better Chinese, Steps4Kids, MrMadison.org) and a lot I do know and love (Apologia, Rainbow Resources, Science Jim). Some of the vendors have freebies (Spears Art Studio, Latin Road/Phonics Road, Real Science 4 Kids, among others).
This is the final Blog Cruise topic of the school year, and that really makes me sad. I can't believe this year is winding to a close. But today's question is an important one: How do you help your child if he is struggling to learn?
There are so many directions I could go with this question. I've composed a few blog entries in my mind, but none seemed quite right. I'm not an expert. I may play one in my family drama, but I am not really an expert even with my own kids.
Many of you know that my second son, William, is dyslexic. Very definitely dyslexic. And while this could be a post on how to teach a dyslexic child, I don't think that is where I'm going.
Pray. Pray for your child.
Don't be afraid of labels. You don't necessarily need expensive tests -- sometimes you can do your own research. Having a "dyslexia" label on William really was the turning point. I was able to read what others have experienced, and get a glimpse of how he sees the world. And figure out some ways to get through to him. He has made SO much progress in the last year and a half. I wish I had been more open to investigating what was really going on far earlier than I was.
Don't be limited by labels. 'Dyslexia' does not define my son. 'Struggling reader' does not define him either. He is so much more than that, and it is so very easy to lose sight of that.
Get creative. Don't limit what your child can learn based on what he can't do. In my case, it is the reading (and writing) that is difficult. So I get a lot of audio books. I do a lot of reading aloud. I try to find math programs that don't require him to do a lot of reading. He may be starting VideoText Algebra in the fall (6th grade). I refuse to hold him back in math, science, history or whatever based on his difficulties in reading a story problem or a text.
Along those lines, don't get so focused on shoring up your child's weaknesses that you forget to let him bloom in his strengths. That goes for struggling learners and non-struggling ones too. Let them soar where they can, but work on their weaknesses too.
Teach coping strategies. My oldest struggles with spelling. So, yes, I am teaching spelling, and probably will all through high school. But I'm also teaching him about using a spell-check program. Reality is that much of what he will write in the future will involve computers. So, let's learn the ins and outs of spell-check. What types of errors won't it catch?
Pray. Pray for your child's teacher.
Find someone you can express your concerns to and not worry that she will think less of you or your kids. And express your fears, struggles, challenges and joys. Being able to verbalize what is going on may help you to see it more clearly.
Get your child out of situations that cause emotional turmoil. One reason I homeschool is so my children don't have to deal with the constant pressure of bullies, and of kids who pick on anyone they see as "slow" in whatever way. Life is too short to put up with people who make a sport out of belittling anyone.
Don't try to keep up with the Jones's. Measure that struggling learner against himself -- not against siblings, local school kids, or members of the nearest co-op. Is he progressing?
That's all folks... I'm falling asleep while typing. But those... those are my thoughts.
I'll link up to the Blog Cruise tomorrow. I can't do more tonight.
The TOS Crew Blog is sponsoring a question of the week every Tuesday. Watch for what my Crew Mates have to say about struggling readers tomor today!
Madsen Method. I had never heard of it prior to seeing it on the vendor list for the TOS Review Crew last summer sometime. So what is it? English for Life is its "other" name... and that sums it up... basically, it is intended to be an entire K-12 language arts program. Coming in four parts, it is everything you need except paper and pencil, and you can work through all of "language arts" in 6-8 years.
Section 4: learning sounds and writing for the circle letter phonograms, along with reading, vocabulary, writing, etc.
Section 5: learning sounds and writing for the remainder of the alphabet, including reading, writing, vocabulary, etc.
The teaching books. Five of them. The first book is for sections 1-3. The second book is section 4. Section 5 is split into three books.
Part One builds the foundation for what is to come. Part Two continues to build that foundation, introducing the rest of the English phonograms. The child is learning rules for which phonogram to choose when there are multiple ways of spelling a sound. (Like long a -- how many ways can you come up with to spell that sound? There are lots.) The child is learning lots of writing skills as well, both from dictation and then independently.
Part Three teaches cursive writing, more advanced grammar, Greek and Latin roots, and lots and lots of writing -- letters, poems, short stories, etc. Part Four will teach intensive grammar, more writing practice, report writing, and lots more.
I look at Parts Three and Four, and I want to get there. I understand that I need to build the foundation first, which is why I am using Part One (which is intended to be a complete K-1 Language Arts program, or a remedial program for older children) with even my 7th grader.
Why did I want to use this program? A big part of it is that William struggles so much with language arts, and this really seemed like something that would walk him through things in a step-by-step way, truly building a base of knowledge. A big emphasis of the Madsen Method is that the learner is to SAY and do, so they are HEARing their voice explaining the concept, and they will finally SEE their own work. The emphasis is not on seeing the material and copying it. It is on learning to tell yourself what to do. I think this is going to make a huge difference for William especially, but for the rest of my kids too.
Connor, too, needs help in language arts. None of my children write terribly well (I'm talking the physical act of writing out the letters AND the ability to create a coherent sentence, paragraph, or report on paper). My children all struggle with spelling. For everyone, I think going through something systematic will be a very good thing.
What concerns me? Well, I am always leery of any program that claims to be THEE way of doing/learning/teaching pretty much anything, or that claims to work for everyone. Honestly, that is my biggest concern.
Another thing is that at the end of each section, you are supposed to send a "teacher report card" in to the Madsen's. I printed off the first one, but have not been able to bring myself to fill it out just yet. I know that the Madsen's are asking for this because they want to be able to help me and my kids, but I don't like the idea of it at all. I can't explain it, but it rubs me the wrong way.
...the idea of spending this much time on information that my kids already basically know. I'm thinking of Connor specifically here. Working with him on how to hold a pencil, or what the 'reading direction' is doesn't exactly seem like a good use of his time -- time he could be spending on his Latin or Biology homework.
So I'm trying to figure out how to make this work in my home. Do I do Madsen multiple times a day, working with different groups of kids? I could work with just Connor, and move pretty quickly. William and Thomas could move at a decent clip, but slower than Connor. And I could either move at a fairly slow pace with Richard, or wait a while and work with both Richard and Trina in the fall.
Or do I continue to move at a pace where I wait for everyone to master the material before moving on?
I don't know... I know that if I could get Connor working at his own pace, I'd be more comfortable with what he is getting out of his time investment. But I know I won't be able to purchase Level 2 anytime soon. What a dilemma!
Any questions? I'd love input as I try to write more about this program this week (see here). And you can read what other crew members thought at the TOS Homeschool Crew blog. | 2019-04-24T03:51:53Z | http://www.debrabrinkman.com/2010/05/ |
On May 13, 1917, in a field called Cova da Iria near the Portuguese village of Fatima, "a beautiful lady from Heaven", shining like the sun and standing on a cloud over a beech tree, appeared to three children: Lucia Dos Santos (age 10) and her two cousins, Francisco (9) and Jacinta Marti (7). Lucia saw and heard the Madonna and spoke with her. Jacinta also saw and heard her, but did not speak, and Francisco only saw the Virgin.
and delivered a prophecy that would change the world.
The radiant being spoke with the children for several minutes, and asked them to meet her again at the same place on the 13th of each month until October. Then, she promised, she would identify herself.
The Madonna reappeared six times in all, and the reports of the events drew increasing crowds of spectators. About 50 persons attended on June 13, and nearly 70,000 were present on October 13. Many witnesses saw a bright cloud over the beech tree, but only the three children could see and hear the woman.
They were given prophecies concerning World Wars I and II as well as the world wide spread of communism. But their third prophecy was not officially released until recently...and there are those who maintain that the real revelations were not disclosed by the church.
At the behest of a group of political activists and doubters who wished to "put an end to the nonsense," the civil prefect of Outrem seized, interrogated and threatened the children for two days in the hope of forcing a confession of fraud from them. Though the children had been prevented from meeting the Madonna on August 13, she appeared to them on August 19 at Valinhos, near the site of her first appearance. The Madonna then told them that she would appear a final time on October 13, and then produce a miracle.
It whirled upon itself with mad rapidity, then advanced, blood red, towards the Earth, threatening to crush us with its weight." Terrified spectators fell to their knees in prayer. The sun returned to normal, then twice again repeated the prodigy. In addition, the rain-soaked clothes of the audience dried out during the brief time of the solar phenomenon.
On May 13, 1917 a luminous Apparition of the Virgin Mary appeared to three peasant children and delivered a prophecy that would change the world.
Investigations into the Fatima event have proved that the miracle of October 13, 1917 was seen over an area of 32 miles by 20. An area of over 600 square miles.
The three children - Lucia, Jacinta and Francisco took their flock of sheep to a natural hollow in the ground known as the Cova da Iria to graze, just outside the town of Fatima in Portugal. While the sheep were grazing the children began to play. Suddenly there was a flash of lightening. The children looked up, bewildered into the sky. The day was quiet pleasant and there was no sign of a storm. They started to gather the sheep thinking a storm was brewing in the distance when there was a second flash that caused total concern.
A few meters away stood a Lady of dazzling light. Their eyes were unable to comprehend the lady's brilliance and beauty . The children smelled rose.
"Where are you from?" Lucy managed to ask.
"What do you want of us?" asked Lucia.
"I came to ask you to come here on the thirteenth day for six months at the same time, and then I will return here a seventh time."
After several other messages the lady asked finally for them to recite the Rosary daily before she rose in a cloud of light and glided away into the eastern sky. Lucia warned her cousins to say nothing of what they had seen out of fear of disbelief, but Jacinta was too excited. Predictably Jacinta told her parents about the Apparition and there was a general reaction of disbelief. Lucia`s mother was convinced that her child was lying and punished her continually when she refused to deny her story. Other children laughed at them and even spat at them.
But the visions of Mary -- and her series of prophecies remained apparent to the three children.
At first, Lucia, Francisco and Jacinta had great difficulty trying to share what they had seen, because the government of Portugal was heavily opposed to religion at that time.
Francisco and Jacinta died in an influenza pandemic within three years of the 1917 "dance of the sun."
Lucia went on to become a nun. She told the church the details of Fatima prophecies, the first parts of which have common public knowledge for many years.
A short time later another vision appeared.
"I looked at the sun and saw it spinning like a disc, rolling on itself. I saw people changing colour. They were stained with the colours of the rainbow. The sun seemed to fall down from the sky . . . The people said that the world was going to end . . . They were afraid and screaming."
- Antonio de Oliveiro, Farmer.
"Suddenly the rain stopped and a great splendour appeared and the children cried: 'Look at the sun!' I saw the sun coming down, feeling that it was falling to the ground. At that moment, I collapsed."
- Maria Candida da Silva.
"I looked and saw that the people were in various colours - yellow, white, blue. At the same time, I beheld the sun spinning at great speed and very near me. I at once thought: I am going to die."
"Before the astonished eyes of the crowd, whose aspect was biblical as they stood bareheaded, pale with fright, eagerly searching the sky, the sun trembled, made sudden incredible movements outside all cosmic laws - the sun 'danced' according to the typical expression of the people. Standing at the step of the Torres Novas bus was an old man, whose appearance in face and figure reminded one of Paul Deroulede. With his face turned towards the sun he recited the Creed in a loud voice . . . Afterwards, I saw him going up to those around him who still had their hats on, and vehemently imploring them to uncover their heads before such an extraordinary demonstration of the existence of God. Identical scenes were repeated elsewhere, and in one place, a woman cried out in a gasp of surprise: 'How dreadful that there are some men who do not even bare their heads before such a stupendous miracle!' People then began to ask each other what they had seen. The great majority admitted to having seen the trembling and the dancing of the sun. Others affirmed that they saw the face of the Blessed Virgin, while others swore that the sun whirled on itself to the earth as if to burn it with its rays. Some said they saw it change colours successively."
"It was almost three o'clock in the afternoon. The sky was swept clear of clouds and the sun followed its course in its usual splendour, so that no one ventured to gaze at it directly. What about the little shepherds? Lucia, who had spoken to Our Lady, was announcing with expressive gestures, as she was carried along shoulder-high by a man and passed from group to group, that the war would end and that the soldiers would return . . . But news like that, however, did nothing to increase the jubilation of those who heard it. The heavenly sign was sufficient for them: it was everything.
"Intense curiosity prevailed to see the two little girls in their wreaths of roses, and to kiss the hands of these 'little saints', one of whom, Jacinta, seemed nearer to fainting than dancing. They had so longed to see the sign from Heaven: they had seen and were satisfied and radiated burning faith . . . The crowd dispersed rapidly, without any difficulty, without any sign of disorder, without any need for policemen to regulate them. Those who were the first to arrive were also the first to depart, running out on the roadway, traveling on foot with their footwear in a bundle on their heads or strung from their staffs. They went, with hearts overflowing with joy, to bring the good news to their hamlets that had not been wholly depopulated for the time being.
"And what of the priests? Some turned up at the place, mingling more among the curious spectators rather than among the pilgrims avid for heavenly signs and favours. Perhaps neither one nor the other succeeded in concealing their happiness, which so often transpired in triumphant guise . . . It only remains for those competent to do justice to the bewildering dance of the sun which, on this day in Fatima, caused Hosannas to resound from the hearts of all the faithful present, and naturally made a great impression, as people worthy of belief assured me, on the freethinkers and others without any religious conviction who had come to this now famous spot located on the poor pastureland high up on the serra.
"The sun started to roll from one place to another and changed to blue, yellow - all colours. Then we see the sun coming towards the children. Everyone was crying out. Some started to confess their sins because there was no priest around there . . . My mother grabbed me to her and started to cry, saying 'It is the end of the world!' And then we see the sun come right into the trees . . ."
-Dominic Reis, in an American TV interview, 1960.
This sounds much like a UFO / ET experience - holographic projections for many to see. It included spiritual messages to be read at the appropriate times. Two of the messages have come to pass. The third is known by certain members of the clergy.
Lucia said the first secret shown to them by Mary began with a terrifying vision of hell. Mary then indicated that the war would soon end, as World War I did in the following year.
But Mary foresaw that a "night illuminated by an unknown light" would precede a "worse war" in which "The good will be martyred" and "The Holy Father will have much to suffer." On January 25, 1938, a remarkable display of aurora borealis was visible across Europe, the year before World War II began.
The second secret involved the future of Russia. Lucia says Mary revealed that Russia would "spread her errors throughout the world, promoting wars," and that "Various nations will be annihilated." Many believe this is a direct prophecy of the spread of communism. "I shall come to ask for the consecration of Russia to My Immaculate Heart," continues the account of Mary's revelation. "If people attend to My requests, Russia will be converted and the world will have peace." Some interpret Pope John Paul II's 1984 consecration of Russia as fulfilling the prophecy, and paving the way for the subsequent collapse of the Soviet Union as the "conversion" of Russia.
The Secret of Our Lady of the Rosary is a three-part prophecy that she ordered to be kept secret for 25 years or until the death of Lucia, whichever came first. Francisco and Jacinta died in the influenza pandemic that ravaged Europe in 1918 and 1919. Lucia became a Dorothe Sister, and in 1948 she became a Barefoot Carmelite in a closed convent at Coimbra. Lucia learned to write, and recorded the text of the secret prophecy. This was kept in the Bishopric of Leiria until 1943, when Pope Pius XII revealed the first two parts through the agency of Cardinal Schuster. The final, secret part of the prophecy was opened by Pope John XXIII and several cardinals in 1960, according to the Madonna's directions, but it was not revealed to the public. The first section is a vision of Hell. The second part predicts World War II.
"If you do what I tell you, many souls will be saved and we shall have peace. The war is coming to an end; but it does not cease to offend the Lord, and another, more terrible one will break out. When you see a night lit up by an unknown light, you will know that it the great sign that God gives you of the next punishment of the sins of the world with war, famine, and persecution against the Church and against the Holy Father.
"In order to prevent this, I have some to intercede for the consecration of Russia to my Immaculate Heart and the communion of the first Sabbaths.
"But in the end my Immaculate Heart will triumph, the Holy Father will consecrate Russia for me, which will be converted and the world will be granted a period of peace..."
The "great sign", "a night lit up by an unknown light," occurred on January 25, 1938. It has been explained as an unusual aurora borealis. World War II began soon afterward.
"Have no fear, little one. I am the Mother of God who speaks to you and asks you to publish the message I am going to give you to the whole world. You will find strong resistance while you do so. Listen well and pay attention to what I tell you.
"Men must be set on the right road once more. With suppliant humility, men must seek forgiveness for sins committed already and for sins which will be committed. You wish me to give you a sign, so that everyone will accept My Words, which I am saying through you, to the human race. I have seen the Prodigy of the Sun and all believers, unbelievers, peasants, countrymen, wise men, journalists, laics and priests, all have seen it. And now I proclaim in my name: A great punishment shall fall on the entire human race, not today and not tomorrow, but in the second half of the 20th century! I have already revealed to the children Melanie and Maximime at La Salette, and today I repeat it to you for the human race has sinned and has trampled down the Gift which I have made. In no part of the world is life in order, Satan rules in the highest position, laying down how things should be done. He will effectually succeed in bringing his influence right up to the top of the Church; succeed in seducing the spirits of the great scientists who invent the arms. And if humanity opposes me I shall be obliged to free the arm of My Son. Now I see that God will punish man with a severity that has not been used since the Flood.
"The time of times will come and everything will come to an end if humanity is not converted, and if things remain as they are now or get worse, the great and powerful men will perish just as will the small and weak.
"For the Church, too, the time of its greatest trial will come. Cardinals will oppose cardinals and bishops against bishops. Satan will march in their midst and there will be great changes at Rome. What is rotten will fall, never to rise again. The Church will be darkened and the world will shake with terror. The time will come when no king, emperor, cardinal or bishop will await Him who will, however, come, but in order to punish according to the designs of my Father.
"A great war will break out in the second half of the 20th century [not�]. Fire and smoke will fall from heaven, and waters of the oceans will become vapors, the scum will arise in a confused manner, and everything will sink down. Millions and millions of men will perish while this is going on and those who survive will envy the dead. The unexpected will follow in every part of the world, anxiety, pain and misery in every country. Have I seen it? The time is getting ever nearer and the abyss is getting wider without hope. The good will perish with the bad, the great with the small, the Heads of the Church with their faithful, and the rulers with their people. There will be death everywhere as a result of the mistakes of the unfeeling and the partisans of Satan, but when those who survive all these happenings are still alive, they will proclaim God once again and His Glory, and will serve Him as in the time when the world was not so perverted.
"Go, my little one and proclaim it. For that purpose I shall always be at your side to help you."
"A great plague will befall mankind in the year 2000. Nowhere in the world will there be order, and Satan will rule the highest places, determining the way of things. Satan will even succeed in asserting himself at the top of the Church.
"He will succeed in seducing the spirits of the great scientists who invent arms, with which it will be possible to destroy a large part of mankind in a few minutes. Satan will have in his power the leaders who command the people and who will incite them to produce enormous quantities of arms.
"God will punish man more thoroughly than with the Flood. There will come the time of all times and the end of all ends. The great and the powerful will perish together with the small and weak.
"Even for the Church, it will be the time of its greatest trial. Cardinals will oppose cardinals, bishops will oppose bishops. Satan will walk in their midst and in Rome there will be great changes. The Church will be darkened and the world will be shaking with terror.
"A huge war will erupt: fire and smoke will fall from the sky. The waters of the ocean will become mist, and the foam will rise to tremendous heights and everyone will drown.
"Millions and millions of men will die from hour to hour. Whoever remains alive will envy the dead. Everywhere one turns one's glance there will be anguish and misery, ruins in every country.
"The time draws nearer, the abyss widens without hope. The good will perish with the bad, the great with the small, the princes of the church with the faithful, the rulers with their people.
"There will be death everywhere because of the errors committed by the crazed and the followers of Satan, who will then and only then rule the world.
"At the last, those who survive will at every chance newly proclaim God and His glory and they will serve Him as when the world was not so perverted."
"There is a secret of Heaven and one of earth, and the latter is terrifying. It will seem as though it were already the end of the world. And in this cataclysm everything will be separated from the sky, which will turn white as snow."
"Due to the seriousness of the contents of the Fatima secret, my predecessors in the Throne of Peter have preferred to postpone the publication. Furthermore, it may be enough to the christian people to know that, if there is a message saying that the oceans will flood whole parts of the globe, and millions of people will die, from a minute to another, it is not really the case to will the publication of this secret message."
Pope John Paul II was nearly assassinated on May 13, 1981 (the anniversary of Mary�s first apparitional appearance at Fatima). The gun was aimed at the Pope�s head, but Agca had to aim for his abdomen instead when the pontiff turned to a young girl who was wearing a picture of Our Lady of Fatima. While he was in the hospital, Pope John Paul reviewed the Church�s documentation of Fatima, and he read the secret Third Secret of Fatima. In 1984 the Pope consecrated Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Communism collapsed soon afterward.
"As is well known, Pope John Paul II immediately thought of consecrating the world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary and he himself composed a prayer for what he called an 'Act of Entrustment' which was to be celebrated in the Basilica of St. Mary Major on June 7, 1981."
"That text contains a prophetic vision similar to those found in Sacred Scripture, which do not describe with photographic clarity the details of future events, but rather synthesize and condense against a unified background events spread out over time in a succession and a duration which are not specified. As a result, the text must be interpreted in a symbolic key.
"The vision of Fatima concerns above all the war waged by atheist systems against the Church and Christians, and it describes the immense suffering endured by the witnesses to the faith in the last century of the second millennium. It is an interminable Way of the Cross led by the Popes of the twentieth century.
"According to the interpretation of the 'little shepherds,' which was also recently confirmed by Sister Lucia, the 'bishop clothed in white' who prays for all the faithful is the Pope. As he makes his way with great effort towards the Cross amid the corpses of those who were martyred (bishops, priests, men and women religious and many lay persons), he too falls to the ground, apparently dead, under a burst of gunfire.
"After the assassination attempt of May 13 1981, it appeared evident to His Holiness that it was 'a motherly hand which guided the bullet's path,' enabling the 'dying Pope' to halt 'at the threshold of death.' On the occasion of a visit to Rome by the then bishop of Leiria-Fatima, the Pope decided to give him the bullet which had remained in the jeep after the assassination attempt, so that it might be kept in the Shrine. At the behest of the bishop, the bullet was later set in the crown of the statue of Our Lady of Fatima.
"After the two parts which I have already explained, at the left of Our Lady and a little above, we saw an Angel with a flaming sword in his left hand; flashing, it gave out flames that looked as though they would set the world on fire; but they died out in contact with the splendor that Our Lady radiated towards him from her right hand: pointing to the earth with his right hand, the Angel cried out in a loud voice: 'Penance, Penance, Penance!' And we saw in an immense light that is God: 'something similar to how people appear in a mirror when they pass in front of it' a Bishop dressed in White 'we had the impression that it was the Holy Father'. Other Bishops, Priests, men and women Religious going up a steep mountain, at the top of which there was a big Cross of rough-hewn trunks as of a cork-tree with the bark; before reaching there the Holy Father passed through a big city half in ruins and half trembling with halting step, afflicted with pain and sorrow, he prayed for the souls of the corpses he met on his way; having reached the top of the mountain, on his knees at the foot of the big Cross he was killed by a group of soldiers who fired bullets and arrows at him, and in the same way there died one after another the other Bishops, Priests, men and women Religious, and various lay people of different ranks and positions. Beneath the two arms of the Cross there were two Angels each with a crystal aspersorium in his hand, in which they gathered up the blood of the Martyrs and with it sprinkled the souls that were making their way to God."
The Secret of Fatima - The original text and translation!
Vatican ends mystery of the third prophecy of Fatima. Secret revealed as Pope John Paul II beatifies children who saw vision of Mary.
Pope John Paul II spoke yesterday with Lucia de Santos, 93, a Carmelite nun, who believers say was the main recipient of prophecies from the Virgin Mary that included the spread, and then the collapse, of Communism.
The Vatican today disclosed the so-called third secret of F�tima, which for decades has kept this shrine of the Virgin Mary at the center of conspiracy theories and doomsday cults. The Vatican described the secret as a vision of the 1981 assassination attempt on Pope John Paul II.
While Pope John Paul II was circling St. Peter's Square before his Wednesday general audience at the Vatican in May 1981, a Turkish gunman named Mehmet Ali Agca opened fire on the pontiff.
The pope spent more than two months recovering in a Rome hospital.
The gunman had also stalked John Paul during a visit to Turkey in 1979.
In December 1983, the pope offered forgiveness to Agca during an arranged meeting in prison. During the trial, Agca had claimed that East European communist agents had helped him set up the attack on the pope, but he later recanted.
Cardinal Angelo Sodano, the Vatican secretary of state, explained that the one concealed part of the prophecies said to have been revealed to three Portuguese shepherd children by an apparition of the Virgin in 1917 was a vision of an attempt to kill a pope.
The "bishop clothed in white," who is the pope, "makes his way with great effort toward the cross amid the corpses of those who were martyred," Cardinal Sodano said as he described what he called an interpretation of the vision to 600,000 pilgrims gathered at the sanctuary where John Paul II had just beatified two of the shepherd children, Francisco and Jacinta Marto, and thanked the Virgin for saving his life on May 13, 1981.
"He too falls to the ground, apparently dead, under a burst of gunfire," the cardinal said.
Mehmet Ali Agca, a Turkish gunman, shot the pope as John Paul drove through a crowd in St. Peter's Square in 1981 on the anniversary of the 1917 apparition. Among the explanations the gunman gave prosecutors at a trial in 1985 was that his attempt was "connected to the third secret of the Madonna of Fatima."
The cardinal's announcement was an effort by the Vatican to put an end to the kind of fevered speculation that has at times overshadowed the shrine's spiritual importance to hundreds of millions of Catholics.
Versions of the secret, broadcast on hundreds of Web sites (usually under headlines like, "Third Secret Revealed!") range from worldwide nuclear annihilation to deep rifts in the Roman Catholic Church that lead to rival papacies.
"On the solemn occasion of his visit to Fatima, His Holiness has directed me to make an announcement to you. As you know, the purpose of his visit to Fatima has been to beatify the two "little shepherds." Nevertheless, he also wishes his pilgrimage to be a renewed gesture of gratitude to Our Lady for her protection during these years of his papacy. This protection seems also to be linked to the so-called "third part" of the secret of Fatima.
"That text contains a prophetic vision similar to those found in the sacred scripture, which do not describe with photographic clarity the details of future events, but rather synthesize and condense against a unified background events spread out over time in a succession and a duration which are not specified. As a result, the text must be interpreted in a symbolic key.
"The vision of Fatima concerns above all the war waged by atheist systems against the Church and Christians, and it describes the immense suffering endured by the witnesses to the faith in the last century of the second millennium. It is an interminable Way of the Cross led by the Popes of the 20th century.
"According to the interpretation of the "little shepherds," which was also recently confirmed by Sister Lucia, the "Bishop clothed in white" who prays for all the faithful is the Pope. As he makes his way with great effort towards the cross amid the corpses of those who were martyred (bishops, priests, religious men and women and many lay persons), he too falls to the ground, apparently dead, under a burst of gunfire.
"After the assassination attempt of 13 May, 1981, it appeared evident to His Holiness that it was a "motherly hand which guided the bullet's path," enabling the "dying Pope" to halt "at the threshold of death." On the occasion of a visit to Rome by the then Bishop of Leiria-Fatima, the Pope decided to give him the bullet which had remained in the jeep after the assassination attempt, so that it might be kept in the shrine. At the behest of the bishop, the bullet was later set in the crown of the statue of Our Lady of Fatima.
"The successive events of 1989 led, both in the Soviet Union and in a number of countries of Eastern Europe, to the fall of the Communist regime which promoted atheism. For this too His Holiness offers heartfelt thanks to the Most Holy Virgin. In other parts of the world, however, attacks against the Church and against Christians, together with the burden of suffering which they involve, tragically continue. Even if the events to which the third part of the Secret of Fatima refers now seem part of the past, Our Lady's call to conversion and penance, issued at the beginning of the 20th century, remains timely and urgent today.
"In order that the faithful may better receive the message of Our Lady of Fatima, the Pope has charged the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith with the making public the third part of the secret, after the preparation of an appropriate commentary."
Fatima fanatics have held hunger strikes - one even hijacked a plane - to try to force the Vatican to disclose the secret. During John Paul's first visit to the shrine in 1982, on the first anniversary of the assassination attempt, a knife-wielding Spanish priest tried to kill the pope, but was wrestled to the ground by security officers.
John Paul has always credited the Virgin of Fatima with saving his life. After he visited the shrine in 1982 to give thanks for his survival, a bullet extracted from his body was placed alongside diamonds in a gold crown worn by a statue of the Virgin.
In 1991, on the 10th anniversary of the attack, he returned again to give thanks for his life as well as for the collapse of Communism, which believers say the Virgin of Fatima also predicted in 1917.
The cardinal said the secret in its entirety would soon be published by the Vatican "after the preparation of an appropriate commentary."
The pope did refer to the prophecies today, speaking of "F�tima, where these times of tribulation were foretold," but he made no mention of the "third secret." Instead, he once again gave thanks "for the goodness of God toward me, when severely struck on that May 13, 1981, I was rescued from death."
The pope first learned of the secret a few days after he was elected in 1978, the Vatican said. He did not announce it himself today, said his spokesman, Dr. Joaqu�n Navarro-Valls, because he was "personally involved." Vatican officials did not say why the secret was not revealed sooner after the assassination attempt in 1981.
In a new tribute at a prayer service at the shrine on Friday night, the pope donated to the shrine the ring given to him by Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski, the late primate of Poland. Cardinal Wyszynski, whose long fight against Communism in Poland inspired the present pope and millions of their countrymen, told John Paul after his election in 1978 that he would lead the church into the new millennium.
Dr. Navarro-Valls dismissed speculation that the gift was a signal that the pope was set to resign as "150 percent wrong." He described the ring as "one of the pope's most precious possessions," given as an offer of thanks.
The fact that the pope put the two dead witnesses to the Virgin's apparitions on the path of sainthood today was another sign of his devotion to F�tima. The two, Francisco and Jacinta Marto, are the first children ever beatified by the Roman Catholic Church who were not martyrs. Beatification, which is bestowed only on the dead, is the penultimate step before sainthood.
Before the ceremony, the pope, who turns 80 on Thursday, met privately inside the basilica near the children's tombs with the third surviving witness to the apparition, Lucia de Jesus dos Santos, 93, a Carmelite nun, who believers say was the main recipient of prophecies from the Virgin about 20th century debacles. The Vatican said that it had consulted with Sister Lucia before making its announcement today.
The Virgin of F�tima was said to have appeared before three shepherd children on May 13, 1917, and on five later occasions. Lucia was 10. Her cousins, Francisco and Jacinta, who were 8 and 7, died in the influenza pandemic a few years later. Believers say two of the F�tima secrets were revealed in writing by Lucia in the 1940's. The third secret was put in a sealed envelope and sent to Rome more than 40 years ago.
Interpretations of the secrets vary, but generally believers think that the first foretold the end of World War I and the start of World War II, and that the other predicted the spread, then the collapse of Communism and the conversion of Russia.
The latter prophecy, which came with a request that the church consecrate Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, made Fatima an ideological shrine for anti-Communists during the cold war. John Paul II finally consecrated the whole world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary in 1984.
Fatima, like the rest of Portugal, also had fascist links during World War II, when Portugal was neutral under the right-wing dictatorship of Ant�nio Salazar but traded with the Nazi regime. This month, the rector of the sancutary, Luciano Guerra, confirmed news reports that in 1976 F�tima received Nazi gold bars bearing the Third Reich insignia looted from Jews during the war, and sold them in 1982 and 1986 to finance construction at the sanctuary.
Today, many pilgrims, some wearing baseball hats emblazoned with the names of Jacinta and Francisco, cheered after Cardinal Sodano delivered his message.
"It's wonderful that the pope knew the prophecy and survived it," said Lucia Dias, 31, a lawyer from Sintra, who added that she had once believed that the third secret was a prophecy of World War III. She made her own prediction about the pope: "I think now he will die soon."
Until today, besides John Paul and Sister Lucia, the only other living person believed to be privy to the secret was Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, the head of the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.
In 1996, he told Portugal's main Catholic radio station that there was nothing worrisome in the message, and that it remained secret because the Vatican wanted to avoid "confusing religious prophecy with sensationalism."
Whether today's announcement will appease some of the more fanatical devotees of the "third secret" mystery is unclear. Some of those believers, who choose to view the reforms of the Second Vatican Council as heresies predicted by the Virgin of Fatima, may dismiss the Vatican's announcement as a cover-up.
Even some who attended Mass today seemed let down. "What they said all happened in the past," Julio Estela, 33, a car salesman from northern Portugal, said after the cardinal spoke. "This isn't a prediction. It's disappointing. I think there's more."
The prophecies of Fatima are almost as well known -- and respected -- as those of the famous French seer Nostradamus.In l9l7 three children had repeated visions of the Virgin Mary in Portugal. They were given prophecies concerning World Wars I and II as well as the world wide spread of communnism. But their third prophecy was not officially released until recently...and there are those who maintain that the real revelations were not disclosed by the church.This book not only reveals what the Third Secret Prophecy of Fatima may consist of; but also gives photographic proof that the Virgin Mary has appeared in over two hundred incidents in the last several decades.Arab terrorists? UFOs? End of the World?The book is very readable and presented in an easy to understand format. It has a good number of pictures and follows a logical order as oppossed to some other books I have TRIED to read on the subject. This is NOT an overly religious approach -- the authors do not seem to have any axe to grind. I recommend this book highly.
The Message of Fatima - The original text and translation! | 2019-04-24T03:07:06Z | https://old.world-mysteries.com/mpl_12.htm |
How domestication bottlenecks and artificial selection shaped the amount and distribution of genetic variation in the genomes of modern crops is poorly understood. We analyzed diversity at 462 simple sequence repeats (SSRs) or microsatellites spread throughout the maize genome and compared the diversity observed at these SSRs in maize to that observed in its wild progenitor, teosinte. The results reveal a modest genome-wide deficit of diversity in maize relative to teosinte. The relative deficit of diversity is less for SSRs with dinucleotide repeat motifs than for SSRs with repeat motifs of more than two nucleotides, suggesting that the former with their higher mutation rate have partially recovered from the domestication bottleneck. We analyzed the relationship between SSR diversity and proximity to QTL for domestication traits and observed no relationship between these factors. However, we did observe a weak, although significant, spatial correlation for diversity statistics among SSRs within 2 cM of one another, suggesting that SSR diversity is weakly patterned across the genome. Twenty-four of 462 SSRs (5%) show some evidence of positive selection in maize under multiple tests. Overall, the pattern of genetic diversity at maize SSRs can be explained largely by a bottleneck effect with a smaller effect from selection.
BETWEEN 5000 and 10,000 years ago, humans domesticated virtually all major crop species used by modern agricultural societies (Smith 2001). This feat was accomplished through artificial selection for traits that improved agronomic qualities. As a result of this process, favorable alleles at loci controlling agronomic traits were brought to fixation in the population during the domestication period. After the initial domestication, the continued practice of selective breeding allowed additional favorable alleles to sweep through the crop species, while diversifying selection in response to the different environments encountered during the geographic expansion of the crop caused regional fixation of distinct favorable alleles. As a consequence of this complex history of selection, only a limited portion of the population contributed to each subsequent generation. Some anticipated consequences are a genome-wide loss of diversity at unselected genes because of the genetic bottleneck effect, a severe reduction in diversity at genes under directional selection during domestication, and artificially high diversity at genes under diversifying selection.
These two processes—selection targeted on agronomic genes and drift due to the domestication bottleneck affecting the entire genome—are the principal factors that influence the amount and distribution of genetic variation in crop genomes as compared to their wild progenitors. Studies on isozymes and gene sequences revealed a general reduction of genetic variation in crops as a result of the domestication bottleneck (Doebley et al. 1984; Eyre-Walker et al. 1998; Hilton and Gaut 1998); however, these exploratory studies involved relatively few loci and thus the generality of their results needs confirmation. Our knowledge of the impact of selection on diversity in crops is more restricted since very few agronomic genes have been identified and characterized for their level of genetic diversity (Wang et al. 1999; Whitt et al. 2002; Tenaillon et al. 2004). Thus, our present picture of how drift and selection have sculpted the diversity landscape of crop genomes is fragmentary.
To begin to better define genetic diversity in the maize (Zea mays ssp. mays) genome and to identify the forces that have shaped it, we have constructed a diversity map of the maize genome using microsatellites or simple sequence repeats (SSRs). We scanned the genomes of maize and its close wild relatives, annual teosinte (Z. mays ssp. huehuetenangensis, ssp. mexicana, and ssp. parviglumis), using 462 SSRs. The phylogenetic relationships of these taxa are well known (Doebley 1990; Buckler and Holtsford 1996) and ssp. parviglumis has been shown to be the progenitor of maize (Wang et al. 1999; Matsuoka et al. 2002b). Because of this well-characterized phylogeny, maize and annual teosinte provide a good model for the analysis of the genetic consequences of domestication. The goals of this study are (1) to provide a general picture of genetic diversity for SSRs in maize and teosinte, (2) to determine if there is heterogeneity in diversity among genomic regions, (3) to measure the relative impact of selection vs. drift on the observed pattern of diversity, and (4) to assess the degree to which mutation has allowed SSRs to recover diversity lost from the effects of domestication.
We sampled individual maize plants from a set of 45 landraces covering the entire pre-Columbian range of maize. We also sampled 45 annual teosinte plants representing three wild taxa: Z. mays ssp. huehuetenangensis (1 plant), ssp. mexicana (23 plants) and ssp. parviglumis (21 plants). Passport data for the plants are available at www.genetics.org/supplemental (Table S1).
We used 462 SSRs, representing a variety of repeat types from dinucleotide to hexanucleotide motifs, distributed throughout the genome. These SSRs were divided in two groups, dinucleotide and “other” repeat SSRs, because the mutation rate for dinucleotide SSRs is higher than that for other SSR types (Vigouroux et al. 2002a). Detailed information on the SSRs used in this study including their genetic map position is available at www.genetics.org/supplemental (Table S2). The source of SSRs, whether from expressed sequence tags, known genes, or SSR-enriched genomic libraries, is available at www.maizgdb.org (see also Sharopova et al. 2002). SSR genotyping was done on automated sequencers at Cornell University (Ithaca, NY), Pioneer Hi-Bred International (Johnston, IA), and Celera AgGen (Davis, CA), following procedures that have been published elsewhere (Matsuoka et al. 2002b).
Gene diversity or heterozygosity (H), the number of alleles (N), and Fst between maize and teosinte were calculated using the software program Fstat (Goudet 2001). The significance of Fst was assessed by 10,000 resamplings of the genotypic data. To measure the relative deficit of gene diversity (GD) in maize vs. teosinte, we have defined a parameter ΔGD = 1 − (HM/HT), where HM and HT are genetic diversity in maize and teosinte, respectively. If HM is higher than HT, then we calculated this parameter as ΔGD = (HT/HM) − 1. The relative deficit of the number of alleles is Δallele = 1 − (NM/NT), where NM and NT are the number of alleles in maize and teosinte, respectively. If NM is higher than NT, then we calculated this parameter as Δallele = (NT/NM) − 1. These statistics vary between −1 and 1, positive when diversity is higher in teosinte and negative otherwise. The Wilcoxon signed-rank test (W), Kruskal-Wallis test (KW), and Mann-Whitney test (MW) were performed using SYSTAT (SPSS, Chicago).
The relationship between s, r, and diversity statistics (Δallele, ΔGD, or Fst) is complicated and there is no known function to describe it. Therefore, we took an ad hoc approach. Two different functions (f) were investigated: a linear monotonic decrease f(r) = 50 − r and an exponential decrease f(r) = e−λr. For the latter, we used two different values (1 and 5) for λ. The QTL effect is almost zero for λ = 1 after 10 cM and for λ = 5 after 2 cM. For each particular function, if r > 50 cM, the QTL effect was considered to be zero. Spearman correlation coefficients between QE and diversity statistics (Δallele, ΔGD, or Fst) over all SSRs were calculated. Only SSRs placed on the IBM v3 map were tested (www.maizgdb.org).
where xi and xj are the chromosomal map positions of two SSRs, Z(xi) and Z(xj) are the values of their diversity statistics, and N(h) is the number of pairs of SSRs separated by a distance h or less (Armstrong 1998). Three different values of h were investigated: 1, 2, and 5 cM.
follows a t-distribution with n − 1 d.f. There is no objective criterion for the sample size n, so we chose the five points that were the closest to the location x. Outliers were excluded at the 95% significance level.
To test if a particular value of the semivariance is significantly different from a random effect, we used permutation tests in which the diversity statistics for the SSRs were randomized with respect to chromosomal position. One thousand permuted data sets were generated and the probability of finding a value higher than the observed value for a distance class was then calculated using the distribution of the permuted data.
The Ewens-Watterson test of neutrality enables one to detect deviations from a neutral-equilibrium model as either a deficit or an excess of genetic diversity relative to the number of alleles at a locus (Ewens 1972; Watterson 1978). This test was performed using the program Arlequin (Schneider et al. 2000). The probability that an SSR fits the neutral expectation under this test was assessed using both the homozygosity test (PH) and Slatkin's (1994, 1996) exact test (PE).
The degree of differentiation between populations at a locus as measured by Fst can be used to assess whether SSRs show more differentiation than expected under a purely neutral (drift) model (Bowcock et al. 1991; Beaumont and Nichols 1996). We tested whether Fst between maize and teosinte at SSRs is greater than expected by the domestication bottleneck effect (drift) alone. To do this, Fst was conditioned on the total number of alleles in maize and teosinte to control more effectively for the variable mutation rate among maize SSRs (Vigouroux et al. 2002a). Three different mutation models were investigated (see below). We set the 95% confidence limits for this one-tailed test using coalescence simulations that incorporate genetic drift due to the domestication bottleneck (see below). We refer to this as the Fst test.
Both selection and drift during domestication are expected to reduce gene diversity in maize relative to teosinte. To ask whether SSRs have less variation in maize relative to teosinte than that expected from drift alone, we compared gene diversity in maize vs. teosinte for our observed data with the 95% confidence limits for these parameters established by simulations as a two-tailed test (see below). We refer to this as the GD test.
The Fst and GD tests ask whether divergence between maize and teosinte or gene diversity in maize relative to teosinte deviates from a neutral model that incorporates the domestication bottleneck. To establish 95% confidence limits for these tests, we performed coalescence simulations (Hudson 1990; see also Vigouroux et al. 2002b). The model for the simulations involves a crop (maize) that split at some time in the past from its progenitor (teosinte). The maize population undergoes a “bottleneck” during the domestication period and then expands rapidly to a large size while the progenitor population remains at equilibrium from the time of divergence until the present (Eyre-Walker et al. 1998; Hilton and Gaut 1998). A sample size equivalent to our experimental samples of maize and ssp. parviglumis was used. Separate topologies for maize and ssp. parviglumis were simulated first and then the coalescence times for each node in these topologies were added. The bottleneck in the maize topology was taken into account by rescaling the coalescent times during the bottleneck by the ratio of the effective population size of maize during the bottleneck (Nb) divided by the size after expansion (Nm). The nodes of these two topologies at the time of the split between maize and ssp. parviglumis were then treated as a new sample for another simulation to create a single topology combining maize and teosinte.
of 3.2 determined from a mutation-accumulation study for maize SSRs (Vigouroux et al. 2002a; see also Pritchard et al. 1999).
For the simulations, we must estimate the time of divergence of maize and its progenitor, the effective population size of the wild progenitor, the effective population size of maize during the bottleneck and after its expansion, the duration of the bottleneck, and the mutation rate for SSRs. The time of divergence was set at 7500 years (Iltis 1983). The ssp. parviglumis effective size was fixed to 40,000 (Vigouroux et al. 2002a). The duration of the bottleneck and the effective sizes of maize during and after the bottleneck are unknown, but these parameters are not independent from each other. For estimating the relationship between these parameters, we developed a mathematical model for maize domestication using the GSM (see appendix). Fixing the effective population size of the expanded population of maize to 1 million, we simulated bottlenecks of lengths 100, 200, 500, 1000, and 2500 years and determined their corresponding effective population sizes to be 107, 220, 553, 1117, and 2875. We have used these values for the simulation.
The mutation rate for maize SSRs is variable among loci and the mutation rate for any individual SSR is unknown (Vigouroux et al. 2002a). Therefore, we have chosen for each simulation a value of this parameter by the following approach. First, a value for gene diversity (or number of alleles) was picked at random from between 0 and 1 (or between 1 and 51 for number of alleles). Second, the mutation rate that gives this gene diversity (or number of alleles) at equilibrium in ssp. parviglumis was calculated and used for simulations. Third, we constrained the mutation rate to be >5 × 10−7 in accordance with empirical data (Vigouroux et al. 2002a).
Fst (as described in Weir 1996, pp. 181–182), gene diversity, and the total number of alleles for both maize and ssp. parviglumis were calculated from the results of 500,000 simulations for each mutation model. This information was then used to estimate the median values and the 95% confidence intervals. As gene diversity is a continuous variable, the expected value of the parameter was calculated using a sliding window of ±0.0125. To analyze how well the simulated results fit our actual data, we took two approaches. First, we constructed decile curves with the simulated data and calculated the number of actual SSRs lying between two decile curves for the Fst by the number of alleles' distribution (Bowcock et al. 1991). If the model fits the data perfectly, the number of SSRs lying between two deciles curves should be one-tenth of the total number of SSRs studied. Second, we calculated the mean Fst on the basis of the simulation results for a given number of alleles. Then, we used these mean values to calculate an overall expected mean Fst for a set of SSRs with the same numbers of alleles as observed in the actual data. We then compared this mean Fst for the simulated data with that for the actual data. The same two procedures were used to compare the fit between the actual and simulated data for gene diversity except that the mean expected gene diversity in maize was conditioned on observed gene diversity in ssp. parviglumis.
Maize possesses less variation at SSRs than does teosinte, whether measured as the number of alleles or as gene diversity (Table 1). Over all SSRs, the average number of alleles is significantly lower in maize landraces (9.0) than in teosinte (11.8; W test, P < 0.001). The relative deficit in allele number or Δallele is 0.24, meaning that maize has 24% fewer alleles than teosinte. Gene diversity is also significantly lower in maize (0.64) as compared to teosinte (0.74; W test, P < 0.001) with a ΔGD of 0.12 or a 12% deficit in maize relative to teosinte. The deficit in the number of alleles (24%) is significantly greater than the deficit in gene diversity (12%; W test, P < 0.001).
Our prior work on mutation rates for maize SSRs indicated that SSRs with dinucleotide repeat motifs have a much higher mutation rate than SSRs with trinucleotide or larger motifs (here called “other repeat SSRs”; Vigouroux et al. 2002a). This difference in mutation rates is reflected in the diversity statistics (Table 1). Dinucleotide SSRs have more alleles than other repeat SSRs both in maize (MW test, P < 0.001) and in teosinte (MW test, P < 0.001). They also have a higher gene diversity in both maize (MW test, P < 0.001) and teosinte (MW test, P < 0.001). Therefore, in addition to analyses using all the markers, we performed separate analyses for dinucleotide and other repeat SSRs.
For both dinucleotide and other repeat SSRs, the average number of alleles is higher in teosinte than in maize (W test, P < 0.001 and P < 0.001, respectively); however, the relative deficit in the number of alleles (Δallele) is greater for other repeat SSRs than for dinucleotide SSRs (MW, P < 0.001) (Table 1). Maize shows a relative deficit of 28% for the number of alleles at other repeat SSRs, but a deficit of only 19% for dinucleotide SSRs. Gene diversity exhibits the same trends with a higher diversity in teosinte than in maize for both dinucleotide (W test, P < 0.001) and other repeat SSRs (W test, P < 0.001), but with ΔGD being greater for other repeat than for dinucleotide SSRs (MW test, P < 0.001).
Fst between maize and teosinte is low with an average value of 0.071 ± 0.004. Overall, the differentiation between maize and teosinte is highly significant (P ≪ 0.001). Out of the 462 SSRs, 368 exhibit an Fst that is significantly >0 at a noncorrected P-value of 0.05. Mean Fst is higher (MW, P < 0.001) for other repeat SSRs (0.087 ± 0.005) as compared to dinucleotide SSRs (0.044 ± 0.004). There is no difference between dinucleotide and other repeat SSRs in the proportion showing a significant Fst (G-test = 0.63, P = 0.43). Fis is 0.38 ± 0.010 for maize and 0.43 ± 0.009 for teosinte. Fis is similar for dinucleotide and other repeat SSRs for both maize (MW, P = 0.62) and teosinte (MW, P = 0.13).
The QTL for plant and inflorescence architecture that differentiate maize and teosinte are mostly found on chromosomes 1–5 (Figure 1; Doebley and Stec 1993). Therefore, if selection on these QTL during domestication caused a severe loss of diversity, one might expect some chromosomal effect on diversity. When all the SSRs are considered, we found no chromosome effect for the parameters ΔGD (KW, P = 0.38) and Fst (KW, P = 0.22), but a significant effect for Δallele (KW, P = 0.006). If we considered dinucleotide SSRs (Δallele, KW, P = 0.11; ΔGD, KW, P = 0.12; Fst, KW, P = 0.83) and other repeat SSRs (Δallele, KW, P = 0.08; ΔGD, KW, P = 0.40; Fst, KW, P = 0.37) separately, there are no significant associations. However, if we combined the two probabilities for Δallele for dinucleotide and other repeat SSRs using Fisher's method for combining probabilities (Sokal and Rohlf 1995), we observe a significant chromosome effect (P = 0.049). This result suggests that the chromosome effect is driven by both kinds of repeats. Chromosome 4 has the highest value for Δallele followed by chromosomes 6, 10, 7, 8, 5, 9, 1, 3, and 2 in descending order.
Plot of Fst and ΔGD along the genetic map of maize. Fst and ΔGD are plotted as a function of the distance in centimorgans along the 10 chromosomes of maize. A representation of domestication QTL effect is shown as a shaded area (see text for details).
We can also test if selection on domestication QTL has affected genetic diversity in windows surrounding the individual QTL. If one visually examines the relationship between ΔGD or Fst and QTL effect, there is no obvious correlation (Figure 1). At the large-effect QTL region on chromosome 1, neither ΔGD nor Fst is particularly large. The same is true for the large-effect QTL regions on chromosomes 2, 3, 4, and 5. Indeed, SSRs with exceptionally large values of Fst or ΔGD appear randomly dispersed along the chromosomes.
For a more definitive analysis of the relationship between QTL and SSR diversity, we calculated the correlation between QTL effect and the diversity statistics for the SSRs. If all SSRs are considered together, we observe 1 significant correlation out of 12 between SSR diversity statistics and QTL effect (Table 2). If dinucleotide and other repeat SSRs are analyzed separately, there is also only 1 significant result among 24 tests. We conclude that there is no convincing evidence for a relationship between diversity statistics and QTL effect since single significant tests can readily result by chance alone when doing 24 tests.
In addition to domestication QTL, other spatial factors, such as distance from the centromere, could influence the distribution of diversity. To detect if neighboring SSRs exhibit a similar pattern of diversity, we calculated the semivariance of each of the diversity statistics: Δallele, ΔGD, and Fst. If diversity is spatially correlated along the chromosomes, then γ(h) for the actual data should be lower than that for a data set obtained by permuting SSRs. Using all SSRs and values of 1, 2, and 5 cM for h, we observed significant (P > 0.95) values for γ(h) for all of the diversity statistics (Table 3). The analysis using only other repeat SSRs gives a similar result. For dinucleotide SSRs, only Δallele and ΔGD show significance, perhaps because of the smaller number of dinucleotide SSRs and corresponding reduced statistical power. Thus, there is evidence that diversity at neighboring SSRs is correlated within recombination distances ranging from 1 to 5 cM. We note that significant spatial correlations are observed only when outlier SSRs were removed from the analysis. Outlier SSRs may result from the variability in mutation rate among SSRs or misplacement of SSRs on the genetic map.
To examine further whether the significant correlations in Table 3 are strictly dependent on the exclusion of outliers, we also calculated γ(h) using the P-values from the Fst test and the GD test for SMM (see below). The use of P-values reduces the noise introduced by differences in mutation rates among SSRs. For this analysis, we calculated the odds ratio of the P-value as ln(p/(1 − p)). Using all the SSRs, we found significant (P > 0.95) variogram P-values (with outliers, without outliers) from the GD test at 1 cM (P = 0.981, P = 0.969), 2 cM (P = 0.997, P = 0.995), but not at 5 cM (P = 0.93, P = 0.804). For the P-values from the Fst distribution, we observed significant or near significant associations at 1 cM (P = 0.944, P = 0.904) and 2 cM (P = 0.954, P = 0.949), but not at 5 cM (P = 0.72, P = 0.66). Thus, the exclusion of outliers appears not have biased the observed significant spatial correlation for diversity statistics. Overall, these analyses indicate a significant spatial correlation among SSRs within 2 cM of each other.
The Ewens-Watterson test enables one to detect deviations from a neutral-equilibrium model as either a deficit of gene diversity relative to the number of alleles at a locus (below the curve in Figure 2) or an excess of gene diversity (above the curve in Figure 2; Ewens 1972; Watterson 1978). In maize, the number of SSRs showing excess in gene diversity compared to the number of alleles (P < 0.025) is 36, and the number showing a deficit in gene diversity (P > 0.975) is 12 (supplementary Table S2 at http://www.genetics.org/supplemental/). In teosinte, the number of SSRs showing excess in gene diversity compared to the number of alleles (P < 0.025) is 34, and the number showing a deficit in gene diversity (P > 0.975) is 5. Maize shows more SSRs with a deficit in gene diversity as expected under selection or a bottleneck.
Graphical representation of the Ewens-Watterson test. The 97.5 and 2.5% percentile curves are represented by the solid lines and the expected median value by the dashed line. Circles are dinucleotide and triangles are other repeat SSRs.
The Fst test asks if the degree of differentiation at an SSR exceeds neutral expectations. Figure 3 provides a graphical representation of the Fst test, showing the medians and upper 95% confidence limits for the SMM, GSM, and IAM established by simulation. The three mutation models give similar results for SSRs with five or fewer alleles; however, for SSRs with more than five alleles, the SMM and GSM have a lower median and 95% confidence limit. To analyze the fit between the simulated model and the observed data set, we calculated the mean of the expected Fst for each individual locus given the number of observed alleles. For dinucleotide SSRs, this average is 0.045 (SMM), 0.070 (GSM), and 0.16 (IAM) compared to the observed mean of 0.054. For the other repeats, this average is 0.107 (SMM), 0.138 (GSM), and 0.163 (IAM) compared to the observed mean of 0.097. We also calculated the number of SSRs lying between consecutive decile curves for each mutation model for both dinucleotide and other repeat SSRs. The IAM does not fit the dinucleotide SSR data because of an excess of SSRs with low Fst values (χ2 = 275.4, P ≪ 0.001); the GSM and the SMM models are also rejected, but less markedly (χ2 = 29.3, P < 0.001 and χ2 = 21.2, P < 0.02). For the other repeat SSRs, the SMM (χ2 = 7.18, P = 0.62) is not rejected, but the GSM (χ2 = 27.8, P < 0.001) and IAM (χ2 = 63.2, P < 0.001) are rejected. Thus, our actual data best fit the SMM although the fit is not perfect.
Plot of the Fst by the number of alleles. Curves correspond to the 50 and 95% percentiles based on simulated data for three mutation models: an infinite allele model (solid line), the generalized stepwise model (long-dashed line) and a stepwise model (short-dashed line). The plot is presented for dinucleotide SSRs (circles) and other repeat SSRs (triangles).
With 462 SSRs, the Bonferroni correction threshold would be 0.99989 for the Fst test. To test that a locus shows a departure at this P-value with good precision would require an inordinate number of simulations. So for practical reasons we report here SSRs that exhibit a probability of <0.995 and not the Bonferroni-corrected threshold. Eleven SSRs exhibit higher Fst values than expected for the SMM model and zero for both the GSM and IAM at the P = 0.995 level. At the P = 0.95 level, 46 SSRs are significant for the SMM, 12 for the GSM, and none for the IAM. So with the SMM 10% of the SSRs exhibit a significant value as compared to the 5% expected under a completely neutral distribution.
The GD test asks if there has been a greater than expected loss of gene diversity in maize relative to ssp. parviglumis given the model for the domestication bottleneck used in the simulations. For all models (IAM, GSM, and SSM), if gene diversity at an SSR in ssp. parviglumis is <0.5, then gene diversity in maize can be zero due to loss from the domestication bottleneck alone (Figure 4). To analyze the fit between the simulated model and the observed data, we calculated the mean of the expected gene diversity in maize given the observed gene diversity in teosinte. For dinucleotide SSRs, this average is 0.785 (SMM), 0.768 (GSM), and 0.705 (IAM) compared to the observed 0.787. For the other repeats, this average is 0.541 (SMM), 0.524 (GSM), and 0.495 (IAM) compared to the observed 0.546. We also calculated the number of SSRs lying between consecutive decile curves for each mutation model for both dinucleotide and other repeat SSRs. For dinucleotide SSR data, the IAM (χ2 = 88.7, P < 0.001) is rejected but not the SMM (χ2 = 12.8, P = 0.17) and the GSM (χ2 = 12.7, P = 0.18). For the other repeat SSRs, the SMM (χ2 = 10.1, P = 0.35) and GSM (χ2 = 9.7, P = 0.37) are not rejected, but the IAM is rejected (χ2 = 41.8, P < 0.001). Thus, our data best fit the GSM and SMM, although the fit is not perfect.
Plot of the gene diversity in maize as compared to the gene diversity in ssp. parviglumis. The curves correspond to the 2.5, 50, and 97.5% percentiles based on simulations for three mutation models: an infinite allele model (solid line), the generalized stepwise model (long-dashed line) and a stepwise model (short-dashed line). The plot is presented for dinucleotide SSRs (circles) and other repeat SSRs (triangles).
For the SMM, 25 SSRs exhibit a significant deficit in diversity in maize relative to teosinte (P < 0.025). This represents ∼5.4% of the SSRs where only 2.5% (12 SSRs) would be expected by chance. Thus, if the model and parameters used in the simulations are correct, we are likely detecting some SSRs that have reduced diversity because of positive selection during maize domestication or improvement. Fifteen SSRs (3.2%) show a significant excess of diversity in maize (P > 0.975) under the SMM where ∼12 SSRs would be expected by chance. The expected (12) and observed (15) values are fairly close so there is no compelling evidence for SSRs that are under balancing or diversifying selection in maize.
We summarized the SSRs where two different tests in maize indicate a significant (P = 0.05) deviation from neutrality (Table 4). Twenty-nine SSRs in maize show a significant result for multiple tests, 6% of the total number of SSRs. Of these, 24 SSRs or 5% of the 462 show reduced diversity as expected under positive selection. There are similar numbers of dinucleotide and other repeat SSRs with significant tests (Table 4), and these numbers are not significantly different (G = 3.27, P = 0.07) from a random expectation based on the number in each class of markers in our sample.
Genetic diversity in maize as in other crops has been reduced during domestication as previously shown (Doebley et al. 1984; Hilton and Gaut 1998) and further illustrated in this study. For SSRs, maize has 88% of the gene diversity found in teosinte and 76% of the number of alleles. If we divide the SSR data according to the length of the repeat motif, we observe that maize has 91% of gene diversity of teosinte at dinucleotide SSRs and 85% of that at other repeat SSRs. For number of alleles, these values are 81% at dinucleotide SSRs and 72% of that at other repeat SSRs. This deficit of diversity is less than what has been found at the DNA level for adh1, 75% (Eyre-Walker et al. 1998), or glb1, 60% (Hilton and Gaut 1998), as expected since the higher mutation rate for SSRs relative to that for nucleotide substitutions allows SSRs to recover more rapidly from the bottleneck effect (Vigouroux et al. 2002a).
We observed a relatively low, although significant, level of differentiation between maize and teosinte (Fst = 0.07). Since differentiation is driven mostly by drift and both maize and teosinte have large population sizes, the low level of differentiation is not unexpected. Dinucleotide SSRs show a significantly smaller Fst value than other repeat SSRs; however, these two types of SSRs exhibit a similar proportion of Fst values that are significantly greater than zero. The smaller Fst for dinucleotide SSRs occurs because of their higher mutation rate (Vigouroux et al. 2002a) and the statistical properties of Fst. Fst is the function of two probabilities, the probability of identity of two alleles within a population and the probability of identity of two alleles between populations. As the mutation rate increases, the probability of identity within a population decreases and so does the Fst value (Weir 1996). This smaller Fst value does not mean that the populations are not differentiated, but just illustrates the effect of the mutation rate on Fst. The same phenomenon has been observed elsewhere with empirical and simulated data (Balloux et al. 2000).
Fis is moderately high in both maize (0.38) and teosinte (0.43), but this is likely a function of our sampling strategy. We attempted to maximize the breadth of genetic diversity in our maize and teosinte samples by selecting accessions from maximally divergent geographical locations. This sampling strategy will increase the probability of observing SSRs that have become fixed for alternate alleles in different populations. When multiple plants from single populations are sampled in maize, Fis values are much smaller (Labate et al. 2003).
A study of the inheritance of domestication traits in maize reported a concentration of QTL on chromosomes 1–5 (Doebley and Stec 1993). This suggests that these chromosomes might have experienced a stronger selective force than chromosomes 6–10 and that there may be heterogeneity among chromosomes in genetic diversity. Nevertheless, no chromosomal effect was detected for either the relative deficit in gene diversity or Fst, suggesting a somewhat homogenous genome-wide loss of diversity during domestication (Figure 1, Table 2). The relative deficit of alleles shows some evidence of heterogeneity among chromosomes. Why this effect is observed only for the number of alleles (Δalleles) is unclear. If this effect is due to selection during domestication, it is unlikely that this selection was targeted at the genes (QTL) controlling the differences in plant and inflorescence architecture studied by Doebley and Stec (1993) since the chromosomes that show the most modest losses of alleles (5, 9, 1, 3, and 2) include four of the five chromosomes identified as possessing the largest numbers of QTL.
We asked whether there is a correlation between the location of domestication QTL and genomic regions of lower genetic diversity as expected if selection during domestication had caused regional losses in diversity. Addressing this question is not straightforward since multiple QTL can be linked in a single region and maize has a complex history. Thus, although the interaction of linkage, selection, and gene diversity has been extensively studied (Maynard Smith and Haigh 1974; Ohta and Kimura 1975; Wiehe and Stephan 1993; Kim and Stephan 2000), no clear models can be applied to maize domestication. For these reasons, we have taken an ad hoc approach involving several assumptions: (1) the effect of each domestication QTL on SSR diversity is a decreasing function of the recombination distance to the SSR; (2) the QTL were positively selected; (3) each QTL contributed to the loss of diversity in proportion to the amount of variance it explains (i.e., that selection was stronger for the QTL explaining a higher percentage of the phenotypic variance); and (4) QTL contributed additively to the diversity loss.
Using this approach, we did not observe a significant correlation between QTL effect and loss in the number of alleles (Δallele), gene diversity (ΔGD), or Fst (Figure 1). This result can be explained several ways. First, the method we used may not be sensitive enough given the uncertainty of marker positions on the map. Second, we considered here only QTL for morphological traits and not all the potential traits that differentiate teosinte from maize (e.g., seed quality). Third, forces other than directional selection (drift, mutation, diversifying selection) may have created sufficient noise to obscure much of the signal from directional selection. Fourth, none of the SSRs may be sufficiently close to the QTL to have been affected by selection on the QTL. Finally, SSRs used in this study were developed in maize after screening to eliminate invariant SSRs, giving an ascertainment bias since invariant SSRs, which are the most likely candidates for selected SSRs, were excluded from our sample (see Vigouroux et al. 2002b).
Selective sweeps or background selection can reduce diversity throughout a chromosomal region (Maynard Smith and Haigh 1974; Charlesworth et al. 1993). Therefore, we tested whether linked SSRs are more similar in diversity and we observed multiple significant tests for pairs of SSRs within distances of 2 cM from one another (Table 3).
What mechanisms could produced this correlation? One interpretation is that we are detecting regional variation in the strength of selection during domestication. Where selection was strongest, maize is less diverse (or more differentiated from teosinte) relative to regions that experienced weaker selection. This interpretation, if correct, would appear to contradict prior evidence that the effects of selection on diversity in maize are very narrow (Wang et al. 1999) and that that linkage disequilibrium between loci decreases rapidly (Remington et al. 2001; Tenaillon et al. 2001). Another interpretation may be that there is some bias in the data (or in the parameters) that creates a correlation among neighboring SSRs. For example, if there are regions of high vs. low recombination and if recombination is correlated with SSR mutation rate (see Tenaillon et al. 2001), then a statistic like Fst that is influenced by the mutation rate could show a spatial correlation in the absence of any effect from selection during domestication.
To test whether an SSR exhibits a nonneutral pattern of variation, one needs to know the neutral distribution against which the observed data can be compared. To compute such a distribution, we have used coalescent simulations that incorporate the domestication bottleneck. These simulations were performed using three different models for microsatellite evolution: IAM, SMM, and GSM. The simulations are also based on estimates of the current effective population size of maize, the duration of the bottleneck, and the population size of maize during the bottleneck (Eyre-Walker et al. 1998; Vigouroux et al. 2002a). Error in these estimates could bias the results. Nevertheless, this approach has the advantage of clearly specifying the model used and takes into account some aspects of maize history, although it does not include more complex features like population structure.
We examined the fit between our actual data and the simulated data and found that the mean gene diversity and Fst values from the simulated data were closest to the actual data when the simulations were based on the SMM as opposed to the IAM and GSM. Similarly, the distributions of the gene diversity and Fst values for our actual data were closest to the simulated distributions when the simulations were based on the SMM. Overall, the SMM fit the actual data in three of the four tests performed. Nevertheless, the fit is not exact and the results of the simulations differ from expectations based on our prior empirical work. Notably, our prior work on SSR mutation rates (Vigouroux et al. 2002a) indicates that dinucleotide SSRs should best fit the GSM, while a study of sequence diversity at other repeat SSRs (Matsuoka et al. 2002a) suggests that the IAM might provide the best model for this class of SSR. Other factors not incorporated into the simulations such as population structure or directional evolution (Vigouroux et al. 2003) could be responsible for the imperfect fit between the actual and simulated data. Therefore, caution is advised in interpreting the simulation results and the tests of neutrality based upon them.
We performed two tests of nonneutral evolution for which the expected distribution of the test statistic was determined using coalescent simulations. For the Fst test, 46 SSRs or 10% of the 462 SSRs exhibited a higher Fst value between maize and teosinte than expected under the SMM at the P = 0.05 significance level or twice the expected number (23) under purely neutral evolution (Table S4 at http://www.genetics.org/supplemental/). For the GD test, 25 SSRs or 5.4% of the 462 SSRs exhibit a deficit in diversity relative to teosinte under the SMM at the P = 0.025 significance level or twice the expected number (12) under purely neutral evolution (Table S4). This excess of loci with significant Fst or ΔGD values suggests that some of these SSRs (or sites closely linked to them) may have been under selection during maize domestication. These loci merit further investigation by DNA sequence analysis to better assess whether they have indeed experienced past selection.
We have also investigated the influence of selection on diversity by analyzing individual SSRs for evidence of nonneutral evolution using the Ewens-Watterson test. A large number of SSRs (34 in teosinte and 36 in maize) exhibit excess gene diversity relative to the number of alleles (Figure 2, Table S4). This result may indicate balancing (diversifying) selection or population subdivision (Kreitman 2000). For teosinte, population subdivision is a likely explanation because our sample includes three different clusters, ssp. parviglumis, ssp. mexicana, and ssp. huehuetenangensis, which are highly structured (Matsuoka et al. 2002b). Similarly, our maize sample was chosen to maximize the geographic regions represented and does not represent a single Hardy-Weinberg population, an assumption of the Ewens-Watterson test.
In maize 12 SSRs (2.6%) exhibit a deficit in gene diversity relative to the number of alleles as expected under positive selection or a bottleneck (Figure 2, Table S4). This is about the number of significant tests expected by chance alone given the significance threshold of P = 0.975 for the two-tailed Ewens-Watterson test. Thus, this test did not enable us to identify any likely targets of selection during maize domestication. In a previous article, we identified 7 of 39 maize SSRs with a deficit in gene diversity relative to the number of alleles using the Ewens-Watterson test (Vigouroux et al. 2002b). However, in this prior work, we biased our choice of SSRs to enrich the sample for ones that were likely targets of selection. The failure to identify nonneutral SSRs with the Ewens-Watterson test in the present analysis could also be influenced by ascertainment bias. Since we studied only SSRs that were polymorphic in maize and could thus be placed on the maize genetic map, we systematically excluded low-diversity (invariant) SSRs that are the most likely targets of selection.
Our results enable us to make some tentative interpretations concerning the forces that have sculpted SSR diversity across the maize genome. First, we infer that mutation has allowed dinucleotide SSRs with their high mutation rates (10−3–10−4) to partially recover from the loss of diversity during maize domestication. We make this inference since ΔGD for these SSRs is only 9% as compared to 15% for other repeat SSRs, which have a lower mutation rate (∼10−5) (Vigouroux et al. 2002a). Similarly, we infer that other repeat SSRs have also made a partial, although weaker, recovery since ΔGD for these loci is still smaller than the ΔGD of 33% for nucleotide substitutions that have even a lower mutation rate (∼10−9; White and Doebley 1999). Nevertheless, since SSR gene diversity remains lower in maize than in teosinte at both dinucleotide and other repeat SSRs, we conclude that new mutation over the ∼5000 years since the end of the bottleneck has not produced a complete recovery. Thus, SSR diversity can provide some insights into the relative roles of drift and selection as well.
Given that SSRs show reduced diversity in maize relative to teosinte, we can ask what were the relative roles of drift and selection in producing this reduction. Our data do not allow an unequivocal answer to this question, but they can be used to suggest that drift was the dominant force. First, the results of our coalescent simulations indicate that diversity at the vast majority of SSRs can be explained by a simple model that incorporates the domestication bottleneck (drift), thereby obviating the need to infer selection. Similarly, we observed no correlation between the chromosomal position of domestication QTL and diversity as expected if selection coupled with hitchhiking had caused strong regional reductions in diversity.
Even if drift during the domestication bottleneck is the major factor influencing SSR diversity in maize, we ask whether some SSRs have reduced diversity because of selection during maize domestication. A conservative approach for identifying SSRs that were likely targets of selection is to consider only SSRs that exhibit significant results with two different neutrality tests in maize. Taking this approach we identified 29 of the 462 SSRs that we consider the best candidates for selected SSRs (Table 4). Under a complete independence of the three tests, the probability to observe at least two tests significant at a 0.05 level is 0.00725. So, under neutrality, the expected number of SSRs with two significant tests for 462 SSRs analyzed is 3.3 compared to 29 actually observed. However, the tests are not completely independent from each other, so the number 29 is somewhat of an upper limit of the number of selected SSRs under the neutral models considered.
Of the 29 SSRs with two or three significant tests, 24 show evidence for positive selection during maize domestication as either a higher than expected ΔGD value or a Ewens-Watterson test indicating a deficit of gene diversity as compared to the number of alleles. Thus, an average value of 5% of the total number of SSRs may have experienced positive selection during maize domestication. This value of 5% “selected” loci may underestimate the actual number of genes that have experienced selection for several reasons. For example, we analyzed only loci that were known to be polymorphic in maize and thereby excluded invariant SSRs, the class most likely to have experienced past selection. Similarly, some SSRs that experienced selection during maize domestication some 9000 years ago may have recovered their loss diversity because of the high mutation rate for SSRs and thereby give nonsignificant neutrality test results. Nevertheless, this 5% value provides a rough first estimate of the portion of the maize genome that was under positive selection during maize domestication.
A5Assuming that the ancestral population was at equilibrium and had the same effective size as ssp. parviglumis today, we can use σ2parvi as an estimate for σ20. Knowing σ2m, Nmaize, T, and Tb, we can estimate the effective population size of maize during the bottleneck (Nb).
over 33 dinucleotide SSRs was estimated using the data from Matsuoka et al. (2002b) as 23.5 and 26.8, respectively. The effective population size of the expanded maize population after the bottleneck in a range from 105 to 109 has only a small effect on the estimated size during the bottleneck (Eyre-Walker et al. 1998 and data not shown), so we have considered only a large effective population size of 1 million for maize after the expansion.
With these values for the parameters, we can estimate Nb for different values of Tb using Equation A5. Archaeological information indicates that the domestication bottleneck was probably within the range of a few hundred to 2000 years (Smith 2001). Therefore, we calculated the effective size for bottlenecks of 100, 200, 500, 1000, and 2500 years in duration and obtained values for Nb of 107, 220, 553, 1117, and 2875, respectively. These values are in good agreement with previous independent estimates using DNA sequence polymorphism (Hilton and Gaut 1998).
We thank Montgomery Slatkin and Jody Hey for advice on the mathematical and simulation models. We thank Marit Haug for technical assistance and Major Goodman and Jesus Sanchez for help in obtaining seeds. This work is supported by National Science Foundation grant DBI-0096033.
↵ 1 These authors contributed equally to this work.
↵ 2 Present address: Diversité et Génomes des Plantes Cultivées, UMR141, Institut de Recherche Pour le Développement, Montpellier, 34394, France.
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I offer my humble obeisances unto the lotus feet of my divine master Sri Guru-padapadma Om Visnupad Astottara-sata-sri Srimad Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj and all the Vaisnavas. By his unlimited grace, the exalted Vaisnava community has already received with transcendental joy many glorious publications of Srila Guru Maharaj, the guardian of devotion, from our Nabadwip Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math and branches. Now, at the most auspicious moment of Srila Guru Maharaj’s 96th holy appearance day, we are blessed to see the fourth publication of the Sermons of the Guardian of Devotion.
Srila Guru Maharaj’s delivery of divine discourses of Hari-katha is a direct dispensation of the illustrious Om Visnupad Prabhupad Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur, our most worshippable Param Gurudev, and all the nectarean flow of divine ecstasy from the ocean of grace, the golden Lord Sri Gaurangadev. Scholars of India and the world over have acclaimed Srila Guru Maharaj’s holy talks for their undisputed authenticity, saintly simplicity, and charm. His masterful ability to bring ever-new illumination to the world through his most elevated spiritual insight is the joy of the sincere devotees and genuine theistic scholars. This smaller treastise contains five of His Grace’s informal talks with the devotees hitherto unpublished, and I am confident that it will be received with great spiritual joy by both the new entrants to the divine life as well as the veterans. The work was made possible by the untiring efforts of Sripad Hari Charan Brahmachari Seva Ketan Prabhu and Sripad Mahananda Das Brahmachari Prabhu, to whom my unceasing gratitude is due. May they be blessed by the guardian of devotion Sri Srila Guru Maharaj. The fortunate seekers who carefully read this booklet cannot but be supremely benefitted in their spiritual march.
So many proposals in the name of helping are only helping us to incur debt in this world. Already one is under the pressure of a heavy burden, and again in the name of help he is securing a fresh loan. So, more burden is coming on his head. This is the nature of help in this world. No work can be fully pure in this world. It may be said that at least there is goodwill, but we say that goodwill is also impure and filthy. Everything is impure and rubbish here, but with the help of the scripture and the real agent, we are to come to know what is good and what is bad. Then, we are to accept the good and eliminate the bad. Previously, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu came distributing this conception, and in the modern time our Srila Guru Maharaj, Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Prabhupad, came and almost singlehandedly began his fight against the so-called existing principle of help in the environment.
The Vedas say, “In the garb of religion, so many materialistic things are being delivered. It is a treachery to the ordinary people.” We are to know what is pure religion, what is the real recommendation of the Vedas which has its conclusion in Srimad Bhagavatam. The Veda is likened to a wish-fulfilling tree, kalpa-vrksa: whatever we want, it can supply that. And from that has come naturally the ripe product, the ripe fruit of the Vedas, and that is Srimad Bhagavatam. There is no artificial colour there that any scholar can come and thrust his own interpretation into the Bhagavatam and say, “This is Bhagavatam’s opinion.” Bhagavatam is not subject to the Vedas’ or the Upanisads’ opinions, but the Srimad Bhagavatam has come automatically from the Veda tree.
One who cannot tolerate another’s position is a jealous person. This Bhagavatam is only meant for those that are free from jealousy so that they can understand that there is only one Principal who is all-in-all. He is autocrat, and He is all-in-all. He is our master, and He can make or mar. Only those who have no jealousy can come to such a level as to enquire about truth. Whereas, the jealous cannot admit that there is God and that the whole creation is designed and destined by Him. There is the land of the Lord, and if we can enter into that plane, then we can be really happy by giving and not by exerting. To sacrifice for Him will bring for us both quantity and, especially, quality. If we can have entrance into that plane, we shall be able to swim in the pool of nectar. It is very much appreciable.
We can understand that it is very much appreciable, that so many from foreign lands have also come being attracted by the instructions and advice of Mahaprabhu and Srimad Bhagavatam. So many young people have been charmed by the beauty of the teachings of Sri Chaitanyadev, Srimad Bhagavatam, and their agents. That they would come to join us was already predicted by Srila Bhakti Vinod Thakur some one hundred years ago, and our Srila Guru Maharaj began the work in a humble way. After that, one of his disciples, Sripad A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaj, went to the West empty-handed, but by the grace of Mahaprabhu, Krishna, and Nityananda Prabhu, he was very much successful to push this high level of advice to the West. Attracted by his earnest desire to distribute this nectar, the Westerners have come in the hundreds to join the sankirtan party under the banner of the Gaudiya Math, Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur, and A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaj. I am sure that you will be pleased at heart to find them amongst you here. They are taking all sorts of risks in their lives in order to preach these truths to the whole of the world with all the might and resources at their command. There are men of all different types who have joined this movement including bright scholars, doctors, and businessmen. They are taking this message to every corner of the earth most skillfully, and so we must feel and express our gratitude towards their divine attempt and to their earnestness to know and distribute this sort of high order of knowledge of relief to the people at large. We appreciate their presence here and their attempt, and I feel that you are all of the same opinion as myself that they have encouraged us in a very extraordinary way to search. Many Indians are encouraged by their presence. They are also very inquisitive, “What is there that so many foreigners of high grades are also coming to appreciate? There must be something to be enquired.” In this way, so many Indian persons who are holding high positions in the worldly educated society are also coming.
So, we give our thanks to those noble persons for their attempts, and we pray to our Guru and Vaisnavas that their attempts may be fulfilled by them.
Question: In the beginning of Srimad Bhagavatam, events are described of Suta Goswami speaking at Naimisaranya and this is after Vyasadev had spoken Bhagavatam to Sukadev. So, how is it that Vyasadev was aware of the events at Naimisaranya?
So, Sukadev received Srimad Bhagavatam from Vyasadev. Previously, Narad gave it to Vyasadev, and Vyas composed it in elaboration and taught it to Sukadev; this was the second recitation. The third was when Sukadev delivered lectures with his remarks to the great assembly of scholars in Sukratal.
When Sukadev gave the lecture, there was one Suta Goswami who was a very sharp hearing man, sruti-dhara. Sruti-dhara is one who having only once heard something keeps it in his memory, and Suta, having those qualities, was present in that meeting. The fourth sitting was in Naimisaranya where the rsis, apprehending the black march of Kali-yuga, commenced and engaged themselves in a one-thousand-year campaign, yajna. Finding Suta Goswami, they told, “We have got much leisure in the evening to hear about the Absolute, and we heard that you, Suta, were present in that mysterious and famous assembly where Sukadev gave his lecture about Bhagavatam, and you memorised it. We request that you deliver by way of lecture to us that Bhagavatam.” Suta Goswami accepted their proposal, and that was the last sitting in the form of regular evening lectures. Sixty thousand or so rsis, the scholars and performers of sacrifices, assembled to hear from him. It was after this sitting that Vyasadev took the whole thing and compiled it in book form and let it loose on the public.
Question: What is that Sukratal that you mentioned just now?
Srila Sridhar Maharaj: Sukratal is a small district of Uttar Pradesh just opposite Vibhukuti, a little far off from the Ganges, where there was the place of Maharaj Pariksit. When Pariksit was sure to die, he came to live in that place near the Ganges, and there the third assembly took place. Perhaps it was from Suka that the name Sukratal has now come, and by that name this place is known to the public.
Question: Was Vyasadev present at Naimisaranya when Suta spoke?
Srila Sridhar Maharaj: No, he was not present in the meeting, but he got information. He was a yogi. Vyasadev was such a yogi that he could understand and feel whatever is happening anywhere. In this way, the whole battle story in Mahabharata has been described by him. How it is possible? Not only that but he was a yogi of such higher class that he could transfer his yoga-sakti to Sanjaya who, inspired by that potency, could also feel that battle. He could observe so many things simultaneously—what one is saying to another, what weapon one is throwing to another—all these things Sanjaya could see simultaneously, and he is relating the whole thing to Dhrtarastra by the grace of Vyasadev. Vyasadev is able to see many things simultaneously in his yoga, developed consciousness.
Once, one gentleman told me that Einstein in his last days was asked by his wife, “What invention are you searching now?” He replied, “If I am successful in this campaign of my research, then you will be able to see me wherever I am. Wherever I shall be, you shall be able to see and feel me. That plane I am going to try to invent.” That was Einstein’s last tendency according to one gentleman, though I don’t know how far it is true.
Many devotees are also said to realise such a position that from a separate place they can detect when a dog is entering within a particular temple in Vrndavan. He is feeling, “Oh, a dog is entering there.” When our plane of consciousness, our conscious seat, is not disturbed by any self-produced thought, when it is clear, then when any wave carrying any news strikes it, it can feel that: “This is happening somewhere else, and the wave has come to touch the aerial of my consciousness.” When our conscious seat is very clear, any wave that arises to touch it, any fact that arises in our plane of thinking, that cannot but be an actual fact. But when self-produced prejudices have covered the conscious seat, then we cannot detect such things; the plane of our consciousness cannot be read. But when that is cleared, any incident happening anywhere sends some wave to every ‘receiver’, and each can understand, “Oh, such thing is happening!” Useless thoughts and false thoughts do not arise in his mind. Whatever is happening is sending some wave. His mind is so clear that he detects that event. He reads his mind, he feels it, and he says, “Oh, this is happening here and that is happening there.” It may be considered something like that.
But this is a kind of siddhi, mystic power. A true Vaisnava avoids all these things, but automatically it may come to someone, and sometimes they may disclose this fact. Otherwise, they avoid all these things. They do not want miracles. They are eager to find out the miracle of the centre, the central miracle. They are busy to search for the miracle of miracles, and so these side issues they neglect. They are all-attentive to find out the main problem. Their cent-per-cent energy is engaged for that, concentrated, without caring for these things.
Question: Srila Sridhar Maharaj, when Sukadev was asked to speak Srimad Bhagavatam, he was in the presence of his Guru, Vyasadev, and Param Guru, Narad. So, how is it that he took the exalted seat of the vyasasan in the presence of his Guru and Param Guru?
Sukadev began to answer, and everyone there in pin-drop silence began to listen to his words. His words were coming unquestionably as the Absolute Truth and were unanimously accepted by all. Present in that assembly were all the big scholars who had come to give some consolation to Pariksit Maharaj: “You are such a good Maharaj with good administration. You are unparalleled as well as a lover, respecter, and protector of the brahminical yajna, faith, etc. Despite all these qualifications, you have been thrown a curse from that same side of the brahman section, and that is a very lamentable thing.” In this way, almost all the leaders of all different schools of philosophy came to give consolation to Maharaj Pariksit. It was in that well-represented assembly that Sukadev was to speak.
Narad and Vyasadev were present and eagerly waiting. Happily, they tasted how through Brahma-jnan, through the widest touch, this Krishna-lila, which seems to be of very limited and narrow things, passes through to be widely accepted. All these gentlemen for seven days attended this meeting, and they all listened with such eagerness.
Sukadev told, “From my father, from my dear affectionate father, I have learned these things.” And giving warning to the audience he told, “You all know that I have no bigoted conception about religion.
So, knowingly, it was that the Guru and Param Guru of Sukadev were present there. They knew the future and could understand that this recitation would occur, and also out of sympathy for Maharaj Pariksit, they came. They did not come by chance.
Srila Sridhar Maharaj: I must feel that I am unsatisfied with the environment of this world: life, death, torture, and all these things, janma-mrtyu-jara-vyadhi. If one is really a sincere seeker of a happy life, then he must try with his utmost endeavour to get freed from this environment and to find another place—home, back to God, back to home. And we are told from ancient times that we have got a home, and that that home is under the cooling shade of the holy feet of our Lord.
Practically, we must take into our programme and in our daily schedule, wholesale, how to get out of this nasty colony and go back to our home, sweet home. And why is it sweet? We are to discuss that with all our intellect. Although intellect is not qualified to know about that, still in the negative way also, we can calculate that the positive is there. In that plane, they are eager to take us in. They are honest. So, we want to live in that plane as our country because they are honest. There it is infinite, and no population will be suppressed there.
This plane here is not worth living in, so we must search for a place worth living in, and in the quest for that land we may pass lives after lives. In this search, there is no loss because where we are at present is undesirable, and if we are sincere in this feeling, then to search for what is desirable is not madness. We may pass lives after lives in search of a sweet home, and there will be no waste of energy in that endeavour. This is not unreasonable; rather, we find that this is finely reasonable.
Sastra and yukti. First is the sastra, revealed scriptures, the positive contribution. Then next, and subservient, is reason, yukti. Logic is subservient, and the positive extension from the world of truth is the real thing. That is the main thing and logic will be subservient. By logic of this domain we cannot know anything about the transcendental realm. Logic may be applied here, but the logic of chemistry may not work in the logic of theology wholesale. Everything has got its own logic. The transcendental world has got its own logic, but this mundane logic may help us partially, as an analogy.
To understand about the five planes of knowledge is infinite. Every unit is infinite. Infinite minus infinite—remaining is infinite! So, the infinite world is such that we are always in a relative position in the infinite. The infinite can never be finished. Everywhere there is centre; nowhere there is circumference.
Mahaprabhu Himself says, “I am hankering for the truth; I have not got it.” Truth is so wonderful, so wonderful an attainment, that Mahaprabhu, the highest, the Infinite Personified, He comes to teach us, and He also says that, “I am only near the verge.” Similarly, Newton told, “I am collecting a few pebbles from the seashore; the ocean of knowledge is extended before my eyes. I know more than you, because you, you fool, you say that I have finished knowledge, but it can never be finished. Only it can be touched, touched in a point.” Newton told like that about the scientific knowledge of this world. So, what about the infinite knowledge, how it should be! With what aspiration and patience and hope we are to approach that world! If Newton in the science of this mundane world can say like that, then we, who always speak of the higher infinite, what audacity do we have to think that by impatiently passing a few minutes or a few days or by stepping forward a few yards, we shall be able to know the Infinite! We are traitors to ourselves; we are not approaching the Infinite! We should not have so much courage and so much sincere hope for the best to get it, wanting only an easy result. We must be prepared. We are out for the Infinite, and we really must want to utilise ourselves, and not for our satisfaction. “Die to live”, Hegel told. ‘Ideal reality’ is the name of his philosophy. Really, the ideal is real: ideal realism. Everything begins with idea, and then it takes shape; it materialises.
“He is for Himself”, Hegel told, “Everything is for Himself, and we are for Him.” We are for Him. We are to search for our master and not for a servant, not an order-supplier or a canvasser, but master. And the master says, “Prepare yourself for My service to satisfy Me; for My satisfaction come to be available to the complete degree. Now that you have come within, you say that you will be allowed to steal something and go away? No! All rights reserved. All rights reserved: it is not very easy to have rights, to establish rights here in My plane. I am such a master? I am an autocrat. Because I am omniscient, I am an autocrat. You are vulnerable, and I am the guardian, the strong guardian.
“Try to put trust in My universal guardianship first. By understanding that I am your guardian, you will find peace within you. I am your well-wisher.
Question: How are we to understand that Krishna is an autocrat, despot, liar, and our well-wisher?
Srila Sridhar Maharaj: He is an autocrat because law comes from Him. The autocrat is above law; law emanates from Him. When there are many, there is law. When there is only one, there is no necessity of law. Are you satisfied?
Question: Yes. Then, He is a despot?
Srila Sridhar Maharaj: Despot, but absolute good! If there would be any check in His despotism, then the world would be the loser, the environment would be the loser. Goodness must have its full-fledged flow. Is it bad? Can there be any objection to that?
Goodness must have its freedom to flow anywhere and everywhere. “The absolute good”, we say, then what can we lose by giving Him autocracy? Should the autocracy be with the ignorant and the fools? Should the fools and the mischievous have autocracy? No! The absolute good must have full autocracy. Not that law will go to bind His hand, for then we will be the loser.
Question: Then, He is a liar?
Srila Sridhar Maharaj: Yes, liar, to entice us because we cannot understand the whole truth, the absolute truth. So, in order to entice us gradually, to draw us forward, He has become a liar. If He is all-goodness, then everything emanating from Him cannot but be good. Defect can only be found in other quarters. He is the owner. Everything belongs to Him. We are encroachers. He is not an encroacher although He shows sometimes in that way. But that is His play, lila, and everything belongs to Him. His lying is good. Whatever He says, is so: “Let there be water” and there was water, “Let there be light” and there was light. With such potential power at the centre, can any lying be there?
Question: If He is all these things—despot, autocrat, and liar—then how can we understand that He is also our ever well-wisher?
Srila Sridhar Maharaj: Why in this world has He given you freedom? Because free choice is necessary for feeling happiness; otherwise, He is one whole, He is everywhere, with no separate individual position. If you are to conceive any separate interest, separate individuality, then freedom is indispensable. Free cooperation can give you real happiness, but if freedom is snatched from you, you become a stone. Is that desirable? Is there any dearth of stones? Then?
Endowed with freedom, free choice to choose the good and dismiss the bad. Then, should it be thought that everyone will be bad so that then no free choice will be given to anything? Is this desirable? So, realise all these things within yourself and try to adjust with the centre. It is not that we are all right, and we must trace some defect in Him; we are not to foster that attitude. But He is all-good, and the defect is in us. By conferring free choice within us, He has not done wrong. We are to find that out. If there is not freedom of conception in us, we cannot have the position of enjoying happiness.
Srila Sridhar Maharaj: From so low you are going to so high! Aslisya va pada-ratam pinastu mam. What do you want to say there?
Question: Is it just a manufacturing of our own mentality? Is it just our own conception that He has abandoned me? Or that He is here or He is not here? Or that He is with me or He is not with me?
Srila Sridhar Maharaj: He is always with you, but still He is not with you at all. He is always being in the background, and He is not in the positive foreground. I cannot find Him because finding is of infinite character. He is infinite, and my position is very meagre, so I can never be satisfied.
He is with me in the background as the infinite character, but I only have my meagre conception; therefore, just how much can I get of Him? But I know the fact that He is bigger and bigger, whereas I am finer and finer. So, satisfaction and dissatisfaction are both contained—it cannot but be. The infinite character is in the background, and the finite character is before me. Because I have got small existence, how can I take part of Him? What I can have in my possession of Him, that is very meagre. The background says, “This is nothing.” So many others are also there. So many are holding higher positions, and that is also a relativity—relative life. Parts are always within the laws of relativity, including ourselves. In this material plane, we are unsatisfied. If I have got one state, then I want to conquer the whole world, then I want to conquer the whole solar system. There is no end. Even in connection with the physical infinite, we aspire to hold a higher position, and in the spiritual plane it is also such. There is also the realm of the type of satisfaction of losing one’s personality and entering into deep, sound sleep. That is found in Brahmaloka and Viraja. On one side of that we get good, and on the other we get bad. The property for exploitation is infinite, and the realm of service to the master, competition, that is also infinite. To have an individual position necessarily means to be in the environment of infinite: good or bad, healthy or diseased.
Srila Sridhar Maharaj: Brahmaloka is where we lose our material ego, material individuality, but do not get our spiritual individuality. Brahmaloka is the marginal position. It is no man’s land. The other side is in touch with the other realm, and this side is in touch with this plane, something like that. It is the border, the margin between the two. On one side is consciousness, and on the other side is matter. One side is light and one side is darkness. Just as in the evening, light and darkness are combined.
Question: Are Sankar and Buddha citizens of no-man’s-land?
Srila Sridhar Maharaj: Yes. One is on this side, nearing the land of exploitation, and the other is nearing the land of dedication. Brahmaloka is a little higher than Viraja. Viraja is the watery characteristic of prakrti, whereas Brahmaloka is light, purusa.
Tal-lingam Bhagavan Sambhur. In the Brahma-samhita, it is told that a ray of light is coming to this watery substance. This watery substance is compared to prakrti. Prakrti means this external potency, the potency on which the misconception arises and from which it is born. There, some movement is created, and the ray within is sown amongst the misconceived things without. There is a free combination, and this world emerges from that common material, mahat-tattva.
“O Bharat, material nature, known as pradhana, is the womb into which I cast the seed (in the form of the individual soul which is born of the marginal potency). From that place, all beings headed by Lord Brahma are generated. Aham bija-pradah pita: “I am the seed-bestowing father.” Tal-lingam Bhagavan Sambhur: “And Sambhu is My sense that gives birth.” That may be taken as Sambhu, Siva; the part of the Supreme that is coming within this prakrti and moving it, producing this world in the negative side. The world of lustre must be scrutinised and analysed, and we shall find that so many units are there. So many souls are there, but all are serving units, and I also can be enlisted and allowed to enter there amongst them. In Vaikuntha, the life of the plane of dedication, we can be newborn there and have our position.
Question: Is that the fourth plane and fifth plane of attaining knowledge?
Srila Sridhar Maharaj: It is the third plane. The third plane Sankar recommended as the marginal position, and the fourth plane Sri Ramanuja Acharya recommended as the power-controlling, calculative service of the Lord in awe and reverence. Then, the next higher and most all-embracing solid circle is Goloka. Goloka means something like a football: a four right-angled, solid circle where there is no crookedness. There we find that, and that is the deepest plane spreading all through, all-pervading. That is Goloka. It is the all-pervading, all-embracing, and finest plane. That is the plane of love and beauty and automatic service. Automatic, not calculative. That is the plane of Krishna: the most universal, the most capturing, the widest, and the finest. Beauty is reigning there; the queen of love is managing there by Her potency.
The potency there is ahaituky apratihata, causeless and continuous. There is Svayam Bhagavan and Mahabhava. The highest conception of negative and the highest conception of positive, combined, of the highest quality. And that is love and beauty; it is Their reign, Their kingdom. It has been found out, and it is given to us by Bhagavatam and Mahaprabhu, that beauty is controlling. Love is controlling—that land is such. If we are tempted by that, we are to try for that. Only the attraction which originates from that plane can take us there. Agents from that plane come here, float on the surface, and give us an injection so that we can gradually move towards that direction. They give the injection of prospect. Such prospects there are! Will you come to take a certificate to enter into that plane?
It is from that plane, really from that plane, that the sound of the Holy Name emanates. By following that sound, we can be led there, but if an imitation sound comes, it may take us to some other plane and finish there. The sound has got so much depth. Like the homeopathic pill, apparently so many globules are one and the same, but the potency within is all-important.
Vaikuntha-nama-grahanam: not mundane sound, but we are to differentiate according to the depth of meaning in the sound. The word contains what depth of potency within? What depth of goodwill and knowledge? That very fine thing within the sound will exert itself ultimately and not the sound vibration only. The sound containing the bhava, the meaning, that is everything, and that is very important.
Question: The ninth offence against the Holy Name is to preach the glories of the Holy Name to the faithless. Is it an offence to give the Holy Name or a conception of the spiritual realm to the Sankarites, the Saivites, and other impersonalists?
Srila Sridhar Maharaj: The field must be favourable for the seed to grow; otherwise, good seed cast onto the stone will be useless. Sraddha, the sisya, and the guru, each must be proper, and those symptoms have been given in the scripture. The healthy sisya attitude (disciple attitude) must be there, and also the field must be cultivated in a certain way. The soil and the seed, they both must be proper, then the crops will grow.
Question: You mentioned once that the Name can become counterfeit like shooting a gun using a blank bullet. Could you explain that please?
Srila Sridhar Maharaj: If there is only sound, it is something like many globules of homeopathic pills without any medicine: mere globes. Mere sound, but nothing good within, will do the work of globules of sugar only, but not of medicine. Do you follow? The globules made of sugar, but having no medicine within, will have what effect? If we take that sort of globule of homeopathy without any medicine within, what will be the result? No effect. Similarly, the mere letters of the Name and not the Name Itself, will not be able to produce anything good. Namaksara bahiraya bate is the cover-sound; the sound without any real meaning within it. And because the real purpose and the real good is not behind the sound, it will produce false effect. You are sending letters with enquiry. Are all the points finished?
Question: No! In the last letter I wrote, there is a question about something I think Narad Muni said. How can we understand that the demon can cultivate more intensity than the devotee?
Srila Sridhar Maharaj: It is easy to get more intensity in that section of lower purpose. That may be easily granted, but that intensity is of less quality. That takes them only to the verge, that Brahmaloka circle.
Rupa Goswami has harmonised it in his explanation.
Just as there is the sun and its ray, there is similarly Krishna and Brahmaloka, the ray of His domain. The asuras, they get their final shelter in Brahmaloka, kirana, the world of lustre. And the devotees, they enter into the transcendental cosmic area according to their choice and their innate quality. The gradation is there in His family and in His paraphernalia. A maidservant enters a room by a door and a newlywed wife also enters by the same door, but each occupies a far, far different position from the other.
It is easy to capture more intensity in the lower quality, but in the higher order it is difficult to attain. So, easily the lower section get their sanction, but it is hard for the devotee who wants to enter into the harem of Krishna amongst His internal servants; that is a little difficult. It is common sense.
The oneness of Krishna is not all one and the same. One is on the outskirts of the compound, and another is at the very centre of the compound. Difference is there. This is to be discriminated, and Rupa Goswami has given the solution. The solution of originality of harmony has been given by Rupa Goswami in Laghu-bhagavatamrta which is most critical. There it is given sevonmukhe hi jihvadau: to take the Name or do any service must have that one quality present to be named as devotion: the serving tendency must be there; otherwise, the external show is not the real thing. “I am taking the Name, a hundred crores of times”, or all these things. It is all lip-deep, and that won’t fetch any higher value. But the depth must be considered. The intensity must be reckoned, and that will lead us to get Krishna. According to that reckoning, we may get to the outskirts of Krishna’s domain or we may be allowed to enter into His confidential realm; this sort of consideration is there. So, this is the way to harmonise things, good and bad. It is not one and the same, because it is, after all, a discriminating, differentiated plane, not a static hazy one. Krishna means differentiation. When Krishna is at the side of Srimati Radharani, He is fullest, and when Krishna is at the side of other gopis, He is one degree less.
In so many ways, His attitude or His presence is measured by the devotees. How much intensity? How much love? There is also differentiation there in Vrndavan—in many ways there is always differentiated character.
Srila Sridhar Maharaj: What to speak of us, we are to understand these principles first. To attain to that position is imaginary and a story-like thing, like a fable. First, let us enter into the area. But we need not be discouraged—grace is there! Grace has got no limit. There is no fear of being bankrupt about Krishna. There is no question of Krishna being bankrupt there! Infinite! But to our faith it is difficult, very difficult, to get that, but His grace is there. Grace is not conditional, for it may come to any place. No one is sufficiently low that he cannot get His grace. Grace is free; it can embrace anyone. The most fallen may be graced, and one who is puffed up with his own qualities may be neglected.
Sri Krishnadas Kaviraj Goswami, the author of Sri Chaitanya-charitamrta, says, “Nityananda Prabhu is mad in His distribution, in His magnanimity. He does not stoop so low as to consider that, ‘This one is qualified, this one is not.’ Sometimes the flood comes and inundates everyone. His movement is such.” Sri Kaviraj Goswami continues, “Only that chance captured me. It was not by any consideration of my capacity or my fitness, but by some causeless inundation the flood came and captured me: the flood from Nityananda Prabhu, by His grace. This is my position. Shamelessly, I am giving an announcement that I have got a drop of the grace of Nityananda; otherwise, I would be faithless. Faithless! I have got Rupa, I have got Sanatan. That is to say that I have got appreciation for these stalwarts, these devotees. That I have got this and that, I cannot deny, and what I am giving to you in this scripture is not possible without grace. It is high. I can never deny this: that what I am giving here is high. What is given through me in this book, Sri Chaitanya-charitamrta, is of the highest order. If I don’t say so, then I would be faithless and unthankful. But it is not mine; it is extended to me by the higher authorities by their causeless mercy. It has captured me. I have been selected as their instrument, as their means. I feel that what is there is of a very pure and high type, but I cannot claim it to be my own; it is someone else’s property. It is resting in me. It can be withdrawn at any moment. It is so uncertain, but still it is, I can’t deny, and it is the most beautiful thing, that also I can’t deny.” Grace means independence. Grace means separate independence of the giver.
Question: How do we reconcile the fact that in some sastras it says that Siva is supreme?
Srila Sridhar Maharaj: Siva is a type who is enquiring after something, but Visnu is a type who has everything within. Siva is searching.
The sastra says differently for different sections according to their capability of catching the truth. In the primary literature, it may be said that the sun is fixed and the planets are moving, but in higher astronomy it may be said that the sun is also moving with all the planets also moving around it. But to the children, the whole truth may not be said. The truth is given partially, and by instalments. Sastra has adopted this policy of giving things by instalments in order that it will be acceptable accordingly by the different sections. Then, when they will reach to that standard, the sastra will come to say, “This is not the end, my boy. You will have to go further.” This policy has been adopted in the sastra by the givers of the revealed truth.
Partially, by instalments, the truth is being distributed to them because they cannot accept the whole truth. They cannot understand the whole truth at once. The scripture advises that, “If you want to be united with the ladies, then marry and in that way go on. If you want to take fish and meat, then you dedicate it to a certain deity and in society you take it partially under the direction of a particular company who will make such arrangements. Your merit will be given to that animal whose body you are taking, but go on in contact with that company and take meat.” The advice is meant like that.
Then, presently the sastra tells, “Already for fifty years you have been trying to enjoy, now come to the life of renunciation: give up everything. Come and devote yourself exclusively in the search for the future life in a scientific way.” In this way, the progressive steps are given. Human life itself is gradually progressing: first there is student life, then household life, to work, then the third life is for retirement, and the fourth life, sannyas, is for giving up everything and going on independently. In this way, there is classification in the human life.
In the section of the Puranas known as the Saiva-puranas, it tells that Siva is supreme. The Puranas are divided into three. In all there are eighteen in number: six are sattvik, the upper division; six are rajasik, the middle division; and six are tamasik, the lower division. This classification is mentioned in the Puranas. In Gaudiya-kanthahara, you will find mention of all these things, the classification of the Puranas. Some are meant for the lower, some for the middle, and some for the higher sections of society. For this purpose, the Puranas are divided into three groups of six. Vedartha-puranat: the Puranas are supplementary to the meanings of the Vedas, the higher revelation scriptures. The Puranas are called Puranas because they make the meaning of the Veda full. According to the degree and capacity of the people, sastra has approached in different levels.
Question: So, can we say that the Puranas are giving a lower conception?
The Upanisads make the analogy of riding on a horse. The horse is running towards a particular direction, and although the rider pulls on the reins, the horse won’t come back. Then, he is allowed to go at his free will for some time, and then again the rider draws on the reins. In this way, after some attempts, the horse will come back on course; it can be turned. In the Upanisads, it is mentioned that our ego is running like the horse. This body is a chariot, and the senses are like horses taking me towards their particular wrong directions. But I shall try to take them, to alter their course, to some other direction. They may not care for me, so what to do but let them go a little ahead for some time. But I shall try again and again, and eventually I shall see that the horse is responding to my command. The indomitable tendency towards this exploitation is here (pravrttir esa bhutanam). But what to do except give it all up and go to the other side beyond indifference and abnegation (nivrttis tu maha-phala). And that is proper adjustment.
Everything should be connected with the centre; otherwise, you will be responsible for exploitation and thereby get reaction. But if you can connect everything according to the scripture, according to the rules to deal with the centre, then you are relieved from your local responsibility. You must work in the central intensity, and the centre will make adjustment.
Question: Is the varnasram-dharma system given in the Puranas?
Srila Sridhar Maharaj: Yes, it is in the Puranas.
Question: Is it given in the sattvik sastra but not in the rajasik or tamasik sastra?
Srila Sridhar Maharaj: In each of the tamasik, rajasik, and sattvik scriptures, varnasram-dharma is both included and classified. But sattvik is also not nirguna, but the nirguna campaign may be begun from any post of varnasram. A sudra may come to have direct connection with the centre, whereas a brahman may not accept, and he will have to turn again to go downwards. It is revolving like this, like a wheel going up and coming down. A brahman is not sure to be a brahman always. After this birth, he may go down again to the lowest position and then again come back up (abrahma-bhuvanal lokah punar avartino). This sattva-guna, raja-guna, and tama-guna are interchanging their positions always, but nirguna has permanent value. That nirguna life may be begun from any position. A sudra may begin that nirguna life, a brahman also may—anyone may do or anyone may not do. Those who do not will revolve in this guna-maya, going up and coming down. Exploiting means getting a loan and becoming heavy. That heaviness takes him down. Then, in the downward position, he is being exploited, and thereby the loan becomes cleared: he is made light and goes up. In this way, he is coming and going—exploiting and being exploited. It is a vicious circle. To get nirguna is to get out of that circle.
By the great force of time and space, it is revolving. But only those who can acquire some sukrti, who have some tendency to serve in connection with the nirguna plane, will survive. Gradually, they will make themselves free from this vicious circle, free from that force of going up and down, up and down.
Question: I understand that in the varnasram-dharma system even a sudra must follow regulative principles.
Srila Sridhar Maharaj: By that he may attain the rajasik plane and gradually to the sattvik plane. But this is all guna-maya. Nirguna is something else.
A brahman may have some facility, but in spite of that he may not connect with nirguna. He may go to Brahmaloka, but he will remain within this material plane. The connection with nirguna is independent of this varnasram. There is asura-varnasram and daiva-varnasram: the classification of two varnasrams. Where there is recognition of the highest, nirguna, that is called daiva-varnasram. And where there is consideration of the flesh in this guna-mayi jagat—the good and bad within the misconceived realm, the standard of misconception—that is called asura-varnasram. From the standpoint of the absolute consideration, when varnasram is connected with nirguna, then that is really helpful, otherwise not.
Question: Can we say that there is some facility for eating meat within the varnasram system?
Srila Sridhar Maharaj: Yes, but that is saguna. Saguna, it is within the mundane nature. We take the flesh of the beast but with some mantram, some regulation, some deity, some particular company, association; all these things are involved. And what will that do? We are using his flesh, and the soul of the beast will get something from our merit. So, it is not proper, but it is not such a brutal violence. It is modified violence, and the soul of the animal will be compensated in the next life according to the method in which he is killed. But those who are taking advantage of his flesh are not devotees. They are ordinary men, and they will get ordinary sattvik or rajasik result. There is no touch of devotion proper there, no touch of nirguna.
But in the Vaisnava section, according to sastra, the vegetables can be offered to Narayan. Those vegetables offered to Narayan will be elevated automatically. And those who are giving, who are offering, and for the service are taking that prasadam, for them there is no harm. They will be elevated by taking that prasadam. So, in the Vaisnava conception, both the eater and the eaten, all are going up because they are coming in connection with that highest goodwill. But that is not the case with other ‘goodness’.
In the world of misconception, the plane is misconceived, so what real benefit, good or bad, may be there? Ultimately, all is false, as in a dream. So, whether it is a good dream or a bad dream, there is not much difference there. In such a plane of unreality, to consider some thing to be good and another thing to be bad is all based on falsity, misconception.
Question: If an animal is killed, must that soul come again in the same species?
Birth and rebirth begin before one’s death. Why? How is it possible? The next birth begins before his death because the past karmas come to take their satisfaction. Each one comes with its demands. All tendencies come to get the next chance, the first chance. It is automatically decided in some computer-like way, and when the body is left, the subtle body captures the soul and takes it. He may go anywhere and everywhere as the consequence of his previous actions. In the shape of an idea, the consequences come to take possession.
So, after a human birth, one may go down to be a tree. Even by living in accordance with the varnasram-dharma system, we also find that some deva is coming to be a stone or a tree in his next life; all these things are happening. So, when one dies, it may be possible, but it is not sure that a brahman will again be a brahman in his next birth. If he has done some previous bad action, then that may take him to the worst position, whereas a chandala, who is finishing his lowest form of life, may come to be a brahman at once. According to karma, and the intensity and priority of the karma, the results have their effects.
Srila Sridhar Maharaj: Pure means God-interested. In one’s innate nature, God’s interest is present. Only God’s interest is the innate tendency, and when that is uncovered, we can see everything as it is. There, everything is doing the service of the Absolute, and everything is all right. The only anomaly arises when we want to see the Absolute as my servant or I want to non-cooperate with Him (bhukti-mukti-sprha). These are two kinds of misconceptions, but really everything is meant for serving Him, and I am also a servant included within that jurisdiction. I am a servant. My duty is to use myself cent-per-cent to serve Him. Service is the truth. Service, not of the nation or society or land or country, but service of the Absolute: that is truth. Only misconception has come to deviate us from that vision and so cause our suffering. It is something like disease. We are attacked by a disease of exploiting tendency or renouncing tendency. The duty of every jiva-soul is to be an inseparable organic unit to serve and to work for the interest of the organic whole. That is the basic idea.
Question: Does each unit have an eternal relationship with the whole which is not the same as that of another unit?
Srila Sridhar Maharaj: They are individuals, but in consonance. There is some sympathetic relation between them. There are groups also according to the nature of service: dasya, sakhya, vatsalya, and madhura. There are so many groups, and they are sympathetic. Sometimes there also may be fighting with the opposition, but that is also service!
Question: Can you explain further of what you mentioned recently, that in the devotee’s quest to become pure, he must go through numerous situations where he is accepting something higher and rejecting something lower: eliminating the lower conception and accepting the higher conception?
Srila Sridhar Maharaj: Those are different stages of that misunderstanding, different strata. Sadhana means progress, which means eliminating something and inviting something higher. In this way, the process is there, and that may be quick in a certain case and slow in another. It may be slow or rapid, but we are to pass through different stages according to the intensity of illusion.
Question: What is the determining factor as to whether we pass through such a stage slowly or quickly?
Srila Sridhar Maharaj: That will depend upon the sukrti and the sat-sanga. There will be some conscious help and some previous underground help. Ajnata-sukrti is when unconsciously, unknown benefit has come to me. Whereas, jnata-sukrti is when consciously some benefit comes through the association of the sadhu, the saint. And that sadhu also may be of different types.
Question: I don’t understand. The sadhu may be of different types?
Srila Sridhar Maharaj: There are different types of sadhus. We have freedom of cooperation and association with a particular section, and the outcome of that depends also on the quality of whom we associate with.
Question: So, spiritual life is one where we are accepting a new concept and eliminating old concepts?
Srila Sridhar Maharaj: There is classification of misconception: Bhu, Bhuva, Sva, Maha, Jana, Tapa, Satya. There is so much gradation within the plane of misconception. And within that there are so many subdivisions, such as insects, trees, and animals. But at the same time, we shall think that a tree might have advanced in the nirguna, whereas a man might not. Misconception may be so hopelessly peculiar in a man that it will take time to cure him. At the same time, the mental system of a tree or an animal may be more advanced towards service, though its present situation is very lamentable.
Question: Does the acceptance and elimination of concepts include the sadhu-sanga that we accept and eliminate there also?
Srila Sridhar Maharaj: Yes. In sadhu-sanga, there are so many considerations: the type of sadhu, the cooperating tendency, also the backing of previous sukrti. There are many things to be taken into calculation.
It is not that just one incident is the cause, but there are so many circumstantial things coming together that cause a particular event. Any event is the combination of many things—his free will, his previous background, his present association, his nature—all these things have got their contribution for his progress. Circumstance can contribute much. It is not limited only to the free will of the man who wants progress.
Question: What about Vaisnava-aparadh, offences to the devotees?
Srila Sridhar Maharaj: If that is underground, that will vehemently oppose his progress. In a particular circumstance, many things may be more or less important that will arrest or help his progress.
Question: One cannot say which factor is more important because each situation is different?
Srila Sridhar Maharaj: It is generally told that when one has come to such a position that he accepts the Vaisnava as all-in-all, then the ordinary duties to the worldly environment will lose their importance. At that stage, the importance should be given to the finer circumstances relating to where I am really wanting to enter into. The sympathy or apathy of those who are in power will have much effect, whereas the sympathy and apathy of those in a lower position will be of less value. That is natural common sense. I may want progress, but if the higher officials are non-sympathetic, then that will be a great hindrance. But if the lower people who are under me have some complaint, then that will not matter much. So, Vaisnava and Visnu will be given the highest consideration, and I must take care not to commit any offence and not to incur any displeasure from Them. Our extra attention should be given to that.
Question: Is the guru-disciple relationship above this acceptance and elimination process?
Srila Sridhar Maharaj: Sometimes we may see this happen, but that is the most unfortunate thing ever one may have to forego. If any wrong is found in whom I want to depend foremost, then that will be a great misfortune and setback. The greatest setback is to eliminate Guru. But to be sympathetic with our Gurudev, and after his departure, if we take help of the closer association, then that is not to dismiss the Guru. Rather, that will help us to serve more our Gurudev. After the departure of Guru, I shall try to get the help of those who are of higher type. Therefore, if I could get help from any of his friends, then of course that is not bad. Rather, that is good because I am getting impetus to make my progress more quickly, and my progress will not be checked for want of any favourable advice about the ways and means.
The danger arises when guru is alive, and for any reason I am to leave him. That is, of course, a very dangerous thing, and there also we find the relative consideration and the absolute consideration going side by side. When they are going side by side, the absolute consideration must get the upper hand. We may be misguided, and so it is easy to change the guru from non-Vaisnava to Vaisnava, from saguna to nirguna. But in the nirguna-viveka, in the same plane, if we are to change guru during the lifetime of guru, then that we must consider as a grave and serious thing. Sometimes such a disaster may fall on some disciple.
But there may be someone of strong understanding who can change his path from here to there. Especially this may be so if any incidental ignorance had covered him for the time being and that has now passed away so that he can see clearly what is what. He may consider, “I have purchased a through-ticket, but when making some progress, I have come to understand that there are some hindrances on the line. Therefore, from this juncture I can accept another train on another line in order to go where there is no danger.” If it becomes clear that ahead there is some danger, then, although a ticket was purchased to go through on this line, the necessity then arises to get down from the train at a junction and accept another line to reach the goal. It is quite possible; this consideration may arise if things occur in such way.
Alternatively, someone may consider that he has purchased a ticket, and therefore he must go on along that line. But the absolute consideration is that, “I want to go to that destination, and I am going for that purpose. So, if on the way, I am to find that there is some difficulty then I am to change my course.” This is common sense.
For one who is sincere in his activity, he need not be afraid of anything because the Lord is the guide. Through Gurudev also, the inner guide is He. By His direction, all these things are being done. The final touch of hand is with the Supreme.
There is also the consideration of association, sanga. Suppose I have purchased a ticket and am going smoothly towards the destination, but some asat-sanga, some bad association, comes to me. Some mischief monger or some ignorant person may say, “No, no, there is danger ahead so let us get down.” I may be influenced by that, falsely. This also may happen that by bad association sometimes someone may be led to reject a good guru.
Also, it may happen that I have purchased my ticket, but there comes some doubt. I am perplexed and get down. But ultimately, I see that I have done wrong, that I have committed a great wrong. That also may be. Anyhow, our sincere hankering after the truth will come to our rescue, and that sincerity of hankering depends again on the past sukrti. The type and the quality of help that was injected into me in my unconscious stage will come to help me always. From the background, that will come to dictate to me, “Do this, do this!” Sincerity is necessary.
Any event is a combination of many things. But those that are sincere, that are eager to help their own self really, they cannot be misguided for long. That should be our solace, our consolation. “If I do not like to be a party to deceive myself, then none can deceive me in this world.” That fairness of mind one should have, because the vigilant eye of the Absolute is always there. We must have such confidence and such faith that the vigilant eye of the Supreme is everywhere. I may not see that, but He is my best friend and only I want to come to Him, and He knows it. So, to whom I am going? He is looking at everything although I may not. The Absolute is the absolute possibility. The finite is to go to meet the Infinite! It is the most audacious, the most impossible thing, and we are going to make it possible by our inner urge. Our inner urge—that is everything.
Question: So, the calculating mentality may not be our best friend?
Srila Sridhar Maharaj: It may not be of great help. Of course, we cannot avoid calculation when we are in a certain stage. But still we should know that the calculative mentality may not be of much help ultimately. Prayer is more powerful to seek the help of the highest to whom I am trying to go. If I seek His help, then He will send some agent to me. If I should get such an agent on my side along the way, then I will be more secure in my progress. Prayer. Prayer and saranagati. Prayer reaches to Him only when we surrender.
But calculation may be of the nature of self-analysis: “Here I have nothing, I have no power, so how can I be lifted? My knowledge and my judgment are futile and have got no power. My free will, my judgment, my everything is so meagre. So, how can it come in contact and make some progress regarding the Infinite? This is impossible!” In this way, self-analysis will take us to surrender. Surrender and prayer will be of primary importance to any spiritual student. Saranagati means surrender. As much as we make surrender towards Him, our prayer will be genuine. When I shall see myself as clearly helpless, then only will my prayer be substantial, and then the help will come accordingly.
On the whole there is only one most important factor: sadhu-sanga.
So many things are all interdependent, but first importance is to be given to sadhu-sanga. But sadhu-sanga is also affected by the results of so many previous events. So many things are all interdependent, but still some points have been given more stress. More importance has been given to firstly sadhu-sanga, then sastra, then saranagati, then prayer. Though many things are there, a complex and interdependent interhelp, but still if we are to select some principal thing for our help, the first thing will be sadhu-sanga, association with those more advanced than myself, and next importance will be given to the sastra, the advices of the great sadhus. With these two, we shall take practical steps in saranagati. Saranagati is real when it is sincere. And sincerity means, “I am helpless. By self-analysis, I am helpless.” As much as I consider myself to be helpless, my prayer to the Lord will be accordingly intense, and the help from that side will come to that degree. Sanga means serving attitude, not physical contact, but serving. Higher things can be contacted only through the relationship of serving tendency, not otherwise.
Question: Therefore, is prayer a more benedicting activity?
Srila Sridhar Maharaj: Prayer also should be pure. “O Lord, give me my bread!” is also a prayer. And another type of prayer is, “Please save me. I do not know what is my real interest. Please enlighten me.” There are so many different types of prayer, and how we pray is determined by our association and our spiritual advice.
Question: Is praying for the revelation of the Absolute more important than glorification of the Absolute?
Question: Should that type of prayer be given more importance and stressed more than the glorification of the Absolute?
Srila Sridhar Maharaj: The prayer to the highest degree that we find is: “I want Your connection. You may utilise me. You may think me to be Yours, and keeping me in Your connection, utilise me according to Your sweet will. I have no particular claim nor aspiration that I must attain this or that, but only I want to be Your faithful servant, and so You please utilise me in any way You like. Only that inseparable connection with You I want. I am Your slave—I want to be Your slave. Your connection I want, Your sincere connection, and You know best what connection that is. I do not know what is what, but You know what is best. Only consider me as Your own and utilise me.” That should be the nature of our prayer.
Question: Should we have a desperate mood?
An example is Prahlad Maharaj who received so many tortures even from his so-called near relative, his father. There are several similar examples. If you are saranagata, surrendered, to Him, then you may have to suffer many things because of that, and if you don’t become desperate, then you will have to come back. With a desperate mentality, you are to tolerate all the tortures that will come against you, and still you won’t budge an inch from your path of progress. That must be. We must be prepared for any injury in any event. Anything may come, known or unknown, supposed or unsupposed. Anything may come, but we are to remain strong in our position. Fixing our eye on Him, it is worth suffering from all types of pains. To stand because “I am standing for the truth” will be my solace.
Prahlad Maharaj advises that whatever adverse circumstances may come to disturb us, we should try to not only see them as opposing and undesirable but we are required to see them as quite befitting: “It should come and is coming through the will of my good, well-wishing Lord. Very kindly He is sending these apparently unfavourable things to me, but here is His grace.” We shall try to read positive sympathy in the pain and not only negative opposition. One thing to note is that nothing can come without His sanction, so it is coming to me with His sanction. There can be no spirit of retaliation in Him; therefore, the pain has come for some purpose: to purify me. This positive end is there. He is trying to finish the bad consequences of my previous actions. “I would otherwise have had to undergo the bad consequences of my actions for a long time to come, but perhaps He is making that intense in order to be finished within a very short time. Therefore, it is His grace.” If with this attitude we can face this danger that surrounds us, then very easily we are released from all such opposing forces.
When the mother is punishing her child, affection is in the background. There is no spirit of retaliation; rather, there is the spirit of affection. She wants to correct him. But when the child takes the attitude, “Yes. More punishment is required, Mother. I have done so many misdeeds, more punishment is necessary for me.” Then the mother will release him very soon: “Oh, he has understood that he did wrong, so he should be released now.” The result of punishment is reached, and so the punishment should be withdrawn.
So, whenever the opposing environment comes to pain us, we should see with such a vision that, “It is the benevolence of the Lord that He has sent this suffering to me, to correct me, to release me very soon perhaps. I am inviting you, ‘Yes, you come. You come. You are my friend. In the garb of an enemy, you are my friend. You have come to release me very soon, so I welcome you. You are coming because without my Lord’s sanction nothing can happen. So, when you have come, you have come surely for my benefit, so I welcome you.’” If with this attitude you can embrace unfavourable circumstances, then very soon you will get liberation from the clutches of Maya.
At the same time, it is necessary to show one’s gratitude to the Lord, “How kind You are. You have managed to clear my debt from my previous life in so short a time. You are so gracious. So, I show my obeisances to You, my Lord. You are so gracious to me. You are trying to finish the reactions of the long-standing misdeeds of my past life which could take birth after birth, infinitely, to clear. But that has been finished within a few hours, so I bow down so faithfully. My faithful obeisances to You, my Lord.” With this attitude, he gets relief immediately. That is the key to success.
Question: What should be the conception of the devotee when the guru is chastising him? Should he understand that to be for his benefit?
Srila Sridhar Maharaj: Yes. Mahaprabhu says that when the guru is chastising, he is considering the disciple to be his own: he has got much affection. But when he is indifferent, then he has kept the disciple at a respectable distance and has not accepted him closely. When the guru is punishing, then that is a great fortune. One can think, “The vigilant eye of Gurudev is over me, and he cannot tolerate anything wrong in me. So, that is very rare, a great fortune, a great prospect of my life that his vigilant eye is there so that nothing wrong can attack me and take me down. He is there.” That the guru is giving punishment presupposes that his guardian’s eye is watching over the disciple. So, that should be considered a great fortune.
In the last sloka of His Siksastakam prayers, Mahaprabhu also says how the standard of attachment should be of the devotee towards the Lord.
Here, of course, it is mentioned about Krishna, but we will find this similar relationship between disciple and guru.
This sort of adherence to Him we shall try to maintain. “I have no other alternative but His favour. He may show His favour, He may not.” In different stages, He may deal with me in different ways. He may show His apathy to me, but still I have no other alternative. I am to tolerate all the apathetic eventualities. That is the nature of the tie between the man and the master. That tie is invulnerable, is inseparable, is eternal, and, if cut, that separation may not even be imagined—such closer and natural connection we have got with the absolute good. We cannot even conceive of anything other than our connection with Him, and that is the eternal conception. We are to go on in the eternal plane, and we are to find out our eternal contact: the finite’s connection with the Infinite. The man and the master. The Lord and the servant. In this way, it is inconceivable, but inconceivably true. That sort of connection with the Supreme, we shall try to find out, and that is the greatest importance of our existence.
Separate existence is not possible. That connection with Him is there, only we forget that. That is the trouble. And in the process of forgetfulness and in the degree of forgetfulness, everything becomes an anomaly. All the anomalies can be confined in this single misunderstanding. The whole anomaly exists only by this misunderstanding.
Srila Sridhar Maharaj: Selflessness means to admit that the Lord is all-in-all. Even the existence can be effaced by His sweet will. Although we are told that the soul is eternal, His will is the absolute will, and He can efface me if He wants. The master can murder the slave. Marabi rakhabi yo ichchha Tohara: “You can keep me or You can do away with me, this is Your constitutional right. I am fully dependent. You can make or mar with my fortune—anything You like.” As much as you will be able to realise your position of helplessness, so much you will enrich yourself from the real standpoint and you will acquire a position there. Vanity will not be allowed there, but just the opposite is required: full humility. Humility has got value there because one should always think oneself to be the negative and not the positive. To have no rights, but all rights only in His sweet will is prema, love. His grace is our existence in that aspect of reality.
The sakti, the female, has got her importance in a particular way. It is not that she will go to imitate the right of the male, for that will be her failure. Similarly, the male has got his own particular way of attitude. There is the predominating and the predominated. If we want to assert our predominating self, then we must have to come in connection with maya, the illusory energy where we are purusa, enjoyer. But if we want to approach the spiritual realm, then we are not to be purusa, but we are to be of female type, dependent type, sakti. In relation to Him, we are sakti, and in relation to maya we are saktiman, purusa. In maya, we are exploiters, enjoyers, whereas there we are to be enjoyed. If we seek our relationship with the upper existence, then we are to be enjoyed, we are to be handled; subjective existence is there on that side. And here in the lower existence we have come to exploit, to assert, and therefore we are in connection with maya and are suffering from the reaction. Here, we are purusa, and there, in the relativity of the higher, we are sakti, potency. Here in the illusory world, we can assert that we are purusa, that we are enjoyers, but this is false and reactionary. So, try to develop the attitude of your potency characteristic. As much as you will be able to do that, you will have value in the higher realm. Pranipatena pariprasnena sevaya. By submission you may be allowed to enter into that domain, otherwise not. Seva, service, means that you have to be utilised by them. If you will let yourself be utilised for the interest of the higher land, the higher plane, only then will you be allowed to enter there. No exploitation for the jiva-soul is possible in that land, the country of Paramatma, and above, the land of Krishna.
Question: What about the endeavour of the mayavadis, the impersonalists, to understand the Infinite by knowledge (jnan)?
Srila Sridhar Maharaj: They cannot enter into that domain. They are showing their feats only here within this mundane world up to Satyaloka. Then, in Brahmaloka, they merge and are finished there. Their idea of so ’ham, “I am a part of the highest entity” retains them in Brahmaloka, and they can never pass upwards through there towards Vaikuntha. Whereas with the mood of daso ‘ham, “I am a servant of that highest entity”, you will be allowed to enter into the higher realm. Nirmatsaranam satam. Moksabhisandhir api nirastah.
Question: What is the endeavour of the practitioner, the sadhaka, in calculative devotional service, vaidhi-bhakti?
Srila Sridhar Maharaj: He is to follow that programme which is recommended in the sastra and by the sadhu, and gradually, he will find himself to be in the proper soil. He will find that he is gaining some ground, and he will thereby receive encouragement to continue his attempt towards that upper realm. He will get some reliable taste, ruchi.
Up to ruchi, he is to undergo some sadhana, some programme as recommended by the sadhu and the sastra, and by that he will get help.
Up until just before apan-dasa, the stage of wholehearted exclusive acceptance, he is to take the trouble of sadhana. On reaching apan-dasa, self-realisation will begin, and then he himself will stand guarantee for his own activities. He will directly feel, “Oh, I am realising a novel type of ecstasy”, and he won’t be taken away from that position. The main thing is that we can acquire higher things by service. Sacrifice and have: pay. Pay for it. That does not mean paying in terms of money and other things, but paying in terms of your own self: surrender and have. Give and get. As you can give, so you can get a similar thing.
Question: But I am bankrupt!
Srila Sridhar Maharaj: It is a good sign. If one is bankrupt here, then he will seek some shelter. If one is really bankrupt, then he must sincerely seek a shelter.
Question: Maharaj, I would like to arrange a loan from you!
Srila Sridhar Maharaj: A loan! This is all loan. I am also in loan. We are continuing the business in loan from Gurudev. It is a business on loan. The business in the negative side is all on loan.
“Whomever you find, talk with him only about Krishna. Try to save him from the desert of mortality. I am giving you backing. I command you. Don’t be afraid; take the position of guru, the giver, and give it to everyone.” It is the order of Mahaprabhu, and He tells that He is the capitalist (Amara ajnaya). He takes the risk of the position of a capitalist.
In maya, illusion, it is difficult for us to digest the truth that, “I am small.” We don’t like to digest this, to accept this, and that is the rub. Our inner evil tendency is to capture the right of others, but we are to understand what is freedom. Here, we really are accustomed to think that we can encroach over the freedom of others in the environment. That is the disease. Alternatively, the reactionary tendency is to think, “I shall commit suicide, that is, let us enter the tomb, samadhi. If I cannot exercise my freedom on the environment outside, then rather I shall enter the tomb, the grave, but I won’t accept slavery, the serving attitude to the environment.” We are frightened to become a servant: “I want to be an exploiting unit, but not a serving unit, that I shall give my freedom to another superior hand.” It is there that we shrink away, and that is the inner defect. By freedom, we understand that we have freedom to exercise right over the environment. But why should we not accept service for the environment? Why? We think that we shall be reduced to the minimum position. But to do for others, to become a servant, is healthy for us, and there we can thrive. We can thrive by serving the environment, and especially the Lord of the whole. We think that if we render service, then we are dying. That temperament, false temperament, has grown within us, and that is a foreign element which has covered the jiva proper. It is a bitter pill to swallow.
The internal capital can be had only from the sadhu. Wherever you can get it and with whatever price you must pay, try to secure that innermost wealth. Not mere physical death or mental death has the reach to take you to that higher stage. You are to dive deep into Krishna consciousness. Wherever and whenever you find someone with such strong attachment to Krishna, you must try to secure it from him at any price, and that will be the best utilisation of your life and energy. You are to purchase the higher thing, and that is also at the sacrifice of the higher type of substance within you. You are to have innermost hankering, and the transaction will be by the surrendering of your innermost existence. The encasements—the physical encasements and mental encasements of different types—are many: Bhu, Bhuva, Sva, Maha, Jana, Tapa, Satya. There are so many varieties and types of physical and mental encasements. The many subtle encasements from gross to finer do not end only in Viraja and Brahmaloka, but even consciousness has its gross portion in Vaikuntha. But more subtle within you is that Krishna consciousness where the dedication is intense to its highest capacity, and that is dedication to the autocrat. Dedication there is to the autocrat, not to a constitutional king where there is justice, but dedication to Krishna, to that autocrat—anything can happen! The highest degree of dedication is necessary there. The gain is also similar: it is of the highest type. As much as you can risk, so much you can expect to gain. That is, Mahaprabhu gives the direction: “Don’t be a miser, but surrender yourself to the autocrat, the absolute good, and you will be the best gainer!” That is His recommendation. So, don’t be too calculative and don’t be a miser. If you find a proper place, then give yourself totally (atma-niksepa).
We have come to the proper place to offer our service, and Krishna is the highest bidder. He is the highest bidder in the auction, and He will pay most; He will pay so much that none can match His bid. He is the highest capitalist. But He is whimsical, and He is prodigal! Krishna is only known and knowable by the higher type of love and affection.
“If killed in battle, you will attain heaven, or by gaining victory, you will enjoy the earth. Therefore, O Arjuna, being confident of success, rise for battle.” For him to give up the fight would be ruinous.
Our campaign is so adventurous! If we are successful, we have got the highest thing, but if unsuccessful, then our prospect and our whole life is gone. Gone! With this risk we have come to search for the most precious thing; we must remember this and not go back. We are to proceed with the search and enquiry, for if He is known, then everything is known. With this temptation we have come.
Try to have experience about the root of everything, then everything will be at your command and in your hand. Krishnanusandhan: search for Sri Krishna. What is that Brahma, that Paramatma, and all these stale things? Krishna is the very gist of them. Krishna consciousness is necessary. Everything is His. He has the monopoly. So, search after Krishna. He is such. He is an autocrat, but He is a thief and He is a cheat!
Mahaprabhu was in a mood: “Who will take the Name of Krishna? He is a traitor! Just see how He has treated the gopis! With so much sincere love they approached Him, but then He was so cruel that He left them and went away leaving them crying. Who will take the Name of Krishna? You have come to canvass Me for the party of Krishna, and so I shall teach you a lesson!” And Mahaprabhu went to beat that gentleman with a stick.
The foremost gopi is Radharani. She is the highest giver, the highest dedicator. None can venture to come beside Her except Vrajendra Nandan. She is mahabhava-svarupini. Sacrifice at its zenith is there; the highest standard ever is eternally represented there. Nowhere else is there such sacrifice, self-giving, self-surrendering. It is beyond all standards ever known to the world of scriptures. Laksmi Devi has no place near Krishna, and similarly, Narayan also cannot approach towards Radharani, nor even Dvarakes, Mathures, nor even Gopes, what to speak of others.
It may seem that all the gopis were of equal rank in the Rasa Dance, and some fine jealousy arose in the mind of Radharani. After showing Her superiority in chanting and dancing, etc., She suddenly disappeared. She conquered the common gopis, and after defeating them She disappeared suddenly. Krishna suddenly found Himself vacant. All the source of His energy was coming from that one point, and the dance was taking place. But when that very vitality was taken away, He found Himself vacant. He searched after Her but could not find Her. He then stealthily left the company of all the gopis in search of Srimati Radharani. Radham adhaya hrdaye tatyaja Vraja-sundarih. Jayadev says that so many gopis are on one side, but they are outweighed by Radharani. They are all abandoned, and Krishna goes out to search for Her. This is also admitted in Mahaprabhu’s discussions with Ramananda Ray, where it is told that there is a categorical difference between the quality of the loving service of the gopis and that of Radharani.
I composed one verse that tells that at every point in Srimad Bhagavatam there is the presence of Srimati Radharani because She is the goal there.
She is the conclusion to be established in Bhagavatam by so many descriptions of events, so many stories of devotion, etc. The highest aim of Bhagavatam is to establish Radha-dasyam, service to Radharani, and everything in Bhagavatam is preparatory towards that end. But still Her Name is not mentioned anywhere in Bhagavatam. Everywhere in Srimad Bhagavatam every word is used only to prove Her noblest position, but still no name is expressively given there for Her. Krishna is Akhila-rasamrta-murtih: He is the combination of all sorts of ecstasies, and the main support of that Akhila-rasamrta-murtih is Srimati Radhika. She is the only support of that lila of Syam: the sole support, the fountain of madhura-rasa (divine consorthood). I surrender myself to the holy feet of that Srimati Radharani who is the only support, the gist, the all-in-all of the whole life of Akhila-rasamrta-murtih: of He who consists in Himself of all sorts of high rasas, ecstasies. She is His only support, and I surrender myself to Her holy feet.
Bhakti means ‘devotion’, and Raksak means ‘guardian’. Situated within the holy province known by the devotees as Gauda Mandal, the humble village of Hapaniya has now become a cherished place of pilgrimage for theistic scholars and pilgrims the world over. Small wonder, since it is the holy place of advent of Om Visnupad Astottara-sata-sri Srimad Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj, the great grandfather of all the faithful Vaisnava Tridandi-sannyasis, the grand preceptor of the divine nectarean message of Sri Gaurangadev. This great saintly personage made his glorious advent at Sripat Hapaniya of Radha Des in 1895 of the Christian calendar. The formidable scholar Sriyukta Upendra Chandra Bhattacharya Vidyaratna Mahodoy and Srimati Gauri Devi, were both unalloyed pure souls imbued with righteousness and devotion for the Supreme Lord Hari. At the fitting auspicious moment, Srila Guru Maharaj made his advent, choosing them as his father and mother, and revealing the advent of his Divine Pastimes to the world. They named their beloved son Sri Ramendra Chandra Bhattacharya.
In 1923, he was attracted by the grace of Sri Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Goswami, and at the Sri Gaudiya Math situated at No. 1 Ultadingi Junction Road, Calcutta, he heard Sri Srila Prabhupad’s holy talks of the Supreme Lord. Not long after that, in December of 1926, with full surrender he joined Sri Gaudiya Math. The natural attraction for the Nam-sankirtan of Sri Chaitanyadev that Srila Guru Maharaj had felt since his very childhood now bloomed into the resplendent personality of Tridandi-sannyasi Sri Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Maharaj, at the behest of Sri Srila Prabhupad Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Goswami. Srila Prabhupad conferred this holy order, name, and title upon Srila Sridhar Maharaj in the year 1930, having marked his profound expertise and depth of divine realisation in the holy scriptural theistic conclusions, thus recognising him as a veritable ‘guardian of devotion’. Srila Prabhupad further solidified this recognition upon hearing Srila Sridhar Maharaj’s Sanskrit composition Sri-Bhakti-vinoda-viraha-dasakam, when he endorsed the holy poem as a direct inspiration of Srila Bhakti Vinod Thakur.
Srila Sridhar Maharaj took a prominent part in the founding, organising, and preaching of many of the Sri Gaudiya Maths of Srila Prabhupad Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Goswami all over India. As a climax to his divine affection and blessings to Srila Sridhar Maharaj, during the last days of Srila Prabhupad’s manifest Divine Pastimes in this world, he especially selected Srila Sridhar Maharaj to sing Sri Rupa-manjari-pada for him, which is well known as the most venerated and adored prayer of the entire Gaudiya sampradaya; by this action we can know Srila Prabhupad’s indomitable confidence in his ‘guardian of devotion’ as the future captain of the Sri Rupanuga sampradaya or divines succession of faithful followers of Sri Chaitanyadev in the line of Srila Rupa Goswami. And who could doubt this? The nectarean river of Sanskrit and Bengali compositions that flowed from his pen stand as great monuments in the line of Sri Chaitanyadev. In his latter years, some hundreds of disciples of the late world preacher Srila A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaj flocked to Sri Nabadwip Dham to hear the holy informal talks and advices of Srila Sridhar Maharaj, and from tape-recordings of those talks many English publications reached to the Western public, scholars, and devotees. The wholehearted acceptance of his divine delivery and those transcendental works by the genuine devotees is irrevocable, not only by dint of Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaj’s openly avowed acceptance of Srila Sridhar Maharaj as his Siksa-guru, but simply by the strength of their own spiritual merit. Therefore, great numbers of sincere seekers from all over the world also flocked to the lotus feet of Srila Sridhar Maharaj to become surrendered disciples of the guardian of devotion.
Om Visnupad Astottara-sata-sri Srimad Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj made his appearance in this world on 17 December 1929, at Bamunpara, district Burdwan, only about six miles from Sripat Hapaniya where his beloved Gurudev made his advent, also situated in the holy area of Gauda Mandal. Revealing his Pastimes to the conditioned souls of this worldly plane, at the tender age of only seventeen years Srila Govinda Maharaj manifest his coming to the lotus feet of his Gurudev Sri Srila Sridhar Maharaj in April 1947 on the holy appearance day of Sri Nrsimhadev (Nrsimha Chaturdasi).
If any of the dear readers of this short account may have, or have had, the opportunity of hearing directly from other stalwart veteran disciples of Srila Sridhar Maharaj (an opportunity the humble writer has fortunately had on many occasions), such as Sripad Bhakti Prasun Aranya Maharaj, Sripad Hari Charan Brahmachari Seva Ketan Prabhu, Sriyukta Krishnamayi Devi, Sriyukta Ramarani Devi, and Srila Guru Maharaj’s own revered brothers and disciples Sriyukta Satyendra Chandra Bhattacharya, Sriyukta Amarendranath Bhattacharya and others—any fortunate soul will be able to trace the unbroken line of continuous unalloyed divine affection that Srila Guru Maharaj bestowed upon Srila Govinda Maharaj and continues to eternally bestow from his holy abode in the nitya-lila (eternal Divine Pastimes).
On the Amavasya (dark-moon day) of 12 August 1988, when Srila Guru Maharaj silently took his form of holy samadhi at his beloved place of bhajan, Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math, Nabadwip Dham, at that time all the devotees felt that the exalted moon had disappeared from their vision; yet, by his divine grace, Srila Guru Maharaj had already foreseen the devotees’ need for uninterrupted light, for the smooth continuation of their devotional services; and therefore three years before he conferred the holy order of Tridanda-sannyas upon Srila Govinda Maharaj, naming him as his illustrious successor, as the guiding light to perfectly ensure that no darkness could enter into his sampradaya (divine succession).
The illustrious Acharyas or divine preceptors have often been described to be as brilliant as the sun. Their divine dispensation of Hari-katha and Hari-kirtan are as the life-giving rays of the supreme sun, giving life and warmth to all creatures, moving and stationary. They are the merciful bestowers of the very kernel of love divine for the Supreme Lord which is the absolute life of all that lives (divya-bhagavat-premno hi bija-pradam). In this way, it was no surprise that the faithful loving devotees of Srila Guru Maharaj could only receive with great transcendental joy the appearance in the Gaudiya firmament of Jagad-guru Gaudiya-bhaskaracharya Srila Sri Bhakti Sundar Govinda Maharaj. In the personage of his dearmost divine servitor, Srila Guru Maharaj had long before selected our future guardian.
No doubt, Srila Sridhar Maharaj named Srila Govinda Maharaj as his Successor-President-Acharya in his last will and testament in the year of 1985. Perhaps a lesser known fact is that he made his first will in 1964, and there also he hinted that he would name Srila Govinda Maharaj as his Successor-President-Acharya. In every subsequent will he made, the last one being the fourth, his choice of his successor never changed. And even above and beyond the legal aspect of his choice, in the plane of transcendental service we find—again a fact confirmed by the above mentioned most revered faithful veteran devotees of Srila Sridhar Maharaj—within only a matter of a few days after Srila Govinda Maharaj’s initial approach to the lotus feet of Srila Sridhar Maharaj in 1947, Srila Sridhar Maharaj remarked, “He will be my successor.” This is also a fact which was witnessed by many of the venerable veteran sannyasi godbrothers of Srila Sridhar Maharaj, all of whom held Srila Sridhar Maharaj in the highest transcendental regard without exception. Thus, they also showered their unreserved blessings (Guru-ganair asisa-sambhusitam) upon his selected successor.
Highly learned in Sanskrit and Bengali, Srila Govinda Maharaj has, as did his illustrious Gurudev, given us many divine prayers and songs most valuable for the cultivation of our spiritual life; his valuable natural talent coupled with his fine delivery of Hari-katha (holy talks of the Supreme Lord and His Pastimes), and, on the practical side of devotional life, his untiring services to his Srila Guru Maharaj in nurturing and upholding Srila Guru Maharaj’s India-wide and world-wide Mission from the very beginning to the present —it was none other than he who designed and supervised the building of Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math—have, as we have seen with our own eyes, ever fulfilled the divine desires of Sri Gurudev (Gurvabhista-supurakam).
It is my prayer, and I am also justly confident, that in the future we shall see more and more important publications such as this Sermons of the Guardian of Devotion IV by his grace embodying the Hari-katha of both Srila Guru Maharaj and Srila Govinda Maharaj in all languages of the world. With this prayer, I beg to offer my humble dandavat pranams unto the lotus feet of the guardian of devotion Om Visnupad Astottara-sata-sri Srimad Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj and his divine servitor Om Visnupad Astottara-sata-sri Srimad Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj. | 2019-04-21T22:03:33Z | https://premadharma.org/sermons-of-the-guardian-of-devotion-volume-iv/ |
On June 10, 2001, I left for a ten-day tour of Israel, as part of the Birthright Israel program. It was an amazing experience, and I took lots of pictures too. This page tells the story of what we did, and describes (and links to) a lot of the pictures.
You may want to check out the CIA World Factbook's entry for Israel if you are unfamiliar with the geography of the country, or unfamiliar with the country in general. I'll drop names of neighboring countries without explaining where they are, so if you don't know which border is on which end, take a quick look at the map there first.
If you're just interested in the pictures, you can get a listing of them here. The names are of the form 15-4-blah.jpg. The first number is the date on which the picture was taken (in this case, June 15th). The second number is what order that picture is in for that day (this is the fourth picture in the sequence for the 15th). Finally there is a brief description.
Click on a date to jump to that day's entry, or just scroll down to begin reading.
I arrived at JFK airport in New York early in the morning. Our flight was supposed to leave at 3:50PM, and check-in began about three and a half hours before that. I met a few other people going on the Birthright trip as I waited, although none of them ended up being from my particular group.
Once check-in began, I got my ticket from the travel people and got in line. El Al (our arline) is very paranoid about security. They had their own X-Ray machine at the check-in counter that they made us put our bags through, in addition to the normal X-Raying that goes on at airports. They also ask people questions a little more rigorously than the normal domestic airlines. At the least they asked a series of five or six questions about the luggage and that kind of thing; some people got quite a bit more.
They questioned me for an hour.
It was a new trainee and her manager, so I assume they picked me out at random to give her some training on the fine art of passenger interrogation, but I don't know for sure. I don't generally think of myself as being a very suspicious-looking guy, at least. She asked me questions about my trip, my luggage, my job, my family, my school, my friends, almost any imaginable subject. It was a lot like being on a date with someone, except it was in the middle of an airport and she was the one asking all the questions. Every so often, the trainee and her manager would tell me to wait a minute, and then walk a little away and proceed to converse in Hebrew. Then they would come back and ask me some more questions. The manager asked some questions here and there, but mostly he just observed. They asked questions more than once at spaced intervals to make sure I gave the same answer.
I didn't have anywhere else to be, so it was fairly entertaining. It helped that she was very attractive. They finally decided I wasn't going to blow up the airplane, and they let me go ahead.
The airplane itself was nice, a modern 747-400 holding around 450 people. I got a window seat. Next to me was a nice Israeli guy a little older than myself on the aisle, and the seat between us was empty. Every seat had a little TV screen in the back of it, so everybody got their own personal screen. They showed movies on some of the channels, and a couple other things, but one of the neat things was a real-time map showing exactly where the plane was. It was somehow linked into the plane's navigation system. It started from a very large, zoomed-out view that would show about three thousand miles to a side. It then zoomed in to the point where I could identify individual islands I saw out the window. It also cycled through some screens showing the current altitude, speed, outside air temperature, current time at our point of departure and destination, and estimated arrival time.
We took off from JFK at about 4PM local time, and arrived in Tel Aviv at about 8:30AM, local time, with the flight taking ten hours. We went through afternoon, evening, night, and morning just like usual, only at about twice the usual rate. We were all advised to get some sleep on the plane, since we were going to have a full day ahead of us once we got off. I managed to sleep for about four or five hours over the Atlantic, which isn't too bad considering that the airline seats are way too small for my frame.
We arrived at Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv at 8:30AM, on time. They parked the plane away from any buildings and used mobile staircases to get us off. It made things move considerably more quickly because they opened two separate doors on the airplane. They then used buses to move us to the international arrivals building.
Getting through customs was very fast and painless. Waiting for the baggage to come off the plane took forever. When my bag finally came off the line, I noticed it had a different tag than the others. Looking more closely, I saw that it said "V.I.P. Baggage" in a red area in the middle of the tag. I can only assume that this was related to my long questioning at JFK. Either it's their way of saying they're sorry, or it means "watch this person".
We got outside the airport and were introduced to our bus. While getting on, I noticed two people sitting outside with rifles across their laps. At first I assumed they were just airport security, but later realized (after they got on our bus) that they were the armed guards the Birthright program had promised would be with our group. I never got the man's name. He was only with us on this one day. The woman, Nirit, was with us for the whole tour, and we all got to know her fairly well. She also doubled as our medic, although the worst medical problem we had during the trip were some upset stomachs and a few cases of dehydration. They had both served in the Israeli Army, as every Israeli citizen is required to do.
Our first stop was a park where we played some games and got introduced to the rest of the group, as well as our two Israeli tour guides, Lilach and Liora. (The ch at the end of Lilach is pronounced like one of those German hairball sounds, like at the end of Bach.) By this point, it was getting to be near lunch time, and so they drove us to a mall where we could eat. The mall was pretty much like American malls, aside from being somewhat smaller and nicer to look at. This is where I got my first introduction to Shawarma, which is a pita stuffed with chicken, hummus, and all sorts of other good stuff. They also had the standard American chains of McDonald's, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Subway, and so forth. It was interesting to watch who went for the American food and who got more "native" food. We had a while to wander around the mall after that. It wasn't too interesting, though. Most of it was pretty similar to what we have in the US. Usually the main things I like to see in malls are the bookstores, and with all the books being in Hebrew, those weren't very fascinating once the novelty wore off.
After eating, we headed off for a trail on a hill. (You have to understand that nearly everything in Israel is either on the top of, on the side of, or at the bottom of, a hill. The amount of flat land, at least in the areas we saw, was very small, at least compared to Wisconsin.) Mercifully, they took us to the top of the hill in the bus, and had us meet the bus at the bottom. The view from the top of the hill was very impressive. There's also the standard prove-I-was-there picture.
The entire hill was terraced for farming. About halfway down, there were some ancient irrigation works that we got to see. One crazy guy (not from our group) decided to dive into the small reservoir of water. There was a small cave in the side of the hill where the spring which fed the whole system came out. We went in a fairly open entrance and got in the water, then crawled out through a very small tunnel which fed the water into the reservoir. The tunnel was only about three feet wide and three feet tall, and the water was extremely cold. It's certainly not something for people who are claustrophobic or who have bad knees.
After taking a while to find everybody's shoes (lots of people in our group took them off before going in the water, and the ground was gravelly enough to make walking around barefoot painful), we continued our hike down the hill and finally got to the bus. Our next stop was Jerusalem itself, in particular an observation view.
We drove into the city with our tour guides pointing out the sites along the way. At one point, Rabbi Klein, the American in charge of our group, showed us a sports stadium. On the other side of that stadium, he said, was a Jewish neighborhood that the Palestinians had been shooting into in the past few months. This was our first taste of a very different world. Although we never were close to any attacks, and we all felt very safe at all times, the situation and the attitudes of the people towards it were all very strange to someone coming from the US.
The view from the observation point was breathtaking. The Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock are featured near the center of the picture, and lots of other historical and religious sites are visible. One amazing thing is that, standing there, it's possible to see all the way to the Dead Sea. (This would be off the right side of the picture; it's not visible on film anyway.) We saw what looked like clouds above it. When it was pointed out to us that they weren't clouds but, in fact, the hills of Jordan in the distant haze, it came to me just how small this country is. Although it is a couple of hundred miles from north to south, it is very narrow east to west, especially in the area around Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. It's about an hour's drive from the beach at Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, and only a little farther from there to the Jordanian border. The entire country is slightly smaller than the state of New Jersey.
Finally we left for our hotel. I say "finally", because some of us had been awake for over 24 hours by this time, and even those of us who had managed to sleep on the airplane were still tired. The hotel turned out to be very nice, and only a block away from the King David Hotel where foreign leaders usually stay during their visits. We ended up with three people to a room, with an extra cot provided for the third person. Normally this would have been crowded, but our schedule was so busy and we saw our hotel rooms so rarely that it didn't matter. Once we got our assignments, we all headed to our rooms to shower or nap. We had a break for about two hours before dinner. A bunch of groups were leaving the next morning, so dinner was supposed to be a big affair with all the groups together, and speakers, and so forth. The food was decent if not exceptional, and there was a lot of it. The main speaker was the former Israeli ambassador to the UN. Although his speech was interesting, several times I discovered myself to be asleep and dreaming in the middle of it. My exhaustion was overcoming my interest and politeness, and I was hoping that it would end soon. The speech, filled with a lot of firey rhetoric and pro-Israel propaganda (what did you expect?), although very interesting, ended, but there was more afterwards. We finally finished at around 10:30 in the evening. I went straight to my room and to bed where I fell very swiftly asleep.
We all got up at about 7:30 this morning for an 8:30 departure time, which turned out to be pretty normal for the whole trip. Of course, some people got up earlier and lots got up later, but that was what was supposed to happen. Breakfast at the Dan Panorama (our hotel) was again unexceptional. Their food was decent but without much variety. On the upshot, they did provide a lot of it, which is good for me; with a fast metabolism and an active day, I tended to amaze people with how much I ate during the trip.
Our first stop of the morning was a small park down the street from the hotel. The main feature of this park was a nonfunctional windmill. Apparently a very wealthy Dutch man had emigrated to Israel in the mid-1800s and he brought along some of his culture. The justaposition was amusing. The park had a good view of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre (also visible, if barely, in the Jerusalem observation picture from the day before). Tradition has it that King David (you know, the one who fought Goliath, founded Jerusalem, built a big temple, and so forth) is buried there. For obvious reasons nobody has actually dug up the grave to check, but there's no reason why he couldn't be buried there. This is also where the Last Supper took place, if you're the type to believe the Last Supper took place anywhere. This wasn't prefaced with "tradition says...", so it seems much more certain (again, only if you believe it happened at all).
The next stop was a museum called the Museum of the Seam, which is dedicated to the time when Jerusalem was a divided city. For those of you who don't know, between Israel gaining its independence in 1948 and the Six Day War in 1967, the city of Jerusalm was split between Israel and Jordan. Jordan owned the West Bank and East Jerusalem, including all the holy sites. An 80-meter (260-foot) no-man's land separated the two sides in Jerusalem. They had some signs taken from the border. One that I didn't get a picture of was actually mounted on a piece of the concrete wall on the border. The sign was positively riddled with bullet holes, and dents where bullets had hit but not punched through. The wall it was mounted on was likewise filled with pits from impacting bullets.
Our next stop was the Western Wall a.k.a. the Wailing Wall a.k.a. the Kotel (see also another picture and a third picture), which I'm sure all of you have at least heard of. It got the name Wailing Wall because Jews tend to very softly vocalize their prayers, just loudly enough to be understood by themselves. The total effect of several thousad people doing this all at once in the same place apparently sounds a lot like mass wailing. It's called the Western Wall because it's a section of the western wall of the Temple Mount. When King David went to build his temple at Jerusalem, the mountain he picked out for it wasn't really big enough to make the grand temple he envisioned. So he built basically an enormous box over the top of this mountain and another mountain to provide a nice flat base upon which to build. To give you an idea of the dimensions of this structure, the portion you see in the picture is perhaps one-sixth of the entire length. An aerial view of the Temple Mount is available on another site. The small open plaza on the left side of that picture is the plaza you see in my picture.
The Dome of the Rock is the famous structure atop the Temple Mount today. You can see it very clearly in both of the above pictures; it's the enormous golden dome. Apparently it used to be solid gold, but now its structure is anodized aluminum with gold plating. It was built by the Muslims in 687AD, and it's the first major Muslim architectural work. It's quite an impressive structure, even seen from afar.
The Kotel is an important site in Judaism. In 70AD, the Jews revolted against their Roman rulers in a three-year war, and the Jewish temple atop the Temple Mount was destroyed as part of the Roman attempt to crush the Jewish people. (This was not the first time this had happened. The Romans actually destroyed the second temple; the first one was destroyed by the Babylonians a few hundred years earlier.) The Kotel is, in theory, the closest spot to where the temple used to be, and has evolved over the centuries to become a holy site in its own right.
The wall beyond the plaza is mostly obscured by the buildings in the Muslim Quarter of Jerusalem. There are tunnels which run underneath the Muslim Quarter and right up next to the wall, which we got to tour. The big rock at the bottom of the picture with all the holes in it is actually about five or six feet tall. The entire width you can see there (about 15 feet or so) is all one stone. It actually continues about six more feet to the left and nine more feet to the right, and weighs about 120 tons. These enormous stones in the lower sections of the wall were placed around the time of King Herod (roughly 40BC), and are a mystery similar to the mystery of the pyramids. Although these stones don't have the amazing precision displayed in the pyramids, the stones are so enormous that they could not have been moved with modern techniques, and nobody knows how it could have been done over two thousand years ago. Somewhere below the level of the tunnels we were in are original stones placed during King David's original construction. At the top of the wall, the stones are probably less than a hundred years old. In between, you see all ages. The incredible dedication to this work makes any similar effort in the US look terribly small. The closest things I can think of here are the Brooklyn Bridge, maybe the Sears Tower, the Washington Monument. Will anybody even have a glimmer of remembrance of these things three thousand years after their original construction? I really doubt it.
After this, we went to visit a museum about the ancient temple, and on the way we saw the ancient city walls. I don't know if these are the original walls of Jerusalem or if they have been destroyed and rebuilt, but regardless they are old. They even provided a good point of resistance for the defending Jordanians during the Six Day War. They managed to hold out on the walls for a while, until a brave Israeli driver crashed an armored personnel carrier through one of the gates and broke through their lines.
Next to the museum is an archeological dig next to the wall. You can see a large pile of stones next to the wall; each of those stones is about six feet on a side. When the Romans destroyed the second temple, they didn't bother to destroy the large stones, but just pushed them over the side of the wall and onto the street below, ending up with this big pile we see today. That is what the street level was two thousand years ago, although it's about thirty feet below the street level today. The rocks are actaully resting on the ancient street, and you can see how it was bent and broken by the impact of these enormous stones.
Finally, we broke for lunch. This was one of only two times when we had to buy our own lunch. The Birthright Israel program is so nice! They took us out to an area with a bunch of street vendors and the like, and basically gave us a free run. We were told not to go down one street because that led to the Muslim Quarter, and bad things have been known to happen to random Jews wandering around there. The rest of the area was very nice. The number of people hanging around and doing things, and the interactions with the shopkeepers is something you just don't see in the US. I got another Shawarma. (Anybody looking for a food-related business to start in the US, this would probably be a good one. They're really good even for my Americanized tastes, and I've seen nothing like it here. They appear to be easy to make with simple ingredients. Of course, I may beat you to it.) Afterwards, I had some time to kill, so I wandered around a little and did some souvenir hunting. A wrong turn trying to get back to our meeting area resulted in my one and only experience with being lost in Israel. A very nice Israeli tried to help me out, but the group he saw was not my group. There were often several Birthright groups in the same area at the same time, the way the schedules worked out, and this got to be a little confusing from time to time. His advice didn't help much, but going back the way I came got me back on the right path without any trouble.
It was around this point that I began to realize something. Nearly every single Israeli we met, and I really mean nearly every single Israeli we met was extremely helpful and extremely happy to see us there. A man in a shop was giving out special Birthright discounts (although he probably could have been bargained down anyway). With the sole exception of Birthright Israel, each and every sponsored educational trip for the summer of 2001 was cancelled. Birthright Israel is no small potatoes, bringing about 8,000 people to Israel this summer, but the magnitude of the cancellations was pretty staggering. General tourism was also significantly down because of the violence and trouble with the Palestinians. The presence of those of us who did travel there was very gratifying to the Israelis, who in general seem to feel somewhat abandoned by the overseas Jewish population during this time of trouble. Our being there was a big show of support, and they let us know how much they appreciated it.
Once we got our group back together, we walked around the Old City a little bit. Our first stop was down the road we were told not to go down before, because it led to the Muslim Quarter. We only went as far as the checkpoint, with a bunch of Israeli soldiers. They all started posing for us as we snapped pictures (somehow I managed not to get one, though), and they were very nice and happy to see us (like I said above). Then we saw a giant solid-gold menorah. Apparently it was made in anticipation of being placed in the as-yet-unbuilt third temple. It's six feet tall and really huge. I don't know how good the prospects are for getting the temple built, as it would probably make a lot of Muslims very angry, but the menorah itself is amazing.
Our path took us by a nice synagogue. Nothing too remarkable about it on the surface, but the story behind it is interesting. During the Six Day War, when the Jordanians were retreating from the city, they destroyed every single synagogue in the city with the exception if this one. A little farther down the path we came to this archway, which turned out to be all that's left of what was once a famous synagogue. (To be fair, it sounded like it was errant Israeli bombing, not the Jordanians, that did it in.) That wrapped up our tour of the Old City and we headed back to our bus, and then to the hotel to eat.
That night was the Birthright Israel Mega Event. It seems that they managed to have two thousand Birthright participants in Jerusalem this night. A lot of the groups, like ours, had just arrived, and a lot of them were at the end of their stay and about to leave, and a lot in between. Another example of the warm reception by random Israelis, some woman we happened to run into on the sidewalk on the way to the convention center was just going through our crowd telling people "Welcome to Israel!" They had live music ranging from the bizarre (guys playing huge steel drums with metal grinders while dancing) to the locally-famous interspersed with various speakers, including some of the kind, wealthy people who made this whole trip possible. They seemed pleased at the reception they got; certainly the crowd was ready to applaud at just about every other word they said. After all the speeches there was live dancing, and also buses going back to the hotel for those who didn't want to stay. I have to say that I admire the stamina of those who stayed on, as I was very tired by this point after a very busy day. I took the first bus back and went right to bed.
This morning we did our usual morning routine, then headed straight for the bus. Our destination was an archeological dig at Bet Govrin where they're excavating an old pagan city built at the site of an even older Jewish city at Tel Mashem. (Spelling might be off on that one.) The Hebrew word "Tel" means a hill with a city on top. Hilltops seem to be popular places for cities in Israel. The basic history, from what I remember, is that the Jews settled the hilltop, then got driven out. The pagans moved in and settled the hillside just below the hilltop. They carved basements for their houses out of the very soft rock that made up the ground in this area. When whoever it was came through and drove the pagans out, they destroyed their houses and filled in their basements with junk to keep them from being useful to the invaders. As is typical for archeology, the ancient culture's junk is highly interesting for us, and these basements are the focus of the dig here.
After showing us around the partially-excavated cave and telling us about the history and so forth, they put us to work digging in a room that was only barely dug-out. There was enough ceiling space in certain spots for the shorter members of our group to stand straight. In the rest of the room, even they could only straighten out if they were on their knees, and those of us who were taller couldn't even manage that. We used small hoes to push dirt into buckets, all the while searching for pottery or bones. We found a lot of rocks. The rock in the area is so soft that the criteria for whether some lump is a rock or a piece of pottery was to try to break it. The rock would crumble in your hand, whereas the pottery wouldn't. Bones were easy to identify by sight. Dirt went in one bucket, interesting stuff in a second. When the dirt bucket got full, we got a new one. After a few rounds of this, we formed a bucket brigade and passed all of them outside for sifting. It turns out we missed a lot of stuff in the dirt buckets, but that's what the sifting was for.
The cave we were just in was partially excavated. After we finished sifting, we went for a cave that was left in the state where they found it, aside from making a small set of stairs for the entrance. It was very small, and lit with candles on either side. There were several places where the only way to get through were to slide through on your belly or on your back, depending on how the situation was set up. There was no turning around, since all 30-odd of us were coming through in a big chain at the same time. It took at least 20 minutes to get through the whole thing, and it started to wear a little thin near the end. A couple of times we hit rooms with holes in the ceiling that let in sunlight and tricked us into thinking we were through, but the holes weren't the exit, and they weren't big enough to get through anyway. Finally our crawl ended in a nice big room with stairs leading up to the ground level. We had gone through at least a dozen interconnected rooms during this tour. Either the people who lived here liked really big basements, or they connected with each other's basements.
Next, they took us to the shack where they assemble pieces of pottery into complete pots that would go to a museum or something. After they talked about that process for a little while and tried to sell us their t-shirts, they let us go out behind the building and sort through their reject pile. Any fragments that aren't interesting enough they just dump in back. It's a flat area maybe ten feet square that looks like it's covered with gravel at first, but if you look more closely you see it's bits and pieces of pottery. It crunched under our feet as we walked along it, pieces breaking with every step. We looked for the rare piece that was interesting enough for us to keep but not interesting enough for the archeologists to keep, and found a few. All of the stuff we were breaking was 2,000 years old, but uninteresting.
We wandered off down the hill to a rest/picnic area to use the bathrooms and grab some water, then we went into an old excavated crypt where we hung out to talk about what we saw, put stickers on our maps where we'd been, and so on. The outside air temperature was probably around 95F; inside the crypt (or any of the other caves, for that matter) it was very comfortable, maybe 70F, so it made a good place to stop and rest. We also saw a fully-excavated cave. As you can see by comparing against the people in the picture, the cave was at least three or four stories tall. At the far end, you can see little holes cut in the walls. These were about eight inches square, and were found all over the walls of this cave (we also saw a few in the one we had crawled through earlier). Nobody knows what they were for. The running joke in our group is that they were used to hold human heads.
Another cave we visited had old olive-oil making technology. There was a thing which ground olives into pulp, and then another thing which took the pulp and pressed it for the oil. I can only assume that the wooden pieces were not original, but the stones were.
On our way to the next site, we stopped off on a hilltop and got this view of another hill. I have no idea how they figured this out, but we were told that that hill is supposedly where the battle between David and Goliath took place. True or not, it was neat to see. After all, if I pointed to a random hill near my apartment and claimed that, I'd be laughed at. Here, I at least have to consider the possibility that it's true. Our destination was a natural cave which had served as a hideout for Jewish rebels against the Romans for three years. It was extremely small with a lot of twisting, restricted passages. The main entrance was just barely large enough to fit through. Getting in required lying on your stomach, arching your back, and wiggling through. Once inside we had a few people with flashlights who tried to light up the place for the rest of us. After three years, the Romans finally figured out where the rebels were hiding out, but they couldn't get in. With it being so difficult to get through the entrance, anybody coming through who wasn't wanted by the people already inside would be easily killed. So, they simply piled up brush and wood against the mouth of the cave and lit it on fire, killing everybody inside.
With that story on our minds, we walked back to the bus and headed home.
Dinner was a quiet affair, with only a few Birthright groups in Jerusalem at this point. After dinner most of us went straight to bed. Tomorrow was to be Masada. We head south, visit the Dead Sea, climb Masada, and do a bunch of other stuff. In order to accomplish this, we have to get up at 5:30, so we weren't too anxious to stay up late.
Today is labelled as Masada because Masada is the most significant thing we do of the events planned for the day. (As to what Masada is, if you aren't familiar with it, I'll get to that in a little bit.) The first thing on the agenda is visiting the Dead Sea. The northern end of the Dead Sea is actually quite close to Jerusalem, but that puts it within the West Bank which is not generally a healthy area to travel in. Instead we drove about two hours to the south, which put us near Masada anyway so it wasn't a big loss.
Our route took us through the Judea Desert (and another picture; the Dead Sea can be seen in the distance, and the hills on the other side of it are in Jordan), which surrounds the Dead Sea. At this point we were already several hundred feet below sea level. The Dead Sea itself is about 1,300 feet below sea level.
Obviously, unlike most lakes, there's no river out to the sea; water won't go up 1,300 feet by itself. Instead, water comes in (primarily delivered by the Jordan River) and evaporates, leaving all the minerals behind. It's the same process that made the oceans salty, but it happens about a thousand times faster here. Salt makes water heavier, and easier to float in. The Dead Sea is so salty that it's possible to float with a good portion of your body out of the water. The Dead Sea is so salty that a single drop of water in the mouth can be tasted for half an hour afterwards. Nothing can survive in the water. A single mouthful, swallowed, is fatal.
It was really fun to be in, so long as it didn't get in the mouth or eyes. The feeling of bouyancy made it different from a normal pool, and there were a lot of different positions to float in: back, stomach, standing, you name it. The water felt almost oily, and once we got out the minerals had to be scrubbed off with soap.
On our way back to the bus, I noticed a funny sight: a lifeguard shack at the beach. They even had a flotation ring! There is no way anybody could ever drown here. Even if they tried really hard, it could not be done. Thinking about it, though, it makes sense. Somebody could panic and be stuck away from shore, and the ring would give them something to hold on to, but the juxtaposition is still very amusing.
On our way out, we got another nice view of the Dead Sea and the desolate surroundings. A few minutes later we came to Masada. (Another picture.) Masada is a mountain next to the shore of the Dead Sea. It has a flat top and nearly vertical sides, and there are deep valleys between it and the neighboring mountains. Because of this, it's a natural site for a fortress. King Herod saw this and built a fortress and palace there between 37 and 31BC.
In 70AD, the Jews revolted against the Romans and were defeated in a three-year war. Masada became the final holdout of a large group of rebels. There was no easy way to attack the mountain, with the extremely steep sides and well-prepared defenders. King Herod had seen fit to build cisterns for water and storehouses for food; as a result, the defenders had supplies for months. The Romans couldn't wait months. Deep into the desert, their situation for supplies was difficult, and camping a legion in the middle of the desert was difficult by itself. There were also the political consequences of a long siege. If rebels against the Empire could hold out in this one spot for months, it would send a bad message to other potentially rebellious groups. In order to bring the situation to a swift close, the Romans brought in slaves and built an enormous dirt ramp up the side of the mountain. This ramp was steep and narrow, but it was much easier than climbing Masada directly. They wheeled a siege engine up the ramp to do battle, where they succeeded in destroying the section of the defending walls that faced the ramp, and retreated for the night.
That night, faced with an entire legion streaming through the gap in their wall the next day, the Jewish defenders met. Knowing they would lose the battle, they had to choose between being enslaved and a suicide pact. The leaders chose suicide. In the morning, when the Romans got to the top of Masada, they found only a handful of women and children. Everyone else was dead.
We had been told earlier that we would not be able to climb Masada. Some groups get to climb, but our schedule had dictated that we arrived too late. Groups who climb usually arrive very early in the morning, and we didn't get there until about 11:00. By this time the temperature had climbed well above 100F, and getting worse. It doesn't feel as hot as it sounds. Being in a desert, the air is extremely dry, and sweat works very well. However, dehydration and heatstroke are very real problems, particularly on a 1,200-foot climb over a path a mile and a half long. Instead, the plan was to take a cable car to the top. Our bus had left us as soon as we got out. It was circling around Masada, a trip that took it an hour and a half, to pick us up on the other side, where we would climb down once we finished seeing the sites at the top of the mountain.
At the last minute, we were given a choice to climb the mountain if we wanted. Most people instantly said no; they didn't want to make the climb with the temperature heading towards the 110s. Also, those who took the cable car would reach the top much faster, and have more time to look around up there. About a third of the group wanted to climb just as badly, and I was one of them. An argument broke out as one person in the group, Igor, said he wanted to climb. He had suffered some mild heatstroke earlier in the day, but insisted that he was fine. Nirit, our medic, insisted he wasn't. He finally convinced her to let him climb, but she insisted on coming with him to make sure he was ok.
One of the first places where we stopped after I found the group was this meeting area, which is actually where the Jewish rebel leaders made their fateful decision almost two thousand years ago. We also stopped in the ancient synagogue that was used by the people who lived there during that time. In the picture, you can see a black line on the far wall. Everything below that line is original. The wall above the line is extrapolated and rebuilt from what archeologists think it would have looked like. We also saw some beautiful mosaics (also here, and one more) built into the floors of some of the structures.
By this point it was over an hour since I had started the climb, and the group behind me was still not to the top. It was nearly time to go down, and we were getting a little worried, particularly about Igor. Because we were going down the back way, we couldn't just get them and turn them around on the way down. We heard that they were almost up and started on the way down. Part of the path down is on the old Roman ramp. Yep, it's still there after all this time. It's amazing to think about just how much dirt had to be moved to make it. Of course, it wasn't a heroic effort. For the slaves who built it, it was work or die (or, often, work and die).
Our next stop was an authentic Bedouin tent. Although it was set up for tourists, it was run by an actual Bedouin man who lived in another tent nearby. We all went into the tent, which accomodated our group of 35 easily, and listened to him explain his culture while we drank tea and coffee and ate pita which they made on a fire right in front of us. His speech was very interesting. For the most part, traditional Bedouin culture is stereotypically Muslim and primitive (I'm not claiming those two necessarily go together, mind you) in its treatment of women. A man is allowed to have up to four wives, the women have a separate side of the tent, and they must ask their husband/father/whatever man they're living with permission before going out. There is also the tradition of revenge. If a man kills a male relative, then it is permissable to revenge that by killing a memeber of the killer's tribe. Fortunately (otherwise this policy would lead to endless blood feuds, I would expect), it is also possible to demand payment rather than a life. A man is typically worth several camels, or more smaller animals. Ironically, a woman in this case is considered to be worth four men. A man who kills a woman "is obviously crazy", to quote our Bedouin, and the killing can therefore be revenged by killing four men from the killer's tribe. The death may also be settled by trade like with men, but with a price four times as high.
Naturally, things today are a little more modern. The practice of multiple wives, although outlawed, continues to a lesser extent today. He said that every so often the police will ask about it. The answer is that the man has only one wife; the others are "just girlfriends". Today, many Bedouins live in cities, and they even have their own representative in the Knesset.
Next, we moved to another tent where we were fed. We sat in groups of four, with each group sharing a single set of food. There was pita and hummus and a delicious mix of chicken and rice in an enormous bowl. Extra servings were constantly provided, and I ate an awful lot.
From there, we went camel-riding. They had a bunch of camels (Dromedaries, one hump) outside the tent area. Each one was fitted with gear like you'd find on a horse, but fitted for a camel. They had each camel tied to the one in front and behind, in groups of four each. They also brought along a few donkeys, as there weren't quite enough camels to go around, although we sat two people on each one. Unfortunately, I must have been seated somewhat wrong. Sitting between the harness and the hump, there were some very unpleasant things happening between my legs. Apparently the other guys got this too, but not as badly. I finally had to get off at the halfway point and switch to a donkey, which was much more pleasant. Once we got back, we got off our animals, piled on the bus, and headed home.
The trip back to Jerusalem took as long as the trip there. A lot of people slept on the bus. Between getting up early and the busy, physical day we had, we were all tired. Unfortunately, bus seats are built to my size even less than airplane seats are, and I couldn't find a decent position at all, and I finally gave up. An argument broke out between Adam, one of the group members, and just about everybody else in the front of the bus. He was advocating that the Israeli government should show more restraint when dealing with the Palestinians, that they should take the moral high ground and not attack even when provoked. Needless to say, this was pretty controversial. He ended up in a pretty loud argument with the Rabbi, the two tour guides, our other American guide, our guard, some other members of our group, and even the bus driver was getting involved a little.
Once back at the hotel, we showered, ate, napped, and went back out again. It was the birthday of the Rabbi and another member of our group, so we had to celebrate. We went back to the observation point where we were on the first day. We lit candles and ate cake and sung and talked and generally had a great time. The city is as beautiful at night as it is during the day, but looks very different. The Dome of the Rock is nicely lit up, and there are some stars that can't be seen from where I live. It was a very memorable evening. We found out that the bus driver had specifically taken time to drive us out here; he didn't have to. We thanked him by singing "Three Cheers for the Bus Driver" the whole way back to the hotel.
Our first visit today was to the Holocaust Museum in the Jerusalem area. The most visible feature of it is a cattle car on a bridge. This car was actually used by the Germans to take Jews and other undesirables to the concentration camps. We had seen it a couple of times before as our bus went by it, but we actually went close to it today. It was very eerie to be so close to such a terrible piece of history.
Once inside the museum, we went to their hall of communities (I don't know if that's what the name was, but it's close). It's a list of European Jewish communities destroyed in the Holocaust, with each one written in Hebrew, English, and whatever the native language was. It's a very big, solemn place, and we spent a long time there.
On our way to another part of the complex, we got a nice view of Jerusalem.
The whole area is filled with planted trees. Each tree is dedicated to a gentile who helped Jews during the Holocaust in some way. There are a couple thousand trees at least, each one with a little name plate in the ground next to it, telling who the tree is for.
Around this time we went through the main museum area, which is a long complex which tells the entire story of the Holocaust, from ancient traditional anti-semitism through its rise in the 1930s, through the war and liberation. They have a lot of amazing artifacts, pictures, and stories.
We went through a hall filled with precisely-set-up mirrors and candles, with no other lighting. Having just come in from the bright Israeli summer sunshine, it was impossible to see anything other than what looked like miles upon miles of candles. After we came out of that, we saw some evocative statues. The second one is about the Warsaw Ghetto uprising, an ultimately failed revolt against the Nazis that killed hundreds of thousands of people. We also passed this rowboat, which was one of hundreds used by the Dutch to evacuate their Jews to neutral territory. Out of 8,000 Jews in the country, they saved about 7,200.
Our last stop was a low square building with no windows. Inside, there's a raised area for people to stand and then there are all the names of all the concentration camps in raised stones on the floor, and a single small flame in the center. When the door was closed, that flame was the only illumination in the building. It was almost completely dark and quiet while we prayed.
On our way back to the hotel, we stopped by the Knesset (Israeli parlaiment) building. Across from the Knesset is a giant menorah that the British gave to Israel after they gained independence in 1948. Then we went over and saw the Knesset itself. It's actually surrounded by a high fence, but I got close enough to take the picture between the bars of the fence so they don't show up. Right as I took this picture, a guard with an automatic rifle came up to us and told us to step away from the fence, as we were setting off the security alarms!
Although it was only 4:00 in the afternoon, that was the end of our tourist activities for the day. At sunset on Friday evening begins Shabbat, which lasts until sunset Saturday. During this time it is religiously forbidden to do various sorts of work, use cars, turn on electric lights, and things like that. Although there is no legal enforcement to these rules, Jerusalem seemed to pretty much shut down for Shabbat. In concession to the religious among our group, we didn't take the bus anywhere during that time.
Once we got back to the hotel, we changed into somewhat more formal clothes and then headed to the Western Wall for services. It was actually within walking distance from our hotel, although it took about half an hour to get there. The area right next to the wall was divided into two sections, one for men and another for women. There were a lot of different groups, each one doing things their own way. There were the very solemn groups standing around and reading the Torah, and then there was our group where we got in a big circle and sung and danced for what seemed like hours. By the time we were done it was dark, and we went back to the hotel for dinner.
Dinner was a big affair. Although Shabbat happens every week, there is still a lot of celebration associated with it. This, of course, will vary from person to person, but that is generally the case, and was certainly the case for our group. There was singing and dancing beforehand, then we ate. The food was the standard fare for the hotel, decent but not wonderful, and afterwards there was even more singing and dancing. I was worn out, so I left early. Although we were allowed to sleep in on Saturday morning if we wished, I wanted to go to services and so I had to be up reasonably early, although not as early as we had been getting up normally. | 2019-04-25T02:00:16Z | https://mikeash.com/israel/ |
This job plays a key role in the coordinating, planning, monitoring and evaluation of projects related to human resources, labour relations, regulatory and operational functions associated with the Multi-Modal Transformation Program (MMTP) and the Rail Operational Readiness Program (ROR), which will transition the Transportation Services to a fully integrated bus and rail service. The Coordinator ensures compliance with the relevant Corporate and Department policies, processes and procedures, liaises with Human Resources in the coordination of recruitment, employee status change, position management, labour relations, training and development, and supports management in the decision-making process by conducting research, compiling and analyzing research findings, and writing reports.
Responsible to represent the City at various Incidents and Emergencies within the City of Ottawa. The Inspector, Traffic Management is responsible for the citywide administrative, inspection and enforcement activities for a number of City of Ottawa by-laws that have application on municipal road allowances. Acting as a Provincial Offences Officer, the employee monitors and enforces compliance with the provisions of all relevant municipal by-laws. The Inspector, Traffic Management is responsible for reviewing construction, maintenance and use activities on the public rights-of-way with the objectives of optimizing traffic mobility, minimizing public safety risks, and assuring appropriate restoration standards where required. The Inspector is responsible for reviewing and responding to inquiries from the public related to the city right of way.
Responsible for developing/customizing/enhancing and/or integrating a broad range of smaller-scale (or components of large-scale) business applications/solutions for an assigned client portfolio or project, in response to new or changing business requirements; maintaining business applications/solutions (or components therefore); and providing client and technical support.
Writing and maintaining systems documentation; ensuring all code is managed appropriately by using software configuration management tools; following the approved PLC as appropriate; performing tests on enhancements and new development; training clients on business applications and/or solutions.
The Senior Administrative Assistant is responsible for providing a wide variety of confidential administrative support services to the Director of the Rail Construction Program in the implementation of Stage 2 Light Rail Transit (LRT) project.
Duties and responsibilities include supporting the Director with administrative processes, conducting research and compiling documentation and data in support of service area projects or departmental inquiries, generating and making revisions to reports, and creating and updating databases and project files, as required.
Note: This is a generic job description that describes the typical duties of this job. Individual positions may not require the performance of all of these responsibilities or additional related duties, within the scope of the job, may be assigned.
Legal Services is a function of the City Clerk and Solicitor Department and involves providing clients with high quality legal services, both preventative and remedial, in a professional and timely manner.
The organizational design of the legal services function includes twenty-three Lawyers, an Office Manager, two Articling Law Students, Prosecutors, Claims Investigators and various support staff including Law Clerks, Insurance Specialist, Legal Conveyancer and Legal Assistants.
We provide legal services to a broad range of clients, encompassing all Departments and Branches of the City, the City Council, and various local boards (including the Ottawa Police Services Board and the Ottawa Public Library Board).
The City of Ottawa’s Legal Services Articling Program is open to students who have completed their law degree studies and are preparing for admission to the Bar. The program provides Articling Law Students with an opportunity to work within a broad range of practice areas and instructs students in the professional responsibilities of being a lawyer.
Articling Law Students usually have complete carriage of litigation files within the Small Claims Court jurisdiction. Students have responsibility for other files as assigned and can expect to participate in the preparation for, and attendance at, various tribunals, such as labour relation arbitrations, the Ontario Municipal Board, the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario, etc. Students are also involved in conducting research, preparing opinions, attending Committees and drafting legislative proposals, and are also required to regularly attend sessions at the Provincial Offences Act (POA) Court.
The City’s Articling placements support the candidate’s fulfillment of the experiential training competencies required by the Law Society of Upper Canada.
We are committed to the Continuing Professional Development of all Legal Services staff. Therefore, we encourage our Articling Law Students to attend programs, activities or seminars offered by the Law Society of Upper Canada, the Canadian Bar Association, the County of Carleton Law Association (CCLA) and/or other continuing legal education providers.
Articling Law Students will benefit from regular reviews that take place between the Students and their Principals to ensure a successful and rewarding articling term.
The Total Rewards Branch develops the overall total rewards strategy for the City of Ottawa, designed to engage a high performance and thriving workforce. As part of the Total Rewards Branch you are responsible for the design, implementation and governance of the City's wellness programs.
Planning, developing, implementing, and monitoring corporate-wide total wellness programs and strategies that creates awareness, enhances motivation and provides tools to employees.
Developing work-life policies and programs.
Providing expert knowledge and advice to management, employees and unions in all matters related to corporate wellness initiatives.
Promoting and championing activities and initiatives that encourage healthy behaviours, in support of the City's Wellness Strategy.
Assessing the wellness needs of the corporation in order to make effective recommendations for the development and implementation of various programs, initiatives and projects.
Providing guidance and advice to the HR Business Services teams in the delivery of wellness programs.
Collaborating with HR Business Services teams to develop wellness programs and/or strategies for a specific client group within the City.
Leading or participating in corporate committees that focus on health and wellness.
Responsible for the planning, co-ordinated development, management and implementation of Waste Diversion and Waste Processing activities, programs, services and initiatives consistent with corporate strategic direction and corporate vision. The Manager provides professional leadership and coordination in the planning, implementation, and administration of waste processing & disposal policies and programs for solid waste operations. The Manager, Waste Processing & Disposal is responsible for establishing and maintaining positive client relationships with internal and external management and stakeholders.
Duties include responsibility for implementation and update of the 3Rs strategy, development, implementation and on-going evaluation of a comprehensive Waste Diversion Master Plan, compost processing, pilots and marketing, management of Household Special Waste facility, staff and integrated strategy for use of mobile depots and integration of product stewardship initiatives, public programs to ensure maximum diversion. Responsible for meeting related goals set out in the present Official Plan, meeting Provincial goals for waste diversion, research and development to ensure state-of-the-art of methodologies related to waste diversion programs and waste processing management section including management of staff. Responsible for the human and financial resources of waste diversion, waste processing through subordinate supervisors, overseeing management of three landfill sites (one in post closure state) including regular waste disposal, and leachate by-products including Environmental Assessments and optimization programs to maximization of landfill capacity.
The Manager, Waste Processing & Disposal is responsible for developing and monitoring operating budgets, and for managing human resources, including hiring, termination, performance management and discipline of staff as necessary.
Provides customer service to the library customers in-person, roving the branch, telephone/switchboard and/or through electronic/web chats. Provides assistance with membership services. Supports materials and cash handling activities. Work is performed within the context of the policies and framework of the Library corporate culture as embodied in the Mission Statement, Core Values, Customer Experience Guidelines and the Canadian Library Association position statements on Intellectual Freedom and Diversity and Inclusion, with particular emphasis on providing customer service excellence.
Provides information, reference and readers advisory services. Develops, implements and conducts children's programs. Provides circulation and page services in the Library and/or the community and/or mini-libraries, nursing homes and other locations. Performs routine collection maintenance duties. May be senior person in charge or exercise responsibility for the day-to-day operation of the library branch.
Work is performed within the context of the policies and framework of the Library corporate culture as embodied in the Mission Statement, Core Values, Customer Experience Guidelines and the Canadian Library Association position statements on Intellectual Freedom and Diversity and Inclusion, with particular emphasis on providing customer service excellence.
Under the direction of the Coordinator, Cultural Development and Initiatives, the Cultural Developer works as part of a team that consults broadly with external and internal stakeholders in the planning and implementation of policies and development initiatives emanating from the Action Plan for Arts, Heritage and Culture as well as other corporate strategic priorities.
The Cultural Developer provides project management, policy and community development, conducts research and communicates with a wide variety of stakeholders to support branch and corporate strategic initiatives.
Responsible for the preparation and/or serving of meals to residents, day centre clients, staff, and Meals-on-Wheels recipients, and for catering during special events; for the cleaning and maintenance of Food Services equipment and utensils; and for the disposal of waste, with an emphasis on resident safety and engagement. Work is performed in accordance with Public Health regulations, Ministry of Long Term Care Act, 2007 and Food Premises Act.
In collaboration with the multi-disciplinary team, the incumbent provides nursing and personal care to residents, with an emphasis on resident safety and engagement.
The job is responsible for the delivery of quality, holistic, resident care through the administration and supervision of the Nursing Program and staff in a designated area, with an emphasis on resident safety and engagement.
Responsible for providing total resident care according to a Resident Care Plan (L.T.C.) that provides optimal functioning and well being in a supportive, therapeutic environment, with an emphasis on resident safety and engagement.
Under the supervision of the Facilities Supervisor, Lead Hand, Facilities Operator or Seasonal Ice Resurfacer Operator, the Custodial Worker Wage Person is responsible for performing duties associated with the custodial/housekeeping and maintenance of all City of Ottawa facilities.
The Maintenance Helper is responsible for performing duties associated with the operation and maintenance of all City facilities.
Responsible for supervising construction related activities of several small to medium concurrent projects, or a portion of a large, complex project by commenting on designs and specifications; coordinating activities of the general contractors, sub-contractors and utility companies; inspecting work conformance to standards; and, if required, fulfilling the duties of the "constructor" as defined by the Occupational Health and Safety Act.
Responsible for operating vehicles and equipment and performing general labour in the collection and disposal of trash, brush, organics, solid waste or recycling materials (blue/black boxes).
Responsible for performing housekeeping duties associated with the maintenance of a clean, comfortable, home-like and safe environment in the Long Term Care Home, with an emphasis on resident safety and engagement, in accordance with the Long Term Care Homes Act, 2007.
Responsible for performing a wide range of duties expected of a Truck and Coach Technician, including, but not limited to, the following: conducting diagnostic inspection of vehicles, performing general mechanical overhaul and repair work, and performing daily maintenance repairs. The incumbent performs all unit changes or repairs to Fleet vehicles including but not limited to transmission, brakes, suspensions, electrical components, injectors, radiators, steering, differentials and air systems; as well as making miscellaneous adjustments to doors, destination signs and other vehicle systems.
Responsible for assisting with all functions related to the delivery of summer camp programs. Responsible for direct client care and intervention, program adaptation. The programs may take place indoors, outdoors, in or a variety of locations.
To ensure a safe and enjoyable camp experience for special needs children/ youth registered at camp.
Responsible for the supervision of children, previously diagnosed as having special needs and/or experiencing problems participating in mainstream camps, to ensure a safe and positive experience for participants and staff. This includes program adaptation, intervention, recording information and instructing/mentoring camp staff to ensure inclusion and a supportive recreation environment for pre-school/children and youth with special needs (including behavioural and medical needs) registered in a City of Ottawa day camp. This job may provide ongoing integration to ensure participants have a safe and enjoyable experience.
Under the direction of the Instructor, the Arts Assistant, Arts helps children and Instructor with projects and materials. Assists Instructor with the supervision of children.
Senior Instructor, Specialty assists in the delivery and development of specialized program areas. Provide leadership to coach/lead and supervise programs, specialty programs and camps.
To ensure participants have a safe and enjoyable camp experience.
Responsible to coordinate the delivery of specialty arts or sports programs and camps. Duties include program development, staff supervision, administration duties and the preparation of program and staff evaluations.
To ensure participants have a safe and enjoyable program/camp experience.
Responsible for supervising, monitoring, instructing program participants. Other duties may include assisting the Camp Coordinator with the delivery of the program.
The Specialty Instructor is responsible for the program delivery. Provides leadership to instruct and supervise participants, instructors and volunteers in specialty programs and camps.
Responsible for providing information and customer services for a wide range of City services, programs, policies, procedures, permits and fee structures, as part of a team of agents, delivered through a Client Service Centre; ensuring service continuity in responding to inquiries and urgent requests from the public, elected officials, internal staff, and other government agencies through a variety of platforms, primarily by phone and including electronic/web, email and in-person in the most efficient and professional manner possible, minimizing referrals and transfers to other subject matter experts, where possible, and ensuring follow up where requested. Work is performed in accordance with corporate/departmental/branch policies, procedures, standards and guidelines, as well as any applicable legislation/regulations, and in meeting performance and quality assurance standards.
Responsible for the daily programming of the special needs camp. This includes program adaptation, intervention and collaboration with camp staff. To ensure inclusion and a supportive recreation environment for special needs pre-school/children and youth registered in camps. This position may provide ongoing integration.
To ensure participants have a safe and enjoyable experience.
Responsible for the direct day-to-day operation of the Inclusive Recreation Unit camp, working with children, youth, or adults with special needs in a therapeutic recreational or social skills summer camp. Camp Director is included in the child/youth staff ratio and responsible for direct client care and intervention, program adaptation and daily staff management to ensure a safe and enjoyable camp experience for all registered at camp.
Responsible for assisting in the planning and implementing program content and for the instruction, coaching or coordination of introductory specialty sport/art programs and or summer camps. i.e. Summer camps: tennis, volley ball, hockey camp, dance, art.
The Facility Operation Assistant aids in the operation of the facility by providing support to the facility, athletic track, various sports fields and grounds maintenance. Monitors participants during open track training time and large athletic events.
This position will also be responsible for cash handling, customer service, information, sales, registrations and facility bookings.
Responsible for overseeing the daily operation of multiple wading pools within a designated district. Work with full time City staff and co-workers to ensure the wading pool program meets the needs of the participants, falls in line with the branch mandate and follows all guidelines, policies and procedures. Staff supervision and mentoring, program planning, administration and client relations. Assists with staff training, and hiring. Compiling statistics and completing reports.
To ensure the safety and enjoyment of patrons in a wading pool/park environment.
Responsible for the daily operation of the wading pool program within the city's parks. This includes ensuring the park is well maintained and safe for users. Following all policies & procedures and safety guidelines set by the branch. This includes supervision of staff, training, and assisting with staff evaluations. Guarding of participants in the wading pool/area, light maintenance monitoring water quality levels. Program planning/delivery of age appropriate activities and events, administrative duties and responding to public inquiries.
Responsible for the daily operation of the wading pool program within the city's parks. Follow all guidelines, policies & procedures including all safety guidelines set by the branch. This includes ensuring the park is well maintained and safe for users. Guarding of participants in the wading pool/area, light maintenance monitoring water quality levels. Delivering of age appropriate activities and events, administrative duties and responding to public inquiries.
Responsible for coordinating delivery of information within the Seasonal Recreation Wading Pool Program. The initial contact for all program inquiries from the general public, park staff, and other city departments. Maintain files/records, incident reports, process service requests.
Assists in the coordination of staff scheduling, complying program statistics/various reports.
May be responsible for staff payroll input.
Assists full time staff with the day-to-day administrative duties of the wading pool program..
Conducting general construction site office duties.
Conducting engineering fieldwork including conducting visual surveys, collecting data, taking photographs.
Monitoring and interpreting process data and conducting trend analysis.
Conducting project scheduling, progress tracking and developing project documentation.
Conducting public information sessions and presentations and developing communications documents as required.
May be responsible for assisting in coordinating portions of smaller contracts.
Responsible for the delivery of and leading recreation, arts, and aquatics or sports programs for preschoolers, children and youth during the summer months. The programs may take place indoors, outdoors, in one location or a variety of locations. They must also supervise other camp counsellors.
Responsible for assisting with the coordination of recreation, arts, aquatics or sports programs for preschoolers, children and youth during the summer months as well as the implementation of activities, supervision of staff and assumption of the coordinator's responsibilities when required. The programs may take place indoors, outdoors, in one or a variety of locations.
Responsible for the coordination of recreation, arts, aquatics or sports programs for preschoolers, children and youth during the summer months. The programs may take place indoors, outdoors, in one location or a variety of locations. Daily supervision of staff, volunteers and Leaders in Training.
Responsible for the monitoring and supervision of the Beach Volleyball Program participants. Duties include the set-up and takedown of equipment, assist with program evaluations, equipment rentals and other administrative tasks. May include assisting senior staff with the delivery of programs.
To ensure participants have a safe and enjoyable program experience.
Responsible for ensuring the safety of patrons using City beaches and facilities. Monitors the conduct of patrons, prevents accidents and responds to emergencies by administering the policies, procedures, rules and regulations of the City of Ottawa and of certifying bodies.
To ensure the safety and enjoyment of patrons in an aquatic environment.
Responsible for performing a wide variety of customer service duties. These may include, but are not limited to client inquiries, program registration, and sale of goods/supplies. Understands and follows all City of Ottawa guidelines, policies and procedures in relation to cash handling and customer service.
Responsible for ensuring the safety of patrons using aquatic facilities. The Aquatics Lifeguard monitors the conduct of patrons, prevents accidents and responds to emergencies by administering the policies, procedures, rules and regulations of the City of Ottawa and of certifying bodies.
Responsible for life-guarding and instructing as required. Is responsible for overseeing the aquatic facility, programs and staff in the absence of the Aquatic Supervisor or full-time staff.
Ensure that staff follow, and programs fall in line with, all guidelines, policies and procedures. Assist in training, staff scheduling, and mentoring of staff.
Monitor the conduct of patrons, prevents accidents and responds to emergencies by administering the policies, procedures, rules and regulations of the City of Ottawa and of certifying bodies.
Responsible for overseeing the aquatic facility, programs and staff in the absence of City full time staff. Ensure that staff follow, and programs fall in line with all guidelines, policies and procedures. The supervisor works with the program coordinator in developing and providing training, staff scheduling and mentoring of staff.
Responsible for providing assistance to the Transit Customer Systems & Planning Service Area with the promotion and implementation of multi-modal transportation in Ottawa. Assists with organization and facilitation of public outreach events for various groups throughout the city, and performs administrative and clerical activities in support of multi-modal transportation outreach initiative.
OC Transpo is continuing to hire Bus Operators during the construction phase of the O-Train Confederation Line. We have short-term positions available for potential candidates who are interested in gaining transferrable skills while working in a fulfilling position as an OC Transpo Bus Operator. This short-term employment will end when the Confederation Line opens.
The Bus Operator operates City of Ottawa buses in accordance with the Highway Traffic Act and corporate policy. Promotes a customer service mindset when interacting with the general public and is responsible to provide a safe, comfortable, efficient and reliable transportation service.
Ability to obtain a medical report to the Ministry of Transportation’s standards to obtain a commercial license (cost to the candidate).
Full time hours with a good salary ($15.43 per hour during the 6-week training period, $26.24 per hour upon successful completion of training).
The Program Sport Leader is responsible for monitoring, supervising, and evaluating the direct involvement of site specific Sport Programs. Responsibilities include site coordination, supervision, direction of participants, cash handling, customer service, risk management procedures and general administrative tasks.
Ensure that theatre policies are enforced and that procedures are maintained. Ensure that health, safety and maintenance standards are maintained. Promote excellent customer service relations. Account for the bar, coat check and souvenir revenues and inventory and prepares cash deposits. Monitor, train and provide guidance to front of house personnel. Provide emergency response treatment (First Aid/ CPR) as required.
Responsible for teaching aqua fitness programming to participants in a safe and enjoyable manner while following the guidelines of the certifying agency, and in accordance with corporate and departmental policies, procedures, guidelines and standards.
Responsible for teaching specialized aqua fitness programming to participants in a safe and enjoyable manner while following the guidelines of the certifying agency, and in accordance with corporate and departmental policies, procedures, guidelines and standards.
Responsible for providing instruction on a wide variety of specialized group fitness and fitness-related classes identified programs at the City of Ottawa, in accordance with corporate and departmental policies and procedures, rules and regulations.
The Advanced Arts Instructor is responsible for designing, teaching and evaluating creative introductory to advanced instructional programs in theatre, dance, music, visual, literary, and multi-media arts for all ages.
The Advanced Sport Specialist is responsible for planning and implementing program content and for the instruction, coaching or coordination of advanced sport programs.
Responsible for providing instruction on a wide variety of group fitness and fitness-related classes for identified programs at the City of Ottawa, in accordance with corporate and departmental policies and procedures, rules and regulations.
The Instructor, Inclusive Recreation will direct a therapeutic recreation Day Program for adults with disabilities. Under the direction of the Coordinator, Inclusive Recreation Portfolio, this position is responsible for all functions relating to the delivery of the program offered through support of a community partner.
Responsible for instructing/conducting customized individual client or group weight fitness training sessions to meet clients specific fitness needs, in accordance with corporate and departmental policies, procedures, guidelines, standards and related legislation.
The Heritage Programming Specialist is responsible for interpretive and educational program development as well as delivery at the City of Ottawa’s historic sites and museums. Responsible for ongoing work on heritage projects, including preparation and coordination of heritage programming materials and supplies. Responsible for historical research for educational and promotional use. Works with the Education and Interpretation Programs Officers to develop and deliver heritage programming to Museum users. Receives and directs visitors, answers public inquiries (such as genealogy research and questions related to the site’s history) and dispenses public information. Performs reception and clerical duties as needed including program bookings, mailings, reservations and confirmations.
Heritage programming may include, but is not limited to: print shop operations, sawmill assistance, pump factory operations, blacksmith shop operations, carpentry, animal and livestock husbandry, farming and agriculture, and operation of heritage farm equipment, including vintage tractors.
The Intermediate Arts Instructor is responsible for teaching and evaluating creative children's introductory to intermediate instructional programs in theatre, dance, music, visual, literary, and multi-media arts.
The Intermediate Sport Specialist is responsible for planning and implementing programme content and for the instruction, coaching or coordination of intermediate sport programs.
Under the direction of the Coordinator, Inclusive Recreation Portfolio, the incumbent works with children with attention deficit, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, conduct disorder, and other learning disabilities in a positive reinforcement and social skills training program.
The Heritage Specialist is responsible for interpretive and educational program development as well as delivery at the city's historic sites and museums. The HS I is also responsible for ongoing work on heritage projects such as the Oral History project and historical research for educational use. The HS I assists with ongoing promotional activities; liaises with volunteers, community groups and facility user groups; assists in the supervision and training of summer staff; receives and directs visitors, answers public inquiries (such as genealogy research) and dispenses public information; performs reception and clerical duties as needed.
The Introductory Arts Instructor is responsible for leading creative introductory arts programs for children, and assisting in the delivery of creative instruction in theatre, dance, music, visual, literary, and multi-media arts.
The Specialist, Introductory Sport, is responsible for planning and implementing programme content and for the instruction, coaching or coordination of introductory sport programs.
Perform the surveillance necessary to prevent accidents by administering policies, procedures, rules and regulations governing the conduct of patrons using the pool and perform rescues and first aid necessary for the preservation of life in a team setting.
Responsible for assisting with all functions relating to the delivery of a Therapeutic Recreation / Life skills Day Program.
Responsible for the coordination of recreation, arts, special needs, aquatics or sports programs to a variety of age groups in a recreational setting.
The Customer Service Representative is responsible for providing support to the Recreation Facility(s) or programs assigned in functional areas of cash management, clerical/administrative support, technical duties, programme registration and information, program support, general supervision, and quality service to our customers.
Responsible for overseeing and assisting customers with the use of a City of Ottawa cardio or weight room facility or site.
The Recreation & Culture Public Skating Attendant is responsible for coordinating, supervising and evaluating the direct involvement of site specific Public Skating Programs. Responsibilities include site coordination, supervision, direction of participants, cash handling, customer service, risk management procedures and general administrative tasks.
Provides client care according to individualized program plans that promote optimal functioning and well-being in a supportive recreation environment.
Under the direction of the Instructor, the Arts Assistant helps children and Instructor with projects and materials. Assists Instructor with the supervision of children.
Responsible for leading recreation, arts, special needs, aquatics or sports programs to a variety of age groups in a recreational setting.
The Recreation & Culture Service Representative I is responsible for providing support to the Recreation Facility(s) with programs such as day camps and swimming lessons. Is assigned responsibilities including cash handling, customer service, programme information/registration, program support and general administrative tasks.
The Recreation and Culture Attendant is responsible for supervising and assisting the customer's use of a facility or site on behalf of the City of Ottawa. | 2019-04-20T09:11:31Z | http://www.ottawacityjobs.ca/en/ |
Two critical functions of dendritic cells (DC) are to activate and functionally polarize T cells. Activated T cells can, in turn, influence DC maturation, although their effect on de novo DC development is poorly understood. Here we report that activation of T cells in mice, with either an anti-CD3 antibody or super antigen, drives the rapid formation of CD209+CD11b+CD11c+ MHC II+ DC from monocytic precursors (Mo-DC). GM-CSF is produced by T cells following activation, but surprisingly, it is not required for the formation of CD209+ Mo-DC. CD40L, however, is critical for the full induction of Mo-DC following T cell activation. T cell induced CD209+ Mo-DC are comparable to conventional CD209- DC in their ability to stimulate T cell proliferation. However, in contrast to conventional CD209- DC, CD209+ Mo-DC fail to effectively polarize T cells, as indicated by a paucity of T cell cytokine production. The inability of CD209+ Mo-DC to polarize T cells is partly explained by increased expression of PDL-2, since blockade of this molecule restores some polarizing capacity to the Mo-DC. These findings expand the range of signals capable of driving Mo-DC differentiation in vivo beyond exogenous microbial factors to include endogenous factors produced following T cell activation.
Copyright: © 2013 Davidson et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Funding: This study was supported by National Institutes of Health grants HL075462, DK082537 and DK096038. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.
Monocytes serve as precursors to a variety of cell types, including macrophages, osteoclasts and inflammatory dendritic cells (DC). Their ultimate fate is dependent on the interpretation of a diverse set of environmental cues often in the form of pathogen associated molecular patterns (PAMPs). The correct interpretation of these cues by monocytes is essential for both homeostasis and the generation of productive immune responses. For example, the differentiation of monocytes into TNFα/iNOS producing DC (TipDC) is critical for clearance of Listeria monocytogenes infection .
While certain pathogens are capable of driving monocyte differentiation into DC (Mo-DC), the formation of inflammatory DC, putatively of monocytic origin, during sterile autoimmune diseases suggests that non-microbial signals also drive Mo-DC formation [2-5]. Multiple endogenous stimuli, including GM-CSF stimulation , migration of monocytes across an endothelial barrier and CD40 ligation , promote Mo-DC formation in vitro. However, the signals that elicit Mo-DC formation in vivo during sterile inflammation have not been elucidated.
Since communication between DC and T cells is bidirectional and newly activated T cells are capable of maturing bystander DC , we considered the possibility that activated T cells might drive de novo DC formation from monocytes. Our group previously demonstrated that both human and murine T-helper cells induce Mo-DC differentiation during in vitro coculture experiments, but such activity has not yet been demonstrated in vivo. Due to the lack of a reliable marker capable of distinguishing between Mo-DC and conventional DC, it has been difficult until recently to study the in vivo biology of Mo-DC. Because of this, most investigators have studied the basic biology of Mo-DC by utilizing in vitro generated cells. Here, we took advantage of the discovery that Mo-DC, but not conventional DC (cDC), express the C-type lectin CD209 , to elucidate the capacity of T cells to elicit DC differentiation from monocytes in vivo.
Animal experiments were approved and conducted in accordance with Stanford University APLAC protocol #13605. All efforts were taken to minimize animal suffering.
Female C57BL/6, GM-CSFR KO and CD40L KO mice were purchased from Jackson Labs. OT-II TCR transgenic Rag2-/- mice were purchased from Taconic. All mice were housed in an American Association for the Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care–accredited animal facility and maintained in specific pathogen-free conditions.
Mice were injected intravenously with 10µg dialyzed PE conjugated anti-CD209 antibody clone 5H10 or dialyzed PE conjugated isotype control antibody (eBioscience). Immediately afterwards, mice were injected in the footpad with various doses of azide and endotoxin free anti-CD3 antibody clone 2C11 or the appropriate isotype control (eBioscience) or TSST-1 (Sigma). 16-18 hours later the draining popliteal, inguinal and axillary LNs were harvested and digested for 30 minutes at 37°C with 400U/ml collagenase IV (Worthington) in RPMI media (Gibco) supplemented with 100 U/mL penicillin, 100µg/mL streptomycin, 2mM L-glutamine and 10% fetal calf serum.
T cells were purified from LN suspensions with biotinylated anti-CD4 clone GK1.5 (Becton Dickinson) or biotinylated anti-CD8a clone 53-6.7 (Biolegend) followed by anti-biotin microbeads (Miltenyi).
Single cell suspensions were FC receptor blocked and then stained with antibodies conjugated to various fluorochromes or biotin. Antibodies used included I-A/I-E (MHCII), CD69, CD209, F4/80, CD206, CD11b, CD11c, CD40, DEC-205, Thy1.2, CD19, DX-5, Ly6c, CD80, CD86, CD40, PDL-1, PDL-2, ICOSL and B7-S1. Dead cells were gated out as DAPI+ (Invitrogen). Cells were analyzed on a LSR-II (BD) or sorted on a FACS Aria II (BD).
GM-CSF in serum obtained via cardiac puncture, and IFNγ, IL-17A, IL-10 and IL-4 in cell culture supernatants were measured by ELISA (eBioscience).
LN were harvested and fixed in 4% PFA + 10% sucrose in PBS for 30 minutes on ice before being embedded in OCT medium and snap frozen. 10 µm sections were air dried and then fixed in acetone at -20°C for 10 minutes. They then were stained with BMD10 hybridoma supernatant followed by goat α-rat IgG HRP followed by Alexa Fluor 488 Tyramide amplification (Invitrogen) followed by a 1 hour incubation with APC conjugated B220 (Biolegend). Cells were mounted with Fluoro-Gel II with DAPI (Electron Microscopy Sciences) and imaged using a Leica 2500 confocal microscope. Sorted cells were transferred to coverslip bottom chamber slides and imaged using differential interference contrast (DIC) microscopy on a Leica DM IRB with Metamorph software (Molecular Devices).
Sorted DC from anti-CD3 injected mice as well as B cells (CD19+ cells) or monocytes (CD11b+, Ly6c+) from wild type mice were sorted and pulsed with 2.5µg/ml ISQ peptide in media for 1 hour at 37°C. They were washed twice and then cocultured at various ratios with MACS purified OT-II CD4+ T cells from OT-II Rag KO mice in 200 µl in round bottom wells for 3 days. Thereafter the cells were pulsed with 1 μCi/well of H3-thymidine and cultured for an additional 18 hours before being harvested by Harvester 400 (Tomtec). Radioactivity was measured by a MicroBeta 1450 counter (LKB Wallac).
An unpaired student’s t-test (2-tailed) with a 95% confidence interval was performed in Prism (GraphPad) to analyze all experimental data unless otherwise stated. Error bars represent +/- SEM. P<0.05=*; P<0.01=**; P<0.001=***.
To assess the effect of T cell activation on monocytes in vivo, we injected mice with a functional grade anti-CD3 (clone 2C-11) antibody to induce T cell activation. As expected and reminiscent of the effect of anti-CD3 (Clone OKT3) in humans , this antibody induced a marked increase in the expression of the early T cell activation marker CD69 on T cells (Figure 1A). As shown in Figure 1B, 18 hours following anti-CD3 injection, the frequency of monocytes (DAPI-, side scatterlo/int, CD11b+, CD11c-, Ly6c+) in the bone marrow and blood of anti-CD3 injected mice was significantly reduced compared to that of control mice injected with PBS. In contrast, there was a 10-fold increase in the frequency of monocytes in LNs (Figure 1C). There was also a large increase in the number of CD11c+ DC in these LNs, but the origin of these DC was unclear.
Figure 1. T cell activation mobilizes monocytes into LNs and promotes formation of CD209+ DC.
A) Mice were injected in the footpad with 10µg anti-CD3 or an isotype control antibody. 18 hours later cells from the draining LNs were stained for the early T cell activation marker CD69. Cells shown were gated on DAPI-, Thy1.2+ cells. N=2 per group. Both duplicates are shown. B) Mice were injected in the footpad with 10µg anti-CD3 or PBS. 18 hours later, bone marrow, cardiac blood or draining LNs were stained for DAPI-, side scatter -/int, CD11b+, CD11c-, Ly6c+ monocytes. Shown are mean cell percentage and SEM, N=2 mice per group. C) Mice were injected in the footpad with 10µg anti-CD3 or PBS. 18 hours later, draining LNs were evaluated for the frequency of CD11b+ CD11c+ DC or CD11b+ CD11c- monocytes. Shown is one example representative of more than 5 individual experiments. D) Mice were injected in the footpad with 10µg anti-CD3, isotype control, anti-CD28 or PBS. The absolute number of CD209+, CD11b+, CD11c+, MHC II+, CD40+, Ly6c-, DAPI- DC from 3 draining LNs is shown. Shown are mean cell number and SEM, N=4, representative of more than 5 individual experiments. E) Shown is one example of CD209 staining compared to isotype control staining of LN CD11c+, CD11b+ DC 18 hours after anti-CD3 antibody injection. The results shown are representative of 2 independent experiments. F) Mice were injected in the footpad with the indicated amounts of anti-CD3 antibody. 18 hours later the absolute number of LN CD209+ DC was determined with flow cytometry. G) Mice were injected in the footpad with 10µg anti-CD3 or an isotype control. 18 hours later draining LNs were removed, fixed and frozen. The sections were then stained for the presence of CD209 and B220. The scale bar is 50µM. H) Mice were injected IV with 25µg TSST-1 or PBS. 16 hours later, both inguinal and brachial LNs were harvested and the absolute number of CD209+, CD11b+, CD11c+, MHC II+, CD40+, Ly6c-, DAPI- DC are shown as mean and SEM, N=4 mice per group.
As has been shown with a proprietary anti-CD209 clone , a commercially available anti-CD209 antibody (clone 5H10 from eBioscience) also effectively labels DC and not monocytes . To determine the frequency of CD209+ Mo-DC formation following T cell activation, mice were injected intravenously with 10µg of dialyzed PE-conjugated anti-CD209 antibody and immediately thereafter 10µg of anti-CD3 activating antibody was administered by footpad injection. Twenty-four hours later, the draining LNs were removed and analyzed by flow cytometry to determine the frequency of CD209+ Mo-dC.T cell activation resulted in a highly significant increase in the number of CD209+ DC in the LNs (Figure 1D). The increase in CD209+ Mo-DC required T cell activation, as an isotype control antibody for anti-CD3, or an anti-CD28 antibody that binds T cells but does not activate them had no effect on CD209+ Mo-DC number. These DC did not acquire the anti-CD209 antibody non-specifically, as they did not bind a PE-conjugated isotype control antibody (Figure 1E). Further, the absolute number of DC in the LNs was highly correlated with the amount of anti-CD3 antibody injected (Figure 1F).
The presence of CD209+ Mo-DC in the LNs was confirmed by immunofluorescence staining of frozen tissue from anti-CD3 treated mice, using a different anti-CD209 mAb (Figure 1G). Interestingly, the CD209 staining appeared to be localized primarily within vesicles of Mo-DC, whereas the previously published CD209 staining of Mo-DC formed after LPS injection appeared to be primarily surface bound . The CD209+ Mo-DC were present inside the B220- T cell zone of LNs, consistent with the hypothesis that they may be involved in regulating T cell responses.
To ensure that this phenomenon was due to T cell activation and not to an off-target effect of the anti-CD3 antibody, we studied the effect of a bacterial super-antigen, toxic shock syndrome toxin-1 (TSST-1), on the formation of CD209+ Mo-DC. TSST-1 activates T cells by cross-linking MHC determinants with the T cell receptor (TCR) leading to the rapid secretion of T cell cytokines including IL-2, TNFα and IFNγ and the expression of CD40L . Interestingly, whereas injection of the super antigens SEB and SEA can result in T cell anergy, injection of TSST-1 does not . We injected mice intravenously with 25µg of TSST-1 and examined the LNs 18 hours later. There was a 9-fold increase in the number of CD209+ Mo-DC compared to PBS treated control mice (Figure 1H). These data demonstrate that robust T cell activation in vivo with either anti-CD3 or TSST-1 results in the differentiation of monocytes into cells with a DC phenotype.
To further characterize the T cell induced CD209+ Mo-DC, we compared their cell surface phenotype with that of CD209-, CD205+ cDC and Ly6C+, CD11c- monocytes from the same mice (Figure 2A). CD209+ Mo-DC and CD209- cDC expressed similar levels of MHC II and the costimulatory molecules CD80, CD86 and CD40. These levels were many-fold higher than found on monocytes. However, the CD209+ Mo-DC expressed higher levels of CD206, CD11b and F4/80 than cDC, suggesting that these Mo-DC may differ functionally from cDC.
Figure 2. Activated T cell driven CD209+ Mo-DC stimulate T cell proliferation, but do not induce T cell polarization.
A) Mice were injected in the footpad with 10µg anti-CD3. 18 hours later, LN monocytes gated as Ly6c+, CD11c-, side scatterlo/inT cells, Mo-DC gated as Ly6c-, CD11c+, CD209+, CD205- cells and cDC gated as Ly6c-, CD11c+, CD209-, CD205+ cells were evaluated for expression of various surface proteins. Shown is a representative example from one mouse. B) The gating scheme for sorting CD209+ Mo-DC and CD209- cDC is shown. C) DC sorted as in B) were plated on cover slip bottom chamber slides in medium and immediately imaged. The scale bar is 20µM. D) Cells sorted as in B) along with monocytes and B-cells were pulsed with 2.5µg/ml MHC class II restricted OVA peptide ISQ for 90 minutes at 37°C. They were then washed twice and plated at various ratios with OT-II CD4+ T cells from RAG KO mice. After 72 hours the cells were pulsed with H3-thymidine and harvested 18 hours later. Results of triplicate cultures are shown as mean and SEM, and are representative of 3 independent experiments. E) Cultures were set up as in D) except in some conditions 1µg/ml LPS was added during pulsing with peptide. After 72 hours, the cell-free supernatant was harvested and cytokines were measured by ELISA. Results are shown as mean and SEM, performed in triplicate from the 1 DC : 20 T cells condition, and are representative of 3 independent experiments. ND = not detected.
To compare the immunological properties of CD209+ Mo-DC and CD209- cDC, we sorted these cells from the LNs 18 hours after T cell activation based on their differential expression of CD209 (Figure 2B). The cells were imaged with standard DIC and time-lapse microscopy (Figure 2C). Both the CD209+ and CD209- DC displayed wispy dendrites, which could be seen in constant motion via time-lapse microscopy (Movie S1 and Movie S2). The DC subsets were subsequently pulsed with the MHC class II restricted OVA peptide ISQ in the absence of additional exogenous stimuli and cultured with CD4+ OVA specific OT-II T cells for 72 hours. CD209+ and CD209- DC were equally effective at inducing T cell proliferation and were more than 100 times more potent than the same number of monocytes or B-cells (Figure 2D). Whereas large amounts of IFNγ, IL-4, IL-17A and IL-10 were present in the T cell/cDC (CD209-) cultures, indicative of Th1, Th2, Th17 and Treg cell polarization, respectively, much less cytokine was detected in the T cell/Mo-DC (CD209+) cultures (Figure 2E). Addition of LPS, a strong stimulus of DC maturation, to the cultures did not result in an increase in cytokine production. Thus, CD209+ T cell induced Mo-DC are efficient at presenting antigen and activating CD4+ T cells, but deficient in their ability to polarize these cells into the canonical Th1, Th2 and Th17 subtypes.
We next investigated the mechanism responsible for CD209+ Mo-DC formation after T cell activation. We hypothesized that GM-CSF produced by activated T cells may contribute to Mo-DC formation, as this cytokine is well known to drive Mo-DC formation and T cells can produce it after activation . A time course experiment showed that GM-CSF was present in the serum of mice 2 hours following administration of the anti-CD3 antibody (Figure 3A), and CD4+ and CD8+ T cells isolated from the LNs of naïve mice produced GM-CSF when activated in vitro with the same anti-CD3 antibody used in vivo (Figure 3B). Moreover, LNs depleted of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells did not produce any detectable GM-CSF, indicating that these cells are the sole source of GM-CSF in LNs following anti-CD3 administration. However, when mice were injected with 100µg of a GM-CSF blocking antibody or an isotype control antibody, together with anti-CD3, there was no significant difference in the frequency of CD209+ Mo-DC at 24 hours in the draining LNs (Figure 3C). It is possible that GM-CSF is produced in an immunological synapse or in some other manner rendering it inaccessible to our anti-GM-CSF antibody. To address this possibility, we utilized GM-CSFR KO mice that are unable to respond to GM-CSF (Figure 3D). Following injection of anti-CD3 antibody into groups of GM-CSFR heterozygous and KO mice, the extent of Mo-DC formation was similar in both groups (Figure 3E), demonstrating that signaling though the GM-CSFR is not necessary for the formation of Mo-DC following T cell activation. Thus, although GM-CSF can induce the differentiation of monocytes into DC, it is not required for the formation of CD209+ Mo-DC after T cell activation.
Figure 3. CD40L but not GM-CSF is needed for CD209+ Mo-DC formation.
A) Serum from cardiac blood was assayed for GM-CSF at various times after footpad injection of 10µg anti-CD3 antibody. N=2 mice per time point. Results are shown as mean and SEM. B) CD4+ and CD8+ T cells were positively selected from the LNs of wild-type mice using biotinylated antibodies and anti-biotin microbeads. CD4- CD8- negative LN cells were also collected via negative selection. 1 x 106 cells were cultured in triplicate in plates that were previously coated with 1µg/ml anti-CD3 antibody. Cell free supernatant was harvested after 24 and 48 hours for ELISA. C) Mice were injected IP with 100µg anti-GM-CSF blocking antibody or isotype control antibody. 4 hours later, the mice were injected in the footpad with 10µg/ml anti-CD3. 18 hours later the frequency of CD209+, CD11b+, CD11c+, MHC II+, CD40+, Ly6c-, DAPI- Mo-DC was determined. Cells shown were first gated on Thy1.2-, CD19-, DX5- cells. N=2 mice per group. The data shown are representative of 2 independent experiments. D) Bone marrow monocytes from wild-type or GM-CSFR KO mice were cultured with 50µg/ml GM-CSF and 20µg/ml IL-4 for 5 days. The cells were then analyzed by flow cytometry. Cells shown were gated on DAPI-, CD1lb+ cells. The data shown are representative of 2 independent experiments, 1 mouse per group. E) GM-CSFR heterozygous and GM-CSFR KO mice were injected in the footpad with 10µg anti-CD3. 18 hours later the frequency of CD209+, CD11b+, CD11c+, Mo-DC in the draining LNs was determined and the results are shown as the percentage of live LN cells. N=2 mice per group. F) Wild-type and CD40L KO mice were injected in the footpad with 10µg anti-CD3. 18 hours later the absolute number of CD209+, CD11b+, CD11c+ Mo-DC in the draining LNs was determined with flow cytometry. N=4 mice per group.
We next investigated the role of CD40L in this process. Unlike most T cell cytokines CD40L is expressed within minutes of T cell activation, due to the presence of preformed CD40L in secretory lysosomes, and is then maintained via protein synthesis . As shown in Figure 3F, mice lacking CD40L had far fewer CD209+ DC in their LN compared to wild-type controls following injection of anti-CD3 antibody. This result demonstrates a critical role for CD40L in the development of CD209+ Mo-DC.
Many alternative costimulatory molecules in addition to CD80 and CD86 have been shown to modulate T cell stimulation and polarization . Because CD209+ Mo-DC resemble cDC in their morphology and expression of MHC II and classical costimulatory molecules, we hypothesized that they may express different alternative costimulatory molecules rendering them unable to induce T cell polarization. CD209+ and CD209- DC from anti-CD3 treated or control mice were evaluated for expression of PDL-1, PDL-2, ICOSL and B7-S1 (Figure 4A). PDL-1 was slightly upregulated on both DC subsets after anti-CD3 stimulation, while ICOSL and B7-S1 remained unchanged. On the other hand, PDL-2 was upregulated by 9-fold on CD209- DC and by more than 70-fold on CD209+ Mo-DC compared to DC from control mice (Figure 4B).
Figure 4. Upregulated PDL-2 expression inhibits CD209+ Mo-DC from polarizing naïve T cells.
A) Mice were injected in the footpad with 10µg anti-CD3 or PBS. 18 hours later, the draining LNs were evaluated for the expression of alternative costimulatory molecules on CD11c+, CD11b+, Ly6c- DC subsets. Results shown are representative of 2 independent experiments. Red (Mo-DC [CD209+] from anti-CD3 treated mice), black (cDC [CD209-] from anti-CD3 treated mice) and gray (total DC from PBS treated control mice). B) The DC subsets shown in boxes in A) were evaluated for PDL-2 expression (MFI = median fluorescence intensity). C) CD209+ and CD209- DC were sorted and cultured at a 1:10 ratio with naïve CD4+ T cells from OT-II RAG KO mice in the presence of high (2.50µg/ml) or low (0.25µg/ml) ISQ peptide and 10µg/ml anti-PDL-2 antibody or an isotype control antibody. After 72 hours, the cells were pulsed with H3-thymidine and harvested 20 hours later. The results of triplicate cultures are shown as mean and SEM, done in triplicate. D) Aliquots of the supernatants from the cultures in C) were removed after 72 hours of culture and tested for IFNγ by ELISA. The results of triplicate cultures are shown as mean and SEM. Iso refers to isotype control antibody.
To investigate the role of PDL-2 in the functions of anti-CD3 induced Mo-DC, we sorted DC into CD209+ and CD209- subsets and cultured the cells with low (0.25µg/ml) or high (2.5µg/ml) amounts of OVA peptide, along with OT-II T cells and a functional grade blocking or isotype control antibody to PDL-2. As shown in Figure 4C, anti-PDL-2 had no effect on the stimulatory capacity of either DC subset, regardless of antigen concentration. To examine the possibility that blockade of PDL-2 might enable the CD209+ DC to polarize T cells, we evaluated the culture supernatant from the previous experiment for the presence of IFNγ (Figure 4D). At both high and low antigen concentrations, blockade of PDL-2 reestablished the ability of CD209+ DC to induce IFNγ production, albeit at levels lower than that produced by T cells cultured with CD209- DC. Anti-PDL-2 also enhanced the induction of IFNγ by CD209- DC. These data demonstrate that PDL-2 is highly expressed on CD209+ Mo-DC following T cell activation and helps prevent these cells from polarizing, but not activating, CD4+ T cells.
This study demonstrates that T cell activation alone, in the absence of PAMPs, is sufficient to elicit monocyte differentiation into CD209+ Mo-DC, in vivo. Although T cell induced DCs were found in LNs, their differentiation from monocytes did not necessarily occur there. Under inflammatory conditions, monocytes from bone marrow and blood infiltrate tissues where they can encounter activated T cells. In this regard, our previous studies of inflamed skin in patients with psoriasis and atopic dermatitis revealed frequent multipoint interactions between activated T cells and monocytes, as well as clusters of T cells, monocytes and DCs, suggesting that DC differentiation from monocytes occurs at such sites. Whether in the current studies DCs differentiated in non-lymphoid tissues and then migrated to draining LNs, or differentiated from monocytes in LNs, is unknown, since our data are consistent with either possibility. We found that CD40L is required for optimal generation of CD209+ Mo-DC. While soluble CD40L can be released in vivo, it seems more likely that chemokines such as CCL2 recruited monocytes to tissues where interaction with CD40L+ T cells directed their differentiation into CD209+ Mo-DC.
The formation of CD209+ Mo-DC correlated with the intensity of T cell activation. Interestingly, Mo-DC formation was not observed with anti-CD3 antibody doses less than 1µg, indicating that a minimum threshold of T cell activation was required. Such a threshold is likely exceeded during infection and sterile inflammatory disorders such as graft versus host disease (GVHD) and transplant rejection, where both T cells and DC are believed to play a critical pathogenic role [22-24]. It is plausible that monocytes serve as a pool of reserve DC that form during acute or sustained inflammation. Whereas certain microbial products can drive such DC formation, so can activated T cells whose specificity and memory for past infections make them ideally suited for this purpose. On the other hand, if the T cell stimuli are not eliminated, as might occur in the setting of GVHD or sustained reactivity against self, Mo-DC may contribute to tissue-damaging inflammation.
Although in our study, CD209+ DC were potent inducers of T cell proliferation, they were severely impaired in their ability to polarize naïve T cells, as indicated by the scarcity of IFNγ, IL-17A or IL-4 in the supernatants of CD209+ Mo-DC and T cell co-cultures. The inability of these cells to polarize T cells is partly explained by their increased expression of the alternative costimulatory molecule PDL-2, since blockade of this molecule restores some polarizing capacity to the CD209+ Mo-DC. There are conflicting reports on the function of PDL-2, which is also known as B7-DC and CD273. While some reports claim that this molecule is stimulatory , the majority indicate that PDL-2 has an immunosuppressive effect by signaling though PD-1 and potentially other unidentified receptors on T cells [26-28]. Importantly, at least one study suggests that the immunosuppressive effect of PDL-2 on T cells depends on the amount of antigen and thus the strength of the activation signal provided to the T cells [29,30].
Our data indicate that PDL-2 molecules on T cell induced Mo-DC act as a brake on T cell polarization, but not T cell proliferation. How PDL-2 regulates T cell polarization is not known, but based on studies with PDL-1, it appears that the intensity of PD1 signaling is critical in the regulation of multiple cytokines . It is possible that PDL-2 signaling behaves similarly, as it is a known ligand for PD1. However, other explanations are possible, since PDL-1 causes a conformational change in PD-1 upon binding, but PDL-2 does not and both ligands compete for the same receptor, yet have different affinities. Therefore, one effect of high PDL-2 expression might be a decrease in PDL-1 mediated signaling . Interestingly, there are data demonstrating that PDL-2 has biological activity even when PD-1 binding is abolished, suggesting there are yet unidentified pathways by which PDL-2 may be modulating T cell polarization .
The limited T cell polarizing activity of CD209+ Mo-DC presumably mitigates the risk that these cells promote or enhance inflammation. On the other hand, in addition to reduced levels of proinflammatory cytokines in the supernatants of the Mo-DC and T cell cultures, the amount of IL-10 produced in these cultures was also lower than that produced in cDC and T cell co-cultures. These results suggest that T cells stimulated by CD209+ Mo-DC probably rely on other cues for their polarization. In the absence of such cues, these newly activated T cells may take on an IL-10 secreting immunosuppressive phenotype and serve as a brake on inflammation. This notion of specific DC subsets serving to inhibit massive inflammatory responses has been reported with specialized DC capable of producing the tryptophan catabolizing enzyme indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) after being exposed to large amounts of CpG DNA in vivo . Based on these results, we speculate that CD209+ Mo-DC elicited by activated T cells may play a proinflammatory or anti-inflammatory role in vivo, depending on the nature of the signals they receive.
Time-lapse movie of CD209+ DC. Freshly sorted DC were plated onto coverslip bottom chamber slides in media and imaged. 20 minutes of microscopy was acquired at a rate of 1 frame every 10 seconds. The data is presented as a movie shown at 100X actual speed.
Time-lapse movie of CD209- DC. Freshly sorted DC were plated onto coverslip bottom chamber slides in media and imaged. 20 minutes of microscopy was acquired at a rate of 1 frame every 10 seconds. The data is presented as a movie shown at 100X actual speed.
We would like to thank the laboratory of Ralph Steinman (Rockefeller University) for generously providing supernatant from anti-CD209 hybridoma clone BMD10.
Conceived and designed the experiments: MGD EGE. Performed the experiments: MGD MNA JAK MMS JCG RY. Analyzed the data: MGD MNA JAK MMS JCG RY EGE. Wrote the manuscript: MGD MNA EGE. Supervised the work: EGE.
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Is the Subject Area "Antibody isotypes" applicable to this article? | 2019-04-19T03:01:51Z | https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0076258 |
The National Academies Press, 2016.
We are very pleased to present the 2018 Annual Report that highlights major research accomplishments by the Atmospheric Chemistry Observations and Modeling (ACOM) Laboratory.
During this past year, ACOM has developed a comprehensive plan for its research and support activities for the period 2019-2023. The plan builds on ACOM’s strengths and takes into account the recommendations made by a “Blue Ribbon Panel” convened by NCAR in 2017 to suggest ways by which atmospheric chemistry could be made more prominent in the Center and how ACOM could better contribute to the success of the community.
As a laboratory belonging to a National Center, ACOM has a particular responsibility: support the broad agenda of the US research community, in particular the university groups that conduct fundamental research in atmospheric chemistry. To embrace the broad agenda of the community, ACOM must therefore have a broad interest and maintain different competences supporting experimental as well as modeling aspects. At the same time, it must tackle difficult, focused and intellectually challenging frontier questions that are in line with national and international research priorities. In this regard, the overall objective of ACOM is to advance the fundamental knowledge required to improve our predictive capability of short-term chemical weather and long-term chemical climate.
The major focus of ACOM’s research in the period 2019 to 2023 will be a detailed investigation of reactive carbon chemistry in the atmosphere under different NOx environments. With effective measures taken to reduce the anthropogenic emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx), chemical regimes in the atmosphere are gradually changing. Low NOx chemical paths are becoming increasingly more important for the degradation of natural and anthropogenic hydrocarbons, thus modifying the oxidizing power of the atmosphere and hence the formation of ozone and multiphase organic species (e.g., secondary organic aerosols).
At the same time, an increasing fraction of the world’s population will be living in urban areas. Ensuring that populated areas experience healthy air is therefore an important consideration for the development of smart and sustainable cities. ACOM will also therefore provide a quantitative description of the reactive carbon photochemistry under moderate to high NOx environments.
The influence of the complex interactions between chemical, radiative and dynamical processes taking place in the middle and upper atmosphere on the chemistry of the lower atmosphere and on climate variability and change remains poorly quantified. Jointly with the Climate and Global Dynamics (CGD) Laboratory and the High-Altitude Observatory (HAO), ACOM will further develop the Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model (WACCM) and investigate the two-way stratospheric-troposphere coupling across times scales, and how these interactions will be evolving as stratospheric ozone in polar regions is recovering and climate is changing. A specific project will investigate how persistent convection in the Asian monsoon region transports and modifies chemical species of anthropogenic and biomass burning origins in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere.
Within five years, ACOM will develop together with partners in the community a computationally feasible global modeling framework that allows for simulation of large-scale atmospheric phenomena, while still resolving chemistry at emission and exposure relevant scales (down to ~4 km, through regional refinement). The multi-scale modeling infrastructure for Chemistry and Aerosols (MUSICA) and its components will be open source and flexible in order to facilitate community co-development and use for research and operational purposes. Its development will involve new strategic partnerships with universities and other interested research centers.
In order to support key research activities conducted by the university community and to meet the science goals of the Laboratory, ACOM will modernize it observational capabilities, and specifically acquire and develop state-of-the-art instruments based on chemical ionization mass spectrometry for the quantification of complex multi-functional organics both in the laboratory and in the atmosphere, specifically from the NSF GV and C-130 aircraft.
In cooperation with the NCAR Earth Observing Laboratory (EOL), ACOM will continue to support the community by deploying instruments for a myriad of chemical species, both in situ and via remote sensing techniques.
The most recent of Earth’s five largest mass extinctions occurred at the Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) boundary, about 66 million years ago. It led to the disappearance of the dinosaurs and coincided with the impact of a 10-km asteroid at Chicxulub, in the Yucatán peninsula (Alvarez et al., 1980; Schulte et al., 2010). A world-wide soot layer is found at the K-Pg boundary that is estimated to contain a total of 15,000 Tg of fine soot (Wolbach et al., 1990). This soot is thought to have been produced by global fires triggered when rock, vaporized and propelled to great heights by the asteroid impact, recondensed and re-entered the atmosphere. These rock “spherules” were heated by friction and produced an infrared heat pulse intense enough to ignite vegetation (Melosh et al., 1990) and kill exposed animals. The amount of soot found at the K-Pg boundary is sufficient to account for the burning of the entire plant biomass at the time of the impact.
Using the NCAR Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model (WACCM), a high-top Earth system model with full chemistry, an interactive ocean, and advanced aerosol microphysics from the Community Aerosol and Radiation Model for Atmospheres (CARMA), Bardeen et al. (2017) simulated the climate effects of the K-Pg soot injection. Soot is a very good absorber of solar radiation, which heats the air and lofts it into the stratosphere, where it has a lifetime of about 6 years. As shown in Figure 1, injection into the atmosphere of 15,000 Tg of soot reduces sunlight at the surface below 1% of normal (sufficient to suppress photosynthesis) for almost 2 years. The reduction in sunlight also causes average surface cooling of the land by much as 28˚C and of the oceans by 11˚C. Water injected into the atmosphere by the impact produces odd-hydrogen radicals, which along with much higher stratospheric temperatures destroy stratospheric ozone. While broiling from the hot spherules and global fires may have been responsible for killing the dinosaurs and other large land animals, colder surface temperatures and reduced light levels are likely to have been major contributors to extinction in the ocean. In particular, light levels below 1% of normal would have interrupted the marine food chain. Future versions of WACCM that include more detailed land and ocean biogeochemistry are expected to provide an even better understanding of the environmental changes that led to the K-Pg mass extinction.
Figure 1. Ratio of downwelling solar flux at the surface from various sized injections of fine soot as a fraction of normal daytime flux. A reduction of sunlight to less than 1% (10-2) of normal suppresses photosynthesis. For comparison, full moonlight is about 10-6 of the normal daytime flux, and a moonless night is 10-8 of normal. Click for larger image.
Alvarez, L. W., W. Alvarez, F. Asaro, H. V. Michel (1980), Extraterrestrial cause for the cretaceous-tertiary extinction, Science, 208, 1095–1108.
Bardeen, C. G., R. R. Garcia, O. B. Toon, A. J. Conley (2017), On transient climate change at the Cretaceous−Paleogene boundary due to atmospheric soot injections, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A., 114, E7415-E7424, doi:10.1073/pnas.1708980114.
Melosh, H. J., N. N. Schneider, K. J. Zahnle, and D. Latham (1990), Ignition of global fires at the Cretaceous/Tertiary boundary, Nature, 343, 251-254.
Schulte, P., L. Alegret, I. Arenillas, et al. (2010), The Chicxulub asteroid impact and mass extinction at the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary, Science, 327, 1214–1218.
Wolbach, W. S., I. Gilmour, and E. Anders (1990), Major wildfires at the Cretaceous/Tertiary boundary, Geol. Soc. Am. Spec. Pap., 247, 391–400.
Trace Organic Gas Analyzer (TOGA) for speciated measurements of a wide range of VOCs (TOGA; PI Eric Apel, Rebecca Hornbrook, and Alan Hills).
Charged-coupled device Actinic Flux Spectroradiometer (CAFS) for spectrally resolved down- and up-welling radiative measurements and calculations of ~40 photolysis frequencies (PI Samuel Hall; and Kirk Ullmann). Brown Carbon (BrC) remote sensing is a secondary product available from spectral analysis (see Figure 2).
Implementation of biogenic ocean emissions and calculation of acetaldehyde in CAMChem.
CESM2 participation in an ATom model intercomparison.
Assessment of the production, removal, and recycling mechanisms of HOx radicals using an observationally constrained box model and CAM-Chem.
Evaluation of different anthropogenic and biomass burning emission inventories.
Newly developed online-mechanism for exploring the oceanic influences on acetone, methyl nitrate, isoprene, and organohalogens.
Identification of species and regions where model improvement is needed based on the ATOM observations.
Statistical analysis of cloud influences on photolysis frequencies based on ATom observations.
Both measurements and modeling outputs will be publically available in the ATom archive in accordance with NASA public data release dates.
Figure 1: Four deployments of the NASA DC-8 flight track sampling for ATom covering 80.6°S to 82.9°N and 164.6°E to14.3°W and 0-13 km altitude. Click for larger image.
Figure 2: Brown carbon (BrC) and mineral dust aerosol indicator as determined by the ACOM CAFS instrument during ATom-1. A new technique exploits anomalous spectral absorption features to detect the presence of these aerosols for qualitative, real-time, remote sensing of biomass burning (BB). The data may prove useful for examination of the evolution of BrC, including chemical processing and hygroscopic growth. The induced UV changes also feed back to the photolysis frequencies affecting the chemistry. Most evident are the African biomass burning smoke plumes in the southern Atlantic and the Saharan dust plume in the north Atlantic. Click for larger image.
Figure 3: Sunset over Arctic sea ice during the ATom mission as seen from the NASA DC-8 aircraft (Photo credit: Samuel Hall) Click for larger image.
Western wildfire smoke has a significant impact on air quality, nutrient cycles, weather and climate. The chemistry inside a smoke plume during the first 24 hours after emission affects reactive nitrogen partitioning, cloud chemistry and nucleation, and aerosol scattering and absorption, all of which can impact air quality and climate.
The NSF-funded WE-CAN ground-based and airborne field campaign aimed to systematically characterize the emissions and first 24 hours of smoke plume evolution from western U.S. wildfires. The project, led by Dr. Emily Fischer at Colorado State University, focused on three science questions related to better quantifying processes associated with fixed nitrogen, absorbing aerosols, and cloud activation and chemistry in wildfire plumes. WE-CAN deployed a large suite of measurement instruments run by both university and NCAR teams on the NSF/NCAR C-130 and also involved a ground-based mobile component.
The C-130 was based in Boise, Idaho from 20 July – 31 August 2018 to maximize the opportunities to sample smoke plumes from northwestern wildfires in California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Utah, Nevada, and Colorado during the peak of the 2018 fire season. All three sampling goals of WE-CAN were achieved. In all, during the 16 research flights based out of Boise, 21 different wildfire plumes were sampled, each with a detailed fuel assessment provided by the local regional Fire Service. Following the research science portion of the field campaign, a subset of the instruments were run during an educational component, involving three flights based out of Broomfield, Colorado over a two-week period in early September 2018. During these flights, the C-130 sampled smoke plumes from two more fires, including a prescribed fire in Colorado.
Several ACOM teams deployed measurement instruments on the C-130 for WE-CAN, including the Trace Organic Gas Analyzer (TOGA; PI Eric Apel, Rebecca Hornbrook, Alan Hills), the HIAPER Airborne Radiation Package (HARP) actinic flux measurement (PI Sam Hall, Kirk Ullmann), the PAN Chemical Ionization Mass Spectrometer (PAN-CIMS; PI Frank Flocke), a Picarro CO-CO2-CH4 instrument and an Aerodyne Research Inc. CO-N2O-H2O instrument (PI Teresa Campos), and the NO-NO2-O3 (PI Andy Weinheimer, Denise Montzka, Geoff Tyndall). Preliminary data submissions for most data sets are due by 15 November 2018, and final quality controlled data are due 15 March 2019. Preliminary analyses will be presented by many teams at a targeted session at the 21st Conference on Atmospheric Chemistry at the AMS Annual Meeting in Phoenix, Arizona in January 2019.
Figure 1. Aerial view of the Rabbit Foot Fire in Idaho on 13 Aug 2018. Smoke from the Rabbit Foot Fire was sampled by the NSF/NCAR C-130 during three separate WE-CAN research flights and several times for longer durations by ground-based mobile labs. (Photo credit: Rebecca Hornbrook) Click for larger image.
The KORUS-AQ experiment in May-June 2016 resulted in detailed airborne and ground-based observations across Korea, providing a comprehensive data set for studying air quality in Seoul and across the country. Global and regional air quality models are using these observations for evaluation of model chemistry and dynamics as well as emissions across the region. In turn, models are providing context for the observations. A study led by a PhD student visiting ACOM uses CAM-chem including a number of tagged CO tracers, i.e. artificial model species that track emissions from various regions (Tang et al., 2018). The results of this study provide one of the indicators of the periods and locations that local (Korea) sources are more or less important than contributions from East Asia or other regions. Due to the active meteorological conditions during the campaign period there is significant variability at the sites in (Olympic Park) and near (Taehwa) Seoul. The vertical profile of contributions over Seoul shows that sources from outside Korea are important at all altitudes, but that local sources are large near the surface.
Figure 1. Tagged CO tracers from CAM-chem extracted for surface sites (Taehwa Research Forest, Olympic Park and Fukue Japan) and for the DC-8 aircraft profiles over Seoul (right plot). Each color represents the contribution to CO from various regions or source. The black line in the surface site plots shows the observations. Click for larger image.
Tang, Wenfu, L.K. Emmons, A.F. Arellano, B. Gaubert, et al., Source contribution to carbon monoxide during KORUS-AQ using CAM-chem tagged tracers, submitted to J. Geophys. Res., 2018.
Tropospheric ozone (O3) plays an important role in both atmospheric chemistry and chemistry-climate interactions. Understanding the controlling mechanisms of tropospheric O3 requires integrated studies of both observations and modeling. During the field campaign Convective Transport of Active Species in the Tropics (CONTRAST, January–February 2014), the in situ observations from the NSF/NCAR Gulfstream V (GV) research aircraft revealed a large region over the tropical western Pacific where the midtroposphere had a layered structure with high ozone and low water vapor. Analysis revealed a bimodal ozone distribution in the region (Pan et al., 2015). The processes that produced the dry and ozone rich layer are a topic of research, especially the relative roles of the transport from the stratosphere and the ozone production in the troposphere following biomass burning.
As part of collaborative research between NCAR ACOM and the Juelich Research Center (Germany), a model investigation integrated with data analysis is conducted to understand the roles and quantify the processes revealed by the observations. Using the Chemical Lagrangian Model of the Stratosphere (CLaMS), developed at Juelich, and the NCAR CAM-Chem (Community Atmospheric Model with chemistry, version 4) simulations, the contribution of transported stratospheric air to the observed ozone rich layers is quantified. Using the modeled stratospheric tracer and 3-D back trajectories, this work identified that 60% of the observed ozone-rich layer air masses contain significant stratospheric influence. Figure 1 shows the result of model simulation from both CLaMS and CAM-chem. This result indicates that the isentropic transport is an effective process for stratospheric air to mix into the tropical midtroposphere.
This work also examined possible contribution to the high ozone layer from ozone production related to biomass burning emissions. Clear chemical signature of this process is found in ∼8% of the ozone-rich air masses in the tropical midtroposphere, identified by positive correlations among O3, HCN, and CO. This chemical signature is highlighted in Figure 2.
Overall, this analysis provides the first quantitative diagnosis of the contribution from the stratosphere-to-troposphere transport in the CONTRAST airborne observations, highlights the importance of large-scale transport and mixing that couples the stratosphere and troposphere. This work has been published in JGR-Atmosphere (Tao et al., 2018).
Figure 1. Left panel shows the percent of stratospheric air in the tropical mid troposphere (320 K potential temperature surface) from the CLaMS-2D model simulation. Right panel shows the mixing ratio of stratospheric O3 from NCAR CAM-chem (Community Atmospheric Model with chemistry, version 4) simulation for 29 January 2014. GV flight track for research flight RF07 on the same day is shown as the thick gray lines. Additional information for the dynamics is shown for 3 PVU isoline (solid yellow contours), which identify the boundary of stratosphere and troposphere on this potential temperature surface, and the jet stream location (red contours, horizontal wind 40 m/s). (from Tao et al. 2018) Click for larger image.
Figure 2. The chemical signature of biomass burning emission-facilitated ozone production is shown by positive correlations between the two pairs of species HCN-CO and O3-CO, as well as the elevated CO. In this figure, there is a clear distinction between samples with CO less or greater then 105 ppbv. The high CO group shows positive correlations (the 10-s averaged observations during RF10 and RF11 (gray crosses)), and the lower CO group do not show a clear relationship between tracers (the 60-s averaged observations marked by circles, both blue and red). See Tao et al., (2018) for more details. Click for larger image.
Pan, L.L., S. B. Honomichl, W. J. Randel, E. C. Apel, E. L. Atlas, S. P. Beaton, J. F. Bresch, R. Hornbrook, D. E. Kinnison, J-F Lamarque, A. Saiz-Lopez, R. J. Salawitch, and A. J. Weinheimer, Bimodal distribution of free tropospheric ozone over the tropical western Pacific revealed by airborne observations, Geophys. Res. Lett., 42, 7844–7851, doi: 10.1002/2015GL065562.
Tao, M., Pan, L. L., Konopka, P., Honomichl, S. B., Kinnison, D. E., & Apel, E. C. (2018). A Lagrangian model diagnosis of stratospheric contributions to tropical midtropospheric air. Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, 123, 9764–9785. https://doi.org/10.1029/2018JD028696.
ACOM is developing, with community partners, an integrated research program to study transformations of tropospheric ‘reactive carbon’ (rC) species. These ‘rC’ compounds are emitted in very large quantity (> 1000 Tg/year) into the atmosphere from both anthropogenic and natural (biogenic) sources. Their chemistry is central to the workings of the troposphere, providing the ‘fuel’ that drives oxidative processes, controls radical and NOx budgets, and ultimately controls the formation of critical secondary pollutants such as ozone and secondary organic aerosol (SOA). Developing predictive capability regarding the formation of these secondary pollutants, in particular the impacts of the SOA on human health and Earth’s radiative balance, requires detailed multi-phase molecular level understanding of the processes involved.
a) continued development of the TOGA-TOF (Trace Organic Gas Analyzer – Time of Flight) fast GC-MS instrument for in situ quantification of multiple rC species.
b) chamber studies aimed at quantifying organic nitrate formation, and understanding complex isoprene chemistry over ranges of NOx levels (see figures below).
c) inclusion of a more detailed rC chemical mechanism in community models (WRF-Chem and CAM-Chem / WACCM).
d) simulations of rC chemistry in the Amazon forest, both in pristine conditions and in those impacted by human activity (pollution from nearby Manaus, Brazil).
e) development of evaluated rate coefficient databases for community use, and for testing and development of structure-reactivity relationships.
Figure 1. Photo of the NCAR 10 m3 Teflon reaction chamber, used to study rC chemistry in relevant tropospheric conditions.
Figure 2. Yields of two major oxidation products (methyl vinyl ketone, MVK, and methacrolein, MACR) from the OH-initiated oxidation of isoprene, color-coded by the amount of NO in the chamber.
The production of several long-term climate simulations by both CESM CAM-chem and WACCM resulted in 30 papers (22 CCMI and 8 HTAP2) that have been published, or are in review, with one or more NCAR co-authors between Oct 2017 and Sep 2018. Both WACCM and CAM-chem performed very well compared to other chemistry-climate models with regard to various quantities, including tropospheric and stratospheric chemistry, aerosols, and dynamics. These comparisons also helped to identify shortcomings that will be focus of future developments. For example Revell et al. (2018) compared tropospheric ozone from many models to observations (Figure 1). CAM-chem and WACCM were among the best models, showing the smallest bias.
Figure 1: Deviations of tropospheric ozone from various models participating in the CCMI project from satellite observations [Revell et al., 2018]. Click for larger image.
CESM2 WACCM will also be participating in the CMIP6 and related model intercomparison projects. In the last fiscal year, a lot of work has been done by the WACCM and CAM-chem teams to produce a running and well performing model with comprehensive chemistry and realistic dynamics. Work included tuning and testing the models, as well as producing emissions, lower boundary datasets, and a volcanic sulfur dataset. Many climate models participating in CMIP6 do not include interactive chemistry and must rely on prescribed chemistry and aerosols fields provided from other models. We have run WACCM4 (the version used for CCMI) with CMIP6 emissions to produce these fields for use by the international community, as shown in Figure 2.
Figure 2: Land and sea-surface temperature evolution of WACCM4 simulations performed with CMIP6 emissions and lower boundary conditions to produce chemical fields for the community.
Revell, L. E., Stenke, A., Tummon, F., Feinberg, A., Rozanov, E., Peter, T., Abraham, N. L., Akiyoshi, H., Archibald, A. T., Butchart, N., Deushi, M., Jöckel, P., Kinnison, D., Michou, M., Morgenstern, O., O'Connor, F. M., Oman, L. D., Pitari, G., Plummer, D. A., Schofield, R., Stone, K., Tilmes, S., Visioni, D., Yamashita, Y., and Zeng, G.: Tropospheric ozone in CCMI models and Gaussian process emulation to understand biases in the SOCOLv3 chemistry–climate model, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 18, 16155-16172, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-16155-2018, 2018.
Dong, X., Fu, J. S., Zhu, Q., Sun, J., Tan, J., Keating, T., Sekiya, T., Sudo, K., Emmons, L., Tilmes, S., Jonson, J. E., Schulz, M., Bian, H., Chin, M., Davila, Y., Henze, D., Takemura, T., Benedictow, A. M. K., and Huang, K.: Long-range transport impacts on surface aerosol concentrations and the contributions to haze events in China: an HTAP2 multi-model study, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 18, 15581-15600, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-15581-2018, 2018.
Tan, J., Fu, J. S., Dentener, F., Sun, J., Emmons, L., Tilmes, S., Flemming, J., Takemura, T., Bian, H., Zhu, Q., Yang, C.-E., and Keating, T.: Source contributions to sulfur and nitrogen deposition – an HTAP II multi-model study on hemispheric transport, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 18, 12223-12240, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-12223-2018, 2018.
Liang, C.-K., West, J. J., Silva, R. A., Bian, H., Chin, M., Davila, Y., Dentener, F. J., Emmons, L., Flemming, J., Folberth, G., Henze, D., Im, U., Jonson, J. E., Keating, T. J., Kucsera, T., Lenzen, A., Lin, M., Lund, M. T., Pan, X., Park, R. J., Pierce, R. B., Sekiya, T., Sudo, K., and Takemura, T., 2018: HTAP2 multi-model estimates of premature human mortality due to intercontinental transport of air pollution and emission sectors, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 18, 10497-10520, doi:10.5194/acp-18-10497-2018.
Turnock, S. T., Wild, O., Dentener, F. J., Davila, Y., Emmons, L. K., Flemming, J., Folberth, G. A., Henze, D. K., Jonson, J. E., Keating, T. J., Kengo, S., Lin, M., Lund, M., Tilmes, S., and O'Connor, F. M.: The impact of future emission policies on tropospheric ozone using a parameterised approach, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 18, 8953-8978, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-8953-2018, 2018.
Tan, J., Fu, J. S., Dentener, F., Sun, J., Emmons, L., Tilmes, S., Sudo, K., Flemming, J., Jonson, J. E., Gravel, S., Bian, H., Davila, Y., Henze, D. K., Lund, M. T., Kucsera, T., Takemura, T., and Keating, T., 2018: Multi-model study of HTAP II on sulfur and nitrogen deposition, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 18, 6847-6866, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-6847-2018.
Huang, M., Carmichael, G. R., Pierce, R. B., Jo, D. S., Park, R. J., Flemming, J., Emmons, L. K., Bowman, K. W., Henze, D. K., Davila, Y., Sudo, K., Jonson, J. E., Tronstad Lund, M., Janssens-Maenhout, G., Dentener, F. J., Keating, T. J., Oetjen, H., and Payne, V. H., 2017: Impact of intercontinental pollution transport on North American ozone air pollution: an HTAP phase 2 multi-model study, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 17, 5721-5750, doi:10.5194/acp-17-5721-2017.
Dhomse, S et al., Estimates of ozone return dates from Chemistry-Climate Model Initiative simulations, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 18, 8409-8438, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-8409-2018, 2018.
Meehl, G. A., Tebaldi C., Tilmes, S., Lamarque J.-F., Bates S., Pendergrass A., and Lombardozzi D.: Future heat waves and surface ozone, Environmental Research Letters, Volume 13, Number 6, doi:10.1088/1748-9326/aabcdc, 2018.
Orbe, C., H. Yang, D. W. Waugh, G. Zeng, O. Morgenstern, D. E. Kinnison, J-F Lamarque, S. Tilmes, D. A. Plummer, J. F. Scinocca, B Josse, V. Marecal, P. Jockel, L. D. Oman, S. E. Strahan, M. Deushi, T. Y. Tanaka, K. Yoshida, H. Akiyoshi, Y. Yamashita, A. Stenke, L. Revell, T. Sukhodolov, E. Rozanov, G. Pitari, D. Visioni, K. Stone, and R. Schofield, Large-Scale Tropospheric Transport in the Chemistry Climate Model Initiative (CCMI) Simulations, Atmos. Chem. Phys., https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-2017-1038, 2018.
Tan, J., Fu, J. S., Dentener, F., Sun, J., Emmons, L., Tilmes, S., Sudo, K., Flemming, J., Jonson, J. E., Gravel, S., Bian, H., Davila, Y., Henze, D. K., Lund, M. T., Kucsera, T., Takemura, T., and Keating, T.: Multi-model study of HTAP II on sulfur and nitrogen deposition, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 18, 6847-6866, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-6847-2018, 2018.
Anderson, D. C., Nicely, J. M., Wolfe, G. M., Hanisco, T. F., Salawitch, R. J., Canty, T. P., … Zeng, G. (2017). Formaldehyde in the tropical western Pacific: Chemical sources and sinks, convective transport, and representation in CAM‐Chem and the CCMI models. Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, 122, 11,201–11,226.
Maycock, A., et al., Revisiting the mystery of the recent stratospheric temperature trends, Geophys. Res. Lett., in press, 2018.
GrooB, J-U., R. Muller, R. Spang, I. Tritscher, T. Wegner, M. P. Chipperfield, W. Feng, D. E. Kinnison, and S. Madronich, On the discrepancy of HCl processing in the dark polar vortices, Atmos. Chem. Phys., in press, 2018.
Tao, M., L. L. Pan, P. Konopka, S. B. Honomichi, D. E. Kinnison, E. C. Apel, A Lagrangian Model Diagnosis of Stratospheric Contributions to Tropical Midtropospheric Air, J. Geophys. Res., doi:10.1029/2018JD028696.
Tweedy, O. V., D. W. Waugh, W. J. Randel, M. Abalos, L. D. Oman, D. E. Kinnison, The Impact of Boreal Summer ENSO Events on Tropical Lower Stratospheric Ozone, J. Geophys. Res, doi:10.1029/2018JD029020.
Wilka, C., K. Shah, K. Stone, S. Solomon, D. Kinnison, M. Mills, A. Schmidt, R. R. Neely III, The Role of Heterogeneous Chemistry in Ozone Depletion and Recovery, Geophys. Res. Lett., doi:10.1029/2018GL078596, 2018.
Lossow, S., D. F. Hurst, K. H. Rosenlof, G. P. Stiller, T. von Clarmann, S. Brinkop, M. Dameris, P. Jockel, D. E. Kinnison, J. Plieninger, D. Plummer, F. Ploeger, W. G. Read, E. E. Remsberg, J. M. Russell, and M. Tao, Can sampling biases explain the discrepancies between lower stratospheric water vapor trend estimates derived from the FPH observations at Boulder and a merged zonal mean satellite data set?, Atmos. Chem. Phys., https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-8331-2018.
Cuevas, C. A., N. Maffezzoli, J. P. Corella, A. Spolaor, P. Vallelonga, H. A. Kjaer, M. Simonsen, M. Winstrup, B. Vinther, C. Horvat, R. P. Fernandez, D. Kinnison, J-F Lamarque, A. Saiz-Lopez, Rapid increase in atmospheric iodine levels in the North Atlantic since the mid-20th century, Nature Geos. Sci., DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-03756-1, 2018.
Tilmes, S., J. H. Richter, M. J. Mills, B. Kravitz, D. G. MacMartin, R. R. Garcia, D. E. Kinnison, J-F Lamarque, J. Tribbia, and F. Vitt, Effects of Different Stratospheric SO2 Injection Altitudes on Stratospheric Chemistry and Dynamics, J. of Geophys. Res., doi:1002/2017JD028146, 2018.
Wales, et al., Stratospheric injection of brominated very short-lived substances: Aircraft observations in the Western Pacific and representation in global models. J. of Geophys. Res., 123. https://doi.org/ 10.1029/2017JD027978, 2018.
Dietmuller, R. Eichinger, H. Garney, T. Birner, H. Boenish, G. Pitari, E. Mancini, D. Visioni, A. Stenke, L. Revell, E. Rozanov, D. A. Plummer, J. Scinocca, P. Jockel, L. Oman, M. Deushi, S. Kiyotaka, D. E. Kinnison, R. Garcia, O. Morgenstern, G. Zeng, K. A. Stone, R. Schofield, Quantifying the effect of mixing on the mean age of air in CCMVal-2 and CCMI-1 models, Atmos. Chem. Phys.,https://doi.org/10.5914/acp-18-6699-2018.
Stone, K. A., S. Solomon, and D. E. Kinnison, On The Identification of Ozone Recovery, Geophys. Res. Lett., doi:10.1029/2018GL077955, 2018.
Iglesias-Suarez, F., D. E. Kinnison, A. Rap, A. C. Maycock, O. Wild, and P. J. Young, Key drivers of ozone change and its radiative forcing over the 21st century, Atmos. Chem. Phys., https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-6121-2018.
Schultz, M., S. Stadtler, S. Schroder, D. Taraborrelli, B. Franco, J. Krefting, A.Henrot, S. Ferrachat, U. Lohmann, D. Neubauer, C. Siegenthaler-Le Drain, S. Wahl, H. Kokkola, T. Kuhn, S. Rast, H. Schmidt, P. Stier, D. Kinnison, G. S. Tyndall, J. J. Orlando, C. Wespes, The Chemistry Climate Model ECHAM-HAMMOZ, Geo. Mod. Dev., , https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-11-1695-2018.
Koenig, T., K., et al., BrO and Bry profiles over the Western Pacific: Relevance of Inorganic Bromine Sources and a Bry Minimum in the Aged Tropical Tropopause Layer, Atmos. Chem. Phys., https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-15245-2017,2018.
Zhang, J., W. Tian, F. Xie, M. P. Chipperfield, W. Feng, S-W Son, N. L. Abraham, A. T. Archibald, S. Bekki, N. Butchart, M. Deushi, S. Dhomse, Y. Han, P. Jockel, D. Kinnison, O. Kirner, M. Michou, O. Morgenstern, F. M. O'Connor, G. Pitari, D. A. Plummer, L. E. Revell, E. Rozanov, D. Visioni, W. Wang, and G. Zeng, Stratospheric ozone loss over the Eurasian continent induced by the polar vortex shift, Nature Comm., 2018.
Ryan, N. J., D. E. Kinnison, R. R. Garcia, C. G. Hoffmann, M. Palm, U. Raffalski, J., Notholt, Assessing the ability to derive rates of polar middle-atmospheric descent using trace gas measurements from remote sensors, Atmos. Chem. Phys., https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-1457-2018.
Checa-Garcia, R., M. I. Hegglin, D. E. Kinnison, D. A. Plummer, and K. P. Shine, Historical Tropospheric and Stratospheric Ozone Radiative Forcing Using the CMIP6 Database, Geophys. Res. Lett., doi:10.1029/2017GL076770, 2018.
Morgenstern, O., H. Akiyoshi, D. E. Kinnison, R. R. Garcia, D. A. Plummer, J. Scinocca, G. Zeng, E. Rozanov, A. Stenke, L. E. Revell, G. Pitari, E. Mancini, G. Di Genova, S. S. Dhomse, and M. P. Chipperfield, Ozone sensitivity to varying greenhouse gases and ozone-depleting substances in CCMI simulations, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 18, 1091-1114, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-1091-2018.
Bandaro, J., S. Solomon, B. D. Santer, D. E. Kinnison, M. J. Mills, Detectability of the Impacts of Ozone Depleting Substances and Greenhouse Gases upon Stratospheric Ozone Accounting for Nonlinearities in Historical Forcings, Atmos. Chem. Phys., https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-143-2018.
Discovered more than a century ago, the tropopause is known to mark the boundary of two dynamically and chemically distinct layers of atmosphere, the stratosphere and the troposphere. In the tropics, the location, temperature, and physical/chemical gradients of the tropopause are important as part of the fundamental knowledge of the atmosphere and for regulating the amount of water vapor entering the stratosphere, which has a significant contribution to climate forcing. The tropopause over the tropical western Pacific, in particular, is known as the “decisive region” for determining the amount of stratospheric water vapor. High-resolution measurements for this region are rare because the region is remote and tropopause altitudes are difficult to access. An airborne experiment targeting this decisive region was conducted in 2014, using the NASA Global Hawk unmanned aircraft system. These high-resolution temperature and trace gas data provided an unprecedented opportunity to examine the physical meaning of the two tropical tropopause definitions, known as the lapse-rate tropopause (LRT) and the cold-point tropopause (CPT).
In collaboration with NASA and NOAA colleagues, NCAR ACOM scientists have conducted a data analysis using the in situ measurements from the Global Hawk to examine the differences produced by these two commonly used definitions. This work, published in Geophysical Research Letter, demonstrated that the relationship of two chemical tracers, ozone and water vapor, can unambiguously identify the transition from troposphere to stratosphere and therefore serve to diagnose the effectiveness of the different tropopause definitions. The combined temperature and trace gas analysis shows that the lapse rate definition better identifies the transition from the troposphere to the stratosphere (Pan et al., 2018).
In the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere, H2O and O3 exhibit a demonstrated “L”-shaped relationship in the tracer-tracer space (Pan et al., 2007; Hegglin et al., 2009; Pan et al., 2014). Specifically, the compact relationship in the O3-H2O space shows the tropospheric data as a branch with a large range of water vapor variation and a relatively narrow range of ozone variation, while the lower stratospheric data appear as a branch of large ozone variation and a relatively narrow range of water vapor. The change between the two branches marks the transition in dynamics and chemistry, i.e. from the vertical mixing dominated troposphere where water vapor is abundant to the horizontal mixing dominated stratosphere where ozone has its major source.
Figure 1 shows an example vertical profile from the flight on 6 March 2014 where the CPT and LRT are both clearly identifiable in the temperature profile and show a large separation (>1 km). The “L”-shaped O3-H2O relationship clearly indicates that the LRT marks a sharp change from the troposphere to the stratosphere. The analysis using all the in situ measurement profiles over the tropical western Pacific has led to a conclusion that LRT as a better tropical tropopause definition is a statistically consistent result.
An important take home message from this work is that although the separation of LRT and CPT is small on average in this deep tropical region, the different roles of these two levels revealed by tracers indicate that the two levels are controlled by different processes. Overall, the result of this analysis not only verified which definition is marking the boundary between the two layers, but also provided additional insights into the physical and chemical processes controlling this fundamental atmospheric structure.
Figure 1. An example profile showing how relationship between O3 and H2O can be used together with temperature data to examine the tropopause definitions. The panels (a) and (b) in the figure provide the flight altitude and region, with the example profile location in red. Panel (c) shows the in situ temperature profile (black), water vapor (dark green) and derived saturation vapor mixing ratios (light green). The dash lines mark the levels of LRT (red) and CPT (blue) from the in situ temperature. The presence of cloud is indicated based on the IWC (light blue shading). Panel (d) shows the tropopause defined by the two definitions, LRT and CPT, in the O3-H2O tracer-tracer space, using the same colors as in (c). The change in O3-H2O relationship indicates the change from the troposphere to the stratosphere. Click for larger image.
Pan, L. L., et al. (2007), Chemical behavior of the tropopause observed during the Stratosphere-Troposphere Analyses of Regional Transport experiment, J. Geophys. Res., 112, D18110, doi:10.1029/2007JD008645.
Hegglin, M. I., C. D. Boone, G. L. Manney, and K. A. Walker (2009), A global view of the extratropical tropopause transition layer from Atmospheric Chemistry Experiment Fourier Transform Spectrometer O3, H2O, and CO, J. Geophys. Res., 114, D00B11, doi:10.1029/2008JD009984.
Pan, L. L., L. C. Paulik, S. B. Honomichl, L. A. Munchak, J. Bian, H. B. Selkirk, and H. Vömel (2014), Identification of the tropical tropopause transition layer using the ozone-water vapor relationship, J. Geophys. Res. Atmos., 119, doi:10.1002/2013JD020558.
We used the Generator of Explicit Chemistry and Kinetics for Organics in the Atmosphere (GECKO-A) model to generate a library of gas and particle-phase products from the photo-oxidation of important precursor hydrocarbons. The precursors include both anthropogenic ((pentane, hexane, heptane, octane, decane, dodecane, benzene, and toluene ) and biogenic (isoprene, α-pinene, β-pinene, β-myrcene, limonene, ocimene, and sabinene) compounds. The user can specify five different environmental conditions (urban, polluted continental, continental, remote continental, and remote), and can peruse a number of different outputs (SOA yields, O/C ratios, van Krevelen diagrams, top ten gas and particle species, frequency distributions of carbon mass, carbon chain length, functional groups distribution, vapor pressure, and Henry’s law coefficients).
The GECKO-A web-based library provides researchers with a method to estimate rapidly the major characteristics of the complex mixture of intermediate compounds spawned by a single hydrocarbon precursor. This allows for better planning and interpretation of chamber or field experiments, and provides a natural point of feedback to the evaluation and improvement of the GECKO-A model.
Figure 1. Sample screenshot from the web-based library of GECKO-A output. Users can select from 15 precursor hydrocarbons, 5 different environmental conditions, and a variety of outputs (e.g. top 10 species, vapor pressures, Henry’s law coefficients) in both gas and particle phases. Click for larger image.
Bio-aerosols – biological particles suspended in the atmosphere that include pollen, fungi, and bacteria – are of interest to atmospheric sciences because of their recently recognized role as cloud condensation nuclei (esp. for ice clouds). Long-range transport of bio-aerosols has played a major role in the geographic redistribution of genetic material on evolutionary time scales, and continues to be a concern in the context of unwanted cross-pollination (esp. genetically modified crops). An important issue is whether such bio-aerosols can remain viable under exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation in the atmosphere. DNA molecules readily absorb UV photons and are damaged by them, leading to inactivation or cell death. We have combined knowledge of the DNA absorption spectrum with our calculations of UV radiation to estimate the rates of DNA inactivation at various height in the atmosphere (see Figure 1). These rates compete with wind-driven transport to limit the atmospheric lifetimes and distances traveled from source regions. The modeling framework developed here parallels the computation of photochemical dissociation coefficients, and can be implemented easily in 3D regional and global chemistry-transport models.
Figure 1. in the presence of clouds, at two locations (polar circle and equator) for several cloud optical depths given in legend. Dashed curves are for cloud-free conditions. Calculated with the TUV model. Click for larger image.
One proposed geoengineering approach to reducing global warming involves massive injections of sulfur dioxide (SO2) into the stratosphere, forming sulfate aerosols that would scatter some incoming solar radiation back to space and so decrease heating rates below. However, beyond simple heating, solar photons at visible and UV wavelengths drive photochemical and photobiological processes that are the basis of all life on Earth. Any long-term systematic changes in visible or UV irradiances incident on the biosphere are of great concern.
We used results from the Community Earth System Model version 1 (CESM1) with the Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model (WACCM) as its atmospheric component, to compare current (year 2020) and future (year 2080) visible and UV radiation impingent on the troposphere and biosphere, assuming greenhouse gases continue to be emitted according to the RCP8.5 scenario, with and without geoengineering. The ground-level irradiances and actinic fluxes were computed with the Tropospheric Ultraviolet-Visible (TUV) model. The figure shows that without geoengineering, PAR and NO2 photolysis coefficients (jNO2) will remain similar to today’s values, while the UV Index, DNA damaging irradiance (iDNA), and the photolysis coefficient for production of excited oxygen atoms from ozone (jO1D), will be reduced because of the recovery of stratospheric ozone over the next half century. With geoengineering, scattering by sulfate aerosols causes additional reductions in all of these quantities. The reductions are not constant, but depend on the solar angle and therefore on season and time of day, e.g., with PAR reductions of 8-16% at 30 N and 21-78% at 70N. Reductions in photosynthesis could lower agricultural yields and generally slow primary productivity, fundamentally slowing the biogeochemical cycling of carbon, nitrogen, and other nutrients.
Decreases in the photolysis coefficients (right panels of the figure) will have mixed effects on air quality, as they slow both the production and the destruction of air pollutants such as ground-level ozone. Overall, urban areas may benefit from slower ozone production chemistry, while wider geographic regions would experience an ozone increase due to slower loss chemistry. Diurnal patterns (e.g. the ratio of jO1D and jNO2 over the course of a day) will also change and will need to be reconsidered in air quality models.
Figure 1. Changes in UV and visible radiation reaching Earth’s surface, in 2080 with and without sulfur geoengineering, relative to 2020. Left panels show photo-biologically relative quantities Photosythetically Active Radiation (PAR), UV Index, and DNA-damaging irradiance. Right panels show photo-chemically relevant quantities. Click for larger image.
Madronich, S., S. Tilmes, B. Kravitz, D. G. MacMartin, and J. H. Richter, Response of surface ultraviolet and visible radiation to stratospheric SO2 injections, Atmosphere, 9, 432, doi:10.3390/atmos9110432, 2018.
Experiments performed in laboratory chambers have contributed significantly to the understanding of the fundamental kinetics and mechanisms of the chemical reactions occurring in the atmosphere. Two chemical regimes, classified as ‘high-NO’ versus ‘zero-NO’ conditions, have been extensively studied in previous chamber experiments (e.g., Kroll and Seinfeld, 2008; Orlando and Tyndall, 2012; Ziemann and Atkinson, 2012). Results derived from these two chemical scenarios are widely parameterized in chemical transport models to represent key atmospheric processes in urban and pristine environments. As the anthropogenic NOx emissions in the United States have decreased remarkably in the past few decades, the classic ‘high-NO’ and ‘zero-NO’ conditions are no longer applicable to many regions that are constantly impacted by both polluted and background air masses.
The recently developed NCAR Atmospheric Simulation Chamber is operated in steady state continuous flow mode, with the goal of studying atmospheric chemistry under ‘intermediate NO’ conditions (Zhang et al., 2018). This particular chemical regime is characterized by constant sub-ppb levels of NO and can be created in the chamber by precise control of the inflow NO concentration and the ratio of chamber mixing to residence timescales. Characterization experiments under photolytic and dark conditions have been performed and, in conjunction with model predictions, provide a basis for interpretation of prevailing atmospheric processes in environments with intertwined biogenic and anthropogenic activities.
Figure 1. (A) The NCAR Atmospheric Simulation Chamber consists of a 10 m3 FEP Teflon bag that is housed in a cubic enclosure with UV reflective surfaces and a bank of 128 wall-mounted blacklight tubes. A suite of in-situ instruments is used to monitor reactions in the chamber, including (a) temperature, relative humidity, and pressure sensor, (b) high sensitivity NOx chemiluminescence analyzer, (c) ozone photometric analyzer, (d) gas chromatography with flame ionization detector, (e) proton transfer reaction mass spectrometer, (f) chemical ionization mass spectrometer, and (g) scanning mobility particle sizer. (B) By operating the chamber at continuous flow mode under a combination of inflow H2O2 and NO concentrations, a wide range of steady-state NO levels can be achieved, conditions that have not been accessed in traditional chamber experiments. Click for larger image.
Kroll, J. H., and Seinfeld, J. H.: Chemistry of secondary organic aerosol: Formation and evolution of low-volatility organics in the atmosphere, Atmospheric Environment, 42, 3593-3624, 2008.
Orlando, J. J., and Tyndall, G. S.: Laboratory studies of organic peroxy radical chemistry: an overview with emphasis on recent issues of atmospheric significance, Chemical Society Reviews, 41, 6294-6317, 2012.
Ziemann, P. J., and Atkinson, R.: Kinetics, products, and mechanisms of secondary organic aerosol formation, Chemical Society Reviews, 41, 6582-6605, 2012.
Zhang, X., Ortega, J., Huang Y. L, Shertz S., Tyndall G. S., and Orlando, J. J.: A steady state continuous flow chamber for the Study of daytime and nighttime chemistry under atmospherically relevant NO levels, Atmospheric Measurement Techniques, 11, 2537-2551, 2018.
ACOM heavily supported the Western Wildfire Experiment for Cloud Chemistry, Aerosol Absorption and Nitrogen (WE-CAN), carried out this summer on board the NSF/ NCAR C-130 aircraft, based in Boise, ID. Plumes from 21 wildfires, located throughout the northwestern United States were sampled. The campaign was followed up with a set of three educational flights based out of Broomfield, Colorado over a two-week period in early September 2018, teaching students from several partner Universities how to design an airborne field experiment. During these flights, the C-130 sampled smoke plumes from two more fires, including a prescribed fire in Colorado.
ACOM deployed most of its available airborne chemistry measurements. Ozone, NO and NO2 were measured using the two-channel NOx chemiluminescence analyzer coupled with the HAIS Fast-Ozone instrument. The PAN-CIMS was deployed to measure PAN and PPN. Long lived tracers (CO, CO2, CH4, H2O, and N2O) were measured using our Picarro 2401 and Aerodyne TILDAS instruments. This was the first full field deployment of our new Aerodyne analyzer, and was very successful. VOCs, including many fire tracers were measured by the Trace Organic Gas Analyzer (TOGA), and the HIAPER Airborne Radiation Package (HARP) made actinic flux and irradiance measurements. The involvement of the ACOM measurement suite in the WE-CAN campaign demonstrates the critical role that our instruments play in the support of the university community during aircraft campaigns focused on atmospheric chemistry topics, by providing precise and well calibrated and state-of-the-art backbone measurements needed for airborne photochemistry studies.
Figure 1. Cabin of the C-130 between flights. Click for larger image.
The FAA certified HIMIL inlet is the standard design for chemical measurements deployed on the NCAR/NSF GV aircraft. The design was adapted for chemistry measurements for the DC3 mission by ACOM (ACD at the time) and these inlets have since been used successfully on subsequent missions. However, very reactive gases such as halogen oxides, radicals, or compounds that typically exhibit strong inlet wall effects such as nitric acid or ammonia, have been challenging to measure on board the GV. The windows of the GV cannot be equipped with sampling apertures. Existing sampling apertures are located on the top of the fuselage or belly of the GV aircraft. As a result, minimum inlet line lengths are at least several feet (or longer depending on the rack station), and often require bends in the sample flow. We therefore explored the suitability of the GV wing pod for measurements of highly reactive gases. The pods are attractive since they allow a gas inlet at the tip and are not fully subscribed with instrumentation at this time. In 2017, we developed and deployed the Gulfstream-V Pod Inlet Test (GPIT). GPIT was designed to function as a test facility rather than as the front end of a practical analytical instrument system. The focus of the 2017 design effort was to experiment with a large bore centerline inlet assembly with a high conductance lateral exhaust port.
The goal of the continued effort to develop a Gulfstream Wingpod Inlet design during FY2018 was to transform the 2017 GPIT facility into a practical front end for a pod-based instrument. In light of our success in the 2017 flights, we decided to preserve the existing design of the leading edge inlet and exhaust structures without modification. During the ARISTO-2017 flights, it became clear that the growth of the boundary layer within the inlet is the dominant component of wall contamination within the inlet. In order to minimize the boundary layer growth we need to maintain high axial sample flow velocity, while minimizing inlet length. Previous research in this field has focused on slowing of the flow before injecting the sample into an instrument (Eisele et al, 1999). In order to predict accurately the boundary layer growth as a function of flow rate, we have collaborated with Clarkson University (S. Dhaniyala) to model the airflow using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD). By analyzing both the flow path and trace chemical deposition rates within the inlet we have designed a system which will not only slow down the flow as needed, but will also minimize the amount of target compound deposition on the walls of the inlet.
Figure 1. Functional flow schematic cross section of the Gulfstream wingpod inlet. Click for larger image.
The inlet entrance on the leading edge of the pod is the same 3” ID inlet used in the 2017 flights. The interior of the leading edge blends into the 3” diameter primary inlet duct. During flight, a parcel of free-stream air will approach the inlet at the “True Air Speed” or TAS of the aircraft. For the Gulfstream V a typical TAS would be 150-250 m/sec. Once the parcel of air enters the primary inlet, it is divided into the primary bypass flow and the secondary inlet flow. The secondary inlet flow is further split into a secondary bypass flow and a tertiary inlet flow. The tertiary Inlet flow is split into the tertiary bypass flow and the differentially pumped orifice flow, as shown in Figure 2.
Figure 2. Detail schematic view of differentially pumped orifice assembly.
The differentially pumped orifice assembly, pictured above, represents the transition from the inlet to user supplied instrument. In the above situation, the volume between the two orifices is maintained at a constant, sub-ambient pressure (~100 mbar). The orifice to the left (Sampler Orifice) limits the maximum ambient flow into a pressure controlled interstitial volume. The orifice to the right (Skimmer Orifice) limits the flow into the analysis system. The flow through the Skimmer Orifice is determined only by the interstitial volume pressure (IVP), if the internal instrument pressure downstream is at least half of the IVP and the flow through the skimmer orifice into the instrument will remain constant, regardless of aircraft altitude.
It should be noted that there are several possible variations on how to best regulate the pressure of a sample flow prior to entering an airborne instrument. We have experience with the differentially pumped orifice technique, and found it to be effective in the past for instruments which do not allow a flow controller or other devices with a large surface area in the flow path. Most gas phase chemistry instruments including CIMS, PTR-MS and chemiluminescence instruments should work well using this technique. Other techniques may be better suited to other measurement methodologies. We will design the sample pickoff portion of the inlet in a modular and adaptable fashion so it can be interfaced to any user supplied instrument system.
A flow diverter assembly was designed to split and exhaust the necessary bypass flows for the primary and secondary inlet ducts while minimizing flow resistance. The assembly is mounted as close to the leading edge inlet as possible in order to keep all inlet lengths to a minimum and thus avoid wall losses in the tertiary inlet duct. A cross section view of the flow diverter is shown in Figure 3.
Figure 3. Cross section of Gulfstream wingpod inlet flow diverter assembly.
The shape of the flow diverter assembly has to be as compact as possible to allow the shortest possible tertiary inlet length but it also needs to allow for the lowest possible resistance to the flow path to maximize the primary and secondary bypass flows. Therefore, NCAR partnered with Professor Suresh Dhaniyala and his Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) Team at Clarkson University to theoretically optimize the design. Our first step in creating the inlet flow model was to run a CFD analysis of the results of the 2017 flight campaign. By using the known inlet geometry and flight sensor data we were able to verify the model validity and define the approximate flow boundary conditions observed during our 2017 flights. Once the flow boundary conditions were established, we used that information to derive a predictive model of flow performance through the 2018 inlet design. The team at Clarkson utilized ANSYS software to analyze our mechanical model for both flow efficiency and trace chemical deposition rate. This collaboration enabled the present design of the diverter geometry. By iterating between the mechanical and fluid models we determined the optimal compromise between the overall size of the diverter assembly while maximizing the flow conductance and minimize trace chemical deposition rate.
Going forward, we will complete the existing design/fabrication cycle prior to the end of FY2019. We will perform limited bench testing of the hardware/software to ensure basic operation of all of the required subsystems. It is our goal to complete the inlet testing during the next possible ARISTO opportunity on the Gulfstream-V. Testing the fully functional inlet design (with a wall effect tracer study) is the next step prior to integrating the inlet with any new NCAR or University based instrument system.
The Unmanned Whole Air Sampler (UWAS) is a prototype instrument developed to fill a large gap in our knowledge of the distributions and behavior of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) (including oxygenated VOCs (OVOCs)) in the layer of the atmosphere most closely connected to the earth’s surface (boundary layer (BL)). These species are key participants in determining air quality and knowledge of their vertical gradients, diurnal variability, and spatial variability throughout the BL is crucial for understanding their impacts both locally and regionally (downwind). The UWAS will enable the detailed investigation of the region of the atmosphere (0 - 500 ft) which is largely under-sampled in atmospheric chemistry and flux studies because it lies in-between accessible aircraft sampling and surface sampling.
After conducting extensive research on possible platforms, Dr. Elizabeth Asher, an NCAR/ACOM Advanced Studies Postdoc decided upon the DJI Corporation Matrice model M600 unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for the UWAS (Figure 1). It is regarded as a state-of-the-art flying platform with a reasonable payload capacity. This platform has proven to meet all requirements including flight duration, speed, and altitude capability as well as carrying capacity.
Figure 1. The DJI Corporation Matrice model M600 unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for the UWAS.
Figure 2. The UWAS sampling system. Click for larger image.
The UWAS is controlled by a Raspberry PITM single-board computer with wireless LAN and Bluetooth connectivity, and one additional board, powered by a 24 VDC Lithium polymer battery. Python is used to program the system. Upon power up, the UWAS automatically runs a sampling program that tests the operation of the pump, the valve, various sensors, and the system pressure prior to take off and indicates if these functions are working properly. After take-off, temperature, relative humidity, ambient pressure, system pressure, system flow, and GPS position are recorded at 1 Hz, and air samples are collected at predetermined GPS locations along the flight plan. After each flight the canisters are analyzed for a full range of VOCs, yielding data that can be used to determine the chemical vertical structure of the BL, calculate emission fluxes from a defined area, and complement ground- and aircraft-based data that may be obtained in the same study region.
ACOM has begun the planning process to develop a computationally feasible global modeling infrastructure that allows for simulation of large-scale atmospheric phenomena, while still resolving chemistry at emission and exposure relevant scales. Critical applications are (1) the representation of air quality in urban regions and (2) interactions between atmospheric chemistry, and weather and climate. These applications will require comprehensive chemical modeling at fine horizontal (down to ~4 km, obtained through regional refinement) and vertical (multiple layers in the urban canopy) resolution within a global modeling system. This will allow the two-way coupling between phenomena that occur on the urban, regional and global scales. For example, it will allow examination of the effects of wildfires in remote regions on urban air-quality, or improvements in S2S AQ prediction from better representation of the teleconnections in global-scale phenomena such as ENSO, QBO, and MJO, all within a single modeling framework.
The first step of this project is to implement gas phase and heterogeneous chemistry (i.e., aerosol and cloud chemistry) in a Model Independent Chemistry Module (MICM, Section 3H) that satisfies the requirements of a Common Physics Framework (CPF). MUSICA will have a flexible design to handle a variety of gas phase and aerosol schemes under the CPF. MCIM defines the infrastructure required to specify chemical reactions and photolysis, and solve the associated differential equations. It enables community users to implement their own system of chemical reactions (via the Chemistry Cafe) and other input parameters, including surface emission and deposition rates.
In a second step MICM will be integrated within a host global model, i.e., the unified atmosphere model being defined under the NCAR Singletrack project. Versions of this unified system will be adapted for specific scientific or operational purposes including short-term chemical weather predictions (including downscaling for regional air quality predictions) or longer-term chemical climate projections (including a detailed representation of middle and upper atmosphere processes). When completed, the system is expected to become a central tool for operational global to regional air quality predictions.
In parallel to these efforts, ACOM scientists are utilizing new capabilities in CESM to assess conduct global chemistry simulations using CAM-CHEM in on a model grid with regional refinement. Below is an example of such a grid (Zarzycki et al., 2015), where a high resolution domain is embedded in a 1˚ uniform mesh. Such models will allow improved air quality forecasts over urban areas, where emission sources are far more localized.
Figure 1. Examples of model grids used in the spectral element version of the NCAR Community Atmosphere Model (CAM-SE). (a) a uniform 1° resolution mesh and (b) a variable resolution (VR) mesh that ranges from 1° to 0.25°. Click for larger image.
The MUlti-Scale Infrastructure for Chemistry and Aerosols (MUSICA) and its components will be open source and flexible in order to facilitate community co-development and use for scientific and operational purposes. Its development will involve new strategic partnerships with universities and other interested research centers. The development of MUSICA will be guided by an advisory panel and will be directed by a steering committee that includes committed representatives of the broad research community.
Carbon monoxide (CO) plays a critical role in atmospheric chemistry. About half of atmospheric CO is from direct emissions that are due to incomplete combustion and are related to both natural (e.g. wildfires) and anthropogenic activities. The remainder of CO in the atmosphere is produced from the chemical oxidation of hydrocarbons, mainly from biogenic sources and methane (CH4). Since most of the hydrocarbons, CO, and CH4 in the atmosphere are oxidized by the hydroxyl radical (OH), with CO and CH4 being the main sink of OH, the associated chemical lifetimes of these species are strongly coupled with OH. Understanding changes in the burden and growth rate of atmospheric OH and CH4 is critical for predicting changes in chemistry and climate. These changes have been the focus of several recent studies but the explanation still lacks scientific consensus.
Figure 1. Yearly global integrated tropospheric CH4 lifetime with respect to OH and (right) yearly global integrated tropospheric air mass-weighted OH calculated for all simulation experiments: MOPITT-Reanalysis, Control-Run, Control-SCO, and DART-Control. Click for larger image.
We use the NSF/NCAR coupled chemistry-climate model of the Community Earth System Model (or CESM) Community Atmospheric Model with Chemistry (or CAM-Chem) to investigate the coupled nature of our chemical system through a decadal chemical reanalysis experiment (Gaubert et al., 2017). We assimilate weather observations and satellite-based measurements of CO from The Measurement of the Pollution in the Troposphere (MOPITT) across the recent decade (2002-2013) using the Data Assimilation Research Testbed (DART, Anderson et al., 2009). The assimilation of MOPITT observations constrains the global CO burden, which significantly decreased over this period by ~20%. We quantify this impact by contrasting several model simulations for 2002–2013, alternative to the NCAR-MOPITT reanalysis, to further investigate the sensitivity of OH and CO trends on CO alone and meteorology alone (Figure 1). We find that decreasing CO direct emissions result in (1) an increase in CO chemical production, (2) higher CH4 oxidation by OH, and (3) ~8% shorter CH4 lifetime. The decrease of CO observed over the decade leads to an increase in global average OH and therefore a decreasing trend in the CH4 lifetime. Such nonlinear effects further complicate the attribution to uncertainties in direct emissions alone, and must be considered when using chemistry-climate models for inversion studies of CH4.
Anderson, J. L., Hoar, T., Raeder, K., Liu, H., Collins, N., Torn, R., and Avellino, A. (2009), The Data Assimilation Research Testbed: a community facility, B. Am. Meteorol. Soc., 90, 1283-1296.
The Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model (WACCM) and the Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model with thermosphere and ionosphere extension (WACCM-X) are atmosphere components of CESM with comprehensive numerical representations of processes extending from the Earth's surface to the edge of space. CESM2, released publicly on June 8, 2018, includes new versions of these components: WACCM6 and WACCM-X version 2. WACCM6 is now fully consistent with the atmospheric physics representations in the latest version of the Community Atmosphere Model, CAM6. In addition, WACCM6 and WACCM-X version 2 include many additional significant improvements over the previously released versions.
WACCM6 now matches all of the CAM6 physical parameterizations, and adds significant new capabilities in the middle and upper atmosphere. WACCM6 extends the Modal Aerosol Module (MAM4) to provide a prognostic representation of stratospheric aerosols from volcanic and non-volcanic source gases. Combined with a database of SO2 emissions from volcanic eruptions, this provides a better representation of the chemistry and climate responses to volcanic eruptions. With a default horizontal resolution 4 times greater than CESM1(WACCM), WACCM6 provides improved stratospheric variability, including an internally generated quasi-biennial oscillation, and an improved climatology of sudden stratospheric warmings. WACCM6 includes updated and unified atmospheric chemistry, adding detailed tropospheric chemistry to the middle and upper atmospheric chemistry provided in CESM1(WACCM). The result of these improvements to chemistry, stratospheric variability, and volcanic aerosols is greater skill in hindcasts of the evolution of the Antarctic ozone hole, as well as ozone loss in the Arctic.
WACCM-X version 2 extends through the thermosphere and ionosphere to above 500 km, and now includes global electrodynamics and ion transport. Other ionosphere developments include time-dependent solution of electron and ion temperatures, metastable oxygen ion chemistry, and capability for high-cadence solar forcing. Additional developments of the thermospheric components are improvements to the momentum and energy equation solvers to account for variable mean molecular mass and specific heat, a new divergence damping scheme, and cooling by atomic oxygen fine structure.
ACOM scientists support community use of WACCM and WACCM-X through scientific collaborations and participation in model intercomparisons. In FY2018, 58 scientific papers were published using WACCM, 95% of which were lead by authors outside of ACOM. The CESM Whole Atmosphere Working Group community liaison, ACOM scientist Michael Mills, provides direct support for community users who run these models, including hands-on instruction such as the annual CESM tutorial. He and other ACOM scientists respond to user posts about WACCM and WACCM-X on the CESM Forum, which provides an online knowledge base for users.
Figure 1. This figure, adapted from Mills et al. (2017), validates the radiative response to volcanic eruptions in WACCM6, using a new prognostic treatment for volcanic aerosol derived from emissions. Decreases in the absorbed shortwave (ASR, top panel) and outgoing longwave (OLR, middle panel) following the 1991 eruption of Mt. Pinatubo correlate very well to observations from the Earth Radiation Budget Satellite (ERBS, black curves). The impacts of the eruption are shown by comparing a WACCM6 simulation which included SO2 emissions from volcanic eruptions (red curves) to a WACCM6 simulation which did not (blue curves). The new prognostic treatment of stratospheric aerosol is a major improvement in WACCM6. Click for larger image.
The Community Atmosphere Model with Chemistry (CAM-chem), a component of CESM, continues to be improved through various developments and is widely used by the community. CAM-chem is available as part of the new release of CESM2, with a number of configurations allowing community users to quickly set up simulations with the latest version of the model for chemistry-climate or air quality simulations. A current focus of development in CAM-chem is the capability of running full tropospheric chemistry in the Spectral Element version of CAM with regional refinement, meaning the model is run at higher horizontal resolution (14 or 25 km) over a region of the globe (e.g., the continental U.S.) with the rest of the globe at the standard ~1 degree resolution. Initial results (Figure 1) show that the finer resolution will allow a more accurate representation of the influence of fire emissions on air quality and tropospheric composition.
The tropospheric chemistry scheme in CAM-chem has been significantly expanded and updated over the MOZART-4 chemical mechanism and will be used in the CESM2 WACCM simulations for CMIP6 (Emmons et al., 2018). Additional chemical mechanisms with increasing complexity are being developed, such as a more detailed representation of terpene oxidation chemistry, and speciated higher alkanes that have formerly been lumped as one compound in the model. A new volatility bin set (VBS) approach is now fully tested and integrated in CESM2 (Tilmes et al., 2018). In collaboration with the University of Wyoming, the MOSAIC gas-to-aerosol exchange scheme is being included in CESM2, which will provide a more detailed representation of inorganic aerosols, including nitrate aerosols.
The addition of the representation of very short-lived (VSL) halogen compounds to CAM-chem has resulted in a number of recent studies including analysis of UT/LS field observations (Koenig et al., 2017; Navarro et al., 2017; Wales et al., 2018), analysis of observed increase in iodine in the North Atlantic since the mid-20th century (Cuevas et al., 2018), and the role of VSL bromine chemistry in the Antarctic ozone hole (Fernandez et al., 2017). Another area of study with university collaborators has been to compare three chemical mechanisms of different complexity in CAM-chem to assess the accuracy of the simpler mechanisms in predicting tropospheric ozone, and the trade-off in computing costs (Brown-Steiner et al., 2018).
ACOM scientists support community use of CAM-chem through scientific collaborations (such as listed above) and participation in model intercomparisons (Section 1G), as well as direct support for community users who run CAM-chem (by the Chemistry-Climate Working Group liaison). To assist new users of CAM-chem, ACOM scientists and postdocs have created a wiki page which serves as a quick-start guide to running CAM-chem with links to additional, detailed information (https://wiki.ucar.edu/display/camchem/Home).
Figure 1. Carbon monoxide (CO) mixing ratios for July 2013 from the standard Finite Volume (FV) configuration of CAM-chem (left) and the Regionally Refined (RR) Spectral Element (SE) version of CAM-chem (right). Click for larger image.
Brown-Steiner, B., Selin, N. E., Prinn, R., Tilmes, S., Emmons, L., Lamarque, J.-F., and Cameron-Smith, P., Evaluating simplified chemical mechanisms within present-day simulations of the Community Earth System Model version 1.2 with CAM4 (CESM1.2 CAM-chem): MOZART-4 vs. Reduced Hydrocarbon vs. Super-Fast chemistry, Geosci. Model Dev., 11, 4155-4174, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-11-4155-2018, 2018.
Cuevas et al., Rapid increase in atmospheric iodine levels in the North Atlantic since the mid-20th century, Nature Geos. Sci., DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-03756-1, 2018.
Emmons, L.K., et al., The MOZART chemical mechanism in CESM2, to be submitted to JAMES.
Fernandez, R. P., Kinnison, D. E., Lamarque, J.-F., Tilmes, S., and Saiz-Lopez, A., Impact of biogenic very short-lived bromine on the Antarctic ozone hole during the 21st century, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 17, 1673-1688, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-1673-2017, 2017.
Koenig, T. K., Volkamer, R., Baidar, S., Dix, B., Wang, S., Anderson, D. C., Salawitch, R. J., Wales, P. A., Cuevas, C. A., Fernandez, R. P., Saiz-Lopez, A., Evans, M. J., Sherwen, T., Jacob, D. J., Schmidt, J., Kinnison, D., Lamarque, J.-F., Apel, E. C., Bresch, J. C., Campos, T., Flocke, F. M., Hall, S. R., Honomichl, S. B., Hornbrook, R., Jensen, J. B., Lueb, R., Montzka, D. D., Pan, L. L., Reeves, J. M., Schauffler, S. M., Ullmann, K., Weinheimer, A. J., Atlas, E. L., Donets, V., Navarro, M. A., Riemer, D., Blake, N. J., Chen, D., Huey, L. G., Tanner, D. J., Hanisco, T. F., and Wolfe, G. M., BrO and inferred Bry profiles over the western Pacific: relevance of inorganic bromine sources and a Bry minimum in the aged tropical tropopause layer, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 17, 15245-15270, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-15245-2017, 2017.
Navarro, M. A., Saiz-Lopez, A., Cuevas, C. A., Fernandez, R. P., Atlas, E., Rodriguez-Lloveras, X., Kinnison, D., Lamarque, J.-F., Tilmes, S., Thornberry, T., Rollins, A., Elkins, J. W., Hintsa, E. J., and Moore, F. L., Modeling the inorganic bromine partitioning in the tropical tropopause layer over the eastern and western Pacific Ocean, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 17, 9917-9930, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-17- 9917-2017, 2017.
Tilmes et al., Climate forcings and trends of organic aerosols in the Community Earth System Model (CESM2), to be submitted to JAMES.
Wales et al., Stratospheric Injection of Brominated Very Short‐Lived Substances: Aircraft Observations in the Western Pacific and Representation in Global Models, J. of Geophys. Res., 123, 5690-5719, https://doi.org/10.1029/2017JD027978, 2018.
Three major developments were added to the community version of WRF-Chem (v4.0). One of the developments is a new chemistry package (T1-MOZCART), which expands the MOZART gas chemistry to better represent aromatics, terpenes, and heterogeneous chemistry. Comparisons of hourly surface ozone mixing ratios between this new chemistry package and those based on its previous version over the western U.S. show reductions in ozone of up to about 3 ppb (see Figure 1). The second development is the update of the Henry’s Law coefficients, which are important for removal of trace gases by precipitation, for the NCAR MOZART suite of chemistry options in WRF-Chem. The third development is the addition of diagnostics of integrated reaction rates (IRR) to WRF-Chem (v4.0) for MOZART chemistry packages so that analysis of ozone production, along with other atmospheric chemistry metrics, can be performed.
A new tool, EPA_ANTHRO_EMIS, was developed to create WRF-Chem emission input files directly from the Sparse Matrix Operator Kernel (SMOKE) Modeling System output. In collaboration with the U.S. EPA, the most recent 2014 US EPA National Emission Inventory (NEI) anthropogenic emissions (v2) are made available with the EPA_ANTHRO_EMIS tool. U.S. NEI emission inventories are challenging to use in WRF-Chem because they require running SMOKE (a rather elaborate effort) and then converting the created emissions to WRF-Chem compatible format. Through this new tool and the collaboration with the U.S. EPA it is now easy for a user to include the NEI 2014 in WRF-Chem simulations and its updates, and new NEI developments can be made quickly available to the WRF-Chem user community.
Project Team: Mary Barth, Gabriele Pfister, Stacy Walters, Will Vizuete (UNC), Stuart McKeen (NOAA/ESRL), Alison Eyth (U.S. EPA) and Barron H. Henderson (U.S. EPA).
We evaluated the regional and global impact of assimilating carbon monoxide (CO) observations from the Measurement of Pollution in The Troposphere (MOPITT) on modeled CO distributions and found significant improvements in the post-assimilation model as compared to independent CO observations (Gaubert et al., 2016). The MOPITT instrument is a nadir-viewing, cross-track scanning gas correlation radiometer on board the NASA EOS Terra satellite, which launched in December, 1999. The dataset used in this study is the product of a multispectral retrieval algorithm, using both the thermal (4.7 μm) and near (2.7 μm) infrared absorption bands. Multispectral retrievals provide increased sensitivity to near-surface CO concentrations with respect to thermal infrared-only retrievals, in particular for daytime measurements over land (Worden et al., 2010, Deeter et al., 2011).
The model forecast is performed with the Community Atmospheric Model with Chemistry (or CAM-Chem), the coupled chemistry-climate model of the Community Earth System Model. The Data Assimilation Research Testbed (DART) is an open source community software facility for ensemble data assimilation (Anderson et al., 2009). We use the Ensemble Adjustment Kalman Filter (EAKF) scheme for our analysis, done every 6 hours. A 30-member ensemble of coupled (atmosphere/land/chemistry) forecasts, with perturbed emissions, is used to provide the best estimate of CO and uncertainties. The ensemble of meteorological fields provides a spread in chemistry through perturbations in the initial condition of meteorological state variables.
We compared posterior CO fields from the control run (no MOPITT assimilation) and the reanalysis run (with MOPITT assimilation) to surface and aircraft in situ CO measurements and to CO total columns observed from ground stations with up-looking FTS (Fourier Transform Spectrometers). As an illustration, we show the evaluation with the in-situ aircraft measurements from the IAGOS database (In-Service Aircraft for a Global Observing System). The assimilation of MOPITT improves the model CO distribution across all seasons with an average reduction of 50% of the root mean square error (RMSE).
Figure 1. (a) Seasonal average CO profiles from IAGOS measurements (black), assimilation run (red), and Control Run (blue) over the U.S./Canada region from March 2002 to March 2003. The left column shows the CO observations in black along with their standard deviation (gray). The dashed lines correspond to the 5th and 95th percentiles. The right column shows the RMSE (root mean square error) and correlation coefficients as a function of altitude. Figure from Gaubert et al., (2016). Click for larger image.
Deeter, M. N., H. M. Worden, J. C. Gille, D. P. Edwards, D. Mao, and J. R. Drummond (2011), MOPITT multispectral CO retrievals: Origins and effects of geophysical radiance errors, Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, 116(D15), n/a–n/a, doi:10.1029/2011JD015703.
Gaubert, B., A. F. Arellano Jr., J. Barré, H. M. Worden, L. K. Emmons, S. Tilmes, R. R. Buchholz, F. Vitt, K. Raeder, N. Collins, J. L. Anderson, C. Wiedinmyer, S. Martinez Alonso, D. P. Edwards, M. O. Andreae, J. W. Hannigan, C. Petri, K. Strong, N. Jones (2016), Toward a chemical reanalysis in a coupled chemistry-climate model: An evaluation of MOPITT CO assimilation and its impact on tropospheric composition, J. Geophys. Res. Atmos., 121, 7310-7343, doi:10.1002/2016JD024863.
Worden, H. M., M. N. Deeter, D. P. Edwards, J. C. Gille, J. R. Drummond, and P. Nédélec (2010), Observations of near-surface carbon monoxide from space using MOPITT multispectral retrievals, Journal of Geophysical Research (Atmospheres), 115(d14), 18314, doi:10.1029/2010JD014242.
Model output is freely available for community users to use as boundary conditions for real-time boundary conditions for regional air quality models. A variety of images and visualization tools are available. Premade images of multiple compounds at several levels are available as still images or animations on a custom ACOM website. An interactive plotting tool allows any compound saved in the model forecast output to be displayed on custom maps, as vertical cross sections or time series. A local installation of NASA’s Worldview visualization web tool includes images of WACCM output which can be viewed with numerous satellite observations (Figure 1). It allows the user to select different chemical fields, model levels, and zoom into different regions and will help to evaluate model results. An advantage of the WACCM forecasts over MOZART-4 is the capability to monitor the ozone hole, as full stratospheric chemistry and dynamics are included in the forecasts (Figure 2).
Figure 1. WACCM PM2.5 for Oct 24, 2018 in ACOM’s installation of Worldview: https://worldview.acom.ucar.edu/. Click for larger image.
Figure 2. Stratospheric ozone column showing the Antarctic ozone hole for Oct 31, 2018.
ACOM scientists and software engineers began development of the Model Independent Chemistry Module (MICM). The goal of the project is to create a chemistry module that can be implemented in any atmosphere model used at NCAR. This will enable scientists to use and contribute to a state-of-the-art atmospheric chemistry package for local, regional and global studies, and use multiple models using the same chemistry for investigating topics like seasonal air quality prediction or urban air quality prediction.
MICM is making use of the recently developed ACOM database of atmospheric gas-phase and heterogeneous reactions to provide a list of chemical reactions, including their thermodynamic and photodissociation rate constant data, as well as characteristics of the trace gases and aerosols. This information is being generated into Fortran code that will solve the set of ordinary differential equations describing the chemistry, based on the environmental conditions, such as temperature, pressure, humidity, provided by the atmosphere model. This work flow is drawn in Figure 1.
Figure 1. Model Independent Chemistry Module (MICM). Click for larger image.
ACOM software engineers have created a prototype stand-alone box model, MusicBox. MusicBox provides environmental data and computes simple chemical reaction kinetics for the “box”. The code is being refined to demonstrate MICM with the Chapman chemistry (comprised of 5 reactions, with both photolysis and thermal gas-phase reactions) and any set of chosen gas-phase reactions.
ACOM scientists and software engineers have also been working with the UCAR community to foster collaborations for the development of the MUSICA model, which will be a global model with regional refinement such that studies on the effects of local pollution on regional and global scales, as well as global-scale phenomena (e.g. El Nino) effects on local pollution, can be studied. In late July 2018, NCAR/ACOM modelers met with counterparts from the GEOS-Chem community to begin collaborations for the planned MUSICA model.
The final report for NCAR’s Front Range Air Pollution and Photochemistry Éxperiment (FRAPPÉ) funded by NSF and the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) was submitted to the CDPHE in July 2017. FRAPPÉ took place jointly with the 4th deployment of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Deriving Information on Surface conditions from Column and Vertically Resolved Observations Relevant to Air Quality (DISCOVER-AQ) in summer 2014 to study summertime ozone pollution in the Northern Colorado Front Range Metropolitan Area (NFRMA). In the final report we focused on characterizing the contributions of the different photochemical drivers to surface ozone in the NFRMA. We found that significant adjustments were necessary to the reported emissions from the oil and gas sector as well as the mobile emission sector and that these two groups of emissions also show to be the major contributors to locally produced ozone in the NFRMA.
In a follow-up study, we are now looking beyond the emission sectors and characterize the role different volatile organic compounds (VOCs) play in local ozone production. We apply the Integrated Reaction Rate (IRR) capability, which we introduced in the Weather Research and Forecasting model with Chemistry (WRF-Chem) Version 4 and the chemical tendencies diagnostics for an in-depth analysis of the ozone formation in various NFRMA regions. Our study focuses on a case study for 12 August 2014. Campaign observations and model results show efficient ozone production within the NFRMA on this sunny and calm day, driven by high nitrogen oxides (NOx) and high VOCs and also continued ozone production during transport into the mountains.
As shown in Figure 1 below, for both, the larger Denver metro area, which is strongly influenced by urban emissions, and for Weld County, which is strongly influenced by emissions from oil and gas operations, the dominant VOCs are identified as formaldehyde (CH2O) followed by higher alkanes (BIGALK) and acetaldehyde (CH3CHO). While BIGALK concentrations are for the most part related to direct emissions, for daytime CH2O and CH3CHO concentrations we estimate that chemical production is a largest contributor over direct emissions, with alkanes and alkenes important pre-cursor species. Isoprene from industrial and biogenic sources and propane (C3H8), emitted from oil and gas operations, rank as the fourth most important VOC in the Denver area and Weld County, respectively. This study can provide valuable policy information into the chemical fingerprint of surface ozone in the NFRMA.
Figure 1: Diurnal cycle of the amount of VOCs reacting with OH in (ppb/hr). The six VOCs with the highest contribution are colored. Click to display larger images.
ACOM scientists participated in, and continue to analyze results from, the KORUS-AQ field campaign, jointly led by NASA and Korean agencies and universities in May-June 2016 in South Korea. One area of analysis is using the WRF Tracer forecast (provided to support flight planning during the campaign) to explore the role of transport of pollution from China into the Seoul area. An example of this ongoing analysis is shown in Figure 5B.1. Figure 1a shows the simulated model tracer concentrations interpolated to the time and location of surface air quality monitors in the Seoul area. The model includes three tracers for different regions in China: Beijing, Shandong and Shanghai. The results show two pronounced periods with influence of transport from China: Period 1 around May 16-18, and Period 2 from around 26-31 May. During Period 1, most influence is predicted from the Beijing and Shandong area with an average transport time of ~2 days, while during Period 2 the Shanghai tracer shows larger influence; specifically on May 27. The model estimates a transport time of ~3 days for this period. While Period 2 had been identified as a transport period in previous studies, little attention had been given to Period 1. The strongest influence happened on May 17 (Figure 1b), just at the end of a period of strong dynamic forcing and before the onset of a multi-day stagnation period with weak synoptic flow over Korea and a persistent anticyclone. To confirm the modeled transport, we compare the WRF tracers to aircraft observations of CCl4, which has been shown to be a good tracer for China transport (Figure 1c). There is good agreement between enhancements in the China tracers and enhanced CCl4. This confirms that on 17 May transport from China was influencing the Seoul area and shows that most of the transport occurred at low altitudes. Further analysis will attempt to quantify the contribution of transported to local air pollution during this period.
Figure 1: (a) Daily (8-18LT) average WRF tracer concentrations for Beijing, Shandong and Shanghai and their sum (“China”) for locations of air quality monitors in the Seoul metropolitan area. (b) Surface WRF China tracer on 17 May at 4 UTC (13 LT) with DC-8 aircraft track overlaid. Numbers indicate the hours into the flight. (c) Curtain plot of WRF China tracer along the DC-8 track. The black thick lines indicates the aircraft altitude and the thin black line indicates the modeled boundary layer height. Aircraft measurements of CCl4 are shown in red, with red arrows indicating periods of enhanced CCl4. Click for larger image.
The NSF-funded WE-CAN ground-based and airborne field campaign aimed to systematically characterize the emissions and first 24 hours of smoke plume evolution from western U.S. wildfires. 21 different wildfire plumes were sampled.
While preliminary data from the experiment is still being compiled and only available for a subset of the observations, some striking differences between individual fire plumes emerged during the experiment. For example, the ozone production efficiency in plumes from different fires exhibited a very large variability, correlated in part with the initial availability of NOx in the freshly emitted plumes.
To illustrate this finding, figure 1 compares the plume chemistry in two different fires, the Bear Trap (a) and Taylor Creek (b) fires. The Taylor Creek fire was flown on July 30, 2018 and was burning in heavy timber in southwestern Oregon. The Bear Trap fire was flown on August 9, 2018, and was burning brush and timber in eastern Utah. Both plumes were measured repeatedly, moving the aircraft downwind across the plume in a lawnmower pattern, covering plume ages between less than 1 hour and about 3 hours.
Ozone production was much more vigorous in the Taylor Creek fire plume. The fresh Taylor Creek plume produced an excess of more than 30 ppb of ozone over background in the first hour after emission, with ozone production continuing to increase during plume aging. Over 130 ppb were produced over background after 3 hours of chemical aging. In contrast, the Bear Trap plume shows an excess of ozone around 20 ppb after ~1h, which does not increase with chemical aging. While the mixing ratios of typical fire VOC tracers in the initial plume crossing were comparable, NOx in the Taylor Creek fire was much higher initially compared to the Bear Trap fire, by a factor of about 10.
Chemical box modeling will be used to examine the differences in the chemistry of these fire plumes by comparing the modeling results with the large number of primary and secondary species measured on board the C-130 aircraft. Results from data analysis like this example, together with other outcomes from the WE-CAN campaign, will improve models and other scientific tools used to predict wildfire influence on local and regional air quality in the western United States and elsewhere.
Figure 1. Comparison of plume chemistry in the Bear Trap (a) and Taylor Creek (b) fires. Left panels show plume crossings at ~1h after emission, right panels show plume crossings after ~3 hours of aging. Ozone production is far more vigorous in the Taylor Creek fire, which is likely due to the much larger initial NOx availability in the fresh plume.
The Stratospheric Aerosol Geoengineering Large Ensemble project produced the first large ensemble geoengineering dataset using the NCAR Community Earth System Model with the Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model as its atmospheric component (CESM1(WACCM)), see http://www.cesm.ucar.edu/experiments/cesm1.2/GLE/ for details. Simulations were performed in 2017 on the new NCAR Cheyenne supercomputer, using the Advanced Science Discovery allocations. A comprehensive set of model output has been made available to the community on the NCAR Climate Data Gateway. This enables the community to explore the effects of solar geoengineering on the Earth system based on a multiple ensemble dataset. So far 3 papers have been published using this dataset and several additional papers are in preparation by colleagues at NCAR, US universities, and international universities, including in the UK and the Netherlands. Researchers are looking at various aspects including detection of climate responses, effects on hurricanes, water cycle, aerosols etc. The GLENS data set is further used to for the DECIMALS project (http://www.srmgi.org/decimals-fund/), which is supporting 8 groups from different developing countries to explore the impact of SRM on their regions. GLENS is a joint project between ACOM and CGD.
Figure 1. Figure 1. (top) Global mean surface temperature T0, (middle) the interhemisphere surface temperature gradient T1, and (bottom) the equator-to-pole surface temperature gradient T2 for RCP8.5 (gray for single ensemble members and black for the ensemble mean) and for the geoengineering simulations (light blue for single ensemble members and dark blue for the ensemble mean) as compared to 2015-25 values of the RCP8.5 simulation. Click for larger image.
Figure 1. Workshop Picture of Participants and Lecturers. Click for larger image.
Encourage development of tools and infrastructure within the DA Program that are flexible and effective across a variety of projects through early exposure of those tools to diverse applications.
At ACOM we provided co-sponsorship (from NASA funding) to hire Dr. Zhe Jiang, who is now an assistant professor at the Univ. of Science and Technology, China (USTC) in Hefei, China.
A primary focus of the postdoctoral work was a study that showed a slowdown in reductions in US pollution emissions in recent years, in contrast to what is expected from EPA emission inventories. These results were published in Jiang et al., PNAS, 2018 and are significant for understanding the effects of regulations on ozone-precursor emissions. The study used NOx emissions derived from assimilating O3, CO, and NO2 measured by NASA Aura satellite instruments (OMI, TES, and MLS) and CO emissions derived from assimilating MOPITT observations from the NASA Terra satellite to show emission reductions of up to 20% in urban regions between 2005-2009 but much smaller reductions in emissions and ozone after 2009, in contrast to expectations from bottom-up EPA inventories. A fuel based analysis of bottom-up inventories suggests that these NOx emissions trends are due to the increasing relative importance of emissions from off-road vehicles, industrial and residential sources factories and a lower than expected decline in diesel truck emissions. This paper received substantial press attention and has already been cited 5 times since the April 2018 publication date.
Figure 1. Change in anthropogenic NO2 emissions. Click for larger image.
A joint meeting involving the international GEOS-Chem community as well as scientists from several NCAR Laboratories met at NCAR in July 2018 to discuss how to join efforts in the future. Models become increasingly comprehensive and complex, but at the same time must be flexible to address a multitude of different scientific questions. The development of modular community modeling infrastructures will facilitate that the community integrates their physical and chemical modules to perform simulations.
In the first step of the planned project, the GEOS-Chem will be coupled to the current version of CESM. It will allow GEOS-Chem to be used for long simulations in which the atmospheric chemical species interact with processes (e.g., emissions, deposition) represented in the CESM land and ocean modules. Since ACOM is developing a new modular atmospheric chemistry modeling system called MUSICA, which is linked to the CESM modules, the GEOS-Chem community is invited in a second step to join this community effort. A proposal to NSF with Daniel Jacob from Harvard as Principal Investigator together with Louisa Emmons from NCAR and Lizzie Lundgren from MIT has been submitted.
The 2018 NSF-funded Western Wildfire Experiment for Cloud Chemistry, Aerosol Absorption and Nitrogen (WE-CAN) field campaign measured the chemical components of wildfire smoke in plumes emitted from active forest fires in the northwestern United States. A collaboration of scientists from several universities and ACOM filled the NSF/NCAR C-130 research aircraft with a battery of instruments. The C-130 flew out of Boise, Idaho during July and August 2018; Dr. Emily Fischer of Colorado State University and Dr. Frank Flocke of NCAR served as two of the Principal Investigators on the project’s Science Team.
Emily and Frank have known each other for about 10 years. During her PhD research with Dan Jaffe at the University of Washington, Emily set up instruments to measure PAN (Peroxyacetyl nitrate) on Mt. Bachelor in Oregon. Frank, working for NCAR's Atmospheric Chemistry Division (now ACOM), loaned her a detector for her GC/ECD instrument (Gas Chromatograph/Electron Capture Detector). During the FRAPPÉ field campaign in 2014, they worked together again in setting up PAN measurements at the BAO Tower (Boulder Atmospheric Observatory) in Erie, Colorado. They repeated similar measurements in 2015 to focus specifically on the impact of emissions from the oil and gas sector on local air quality.
Emily Fischer served as the Chief Principal Investigator for WE-CAN, with ultimate responsibility for the entire field campaign. Emily was at first reluctant to step up and lead WE-CAN until Frank encouraged her during the early planning stages. NCAR's Earth Observing Laboratory (EOL) noted that Frank has extensive experience with aircraft research and flight operations; Emily was especially glad to have his guidance as a super-mentor in real time.
During a research flight, the C-130 pilots are responsible for the safety of the aircraft and its occupants, while the Principal Investigators of the Science Team are stationed in the cockpit to get the most science out of each flight. Frank helped Emily to become comfortable with Air Traffic Control interactions, what the pilots consider to be safe maneuvers, flight instrument rules, and the best flight tracks and altitudes for taking measurements. Emily is grateful for all Frank has taught her about flight operations over the last year. This knowledge transfer will pay off in future field campaigns.
PI @ScienceEmily & @NCAR_ACOM's Frank Flocke are 2 of the *most entertaining* Mission Scientists I've had the pleasure of flying with. It's like listening to a super funny morning show! More importantly, they're doing amazing work getting us where we need to get for #WECAN2018.
Figure 1. Emily Fischer of Colorado State University and Frank Flocke of ACOM in the cockpit of the NSF/NCAR C-130 research aircraft during WE-CAN 2018. Photo by Ilana Pollack; click for larger image.
1. Measured the chemical aging of smoke on the first day after emission.
2. Measured fire emissions of many different fires in different stages of combustion.
3. Observed smoke-cloud interactions between smoke particles and water vapor.
The most recent gathering in Guangzhou drew 160 attendees from 19 countries for the week-long workshop (Figure 1). The activity includes working groups focused on improving data sharing, planning and coordination of field campaigns, connecting with the global modeling community, and operating training schools for early career scientists. ACAM is jointly sponsored by two international science organizations, SPARC and IGAC.
The genesis of ACAM was borne out of a failed effort to conduct a field campaign to study the Asian monsoon’s impact on atmospheric composition with flights over South Asia in 2012. Plans for the SEAC4RS field campaign (Southeast Asia Composition, Cloud, Climate Coupling Regional Study) brought Laura Pan of ACOM and Jim Crawford of NASA Langley Research Center together as two of the primary science leads planning the ambitious study. Their hopes were dashed when the campaign fell victim to geopolitical issues that prevented access to the airspace over countries in South Asia.
In the face of this setback, Laura and Jim recognized that despite the global importance of the issues to be addressed, access to the Asian monsoon region required building stronger relationships between Asian scientists and the international community of atmospheric scientists as well as a commitment to more collaborative approaches that engage local scientists. During the time that SEAC4RS was to take place, Laura and Jim attended the 12th IGAC science conference in Beijing where they convened a hastily scheduled side meeting to gauge interest in the idea of ACAM. The response was overwhelming and enabled the first ACAM workshop to be held in Kathmandu, Nepal, only nine month later in June 2013. The workshop was attended by 120 participants representing 17 countries, including 12 Asian countries, and 5 countries from Europe and North America.
1. Community building among Asian countries themselves, and between the emerging community of atmospheric scientists in Asia and the established scientific communities in Europe and North America.
2. Capacity building. Early career scientists receive funding to attend the conference from IGAC and SPARC. In several cases post-doctoral scientists were able to connect with veteran researchers with decades of experience. Training Schools organized and led by senior ACAM scientists have also been conducted in conjunction with ACAM workshops.
3. Information exchange. ACAM participants seek and discover opportunities to share data, instruments, and observations of the monsoon and how it affects global composition and climate.
4. Forge partnerships and collaborations. The ACAM activities have made it possible for European and North American scientists to find local scientific partners, resulting in successful collaboration on field experiments. Local collaborators have assisted with logistical concerns and have advocated for direct access to the region, thereby facilitating the measurements critically needed for assessing the global impact of Asian emissions.
Figure 1. ACAM 2017 workshop in Guangzhou, China. The four scientists at center front are: Guy Brasseur (ACOM), Jim Crawford (NASA), Xuemei Wang (JNU, the local committee chair), and Laura Pan (ACOM). Students in yellow T-shirts are local volunteers. Click for larger image.
Three biennial ACAM workshops and two associated training schools have brought together a total of more than 450 students and researchers from 18 Asian countries and 7 European and North American countries. Jim and Laura have witnessed a flowering of scientific collaborations between Asian and European/North American scientists, as well as among atmospheric scientists in Asia. Regional scientists have gained increasing access to participate in international studies, and there are extended scientific visits between scholars from India and China.
ACAM activities will continue with two new Co-Chairs in 2019. The next ACAM workshop will take place in June 2019 at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) near Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia. | 2019-04-26T14:04:55Z | https://nar.ucar.edu/print/book/export/html/3507 |
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On a recent trip I took to New Zealand, the Auckland airport was closed down and its operations curtailed when the pipeline delivering jet fuel was dug up by accident. It seems impossible that there was such a massive single point of failure for the airport, which is a pretty significant regional hub. One stakeholder said in a radio interview that the cost of laying an additional pipeline wasn’t able to be justified as it would only be used infrequently, if ever.
Surely that is the very definition of back-up?
So instead, hundreds of planes were grounded and delayed, fuel needed to be trucked in, inefficiently and at great expense, and only ten days later was the pipeline repaired and put back into action. This management philosophy, based on the assumption that nothing can go wrong, may have been acceptable a few decades ago, but is way, way out of place in today’s world of rapidly changing requirements and expectations.
Warren Buffett once said at his annual investors’ meeting: ‘Inactivity strikes us as intelligent behaviour.’ And it’s hard to argue with this if it’s conscious, mindful inactivity and a result of a careful evaluation of the situation and a decision that the status quo is the least risky course and the best use of available resources. However, mindless, knee-jerk inactivity, resistance to innovation and improvement, and even a lack of maintenance and monitoring are a different kettle of fish altogether.
‘I’ll think about it.’ In my experience, this response to innovation, a new process or product seldom delivers a decision in a positive way that can drive a business forward. Whether it’s to avoid change, a fear of failure when undertaking something new, the perceived (or real) risk of upsetting the boss, laziness, or the dreaded ‘If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ thinking, the usual outcome is no decision at all!
Most start-ups or other companies setting out to change and improve the way things have always been done for their clients will empathise. Your competition in closing a sale is often not another company offering a similar product or service, instead, it’s the ‘not yet’ or ‘we’re thinking about it’ response.
Or, what I like to think of as the three horsemen of the inertia apocalypse: resistance to getting moving, moving faster, or changing direction. And this unholy trinity coagulates to form a dangerous situation where cost of doing nothing jobs are neglected for another day.
Cost of doing nothing jobs? A strange choice of words perhaps, but I like to think of these as the jobs that cost money but are not directly revenue generating, at least initially. These are the maintenance, optimisation and improvement tasks that will divert time and resources away from elsewhere, but because they are preventive or future-proofing your organisation, it is hard to quantify the cost of not doing them as this is largely opportunistic. Until the situation becomes critical, that is, and they end up costing you big time.
These are also the projects that can shift the paradigm for your organisation, building a foundation for future innovation, growth and success. Hence the danger of not doing them. An example is moving your operations onto the cloud. Neglect to spend the time and money today, and you may find yourself behind tomorrow when your competitors are offering cloud-enabled services and innovations that you simply can’t.
Take my hometown, Cape Town. Like other cities and regions around the world, we are currently at the start of what looks to be a long-term drought situation. All of a sudden, the leaking taps that could have been fixed months and years ago are critical – but people were busy, or would have had to adjust their household budget, or just didn’t know where to find a good plumber. Months and years ago the cost of doing nothing would have been hard to estimate. Today, as water levels drop and water costs rise in the city, the cost of doing nothing is all too apparent.
Step it up a level, and you’ll see the cost of doing nothing has also resulted in the status quo being preserved. While summers get hotter and the winter rainfall season gets shorter, ‘management’ (in other words city officialdom) has continued to rely on large dams in specific catchment areas for our water.
Now, with shifting weather patterns and a growing population, they’ve realised, all too late, that there is a need to change the approach to water management. What worked last year, won’t work next year. The crisis management that is upon us now will come at a price which with more innovative forward planning or attending to some of those cost of doing nothing jobs in a more timely fashion could have been managed more effectively and at a fraction of the future cost. The old adage ‘a stitch in time saves nine’ springs to mind.
In the business world, cost of doing nothing jobs are often also the small steps needed to innovate. Innovation is too often painted as a wide-ranging, paradigm-shifting, big bang event. But it includes the incremental improvements to products, services and processes and asks the question, what is next?
It’s not surprising that an unhealthy attachment to the status quo, and resistance to change, is part of the fabric of most organisations. Companies are often still built to Industrial Revolution specifications. When assembly lines were the heart of an operation, things needed to be repeatable, predictable and risk-free. Similarly, the Waterfall Method worked for hardware design but should never have been transplanted lock, stock and barrel into a software world. Now that the Industrial Revolution era is heading to a close, this type of thinking is becoming increasingly egregious.
The culture of risk-aversion and a steady as she goes approach is exacerbated by tough economic times, cost cutting and management protecting their pensions instead of rocking the boat and challenging the status quo. And this means that cost of doing nothing jobs fall by the wayside until it’s too late as they are the easy targets when looking for costs to cut.
Start-ups don’t have this inability to change, nor an attachment to the way things have always been done. This gives them a window of opportunity to innovate and delight your customers that you simply don’t have.
And while the inertia of its members might be baked into the business model of every gym contract, organisational inertia has reached its sell-by date and may leave you grounded, like it did the planes passing through Auckland.
Have you noticed that problems are solved and decisions are made differently today, especially by millennials? What’s the first thing that they do – and you probably do too, even if you are definitely pre-millennial? They Google it, of course.
Back in my day, pre-Google, we’d probably think about what we’d done before in similar circumstances, perhaps consult whichever was the prevailing canonical guide on the topic – updated at least once a year – and maybe phone a friend. Or, if we were really entering new territory, we’d call in the management consultants, who’d probably do much the same thing, just at a heftier price tag.
The upside of doing business today is that we have research, case studies, discussions, opinions, thought leadership and news related to our decision at our finger tips. The downside, however, is exactly the same. We have so much information, so many takes on a matter, and so many rabbit holes to explore that reaching a decision can be more difficult and time consuming than ever before.
Welcome to analysis paralysis. But supercharged for the digital age.
Today we can’t afford to be hamstrung by inertia. A wait-and-see, ‘nobody ever got fired for choosing IBM’ approach is no longer tenable. We’ll be sidelined by start-ups who have no interest in preserving the status quo, as well as our nimbler traditional competitors, who took the opportunity to act. Meanwhile we’ll still be commissioning one last piece of research and running one more cost-benefit analysis.
Right now, we should all be considering the opportunity cost of doing nothing when figuring out what to do next. Which, I know, is a tough sell in a business world driven by short-term ROI objectives. In the past, cost of doing nothing projects typically related to maintenance type tasks. The equivalent of ensuring you service your car every year, even though it’s running perfectly well today, to avoid costly repairs in a few years’ time when a tiny niggle becomes a catastrophic breakdown. Or, to save every month on fuel, because you’ve kept your car running efficiently.
Today, in business, these projects are more significant. Such as deciding to spend time and money on the automation of manual, repetitive (and probably boring) work, to free up your time to be more strategic. And even reviewing systems that currently work but that could be improved would not be wasted energy to keep you and your business ahead of the curve.
This month and next, I discuss these cost of doing nothing projects elsewhere in this magazine. Happy reading and let me know what you think.
Curtail your short-term ROI mindset. Next quarter’s figures are going to be irrelevant if your business isn’t around next year.
Quantify the cost of doing nothing as a matter of course. It won’t be perfect, but it will be on the agenda.
Decide! Choose a lighthouse project that gives you a toe in the water, then learn and improve.
Spreadsheets: a victim of their own success?
There is so much talk of digital disruption today, that it is easy to forget that one of the most significant disruptors of them all has been sitting quietly on our desktops for the past three decades. Yes, the humble spreadsheet software, most likely Microsoft Excel.
And even though my accounting days go back to the comptometer, I can barely remember a time when spreadsheets were literally that, sheets of paper spread across my desk!
And thank goodness too. I shudder to think what life would be like for accountants and companies without the multiple capabilities that spreadsheets give us. Especially in today’s data-centric world. From rapidly carrying out arithmetic involving multiple rows, columns and tabs of figures, to compiling information from various sources, to running scenarios using different figures, to analysing data thanks to pivot tables and macros, and even running small pieces of software. Spreadsheets really are our data workhorses.
So it’s not surprising that spreadsheets have escaped the finance department and are very often how finance and the rest of the company communicate with each other. It’s quite strange how everyone, whether in actual fact they do or not, is expected to have some level of Excel know-how. Designers don’t expect anyone else to be able to use Photoshop, for instance.
Yet any job title is expected to complete spreadsheet-based expense claim forms, or update a forecast with figures for next year, or apply a new budget, adjusted for a tough economy.
Meanwhile as more non-financial people contribute to the spreadsheet, version control is abandoned, people do things that only make sense to them, including adding up their figures with a calculator and typing final amounts directly into the spreadsheet as plain text. (It happens!) Things happen manually, slowly and errors creep in: the domino effect of a single misplaced comma can be catastrophic, and like a needle in a haystack to track down.
Suddenly your spreadsheet is no longer saving you time or money, or giving you an accurate, up-to-date view on critical business information. But instead is a millstone that is weighing you down and putting you at risk.
● 76% of the spreadsheets used the same 15 functions -- barely scratching the surface of Excel’s capabilities.
● One in ten emails sent either included or referred to spreadsheets, and often errors in and updates to the spreadsheets were the discussion point.
Don’t you think it’s time we stop overburdening the hard-working spreadsheet? And stop demanding, or expecting, non-financial managers to get up to speed with financial thinking: after all, spreadsheets digitise existing finance functions, they don’t necessarily de-mystify them for the rest of the organisation.
The answer isn’t in closing ranks, however. I have long argued that the best way to get the right information as well as buy-in from the company, especially at budget and forecast time, is to decentralise this function to the coalface. And the only way this can happen, is by giving non-financial managers tools that are intuitive and easy to use, and don’t require them to understand what is going on under the hood. It is far more important that they are able to set, and manage their own budgets, with the room to be nimble and responsive to changing market conditions, than it is for them to navigate and understand cumbersome spreadsheets.
The good news is that this frees up the accounts department too. So instead of hunting needles in haystacks, or reverse engineering bizarre ways people have used Excel, we can turn our minds to more strategic, impactful activities.
Perhaps it’s time to give the overworked spreadsheet a helping hand?
Ironically, growth and success can be a double-edged sword for small and medium-sized businesses. On the one hand, you're growing and hitting the milestones, which is a massive achievement, especially in today’s tough economy. On the other, quite quickly things that used to be simple and straightforward acquire added levels of complexity. All of a sudden, as the business owner or FD, you simply can’t be as hands-on and omniscient as you used to be.
It’s pretty daunting giving up some of this control, especially when it comes to something such as expenditure. Expense management, especially in the SME world, is really about procurement and “signing off” on expenditure before the money is spent. As your company grows, this becomes impractical. You as the business owner or manager need to focus on new business and growth strategies, rather than being tied to paperwork.
The only way to proceed is to start empowering the rest of the organisation to take ownership of some of these tasks. And to do this, you need to put the tools and processes in place — such as reporting, which, while reactive, will allow you to spot issues in a timely manner. And most importantly, you need to ensure everyone understands and buys into the big picture, and is able to align their goals with this overall strategy.
For instance, you need to make clear the difference between cutting expenses and managing expenses and tie this to overall company strategy.
A mid-level manager tasked with controlling spending might be wildly successful at that specific metric, when taken in isolation. And this might be wildly unsuccessful for your company as a whole when you consider things holistically.
For instance, collectively your mobile phone bill might be right down, which is great. But it’s not that great that customers are disgruntled because they are not being contacted in a timely manner, and so have taken their business elsewhere. On balance, that mobile phone bill saving suddenly doesn't look so rosy anymore, not when compared to the business you have lost. And your middle manager? Well, they did what you asked them to do, especially if you didn’t provide them with any context.
I’ll admit, this is a pretty simplistic example — although unfortunately still a common enough occurrence. How often, as a customer, have you been inconvenienced to the point of defection through an obvious cost-cutting exercise? But now consider this in the context of the digital disruption the world is going through. Where doing more of the same is no longer going to cut it, and very soon you’ll find you are running to stand still.
It’s a world where, in order to save money and make money in the future, you need to spend money today. Moving to the cloud is the perennial example: without an investment in cloud infrastructure and capabilities today, you won't be able to offer the services and functionality demanded by your customers tomorrow.
In this scenario, being over budget is not necessarily a negative, provided you can explain it in terms of a bigger picture. So expenditure management is not always about minimising costs. Today, more than ever, it is critical to communicate your company strategy, tie it closely to individual goals and targets, and then give your people the tools to enable them to achieve their, and your collective, goals.
There’s no doubt that the last 12 months have got most people muttering, ‘Well, truth is stranger than fiction, after all.’ It’s easy to get caught up in the mass, global Chicken Little, ‘the sky is falling in’ reaction to events such as the Trump election and the Brexit referendum.
We’re used to keeping an eye on the world to spot the trends, shifts, and Netflix series coming our way. But this can sometimes blind us to our unique experience living and doing business in Africa. Operating in change and uncertainty is our status quo. And, without wanting to glamourise the very real challenges Africa faces, the unintended consequence is that we’ve become extraordinarily resilient and adaptable – comfortable with not only riding out tectonic disruptions but also turning them into opportunities.
Here in South Africa we’ve been through a few pretty bumpy few years, to put it mildly. From musical chairs in our finance minister’s office, which wiped out around R500 billion in value from the economy and saw the rand go into free fall at the end of 2015; a yo-yoing petrol price; a 6,6% official inflation rate (many would argue the true inflation rate is double that!); and last but not least, a highly uncertain political landscape. Not to mention that, like the rest of the world, we are facing a massive period of digital disruption as we enter the fourth industrial economy. Change is quite literally our constant.
Today we need to tap into our inherent entrepreneurial savvy more than ever before. At all levels.
Today, these assumptions are pointless! You can’t plan for the amount of disruption that is coming your way. And if you try, you risk baking a panicky, knee-jerk reaction into your numbers. At best, this would be inappropriate and regrettable when the dust settles. At worst, this approach becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Instead, ensure your planning and business strategy is responsive to change by looping in the view from the grass roots of your organisation. Head office might be running around like Chicken Little, but the people on the ground can often see the opportunities, and know where to hustle. That is why you employed them, after all.
Look for the opportunities. We are resilient and uniquely adapted to make things happen, so we should be relishing the potential presented by the turbulence in the world today!
Realise you can’t begin to plan for the amount of disruption you are about to face.
Embrace the hustle like you’ve never done before.
Don’t codify a Chicken Little response – it may just come true.
Look for opportunities and don’t only focus on the threats.
Leverage our adaptability and resilience, the unintended consequence of ‘our normal’.
Well, I hate to say it, but you’ve not only missed the bus, but you’re missing the taxi-on-demand-service and are imminently going to miss the self-driving vehicle. Take Uber — the poster child for the disruption of traditional business, shaking up the centuries-old taxi industry. But, while Uber sorts out its internal culture issues, and figures out its relationship with its drivers, it is already getting a taste of its own medicine. Dubai is about to disrupt the disruptor with the announcement that it is launching driverless drone taxis this year.
So I think we can all agree that change is coming, it is coming fast and it is exponential. I could say: “like nothing we have seen before” but we have, consistently over the last generation. It is just getting faster!
However, operating in this amount of change and uncertainty is par for the course in Africa. And the consequence of our exposure to unrelenting and erratic change is a deep-seated entrepreneurial optimism, which I think is going to stand us in good stead. I’m writing this in the week that my country, South Africa, saw its president survive an eighth vote of no confidence in parliament. This is a reasonable reflection of the lack of confidence the country as a whole is suffering from, compounded by musical chairs in our finance minister’s office; a yo-yo-ing petrol price; and an official 6.6% inflation rate (which many would argue is far from realistic) and constant revelations of mismanagement, corruption and graft. Change is quite literally our constant.
We’ve become extraordinarily resilient and adaptable. Comfortable with not only riding out tectonic shifts, but also turning them into opportunities. With the uncertainty created by Brexit and Trump, the western world is learning the hard way how to challenge existing thought processes and adapt to an environment of continual change and uncertainty. It is not all bad and the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow is a more versatile and adaptable management team, with a good dose of entrepreneurial spirit thrown in.
If your normal is change, then you should be well-prepared for making the most of digital disruption by looking for the gaps and the opportunities it presents. Because there are going to be opportunities. Take the arrival of the car at the start of the last century. For sure, businesses died as fewer horses were used: the grain industry faced ruin; and stables, farriers, trainers and other support services that had built up around horse-drawn vehicles saw a massive decline.
But other businesses emerged. Cars needed to be built and these cars needed tyres, fuel stations, etc. Proper roads had to be designed and built, as did road signs, pedestrian crossings and other infrastructure we take for granted.
How is this playing out in our finance world? Consider the automation of accountancy functions. Robots are simply better at doing tasks that are repetitive and rule-based. They are faster and more accurate than we are, and don't get bored or distracted. They are taking over some of the more repetitive functions in our firms, and at our clients, as accountancy software becomes more accessible.
So, as accountants, do we go the same way as the farriers and grain suppliers? Or are we agile enough to adapt to this new normal and look for the opportunities? For instance, with the flood of repetitive work taken care of, can we hone our critical thinking and problem-solving skills on behalf of our clients? Can we use our time analysing and assessing the real-time data we now have at our finger tips to give strategic input to our clients and support their planning and decision-making process? Can we develop our inter-personal skills now that we can leave the back office and interact with the rest of the firm as well as our clients? And can we review a few holy cows, for instance, what impact will blockchain technology have for us and our clients?
We have the opportunity to lead, not follow, the digital disruption. But we need to learn to be adaptive and hone those skills that were not perhaps at the top of the list: interpersonal skills, analysis, and a healthy and open minded view of what the future holds for us and our clients. We can lead or we can follow, but in tomorrow’s world there is little value to be added by being a follower.
Holy cow, the robots are coming!
Back in the day, when I set out on some of my first auditing jobs, I was accompanied by a formidable team of comptometrists. Their fingers were a blur as they entered lines of numbers into their comptometers — for the younger generation who have likely never seen one, this was a huge, key-driven calculator — and added up the trial balances. In those days, the human was the final word in accuracy.
But by the 1990s comptometrists were a thing of the past. We had started trusting computers enough to run the numbers, and what needed double-checking were the systems that governed the computers, not the calculations themselves. And the comptometrists? Well, their role was made obsolete, not in a generation but virtually overnight. They needed to find a new space to apply their existing skills, or, retrain and stay relevant in a changed world.
Thinking about succession planning today, this story keeps playing through my mind. Except today the changes we are experiencing are far more profound and fundamental, not to mention coming at us at an almost exponential rate. Take automation. Repetitive tasks don’t bore robots, they are faster and more accurate, they don't make mistakes and they don't take breaks; put simply they are just better than we are… at the routine tasks. It also means our clients, including small and medium-sized companies, through the use of technology, have the ability to do a lot more self-service accountancy work.
In the same way the internal combustion engine drove (pun intended) the horse and cart off the road, robots, in this case software robots, are going to replace humans in your organisation sooner rather than later — on the factory floor as well as in the office. According to a PwC report, 30% of jobs in the UK are at risk of being replaced by robots and artificial intelligence in the next 15 years.
What does this mean for how we think about succession in our organisations? In the past, this meant ensuring the leadership had understudies waiting in the wings for their time to take the reins.
But today — and I do mean today — succession planning needs to consider what happens to our people when part of their function is taken over by robots. We need to be putting a plan in place for our existing employees, and also hiring people that have the skills to adapt: not only to working with robots, but also to thriving at the functions that robots can’t do. Recruitment policies need to focus on ensuring organisations attract and retain the correct people, not necessarily for the skills they have today but for the ability and potential they have to adapt to the skills they will need tomorrow.
Take strategic client relations. In an ideal world, with the repetitive work items picked up by robots, accountants will have more time to analyse the data, problem solve creatively and engage with your clients to help them grow their businesses. Suddenly an ability to establish trusted inter-personal relationships becomes essential. So that hard-as-nails accountant, the “human calculator”, who previously did incredible work in from the back office, but never ventured out to client meetings, may well become a square peg in a round hole.
This is succession planning today. It’s about considering the functions that software will do for you, and then figuring out how to redeploy staff whose functions have fundamentally changed and they no longer fit. And hiring for the skills and talent-sets that you will need humans for.
It’s in appreciating that some of our holy cows, the things we are the “experts” at, the production of accounts or even, potentially, the double-entry bookkeeping system, might be slain, and choosing to act like Darwin’s finches, adapting to new circumstances and thriving, rather than putting our head in the sand and hoping.
Charles Darwin was right about survival depending on our ability to adapt. And never has this been more true than in the face of the digital revolution we are living through in the twenty-first century. While Darwin might have been speaking about adapting from generation to generation, today it feels like you need to adapt from month to month and day to day.
Look at the taxi industry and Uber. Retail and Amazon. Publishing and Facebook. Hotels and Airbnb.
Frighteningly, even these examples are dating. Amazon has already gone full circle and is expanding its bricks and mortar presence, armed with everything it has learnt about consumer behaviour in the digital world. Uber and its drivers are still figuring out their working relationship, but Dubai has announced it is launching driverless drone taxis this year.
So where does that leave us, the accountants? We’re typically the conservative bastions of caution and risk-aversion in any company. Wielding the double-entry bookkeeping system for the last several centuries, we have, for the most part, kept businesses honest and solvent. But now even the double-entry system is being questioned in the world of blockchain and other decentralised, shared digital ledger systems.
The same thing applies to us, I’m afraid. Adapt or die. But bear in mind that adapting doesn't mean throwing out the baby with the bathwater. Adapting means understanding what needs to change in order to continue delivering value to your clients and your organisation. Look at Darwin’s finches on the Galapagos Islands, which, within one generation evolved larger and stronger beaks to find food during a prolonged drought. The birds adapted fast to their current reality, by optimising a function rather than replacing it all together.
Likewise accountants need to look down the line and start shifting their position today — we are already seeing the impact of some of the changes brought about by digitalisation. Just like with the introduction of the internal combustion engine at the start of the previous century, there will be winners and losers. The “horseless cart” put an ecosystem built up around horse-drawn vehicles out of business, but enabled the growth of entirely new industries to support the automobile.
The same is happening today.
My advice? Step away from the spreadsheets, literally and figuratively. Step out of the shadows and reconnect with your colleagues at the coal face — they are the ones who know where the changes are coming from, can see the impact of these changes, especially the opportunities. Open up the accounting process and empower your colleagues to collaborate with you. By doing so you’ll ensure that they have access to the numbers that impact their view of reality and in turn provide real input and value to your analysis of the numbers. This gives you an accurate picture, and creates buy-in and mutual benefit whether in the planning process or understanding the variances, when looking at actuals. You’ll stay connected and relevant, and by decentralising some of the accounting functions, you’ll free up your own time to be more strategic and adaptable.
With the world changing so fast, the old rules no longer work but the new rules haven’t yet been developed! This makes finance’s custodial role more difficult but even more important than ever before. Stay adaptable and you’ll be able to guide your clients and organisation ethically and prosperously through these opaque days; don’t and you will be one of Darwin’s casualties.
In my May article I suggested that one of the biggest challenges to innovation and business progress is simply finding the time to think, research, experiment and develop new ideas.
The notion of carving out 20% time, à la Google, is a pipe dream for most. So I thought it would be interesting to figure out what is keeping finance people so busy.
To do this we held a snap survey of finance managers and administrators across a range of industries to find out what takes up their time, preventing them creating space for strategic review thinking.
The top three time thieves at budget/forecast time were investigations or enquiries from source, incomplete or incorrect data, and manual processes, while the top three time thieves at month-end reporting time were report compilation, manual processes, and investigations or enquiries from source. The top three time thieves at other times were ad hoc reporting requests, firefighting, and other ad hoc information requests.
Interestingly, but perhaps unsurprisingly, there was no single time thief, which perhaps points to the complexity of the real world today, plus shows that there is not a silver bullet solution – companies need a fix that comprehensively tackles a web of challenges.
Alarmingly, manual processes ranked in the top three for both budget/forecast time and during month-end reporting. Automation of these processes is the key not only to freeing up time in its own right, but it also results in timely, accurate data that you can confidently use for decision-making. In addition automation is the cornerstone for further innovation and new ways of working.
What’s more, it looks like too much time is being spent on report compilation. This is a red flag because if you are spending your time compiling reports, you are not spending it analysing the information therein!
Ad hoc reporting, information requests and firefighting also rank highly, though probably more understandably and, unfortunately, this is not an easy challenge to master. However, ad hoc reporting requests, in particular, are indicative of an un-empowered business that relies too heavily on finance to deliver and explain anything with a number in it. Consider how much time would be created by empowering the non-financial user through removing the frivolous queries, and freeing time for review and analysis.
The survey, though brief, did re-iterate that the key challenges we all face have not changed over the years. However, if we continue the status quo and fail to innovate, our relevance to the business will reduce and the spectre of robot replacement will become a reality.
We are the principal architects of our own reality so it is time to start shaping our future!
There’s no silver bullet for a complex challenge.
Automate, automate, automate – the tools to do so are out there.
If reports are taking up too much time, how can the data be timely?
Empowering the business will redefine our function from bean counting to strategic analyst.
The pace of change is only going to speed up, so start today.
We are the principal architects of our own reality, so it’s time to start shaping our future!
Like the wheel or the printing press, cloud computing is more exciting because of what it enables, rather than for its own sake. Much has already been written about what the cloud allows us to do: from launching new economy businesses such as Netflix and Airbnb, to saving money through processing elasticity, to gaining access to new services and capabilities.
And, despite security still being the number one concern when implementing cloud, we’ve recently been very starkly reminded how cloud-based infrastructure can be more secure than on-premise, thanks to the WannaCry ransomware attack and the unrelated catastrophic systems failure at British Airways. Both of these affected on-premise data.
For us, data security is just one of the many issues we deal with in running our varied businesses. A cloud provider’s business is data and its protection, so they should be better at it than you or me.
Too often we forget that, although the name sounds fluffy and intangible, cloud computing is based on some very real infrastructure, housed in complex, highly secure, and some might say, black box-esque, buildings very possibly located in a different country to you, your customers, and even your cloud provider.
This is where the red flag goes up. Not because sensitive private and personal data is being moved offshore though. Frankly, in terms of access, thanks to increasing bandwidth it is irrelevant whether your data is housed next door or on the opposite side of the planet.
Rather, a perfect storm is brewing as legislation attempts to catch up with technology and the globalisation of digital communications. In the balance is the protection of private and personal data, weighed up against a growing reliance on data, especially encrypted information, to predict and prevent acts of terror, and arrest those responsible.
The cloud spreads data around the globe, creating concerns around the protection of personal information, and as a result, a number of countries are legislating around this issue. In South African, for example, companies are required to comply with the newly legislated Protection of Personal Information (POPI) Act. This law brings us in line with global best practice when it comes to how private data is collected, processed, stored and shared by setting the conditions for how companies can legally handle information. The new law prohibits businesses from transferring personal information to a third party in a foreign country, unless they get consent at the time of gathering the information. So far, so good, if a bit of an administrative headache, especially in time of such rapid change.
However, in response to the recent atrocities and the use made of internet communications by terrorist organisations, there are moves afoot in the US to legislate that data stored by an American company — wherever it is stored in the world — is accessible, unencrypted, by US law enforcement. Or the discussion of reciprocal agreements that allow countries to gain access to information stored in each other’s geographies, or indeed, the newly passed “Snooper’s Charter” in the UK, which mandates onerous and illogical demands for hosting providers to leave backdoors in their encryption for government access. All of these step on or over the line of privacy of one’s data.
Hosting companies that aren’t US or UK organisations will simply move their operations to other countries where these agreements are not in place. But the reality is that the hosting giants are US companies, not to mention that the country contains much of the world’s internet infrastructure.
So where does this leave businesses around the world, wanting to realise the benefits of cloud computing, but also needing to comply with locally legislated laws such as the POPI Act? Are they and their customers simply excluded from the benefits, growth and innovation opportunities presented by the cloud? What is certain is that they will be looking very closely at the implications of their cloud decisions, and where and how their data is stored.
To be sure, the fight against terrorism is vital, but let's not also, in the process, destroy the cloud’s silver lining.
Gartner selects IDU as one of the top 25 Corporate Planning Applications in the 2017 Gartner Market Guide.
Gartner, the world's leading research and advisory company recently published their Market Guide for Corporate Planning Applications. IDU is very proud to have our award-winning Budgeting and Reporting Software idu-Concept recognized amongst the best in the world for providing innovative financial management solutions.
The Gartner Market Guide is independent and insightful, it highlights the rapid development of financial analytics technology, and the considerable opportunities that exists for finance professionals to take advantage of these developments.
IDU has over 300 clients in an ever-increasing global footprint with users across 33 different countries, we are constantly innovating and are rapidly becoming a globally recognised brand. Our Corporate Performance management (CPM) solutions are also available via the cloud using Microsoft Azure as well as Amazon Web Services, the latter has opened the door for smaller and medium sized organisations across the world to access our cutting edge financial management solutions.
IDU streamlines the budgeting and reporting process, frees up financial managers to be more strategic and business to be more agile and responsive, which is essential in a disrupting market.
IDU makes budgeting, forecasting, performance management and reporting tools to simplify financial management. Our flagship product, idu-Concept, provides easy, effective budgeting and financial reporting for medium-sized to large businesses. It is the most widely deployed dedicated budgeting system in South Africa. idu-Concept integrates easily with ERP software, but unlike more cumbersome offerings, idu-Concept can be implemented quickly, requires little or no ongoing consulting fees and reduces budgeting cycles from months to weeks. idu-Concept addresses this establishing a platform of ownership and empowerment that inevitably leads to radical improvement in the effective management control of every business.
Gartner “Market Guide for Corporate Planning Applications” by Christopher Iervolino and John E. Van Decker. Published 24 May 2017.
The Apple iPad is only seven years old this year. Believe it or not, the first one was launched in April 2010, and if you dig a first generation iPad out of the storage cupboard you’ll find it’s probably more useful as a paperweight than anything else – it doesn’t even have a camera! Frighteningly it, and second and third generation iPads, are also unsupported by Apple.
Leaving aside Apple’s rabid upgrade tactics and the notoriously short lifespan of its devices, this is just one indication of how fast technology is changing. Therefore, it’s likely that the decision on whether or not to upgrade your financial system, for instance, is pretty much a done deal. Any argument for a “wait and see” approach has been crushed by the reality that the longer you stay with a legacy system, the further you fall behind your competitors, your customers and your employees.
In the event of a disaster your clapped out old iPad 1 equivalent is going to be harder and more expensive to fix, and the risk of data loss is greater. But you need to go into any systems migration with your eyes wide open. Here are some of the things to watch for.
One of the main factors that can make the difference between a migration project sinking or swimming is the involvement of the end users. Consider the public outcry when a platform such as Facebook or Instagram makes even minor changes to their software.
End users are typically attached to familiar experiences of systems, and this colours their expectations of any upgrades. Plus, they expect systems to be as easy-to-use and intuitive as the consumer apps they use every day. A disconnect here can manifest as resistance to the new system and a loss of time and money for the business.
It is also vital to understand your users’ requirements and deliver on that. In other words, give them what they need to do their jobs well; don’t give them everything merely because it is there in the new ERP system.
Learn from the Google search home page: limit complexity to improve productivity. Do users really need to enter account codes? And for that matter, do they even need to see them? Remember that what a non-financial user of your new system requires can be quite different to that of a finance department user.
Now consider that a financial systems migration is a great opportunity to restructure your company’s chart of accounts (COA). Your business has almost definitely changed to such an extent that your current COA is no longer suitable to today’s reporting requirements.
However, when implementing an updated COA you need to get two things right. You need to create an environment whereby you can provide reasonable comparative information when the account codes are different. And, secondly, you need to figure out how to reproduce historical numbers when the accounts, as well as how they are aggregated, differ to the legacy system.
When mapping historical codes to new ones it is unlikely that there will be a one-to-one relationship from old to new. And when you have a one-to-many or many-to-one relationship, comparative reporting becomes a challenge.
And what about data migration? Decisions need to be made about which data is migrated and how many years to go back. The simple decision is normally to migrate immediate history and maintain a minimum license on the old system to be able to access historical information. But do you really think your old system is going to be a key priority for your previous service provider, especially after you have slashed your contract with them?
Major system migration is never easy and the pitfalls are many, despite what the salesman tells you! However, if you approach challenges with eyes wide open you are better prepared to identify the potential pitfalls and navigate around them.
Ask anyone how they are nowadays, and the answer is likely to be ‘crazy busy’ or something along those lines. Today’s world, designed around convenience and speed, seems to have had the exact opposite effect. We’re trying to cram more and more into the same 24 hours and wearing our ‘busy-ness’ like a badge of honour. Part self-imposed, part a reality of modern life, we’re a bit like the Red Queen in Lewis Carroll’s Through the Looking Glass — we’ve got to do all the running we can just to stay in one place.
This delivers businesses a massive catch-22. Although we are running as fast as we can, keeping up is no longer good enough. We need to be fundamentally and exponentially change the way we work in order to succeed in the digital economy. For instance: transitioning to cloud computing is critical to enable the services, features, and capabilities demanded by the market today and tomorrow. Things like collaboration, mobility, self-service, real-time data analytics, omni-channel retail and so on. Not to mention the long-term cost savings and efficiencies cloud economics can bring.
But, how are companies supposed to find the time to take a step back and re-engineer their infrastructure and processes to make the shift to the cloud?
The same applies to wider innovation: fundamentally changing how you do things, from small, incremental enhancements to new business models and existential shifts in your organisation. Innovation is a product of a few things: time, money, and being open to failing fast and often. Organisations don’t innovate though, people do, and to do so they need time to think, research, experiment and develop their ideas.
Google’s 20% time is probably the most well-known initiative where companies try to carve out time for employees to innovate away from their day-to-day tasks. The search giant gives staff around a day a week to work on side projects, and the outcomes have included commercial successes such as AdSense and Gmail.
This is not some harebrained internet start-up window dressing, though – like beanbags, hammocks and foosball tables. 3M, the inventor of Scotch Tape and Post-it notes, and the holder of almost 23 000 patents, has offered its employees 15% time to work on passion projects since 1948.
Indeed, the invention of Post-it notes is an illustration of just how long innovation can take: an employee invented the adhesive in 1968 but it was only in 1974 that another 3M employee joined the dots and realised it could be used to create a reusable sticky note. Ditto the development of Gmail. The Google engineer who invented this worked on it for two and a half years before convincing management that it should be launched.
All very well, as are innovation competitions, hackathons and other tactics companies use to foster new ideas. But reality bites. And the reality is that if we are running to standstill, we can’t currently carve 15–20% out of our business day, no matter how vital strategic innovation is.
It reminds me of that cartoon doing the rounds: two cavemen are energetically but not very effectively pushing and pulling a barrow with square wheels. Their friend offers them a set of round wheels. ‘No thanks,’ they say with a wave, ‘we are too busy’.
Something’s got to give. Somehow tired, ineffective and antiquated processes need to be sped up and automated, freeing people to be more strategic and perhaps to come up with the enhancements your company needs to survive.
Take the typical CPM (corporate performance management) processes, for example. In today’s real-time world, it can’t and shouldn’t take more than four weeks to complete a budget, or hours to complete month-end reviews. Bloated timeframes are compounded by manual processes resulting in errors and unnecessary admin. Plus, lack of transparency and collaboration between departments causes confusion and reduced accountability.
Fixing this single process can have a series of positive knock-ons. First, it can save you time. The vital time you need to spend innovating and thinking strategically about your business. But it will also improve the timeliness of your data – giving you and your senior management the real-time financial data to base decisions on. And if, as part of the fix, you have effectively included those at the coalface in the process, your data will be more accurate and relevant. Inclusive management also increases transparency and accountability, resulting in an aligned organisation that manages itself better.
So the flipside to the catch-22 mentioned above – that to keep up effectively, organisations need to slow down to change gear – is that once you have done this, the outcome is not only winning the time you need to innovate, but also gaining the data and other capabilities you need to succeed in a digital world.
CRAN highly recommends idu-Concept for Budgeting, Reporting and Analytics.
CRAN is the Communications Regulatory Authority of Namibia and regulates telecommunication services and networks, broadcasting services, postal services and the use and allocation of radio spectrum.
CRAN uses the Financial Budgeting, Financial Reporting and Analytics Modules of IDU. They purchased the system in April 2014, after looking for a cost effective, online financial management solution, that would allow them to easily administer the system with little ongoing IT support.
“IDU is a user-friendly system with amazing functionalities. The software has really made our work processes more efficient.” Says Maria Moses Manager: Management Accounting at CRAN.
CRAN has found idu-Concept Administrator simple to manage and use, there has been no need for IT or system development skills and very little need for ongoing support. Managing their own system has meant a huge cost saving to their business.
CRAN have been particularly impressed with the Recodes and Accruals functionality within the IDU Reporting modules.
IDU's Recode functionality allows users to request the reallocation of journal entries posted to the general ledger directly from the Financial Reporting Module and the Accruals functionality allows the user to have the ability to create accrual entries at a cost centre level for items that they feel have not been accounted for. | 2019-04-21T02:37:11Z | https://blog.idusoft.com/2017/ |
A page update handler enables a browser to update the display of a page with data received from a server. For example, a page may initially be displayed with a visual display object that serves as a placeholder for data being retrieved by the server; once the server retrieves the data and sends it to the browser, the page update hander may populate the display object with the data. As another example, the server may predictively retrieve data in anticipation of a user performing a particular action on a page, and may send this data to the browser in a hidden format; if the user subsequently performs the action, the page update handler may update the displayed page with the predictively retrieved data.
This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/720,712, filed Nov. 24, 2003 now U.S. Pat. No. 8,103,742, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference.
The present invention relates to dynamic web page generation, and more specifically, relates to web server systems that generate web pages using data obtained from one or more services.
The task of dynamically generating a requested electronic document, such as a web page, commonly involves the generation of service requests to one or more services. Typically, these services are implemented on server systems that are separate from the web server system that assembles or “renders” the web page for transmission to the browser. As the services respond to the service requests, the web server system incorporates the service data into the page, typically according to a template that specifies the page's layout. The rendered page is then transmitted to the requesting web browser for display.
One problem commonly encountered by web site designers is that some services tend to have relatively long response times, potentially resulting in long page load times from the perspective of end users. A service's response time may be long as the result of load conditions, network latency (especially if the service is remote), the quantity of computation required to generate the requested data, and other factors.
To address this problem, a web page may be designed such that the data requested from the relatively slow service is placed near the bottom of the requested page. With this approach, the web server can begin to transmit the requested web page to the user's computer before the relatively slow service returns its data, and then send the remainder of the page when the service request is complete. While this approach may reduce the page's perceived load time, it may be unacceptable to a web page designer who wishes to display the service data at a more prominent or relevant location on the page.
When the service returns the requested data, the web server system forwards this data to the web browser, which executes the associated page update handler to populate the page with the late-arriving service data. The page update handler may also perform related rendering tasks such as resizing the placeholder display object to accommodate the service data, or converting the service data into a tabular or other display format. In one embodiment, the page update handler is executed prior to (and preferably just before) the page finishes loading. In another embodiment, the late-arriving service data is written to a secondary page in a hidden window, and the page update handler obtains this data from the hidden window in order to update the primary page.
The web server system may optionally include decision logic for deciding whether to serve a deferred rendering version of a requested page versus a fully rendered version. For example, upon receiving a page request, the system may initially issue a service request to a potentially slow service, and then serve a deferred rendering version of the requested page only if the service fails to respond within a selected time interval. Other factors that may be taken into consideration include the average response time of the relevant service, the current load on the relevant service, the current load on the web server system (note that this load may be reduced if a portion of the page rendering task is offloaded to the web browser/page update handler), and the configuration of the user's computer.
FIG. 1 illustrates a web site system according to one embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 2 illustrates a deferred-rendering page generation process according to one embodiment of the invention.
FIGS. 3A and 3B illustrate the initial and final display, respectively, of an example web page generated according to the process of FIG. 2.
FIGS. 4A and 4B illustrate the initial and final display, respectively, of another example web page generated according to the process of FIG. 2.
FIG. 5 illustrates an embodiment in which a decision of whether to use the deferred-rendering page generation process is made based upon information about the historical and actual response time of the relevant service.
Specific embodiments and example applications of the invention will now be described with reference to the drawings. These embodiments and example applications are intended to illustrate, and not limit, the present invention. The invention is defined by the claims.
FIG. 1 illustrates a web site system 30 that implements a deferred-rendering web page generation process according to one embodiment of the invention. The system 30 includes a web server system 32 that responds to requests from user computers 34 by generating and returning web pages. The web server system 32 is composed of one or more physical servers that execute web server software, including a dynamic page generator program 36. Each user computer 34 runs a web browser program 38 (“web browser”) 38, which may be any type of program (operating system component, standalone browser, document authoring tool, etc.) that provides web browsing functionality.
The dynamic page generator 36 generates web pages according to web page templates 42 stored in a database 40, as is known in the art. Many different templates 42 may be provided within a given system 30. When a page request is received by the web server 32, the dynamic page generator 36 retrieves and processes the corresponding template 42, which may be uniquely identified by the target URL (Uniform Resource Locator) specified by the page request. Typically, this template 42 will specify one or more service requests that are to be sent to specific services 44 to retrieve data for generating the requested page. For example, a given template may specify one service 44 request for retrieving the user's transaction history, and may call another service 44 that generates personalized item recommendations based on this transaction history. Although templates are used in the preferred embodiment, as will be recognized the invention may be implemented without the use of templates.
As depicted in FIG. 1 for one of the services 44, each service 44 is typically in the form of a service application 44A that runs on one or more physical servers 44B, although two or more different service applications 44A may run on the same physical server 44B in some cases. Many different services 44 may be provided within a given system 30. The types and functions of these services 44 may vary widely depending on the nature and purpose of the particular web site system 30 (e.g., Internet searching, business-to-consumer sales, access to online publications, job postings, online banking, etc.). The services 44 may, but need not, be implemented as web services.
Typically, some services 44 will have longer average response times than others. For example, a service implemented on a physical server 44B that is remote from the web server system 32 may tend to have relatively long response times due to network latency. Some services 44 may also have relatively long response times due to the quantity of computation required to process the service requests they receive. The response time of a given service 44 may also vary based on its current load, the complexity of the particular request, configuration settings, resource availability, and other factors.
As illustrated, the database 40 also stores at least one page update handler 46 that is transmitted to and executed by the web browsers 38 in connection with page load events. The general function of the page update handler 46 is to update a previously rendered portion of a web page to incorporate service data that was not available to the web server 32 when that portion of the page was generated. In a preferred embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 2-5, the page update handler 46 is executed by a browser 38 near the end of the page load event, as or just after the relevant service data arrives at the browser 38. In another embodiment which is depicted in FIG. 6, the page update handler 46 is invoked after the page is fully loaded.
FIG. 2 illustrates a “deferred rendering” page generation process implemented by the system of FIG. 1 according to one embodiment of the invention. For purposes of illustration, only a single service 44 is shown (referred to as a “slow” service), and it is assumed that this service has a sufficiently long response time to justify use of the deferred rendering process. In practice, a given web page may be generated using data retrieved from several different services 44, some of which may have much longer response times than others.
In event 1, the server 32 initially receives a page request from a web browser 38 running on a user computer 34. In response to this request, the web server 32 sends a service request to the slow service 44 (event 2) to request data that will ultimately be incorporated into the web page. This service request may be fully specified by the associated template 42, in which case it may be issued substantially immediately upon receipt of the page request. In some cases, however, one or more parameters of this service request may be dependent upon the results of one or more other service requests, in which case the request to the slow service 44 may be postponed.
A “predictive prefetching” process of the type described in co-pending U.S. application Ser. No. 10/612,529, filed Jul. 2, 2003 (the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference), may optionally be used to predict service requests that will be needed to generate the requested page, so that these service requests may be issued at the outset of the page generation task. As described in section IV below, predictive prefetching may also be used to deliver to the browser 34 service data associated with actions that may be performed by the user on the current page.
In event 3 (which may actually take place before or concurrently with event 2), the web server 32 generates and returns an initial portion (3) of the requested web page. This initial portion preferably includes a “placeholder” 52 that specifies the location at which the data from the slow service 44 will ultimately be displayed. The placeholder 52 may be in the form of a visible display object such as text box, an icon, or a graphic image, and may be displayed in conjunction with a message indicating that the associated data is being retrieved (see FIG. 3A, which displays two such messages). Alternatively, the placeholder 52 may be in the form of non-visible coding; such as a unique placeholder ID included within a hidden field.
The initial portion (3) of the web page also preferably includes most of the visible content of the web page 50. For example, the initial portion returned in event 3 may include all of the page's visible content except the data to be filled in by the page update handler 46. Thus, following event 3, the page preferably appears complete or substantially complete to the user, even though it has not finished loading. In event 4, the user begins to read the web page 50 as displayed by the browser 38.
In event 5, the slow service 44 returns the requested data (referred to herein as “late-arriving data”) to the web server 32, which may appropriately format this data for display. As part of this process, the web server 32/dynamic page generator 36 may translate the service data into a user-readable form, filter out certain portions of the service data, and/or combine the service data with predefined or static content. The task of formatting the late-arriving service data for display may be offloaded in-whole or in-part to the page update handler 46. The page update handler 46 may also include logic for rearranging the page's layout to better accommodate the display of that data, as described below.
In event 6, the web server 32 returns an “update” portion (6) of the requested web page 50, which is the remaining portion of the page in the illustrated example. The update portion (6), which may be provided in a non-visible format, includes the late-arriving service data (as formatted by the web server 32), and preferably includes a function call to the page update handler 46. The late arriving service data may be included in the update portion (6) of the page as a hidden page element, such as a DIV or SPAN element. As described below, a command to invoke the page update handler 46 may alternatively be included earlier in the page. The transfer of the page update handler 46 to the browser 38 is depicted in FIG. 2 without a sequence number, as this transfer may occur at any time before event 7.
As a result of the function call, the browser 38 executes the page update handler 46, which copies or moves the service data from a non-visible location near the bottom of the web page to the placeholder location on the page (event 7). This may involve filling in a text box used as a placeholder (as in FIG. 3B), or by replacing a non-visible placeholder or a graphic image with the associated service data. As discussed below, the late-arriving service data may also be inserted in a manner in which it is displayed only as mouse-over text. Rather than transmitting the late-arriving data in a non-visible form, this data may be transferred in a visible form, but immediately moved to the placeholder location upon its arrival.
Typically, the page update handler 46 will also perform related rendering tasks such as incorporating the data into a tabular format (see box 52A in FIG. 3B), resizing the placeholder display object 52 based on the amount of data to be displayed, and/or selecting a display format that is the most suitable. For example, if the late-arriving data consists of three items to be displayed on the page, the page update hander 46 may decide to display the three items in the placeholder location across the page in a single row; if, on the other hand, the late arriving data includes four items, the page update handler 46 may decide to display these items in two rows of two items each.
In selecting the most suitable display format, the page update handler 46 may also take into consideration the current dimensions of the browser window on the user's computer 34. For example, if the user has contracted the browser window to less than the full width of the desktop, the page update handler 46 may select a display format that will allow most of all of the items to be viewable within this window. In general, this type of selective formatting cannot be performed by the web server 32, as the web server has no way of knowing the current dimensions of the browser window.
To reduce the quantity of data transmitted from the web server 32 to the web browser 38, the late-arriving service data may optionally be sent to the web browser 38 in event 6 in a highly compact or compressed format. The page update handler 46 may then appropriately expand this data as needed to display the data on the web page. For example, the late-arriving service data may be sent to the browser 38 with little or no HTML coding, and with URLs represented in a compact form. The page update handler 46 may then add the appropriate HTML coding, and expand the URLs, so as to appropriately display the data on the page. Typically, the quantity of transmitted data can be reduced by approximately 75% by using this approach. In addition to reducing download times, this approach will typically reduce the load on the web server 32 by allowing the web server to omit certain formatting tasks.
In the example shown in FIG. 2, the web page is fully loaded once the update portion (6) has been received and processed by the browser 38.
In scenarios in which the slow service's response time is on the order of several seconds, the process depicted in FIG. 2 significantly improves the page's load time as perceived by end users, without the need to display the late-arriving service data at a low-prominence location on the page. Specifically, because the web server 32 can typically render the initial portion (3) of the web page within a few hundred milliseconds of receiving the page request, the page appears substantially complete almost immediately (assuming network latency and bandwidth constraints are negligible), despite the substantial time required to obtain the requested data from the slow service 44. Once the late-arriving service data becomes available, it may be displayed in a prominent location, such as within the upper third or upper quarter of the visible page, above other content that has already been displayed.
Another benefit of the deferred-rendering page generation process is that the load of the web server 32 is reduced by offloading certain page rendering tasks from the web server 32 to the web browsers 32. As a result, the web server may be able to server a greater number of pages per unit of time.
In scenarios in which a given page request invokes multiple slow services 44, the process shown in FIG. 2 may be augmented so that multiple placeholders 52 are included in the initial portion (3) of the web page (one for each slow service 44), and such that events 2 and 5-7 occur separately for each such service. In such cases, the page updates may occur asynchronously to each other since any one of the slow services 44 may return its data before any other slow service. An example web page that includes two placeholders is shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B.
(g) whether the user has disabled deferred-rendering browsing through a configuration page of the web site.
An example process that takes factors (a) and (b) into consideration is shown in FIG. 5, and is discussed separately below.
In practice, the web page designer will typically know which services 44 are the most likely to have the longest response times. Consequently, the designer will typically write page update handlers 46 only for some services and associated display objects, and not others.
The flow diagram of FIG. 2 does not depict the retrieval by the browser 38 of any inline objects, such as image files, that may be included in the web page. If any such objects are included on the page, their retrieval by the browser 38 will occur asynchronously relative to the updating of the page in step 7. Thus, a given image file may first appear on the page before, during, or after the page is updated with data from the slow service 44. If, however, the OnLoad command is used to invoke the page update handler 46, the page will not be updated with the late-arriving service data until all inline objects have been loaded.
FIGS. 3A and 3B illustrate an example in which the general process of FIG. 2 is used to update a web page 50 with data returned by a shopping cart service 44 and an order status service 44 in the context of a retail sales web site. In this example, the shopping cart service 44 returns the current contents of a shopping cart for a given user ID, and the order status service 44 returns the status of any pending orders for a given user ID. As depicted in FIG. 3A, the page 50 is initially displayed with placeholder display objects (text boxes) 52A, 52B for each of these services. Each such text box is initially populated with a status message indicating that the associated status is being checked. Although the web page 50 is not finished loading at this point, the majority of the page's visible content is displayed. The catalog content shown in the page in this example is generated using a recommendations service 44 the returns personalized recommendations of catalog items, and a catalog service 44 that returns associated descriptions of these items.
FIG. 3B illustrates the fully loaded and rendered web page 50, with the shopping cart and order status text boxes 52A, 52B repopulated with corresponding service data. Each such box 52 may be repopulated by a different respective page update handler 46, although a single page update handler 46 may alternatively be used to fill in both text boxes 52A, 52B. In either case, the late-arriving service data is initially included at the end of the page (preferably in a hidden format), and is copied or moved to the associated text boxes by the page update handler code.
One possible variation is to replace the shopping cart text box 52A in FIGS. 3A and 3B with a shopping cart graphic that includes associated mouse-over text. With this approach, if the user hovers the mouse cursor over the shopping cart graphic before the shopping cart service data arrives at the browser 38, a message such as “checking cart” or “loading” may be displayed. Once the shopping cart data has arrived, this mouse-over message may be replaced with the actual shopping cart contents in mouse-over form. The same approach can be used to display the order status data.
FIGS. 4A and 4B illustrate another example in which the deferred rendering process is used to update web search results pages with “related notifications.” These related notifications may be generated through the use of two services 44: an event history service that maintains a history of the web pages accessed by each user of the web site system 30, and a web page tracking service that tracks changes that have been made to web pages over time. The event history service may be implemented as described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/612,395, filed on Jul. 2, 2003, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference. The web page tracking service may be implemented generally as described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,249,795 and 6,596,030.
The task of generating a search results page of the type shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B generally involves three phases. During the first phase, the user's search query is used to identify up to ten search result items (web pages) that are to be listed on the search results page. At the end of the first phase, the initial portion of the search results page 50 is transmitted to the user's computer with the search result listing (see FIG. 4A, which only shows the first two of ten displayed search result items), but without the related notifications section shown in FIG. 4B. A non-visible placeholder code or object is included in the page's coding in this example to mark the location at which the related notifications box 60 will be added. A visible display object may alternatively be used, as in the prior example.
During the second phase of the page generation process, the dynamic page generator 36 (FIG. 1) sends a service request to the event history service 44 with a list of the search result items (URLs) displayed on the page and the user's ID. The event history service 44 responds to this request by determining, from the user's event history, whether the user has previously accessed any of these URLs. If the user is found to have previously accessed one or more of the URLs, the event history service returns the date and time of the user's last access to each such URL.
If the event history service 44 returns an indication that none of the search result URLs were found in the user's browse history, the web server 32 may simply transmit the end of the page without invoking a page update, and without performing the third phase. In this event, the display of the page may remain unchanged from FIG. 4A. Alternatively, the web server 32 may send to the browser 38 a page update sequence that causes the browser 38 to display default content in the related notifications area 60.
During the third phase (if needed), the web server 32 sends a request to the web page tracking service 44 with a list of the search result URLs that were previously accessed by the user together with associated timestamps indicating the date and time of each such access. For each such URL, the web page tracking service 44 returns an indication of whether the corresponding web page has been modified since the user's last access. At the end of this phase, the dynamic page generator 36 formulates a related notifications message of the type shown in FIG. 4B, identifying the page or pages that have been previously viewed and indicating whether each such page has changed. This notification message is returned to the browser 38 along with a command that invokes an associated page update handler 46, which renders the related notifications box 60 with the notification message displayed therein. Each notification may alternatively be inserted at the end of the corresponding search result item description.
Another application for the deferred rendering process is to add new items to a list of items displayed on the initial portion or version of a web page. For example, a web page that displays personalized recommendations of items may initially be rendered with a short list of recommended items that are readily identifiable. As additional recommended items are identified and passed to the web browser over time, the page update handler 46 may add these items to the list. The list may optionally be provided as a drop-down list, or as a scrollable list, so that the addition of the new items does not affect the display locations of other visual elements on the page.
FIG. 5 illustrates one example of a page generation process in which two factors are taken into consideration in deciding whether to defer rendering of a web page section associated with a potentially-slow service 44: (a) the service's average response time, and (b) the actual elapsed time since the associated service request was sent. This process may be executed by the dynamic page generator 36 (FIG. 1) whenever a particular web page or type of web page is requested. As depicted by block 64, the dynamic page generator 36 initially responds to the page request by sending a service request to the potentially-slow service 44.
As indicated by block 66, the dynamic page generator 36 also performs a look-up operation to determine the average response time of the potentially-slow service 44 over some period of time, such as the last ten minutes. Data regarding the service's average response time may be generated by the dynamic page generator 36, or by a separate monitoring component (not shown) that monitors the response times of various services within the system. This monitoring component may, but need not, run on the web server machine 32. The look-up operation performed in block 66 may be specific to one of a number of different types of service requests handled by the potentially-slow-service 44, since different types of requests may have very different average response times.
If the service's average response time exceeds a predefined threshold T (e.g., three seconds), the page is generated according to the deferred rendering process of FIG. 2. Specifically, the web server 32 returns an initial portion of the web page with a placeholder for the potentially late-arriving service data (block 68). When the service data is thereafter received from the service 44 (block 70), the web server 32 generates and returns a second portion of the web page with the relevant service data and a call to the page update handler (block 72).
If the potentially-slow service's average response time does not exceed the predefined threshold in block 66, the web server 32 waits for the requested service data to arrive. As depicted by blocks 74-78, if this data arrives within a maximum wait time (e.g., five seconds), the data is incorporated into the web page without using the page update process (i.e., the page is served in a fully-rendered form). If, on the other hand, the maximum wait time is exceeded, the deferred rendering process of blocks 68-72 is invoked. As will be apparent, numerous other conditions may be incorporated into the process in FIG. 5, including those listed above.
As illustrated by the examples in FIGS. 3A/3B and 4A/4B, the page updating process allows important data retrieved from one or more relatively slow services 44 to be presented near the top of the web page 50, without delaying the display of the remainder of the page. Although some or all of the late-arriving service data is preferably displayed near the top of the page, it may be inserted elsewhere on the page, such as in association with other visual items to which such service data corresponds.
Display of current inventory on catalog pages: When a user accesses a product detail page for a particular product within an online merchant's catalog, the page may be updated by a page update hander 46 to indicate the number of units that are currently in stock, as indicated by an inventory service.
Enhanced schedules on travel web sites: When a user accesses page that shows a schedule for a given bus, train, airplane, or ferry route, the late-rendered data added by the page update hander 46 shows whether any currently on-route vehicles are on schedule or not.
Ancillary travel information: On an airline or other travel site, when a user accesses a page displaying scheduled flights to a given city on a given date, the page may be updated with late-arriving data regarding number of seats available on each flight. The page may also be updated with data regarding vacancies at local hotels, highlighting any specific hotel or chain used by the user in the past.
As an alternative to including the late-arriving service data at the end of the web page, the late arriving data may be transmitted to the web browser 38 as part of a secondary web page that is loaded within a hidden window of the web browser. With this approach, two different methods may be used to update the main (visible) page 50 with the late-arriving service data. The first method involves transmitting the late-arriving data together with code which, when executed within the secondary page, calls a page update handler 46 on the main page 50, and passes the late-arriving data to this page update handler. The page update handler 46 may otherwise operate generally as described above. The second method involves including within the main page 50 a page update handler 46 that polls the hidden window for the late-arriving data. Once this data arrives, the page update handler copies or moves the data to the placeholder location(s) on the main page 50. With both of these approaches, the late-arriving service data may begin to arrive at the browser 38 after the main page 50 has finished loading.
As mentioned above, a “predictive prefetching” process of the type described in co-pending U.S. application Ser. No. 10/612,529, filed Jul. 2, 2003, may optionally be used within the system of FIG. 1 to preemptively generate, at or near the outset of a page generation event, those service requests that are deemed likely to be needed to generate the requested web page. For example, a service request that would ordinarily be generated a few seconds after the web server 32 receives the page request (due to blocking caused by service request dependencies, etc.) may instead be generated right when the page request is received. As a result, the requested service data will arrive at the web server 32, and can be delivered to the web browser 38, sooner than would otherwise be the case. This “prefetched” service data may either be incorporated into the web page as initially rendered (as described in the '529 application), or added to the web page using a page update handler 46.
One variation to this approach is to “predict” subsequent actions that will be performed by the user during viewing of a current web page (and particularly those that cause the current page to be updated), and then preemptively generate some or all of the service requests associated with such actions. The resulting “prefetched” service data may then be downloaded to the user's browser 38 in a hidden format—either in the current page, or in a secondary page within a hidden window as described above. The data associated with a number of different possible user actions may be downloaded to the browser 38 in this manner, without necessarily attempting to predict whether these actions are likely to be performed by the user.
If the user thereafter performs an action for which the associated service data has been prefetched and preloaded, a page update handler 46 may be invoked to update the current page with the preloaded service data. With this approach, the update to the web page occurs instantaneously from the user's perspective as the associated user action is performed. Another benefit is that this update occurs without the need to send a subsequent request to the web server 32. A decision of whether to prefetch and preload the service data may be made at the time of the page request based on previously-performed analysis of past browsing histories of users (e.g., do most users perform the action when they view this page?), an analysis of this particular user's prior browsing activities (e.g., has this user frequently performed this or similar actions in the past?), and/or other factors such as those listed above in subsection I.
By way of example, a web page may initially be displayed with a link that reads “view our product recommendations for you.” As or shortly after this page is transmitted to the user's browser, the web server 32 may request these recommendations from a recommendations service 44, and deliver the resulting product recommendations data to the browser 38 in a hidden format. When the user thereafter selects the link, a page update handler 46 may be invoked, as described in the previous subsections, to add the preloaded product recommendations data to the displayed page. A decision of whether to preload the recommendations data in this manner may be made on a user-by-user basis based, for example, on a frequency with which the given user has selected the “view our product recommendations for you” link in the past.
As another example, the user's most recent browsing actions may be used to predict whether the user is likely to select a particular link. For instance, if the user has already clicked on the first three items in a list displayed on a current page, an assumption may be made that the user will likely select the fourth item in this list. Based on this assumption, the web server 32 may preemptively obtain and forward to the browser 38 the data associated with the fourth list item without waiting for the user to select the fourth item.
Although this invention has been described in terms of certain preferred embodiments and applications, other embodiments and applications that are apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art, including embodiments which do not provide all of the features and advantages set forth herein, are also within the scope of this invention. For example, the processes described herein may also be applied to other applications and scenarios in which readily-available data is displayed together with non-readily-available data that must be retrieved. Accordingly, the scope of the present invention is defined only by the appended claims.
transmitting, to the user computing device, a page update handler that is configured to update a display of the page on the user computing device with a viewable representation of said data as obtained from the second portion of the page.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the page update handler is transmitted to the user computing device as part of the first initial portion of the page.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein the determination of whether to serve a deferred rendering version of the requested page is based at least partly on a load level of the service.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein the placeholder comprises a viewable display object, and the update handler is configured to obtain the data, as encoded in a hidden format, from the second portion of the page and to populate the viewable display object with the viewable representation of the data.
6. The method of claim 5, wherein the data comprises order status data associated with an order placed by a user.
7. The method of claim 5, wherein the data comprises shipment tracking data.
8. The method of claim 1, wherein the determination of whether to serve a deferred rendering version of the requested page is based at least partly on an actual delay encountered in retrieving the data from the service.
9. The method of claim 1, wherein the determination of whether to serve a deferred rendering version of the requested page is based at least partly on an average response time of the service.
10. The method of claim 1, wherein requesting the data from the service comprises requesting the data in response to a prediction that a user will perform a particular action on the page.
causing a page update handler to be executed on the user computing device, said page update handler configured to obtain the data from the second portion of the page and to update a display of the page on the user computing device with a viewable representation of said data.
12. The server system of claim 11, wherein the process comprises transmitting the page update handler to the user computing device as part of the initial portion of the page.
13. The server system of claim 11, wherein the process comprises transmitting the page update handler to the user computing device as a library file prior to the server system receiving said page request.
14. The server system of claim 11, wherein the determination of whether to serve a deferred rendering version of the requested page is based at least partly on a load level of the service.
15. The server system of claim 11, wherein the determination of whether to serve a deferred rendering version of the requested page is based at least partly on an average response time of the service.
16. The server system of claim 11, wherein the process comprises requesting the data from the service in response to a prediction that a user will perform a particular action on the page.
17. The server system of claim 11, wherein the update handler is configured to update the display of the page with the viewable representation of said data in response to user selection of a display element on the page.
"Exchanging information with a server without reloading your HTML page: Three techniques that can help you improve the efficiency of your Web application" by Tong Li, dated Jan. 1, 2002, downloaded from www-106.ibm.com/developerworks/web/library/wa-exrel/?dwzone=web on Dec. 1, 2003 (8 pages) (of-record in the parent application).
Z. Wang and J. Crowcroft, Department of Computer Science, University College London, "Prefetching in World Wide Web," Communications: The Key to Global Prosperity, Globecom 1996 Internet 96 Conference Record, London, pp. 28-32, dated Nov. 18, 1996 (XP-000741668) (of-record in the parent application). | 2019-04-22T20:39:09Z | https://patents.google.com/patent/US8380821B2/en |
I interviewed Tim Sinclair in Episode 015. During the interview, Tim mentioned that he had gone through the inaugural class of the Ocean Accelerator. He also mentioned that Ocean is a faith-based tech accelerator. I had never even considered the intersection of faith-based organizations and tech accelerators and was immediately intrigued. I asked Tim if he could put me in touch with Ocean, which he did. Scott Weiss is the CEO of Ocean, and James Clair is the Marketing Manager.
UPDATE: Ocean came out with important news for potential applicants just before the podcast release. They have increased their seed funding for companies accepted into their 2017 class from $35,000 to $50,000. Everything was already in place for the episode release when the news came out, and it would have been difficult to alter the audio to make the change.
Click any timestamp on this web page to start listening at the noted time.
805 Creative – According to the website, 805 Creative is an “Ohio-based creative agency dedicated to empowering our business partners with compelling ways to communicate their stories.” Listen or read at [spp-timestamp time=”44:49″].
Business Canvas Map – Also known as the Business Model Canvas. A strategic management template for visualizing a business’s partnerships, resources, revenue, and customers. Ocean’s program provides mentoring through the canvas creation process, focusing specifically on planning, the business model, the strategy canvas, and value proposition. Listen or read at [spp-timestamp time=”19:48″].
CincyTech – “A trusted partner for high potential technology companies in Southwest Ohio,” according to the official website. Scott Weiss mentions it to emphasize the many organizations surrounding Cincinnati which make it an ideal place for entrepreneurs. Listen or read at [spp-timestamp time=”48:20″].
Cintrifuse – Cintrifuse is Located in the Cincinnati, Ohio area. According to the website: “Cintrifuse acts as a connecter and supporter to create a global destination for entrepreneurial success. Cintrifuse connects the region’s high-potential, venture-backable startups to advice, talent, funding, and customers.” According to Scott Weiss: “Cintrifuse’s role is to coordinate all the activities, to minimize wasteful redundancy, and to get everyone in this broad region, which includes northern Kentucky and southeastern Indiana and southwestern Ohio, to work cooperatively so that we share resources and share programming.” Listen or read at [spp-timestamp time=”50:02″].
Lean Startup – Business development method pioneered by Eric Ries. Lean Startup’s methodology is built on the principle that designing products to meet the needs of early customers can prevent many product failures and funding expenses in the future. The claim gained widespread renown after the publication of Ries’ bestseller, The Lean Startup: How Today’s Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Businesses*. Listen or read at [spp-timestamp time=”32:25″].
Ocean – Ocean is an independent tech accelerator that is uniquely faith-based and focused on building founders.
Ocean application – Ocean’s application window is (currently) September 1 to October 31. Listen or read at [spp-timestamp time=”52:37″].
Ocean Capital – Ocean Capital is a separate legal entity from the Ocean Accelerator but affiliated with the accelerator. It collects money from a broad range of investors. It puts money it into convertible notes for the companies in the accelerator. When investors get a return, the entity tracks the flow of money so that investors can be properly taxed. The entity does not have investment profits and losses. Listen or read at [spp-timestamp time=”37:29″].
[spp-timestamp time=”00:16″] Scott Weiss: One of the benefits of Ocean for any startup is [that] our demo day is on a large auditorium stage in one of the Crossroads buildings. This past year, we had 1,400 people attend live. We had 1,800 people stream it live. So that’s a total live audience of over 3,000. Last year, after we finished, we posted the stream (the stream’s downloadable). Ten thousand people downloaded the stream between last year’s demo day and this year’s demo day. So, if you’re launching a business, you get to come here. You get to go on a stage designed to speak to thousands. You get [a] professional production team fine-tuning your speech. You’re streamed live. Your slides are amazing. You get to launch your brand to, literally, thousands of potential customers and hundreds of potential investors. We work real hard to make sure that the audience has a high percentage of angels, angel funds, and customers.
[spp-timestamp time=”01:32″] Ron Gaver: Hello and welcome to the show! I’m your host Ron Gaver. This is the podcast designed to help you put the pieces of the puzzle together to start, grow, and succeed in your SaaS business.
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[spp-timestamp time=”02:01″] Ron Gaver: For each show, you will also find extensive show notes on the website. Show notes now contain ALL links for resources mentioned in a show, an outline of the show, and a full transcript. I have designed these show notes to help you quickly find valuable information. To get to show notes, just enter the base URL, a forward slash, and the three-digit episode number.
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[spp-timestamp time=”02:37″] Ron Gaver: I interviewed Tim Sinclair in Episode 015. During the interview, Tim mentioned that he had gone through the inaugural class of the Ocean Accelerator. He also mentioned that Ocean is a faith-based tech accelerator. I had never even considered the intersection of faith-based organizations and tech accelerators and was immediately intrigued. I asked Tim if he could put me in touch with Ocean, which he did. Scott Weiss is the CEO of Ocean and James Clair is the Marketing Manager. Welcome Scott and James.
[spp-timestamp time=”03:07″] Scott Weiss: Hey, how are you?
[spp-timestamp time=”03:08″] Ron Gaver: Just fine, and you?
[spp-timestamp time=”03:10″] Scott Weiss: We’re doing great up here. Thanks.
[spp-timestamp time=”03:12″] Ron Gaver: Good. Alright, well let’s get right into it. For the sake of the audience: not everyone may fully understand exactly what an accelerator is, what you do as an accelerator; and then, beyond that question, I would like to know how Ocean is different. We’ll get into that, I’m sure, in a great deal of detail; but, first of all, what is an accelerator from your point-of-view, and what is an accelerator’s purpose and function?
[spp-timestamp time=”03:37″] Scott Weiss: That’s a great question. I’ll lead off. So, let’s start with the founder. The founder has a great idea, and they work on it, they tinker on it, they devote themselves to it, and it gets to a point where they need some help; and that’s the role of investors. Whether they be friends, family, or angels, the capital they provide enables the idea to continue to move forward.
[spp-timestamp time=”04:01″] Scott Weiss: Accelerators do two things: we provide a roadmap that allows the entire thing to accelerate—to speed up, to compress a year of business growth into a few months; and, secondly, we provide access to mentors that will enable the founder to have a far greater circle of knowledge than they have alone. There’s about 220 accelerators in the United States, and all of them do that. Most of them, including Ocean—ours—also provide a level of seed funding—a small amount of money that allows the founder to relocate and participate residentially in that accelerator, as well as enough money to keep the enterprise going. In essence, that’s—from my —what an accelerator does.
[spp-timestamp time=”04:54″] Ron Gaver: Alright, then, you mentioned the aspect of capital.
[spp-timestamp time=”04:58″] Scott Weiss: Mmhm.
[spp-timestamp time=”04:59″] Ron Gaver: And so with the capital usually comes something on your end—there’s a bit of dilution as far as the founder’s ownership of the company, generally. Is that true across the board, or is it not?
[spp-timestamp time=”05:10″] Scott Weiss: Well, actually, there’s a narrow range of what accelerators that provide capital get in exchange for that capital. Let’s start with Ocean, the accelerator that James and I are honored to work for. Our note, when the company accepts it, is a convertible note. It’s debt. It does not dilute the cap table. It maintains their equity ownership. And if that company raises subsequent money, the holders of the note—which is a separate guy who manages all that—determines whether or not we want to convert that note into equity at that time or simply get our money back with a modest interest rate. So that’s a very “founder-friendly” capital structure. On the other end, accelerators will take anywhere from 6-10% direct equity in the company in exchange for the capital they’re investing. That begins the dilution process for the founder, because they’re giving up direct shares or direct equity for the money.
[spp-timestamp time=”06:14″] Ron Gaver: Well that’s good. I didn’t understand what the “convertible note” part meant. Now I understand. And that sounds like an excellent option for the founder to basically be able to pay that back if he or she so desires.
[spp-timestamp time=”06:27″] Scott Weiss: Well, to be clear, it’s if the investor so desires.
[spp-timestamp time=”06:30″] Ron Gaver: Oh, okay.
[spp-timestamp time=”06:32″] Scott Weiss: It’s the investor’s choice. I’m not an investor in our fund because I work there, but if the investors say, “Hey, we really like Ron’s company, and we want to convert our debt into equity.” Boom! That happens. Or they say, “We really like Ron, but the company’s not our cup of tea. We’ll just take out money back.” And it’s money back with a very low interest rate. So the investor chooses, not the founder.
[spp-timestamp time=”06:54″] Ron Gaver: Okay, and what did you say the dilution is, usually, on that, in your case? Or does it vary?
[spp-timestamp time=”06:59″] Scott Weiss: There is no dilution with a convertible note. It only dilutes if it converts and the terms of the conversion are spelled out based on the amount of funds raised, so if the company goes out and raises money with an evaluation of three million bucks, and you’ve got fifty thousand dollars in seed capital from an accelerator that converts at fifty thousand, you can see that the dilution would be very, very modest.
[spp-timestamp time=”07:23″] Ron Gaver: Alright. I didn’t understand, then. I’m sure that there are others who would not have understood that.
[spp-timestamp time=”07:28″] Ron Gaver: So, we’ve talked, just briefly, about what an accelerator is, and how it functions (at least, peripherally). Now I’d like to talk about how Ocean is different. I realize, from your webpage and from talking to you and from talking to Tim Sinclair (who went through your program), there were three founders, originally. They’re Tim, Tim, and somebody else whose name was never actually documented on that page.
[spp-timestamp time=”07:53″] Scott Weiss: Chad.
[spp-timestamp time=”07:54″] Ron Gaver: Those were your three founders?
[spp-timestamp time=”07:56″] Scott Weiss: Tell you what: let me back up and just tell you what makes us different, and then we’ll jump into the story of how we got here.
[spp-timestamp time=”08:01″] Ron Gaver: That’s great.
[spp-timestamp time=”08:02″] Scott Weiss: Perfect. I’ll prattle on a little bit more, and then I’ll let James jump in.
[spp-timestamp time=”08:07″] Scott Weiss: So, we’ve already covered in very high-level, broad strokes, what an accelerator is. The other important perspective is: there are 220 accelerators in the United States, and there are over 1,000 incubators. Let’s go sidewise. Very high-level—the difference between an accelerator and an incubator is that accelerators tend to be time-limited. You get accepted, and you get so many months in the program, and then you get out; and accelerators tend to give you money. Incubators generally have no time limit. You get in and you stay as long as you are getting value from the incubation. And, generally, you pay the incubator. Almost every university in the United States has an incubator, and students have access to it, but they’re paying for it with tuition dollars in order to that incubator.
[spp-timestamp time=”09:05″] Scott Weiss: So there are 1,400 organizations out there trying to help high-tech entrepreneurs grow businesses faster, and we’re just like all of them. We’re just one of 1,400 and we think we’re pretty good (and we can talk about that later), but what makes us different—what makes us truly unique—is we are one of only two accelerators in the United States that integrate a spiritual journey with the business journey we take you on. And we do that because our focus is not exclusively on the business. Our focus is on the business and the founder, and the lens we look at it with is faith.
[spp-timestamp time=”09:45″] James Clair: Yeah, to pop in and add onto what Scott was saying: when Scott was laying out exactly what an accelerator is, you can think of it like putting guard rails around an entrepreneur or packaging a program for an entrepreneur, to accelerate their business; not a package or a program for a business that leaves out the entrepreneur. All of our curriculum and program—its scope is centered on the founder as an individual because we understand that they have the ability to create multiple ventures that are successful. And they also have the ability to recover from a failed venture versus most businesses and products that don’t get off the ground. Unfortunately, most of them never recover.
[spp-timestamp time=”10:33″] James Clair: So, this sustainability and life expectancy of a founder is much, much more valuable than an individual idea, and, like Scott said, our difference is that lens of faith. And you can think of it like an orientation point. So a lot of decisions are made, unfortunately, with a motivation for financial gain, as the first thought or sole inspiration. We believe that Scripture clearly lays out that God, and the disciplines and principles that He taught, are what should be our initial point of inspiration, and that financial decisions are simply a filter that we run those following decisions through. So, we don’t want to tether ourselves to our money. We want to tether ourselves to our faith and use smart, financial intellect and decision-making to forward our progress.
[spp-timestamp time=”11:29″] Ron Gaver: Alright, I understand, and I think that I would certainly embrace having your faith at the center of all that you do and having God at the center of all that you do.
[spp-timestamp time=”11:39″] Ron Gaver: So you’re trying to focus more on the founder. Not only on the business, but also on the spiritual, the physical, the relational, and the intellectual because, you say, essentially, that the founder has a greater shelf life than any business, potentially.
[spp-timestamp time=”11:53″] Scott Weiss: Well said.
[spp-timestamp time=”11:55″] Ron Gaver: And then you explore the role of faith. One of your founders said that that is, arguably, the proper place for faith to be put in building the business and putting it all together, and so you’re trying, also, to build the person up, strengthen that person, and edify that person to bring the spiritual to bear on that person’s business so that that person is a more graceful founder or can more gracefully transition into that business and not burn out in the process?
[spp-timestamp time=”12:27″] James Clair: Yeah, exactly, because, oftentimes, we can forget that there are non-business-related relationships at stake—most notably family, friends. So if we consider the entire amount of stakeholders that exist within an entrepreneur’s idea or their business venture, we want to make sure that we don’t exclude those relationships and the physical health that’s put at risk when a founder, unfortunately, is not tethering their decisions to the right source. A lot of people can identify with what it’s like to lose friends during a business venture, to have lost marriages, to gain weight, to go through physical ailments—a lot of people identify with that.
[spp-timestamp time=”13:17″] James Clair: It’s not just the high-tech founders that come through our accelerator, and that’s also another layer to our uniqueness—that our message translates to a vast kingdom. And that’s our mission: to expand God’s kingdom; and we are looking to do it through the marketplace, or into the marketplace through entrepreneurs. But they have the ability to take that with them and transfer that to their families, to their friends, and then to future business associates, well after they’re out of their current venture.
[spp-timestamp time=”13:49″] Ron Gaver: I find this idea to be very exciting because, looking at starting a business, one thing I would not be willing to sacrifice—or the things I would not be willing to sacrifice—would be my marriage, my family, and my health. My friends, maybe a little bit after that, but my marriage, my family, and my health—those are the things that God has given me to be a steward over, and those are the things that I must maintain. I have a mandate to do so, and I have a responsibility to do so. The sacrifice that goes along with losing those things is, in my mind, a failed proposition.
[spp-timestamp time=”14:26″] Scott Weiss: We would agree. It’s also important for your listeners to know two things. We are trying to help the founder see these five capitals (and you articulated them already): [in ascending order, financial, intellectual (or ideas), physical (or health), relationships, and spiritual]—to see they have all five of these things, in different measure and at different times in their life, and the key to navigating a successful startup is to recognize that you have access to all five capitals. And while you’re watching the business, you don’t need to sacrifice your family, but you are going to impact your family. You simply will have far less time for your family. You will need to use many of your relationships to build your business, just to interview them (what do they think about your product?), to do your pitch, to ask for money possibly, to ask them to become a customer, or ask them to ask friends to become customers.
[spp-timestamp time=”15:24″] Scott Weiss: So, we try to help the founders understand: you’re not going to have a balanced life; you’re going to have an unbalanced life. Now, how do you enter that journey, recognizing its imbalance, and come out on the other end with healthy relationships intact? You do that by taking everyone on the journey with you, by over-communicating where you’re heading, by using the other capitals you may have in excess to feed the capitals differently than you normally would. So, while I no longer have the time for the relationships I used to have, I will have access to new learning, new intellectual development, new networks, new people—let me introduce them to my wife, my children, whoever is important in that family. So this is very much an issue of: it’s not about balanced life. It’s about understanding the impact the imbalance it’s going to cause and using the resources available to you to navigate that successfully. It’s a real important concept that often gets lost. I’m just going to carry on, so I’m just going to throw the second thought at you pretty quickly, if that’s OK.
[spp-timestamp time=”16:35″] Scott Weiss: We are very, very focused on the founder, but we recognize the founder comes to us with an idea that ignites his or her passion. They have this idea, they want to create it, they want to see this enterprise enter the marketplace and grow, and hopefully succeed, and hopefully succeed at whatever level’s appropriate for that idea. So, we don’t have a different benchmark for marketplace success.The marketplace determines success, and we strive to prepare the founders to have their invention, their idea, their product, their company, succeed; and succeed at the highest levels. We think its excellence is absolutely an affirmation of the gifts God has given you, and using your gifts to deliver excellent results is what we aspire to do. So this has helped the people understand the journey they’re on and to use all the things it’s provided to them and to navigate that journey successfully, and navigate that journey, delivering, an excellent company that delivers excellent results.
[spp-timestamp time=”17:41″] Scott Weiss: So, in many ways, when we’re interviewing candidates, we try to help them understand: coming here is more work than going to most accelerators. The outcome is more enriching, more edifying, and you will leave here (if you engage in it) with awareness and knowledge and relationships that we think will serve you the rest of your life, but it’s a lot more work. It’s not easier, it’s harder.
[spp-timestamp time=”18:10″] James Clair: Yeah, very much so. Hearing Scott brought to my mind: when God is shining a light in some of our darkest corners—many times, we can be scared, or we can be afraid of what impact and anxiety that’s going to bring to us or to the people around us; but one fruitful piece of our overall mission is that we want to change that feeling for a founder from being afraid and scared to feeling free; and that there’s freedom in identifying these characteristics and behaviors that we have as individuals and how they affect, not just our personal lives, but the success of our business. And, many times, [for] the biggest fault-line in our individual ventures, there’s a relatable behavior that’s reflecting in our personal life; and addressing those realities and really dying to them and bringing truth to what that really should mean for us is what ties together both of those pieces really well.
[spp-timestamp time=”19:18″] Ron Gaver: One thing that, Scott, you mentioned, “taking everyone along on the journey”—and I think that that’s a great concept—how do you implement it, though? Do you use it by talking to people more, by demoing your product—is that what you said? By basically involving them as much as possible in this whole process with you? Is that how you do that, or can you elaborate a little on that?
[spp-timestamp time=”19:39″] Scott Weiss: Sure, I think I can. Let me paint a pretty clear picture, and this will take just a few words and then I’ll pause and answer any questions.
[spp-timestamp time=”19:48″] Scott Weiss: The Ocean program—once you arrive, it’s a four-month program and then demo day occurs and then there’s one month following demo day that we’re all together. And accelerators, while they do the same thing, do it differently; and one way to look at accelerators is there are very unstructured accelerators (you get in and you have access to a bunch of mentors and advisors and customers, and you’re kind of on your own), or you have structured accelerators. We are a structured accelerator. So, the companies arrive, and we have laid out a curriculum that starts everybody at one level and takes them up through, and past demo, day; and it’s a business curriculum that’s built on the business canvas map that really gets them focused on what value they’re creating in the marketplace, validating that value, and getting out there and testing it, and then generating revenue off of it.
[spp-timestamp time=”20:44″] Scott Weiss: We have a variety of speakers that come in and talk about that, and entrepreneurs who have both succeeded, and many of whom have failed (or failed once or twice and then succeeded); and they just come in and tell their stories that supplement whatever concept we are focusing on that week. So that’s the business curriculum, and every week there is a speaker on the business side of it to prepare the knowledge base of the founders to accelerate—to run their business more effectively and to grow faster.
[spp-timestamp time=”22:20″] Scott Weiss: And then he unfolds all of the worksheets he and his analysts use to determine that. So you’re sitting there, day one, and you’re hearing a live, venture capitalist give you the answer to the quiz. How do you get them to open the door and talk to you about your idea? You tell them the vision and mission of your company in great depth and in a way an investor, or potential investor, can understand it.
[spp-timestamp time=”22:44″] Scott Weiss: That’s kind of day one. They all go out to lunch. They have a great time. They come back. And day one, I had a creative director from a local studio there, and he led a session that he called (I think it was a “he”), led a session on, “I believe in God, I believe that God’s a creative force, and I believe God wants me to create, and that’s what it means to be in God’s image.” And all that he talked about was his personal faith journey and how God had come alive in him and given him the courage to step out and create these incredible visual images that multiple clients pay for.
23:21 Scott Weiss: That’s it. That’s day one.
[spp-timestamp time=”25:20″] Scott Weiss: We do not select based on your faith. We’ve had Christian believers in the accelerator. We’ve had non-Christians. We’ve had seekers, people who say: “I think I’m an agnostic or humanistic. I’m not really sure. I’m trying to figure this all out.” We’ve had all different religious faiths from the Christian side. We select based on your willingness to go on this journey, and we’re very clear, while we respect where you’re at, understand: the journey we’re laying out for you is from a Christian perspective. We all believe that’s a source of great truth for all of us.
[spp-timestamp time=”25:54″] Scott Weiss: So, we’re going to take them out for three days We’re going to have multiple workshops leaders come in. We’re going to have all kinds of exercises, and begin unpacking: “Where are you? Where are you in your walk with God? Are you having one? Are you not? How does that manifest itself? What do you believe?” Then we’re going to come back and do all this business/faith stuff.
[spp-timestamp time=”26:12″] Scott Weiss: Then, about two months later, we’re going to go away again, and on that weekend sojourn, we’re going to say, “Here are the biblical truths, the biblical principles, we’ve been talking about. How are you going to apply those—if you choose to—in your business?” And we have taken the time to unpack key biblical truths into business principles, and almost all businesses in Judeo-Christian cultures use biblical principles in running their business. Love others as you love yourself. Treat others the way you want to be treated. Treat the customer the way you want to be treated. We get them to unpack that and to write out their objectives for their company so they have specific goals for the culture and company they’re trying to create.
[spp-timestamp time=”26:59″] Scott Weiss: Then we come back, we get through demo day, and then we’re going to take them off again. Now they’ve met all these investors, they’ve had this launch. What are they going to do all this as they leave us and launch into the world? How’s this all going to come to life in how they’re going to run a company based on biblical principles that, hopefully, has great commercial success? So it’s an intense, fun, creative process that involves literally dozens and dozens of people, willing to give of their time and talent, who come to us from all over the country to help make this possible.
[spp-timestamp time=”27:32″] Ron Gaver: You’ve gotten into some of your program—the actual functioning of the program, month-in/month-out, day-in/day-out, week-in/week-out—and there’s one graphic on your website that is a circle with the formal program in it and you have monthly events, weekly events, and daily events. Could you go into a little bit about how that program works?
[spp-timestamp time=”27:45″] Scott Weiss: The weekly events are the series of speakers that I outlined. Every week, we have someone come in and lead a workshop on a business topic that’s aligned with accelerating high-tech companies. We have a speaker come in every week and lead a session on a faith topic, and then every week we have a workshop that integrates them. Every week we have at least one, but generally two, guest speakers for something we call “coffee chats,” and these are founders, these are people who’ve started businesses. Last year, we had a founder from Israel drop in. We’ve had a major leader from Google drop in. We have all kinds of local entrepreneurs. A young man who’s been on shark tank came and talked, and they just tell their story. And we tell them, “This week we’re talking about this business topic and this faith topic.” And they tease out of their story something that’s occurred to them that exemplifies either or both of those topics.
[spp-timestamp time=”28:48″] Scott Weiss: Every week we do a community meal. We provide soup (I love soup), and we’ll have all the founders there. Their families are invited. All the mentors are invited. We’ll have all the lawyers who volunteer for us. We’ll have 30-50 people every Friday for a big community lunch and soup, which forces you to sit next to somebody and drink or sip out of a bowel. So, it gets everyone talking, and suddenly we’re not in an accelerator anymore; we’re just doing life. Every week we’ll have optional participation in a Bible study. Every week we’ll have optional physical activity.
[spp-timestamp time=”29:25″] Scott Weiss: Daily, we ask each company to journal. We post a journal question up on the board—we’re going to do that differently next year—and the journal question is very much against their faith walk, very much is taking them on a guided journey of questions that, if you went back and read all the answers you wrote to these journal questions, you’d have a pretty interesting diary or chronology of ever-deeper growth and understanding.
[spp-timestamp time=”29:52″] Scott Weiss: And then, about two weeks into the program, every week we practice pitches on a stage, with microphones, with slides, leading up to our demo day, which is probably one of the highest-attending demo days in the United States in terms of physical audience size and streaming audience size. So, we do the combination of all those things to make the program entertaining, engaging, creative, and fun.
[spp-timestamp time=”30:20″] James Clair: Yeah, it’s important to have those different layers because we want the program to reflect how we live life. There are routines and there are rhythms that we don’t do every day but that we want to make sure we prioritize, and that we make space for, as we go through the journey of the program. So there’s a key reflection in what we do outside of our businesses and what we do in life, and we put that into the program so then that way, if you don’t have a very good rhythm or routine with spending time journaling or in Scripture every week, we want to almost kick-start that rhythm for you, so that when you leave the program, you’re going to take that behavior with you. Same thing with the encouragement of physical fitness, and then encouragement of getting in a small group and discussing your faith or Scripture.
[spp-timestamp time=”31:15″] James Clair: Especially when you’re in a format like we are, we find that routine to be very beneficial because they’re also naturally integrating what they’re currently going through in their companies into whatever topic we’re discussing in the Bible studies. So, the program—although it looks very cool and it’s laid out (we’ve got monthly, weekly, daily)—we could easily eliminate whatever words we put in there for those bubbles and put rhythms and routines in our daily life, and it would make perfect sense to a lot of people.
[spp-timestamp time=”31:47″] Ron Gaver: Okay, so the cornerstone of the program is the faith aspect of it, and, of course, you bring in the other speakers who talk about more technical, business-type aspects, and then, on the monthly events, you also get into legal, investment, leadership, and something called “field day.” I’m not sure what that is.
[spp-timestamp time=”32:05″] Scott Weiss: That’s just getting people out to validate their idea in the marketplace. The number one cause of high-tech failures is people fall in love with their own idea and actually never talk to anybody in the marketplace about it; so whatever they’re working on (whether it’s B2C or B2B), we line up time, space, and interviews with the right audience to validate their idea.
[spp-timestamp time=”32:29″] Scott Weiss: Exactly. That’s exactly what it means. Get out in the field, and go and talk to customers. It’s a big principle we teach: to constantly listen to the marketplace.
[spp-timestamp time=”32:39″] Ron Gaver: Hypothetically, let’s say I’m a founder. I’ve been accepted and you’ve made the convertible note available to me, and I’m relocating to Cincinnati for the four-to-five months—well, five months, including the month after demo day—and I’ve got a family. How do the founders usually negotiate that with their families? What do you usually see happening there?
[spp-timestamp time=”33:04″] Scott Weiss: That’s a great question. So this past year—our program runs January through May, so we just had our bon voyage party for this year’s class—this past year, there are nine companies that got accepted. We take anywhere from about eight to twelve. It’s hard to get in. There are hundreds of applications that get boiled down to the people we offer to. Of those nine, five were from outside the Cincinnati region. Two of those were from Europe and relocated from the United Kingdom (both were from London, coincidentally) to Cincinnati. One was a single person (and her co-founder popped in and out), and the other was a married gentleman with a wife and two children.
[spp-timestamp time=”33:48″] Scott Weiss: The “spouse with children” is a common story from people relocating to Cincinnati or in Cincinnati. About half of our founders tend to be married with family. So, we go through all this in the interview process. We want to understand their game plan.
[spp-timestamp time=”34:04″] Scott Weiss: When that individual arrived, we had reached out to our network and we had already lined up twenty or thirty rental properties of people willing to rent to him on a short-term basis. He, from London, envisioned his family being here on two separate times during his five-month sojourn (so they would relocate for an extended period and then they would go home); and then he would fly back and forth from London twice and spend a week there and Skype in or stream in and participate in the program that way.
[spp-timestamp time=”34:36″] Scott Weiss: So we helped find housing at a very favorable rate. We then worked with a non-profit that gives away automobiles, and they gave him a car. He’s going to give it back to us when he’s done, and we’ll give it back them, but he had free use of a car for his duration, as did the other person from London (as would anybody relocating here who doesn’t have a vehicle—we would arrange that). And we lay this all out so, when they get here, we know how their family’s going to navigate it, they know how their family’s going to navigate it. When that individual’s family showed up from London, we also had arranged families of our mentors to take time out of their lives, show them Cincinnati, invite them over to their home, take them out to dinner—without imposing, giving the family time, but still being welcoming. That’s how we do it.
[spp-timestamp time=”35:24″] Ron Gaver: Showing them great hospitality.
[spp-timestamp time=”35:26″] Scott Weiss: Exactly.
[spp-timestamp time=”35:27″] Ron Gaver: Now as far as the type of companies that you look for: do you look for any specific type of company—or the one speaker that you referred to last year was looking for people who could clearly articulate their mission—is there a particular type of mission that you focus on when you’re selecting applicants, or is it basically just whatever floats up to the top?
[spp-timestamp time=”35:53″] Scott Weiss: We’re very focused on the industry being high-tech because you can accelerate a high-tech company. If we’re making fans, you can’t accelerate because you’ve got to cut molds, you’ve got to make the product, and you have to test the product; but high-tech is coding so we can accelerate. They have to be high-tech. The product has to be at or beyond the MVP stage (minimally viable product stage). We don’t like to start with companies before then because it’s too hard to get them ready for demo day.
[spp-timestamp time=”36:22″] Scott Weiss: There has to be at least two founders. We won’t take solo founders—it’s just too hard. And they have to be willing to [take], and seeking, this spiritual journey; and we sort that latter piece out in an extended interview either live or via Skype. At this point, we’ve done dozens and dozens and dozens of these, so we have a pretty keen sense when someone’s being honest and sincere in their answers and when, perhaps, they’re just saying they want to do that so they can get in and get the money. So that’s kind of what we look for: high-tech, at least two founders, willing to relocate, product at or beyond the MVP stage, and a sincere and open heart to a spiritual journey.
[spp-timestamp time=”37:03″] Ron Gaver: And you also prefer one of the co-founders to be a technical founder, I believe?
[spp-timestamp time=”37:09″] Scott Weiss: We skew that way, just for practical reasons, although we’ve taken about a third of the companies where neither was a technical co-founder, but they were able to resolve that issue through outsourcing or hiring a CTO. Chances for commercial success are higher if one of them understands coding and can actually build the product.
[spp-timestamp time=”37:29″] Ron Gaver: As far as Ocean is concerned, the accelerator itself is a non-profit organization and then there’s Ocean Capital as well, which is basically the financial end of it.
[spp-timestamp time=”37:38″] Scott Weiss: Correct. That’s a separate legal entity that, under IRS rules, is an SPV (special purpose vehicle), which means it collects money from a broad range of diverse investors, and its job, as a legal entity, is to track the flow of money so that, when those investors get a return, that they can be properly taxed. The entity itself doesn’t make any profit. It doesn’t lose any. It collects money and puts it into convertible notes for the companies.
[spp-timestamp time=”38:07″] Ron Gaver: And as far as Ocean, the accelerator, the non-profit side of that—it grew out of Crossroads (the church), and then an organization within Crossroads called Unpolished, which I believe was a group of business people getting together and talking about business, and then they wanted to do something more. Is that correct?
[spp-timestamp time=”38:26″] Scott Weiss: That’s a great story. Unpolished is a group within a large church—very vibrant and active community in Cincinnati called Crossroads Community Church—and this group had coalesced and formed and was meeting monthly and providing speakers; and they’re sitting around one day, brainstorming (it’s a small leadership team): “What else can we do?” And three of the participants in that were high-tech founders—had all founded high-tech companies, and one had had a successful exit (had started a company, grew it, sold it, and was now starting another one)—and those three articulated that the path for a high-tech founder is arduous and fraught with risk and often results in significant damage to health, relationships, and faith, which James talked about earlier. So they said, “Let’s start an accelerator. Let’s create an accelerator that approaches it differently—that focuses on the founder, with this lens of faith we’ve been talking about all afternoon.” And the larger group and the church said, “That’s a great idea!” And Crossroads very generously kick-started the entire campaign with a donation that allowed for the conversion of this old warehouse space into a fantastic co-working space. So that’s how it all started.
[spp-timestamp time=”39:41″] Ron Gaver: You say they kick-started it. I read somewhere on your website that they did it with a 2014 Beans and Rice Week?
[spp-timestamp time=”39:49″] Scott Weiss: They do a really interesting fundraiser where, every week, they ask their entire community to take on a third-world diet, which is largely vegetarian and beans and rice, and to contribute the difference they would spend normally for food (dining out, buying a first-world diet)—to calculate that and contribute that to Crossroads. Crossroads collects that money, which is a large sum—the first year was like $350,000, last year was $700,000—all of that money, a hundred percent, goes outside Crossroads to support a variety of partnerships or programs, that don’t have any relationship with Crossroads, around the world. It supports building schools in Nicaragua. It supports Ocean. It supports paying to have public swimming pools open in the greater Cincinnati area in a year when the city didn’t have any money to keep the pools open. So they give that all away and we were the very fortunate beneficiaries of some portion of that the first year.
[spp-timestamp time=”40:48″] Ron Gaver: Then as the founder arrives—we’ve talked about family accommodations, and that’s something you call concierge, but there’s also really a package of things that you do. We’ve talked about seed financing. We’ve talked about the unique, five-month curriculum with all that that entails. A couple of things we haven’t gone into too much: first, your mentors. You say you have a great pool of mentors, and I’ve seen on your webpage a bunch of pictures of all the different mentors. Could you kind of give a characterization of your cadre of mentors—not necessarily saying “this person, this person, this person,” but the type of people that come and support and want to be a part of this?
[spp-timestamp time=”41:29″] James Clair: Yeah, that’s very much the guardrails of the program. We introduce a very diverse mentor—I should first say, we identify and address a very diverse mentor pool—and our goal is to educate them as to what it means to be a mentor in an accelerator space, and what it means to be a coach in an accelerator space where you have nine founders (like we had this last class) but 100 mentors and coaches. Obviously, ten mentors and coaches aren’t going to meet with every founder every week—the capacity of that doesn’t make sense—but it’s the right person at the right time, and that’s where we come in, where we say, “This entrepreneur is at place X, and that’s perfect alignment with this mentor that we have in our pool.” So we’re going to introduce them, and we believe that that mentor is going to help shape [the founder] or help put that founder back on track—or you could even say “introduce a discipline” that will help put the founder back on track—[or] share life experience, and don’t let me make it seem like it’s just business.
[spp-timestamp time=”42:36″] James Clair: These mentors have voiced that they’re really passionate about sharing their faith journey and their faith story, just as much as their business successes and even business failures. Our mentor pool—they’re not just diverse in the sense of demographically but geographically. Scott has mentioned different mentors and speakers coming in from Israel or East Coast or California, Silicon Valley, the South. That aligns perfectly with our mission of Kingdom expansion globally, and our program speaks to a lot of people, not just in Cincinnati, not just in the mid-West, but [as] we’ve seen in our applicant pool, in the UK. It speaks to people in Europe. It speaks to people around the globe. We want our mentor pool to be capable and ready, and we want to arm them well enough that when we introduce them, our founders are going to benefit from that exponentially.
[spp-timestamp time=”43:33″] Scott Weiss: So I would just add, Ron, the mentors will break into two broad groups. All of them want to share their personal life story, their faith journey, and they break then, subsequently, into two groups. We have a large group of subject matter experts—accountants, marketing, product developers, project managers, legal—and then we have a smaller group of people who have started businesses and understand the journey. That smaller group tends to form an intimate, one-on-one relationship. One person from that smaller group will end up being with one of the companies for the whole five months. They’ll be there every week. They’ll have them over their house for dinner. The person who has started the business has the time, the energy, and the maturity in their faith to be able to kind of wrap their arms around a company and be a truth-teller—not to run the business, not to tell them what to do, but to listen and give them honest feedback. Everyone else tends to cluster around tasks, as James pointed out, and we tend to pulse them in and out based on their subject matter and where each company is on any given week.
[spp-timestamp time=”44:49″] Ron Gaver: In conjunction with that, you also have some partners—some business partners, law firms, banks, Crossroads itself, an organization called 805 Creative (which is a design and creative production agency).
[spp-timestamp time=”45:02″] Scott Weiss: Yep. Companies all get free legal advise the whole time they’re in the program. That’s a combination of the generosity of the University of Cincinnati Law School, which provides legal fellows, and they’re supervised by a local law firm. Last year it was Frost Brown Todd, and it’ll either be them or another great local law firm next year (there’s two law firms that want to do that). And then all these other business partners line up, and they’re very clear: “We will donate this much time.” So the lawyers just said, “We’ll be your lawyers.” Each studio says, “We’ll give you 20 hours.” And, when we line them up with the company, we say, “Okay, you’re asking this agency to do some work for you. And at 20 hours, the clock starts running and you’re paying for it, so let’s get really focused so you can get done what you need done in 20 hours.” That’s what we coach them on doing.
[spp-timestamp time=”45:51″] Ron Gaver: One of the objectives of that creation experience is a brand identity kit?
[spp-timestamp time=”45:56″] Scott Weiss: Yeah, some of the companies need that. Some do not. This past year, most of the companies had well-established brands and arrived with trademarks in place and graphic design done and operational websites. If the company doesn’t have it, we provide that. If they do have it and want to validate it, we provide that. But most of them have really solid brands. In fact, only one of them needed a lot of branding work this past year.
[spp-timestamp time=”46:23″] Ron Gaver: And there’s something called a style guide in there?
[spp-timestamp time=”46:26″] Scott Weiss: Yeah, that’s just a tactical tool on design (the product design itself); what the interaction is like if it’s a B2C business (business to consumer). Of the nine companies, almost all of them were B2B (business to business) this past year, so while the style guide is still important, it’s not as profoundly important.
[spp-timestamp time=”46:44″] Ron Gaver: So then, they’re there. Are they all basically in one co-located space, and they feed off of one another and thrive on the ideas and inputs from one another?
[spp-timestamp time=”47:19″] Scott Weiss: They can then get up and walk from there to multiple places in the building, into a private conference room, all glassed in, and they can jump on a video network feed and talk to a customer anywhere in the world (or anybody anywhere in the world), or they can put a presentation up in a larger conference room and have customers come in. They can walk to other parts of the building, which are just quiet spaces, where you can go work alone on your laptop or sketchpad, or you can go and pray or study. And then we have “huddle” areas—we have couches thrown around with area rugs where [I could go] if I wanted to get four or five people together and just hash something out. Whiteboards everywhere—moveable whiteboards everywhere—and everything’s open.
[spp-timestamp time=”48:01″] Scott Weiss: There is no closed space. And everything is reserve-able or schedulable, or if it’s open, just walk in and use it. We then we have a kitchen area that we use for soup day, and we do a happy hour every Friday and about half of them are on our space, and that’s when we set up the beer and the soft drinks and all that good stuff.
[spp-timestamp time=”48:20″] Ron Gaver: You’re also big fans of Cincinnati itself. You site various things that are going on in the Cincinnati area and the area around Cincinnati, as far as start-up events, accelerators, incubators, co-working spaces, universities, something called CincyTech, funds and angels groups, economic development, and various associations. You seem to be real community supporters, and (from my point-of-view) you feel Cincinnati is a great place to do this kind of work.
[spp-timestamp time=”48:50″] Scott Weiss: Yes.
[spp-timestamp time=”48:51″] James Clair: What we do is a reflection of what already exists in Cincinnati, that there is an output now of an entrepreneurial spirit that has existed in Cincinnati for a while, and now there are minds and the intellect coming together and opening up about some of these innovative ideas on how this can work in a place not located on the West Coast. And we embrace the community because—I love that you referenced the beans and rice fast; that is the community of Crossroads Church—it was our catalyst to becoming who we are and opening this space that we’re in. [The community that goes to Crossroads—not eating lavish meals for a week or pausing their grocery trip for a week, and deciding to go deep into their cupboards—sacrificed.] They made that sacrifice so that what we’re doing right now would come to fruition, and I believe that we just simply reflect that in how we speak about our city and how we speak about the community. It’s just an affirmation both ways. This is an output that’s tethered to a Divine source.
[spp-timestamp time=”51:23″] Ron Gaver: Would you say that Cincinnati is a family-friendly city?
[spp-timestamp time=”51:47″] James Clair: Yeah, and that’s a great point: for the effects that starting and scaling a business have on a married founder—when I think about moving myself from maybe my hometown or home area, across the country to a new city—the way we support that individual founder is just as much as we would the married founder—the one, you know, relationship from a long distance. We leverage Cincinnati as a diverse city that just has this infectious fun about it, and it’s a place where you have an opportunity to do a variety of things no matter, geographically, where you’re from. There’s a lot of things here that are applicable to, not just mid-western, skyline Chili. It’s not all Chili in Cincinnati. There’s, like Scott said, a renaissance that’s really diversified, honestly, Cincinnati’s portfolio as a city.
[spp-timestamp time=”52:37″] Ron Gaver: Alright, then as far as Ocean’s schedule for a year, when do you usually open up applications?
[spp-timestamp time=”52:43″] Scott Weiss: We’ll be opening up applications in September—very early September; maybe very late August—and that’ll all be announced on our website. We accept applications from (let’s call it) September first to the end of October. We go through our screening process in November and make offers shortly after Thanksgiving [at the end of November] for a class that starts the second week of January.
[spp-timestamp time=”53:06″] Ron Gaver: And that begins your cohort, that goes through it, marching down to demo day as the major milestone at the end; and you said it’s a very well-attended—both physically and virtually—event.
[spp-timestamp time=”54:42″] Ron Gaver: So demo day comes, and demo day goes, and then your companies are still with you for another month. What happens in that month?
[spp-timestamp time=”55:42″] Scott Weiss: So, each company ends up with opportunity coming out of demo day, and we provide support on: “What do you do with that?” And then we also have a few weeks of integrating the entire program back to: “What does this mean for you now in your life? Where do you go from here in your life? The company’s a very important part of that, but you’re a far more important part of that. You are what God cares about. Where are you going to go?” And then we kind of have a ceremony—we call it a bon voyage party—and we launch them. As of this point, about three of the companies have moved on—they’ve left our building; they’ve moved on. One came in and said goodbye today, and the rest are still kind of hanging around, figuring out where they’re going to rent space and all that good stuff.
[spp-timestamp time=”56:29″] James Clair: You hit this pinnacle at demo day, and it’s amazing, and the companies do an amazing job. They deliver on the highest stage with the most visibility they’ll ever have at one time, in their young companies. Post-demo day it’s—what Scott said: “What does this mean now? How do I digest this in a healthy way, the feedback that I received from demo day, both good and bad? I retain it as a leave the accelerator.” And that’s really what we’re there for. We’re there to be [sounding boards] and to help them digest and retain feedback from demo day.
[spp-timestamp time=”57:08″] Ron Gaver: That was pretty much the end of my list of questions. The next thing that I was going to ask you is: is there anything that you would like to say or cover that I haven’t asked you about yet?
[spp-timestamp time=”57:18″] Scott Weiss: I’m reflecting on this great conversation we’ve had, which I’m so appreciative of. We’ve had a terrific conversation, and for anybody in your audience who listens to it, the universal message is: you, individually, matter. You matter to something much bigger than any of us, and that’s God, and He cares deeply about you, and He cares about your enterprises and your visions and your dreams. And whether it’s a high-tech company trying to get into an accelerator, or someone trying to get an education or someone trying to get a job at a local garage, lean into your gift and lean into it with the knowledge [that] God wants you to utilize that gift to your best ability; and in that leaning into it with the spirit of “what does God want me to do in this,” greater riches will come to you than in any other way in your life. So, our message would just be: lean into the gifts you have, and keep asking yourself, “What does God want me to do in this?” And more will come back to you than you can possibly imagine.
[spp-timestamp time=”58:20″] Ron Gaver: Well, thank you very much for your time. I’m sorry for running over a little bit.
[spp-timestamp time=”58:25″] Scott Weiss: Thanks a lot, Ron.
[spp-timestamp time=”58:26″] James Clair: Thanks, Ron.
[spp-timestamp time=”58:39″] Ron Gaver: If Ocean’s program sounds like a good fit for your company, please remember that they will be taking applications for the following year’s class from the beginning of September through the end of October. See the show notes for an application link.
[spp-timestamp time=”58:51″] Ron Gaver: Thanks for listening to the SaaS Business Podcast.
[spp-timestamp time=”58:55″] Ron Gaver: Please remember to take advantage of the show notes and the FREE Resource Guide we have created for you. The show notes page for any episode is SaaSBusinessPodcast.com followed by a forward slash and the three-digit episode number. To get the FREE Resource Guide, just use the Resources tab or any of the forms on the website.
[spp-timestamp time=”59:13″] Ron Gaver: If you like what we’re doing, please go to the support tab on the website to learn the various ways you might be able to support us.
[spp-timestamp time=”59:28″] Ron Gaver: This has been Episode 017 of the SaaS Business Podcast: Ocean, The Tech Accelerator. Thank you, again, for listening.
Some of the links on this page may be affiliate links. I may earn a commission if you purchase through these links. These commissions help to cover the cost of producing the podcast. I am affiliated only with companies I know and trust to deliver what you need. In most cases, affiliate links are to products and services I currently use or have used in the past. I would not recommend these resources if I did not sincerely believe that they would help you. I value you as a visitor/customer far more than any small commission I might earn from recommending a product or service. I recommend many more resources with which I am not affiliated than affiliated. In most cases where there is an affiliation, I will note it, but affiliations come and go, and the notes may not keep up. | 2019-04-24T06:57:20Z | http://saasbusinesspodcast.com/017-ocean-the-tech-accelerator |
KFOR-TV, virtual channel 4 (UHF digital channel 27), is an NBC-affiliated television station licensed to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States. The station is owned by the Tribune Broadcasting subsidiary of the Tribune Media Company, as part of a duopoly with independent station KAUT-TV (channel 43). The two stations share studios on Britton Road (near U.S. 77) in the McCourry Heights section of northeast Oklahoma City; KFOR's transmitter is located near 122nd Street, also on the city's northeast side. On cable, KFOR is available on Cox Communications and AT&T U-verse channel 4 in standard definition (and on Cox digital channel 704 and U-verse channel 1004 in high definition) in the Oklahoma City metropolitan area; it is also available on channel 4 on most cable systems elsewhere within the Oklahoma City DMA as well as on DirecTV and Dish Network.
The station is also carried on cable providers throughout much of western and southern Oklahoma, extending as far away as Guymon (which is in the Oklahoma Panhandle section of the Amarillo market) and Idabel (part of the Shreveport–Texarkana market). The station is carried on Cable One and other cable systems on the Oklahoma side of the Ada–Sherman market as an alternate NBC affiliate, albeit with NBC programs blacked out due to the presence of Ada-licensed KTEN, in compliance with FCC regulations allowing local network affiliates to prohibit cable providers from carrying duplicative network content from an out-of-market station.
Fascinated with the medium since the late 1930s, Edward K. Gaylord – publisher of the morning Daily Oklahoman and evening Oklahoma Times newspapers – brought television to Oklahoma on an exhibitory basis in mid-November 1939, when his Oklahoma Publishing Company (OPUBCO) sponsored a six-day demonstration of telecasts and broadcast equipment at the Oklahoma City Municipal Auditorium (now the Civic Center Music Hall) in downtown Oklahoma City, which featured appearances by performers from NBC and Gaylord's radio station, WKY (930 AM). During November and early December 1944, OPUBCO conducted a similar, 19-city television exhibition tour across central and western Oklahoma (open to residents who had purchased war bonds) that included performances from WKY personalities and demonstrations by television technicians.
On April 16, 1948, Gaylord submitted a permit application to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to build a television station that would transmit on VHF channel 4. He waited to make the submission so as to ensure that any financial burden would be limited until revenue from existing OPUBCO assets was able to offset the station's profit losses. When the FCC granted the license for the proposed television station to Gaylord on June 2, 1948, Gaylord requested to assign WKY-TV as the television station's call letters, applying the base WKY callsign that had been used by his AM radio station shortly after it signed on in 1922 and also assigned to its FM sister on 98.9 (now defunct, frequency now occupied by KYIS) when it signed on in July 1947. The station began test broadcasts, accompanied by music playing over the test pattern slide, on April 21, 1949. Television set owners in Oklahoma and neighboring states called to report reception of the WKY test signal, which was transmitted each afternoon until regular broadcasts commenced. The test signal operated at low power for three days, after a lightning strike caused minor damage to a junction box on the transmission tower during the early morning of April 27. Closed-circuit transmissions began on May 27, with a wrestling match at the Oklahoma City Stockyards Coliseum.
Channel 4 officially signed on the air at 7:00 p.m. on June 6, with an inaugural broadcast that included speeches from Gaylord, executive vice president/general manager Proctor A. "Buddy" Sugg, and Governor Roy J. Turner; a topical feature by Gaylord and Sugg on the new television medium; and a film outlining programs that would air on WKY-TV. It was the first television station to sign on in the state of Oklahoma (KOTV in Tulsa – which had its license approved the same day as the grant of the WKY-TV license to Gaylord – would not debut until October 22), and the 65th to sign on in the United States. WKY-TV's original studio facilities were based at the Municipal Auditorium (near Colcord Drive and Walker Avenue, 0.5 miles [0.80 km] west of WKY radio's facilities at the Skirvin Tower Hotel on Park and Broadway Avenues), with production facilities in the Freede Little Theatre on the second floor. Following a second round of renovations to the building due to a fire that caused $150,000 in damage on November 17, 1948, most of the technical and production equipment was replaced, and soundproofing material was installed in the auditorium to limit disruptions between production of local programs and stage productions that would be held elsewhere in the building. The radio station's 968-foot (295 m) broadcast tower, located between Kelley Avenue and the Broadway Extension in northeast Oklahoma City's Britton section, was the site of an accident in which the assembly carrying the WKY-TV transmitter antenna fell 8 feet (2.4 m) (at the tower's 600-foot [180 m] mark) while being hoisted for installation; the antenna suffered minor, albeit repairable dents.
Channel 4 has been an NBC television affiliate since its debut, inheriting those rights through WKY radio's longtime relationship with the progenitor NBC Red Network, which had been affiliated with that station since December 1928 (WKY-TV did not air its first NBC program, Who Said That?, until June 17). It also maintained secondary affiliations with CBS, ABC and the DuMont Television Network. Originally broadcasting Sunday through Fridays from 7:00 to 9:45 p.m., the station expanded its broadcast hours markedly over the next two years: WKY-TV began broadcasting seven days a week on February 11, 1950, when it started offering programs on Saturday evenings, and by 1951, when it added a morning schedule of local and network programs, was airing 90 cumulative hours of programming per week. Channel 4's initial local programming included some WKY radio shows that were adapted for television, including variety series Wiley and Gene (hosted by singers and WKY performers Wiley Walker and Gene Sullivan) and children's program The Adventures of Gizmo Goodkin. In July 1951, the operations of WKY-AM-TV were integrated into a proprietary studio facility, which included television soundstages that were engineered to also allow origination of WKY radio programs, built just east of the Britton Road transmission tower (WKY radio had earlier moved into the facility on March 26).
OPUBCO management challenged a proposal under the FCC's "Sixth Report and Order" – which ended the agency's four-year-long freeze on licensing grants and realigned VHF channel assignments in many American media markets to alleviate interference issues – that would have resulted in channel 4 being reassigned to Tulsa and WKY-TV being moved to VHF channel 7. The company cited the cost of installing a temporary antenna, the potential effects on WKY radio's transmissions, and the need for viewers to replace their existing outdoor antennas with models capable of receiving high-band VHF signals in its response seeking to stay on channel 4. In April 1952, the FCC rescinded its request for WKY-TV to change frequencies, citing in part, feasible co-channel assignment separation from CBS affiliate KRLD-TV (now Fox owned-and-operated station KDFW) in Dallas, and the proposal's potential generation of signal interference issues in adjacent markets with other television stations transmitting on the same channel (the channel 7 allocation was reassigned to Lawton, where it would become occupied by present-day ABC affiliate KSWO-TV). On July 1, 1952, WKY-TV became among the first six television stations in the country – along with fellow NBC stations WBAP-TV (now KXAS-TV) in Fort Worth, KPRC-TV in Houston, WOAI-TV in San Antonio and WDSU in New Orleans, and secondary NBC affiliate KOTV (now exclusively a CBS affiliate) in Tulsa – to begin transmitting network programming over a live coaxial feed. The milestone was inaugurated that morning with a message by Today host Dave Garroway welcoming the stations in commencing live network telecasts; at that time, WKY increased its programming to 111 hours per week.
In 1953, OPUBCO – whose founder had long been an advocate for Oklahoma's educational system – donated $150,000 worth of existing WKY-TV broadcasting equipment to the Oklahoma Educational Television Authority (OETA) for its proposed station on channel 13 (flagship station KETA-TV, which would sign-on in April 1956). Because of the licensing freeze instituted by the FCC in September 1948, WKY-TV was the only television station in the Oklahoma City market until 1953; its initial two UHF-based competitors – KTVQ (channel 25, allocation now occupied by Fox affiliate KOKH-TV) and KLPR-TV (channel 19, allocation now occupied by Cornerstone Television affiliate KUOT-CD) – made their respective debuts on October 28 and November 8 of that year. Though KTVQ and KLPR respectively signed on as basic affiliates of ABC and DuMont, channel 4 continued to carry selected programs from the two networks, with ABC programming being retained through a secondary basic affiliation; in contrast, WKY disaffiliated from CBS one month prior to KWTV (channel 9) signing on as an affiliate of that network on December 20. WKY-TV remained a primary NBC and secondary DuMont affiliate until the latter network discontinued operations in August 1956. In 1958, Enid-based ABC affiliate KGEO-TV (channel 5) changed call letters to KOCO-TV, refocusing its coverage area to include Oklahoma City and assuming the local ABC programming rights; this left WKY-TV exclusively affiliated with NBC.
On April 8, 1954, channel 4 became one of the first American television stations not owned by a network to produce and transmit local programs in color, beginning with a five-minute telecast hosted that evening by E.K. Gaylord; it also carried select NBC network programs in the format, with children's program The Paul Winchell Show was the station's first network color telecast. (Before the FCC had approved a color transmission standard, Gaylord had ordered color broadcasting equipment being developed by RCA – which included two RCA TK40 color cameras – in September 1949.) The cooking show Cook's Book became the first regular program to broadcast in color from the WKY studios and first in the state to do so, while dance program Sooner Shindig became the first live color program in the country to originate from the studios of a network-affiliated station. When NBC became the first network to commence color telecasts on May 1, WKY-TV provided color feeds of the Anadarko Indian Festival to the network for broadcast on Today and Home. Local variety series The Hank Thompson Show also became the first color broadcast of a variety program. In 1955, WKY-TV became the first network affiliate to feed a full-length color program to a television network, transmitting coverage of a square dance convention in downtown Oklahoma City to NBC; it also transmitted closed-circuit images of a surgical procedure in color (WKY-TV had become the first Oklahoma television station to air a surgical procedure via closed circuit telecast four years earlier in February 1950).
The Oklahoma Publishing Company, through its WKY Radiophone Company subsidiary, eventually acquired or launched other television and radio stations during and after its stewardship of WKY-TV, including: WSFA (TV) and WSFA (AM) (now WLWI [AM]) in Montgomery, Alabama (in 1955); WTVT in Tampa, Florida (in 1956); WUHF-TV (now WVTV) in Milwaukee (in 1966); KTVT in Fort Worth (in 1962); KHTV (now KIAH) in Houston (built and signed on by the company in 1967); and KTNT-TV (now KSTW) in Seattle (in 1973). WKY-TV served as the company's flagship station, and in October 1956, OPUBCO renamed its broadcast group, the WKY Television System. In December 1954, a half-hour WKY-TV special, Gift of God, which outlined the medical and legal aspects of corneal transplants and included a film of a transplant operation project, led to the development of a statewide eye bank through a partnership with the Lions Clubs of Oklahoma and Lions Sight Conservation Foundation; by 1957, more than 16,400 donor cards (700 of which were received within 1½ hours after the special's initial airing, including one signed by then-Oklahoma Governor Raymond Gary) were signed to permit donation of participants' eyes to the bank after their deaths and 346 Oklahomans (including two who had underwent transplant surgery within 48 hours of the broadcast) had received corneal transplants to restore their sight.
In 1958, WKY became one of the first local television stations in the U.S. to acquire a videotape recorder; intended primarily for use by the station's news department, the recording equipment was also used for some program production, including those it distributed to NBC for national broadcast. One such videotaped show, the Stars and Stripes Show, premiered on NBC that year as the first network television program to be produced by a local station. Ownership of OPUBCO's Oklahoma City-based print and broadcast properties was transferred to Edward L. Gaylord, after his father, E.K. Gaylord, died of natural causes on May 30, 1974 at the age of 101.
In July 1975, Oklahoma Publishing sold WKY-TV to Universal Communications (a subsidiary of the Detroit-based Evening News Association) for $22.697 million. The Gaylords – which would later rechristen their broadcasting division as Gaylord Broadcasting – sold channel 4 to comply with FCC rules of the time that prohibited a single company from owning more than seven television stations nationwide, as it chose to purchase ABC affiliate WVUE-TV (now a Fox affiliate) in New Orleans and independent station WUAB (now a primary CW and secondary MyNetworkTV affiliate) in Cleveland as well as make building improvements to the Britton Road studio using proceeds from the sale. The sale coincided with the FCC's passage of new cross-ownership rules that prohibited media companies from owning newspapers and full-power broadcast television and radio outlets in the same market, restricting media companies to owning only either a print or broadcast property within an individual market. However, OPUBCO filed for a "grandfathering" waiver (which the agency allowed companies to seek to maintain existing newspaper-broadcasting combinations under special circumstances) to retain WKY radio, the Oklahoman, and the Times. The transaction was approved by the FCC on October 29.
On January 5, 1976, the station's call letters were changed to KTVY, in order to comply with a since-repealed FCC rule that prohibited separately owned TV and radio stations that were based in the same media market from sharing the same call letters. The WKY call letters had been assigned to its former radio sister before the "K"/"W" border definition assigned by the FCC was shifted to the Mississippi River in 1935; as such, upon changing them, channel 4 would have had to adopt a callsign starting with "K" – the KTVY calls were presumptively chosen as an anagram of its original WKY-TV calls – in any event. (WKY radio – which, in March 1977, moved to a new facility just west of the Britton Road building – was sold to Citadel Broadcasting in 2002, it is now owned by Cumulus Media; the Times ceased publication as a separate newspaper and was folded into the Oklahoman in March 1984; the Gaylord family sold the OPUBCO properties to The Anschutz Corporation in 2011). On June 6, 1985, KTVY became the first Oklahoma station to broadcast in stereo, initially broadcasting NBC network programs, local programs and certain syndicated shows that were transmitted in the audio format; taking advantage of the new format, channel 4's daily sign-ons and sign-offs began to feature music videos, some of which were tailored to the station's public service campaigns.
On September 5, 1985, the Gannett Company announced that it would purchase the Evening News Association for $717 million, thwarting a $566-million hostile takeover bid by L.P. Media Inc. (owned by television producer Norman Lear and media executive A. Jerrold Perenchio). As FCC rules then prohibited a single company from owning two commercial television stations in the same market, Gannett was required to sell either KTVY or KOCO-TV, the latter of which had been owned by Gannett since its 1979 acquisition of Combined Communications Corporation. On November 15, 1985, Gannett sold KTVY, fellow NBC affiliate WALA-TV (now a Fox affiliate) in Mobile, Alabama and CBS affiliate KOLD-TV in Tucson, Arizona to Miami, Florida-based Knight Ridder Broadcasting for $160 million (with KTVY selling for a reported $80 million). The sale to Gannett was completed on January 13, 1986, with the Knight-Ridder transaction being approved by the FCC on February 19.
On February 28, 1989, Knight Ridder – which, 3¾ months earlier on October 8, 1988, announced its intent to sell its eight television stations to reduce its $929-million debt load and to help finance its $353-million acquisition of online information provider Dialog Information Services – sold channel 4 to Palmer Communications, then-owner of fellow longtime NBC affiliates WHO-TV in the company's headquarters of Des Moines and KWQC-TV in Davenport, Iowa, for $50 million; the sale was approved by the FCC on May 8.
KFOR logo used from 1994 to 2008; the "-DT" suffix was added in 1999. An initial version of the tri-lined "4" logo was first introduced with the adoption of the KFOR-TV call letters in April 1990, evolving into the slimmer design (seen above) in 1994.
On November 7, 1991, Palmer announced it had signed a letter of intent to sell KFOR, WHO-TV and Des Moines radio stations WHO (AM) and KLYF (now KDRB) for $70.2 million to New Canaan, Connecticut-based Hughes Broadcasting Partners, a group formed earlier that year with its purchase of ABC affiliate WOKR-TV (now WHAM-TV) in Rochester, New York. The sale agreement was terminated on April 2, 1992, after Palmer management rejected the bid submitted by Hughes Broadcasting representatives. In a lawsuit against Palmer, majority owner VS&A Communications Partners LP asked a Delaware court to force Palmer, which claimed it had no binding obligation to negotiate or reach a formal agreement, into resuming negotiations to reach a definitive sale contract. Hughes formally gave up its pursuit of the transaction, months after the judge presiding the case ruled that the agreement between VS&A and Palmer was not binding. Coinciding with the start of that year's Summer Olympics, KFOR inaugurated the "NewsChannel 4" moniker for its news branding on July 25, 1992 (the title would be extended to full-time use in May 1997); the "4 Strong" moniker was concurrently discontinued, opting to use the phoneticism "K-FOR" as a general identifier, sometimes accompanied by the slogan "Oklahoma's News Channel".
On May 14, 1996, The New York Times Company (through its Memphis-based broadcasting subsidiary) announced that it would purchase KFOR-TV and WHO-TV from Palmer Communications for $226 million (with KFOR selling for $155 million); the sale received regulatory approval less than two months later on July 3, and was finalized on July 16. On June 13, 1998, the WKY-AM-TV transmitter tower (which had been used as an auxiliary tower for KFOR-TV and WKY radio, and was designed to withstand winds in excess of 125 mph [201 km/h]) collapsed due to straight-line wind gusts to near 105 mph (169 km/h) – which also caused minor damage to KOCO-TV's studio facility, located 1.1 miles (1.8 km) to the east of the KFOR studios – produced by a supercell thunderstorm that also spawned four tornadoes across northern sections of Oklahoma City that evening. On October 11, 2000, The New York Times Company entered into a joint sales agreement with Pax TV owned-and-operated station KOPX-TV (channel 62, now an O&O of successor Ion Television), as part of a broader agreement between the Times Company and Paxson Communications that also involved stations in Des Moines and Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Until the agreement ended on July 1, 2005 (coinciding with Pax's rebranding as i: Independent Television), KFOR handled advertising sales services for channel 62, while KOPX carried NBC programs on occasions when conflicts with special event programming prevented them from airing on KFOR, and aired rebroadcasts of channel 4's 6:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. newscasts on a delayed basis.
Final logo under the NewsChannel 4 brand, used from August 2008 until August 19, 2017; the logo was modified in August 2016 to include the NBC peacock logo, and again in January 2017 to include the possessive "Oklahoma's" in the branding.
On September 14, 2005, Viacom Television Stations Group sold UPN owned-and-operated station KAUT-TV (channel 43, now an independent station) to The New York Times Company, creating a duopoly with KFOR upon the sale's November 4 closure. On January 4, 2007, the Times Company sold its nine television stations to Local TV, a holding company operated by private equity group Oak Hill Capital Partners, for $530 million; the sale was finalized on May 7. On July 1, 2013, the Chicago-based Tribune Company (which formed a management company for the operation of both Tribune Broadcasting and Local TV's television stations in December 2007) acquired the Local TV stations for $2.75 billion. The sale, which was completed on December 27, reunited KFOR with former sister station KIAH (which Tribune had acquired from Gaylord Broadcasting in 1995).
On August 5, 2014, during a staff luncheon held at the soundstage within the original Britton Road studios that housed KAUT's news set, duopoly president and general manager Wes Milbourn announced plans to construct a new facility on a ten-acre (4.0 ha) plot of land directly adjacent to the existing studio building to house the operations of KFOR-TV and KAUT-TV. Construction of the facility began in January 2015, and was completed in early August 2017. The facility – designed under an open floorplan to improve workflow and encourage collaboration between employees of the station's individual departments – incorporates two production studios (the main studio, which was named in honor of after veteran anchor Linda Cavanaugh upon her retirement on December 15, 2017, provides a backdrop of the newsroom structured similarly to the set used from 1992 until the anchor desk was walled off from the former studio's newsroom in 2006, and incorporates an 80-inch [203 cm] razored monitor); an expanded weather center within the production studio housing KFOR's main news set; two control rooms that relay high definition content; and several conference rooms dedicated to former channel 4 employees (such as the Barry Huddle Room, named in honor of late longtime sports anchors Bob Barry Sr. and Bob Barry, Jr.). The building's exterior was built with reinforced steel, concrete and protective glass to resist a direct hit from a tornado or extreme straight-line winds, which would allow KFOR to broadcast uninterrupted during significant severe weather events affecting Oklahoma City proper. KFOR/KAUT's news, sales and marketing departments, and all other operations moved to the new Britton Road studio on August 19, 2017 (commencing broadcasts with that evening's edition of the 10:00 p.m. newscast), ending KFOR's 65-year tenure at the original 444 East Britton Road building. The older building was later razed after operations were moved into the new building to make room for public parking space near the newer building. Coinciding with the move, KFOR-TV changed its branding to Oklahoma’s News 4 (although print and online TV listings mistitle the station's newscasts as "KFOR News 4"), adopting an alteration of the Tribune Creative West-designed graphics package developed for the Fox affiliates it owned prior to the Local TV purchase in 2012, and replacing the Wow and Flutter-composed custom theme that had been in use since 1997 with Stephen Arnold Music's NBC chimes-derived "The Rock."
On May 8, 2017, Hunt Valley, Maryland-based Sinclair Broadcast Group—owner of Fox affiliate KOKH-TV and CW affiliate KOCB (channel 34)—entered into an agreement to acquire Tribune Media for $3.9 billion, plus the assumption of $2.7 billion in debt held by Tribune. (Ironically, Sinclair attempted to purchase the Palmer stations in 1996, in a proposal with River City Broadcasting—which Sinclair, which in turn was purchasing then-UPN affiliate KOCB from Superior Communications at the time, would acquire later that year—that would have resulted in River City acquiring KFOR in exchange for allowing Sinclair to buy WHO-TV from Palmer; Sinclair's purchase of the River City stations precluded this, because of FCC rules that then prohibited duopolies.) Because Sinclair and Tribune each owned two television stations in the Oklahoma City market, with KFOR and KOKH both ranking among the market's four highest-rated stations in total day viewership, the companies were required to sell either KFOR or KOKH (and optionally, KAUT and KOCB) to another station owner in order to comply with FCC local ownership rules.
On April 24, 2018, in an amendment to the Tribune acquisition through which it proposed the sale of certain stations to both independent and affiliated third-party companies to curry the DOJ's approval, Sinclair announced that it would sell KOKH-TV to Standard Media Group (an independent broadcast holding company founded by private equity firm Standard General to assume ownership of and absolve ownership conflicts involving nine Sinclair- and Tribune-owned stations located in markets where both groups have television properties) in a $441.1-million group deal. Sinclair would have effectively acquire KFOR-TV's license and intellectual assets directly, while retaining ownership of KOCB, which it opted not to include in the Standard Media sale; as a result, channel 34 would have formed a new legal duopoly with KFOR-TV had Sinclair assumed ownership of that station, and would have migrated its operations into KFOR/KAUT's Britton Road studios following a six-month transitional period in which Sinclair would have continued to provide services to KOKH for six months after the sale's completion. However, because FCC rules prohibit common ownership of more than two full-power stations in a single market, Sinclair would have spun off KAUT-TV to affiliate company Howard Stirk Holdings for $750,000; however, it would have assumed control of that station through shared services and joint sales agreements with Stirk. Less than one month after the FCC voted to have the deal reviewed by an administrative law judge amid "serious concerns" about Sinclair's forthrightness in its applications to sell certain conflict properties, on August 9, 2018, Tribune announced it would terminate the Sinclair deal, intending to seek other M&A opportunities. Tribune also filed a breach of contract lawsuit in the Delaware Chancery Court, alleging that Sinclair engaged in protracted negotiations with the FCC and the DOJ over regulatory issues, refused to sell stations in markets where it already had properties (such as KAUT-TV), and proposed divestitures to parties with ties to Sinclair executive chair David D. Smith that were rejected or highly subject to rejection to maintain control over stations it was required to sell.
On December 3, 2018, Irving, Texas-based Nexstar Media Group announced it would acquire Tribune in an all-cash deal valued at $6.4 billion, including the assumption of Tribune-held outstanding debt. The deal—which would make Nexstar the largest television station operator by total number of stations upon its expected closure late in the third quarter of 2019—would give the KFOR/KAUT duopoly additional sister stations in Lawton–Wichita Falls (NBC affiliate KFDX-TV and SSA partners KJTL [Fox] and KJBO-LP [MyNetworkTV]), Wichita (the Kansas State Network group of NBC affiliates, led by flagship KSNW), Fort Smith–Fayetteville (NBC affiliate KNWA-TV and Fox affiliate KFTA-TV, which are part of an ownership conflict with Tribune-owned CBS affiliate KFSM-TV and MyNetworkTV affiliate KXNW), Joplin–Pittsburg (NBC affiliate KSNF and ABC-affiliated SSA partner KODE-TV), Amarillo (NBC affiliate KAMR-TV and SSA partners KCIT [Fox] and KCPN-LP [MyNetworkTV]) and Shreveport–Texarkana (NBC affiliate KTAL-TV and SSA partners KMSS-TV [Fox] and KSHV-TV [MyNetworkTV]).
KFOR-DT2 is the Antenna TV-affiliated second digital subchannel of KFOR-TV, broadcasting in standard definition on UHF digital channel 29.2 (or virtual channel 4.2 via PSIP). On cable, KFOR-DT2 is available on Cox Communications digital channel 247 in the Oklahoma City area, as well as on select other cable providers throughout the market (including Suddenlink Communications systems in Enid, Perry, Stillwater, Chickasha, Purcell, Seminole and Pauls Valley, and Vyve Broadband systems in Chandler, Holdenville and Shawnee).
In March 2004, KFOR-TV launched a digital subchannel on virtual channel 4.2, which was originally formatted as an automated local weather channel (branded as the "4Warn Forecast Channel"), displaying feeds of the station's two Doppler radar systems (then branded as the "4Warn Edge" and the "4Warn Storm Tracker") as well as local and regional weather forecasts. In February 2005, KFOR-DT2 became an affiliate of NBC Weather Plus under the brand "4Warn 24/7"; around this time, Cox Communications began carrying KFOR-DT2 on digital channel 247. Following Weather Plus's shutdown on December 1, 2008, the subchannel returned to an automated format, carrying successor service NBC Plus. On December 31, 2011, KFOR-DT2 became an affiliate of Antenna TV, taking over the programming rights from the then-operational KFOR-DT3. In addition, from September 16, 2012 until September 2013, some Antenna TV programs were simulcast on KAUT during the overnight and early morning hours to compensate for current-day syndication rights.
KFOR-DT3 is the Justice Network-affiliated third digital subchannel of KFOR-TV, broadcasting in standard definition on UHF digital channel 29.3 (or virtual channel 4.3 via PSIP). On cable, KFOR-DT3 is available on Cox Communications digital channel 224 in the Oklahoma City area.
KFOR launched a third digital subchannel on virtual channel 4.3 on April 21, 2011, as a charter affiliate of Antenna TV, by way of the Tribune Broadcasting-owned classic television network's affiliation agreement with then-KFOR parent Local TV; after the latter subchannel took over the rights to the Antenna TV affiliation on December 31, 2011, KFOR-DT3 continued to carry the network's programming feed in tandem with KFOR-DT2 until the station decommissioned its DT3 subchannel on January 15, 2012. KFOR-DT3 was relaunched on December 22, 2017, as an affiliate of the Justice Network under an expansion of an existing affiliation agreement that Tribune reached with the Cooper Media-owned network in August 2016.
KFOR-TV began transmitting a digital television signal on UHF channel 29 on June 1, 1999, becoming the first television station in Oklahoma City and the state of Oklahoma as a whole to begin operating a digital signal; until KFOR-DT began broadcasting on a full-time basis on May 1, 2002, the digital feed only transmitted NBC prime time and sports programming as well as a limited schedule of local programs carried by the main analog signal. The station discontinued regular programming on its analog signal, VHF channel 4, on June 12, 2009, as part of the federally mandated transition from analog to digital television. The station's digital signal remained on its pre-transition UHF channel 40, The station's digital signal remained on its pre-transition UHF channel 27, using PSIP to display KFOR-TV's virtual channel as 4 on digital television receivers.
Historically, although NBC was far less tolerant of preemptions than its fellow major network rivals and channel 4 was one of the network's stronger affiliates, the station has either preempted or aired out of pattern certain NBC network programs to make room for other local or syndicated programs, including an occasional prime time show. From the 1970s to the mid-1990s, it preempted a selected number of NBC late morning daytime shows in order to run syndicated and locally produced programs; this was especially prevalent under Palmer Communications ownership, when KFOR preempted NBC's late-morning talk shows and soap operas during the early 1990s, clearing only the afternoon soaps Days of Our Lives and Another World. For most of the soap's NBC run, from 1982 to 1985, KTVY preempted Search for Tomorrow, which was carried instead by then-independent station KOKH-TV; channel 4 began clearing Search in September 1985, which concurrently forced Days (which many NBC stations in the Central Time Zone normally aired at 12:30 p.m. at the time) to air on a 2½-hour tape delay to accommodate it until Search was cancelled by the network in 1986.
The station also preempted the final two hours of NBC's Saturday morning cartoon lineup from the late 1970s until 1992. In August 1992, KFOR chose to preempt the Saturday edition of Today and nearly the entire TNBC lineup (with the exception of Saved by the Bell, and later its spinoff The New Class, when it debuted in 1993), in favor of a new two-hour local morning newscast and a mix of educational children's shows and syndicated lifestyle programs. The station also delayed Late Night (during its David Letterman and Conan O'Brien runs) to 12:07 a.m. from the late 1980s until 2006 in order to run syndicated newsmagazines and game shows in the program's recommended 11:35 p.m. timeslot. Following its acquisition by The New York Times Company, KFOR-TV began clearing the entire NBC schedule in the fall of 1996; at that time, it reduced its weekend morning newscasts to an hour on Saturdays and 90 minutes on Sundays (cutting the 7:00 a.m. hour) in order to accommodate the weekend Today broadcasts (a Sunday 6:00 a.m. newscast was added by 2002), and began to carry the remainder of the TNBC block and a third hour of the NBC daytime lineup.
One of the station's most successful early local programs was The Adventures of 3-D Danny, a space-themed afternoon children's program that ran from 1953 to 1959. Hosted by Danny Williams as Supreme Galaxy Chief Dan D. Dynamo, the show – which showcased cartoon shorts between segments – was set in the fictional Space Science Center (of which Dynamo served as superintendent and from where he periodically traveled in a time machine known as the "synchro-retroverter"). Ratings for 3-D Danny often beat those of ABC's The Mickey Mouse Club, making it the first local television program in the country to achieve that feat. Williams joined the station in 1950 as host of an eponymous daily talk show as well as appearing as Spavinaw Spoofkin on The Adventures of Gizmo Godkin. He also served as an announcer for WKY-TV's Friday and Saturday night professional wrestling telecasts, and from 1967 to 1984, hosted the local midday talk-variety show Dannysday (which featured among Williams' co-hosts over its 17-year run, Mary Hart, before she became a household name as co-anchor of Entertainment Tonight). The format typified by Dannysday was reprised with the mid-morning infotainment show AM Oklahoma, hosted by Ben and Butch McCain (then working respectively as news and weather anchors for the station's noon newscast as well as its local news updates during Today); the program was cancelled after two years in 1987, after station management declined to renew the brothers' contract.
Another children's show with a similar local cultural impact was Foreman Scotty's Circle 4 Ranch. Airing from 1957 to 1971, it was hosted by Steve Powell (who, with Williams, created and hosted WKY-TV's The Giant Kids Matinee) in the role of the titular cowboy. Scotty was accompanied by a cast of supporting characters that included ranch-hand sidekick Cannonball McCoy (played by station announcer Wilson Hurst), and several played by Danny Williams including fellow sidekick Xavier T. Willard. The show also featured prize giveaways including the Golden Horseshoe, whose winner was selected through the "Magic Lasso," a cut-out slide that was superimposed on-screen over the audience, and honorary rides on a wooden horse named Woody for children in the studio audience who were celebrating their birthday. At its peak, the show had a 1½-year backlog of kids who wanted to be part of the show's audience.
In 1966, WKY-TV became the originating studio for The Buck Owens Ranch Show (the first season of which was produced by local businessmen Bud and Don Mathis, founders of locally based Mathis Brothers Furniture, the former of whom played the "ranch foreman" that joked and bantered with Owens). The half-hour syndicated country-variety series was seen in over 100 U.S. markets at its height, and was perhaps the most successful program of its kind that was not produced in Nashville (where most television programs of the country genre have been filmed). Regular acts that appeared included Owens' band, the Buckaroos, Kay Adams, the Hager Twins, Susan Raye and Owens' sons Buddy Alan and Mike Owens. Yongestreet Productions forced Owens to discontinue the Ranch Show in 1973, due to music duplication with the longer-running Hee Haw (both of which featured Roy Clark as his co-host).
In August 1949, WKY-TV reached a deal with the University of Oklahoma to air Oklahoma Sooners football home games. The station's first live Sooners telecast aired on October 1 of that year, with a game against the Texas A&M Aggies at Owen Field (now Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium). WKY-TV also originated the first televised college football analysis program: airing from 1953 to 1963, Bud Wilkinson’s Football (later retitled Inside Football with Bud Wilkinson) was a 15-minute – later 30-minute – show that featured the Sooners' three-time national championship head coach as he discussed the previous week's game strategy, demonstrated through film footage and using figurines positioned on a miniature football field. At its peak, the show was syndicated to television stations in 45 markets across the U.S. In 1966, a wrestling match between the Sooners and the Oklahoma State University Cowboys became the first to be televised live on the station.
From 1978 to 1984, channel 4 (as KTVY) aired an hour-long condensed broadcast of the most recent Sooners football game, with wraparound segments co-hosted by then-head coach Barry Switzer. The Oklahoma Playback – which aired on Sunday afternoons during the college football season – was also syndicated to stations throughout the U.S. (mainly in the Southwest, with KDOC-TV in Anaheim, California among the program's few out-of-region carriers), and briefly aired on the Five Star Cable Sports Network (a now-defunct channel owned by OU alumnus, oilman and former Texas Rangers owner Eddie Chiles). Around this time, the University of Oklahoma and then-Oklahoma City mayor Andy Coats led a legal challenge to regulations imposed by the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) in 1951 that restricted the number of college football games that could be televised live in a single season; however, KTVY occasionally broadcast live games through NCAA waivers that allowed certain games to be broadcast within a team's home market as they were being held. The rules, which were imposed out of concern that the broadcasts negatively affected game attendance, were overturned in a 7-2 vote by the U.S. Supreme Court in June 1984.
From 1982 to 1997, channel 4 also aired college basketball games involving the Sooners. These telecasts – consisting of between ten and twelve regular season games each year, most of which aired on Saturday afternoons – originated under a direct revenue-sharing deal with the university, before expanding to encompass the Oklahoma State Cowboys and other fellow members in the Big Eight Conference (which evolved into the Big XII in 1996) under an agreement with Raycom Sports in 1985 – transferring to ESPN Plus in 1993 – in an agreement that also gave the station the local broadcast rights to select college football games involving Big Eight teams to which ABC did not hold the national television rights and the first three rounds of its men's basketball tournament. Since KFOR-TV lost the local syndication rights to the ESPN-produced Big XII basketball telecasts to KOCB in 1998 to 2014, sports programming on the station comes mainly through NBC Sports.
As of September 2017[update], KFOR-TV broadcasts 40½ hours of locally produced newscasts each week (with seven hours on weekdays, two hours on Saturdays and 3½ hours on Sundays); in regards to the number of hours devoted to news programming, it is the highest local newscast output among Oklahoma City's broadcast television stations. In addition, the station produces Flashpoint, a political discussion show focusing on state and national issues (moderated by weeknight anchor Kevin Ogle, with Mike Turpen and former Oklahoma City mayor Kirk Humphreys as panelists), which airs Sundays at 9:30 a.m. Because it produces Rise and Shine for sister station KAUT-TV, channel 4 does not produce live news updates during the first two hours of the weekday editions of NBC's Today, choosing instead to air brief weather segments that were recorded earlier that morning during the production of Oklahoma's News 4 This Morning (KFOR does produce live news updates for broadcast during the Saturday edition of Today and Sunday Today with Willie Geist).
The station operates a Bell 206L-4 LongRanger IV helicopter for newsgathering, "Bob Moore Chopper 4", named through a brand licensing agreement with area car dealership franchise Bob Moore Auto Group in January 2010. The helicopter caught footage of an F5 tornado that killed 36 people on May 3, 1999 as it tracked from Amber to Midwest City (this video was used for eleven years in promos for "Chopper 4"), and an EF5 tornado that hit Moore on May 20, 2013, which was broadcast nationally on The Weather Channel. KFOR became the first Oklahoma station to broadcast aerial helicopter footage in high definition on March 11, 2010.
Channel 4's news department began operations along with the station on June 6, 1949, originally consisting of 10-minute-long newscasts at sign-on and sign-off, using wire copies of local news headlines read by anchors over still newspaper photographs. Bruce Palmer, the station's first news director, wanted to provide more immediacy to news coverage; he believed the restrictions placed on television news would result in broadcasts detailing only a limited number of stories at a time, outside of weather reports, and foresaw that television news would concentrate on films or photographs to help tell the story. The television station's news department utilized news staff from WKY radio to serve as reporters and photographers (a collection of 16 mm news footage shot by WKY-TV between 1953 and 1979 was donated in 2013 to the Oklahoma Historical Society, which made the films available on its website and a dedicated YouTube channel). Within a few years, WKY had employed a staff of 44 Oklahoma-based reporters and additional correspondents in three surrounding states. In 1950, WKY-TV became one of the first television stations in the country to employ a mobile broadcasting unit to conduct live broadcasts that would be relayed to the Oklahoma City studio or to film on-scene footage on kinescope for later broadcast; the unit – which had its electronic equipment installed by station engineers – employed up to three cameras, one of which was stationed on a special platform on the roof of the bus, and included a 12-inch television receiver built onto its side to display the direct-to-studio feed (this vehicle was replaced in 1969, with a proprietary mobile color unit). Among the events that the unit was sent to cover during the station's early years were the Oklahoma Republican and Democratic State Conventions, both of which were relayed live from the Municipal Auditorium, respectively in February and April 1952.
In January 1951, WKY-TV became the first station in the U.S. to provide coverage of state legislature sessions, which were conducted from the Oklahoma State Capitol twice a week. Channel 4 claimed to have made the fastest showing of any sound on film ever to have been processed and aired on television at the time, when on February 8, 1952, WKY-TV aired anchor John Field's introductory remarks that were filmed 15 minutes prior to that evening's newscast. The Houston film processor used by the station allowed WKY-TV to broadcast news coverage only a few hours after it was shot on-scene. The station is also purported to be the first in the U.S. to allowed access to film a court proceeding on December 13, 1953, while covering the trial of accused murderer Billy Eugene Manley. A WKY-TV film crew (led by reporter Frank McGee) was placed in a specially constructed, enclosed booth in the rear of the trial's courtroom at the Oklahoma County Courthouse, with a microphone hidden near the front of the court recording the proceedings. A small button was placed on the desk of Judge A. P. Van Meter to allow him to automatically discontinue operation of the cameras at any time. The swearing in of the jury, some testimony and Manley's sentencing was filmed for later news broadcasts.
The station's ascendance in the local news ratings occurred primarily under the stewardship of longtime news director Ernie Schultz (who joined the station as a reporter and photographer in 1955, before being promoted to news director and anchor of the noon newscast in 1964). The station hired top-drawer talent and based its journalistic style around in-depth reporting. In 1972, Pam Henry – who contracted polio at 14 months old, and had served as the national poster child for the March of Dimes in 1959 – was hired by channel 4 as an assignment reporter, becoming the first female to work as a news reporter on Oklahoma television; after a brief stint working in Washington D.C., Henry would later work at other television stations in Oklahoma City and Lawton as well as a 16-year run as manager of news and public affairs at OETA. From 1973 to 1978, WKY-TV aired Spectrum, a weekly prime time public affairs show with a newsmagazine format, which incorporated feature segments on local stories and people of importance and issues affecting Oklahoma's minority community. A documentary featured on the program, Through The Looking Glass Darkly (produced and reported by eventual NBC News correspondent Bob Dotson, about the history of blacks in Oklahoma), became the first program from an Oklahoma television station to win an Emmy Award in 1974.
The station is well known in the Oklahoma City market for the longevity of its anchors as well as the two families that have had roots with the station. In 1979, Linda Cavanaugh – who began her broadcasting career at the station on October 17, 1977 as an assignment reporter and news photographer; she was promoted to lead anchor of the weekend newscasts in June 1978 – became the first female to co-anchor an evening newscast at channel 4 when she was appointed as lead co-anchor for the station's 6:00 and 10:00 p.m. newscasts, alongside George Tomek (who also became lead anchor of the station's midday newscast that same year) and Brad Edwards, respectively. Cavanaugh's co-anchors throughout her tenure also included Gary Essex (1981–1982), Jerry Adams (1982–1987), Jane Jayroe (1984–1987), Dan Slocum (1987–1990), Bob Bruce (1990–1992), Devin Scillian (1992–1995) and finally, Kevin Ogle (1996–2017). In 1989, Cavanaugh and chief photographer Tony Stizza were awarded the Edward Weintal Prize for Diplomatic Reporting for its documentary "From Red Soil to Red Square," which detailed life in the Soviet Union, a principal trade partner with Oklahoma's agricultural industry, under the territory's glasnost. The two partnered on several other projects including Tapestry, a 1996 documentary on the lives of several survivors of the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building one year after the terror attack, which was honored with four Emmys, a National Gabriel Award Certificate of Merit as well as several accolades by, among others, the Oklahoma Association of Broadcasters, the National Press Club and the Society of Professional Journalists. Cavanaugh holds the record as the longest-serving news anchor in Oklahoma television, having served as primary co-anchor at KTVY/KFOR for 38 years until her retirement from broadcasting on December 15, 2017. (She is also the second-longest-tenured television news personality in Oklahoma, behind only Gary England, who served as chief meteorologist at rival KWTV for 41 years from 1972 to 2013.) Replacing her on the 6:00 and 10:00 p.m. broadcasts was Joleen Chaney, who first joined KFOR as a weekend evening anchor/reporter in 2008, and after a two-year reporting stint at KWTV beginning in June 2014, returned as co-anchor of the weekday 4:00, 5:00 and 6:30 p.m. newscasts in July 2016; Heather Holeman, who first served as weekday morning anchor/reporter from 2000 to 2007 and returned to KFOR in 2015 as a weekday morning traffic reporter, concurrently replaced Cavanaugh as 4:30 p.m. and Chaney as 5:00 p.m. co-anchor.
The Ogle family have been part of the station in some manner since the 1960s. Jack Ogle joined WKY-TV as its main news anchor in 1962, and became known for his interpersonal, "good-ol'-boy" approach to his on-air delivery; his tenure also featured prominent anchor/reporters George Tomek, Ernie Schultz and Jerry Adams. After Schultz moved to a role as WKY-TV's director of information, Ogle became news director in 1970 and served in that capacity for seven years; he continued to occasionally appear on channel 4 as well as rivals KOCO and KWTV after departing as anchor/news director role to do regular commentary pieces. His eldest son, Kevin Ogle, first worked at channel 4 as a reporter from 1986 to 1989; he returned as a weekend evening anchor/reporter in 1993, before being promoted to weeknight co-anchor in 1996. Middle son, Kent, was hired as a reporter in 1994; after brief stints anchoring the weekend morning and, later, weekend evening newscasts starting in 1994, Kent was moved to the weekday morning and noon newscasts in 1997 (two of Jack's other descendants, youngest son Kelly Ogle and granddaughter by way of Kevin, Abigail Ogle, respectively serve as evening co-anchor at KWTV and weeknight 6:00 p.m. co-anchor/reporter for KOCO-TV). In 2006, Kevin began hosting The Rant, a segment airing most Monday through Thursdays during the 10:00 p.m. newscast that features viewer opinions on a selected news story, with the Thursday edition serving as an "open topic" forum featuring positive and critical comments on multiple subjects.
The late Bob Barry, Sr. was also a fixture for many years, starting his television career at WKY-TV as its lead sports anchor in 1966, while maintaining his duties as the radio play-by-play voice of the Oklahoma Sooners (a position to which Barry was appointed by Bud Wilkinson in 1961; Barry called radio broadcasts of OU, and later Oklahoma State, football and basketball games with Jack Ogle until 1974). Barry became sports director in 1970, holding that position for 27 of his 42 years at Channel 4; he remained a part-time evening sports anchor until his retirement in May 2008. His son, Bob Barry, Jr., became weekend sports anchor/reporter at KTVY in 1982, working along Bob Sr. for 25 years and assuming his father's role as sports director in 1997; the younger Barry – who was known for his jovial, off-the-cuff style – served as KFOR's sports director and weeknight sports anchor until the day prior to his death in a motorcycle accident in June 2015. Collectively, including a posthumous win by Bob Barry Jr. in 2016, the Barrys earned 22 "Sportscaster of the Year" awards from the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association (Bob, Sr. holds the record for most wins with 15). In February 2016, Brian Brinkley (who joined KFOR as weekend sports anchor in 1991) succeeded Barry Jr. as sports director.
The station is known for its In Your Corner series of consumer advocacy reports, which focus on investigations into reported scams, area businesses accused of ripping off consumers, and occasionally, issues of corruption in Oklahoma state and local governments. Debuting in 1981, the segment was created and originally conducted by Brad Edwards, who joined channel 4 as a reporter/photographer in 1973, before being promoted to 10:00 p.m. anchor four years later. Edwards also started several community initiatives overseen by the station that help low-income residents, including "Warmth 4 Winter" (a partnership with The Salvation Army Central Oklahoma Area Command and local dry cleaners to collect donated winter coats and other winter clothing for needy Oklahomans) and "Fans 4 Oklahomans" (a drive held each summer to collect boxed fans for donation to the elderly and poor who cannot afford or do not have air conditioning). Following Edwards's death due to complications from endocarditis, vasculitis and a brain aneurysm in May 2006, duties for the "In Your Corner" segment were rotated between anchors Lance West and Ali Meyer, and assignment reporters Scott Hines and Cherokee Ballard in the interim until Hines was promoted to a full-time consumer investigative reporting role in 2007.
On January 5, 1981, KTVY moved its early evening newscast one hour earlier to 5:00 p.m. and expanded it to one hour (it was the first station in Oklahoma City to air an hour-long newscast in that timeslot, predating the launch of KOKH-TV's own 5:00 p.m. news hour by 34 years). The move resulted in the station shifting NBC Nightly News to 6:00 p.m., airing on a half-hour delay from its network-recommended slot. The early-evening newscast was split into two half-hour programs at 5:00 and 6:00 p.m., bookended by Nightly News, on August 19, 1985. In May 1990, KFOR-TV implemented the "24-Hour News Source" concept, which was the subject of a trademark infringement lawsuit filed that month by KOCO-TV, which claimed it held the local rights to the brand name. Providing news headlines in time periods not occupied by the station's regular long-form newscasts or its half-hourly updates during Today, channel 4 began to produce 30-second-long news updates that aired at or near the top of each hour during local commercial break inserts within syndicated and NBC network programs, even during prime time and overnight slots (producers and other newsroom personnel anchored the segments for several years during the 1990s). The station continued to utilize the hourly newsbrief format exclusively in daytime and late fringe slots until 2006, when they were reduced to two afternoon segments serving as de facto promotions for the evening newscasts. Upon joining KFOR in July 1991, Galen Culver (who is currently married to Saturday morning anchor Tara Blume) started Is This a Great State or What?, a regular feature airing Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays during the 5:00 p.m. newscast that focuses on stories of interesting places and people around Oklahoma.
Just prior to and following the adoption of the NewsChannel 4 brand in August 1992, KFOR-TV began to slowly expand its local news programming, starting under the direction of then-general manager Bill Katsafanas and news director Melissa Klinzing, who enacted the strategy to gear KFOR as "the CNN of the [Oklahoma City] market". On June 15 of that year, the station added a weekday afternoon, lifestyle-focused newscast at 4:30 p.m. (originally titled First News at 4:30). Two months later on August 15, channel 4 became the second Oklahoma City station to debut weekend morning newscasts, originally airing Saturdays and – beginning on August 23 – Sundays from 7:00 to 9:00 a.m.; then on August 17, KFOR expanded its weekday noon newscast to a full hour. In September 1993, KFOR debuted Flashpoint, a half-hour Sunday morning talk show that was originally moderated by Devin Scillian (who developed a program of the same title and format at WDIV-TV in Detroit in 1996). Following their run as analysts for channel 4's coverage of the 1992 presidential election, news producer Mary Ann Eckstein, who later became KFOR's news director in 1996, developed the program around panelists and former Oklahoma gubernatorial candidates Mike Turpen and Burns Hargis (the latter of whom left the show in 2008 to become president of Oklahoma State University–Stillwater).
During coverage of the April 19, 1995 Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building bombing, the station erroneously reported during that day's coverage that a member of the Nation of Islam had called in to the station to take credit for the bombing (which was actually orchestrated by Timothy McVeigh, who associated himself with the Patriot movement, and Terry Nichols), even though it cautioned that the claim might have been a crank call; similarly, in the aftermath of the bombing, then-KFOR reporter Jayna Davis reported on a story which claimed that McVeigh was seen drinking beer with a former Iraqi soldier in an Oklahoma City tavern (Davis would later write a 2005 book, The Third Terrorist, which looked at the conspiracy theory that a Middle Eastern man had been involved in planning the bombing). On May 1, 1995, KFOR debuted a half-hour extension of its 6:00 p.m. newscast – replacing first-run syndicated programs that the station had traditionally aired in the 6:30 timeslot, and originally serving to provide proceedings of the aftermath of and developments in the investigation into the Murrah Building bombing – focusing primarily on national and international news headlines that was modeled similarly to ABC, CBS and NBC's national evening newscasts. KFOR-TV has avidly competed with KWTV for first place among the market's local television newscasts for decades. It had placed second behind KWTV in the morning and late evening news timeslots. Nielsen later found an error in KFOR's ratings reports in September 2008, in which share points were mistakenly assigned to KFOR's 4.1 digital multicast signal from 2005 to 2008; the corrected ratings showed that it had placed #2 in all timeslots at that time, a rarity given the ratings declines that NBC's programming and its affiliates' local newscasts overall had suffered beginning in 2004.
On June 5, 2006, KFOR-TV began producing a half-hour weeknight 9:00 p.m. newscast for KAUT-TV (which competes against Fox affiliate KOKH-TV's hour-long newscast that debuted in May 1996); it expanded news programming on KAUT with the debut of a two-hour extension of its weekday morning newscast on September 8, 2008. On July 12, 2009, starting with its 10:00 p.m. newscast, KFOR became the first commercial television station in the Oklahoma City market to begin broadcasting its local newscasts in high definition (it also upgraded its severe weather ticker to be overlaid on HD programming without having to downconvert the content to standard definition); the Is This a Great State or What? segments began to be produced in HD that January and the KAUT newscasts were included in the overall upgrade. On September 7, 2011, KFOR-TV launched a half-hour 4:00 p.m. newscast that features an emphasis on viewer interaction through social media, mixing news, lifestyle and entertainment stories with trending stories on the internet and web videos. On August 27, 2012, KFOR expanded its weekday morning newscast to three hours, with the addition of an hour at 4:00 a.m.
KFOR-TV is one of two stations within the Oklahoma City market that is known for its comprehensive coverage of severe weather affecting the state. The station's Doppler radar system, branded as "4WARN Storm Scanner", provides live dual-Doppler radar data from sites at the Oklahoma City studios and near Newcastle (the latter of which operates at 1 million watts); both also utilize data from National Weather Service (NWS) radar sites nationwide. KFOR also provides local weather updates for six iHeartMedia-owned radio stations: KTOK (1000 AM), KGHM (1340 AM), KBRU (94.7 FM), KXXY-FM (96.1 FM), KTST (101.9 FM) and KJYO (102.7 FM).
Channel 4 is claimed to be the first television station in the United States to have established a professional meteorological department, as a result of the 1951 hire of weather director Wally Kinnan. It also claims to have hired the first local broadcast meteorologist in Oklahoma, Harry Volkman, who joined WKY-TV in March 1952 after a two-year stint at KOTV in Tulsa. On September 5, 1954, it became the first television station to broadcast a tornado warning, doing so for a tornadic thunderstorm approaching Meeker that afternoon. WKY-TV reporter Frank McGee relayed a tornado forecast issued by and intended to be released exclusively to Tinker Air Force Base staff over the phone to Volkman. General manager P.A. Sugg – who, with Oklahoma U.S. Senator Mike Monroney, had been pushing the U.S. Government to overturn a ban on disseminating tornado alerts to the public, believing the high fatality risk and the need to allow residents to take safety precautions outweighed government concerns that it would incite panic – instructed Volkman to deliver an on-air bulletin of the "tornado risk" for central Oklahoma that afternoon. Though he had apprehension of facing arrest for violating government rules, Volkman agreed to deliver the warning after Sugg volunteered to take responsibility. Volkman narrowly avoided being fired by OPUBCO management upon finding out that viewers in the tornado's path sent letters thanking him and WKY-TV for the warning (Volkman would remain at channel 4 until 1954, when he became a meteorologist at KWTV).
In 1958, WKY-TV became the first Oklahoma television station to install a weather radar system, utilizing a converted surplus military radar that was used until 1970. Kinnan had earlier developed methodology to predict and detect tornadoes using radar by identifying wind patterns to predict precipitation movement, despite the NWS's belief that there was no method possible to predict them with a degree of accuracy. That year also saw the hiring of Jim Williams, who would later succeed Volkman's successor, Bob Thomas, as the station's chief meteorologist; Williams formerly held the record as the state's longest-serving television meteorologist, working at channel 4 for 32 years until his retirement in 1990 (Gary England, who served as KWTV's chief meteorologist for 41 years from October 1972 until August 2013, surpassed Williams for the title in 2005). Mike Morgan – who replaced one of Williams' two short-lived successors, Wayne Shattuck, who himself was Morgan's direct predecessor for the same position at KOCO-TV – took over as KFOR's chief meteorologist in 1993. In 1986, KTVY became the first television station in the country to introduce colorized Doppler radar. In 1995, KFOR became the first television station to transmit images over cell phones with the development of "First Video," technology which allowed the station's news crews to send photos and video of severe weather over mobile relays for broadcast (KWTV claims to have originated this method with a similar system developed by former anchor Roger Cooper in 1992, which allowed near-moving video to be relayed to the station over cell phones). The "First Video" technology won a Heartland Emmy for technological broadcast innovation in 1996.
In recent years, KFOR has been locked in a competition KWTV and, to a lesser extent, KOCO for having the top weather technology in the U.S. In 1997, KFOR debuted "The Edge," a radar system which updated radar data in near-real-time intervals (with Morgan having once claimed that it was "20 to 25 minutes" ahead of NEXRAD data, which has a five- to 10-minute update run on average, used by KFOR's two principal competitors) and incorporated street-level mapping. Following the May 1999 tornadoes, with which KFOR's coverage (as well as KWTV and KOCO's) were credited for their extensive warning, Morgan was criticized by other area meteorologists, including Gary England, for taking a "chicken little" approach to tornado coverage, either by providing too much coverage of tornadoes that do not pose an immediate threat to life and property or by misidentifying benign cloud formations in thunderstorms. In April 2013, KFOR partnered with veteran storm chaser Reed Timmer to help supplement the station's storm chasing fleet, providing coverage of severe weather events.
Ain't Nobody Got Time for That – an April 2012 KFOR report that became a viral video for its interview with Kimberly "Sweet Brown" Wilkins on her escape from a fire at an Oklahoma City apartment complex.
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This page was last edited on 12 April 2019, at 08:04 (UTC). | 2019-04-25T04:39:08Z | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KFOR-TV |
Red & Black Volume 88 Issue 6 Jefferson City High School Jefferson City, MO.
Do you have story suggestions for the Red & Black? Email us at RedBlack.JCHS@gmail.com, call us at 573-340-3715, or come stop by room J141. We’d love to hear your ideas or even publish your work. We accept freelance writers, photographers, and cartoon artists. Come be a part of your student newspaper.
April 15, 2019 Volume 88, Issue 6 Red & Black is a student-led newspaper that serves as a public forum for the school and the community. Opinions expressed in the paper are not necessarily those of JCHS, nor the faculty, staff or administrators.
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Event: Reel Life Cinema: The Fish on My Plate Missouri River Regional Library, Wednesday, April 17, 2019 @ 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm. Free. Event: Thursday Night Live 200th block of High St, Thursday, May 9th, 7:00 pm - 10:00 pm. $5.00 for 13 and up.
Event: Sound the Alarm Kick-Off; American Red Cross Community Kick-off Event 200-300 Block of High Event: Art Around Town (Gallery Crawl) 1507 E McCarty (Village Square) Friday, April 26th, 4:00 pm Event: Stars Under the Stars 2019- The Little Mermaid Ellis-Porter Riverside Park, Friday, June 7: “The Little Mermaid” 8:45 pm. Free.
ollowing the trash audit performed by the green team, the school has decided to make some environmentally-friendly changes. As of next school year, the cafeteria will be reducing the Styrofoam usage during breakfast and lunch. Instead of using Styrofoam plates and plastic utensils, the school will switch to sectioned trays and metal utensils. This is a huge success for the Green Team, who has spent countless hours advocating for this change. The grantwriting committee is still advocating for trash and recycling receptacles side by side in the cafeteria and around school.
and everything they have accomplished because of their persistence and passion. She also expressed her appreciation towards the school. “We are so proud of the school district’s efforts to embrace waste reduction, increase recycling rates and to shift people’s habits for the sake of reducing greenhouse emissions and thus mitigating climate change,” Fraga stated. The Green Team is made up of students who strongly believe that small changes will make a huge difference. If you are interested in joining Green Team, contact Mrs. Fraga for more information.
creates so much trash compared to the amount of product. This is being seen not only in PR, but in packaging in stores as well, to a certain extent. Brands that claim to be “Vegan” and “Animal Cruelty-Free” are some of the many big perpetrators when it comes to creating packaging waste. When interviewed and asked about this, an employee at Sephora who will remain anonymous said, “It shouldn’t be a problem, it should be about the product, not how much packaging you put it in.” Employees at Ulta were asked to comment on this topic, but due to the company policy, they were unable to give a statement.
The makeup industry creates over 120 billion units of packaging worldwide every year, as told by Stylist, a widely used fashion and makeup news source. That amount of waste is enough to cover millions of acres of land with cardboard, plastic and non-biodegradable substances. There are so many unnecessary levels to what goes into a PR box. There’s wrapping around containers of moisturizers, creams and boxes as well as the countless layers of tissue paper and cardboard to hold everything in place for at most around 4-5 items.
according to a study done by PLOS Medicine done in 2018. The passage of these bills speaks to a growing trend in America regarding our leniency towards the importance of vaccination and the compulsory need for them. Whether or not it continues throughout the rest of the country remains to be seen.
arius Aftetat-Peckham is one of five seniors chosen by the National Student Poets Program to travel around the country speaking to students, holding workshops and sharing his poetry. Darius spoke about his admiration for Ross Gay, who writes about the small joys of life. He often writes about the complications of joy and sadness. Darius came to Jefferson City to share some of his work with students and hopefully put some delight into other’s lives.
The Beautiful Day Dance Mornings, when I woke up, my face sagging, defeated, Dad would smile at me and wave his arms above his head, his legs kicking beneath him, a desperate flail but a chance to show that he could move his body as well as anyone--when the sunlight seemed to break and spill down his raised chin like egg whites and the chill bit into us both--he’d sing The song isn’t as important to me now as the beauty of the dance (and I’m sure the melody was a repetitious rip-off of Zippity-Doo-Dah, though sometimes we tilted our heads beneath the sky And just yelled it, despite the neighbors, dispelling Puff of warm air from our mouths as we screamed It’s a beautiful day, to the blue that filled the space Behind the clouds, to whoever was listening- to the Way I sweat at nights, Dad rubbing the wet T-shirt That clung to my back \, whispering, It’s all right, We’re okay over and over, like a chorus, the the broken Limbs and the deaths that rendered us, for a time, living memories, regretfully alive, but thankful that We could always spin ourselves around, arms spread spread wide To live and dance and) To sing anywaysTo sing always.
n the 2019-2020 school year, JCPS will switch its start times (elementary schools at 7:45, middle schools at 8:50 and high schools at 8:40). This has left the student body divided over whether this change is for the greater good, or if it creates more problems than it solves. The factors listed below are some of the pros and cons of the upcoming start time change.
Studies from the National Sleep Foundation show that the brain of a high school student is traditionally unable to fall asleep before 11:00 PM. This means that on the current schedule, most attendees of JCHS fall short of the 8-10 hours per night that are necessary for a high school age student to function properly. These new start times will allow students to sleep in an extra hour; this means that instead of sleeping from 11-6, most students can sleep in until 7 in order to get that extra hour that they so desperately need.
A large portion of high schoolers drive to school. Many parents use this as an opportunity to save time and money by having their high schooler pick up their younger siblings.
With the new system, this cannot happen and many parents will be forced to take off work to pick up their children or pay for afterIncreased sleep has many results; one of these school childcare. This proves to be very is an overall increase in academic performance. inconvenient to any parent who does With a start time that is delayed by just one hour, not want their younger children students grades rose by an average of 4.5 percent, to be home alone. according to a study conducted by the University of Washington.
Since a main goal of our school is to improve academically, these start times are a step in Many high school students work after the right direction. school. Oftentimes, their shift starts around 4:00 PM. With the new schedule, students will lose between half an hour to an hour of work time per shift. This can be detrimental to students who need as many hours as possible to pay for things such as vehicle maintenance, food and a place to live. This situation will most likely hurt the student body financially.
verall, there are many reasons why the later start times can help or hurt students. There is no possible way for the district to please everyone, so this decision is bound to upset a large portion of students, but it will also help the others.
Q: What made you want to join the culinary arts? A: Well, what made me want to join the culinary program was, I’m really fascinated with cooking. Like, cooking is in my family. My dad cooks, my brother cooks; it’s just a thing my family falls into one way or another.
Q: How easy would you say it was getting into the program, was there any difficulty?
A: No, there was not any real difficulties at all. If you have your priorities right with what you want to do, and if you want to go into the field, it’s easy to get in and it’s a really good program.
Q: Was there any misgivings going into this? Like is this really what you want to do?
criminal justice field for forensic scientists and this would be like a fall-back plan for me.
Q: And finally, if you were to pursue a career in the culinary arts, what is your end goal?
plan. When I got accepted that was our plan, that I would run the restaurant until he got all the certification and then I would co-chef with him.
t’s important to note that prices of college depend on many different factors. They can differ depending on the type of college, what they specialize in, and the location. The cheapest cost for college is usually community -Usually more college where you can get expensive. you basic required classes out of the way. Besides that -All the money for community colleges usually student housing is typically due all at once. doesn’t require you to stay on campus because they don’t have housing. -Limited privacy at While other colleges times. might require you to stay your first year. The -Would have to following are just the flat downsize and get rid of rate for tuition cost, not a lot. everything is included.
-Living on campus would allow a shorter commute to classes. -Utilities are included. -Depending on the scholarship, it might help pay for your student housing if you choose to live on campus. -Campus security. -Usually includes food vouchers.
-Some colleges shut down the dorms during breaks so you wouldn’t be able to stay there.
-Money is spaced out over time.
-Utilities are not included (sometimes).
-Some places don’t have a washer or dryer.
-Can start building rent history making it easier to buy or rent places later in life. -More privacy. -If you decide you like the place enough, you can decide to stay there longer.
-Could have difficulties with your landlord. -Be confined to a lease. -Pay for a place yearround.
Q: When did you start enjoying art? A: I’ve done art all my life, but only really got into it around age 13. Q: What medium do you prefer to use? A: Copic markers are what I use the most. Q: What kinds of things do you do when you get artist’s block? A: Really I just doodle and search Pinterest until something catches my eye. There’s no perfect way to get out of an art block. Q: What kind of future are you hoping to build with these skills? A: I’ve thought of doing some kind of illustrative contracts with some children’s book authors, but as of now it’s just a bit of a side gig for me, and I’m fine with that. Q: Do you have any inspirations for your work? A: There’s no major inspiration, honestly. I follow a few artists online (DrawWiffWaffles, Draw With Jazza, Emily Artful, etc). Really my own style is a mix of the kinds of art I like, but it leans towards a childish illustrative look. Q: Have the programs and classes here at JCHS helped you develop your skills in any way to improve your artwork? A: JCPS has offered me a lot of practical help along the way for learning new skills. Personally, though, I think that JCHS has a restrictive way of teaching that just doesn’t work for me. Everything from restricting what materials can be used for certain projects to saying you MUST have an exact sample photo for whatever you’re doing has turned me away from the classes they offer.
Have unique ideas that you’d like to see at prom?
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People who would like to show off their unique talents.
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your first choice? A: When I was 18, I was in college planning to be an English teacher. I had a great teacher my senior year in high school, and I loved the class. However, I couldn’t imagine being in a traditional classroom day in and day out. A neighbor of mine encouraged me to consider nursing, and the next day, I applied for a job at Jefferson City Manor Care Center. My NCC job allows me the opportunity to be in the classroom, but always with patient care in mind.
of my career, my father-in-law was also terminally ill. These stressors made me question nursing as a career. However, when the NCC Practical Nursing Coordinator, Patty Francka RN, called with an OB Instructor Position, my love for nursing was restored. In 2001, I had the opportunity to move to the secondary program Health Science and teach students to become Certified Nursing Assistants. I love being back at the nursing homes.
at nursing school? A: I was an average student in school, both high school and college. I had nursing skills from working in the nursing home, but the academics were hard for me. I had to take a semester off, because I had to take a Pharmacology class over. I just never gave up. I love to share that story with students! Never give up!
elements of my subject with others; my content area is one that demands interaction with other minds. Literature, reading, writing - these make us human, and the sharing of them grows us as people.
where it was at though. Whatever I chose to do for a living, my path needed to be one where I could find an epiphany. That meant both reading a great deal AND getting out there and having some experiences.
and they tend to be there for you when you need them to help you with your next stage. Teachers are not just people who work in schools; they are aunts, uncles, friends. You, yourself, might find you are a mentor to another.
are gratifying. I want to bring the best opportunities my content offers to open up new views to my students.
with students. Every year - every day, really - is an opportunity to improve as a teacher and as a person. This job offers endless possibilities to reflect and improve at teaching, learning, and just being a better human.
Your 2019 Mr. JC winner is... Brock Johnson!
ompetitive video games, also called Esports, is an activity that is growing in popularity around the world. The prize pools for large tournaments grow larger each year; the last worldwide tournament for “League of Legends” had a six-milliondollar prize pool. Since Esports is a quickly growing industry, many colleges are implementing Esports teams and they are in need of players. This means Esports scholarships are very commonly received by students because of the high demand for players. We introduced an Esports club at JCHS last year, and every graduating senior in the club was offered a scholarship by a college. Since that time, we have introduced teams for “League of Legends,” “Overwatch,” “Hearthstone” and “Super Smash Brothers.” Like any sport, playing on a team requires teamwork, mechanical practice, memorisation and communication.
eSports Many people who play together within the club have become very close friends. The club is also a great place to develop connections to many people within the professional scene of gaming. We have the opportunity to speak and play with professional players and renowned coaches from around the world. These connections open future opportunities as well as help you grow as a player and as a person. We have the opportunity to attend invitational championships if our season records are high, and have had players on the Midwest college all-star team two years in a row. A few players are currently preparing to watch a professional match in St. Louis with their coach. Esports is a great experience for anyone who is interested in gaming, and is a wonderful place to meet new people.
Events: 3200, 1600, and 800 meters.
What’s the deal with people running VOLUNTARILY for miles on their own? This seems like a big question everyone has for long-distance runners. Here’s a quick insight on what distance track runners have to say about the reason they run.
Events: 1600 and 800 meters.
the hundreds of kids and staff members that showed up to support us was indescribable. In the championship game, the adrenaline rush was insane in that environment. It almost felt like a movie. We knew what was on the line and how hard we worked to get there,” Haarmann recalls the experience very brightly. The Lady Jays had a rocky start during the championship game, getting into foul trouble early and struggling to make shots that they usually made with ease. And by the time they started getting their rhythm, it was too late. “It was a tough way to end the season, but that game doesn’t define what an incredible season we had,” Haarmann states. Although the season didn’t end the way the team and whole Jefferson City community wanted, or even expected it to end, this season is going to be remembered by everyone.
long lasting debate exists in our nation about how much freedom we should give up for safety. The two competing sides both try to maintain the granted freedoms in the American Constitution with their position, but there is only one true answer that safeguards American freedom. That debate includes two sides: protecting each American citizen’s right to privacy and making necessary compromises to this freedom in order to prevent any potential threat. It’s completely understandable why someone would want to advocate for government surveillance such as this. Although it might prevent something like a terrorist attack, the aversion of a potential attack does not justify the blatant violation of the inalienable rights that are granted to each individual citizen. People should have the right to communicate with one another over the Internet or through cellular communication devices without the fear that a government agency might be spying on each conversation that they might have. That being said, there is merit to monitoring what people are saying in a public domain area of the Internet. For example, if someone is cyber-bullying another, or making death threats to another person on their Facebook feed, Instagram post, Twitter, etc, then they should absolutely face repercussions for their actions. Since these areas are available to be seen by anyone, it makes complete sense for the authorities to use this as reasoning for punishment. Public social media feeds can have just as much of an emotional and mental effect on someone as a public area, such as a crowded shopping mall can. That being said, private messages and private conversations should not be monitored by prying eyes in the name of “national security.” The Fourth Amendment of the United States Constitution guarantees that the right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated. If people cannot even maintain the privacy to speak to others through the tools available to us, then we have completely ignored the constitutional rights given to all citizens. The day that we give up our own constitutional rights just to feel a little safer is the day that we surrender to our own fears.
he idea that we should give up a large portion of our freedom to gain safety is quite ridiculous. These sacrifices tend to lead to the government over extending its reach by a large margin. One of the most extreme examples is Nazi Germany; where the government controlled all media and it allowed the government to gain almost complete control over the beliefs of its people. The reasoning behind this was to unite the people against a group that was, at least according to Hitler and the Nazi Party, the cause of all of their problems. In this, the Nazis were able to sneak in and chip away at the freedoms that are truly essential. At this point, the sacrifice of freedom for the sake of safety becomes counterproductive because the lack of freedom removes the ability to defend oneself, freely speak or have privacy. These freedoms are essential to having an individualistic and safe society. This is one of the most extreme instances throughout history, but there are modern examples as well. Modern-day China is an example of how an overreaching government is dangerous. The overbearing Chinese government heavily censors its media as a means of protecting the citizens from themselves. This government censors any and all media that conflicts with their point of view. This gives an “everything is fine” mentality to many citizens; when from an outside perspective, everything is obviously very not fine. Both the Chinese and Nazi governments are examples of what can happen when a government reaches too far to protect its citizens from real and non-real threats. In the United States, the conflicts between the people and the government become more common and more severe seemingly by the day. Whether it be the news that Facebook sells its users’ personal information to the government or that the government can see into our private text messages. The idea that media control is necessary for a safe society is simply untrue. The freedom of free speech is just too important to give up.
ave you eaten chips, peanut butter, instant noodles or ice cream recently? Have you washed your hands with soap this morning? If you said yes to any of those, you have bought products with palm oil in them. And not just these, palm oil is in many everyday household items. So what is palm oil and why is it so bad? Palm oil is a popular edible vegetable oil made from pulp found in oil palms. Palm oil is used for thousands of food products, soap products and even biofuel. Palm oil is easy and cheap to obtain and good for you- it contains no trans fat making it healthier for people with heart disease and cholesterol. But, that doesn’t mean it isn’t harmful to the environment. In order to get the palm oil, rainforests are set on fire to make room for palm oil plantations. Slash and burn agriculture is a fast way to clear land and appeals to poor small-scale farmers and large corporations alike. This deforestation occurs regularly in Malaysia, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea.
still contain palm oil. So most products from shampoo to some of your favorite snacks most likely contain palm oil. But if we all cut down on just half of palm oil products, farmers could get the message and change can happen.
going to matter because the electors of Texas are nearly always going to vote in favor of the state’s majority vote. So, if you are of the minority opinion in your state, your vote means absolutely nothing even if your vote is the majority combined with the rest of the country. The electoral college set out to give a voice to the little guy, but completely throws them under the bus in the process. Our voting system shouldn’t value the individual opinion of each state because there isn’t such a thing as a state’s opinion. People have varying opinions within each state. We ought to value the majority opinion of the nation’s population as a whole. That is the only way to ensure that a Republican vote in New York has just as much value as a Democratic vote in Georgia.
Head to Head Should we have a no cell phone policy?
think phones should be banned in school. Students should be required to turn them completely off or check them into the office before school and get them after the school day ends. Phones distract students from learning and encourage cheating. When a student does not know the answer, he or she uses their phone to ask Google. The students then learn to rely on their electronic devices for the answers, rather than looking them up for themselves. Then the students lacks the skills to solve schoolwork and everyday problems. When it comes to testing, students will lack the knowledge they should have learned and will either fail or cheat. Distracting devices encourage students to avoid hands-on learning and studying. Phones access the internet for ideas, communication and cheating for answers. Phones also distract the students. Many teenagers love to text their friends and snap each other. In classrooms, students can verbally communicate with each other. However, virtual or digital communication can distract students. They focus more on their friends’ lives, instead of their class assignments. Students start testing on their phones and forget to finish typing or writing their assignments. “They get bored and check out and go to the phones for comfort. Then they fail to follow instructions or are late in producing their work because they must receive prompts,” said one teacher in an anonymous survey. Most research backs up what teachers are saying about cell phones in the classroom. “Research clearly shows that they are a distraction and interfere with successful learning, and because research shows that “multitasking” is inefficient and destroys quality,” another teacher said in the anonymous survey. Without phones, the students could excel in school. Teachers who teach regular and lower classes have said that the students that have lower grades are on their phones all the time. The students with higher grades usually either do not have a phone or they are not on their phone during class time. Without phones, students are less likely to get distracted and forget to do their school work. Without phones, students will get their work done and learn the skills they need for school-work and life.
he classroom environment is one that is very special. It’s a place that is designed for young minds to learn about important traits, skills and lessons that are going to help them for the rest of their lives. It’s important that nothing distract students from their teachers and the things that they’re learning because it could prevent the full retention of what they’re being taught. This is the primary argument for the banning of the use of smart phones and other devices while in the classroom. This reasoning makes complete sense. Modern smart phones can be a huge distraction for young people and could hurt the education that they’re being provided with in school. That being said, there is a possibility that the newly updated policy that would be put into place for the 2019-2020 school year would prohibit phones in more than just the classroom. Allegedly, phones would not be allowed in areas like the hallways and even the lunch room. This idea is absolutely ridiculous for many reasons. The biggest reason being that absolutely no one is harmed in the event that a random student decides to check their Twitter feed on the way to their next class. It’s merely a way to pass the time and doesn’t have any kind of negative effect on anyone. This is especially true while in the cafeteria. A lunch period should be time for students to wind down and take a break from their classes. If that means that they need look at their phone to do things like communicate or listen to music, then they absolutely should be able to. It makes complete sense to prevent students from using any sort of distraction while in the learning classroom because it actually does have a negative effect. The same cannot be said for areas in which diligent attention is not necessary. So, introducing a new district-wide policy that would prohibit the use of cell phones in the classroom is absolutely justified and would most definitely have a positive effect. But even still, it should not extend beyond this point. Administrators need to take into account the reasons that they would make this policy in the first place. If it’s to protect the learning of the student body, why would it reach to a place where learning isn’t affected?
pider-Man: Far From Home is the first movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe to follow “Avengers: Endgame” and it will certainly have a lot to live up to. In “Far From Home,” Peter Parker (Tom Holland) and his classmates travel to Europe on a class trip. A group of elemental beings begins to attack around the city, but are fended off by Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal). It will be interesting to see how Mysterio’s character will pan out throughout the movie. “Spider-Man: Far From Home” comes out on July 5th and is sure to excite Marvel fans who are anxiously awaiting the series’ next outing.
fter 2013’s “Frozen,” fans were left eagerly waiting for the second installment in the series. The sequel brings a new look to the series, taking place in the fall. The only released material at this point shows Elsa beginning to gain control of her powers. It is safe to assume that this will be a major plot point throughout the movie. At this point, Disney has refrained from showing much more than the base announcement and almost all of the information about the movie is speculated. “Frozen II” is slated for a November 2019 release and more information should be revealed over the course of the year.
tar Wars Episode IX is the final outing of the third trilogy in the Star Wars franchise. Other than the recently leaked poster and the information about casting, Disney has kept information about “Episode IX” very quiet. This film will hopefully give Star Wars fans a satisfying conclusion to the story of Rey (Daisy Ridley) and Kylo Ren (Adam Driver). With Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) gone, the series is set to take a new course. Without a trailer, it’s almost impossible to tell the course that a movie will take. Hopefully, we will get more information in the build to the December release.
haven’t been covered. These animals are harder to obtain because while you can pay the fee for them, obtain the permit, and have a perfect place for them to live, the state still might not let you. One example of an animal you cannot own is a penguin. Because all eighteen species of penguins are protected, it’s unlikely you’ll see someone living with them. A bengal cat, while it might be lazy and domestic, is an animal you cannot own, according to Wildlife Services, because it is a hybrid. To find more information as to which animals you can or cannot own in the state of Missouri or the rules as to what is required to obtain different animals, look at the Animal Legal and Historical Center and the Animal Law information website.
the mindset of making a large profit and making as many movies as humanly possible, prolonging the cash-printing cycle. Back in the Spielberg era, movies were made because artists wanted their story to be put on screen. Those movies had a genuine soul and were absent of the disgusting cynicism that is prevalent in our current blockbusters. I hope that there is a return to form soon. I’m tired of movies that don’t leave a lasting impact on me and I want to feel more than just the bare minimum of satisfaction when I’m watching movies like this. Make me feel something!
Who said it? Match the teacher to the joke!
Q: What’s the difference between Mr. Ganey and a savings bond? A: One will eventually begin to mature and make money.
Q: Did you hear about the restaurant on the moon? A: Great food, but it lacked an atmosphere.
Knock knock. Who’s there? Cow Interrupting cow wMOO! Itching to know the answers? Find out at jcredblack.com!
same company, you have the reboot of “Fantastic Four” which is notoriously worse than the original iteration. So, with reboots/remakes, there is the needed and the unneeded. But when doing a remake, it should be warranted or else it is a waste. It can be a detriment more than an assist, while with a reboot, there should be a need and a large amount of time between iterations. Remakes can reintroduce old fans and help bring in new fans to a franchise. Reboots though, should be to revive something that was once dead, so to speak. Not to click the retry button like with “SpiderMan”.
nowing which products work better for your skin type can help reduce the frustration when shopping. Taking care of your skin can be overwhelming with so many products that claim to help with acne, oily or dry skin problems. It can be frustrating when shopping for skin care products, especially if you don’t know what type of skin you have. There are four skin types, one of which you may have: normal, oily, dry or combo skin.
A great step to skin care is cleansing the skin to remove dirt, oil, dead skin cells and other pollutants with a cleanser. For a cleanser, look for what skin type it’s made for, but some cleansers can be used for normal to oily skin types or some that are made for normal to combo skin.
day. If you want to have your skin moisturized throughout the day, you can use a morning moisturizer, and some even come with sunscreen to protect your face from the harmful UV rays of the sun. If you want to moisturize your skin throughout the night, use a lightweight moisturizer.
It is also good to keep in mind that a cream and a lotion are not the same thing; a cream is usually heavier than a lotion and have a bigger concentration of oil than a lotion. If you really want to get rid of dead skin cells and remove excess dirt and pollutants, you can use an exfoliator. An exfoliator removes the older dead skin cells and are great for rejuvenating the skin and are great for clogged pores and acne. If you have dry skin, look for a gentle exfoliator, instead of one that would be made for someone with oily skin.
If you want to tone and hydrate your skin, you can use a mask. You can also use face masks, which are great for hydrating the skin, remove excess oil, tone and can reduce the appearance of your pores. Usually face masks come in a package that do one or two things. The choice of a face mask really depends on what you want to focus on; for example, if your skin is drier than usual, you would want a hydrating mask. Taking care of your skin should be easy after knowing what product work best for your skin and a great way to save money while shopping for skin care products.
Did you see a good movie? Read an interesting book? Hear a great song that’s stuck in your head? Stop by Room 141 with your suggestion.
embraces its silliness and has a true childlike wonderment at its core. The film also has a genuine theme of family that manifests through the script. Commentary on “nature vs. nurture” and what truly makes a family is done incredibly well. Heart-warming topics such as this are rarely seen in the modern comic book movie and are a welcome addition to the movie. The weakest link in the movie is its development of the villain. Mark Strong gives a good performance, but the character’s motivation is weak and uncompelling.
between the characters were hard to understand. In some scenes, such as the explanation of the “power” of the land, they brought up a myth of the Wendigo. Though this just seems to just be a wasted moment in the film when this creature is never brought up again. The acting in this film was belieavble at times, though overall there was a consistent level of character. The mother of the film, played by Amy Seimetz, showed a very true level of fear, love and mourning throughout the film. But for a reboot, “Pet Semetary” fulfills the viewer’s satisfaction in seeing a horror film.
getting too exposition heavy or boring. DMC5 is a great game, and I think is a great step in the right direction for the DMC franchise, and is really refreshing since most big games this year haven’t been the best. The only real issues I have with DMC5 is that the camera is sometimes wonky. But, that’s a small complaint compared to the positives that this game brings.
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Legends Bank Like what you read? Want more? | 2019-04-24T00:57:12Z | https://issuu.com/jcredblack/docs/april_2019_issue |
2010-07-23 First worldwide family litigation filed litigation Critical https://patents.darts-ip.com/?family=38265293&utm_source=google_patent&utm_medium=platform_link&utm_campaign=public_patent_search&patent=JP2007319660(A) "Global patent litigation dataset” by Darts-ip is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
本発明は、コア，包囲層，中間層及びカバーの各層を積層して形成されたマルチピースソリッドゴルフボールに関するものであり、更に詳述すると、プロや上級者において飛び性能に優れ、コントロール性能の良いマルチピースソリッドゴルフボールに関するものである。 The present invention, the core, the envelope layer, relates to a multi-piece solid golf ball which is formed by stacking each layer of the intermediate layer and the cover, further In detail, excellent flight performance in professional and advanced, the control performance it relates to good multi-piece solid golf ball.
従来からプロや上級者向けのゴルフボールとして様々なゴルフボールの開発が行われており、中でも、高ヘッドスピート領域において優位な飛距離性能とアイアンショットやアプローチショットにおけるコントロール性を両立させる点から、コアを被覆する中間層やカバー層の各層の硬度関係を適正化した機能を備えたマルチピースソリッドゴルフボールが普及している。 Conventionally it has been developed a variety of golf balls as golf balls for professional and advanced from, among others, from the viewpoint of achieving both the controllability in superior distance performance and iron shots and approach shots in the high head scan peat areas, multi-piece solid golf ball having the functions optimizing the hardness relationship of each layer of the intermediate layer and the cover layer for covering the core has become widespread. また、飛び性能だけでなく、打撃時の感触やクラブ打撃後のボールのスピン量が、ボールをコントロールするのに大きく影響を及ぼすことから、これらを最適なものに仕上げるために、ゴルフボールの各層の厚さや硬度を適正化することも重要テーマの一つである。 In addition, skipping not only the performance, the spin rate of the ball after feeling and clubs blow at the time of hitting is, since it greatly affects to control the ball, in order to finish them to the optimal one, each layer of the golf ball it is also one of the important themes to optimize the thickness and hardness of. 更に、ゴルフボールを各種クラブで繰り返し打撃することに起因する、繰り返し打撃耐久性や、ボール表面に観察されるササクレの発生の抑制（耐擦過傷性の向上）なども要求されており、ボールをできるだけ外的要因から保護する側面もボールを開発する上で重要テーマの一つである。 Furthermore, due to hit repeatedly golf ball at various clubs, and durability to repeated impact, reduction of generation of burr observed on the surface of the ball (improvement of scuff resistance) has also been required such as, as much as possible the ball side to protect from external factors is also one of the important themes in the development of ball.
このようなゴルフボールとしては、例えば、特開２００３−１９０３３０号公報、特開２００４−０４９９１３号公報、特開２００４−９７８０２号公報及び特開２００５−３１９２８７号公報の外層カバーが熱可塑性ポリウレタンを主材として形成されたスリーピースソリッドゴルフボールが提案されている。 Such a golf ball, for example, JP 2003-190330, JP 2004-049913, JP-main 2004-97802 JP and 2005-319287 Patent outer cover of JP Patent is a thermoplastic polyurethane three-piece solid golf ball, which is formed as the wood has been proposed. しかしながら、このゴルフボールでは、ドライバー打撃時の低スピンの実現が不十分な面もあり、プロや上級者から視て更に飛距離を増大させるゴルフボールが望まれていた。 However, in this golf ball, there is also insufficient face the realization of a low-spin at the time of a driver hitting, further golf ball to increase the distance as seen from professional and advanced users has been desired.
一方、更なるゴルフボールの飛び等の追求のために、ボール構造における各層を４層とし、即ち、コアを被覆する中間層やカバー層が３層とし、ボール構造を多層に内部変化させる種々の提案がなされている。 Meanwhile, because of the pursuit of fly, such as further golf balls, and four layers each layer in the ball structure, i.e., the intermediate layer and the cover layer for covering the core is a three-layer, various which internal change ball structure in a multilayer proposals have been made. 例えば、特開平９−２４８３５１号公報、特開平１０−１２７８１８号公報、特開平１０−１２７８１９号公報、特開平１０−２９５８５２号公報、特開平１０−３２８３２５号公報、特開平１０−３２８３２６号公報、特開平１０−３２８３２７号公報、特開平１０−３２８３２８号公報、特開平１１−４９１６号公報及び特開２００４−１８０８２２号公報などが提案されている。 For example, JP-A-9-248351, JP-A No. 10-127818, JP-A No. 10-127819, JP-A No. 10-295852, JP-A No. 10-328325, JP-A No. 10-328326, JP- JP-10-328327, JP-a No. 10-328328 and JP-like Hei 11-4916 and JP 2004-180822 JP has been proposed.
しかしながら、これらの提案されたゴルフボールでは、上級者向きのゴルフボールとしては飛距離及びコントロール性のバランスが悪かったり、ドライバー打撃時の低スピンの実現が不十分であり、その結果、トータル飛距離を増大させることには限界がある。 However, these in the proposed golf ball, or poor balance of distance and control property as a golf ball of advanced users, it is insufficient realization of a low-spin at the time of driver hit, as a result, total distance to increase the there is a limit.
また、米国特許第６９９４６３８明細書に記載されたマルチピースソリッドゴルフボールでは、中間層やカバーなどの各層の厚さと硬度との関係が発明されておらず、上級者向けのゴルフボールとしてドライバー打撃時の低スピン化の実現には不十分なものであった。 Further, in the multi-piece solid golf ball described in U.S. Patent No. 6,994,638 specification, not being the relationship between the thickness and hardness of each layer such as an intermediate layer and cover invention, when a driver hitting a golf ball for advanced users It was not sufficient for the realization of a low-spin of.
本発明は、上記事情に鑑みなされたもので、プロや上級者が満足し得る飛びとコントロール性に優れると共に、繰り返し打撃時の割れ耐久性や耐擦過傷性に優れたマルチピースソリッドゴルフボールを提供することを目的とする。 The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, it is excellent in jumping and controllability professional or advanced players satisfactory, providing a multi-piece solid golf ball having excellent durability to cracking and scuff resistance during repeated impact an object of the present invention is to.
本発明は、コアに被覆する外層を包囲層−中間層−カバーの３層以上の多層構造とすることをゴルフボール設計の基本的構成としている。 The present invention, outer layer surrounding layer covering the core - intermediate layer - has a basic structure of a golf ball design that a three-layer or more multilayer structure of the cover. また、コアの硬度分布に関して傾斜と表面と中心の硬度差の両方に着目し、その適正化を図ることと、本構造の各部位の表面硬度の位置付けと各カバー層の厚さとの取り合いなどの相乗効果により、上級者を満足させる特性が出るようにしたものである。 Moreover, focusing on both the hardness difference between the inclination and the surface and centered with respect to the hardness distribution of the core, and to achieve the optimization, the surface hardness of each portion of the structure positioning and such competition for the thickness of each cover layer a synergistic effect is obtained by such out characteristics to satisfy advanced. 中間層の構成により、高い反発性、耐久性とフルショット時の低スピン化を両立し得る。 The structure of the intermediate layer, be compatible high resilience, a low spin at durability and full shots. 包囲層には高い反発で中間層より軟らかい材料を用いることにより、Ｗ＃１打撃時の低スピン化と高い繰り返し打撃耐久性能を持つ。 The use of softer material than the intermediate layer in a high resilience to the surrounding layer, having a W # 1 low spin when hit with high repeated impact durability. そして、包囲層−中間層−カバーの各層の表面が順に軟−硬−軟の硬度関係を有し、コアの直径や包囲層−中間層−カバーの層厚さの関係を適正化することにより、これらの硬度関係及び層厚さ関係の相乗的効果によって上述した従来の課題を解決することができた。 The envelope layer - intermediate layer - the surface of each layer of the cover in turn soft - hard - has a soft hardness relationship, the diameter and the surrounding layer of the core - by optimizing the relationship between the layer thickness of the cover - middle layer , it was possible to solve the conventional problems described above by the synergistic effect of these hardness relationships and layer thickness relationship. 即ち、本発明のゴルフボールをプロや上級者が使用すると、十分に満足し得る飛びとコントロール性を有し、そのうえ、優れた繰り返し打撃時の割れ耐久性及び耐擦過傷性を示し、このような作用効果は予測外であり、それ故、本発明者は、上記の本発明の構成により上記の解決課題を解決することができることを知見し、かかる本発明を完成したものである。 That is, by using the golf ball of the present invention professional and advanced, having a fly and controllability satisfactory enough, moreover, shows the durability to cracking and scuff resistance during good repeated impact, like this action effect is unexpected, therefore, the present inventor has the above structure of the present invention to findings that it is possible to resolve the problems described above, has been completed such invention.
〔１〕コアと、これを被覆する包囲層と、これを被覆する該中間層と、これを被覆し、表面に多数のディンプルが形成されたカバーとを備えたマルチピースソリッドゴルフボールにおいて、上記コアがゴム材を主材として形成され、そのコアの直径が３１ｍｍ以上であり、コアの中心からコア表面まで硬度が漸次増加し、コア中心とコア表面との硬度差がＪＩＳ−Ｃで１５以上であり、かつコア中心から１５ｍｍ離れた位置とコア中心との断面硬度の平均値を（Ｉ）、コア中心から７．５ｍｍ離れた位置の断面硬度を（ＩＩ）とした場合、両硬度差（Ｉ）−（ＩＩ）がＪＩＳ−Ｃで±２以内であると共に、上記包囲層及び上記中間層が、それぞれ同種又は異種の樹脂材料を主材として形成され、上記カバーが熱可塑性樹脂又は熱可塑性エラス a core, a surrounding layer covering this, and the intermediate layer covering this, which was coated, in a multi-piece solid golf ball comprising a cover plurality of dimples formed on the surface, the the core is formed primarily of a rubber material and has a its is a diameter of the core is 31mm or more, the hardness gradually increases from the center of the core to the core surface, 15 or more hardness difference between the core center and the core surface in JIS-C , and the and when the average value of the cross-sectional hardness of the position and the core center at a distance 15mm from the core center (I), the cross-sectional hardness at a position 7.5mm from the core center and (II), both hardness difference ( I) - (II) being within ± 2 in JIS-C, the enclosure layer and the intermediate layer, are respectively formed of a resin material of the same or different as the main material, the cover is a thermoplastic resin or a thermoplastic Hellas マーを主材として形成され、上記の包囲層，中間層及びカバーの厚さが、 カバー厚さ ＜ 中間層厚さ ＜ 包囲層厚さ の条件を満たし、かつ包囲層、中間層及びカバーの表面硬度（ＪＩＳ−Ｃ硬度）が、 包囲層表面硬度 ＜ 中間層表面硬度 ＞ カバー表面硬度 の条件を満たすことを特徴とするマルチピースソリッドゴルフボール。 Formed mer as main material, said envelope layer, the thickness of the intermediate layer and the cover, the cover thickness <intermediate layer thickness <qualify for envelope layer thickness, and surrounding layer, the surface of the intermediate layer and the cover multi-piece solid golf ball hardness (JIS-C hardness), characterized in that meets the envelope layer surface hardness <intermediate layer surface hardness> cover surface hardness.
（ｄ）上記ベース樹脂及び（ｃ）成分中の未中和の酸基を中和できる塩基性無機金属化合物 ０．１〜１７質量部とを必須成分として配合した混合物である〔１〕記載のマルチピースソリッドゴルフボール。 (D) is the above base resin and (c) a mixture and unneutralized acid groups capable of neutralizing basic inorganic metal compound 0.1 to 17 parts by weight in the component was formulated as essential ingredients (1) according The multi-piece solid golf ball.
〔３〕上記最外層カバーの樹脂材料が、（Ａ）熱可塑性ポリウレタン及び（Ｂ）ポリイソシアネート化合物を主成分とする単一な樹脂配合物を射出成形して形成されるものであり、上記樹脂配合物中には、少なくとも一部に、全てのイソシアネート基が未反応状態で残存してなるポリイソシアネート化合物が存在する〔１〕又は〔２〕記載のマルチピースソリッドゴルフボール。 The resin material of the outermost layer cover, which is formed by injection molding a single resin blend composed mainly of (A) a thermoplastic polyurethane and (B) a polyisocyanate compound, the resin the formulation, at least in part on the multi-piece solid golf ball of which all the isocyanate groups are present polyisocyanate compound comprising the remaining unreacted state or , wherein.
〔４〕上記コアのゴム材が、希土類元素系触媒又はＶＩＩＩ族金属化合物触媒で合成されたポリブタジエンである〔１〕〜〔３〕記載のマルチピースソリッドゴルフボール。 the rubber material of the core is multi-piece solid golf ball of a polybutadiene synthesized with a rare-earth catalyst or a Group VIII metal compound catalyst to , wherein.
〔５〕上記中間層の材料には、ナトリウムイオンにより中和されたアイオノマーを含む〔１〕〜〔４〕記載のマルチピースソリッドゴルフボール。 above the material of the intermediate layer, to The multi-piece solid golf ball according comprising an ionomer neutralized with sodium ions.
を満たした〔１〕〜〔５〕記載のマルチピースソリッドゴルフボール。 The multi-piece solid golf ball of the meet was to described.
本発明のゴルフボールによれば、カバーにポリウレタン材を主材として用いると共に、包囲層、中間層、カバーの各層の厚さ、硬度を上述したように適正化し、コア直径を一定以上の大きさに設定することにより、ドライバーによるフルショット時におけるボールの低スピン化させ、更なるボールの飛距離の増大と良好なコントロール性を有し、繰り返し打撃時の割れ耐久性及び耐擦過傷性にも優れており、プロや上級者向けのゴルフボールとして非常に有用な多層構造ゴルフボールである。 According to the golf ball of the present invention, with use as a main material a polyurethane material cover, envelope layer, an intermediate layer, cover the thickness of each layer, and optimized as described above hardness, the more constant core diameter size by setting the driver is low spin ball at full shots by having an increased and good control of the distance of the further balls, excellent durability to cracking and scuff resistance during repeated impact and it has a multilayer structure golf ball very useful as a golf ball for professionals and advanced users.
本発明のマルチピースソリッドゴルフボールは、図１に示されているように、コア１と、該コアを被覆する包囲層２と、該包囲層を被覆する中間層３と、該中間層を被覆するカバー４とを有する４層又はそれ以上の多層を有するゴルフボールＧである。 The multi-piece solid golf ball of the present invention, as shown in Figure 1, the core 1, covering the surrounding layer 2 covering the core, an intermediate layer 3 covering the surrounding layer, the intermediate layer a golf ball G having 4 or more layers of a multilayer and a cover 4 that. なお、上記カバー４の表面には、通常、ディンプルＤが多数形成されるものである。 Note that the surface of the cover 4 are typically those where the dimples D are formed a number. コア１又は中間層３は単層には限られず２層以上の複数層に形成することができる。 Core 1 or the intermediate layer 3 may be formed in a plurality of layers of two or more layers is not limited to a single layer.
本発明では、コアの直径は３１ｍｍ以上に規定されるものであり、通常、３１ｍｍ以上３８ｍｍ以下、好ましくは３２．５ｍｍ以上３７ｍｍ以下、より好ましくは３４ｍｍ以上３６ｍｍ以下である。 In the present invention, the diameter of the core is intended to be defined in more than 31 mm, typically, 31 mm or more 38mm or less, preferably 32.5mm or 37mm or less, and more preferably 36mm or less than 34 mm. コアの直径がこの範囲を逸脱すると、ボール初速が低くなったり、ボール打撃後の低スピン効果が足りずに飛距離が伸びなくなる場合がある。 A core diameter outside of this range, or turned the ball initial velocity was low, low spin effect after the ball striking ceasing elongation distance to insufficient.
コアの表面硬度は、特に制限はないが、ＪＩＳ−Ｃ硬度で、７０以上９６以下とすることが好ましく、より好ましくは７６以上８９以下、さらに好ましくは７９以上８７以下である。 The surface hardness of the core is not particularly limited, in JIS-C hardness, preferably to 70 or more 96 or less, more preferably 76 or more 89 or less, more preferably 79 or more 87 or less. また、コアの中心硬度は、特に制限はないが、ＪＩＳ−Ｃ硬度で、５０以上７２以下とすることが好ましく、より好ましくは５５以上６８以下、さらに好ましくは６０以上６６以下である。 The center hardness of the core is not particularly limited, in JIS-C hardness, preferably 50 to 72 or less, more preferably 55 or more 68 or less, more preferably 60 or more 66 or less. 上記の範囲を下回ると、コアの反発特性が足りずに飛距離が伸びなくなったり、繰り返し打撃時の割れ耐久性が悪くなる場合がある。 Below the above range, there are cases where or longer elongation distance to insufficient rebound characteristics of the core, cracking durability in repeated impact is poor. 逆に、上記の範囲を超えると、フルショットした時の打感が硬くなりすぎたり、スピン量が多くなりすぎて飛距離が伸びなくなる場合がある。 On the contrary, when it exceeds the above range, there is a case in which become too hard and feel at the time of the full shot, it will not extend the flight distance too many spin rate.
本発明において、コア中心から表面まで硬度が漸次増加することが必要とされ、その差がＪＩＳ−Ｃで１５以上、好ましくは１７〜４０、さらに好ましくは１９〜３５。 In the present invention, it is required that the hardness from the core center to the surface increases gradually, the difference is 15 or more in JIS-C, preferably 17 to 40, more preferably 19-35. 差が小さ過ぎると、Ｗ＃１打撃時の低スピン効果が足りずに飛距離が出なくなることがある。 If the difference is too small, the spin rate-lowering effect on shots with a W # 1 may become not out distance in not enough. 差が大き過ぎると、実打初速が低くなり飛距離が出なくなったり、繰り返し打撃の際の割れ耐久が悪くなることがある。 If the difference is too large, or is no longer out of the flight distance actual hitting initial velocity is low, there may be a crack durability at the time of the repeated impact becomes worse.
また、図２に示すように、コア中心及びコア中心から７．５ｍｍ，１５ｍｍ離れた断面部における硬度をそれぞれ適正化することにより、Ｗ＃１打撃時の低スピン効果を向上させることができる。 Further, as shown in FIG. 2, 7.5 mm from the core center and the core center, by optimizing respective hardness at 15mm away cross section, it is possible to improve the low-spin effect of shots with a W # 1. 具体的には、コア中心から１５ｍｍ離れた位置とコア中心との断面硬度の平均値を（Ｉ）、コア中心から７．５ｍｍ離れた位置の断面硬度を（ＩＩ）とした場合、両硬度差（Ｉ）−（ＩＩ）がＪＩＳ−Ｃで±２以内であることが必要とされる。 Specifically, when the average value of the cross-sectional hardness of the position and the core center at a distance 15mm from the core center (I), the cross-sectional hardness at a position 7.5mm from the core center and (II), both hardness difference (I) - (II) is required to be within ± 2 in JIS-C. 即ち、図３に示すように、例えば、コア中心がＪＩＳ硬度で６１、コア中心から外側に１５ｍｍ離れた位置のＪＩＳ硬度が７７である場合、その平均値はＪＩＳ硬度で約６９であるが、コア中心から７．５ｍｍ離れた位置（コア中心と１５ｍｍ離れた位置との中間地点に相当。）の硬度については、上記平均値「６９」よりも±２以内の範囲に留めることを意味する。 That is, as shown in FIG. 3, for example, 61 core center in JIS hardness, when JIS hardness at a position 15mm outwardly from the core center is 77, but the average value is approximately 69 in JIS hardness, core center position apart 7.5mm (corresponding to the middle point between the core center and 15mm away.) for the hardness of the means to remain in a range within ± 2 than the average value "69". 即ち、図３に示されるように、コア中心から外に向かって直線的な勾配を持つ硬度分布が望ましい。 That is, as shown in FIG. 3, a hardness distribution having a linear gradient towards the core center to the outside is desirable.
上記の硬度差［（Ｉ）−（ＩＩ）］については、ＪＩＳ−Ｃで±１以内とすることが好ましく、より好ましくは±０、即ち、上記平均値に一致させることである。 The above hardness difference - the [(I) (II)] is preferably to within ± 1 in JIS-C, more preferably ± 0, that is, to match to the average value. この差が大き過ぎるとＷ＃１打撃時の低スピン効果が足りずに飛距離が出なくなることがある。 If this difference is too large W # spin rate-lowering effect on 1 blow is sometimes not out distance in not enough.
コアが荷重負荷された時のたわみ量、即ち、コアに対して、初期荷重９８Ｎ（１０ｋｇｆ）から終荷重１，２７５Ｎ（１３０ｋｇｆ）を負荷したときまでのたわみ量（ｍｍ）は、特に制限はないが、２．０ｍｍ以上５．０ｍｍ以下の範囲に調整されることが好適であり、より好ましくは２．３ｍｍ以上４．４ｍｍ以下、さらに好ましくは２．６ｍｍ以上３．８ｍｍ以下である。 Amount of deflection when the core is load-bearing, i.e., the core, the amount of deflection of the initial load 98 N (10 kgf) until a final load 1,275N (130kgf) (mm) is not particularly limited but, it is preferred to be adjusted to 5.0mm below the range of 2.0 mm, more preferably 2.3mm or more 4.4mm or less, more preferably 2.6mm or more 3.8mm or less. この値が大きすぎると、コアの反発が足りずに飛距離が不十分なものとなり、また、繰り返し打撃時の割れ耐久性が悪くなることがある。 If this value is too large, distance to the insufficient resilience of the core becomes insufficient, also, there is a durability to cracking during repeated impact is poor. 逆に、この値が小さすぎると、フルショットした時の打感が硬くなりすぎたり、スピン量が多くなりすぎて飛距離が伸びなくなる場合がある。 On the other hand, if this value is too small, there is a case in which become too hard and feel at the time of the full shot, it will not extend the flight distance too many spin rate.
上記のような表面硬度やたわみを有するコアの材料としては、ゴム材を主材として用いることができる。 As the material of the core having a surface hardness and bending as described above, and a rubber material as a main material. 例えば、ゴム材に加えて、共架橋剤、有機過酸化物、不活性充填剤、有機硫黄化合物等を含有するゴム組成物を用いて形成することができる。 For example, in addition to the rubber material, a co-crosslinking agent, an organic peroxide, an inert filler, it can be formed by using a rubber composition containing organic sulfur compounds and the like. そして、このゴム組成物の基材ゴムとしては、ポリブタジエンを用いることが好ましい。 Then, as the base rubber of the rubber composition, it is preferable to use a polybutadiene.
上記ゴム成分のポリブタジエンは、そのポリマー鎖中に、シス−１，４−結合を６０質量％以上、好ましくは８０質量％以上、より好ましくは９０質量％以上、最も好ましくは９５質量％以上有することが好適である。 Polybutadiene of the rubber component, in its polymer chain, cis-1,4-bond of 60% by weight or more, preferably 80 mass% or more, more preferably 90 wt% or more, and most preferably has more than 95 wt% it is preferred. 分子中の結合に占めるシス−１，４−結合が少なすぎると、反発性が低下する場合がある。 When cis-1,4-bond among the bonds in the molecule is too small, the resilience may be lowered.
また、上記ポリブタジエンに含まれる１，２−ビニル結合の含有量としては、そのポリマー鎖中に通常２％以下、好ましくは１．７％以下、更に好ましくは１．５％以下である。 The content of 1,2-vinyl bonds contained in the polybutadiene, normally less than 2% in its polymer chain, preferably 1.7% or less, more preferably 1.5% or less. １，２−ビニル結合の含有量が多すぎると、反発性が低下する場合がある。 A 1,2-vinyl bond content is too large, the resilience may decrease.
本発明で用いる上記ポリブタジエンとしては、良好な反発性を有するゴム組成物の加硫成形物を得る観点から、希土類元素系触媒又はＶＩＩＩ族金属化合物触媒で合成されたものであることが好ましく、中でも特に希土類元素系触媒で合成されたものであることが好ましい。 As the polybutadiene used in the present invention is preferably one from the viewpoint of obtaining a vulcanized molded article of a rubber composition having good resilience, it was synthesized with a rare-earth catalyst or a Group VIII metal compound catalyst, among others it is particularly preferred is synthesized with a rare-earth catalyst.
このような希土類元素系触媒としては、特に限定されるものではないが、例えば、ランタン系列希土類元素化合物と、有機アルミニウム化合物、アルモキサン、ハロゲン含有化合物、必要に応じルイス塩基とを組み合わせてなる触媒を挙げることができる。 Such rare-earth catalyst is not particularly limited, for example, a lanthanum series rare earth element compound, an organoaluminum compound, an alumoxane, a halogen-containing compound, a catalyst comprising a combination of a Lewis base as required it can be mentioned.
上記ランタン系列希土類元素化合物としては、原子番号５７〜７１の金属ハロゲン化物、カルボン酸塩、アルコラート、チオアルコラート、アミド等を挙げることができる。 As the lanthanum series rare earth element compounds include halides, carboxylates, carboxylates, alcoholates, thioalcoholates and amides.
本発明においては、特に、ランタン系列希土類元素化合物としてネオジウム化合物を用いたネオジウム系触媒を使用することが、１，４−シス結合が高含量、１，２−ビニル結合が低含量のポリブタジエンゴムを優れた重合活性で得られるので好ましく、これらの希土類元素系触媒の具体例は、特開平１１−３５６３３号公報、特開平１１−１６４９１２号公報、特開２００２−２９３９９６号公報に記載されているものを好適に挙げることができる。 In the present invention, in particular, the use of a neodymium catalyst in which a neodymium compound as the lanthanum series rare earth element compound, 1,4-cis bond high content, 1,2-vinyl bond is a low content of the polybutadiene rubber preferably therefore obtained with excellent polymerization activity, examples of such rare-earth catalysts, JP-a 11-35633, JP-a No. 11-164912, JP those described in JP-a-2002-293996 it can be mentioned favorably.
ランタン系列希土類元素化合物系触媒を用いて合成されたポリブタジエンは、ゴム成分中に１０質量％以上、好ましくは２０質量％以上、特に４０質量％以上含有することが反発性を向上させるためには好ましい。 Polybutadiene synthesized using the lanthanide series rare is in the rubber component 10 mass% or more, preferably 20 mass% or more, in order to contain in particular more than 40 wt% to improve the resilience preferred .
なお、上記ゴム基材には、上記ポリブタジエン以外にも他のゴム成分を本発明の効果を損なわない範囲で配合し得る。 Note that the rubber base material may contain other rubber components other than the polybutadiene within a range not to impair the effects of the present invention. 上記ポリブタジエン以外のゴム成分としては、上記ポリブタジエン以外のポリブタジエン、その他のジエンゴム、例えばスチレンブタジエンゴム、天然ゴム、イソプレンゴム、エチレンプロピレンジエンゴム等を挙げることができる。 As the rubber component other than the polybutadiene, polybutadiene other than the polybutadiene, and other diene rubbers, may include, for example, styrene-butadiene rubber, natural rubber, isoprene rubber, ethylene-propylene-diene rubber.
共架橋剤としては、例えば不飽和カルボン酸、不飽和カルボン酸の金属塩等が挙げられる。 The co-crosslinking agent, such as unsaturated carboxylic acids, metal salts of unsaturated carboxylic acids.
不飽和カルボン酸として具体的には、例えばアクリル酸、メタクリル酸、マレイン酸、フマル酸等を挙げることができ、特にアクリル酸、メタクリル酸が好適に用いられる。 Specific examples of the unsaturated carboxylic acids, such as acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, maleic acid and fumaric acid, in particular acrylic acid and methacrylic acid are preferably used.
不飽和カルボン酸の金属塩としては特に限定されるものではないが、例えば上記不飽和カルボン酸を所望の金属イオンで中和したものが挙げられる。 It is not particularly limited as metal salts of unsaturated carboxylic acids to, those for example an unsaturated carboxylic acid neutralized with the desired metal ions. 具体的にはメタクリル酸、アクリル酸等の亜鉛塩やマグネシウム塩等が挙げられ、特にアクリル酸亜鉛が好適に用いられる。 Specifically, methacrylic acid, include zinc and magnesium salts of acrylic acid is especially preferred zinc acrylate.
上記不飽和カルボン酸及び／又はその金属塩は、上記基材ゴム１００質量部に対し、通常１０質量部以上、好ましくは１５質量部以上、更に好ましくは２０質量部以上、上限として通常６０質量部以下、好ましくは５０質量部以下、更に好ましくは４５質量部以下、最も好ましくは４０質量部以下配合する。 The unsaturated carboxylic acid and / or its metal salt, with respect to 100 parts by weight of the base rubber, usually at least 10 parts by weight, preferably 15 parts by mass or more, more preferably 20 parts by mass or more, usually 60 parts by mass as an upper limit or less, preferably 50 parts by mass or less, more preferably 45 parts by weight, and most preferably than 40 parts by weight. 配合量が多すぎると、硬くなりすぎて耐え難い打感になる場合があり、配合量が少なすぎると、反発性が低下してしまう場合がある。 If the amount is too large, may result in intolerable feel too hard, when the blending amount is too small, the resilience decreases.
上記有機過酸化物としては市販品を用いることができ、例えば、パークミルＤ（日本油脂（株）製）、パーヘキサ３Ｍ（日本油脂（株）製）、Luperco 231XL（アトケム社製）等を好適に用いることができる。 Examples of the organic peroxide may be a commercially available product, for example, (manufactured by NOF Corporation) Percumyl D, Perhexa 3M (NOF Corporation), Luperco 231XL (manufactured by Atochem), etc. suitably the it can be used. これらは１種を単独であるいは２種以上を併用してもよい。 These may be used singly, or two or more.
上記有機過酸化物は、上記基材ゴム１００質量部に対し、通常０．１質量部以上、好ましくは０．３質量部以上、更に好ましくは０．５質量部以上、最も好ましくは０．７質量部以上、上限として通常５質量部以下、好ましくは４質量部以下、更に好ましくは３質量部以下、最も好ましくは２質量部以下配合する。 The organic peroxide, with respect to 100 parts by weight of the base rubber, 0.1 parts by mass or more, preferably 0.3 parts by mass or more, more preferably 0.5 parts by mass or more, and most preferably 0.7 parts by mass or more, usually 5 parts by weight, preferably up 4 parts by weight, more preferably 3 parts by weight, and most preferably not more than 2 parts by weight. 配合量が多すぎたり、少なすぎたりすると好適な打感、耐久性及び反発性を得ることができない場合がある。 Or the blending amount is too much or too little suitable feel, it may be impossible to obtain a durable and resilience.
不活性充填剤としては、例えば酸化亜鉛、硫酸バリウム、炭酸カルシウム等を好適に用いることができる。 The inert fillers such as zinc oxide, can be suitably used barium sulfate and calcium carbonate. これらは１種を単独で用いてもよいし、２種以上を併用してもよい。 These may be used alone or in combination of two or more thereof.
不活性充填剤の配合量は、上記基材ゴム１００質量部に対し、通常１質量部以上、好ましくは５質量部以上、上限として通常５０質量部以下、好ましくは４０質量部以下、更に好ましくは３０質量部以下とする。 The amount of inert filler included per 100 parts by weight of the base rubber, usually 1 part by mass or more, preferably at least 5 parts by weight, usually 50 parts by weight as the upper limit, preferably not more than 40 parts by weight, more preferably and 30 parts by mass or less. 配合量が多すぎたり、少なすぎたりすると適正な質量、及び好適な反発性を得ることができない場合がある。 Too much blending, it may be impossible to obtain a proper weight or too little, and good rebound.
更に、必要に応じて老化防止剤を配合することができ、例えば、市販品としてはノクラックＮＳ−６、同ＮＳ−３０（大内新興化学工業（株）製）、ヨシノックス４２５（吉富製薬（株）製）等が挙げられる。 Furthermore, it is possible to blend an antioxidant if necessary, for example, Nocrac NS-6 is commercially same NS-30 (manufactured by Ouchi Shinko Chemical Industrial Co.), Yoshinox 425 (Yoshitomi Pharmaceutical (strain ) Co., Ltd.), and the like. これらは１種を単独で用いてもよいし、２種以上を併用してもよい。 These may be used alone or in combination of two or more thereof.
該老化防止剤の配合量は上記基材ゴム１００質量部に対し、好ましくは０質量部以上、更に好ましくは０．０５質量部以上、特に好ましくは０．１質量部以上、上限として好ましくは３質量部以下、更に好ましくは２質量部以下、特に好ましくは１質量部以下、最も好ましくは０．５質量部以下とする。 The amount of 該老 antioxidant whereas 100 parts by weight of the base rubber, preferably 0 parts by mass or more, more preferably 0.05 parts by mass or more, particularly preferably 0.1 parts by mass or more, preferably the upper limit 3 parts by mass or less, more preferably 2 parts by mass or less, particularly preferably 1 part by weight or less, and most preferably not more than 0.5 part by weight. 配合量が多すぎたり、少なすぎたりすると好適な反発性、耐久性を得ることができない場合がある。 Suitable resilience or the amount is too large or too small, it may not be possible to obtain a durability.
上記コアには、ゴルフボールの反発性を向上させ、ゴルフボールの初速度を大きくするため、有機硫黄化合物を配合することが好ましい。 In the core improves the resilience of the golf ball, in order to increase the initial velocity of a golf ball, it is preferable that an organosulfur compound.
有機硫黄化合物としては、ゴルフボールの反発性を向上させ得るものであれば特に制限されないが、例えばチオフェノール類、チオナフトール類、ハロゲン化チオフェノール類又はそれらの金属塩等が挙げられる。 As the organic sulfur compound is not particularly limited as long as it can improve the resilience of the golf ball, for example, thiophenols, halogenated thiophenols or, and metal salts thereof. より具体的には、ペンタクロロチオフェノール、ペンタフルオロチオフェノール、ペンタブロモチオフェノール、パラクロロチオフェノール、ペンタクロロチオフェノールの亜鉛塩、ペンタフルオロチオフェノールの亜鉛塩、ペンタブロモチオフェノールの亜鉛塩、パラクロロチオフェノールの亜鉛塩、硫黄数が２〜４のジフェニルポリスルフィド、ジベンジルポリスルフィド、ジベンゾイルポリスルフィド、ジベンゾチアゾイルポリスルフィド、ジチオベンゾイルポリスルフィド等が挙げられ、特に、ペンタクロロチオフェノールの亜鉛塩が好適に用いられる。 More specifically, pentachlorothiophenol, pentafluorothiophenol, pentabromothiophenol, chlorothiophenol, the zinc salt of pentachlorothiophenol, the zinc salt of pentafluorothiophenol, zinc salts of pentabromothiophenol, zinc salt of p-chlorothiophenol, diphenyl polysulfides having 2 to 4 sulfur atoms, dibenzyl polysulfide, dibenzoyl polysulfide, dibenzothiazyl benzoyl polysulfide, dithiocarbamates benzoyl polysulfides and the like, in particular, preferably the zinc salt of pentachlorothiophenol used to.
このような有機硫黄化合物の配合量は、上記基材ゴム１００質量部に対し、好ましくは０．０５質量部以上、更に好ましくは０．１質量部以上、上限として好ましくは５質量部以下、更に好ましくは４質量部以下、特に好ましくは３質量部以下、最も好ましくは２．５質量部以下であることが推奨される。 The amount of such organic sulfur compounds, relative to 100 parts by weight of the base rubber, preferably at least 0.05 part by weight, more preferably at least 0.1 part by weight, preferably 5 parts by weight as an upper limit, further preferably not more than 4 parts by weight, particularly preferably not more than 3 parts by weight, and most preferably not more than 2.5 parts by mass. 配合量が多すぎると効果が頭打ちとなり、それ以上の効果が見られなくなる場合があり、配合量が少なすぎると、その配合効果が十分達成されない場合がある。 If the amount is too large effects become peaked, it may not be seen any more effective, when the amount is too small, there is a case where the compounding effect is not sufficiently achieved.
次に、包囲層について下記に説明する。 Next, a description will be given envelope layer below.
包囲層の材料硬度は、特に制限はないが、デュロメータＤ硬度（ＡＳＴＭ Ｄ ２２４０に基づくタイプＤデュロメータによる測定値）で好ましくは４０以上６２以下、好ましくは４７以上６０以下、さらに好ましくは５３以上５８以下の範囲である。 Material hardness of the envelope layer is not particularly limited, preferably 40 or more than 62 in durometer D hardness (measured by Type D durometer based on ASTM D 2240), preferably 47 or more 60 or less, more preferably 53 or more 58 it is in the range of below. 上記範囲よりも軟らかすぎると、フルショット時にスピンが掛かりすぎて飛距離が伸びなくなることがある。 If too soft than the above range, it may not extend the flight distance and spin is too much at the time of the full shot. 逆に、上記範囲よりも硬すぎると、繰り返し打撃時の割れ耐久性が悪くなったり、打感が硬くなりすぎることがある。 On the other hand, if it is too hard than the above range, the durability to cracking at the time of repeated impact is or worse, feel is too hard. 包囲層の厚さは、特に制限はないが、１．０ｍｍ以上４．０ｍｍ以下、好ましくは１．２ｍｍ以上３．０ｍｍ以下、さらに好ましくは１．４ｍｍ以上２．０ｍｍ以下である。 The thickness of the envelope layer is not particularly limited, 1.0 mm or more 4.0mm or less, preferably 1.2mm or more 3.0mm or less, more preferably 1.4mm or more 2.0mm or less. その範囲を外れると、ドライバー（Ｗ＃１）打撃による低スピン効果が足りずに飛距離が伸びなくなることがある。 Outside of this range a driver (W # 1) low spin effect by striking it may not extend the flight distance in insufficient.
包囲層の表面硬度については、特に制限はないが、ＪＩＳ−Ｃ硬度で７５以上９８以下とすることが好ましく、より好ましくは７９以上９５以下、さらに好ましくは８３以上９０以下である。 The surface hardness of the envelope layer is not particularly limited, it is preferable to 75 to 98 or less in JIS-C hardness, and more preferably 79 or more 95 or less, more preferably 83 or more and 90 or less. 上記の範囲よりも小さすぎると、フルショット時にスピンが掛かりすぎて飛距離が伸びなくなることがある。 Too small than the above range, it may not extend the flight distance and spin is too much at the time of the full shot. また、上記の範囲よりも大きいと、繰り返し打撃時の割れ耐久性が悪くなったり、打感が硬くなりすぎることがある。 Also, if larger than the above range, there is durability to cracking at the time of repeated impact is or worse, feel is too hard. 包囲層の表面は中間層表面よりも軟らかくする必要があり、その程度は、特に制限はないが、ＪＩＳ−Ｃ硬度で３以上２０以下とすることが好ましく、より好ましくは５以上１８以下、さらに好ましくは７以上１６以下である。 Surface of the envelope layer must be softer than the intermediate layer surface, its extent is not particularly limited, it is preferable to be 3 to 20 in JIS-C hardness, and more preferably 5 to 18, further preferably at 7 to 16. 上記範囲を逸脱して包囲層表面が中間層表面よりも軟らかすぎると、ボールの反発が低くなったり、スピン量が増えすぎて飛距離が伸びなくなることがある。 When the surrounding layer surface is outside the above range is too soft than the intermediate layer surface, or repulsion lower ball, and may not extend the flight distance too increased spin rate.
また、包囲層表面はコア表面よりも軟らかくしない方がよい。 Also, surrounding layer surface had better not softer than the core surface. その程度は、特に制限はないが、包囲層表面のＪＩＳ−Ｃ硬度−コア表面のＪＩＳ−Ｃ硬度の値がＪＩＳ−Ｃ硬度で０以上２０以下とすることが好ましく、より好ましくは０以上１５以下、さらに好ましくは１以上１０以下である。 The degree is not particularly limited, JIS-C hardness of the envelope layer surface - it is preferred that the value of the JIS-C hardness of the core surface is 0 to 20 in JIS-C hardness, and more preferably 0 to 15 or less, more preferably 1 to 10. 逆に、包囲層の表面がコア表面よりも軟らかいと、ドライバー打撃による低スピン効果が足りずに飛距離が伸びなくなることがある。 Conversely, when the surface of the surrounding layer is softer than the core surface, low spin effect by the driver striking it may not extend the flight distance in insufficient. また、上記範囲を逸脱して包囲層表面がコア表面よりも硬すぎると、フルショット時の打感が硬くなりすぎたり、繰り返し打撃時の割れ耐久性が悪くなることがある。 Further, when the surrounding layer surface deviates from the above range is too hard than the core surface, becomes too hard and feel at full shot, there is a durability to cracking during repeated impact is poor.
本発明における包囲層は樹脂材料を主材として用いられる。 Envelope layer in the present invention is a resin material as a main material. 上記包囲層の樹脂材料としては、特に制限はないが、（ａ）オレフィン−不飽和カルボン酸２元ランダム共重合体及び／又はオレフィン−不飽和カルボン酸２元ランダム共重合体の金属イオン中和物と、（ｂ）オレフィン−不飽和カルボン酸−不飽和カルボン酸エステル３元ランダム共重合体及び／又はオレフィン−不飽和カルボン酸−不飽和カルボン酸エステル３元ランダム共重合体の金属イオン中和物とを特定量配合したベース樹脂を必須成分とすることが好適である。 As the resin material of the envelope layer is not particularly limited, (a) an olefin - random copolymer unsaturated carboxylic acid and / or an olefin - metal ion-neutralized unsaturated carboxylic acid random copolymer objects and, (b) an olefin - unsaturated carboxylic acid - unsaturated carboxylic acid ester random terpolymer and / or an olefin - unsaturated carboxylic acid - metal ion-neutralized unsaturated carboxylic acid ester random terpolymer it is preferable that the base resin identified amount and things as essential components. 即ち、本発明では、以下に説明する材料を包囲層に好適な材料として用いることにより、Ｗ＃１打撃時に低スピン化することができ、大きな飛距離を得ることができるものである。 That is, in the present invention, by using a suitable material for the envelope layer material described below can be low spin in shots with a W # 1, in which it is possible to obtain a large distance.
上記ベース樹脂中のオレフィンは、（ａ）成分、（ｂ）成分のいずれであっても、炭素数が、通常２以上、上限として８以下、特に６以下のものが好ましく、具体的には、エチレン、プロピレン、ブテン、ペンテン、ヘキセン、ヘプテン、オクテン等を挙げることができ、特にエチレンであることが好ましい。 Olefin in the base resin, (a) component, be any of the component (b), the number of carbon atoms, usually 2 or more, than 8, particularly 6 or less are preferred ones, specifically, ethylene, propylene, butene, pentene, hexene, heptene and octene, particularly preferably ethylene.
また、不飽和カルボン酸としては、例えば、アクリル酸、メタクリル酸、マレイン酸、フマル酸等を挙げることができ、特にアクリル酸、メタクリル酸であることが好ましい。 The unsaturated carboxylic acids, such as acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, maleic acid and fumaric acid and the like, particularly preferably acrylic acid, methacrylic acid.
更に、不飽和カルボン酸エステルとしては、上述した不飽和カルボン酸の低級アルキルエステルが好適で、具体的には、メタクリル酸メチル、メタクリル酸エチル、メタクリル酸プロピル、メタクリル酸ブチル、アクリル酸メチル、アクリル酸エチル、アクリル酸プロピル、アクリル酸ブチル等を挙げることができ、特にアクリル酸ブチル（ｎ−アクリル酸ブチル、ｉ−アクリル酸ブチル）であることが好ましい。 Furthermore, unsaturated carboxylic acid esters, lower alkyl esters of the above unsaturated carboxylic acid is preferred, and specifically, methyl methacrylate, ethyl methacrylate, propyl methacrylate, butyl methacrylate, methyl acrylate, acrylic ethyl, propyl acrylate, may be mentioned butyl acrylate, in particular (butyl n- acrylate, i- butyl acrylate) is preferably.
（ａ）成分のオレフィン−不飽和カルボン酸２元ランダム共重合体及び（ｂ）成分のオレフィン−不飽和カルボン酸−不飽和カルボン酸エステル３元ランダム共重合体（以下、（ａ）成分及び（ｂ）成分中の共重合体を総称してランダム共重合体という）は、それぞれ、上述した材料を調整し、公知の方法によりランダム共重合させることにより得ることができる。 (A) component of the olefin - olefin unsaturated carboxylic acid random copolymer and component (b) - unsaturated carboxylic acid - unsaturated carboxylic acid ester random terpolymer (hereinafter, component (a) and ( b) are collectively referred to the copolymer in the component of the random copolymer), respectively, to adjust the above-mentioned materials, it can be obtained by random copolymerization by a known method.
上記ランダム共重合体は、不飽和カルボン酸の含量（酸含量）が調整されたものであることが推奨される。 The random copolymer, the content of unsaturated carboxylic acid (acid content) is recommended to be one that is adjusted. ここで、（ａ）成分のランダム共重合体に含まれる不飽和カルボン酸の含量は、通常４質量％以上、好ましくは６質量％以上、より好ましくは８質量％以上、更に好ましくは１０質量％以上、上限としては３０質量％以下、好ましくは２０質量％以下、より好ましくは１８質量％以下、更に好ましくは１５質量％以下であることが推奨される。 Here, the content of unsaturated carboxylic acids in the random copolymer component (a) is usually 4 wt%, preferably at least 6 wt% or more, more preferably 8 mass% or more, more preferably 10 wt% more than 30 wt%, preferably not more than 20 wt% or less, more preferably 18 wt% or less, even more preferably not more than 15 wt%.
同様に（ｂ）成分のランダム共重合体に含まれる不飽和カルボン酸の含量は、通常４質量％以上、好ましくは６質量％以上、より好ましくは８質量％以上、上限としては１５質量％以下、好ましくは１２質量％以下、より好ましくは１０質量％以下であることが推奨される。 The content of the unsaturated carboxylic acids in the random copolymer of the same component (b) is usually 4 wt%, preferably at least 6 wt% or more, more preferably 8 mass% or more, 15 wt% or less as the upper limit , preferably recommended that 12 wt% or less, more preferably 10 mass% or less. ランダム共重合体の酸含量が少なすぎると反発性が低下する場合があり、多すぎると加工性が低下する場合がある。 May the resilience acid content of the random copolymer is too low is reduced, too, the processability may decrease.
（ａ）成分のオレフィン−不飽和カルボン酸２元ランダム共重合体の金属イオン中和物及び（ｂ）成分のオレフィン−不飽和カルボン酸−不飽和カルボン酸エステル３元ランダム共重合体の金属イオン中和物（以下、（ａ）成分及び（ｂ）成分中の共重合体の金属イオン中和物を総称してランダム共重合体の金属イオン中和物という）は、上記ランダム共重合体中の酸基を金属イオンで部分的に中和することにより得ることができる。 (A) component of the olefin - olefin metal ion neutralization product and component (b) of the unsaturated carboxylic acid random copolymer - unsaturated carboxylic acid - metal ion unsaturated carboxylic acid ester random terpolymer neutralized product (hereinafter, (a) component and (b) that are collectively referred to metal ion-neutralized product of the copolymer in component random copolymer of metal ion neutralized product), the above random copolymer the acid groups can be obtained by partially neutralized with metal ions.
ここで、酸基を中和する金属イオンとしては、例えば、Ｎａ + 、Ｋ + 、Ｌｉ + 、Ｚｎ ++ 、Ｃｕ ++ 、Ｍｇ ++ 、Ｃａ ++ 、Ｃｏ ++ 、Ｎｉ ++ 、Ｐｂ ++等を挙げることができ、好ましくはＮａ + 、Ｌｉ + 、Ｚｎ ++ 、Ｍｇ ++等を好適に用いることができ、更に好ましくは反発性を改良する観点からＮａ +を用いることが好適である。 Here, as the metal ions for neutralizing the acid groups, for example, Na +, K +, Li +, Zn ++, Cu ++, Mg ++, Ca ++, Co ++, Ni ++, Pb ++, etc. can be mentioned, preferably Na +, Li +, Zn ++, etc. can be preferably used Mg ++, more preferably preferable to use Na + from the viewpoint of improving the resilience it is.
上記ランダム共重合体の金属イオン中和物を得るには、上記ランダム共重合体に対して、上記金属イオンで中和すればよく、例えば、上記金属イオンのギ酸塩、酢酸塩、硝酸塩、炭酸塩、炭酸水素塩、酸化物、水酸化物及びアルコキシド等の化合物を使用して中和する方法などを採用することができる。 To obtain a metal ion neutralization product of the random copolymer, with respect to the random copolymer may be neutralized with the metal ion, for example, formic acid salts of the metal ions, acetate, nitrate, carbonate , bicarbonates, oxides, and the like can be employed a method of neutralizing using compounds such as hydroxides and alkoxides. これら金属イオンのランダム共重合体に対する中和度は特に限定されるものではない。 Degree of neutralization of the random copolymer of these metal ions is not particularly limited.
上記ランダム共重合体の金属イオン中和物としては、ナトリウムイオン中和型アイオノマー樹脂を好適に使用でき、材料のメルトフローレートを増加させ、後述する最適なメルトフローレートに調整することが容易であり、成形性を改良することができる。 The metal ion neutralization product of the random copolymer, can be preferably used sodium ion-neutralized ionomer resin increases the melt flow rate of the material, it can be easily adjusted to the optimum melt flow rate described below There, it is possible to improve moldability.
上記（ａ）成分と上記（ｂ）成分のベース樹脂は、市販品を使用してもよく、例えば、（ａ）成分のランダム共重合体として、ニュクレル１５６０、同１２１４、同１０３５（いずれも三井・デュポンポリケミカル社製）、ＥＳＣＯＲ５２００、同５１００、同５０００（いずれもEXXONMOBIL CHEMICAL社製）等を、（ｂ）成分のランダム共重合体として、例えば、ニュクレルＡＮ４３１１、同ＡＮ４３１８（いずれも三井・デュポンポリケミカル社製）、ＥＳＣＯＲ ＡＴＸ３２５、同ＡＴＸ３２０、同ＡＴＸ３１０（いずれもEXXONMOBIL CHEMICAL社製）等を挙げることができる。 The component (a) and component (b) base resin may be a commercially available product, for example, as a random copolymer of component (a), Nucrel 1560, the 1214, both the 1035 (Mitsui · Dupont Polychemicals Co., Ltd.), ESCOR5200, the 5100, the same 5000 (all EXXONMOBIL CHEMICAL Co., Ltd.), as a random copolymer of (b) component, for example, Nucrel AN4311, the AN4318 (both DuPont-Mitsui made of poly-Chemical Co., Ltd.), ESCOR ATX325, same ATX320, mention may be made of the same ATX310 (all manufactured by EXXONMOBIL CHEMICAL Co., Ltd.), and the like.
また、（ａ）成分のランダム共重合体の金属イオン中和物として、例えば、ハイミラン１５５４、同１５５７、同１６０１、同１６０５、同１７０６、同ＡＭ７３１１（いずれも三井・デュポンポリケミカル社製）、サーリン７９３０（米国デュポン社製）、アイオテック３１１０、同４２００（EXXONMOBIL CHEMICAL社製）等を、（ｂ）成分のランダム共重合体の金属イオン中和物として、例えば、ハイミラン１８５５、同１８５６、同ＡＭ７３１６（いずれも三井・デュポンポリケミカル社製）、サーリン６３２０、同８３２０、同９３２０、同８１２０（いずれも米国デュポン社製）、アイオテック７５１０、同７５２０（いずれもEXXONMOBIL CHEMICAL社製）等をそれぞれ挙げることができる。 The metal ion-neutralized product of the random copolymer in component (a), for example, Himilan 1554, 1557, the 1601, the 1605, the 1706, the AM7311 (all manufactured by Du Pont-Mitsui Polychemicals Co., Ltd.), Surlyn 7930 (manufactured by DuPont), Iotek 3110, the same 4200 (EXXONMOBIL CHEMICAL Co., Ltd.), metal ion neutralized product of the random copolymer component (b), for example, Himilan 1855, the 1856, the AM7316 (both manufactured by DuPont-Mitsui poly Chemical Co., Ltd.), Surlyn 6320, the 8320, the 9320, 8120 (all manufactured by DuPont), Iotek 7510, the 7520 and the like (both EXXONMOBIL CHEMICAL Co., Ltd.), respectively can. 上記ランダム共重合体の金属イオン中和物として好適なナトリウム中和型アイオノマー樹脂としては、ハイミラン１６０５、同１６０１、同１５５５等を挙げることができる。 Examples of the random copolymers of the preferred sodium-neutralized ionomer resin as the metal ion neutralization product, Himilan 1605, the 1601, can be mentioned the 1555 or the like.
上記ベース樹脂の調製に際しては、（ａ）成分と（ｂ）成分との配合が質量比で通常１００：０〜０：１００であり、好ましくは１００：０〜２５：７５、より好ましくは１００：０〜５０：５０、さらに好ましくは１００：０〜７５：２５、最も好ましくは１００：０にすることが必要である。 The base during resin preparation is usually 100 at the mixing mass ratio of the component (a) and component (b): 0 to 0: 100, preferably from 100: 0 to 25: 75, more preferably from 100: 0-50: 50, more preferably from 100: 0 to 75: 25, and most preferably from 100: 0 to it is necessary to. （ａ）成分の配合量が少なすぎると、材料の成形物の反発性が低下する。 (A) If the amount of component, resilience of the molding material is lowered.
また、上記ベース樹脂は、上記調製に加えて更にランダム共重合体とランダム共重合体の金属イオン中和物との配合比を調整することにより、成形性をより良好にすることができ、ランダム共重合体：ランダム共重合体の金属イオン中和物は、通常０：１００〜６０：４０、好ましくは０：１００〜４０：６０、より好ましくは０：１００〜２０：８０、更に好ましくは０：１００であることが推奨される。 Further, the base resin, by adjusting the mixing ratio of the metal ion neutralized product of further random copolymers and random copolymer in addition to the above preparation, it is possible to moldability better, random copolymer: metal ion neutralization product of the random copolymer is usually from 0: 100 to 60: 40, preferably from 0: 100 to 40: 60, more preferably 0: 100 to 20: 80, more preferably 0 : it is recommended that a 100. ランダム共重合体の配合量が多すぎると、ミキシング時の成形性が低下する場合がある。 If the amount of the random copolymer is too much, moldability at the time of mixing is reduced.
上記ベース樹脂に下記に示す（ｅ）成分を加えることができる。 It can be added component (e) shown below in the base resin. （ｅ）成分は、非アイオノマー熱可塑性エラストマーである。 (E) component is a non-ionomeric thermoplastic elastomers. この成分は、打撃時のフィーリング、反発性をより一層向上させるための成分であり、具体的には、オレフィン系エラストマー、スチレン系エラストマー、ポリエステル系エラストマー、ウレタン系エラストマー、ポリアミド系エラストマー等を挙げることができ、反発性を更に高めることができる点から、ポリエステル系エラストマー、オレフィン系エラストマー、特に、結晶性ポリエチレンブロックをハードセグメントとして含む熱可塑性ブロック共重合体からなるオレフィン系エラストマーを好適に使用することができる。 This component, the shot feel is a component for further improving the resilience, specifically, olefin elastomers, styrene elastomers, polyester elastomers, urethane elastomers, polyamide-based elastomers include it can, view of the possibility of further enhancing the resilience, polyester elastomers, olefin elastomers, in particular, suitably used an olefin-based elastomer composed of a thermoplastic block copolymer containing a crystalline polyethylene block as a hard segment be able to.
上記（ｅ）成分は、市販品を使用してもよく、具体的には、ダイナロン（ＪＳＲ社製）、ポリエステル系エラストマーとして、ハイトレル（東レ・デュポン社製）等を挙げることができる。 Component (e) may be a commercially available product, specifically, Dynaron (JSR Corporation), a polyester elastomer, can be cited Hytrel (DuPont-Toray Co., Ltd.).
上記（ｅ）成分の配合量は、本発明のベース樹脂１００質量部に対し、通常０質量部以上、特に５質量部以上、好ましくは１０質量部以上、より好ましくは２０質量部以上、上限として１００質量部以下、好ましくは６０質量部以下、より好ましくは５０質量部以下、更に好ましくは４０質量部以下であることが推奨される。 The amount of the component (e), with respect to the base resin 100 parts by weight of the present invention, typically 0 parts by mass or more, particularly 5 parts by mass or more, preferably 10 parts by mass or more, more preferably 20 parts by mass or more, the upper limit 100 parts by weight or less, preferably 60 parts by mass or less, more preferably 50 parts by mass or less, is more preferably not more than 40 parts by weight. 配合量が多すぎると、混合物の相溶性が低下し、ゴルフボールの耐久性が著しく低下する可能性がある。 If the amount is too large, the compatibility is lowered mixtures, there is a possibility that durability of the golf ball is reduced considerably.
次に、上記ベース樹脂に下記に示す（ｃ）成分を加えることができる。 It can then be added to component (c) shown below to the base resin. （ｃ）成分は、分子量２２８以上１５００以下の脂肪酸又はその誘導体であり、上記ベース樹脂と比較して分子量が極めて小さく、混合物の溶融粘度を適度に調整し、特に流動性の向上に寄与する成分である。 (C) component has a molecular weight 228 to 1,500 of fatty acids or derivatives thereof, the molecular weight as compared with the base resin is very small, the melt viscosity of the mixture was adjusted moderately, it contributes to particularly improve the flowable components it is. 上記（ｃ）成分は、比較的高含量の酸基（誘導体）を含み、反発性の過度の損失を抑制できる。 Component (c) comprises a relatively high content of acid groups (derivatives), it is possible to suppress the excessive loss of resilience.
上記（ｃ）成分の脂肪酸又はその誘導体の分子量は、２２８以上、好ましくは２５６以上、より好ましくは２８０以上、更に好ましくは３００以上、上限としては１５００以下、好ましくは１０００以下、より好ましくは６００以下、更に好ましくは５００以下であることが必要である。 The molecular weight of the fatty acid or fatty acid derivative of component (c), 228 or more, preferably 256 or more, more preferably 280 or more, more preferably 300 or more, 1500 or less as the upper limit, preferably 1,000 or less, more preferably 600 or less , it is necessary still more preferably 500 or less. 分子量が少なすぎる場合は耐熱性が改良できず、多すぎる場合は流動性が改善できない。 If the molecular weight is too small it can not improve heat resistance, if too much can not improve the fluidity.
上記（ｃ）成分の脂肪酸又はその脂肪酸誘導体としては、例えば、アルキル基中に二重結合又は三重結合を含む不飽和脂肪酸（誘導体）やアルキル基中の結合が単結合のみで構成される飽和脂肪酸（誘導体）を同様に好適に使用できるが、いずれの場合も１分子中の炭素数が、通常１８以上、好ましくは２０以上、より好ましくは２２以上、更に好ましくは２４以上、上限として８０以下、好ましくは６０以下、より好ましくは４０以下、更に好ましくは３０以下であることが推奨される。 Examples of the fatty acid or fatty acid derivative of component (c), for example, unsaturated fatty acid (derivative) and coupling saturated fatty acids composed of single bonds in the alkyl group containing an alkyl group double bond or triple bond in (derivative) is likewise preferably used, the number of carbon atoms in one molecule both cases, usually 18 or more, preferably 20 or more, more preferably 22 or more, more preferably 24 or more, 80 or less as the upper limit, preferably 60 or less, more preferably 40 or less, it is more preferably not more than 30. 炭素数が少なすぎると、耐熱性の改善が達成できない上、酸基の含有量が多すぎて、ベース樹脂に含まれる酸基との相互作用により流動性の改善の効果が少なくなってしまう場合がある。 If the carbon number is too small, on the improvement of heat resistance can not be achieved, and the content of acid groups is too large, it becomes less effective for improving the fluidity by the interaction between the acid group contained in the base resin there is. 一方、炭素数が多すぎる場合には、分子量が大きくなるために、流動性改質の効果が顕著に表れない場合がある。 On the other hand, too many carbons, to the molecular weight increases, the effect of flow-improving does significantly appear.
ここで、（ｃ）成分の脂肪酸として、具体的には、ミリスチン酸、パルミチン酸、ステアリン酸、１，２−ヒドロキシステアリン酸、ベヘニン酸、オレイン酸、リノール酸、リノレン酸、アラキジン酸、リグノセリン酸などが挙げられ、好ましくは、ステアリン酸、アラキジン酸、ベヘニン酸、リグノセリン酸、更に好ましくはベヘニン酸を挙げることができる。 Here, as the fatty acid of the component (c), specifically, myristic acid, palmitic acid, stearic acid, 1,2-hydroxystearic acid, behenic acid, oleic acid, linoleic acid, linolenic acid, arachidic acid, lignoceric acid and the like, preferably, stearic acid, arachidic acid, behenic acid, lignoceric acid, more preferably it is behenic acid.
また、上記（ｃ）成分の脂肪酸誘導体は、上述した脂肪酸の酸基に含まれるプロトンを金属イオンにより置換した金属せっけんを例示できる。 Further, the fatty acid derivative of component (c), the proton on the acid group of the fatty acid described above can be exemplified metal soaps has been replaced with a metal ion. この場合、金属イオンとしては、例えば、Ｎａ + 、Ｌｉ + 、Ｃａ ++ 、Ｍｇ ++ 、Ｚｎ ++ 、Ｍｎ ++ 、Ａｌ +++ 、Ｎｉ ++ 、Ｆｅ ++ 、Ｆｅ +++ 、Ｃｕ ++ 、Ｓｎ ++ 、Ｐｂ ++ 、Ｃｏ ++等を挙げることができ、特にＣａ ++ 、Ｍｇ ++ 、Ｚｎ ++が好ましい。 In this case, as the metal ion, for example, Na +, Li +, Ca ++, Mg ++, Zn ++, Mn ++, Al +++, Ni ++, Fe ++, Fe +++, Cu ++, Sn ++, Pb ++ , mention may be made of Co ++ and the like, in particular Ca ++, Mg ++, Zn ++ is preferred.
（ｃ）成分の脂肪酸誘導体として、具体的には、ステアリン酸マグネシウム、ステアリン酸カルシウム、ステアリン酸亜鉛、１，２−ヒドロキシステアリン酸マグネシウム、１，２−ヒドロキシステアリン酸カルシウム、１，２−ヒドロキシステアリン酸亜鉛、アラキジン酸マグネシウム、アラキジン酸カルシウム、アラキジン酸亜鉛、ベヘニン酸マグネシウム、ベヘニン酸カルシウム、ベヘニン酸亜鉛、リグノセリン酸マグネシウム、リグノセリン酸カルシウム、リグノセリン酸亜鉛等を挙げることができ、特にステアリン酸マグネシウム、ステアリン酸カルシウム、ステアリン酸亜鉛、アラキジン酸マグネシウム、アラキジン酸カルシウム、アラキジン酸亜鉛、ベヘニン酸マグネシウム、ベヘニン酸カルシウム、べヘニン酸亜鉛、リグノ (C) as the fatty acid derivative of component, specifically, magnesium stearate, calcium stearate, zinc stearate, magnesium 1,2-hydroxystearic acid, 1,2-hydroxystearic calcium phosphate, 1,2-hydroxystearic acid zinc , magnesium arachidate, calcium arachidate, zinc arachidate, magnesium behenate, calcium behenate, behenic acid, zinc, magnesium lignocerate, calcium lignocerate, can be mentioned lignoceric acid zinc, in particular magnesium stearate, calcium stearate , zinc stearate, magnesium arachidate, calcium arachidate, zinc arachidate, magnesium behenate, calcium behenate, behenic acid, zinc, ligno リン酸マグネシウム、リグノセリン酸カルシウム、リグノセリン酸亜鉛等を好適に使用することができる。 Magnesium phosphate, calcium lignoceric acid, can be preferably used lignoceric acid zinc.
上記ベース樹脂及び（ｃ）成分中の酸基を中和できる塩基性無機金属化合物として、（ｄ）成分を加えることができる。 As the basic inorganic metal compound capable of neutralizing acid groups of the base resin and component (c), it may be added as component (d). この（ｄ）成分が配合されないと金属せっけん変性アイオノマー樹脂（例えば、上記特許公報に記載された金属せっけん変性アイオノマー樹脂のみ）を単独で使用した場合には、加熱混合時に金属せっけんとアイオノマー樹脂に含まれる未中和の酸基が交換反応して多量の脂肪酸を発生させ、発生した脂肪酸が熱的安定性が低く成形時に容易に気化するため、成形不良の原因をもたらし、更に成形物の表面に付着して、塗膜密着性を著しく低下させたり、得られる成形体の反発性低下等の不具合が生じる場合がある。 The (d) the component is not blended metal soap-modified ionomer resin (e.g., a metal soap-modified ionomer resin only described in the above patent publication) when using alone, included in the metal soap and the ionomer resin during heating and mixing to generate a large amount of fatty acid by exchange reaction the acid groups of unneutralized that, since the generated fatty acids readily vaporizes during molding low thermal stability, lead to cause molding defects on the surface of the further moldings attached to, or significantly reduce the paint adhesion, there is a case where malfunction of resilience such as reduction of the obtained molded article is caused.
このような問題を解決すべく、（ｄ）成分として、上記ベース樹脂及び（ｃ）成分中に含まれる酸基を中和する塩基性無機金属化合物を必須成分として配合し、成形物の反発性の改良を図るものである。 To solve such a problem, as the component (d) blended basic inorganic metal compound which neutralizes the acid groups contained in the base resin and component (c) in as essential components, resilience of the molding it is intended to achieve improvements.
即ち、（ｄ）成分は、材料中に必須成分として配合されることにより、上記ベース樹脂と（ｃ）成分中の酸基が適度に中和されるだけでなく、各成分の適正化による相乗効果で、混合物の熱安定性を高め、良好な成形性の付与と反発性の向上を図ることができるものである。 That, (d) component, by being formulated as an essential component in the material, not only the acid groups of the base resin and component (c) is appropriately neutralized, synergy by optimization of the components in effect, enhances the thermal stability of the mixture, is capable to improve the resilience and impart good formability.
ここで、（ｄ）成分の塩基性無機金属化合物は、ベース樹脂との反応性が高く、反応副生成物に有機酸を含まないため、熱安定性を損なうことなく、混合物の中和度を上げられるものであることが推奨される。 Here, the basic inorganic metal compound component (d), high reactivity with the base resin, because it contains no organic acid to the reaction by-products, without impairing the thermal stability, the degree of neutralization of the mixture it is one that is raised is recommended.
上記（ｄ）成分の塩基性無機金属化合物中の金属イオンは、例えば、Ｌｉ + 、Ｎａ + 、Ｋ + 、Ｃａ ++ 、Ｍｇ ++ 、Ｚｎ ++ 、Ａｌ +++ 、Ｎｉ ++ 、Ｆｅ ++ 、Ｆｅ +++ 、Ｃｕ ++ 、Ｍｎ ++ 、Ｓｎ ++ 、Ｐｂ ++ 、Ｃｏ ++等を挙げることができる。 (D) above the metal ion of the basic inorganic metal compound of the component, for example, Li +, Na +, K +, Ca ++, Mg ++, Zn ++, Al +++, Ni ++, Fe ++, Fe +++, Cu ++, Mn ++, Sn ++, Pb ++, mention may be made of Co ++ and the like. 塩基性無機金属化合物としては、これら金属イオンを含む公知の塩基性無機充填剤を使用することができ、具体的には、酸化マグネシウム、水酸化マグネシウム、炭酸マグネシウム、酸化亜鉛、水酸化ナトリウム、炭酸ナトリウム、酸化カルシウム、水酸化カルシウム、水酸化リチウム、炭酸リチウム等を挙げることができるが、特に水酸化物、または一酸化物であることが推奨され、より好ましくはベース樹脂との反応性の高い水酸化カルシウム、酸化マグネシウム、更に好ましくは水酸化カルシウムであることが推奨される。 The basic inorganic metal compound, it is possible to use a known basic inorganic fillers containing these metal ions, specifically, magnesium oxide, magnesium hydroxide, magnesium carbonate, zinc oxide, sodium hydroxide, carbonate sodium, calcium oxide, calcium hydroxide, lithium hydroxide, and lithium carbonate, is recommended to be particularly hydroxide or monoxide, and more preferably highly reactive with the base resin calcium hydroxide, magnesium oxide, and even more preferably not more calcium hydroxide.
上述したように（ａ）成分及び（ｂ）成分とを所定量配合したベース樹脂と、任意の（ｅ）成分を配合した樹脂成分に対し、所定量の（ｃ）成分と（ｄ）成分とをそれぞれ配合することにより、熱安定性、流動性、成形性に優れ、反発性の飛躍的な向上を成形物に付与できる。 And the component (a) and (b) a base resin and component by a predetermined amount as described above, the resin component blended with any component (e), and a predetermined amount of the component (c) and component (d) the by blending each thermal stability, flowability, excellent moldability, it can impart a significant improvement of the resilience in the molded product.
上記（ｃ）成分と上記（ｄ）成分の配合量は、上記（ａ）、（ｂ）、（ｅ）成分を適宜配合した樹脂成分１００質量部に対して、（ｃ）成分の配合量が、５質量部以上、好ましくは１０質量部以上、より好ましくは１５質量部以上、更に好ましくは１８質量部以上、上限として８０質量部以下、好ましくは４０質量部以下、より好ましくは２５質量部以下、更に好ましくは２２質量部以下、（ｄ）成分の配合量を０．１質量部以上、好ましくは０．５質量部以上、より好ましくは１質量部以上、更に好ましくは２質量部以上、上限としては１７質量部以下、好ましくは１５質量部以下、より好ましくは１３質量部以下、更に好ましくは１０質量部以下にする必要がある。 Component (c) and amount of the component (d), the (a), (b), with respect to suitably blended resin component 100 parts by weight of component (e), the amount of component (c) , 5 parts by mass or more, preferably 10 parts by mass or more, more preferably 15 parts by mass or more, more preferably 18 parts by mass or more, more than 80 parts by weight, preferably 40 parts by mass or less, more preferably 25 parts by mass or less , more preferably 22 parts by weight, (d) the amount of component 0.1 parts by mass or more, preferably 0.5 parts by mass or more, more preferably 1 part by mass or more, more preferably 2 parts by mass or more, the upper limit 17 parts by mass or less as, preferably 15 parts by mass or less, more preferably 13 parts by mass or less, more preferably it should be less than or equal to 10 parts by weight. （ｃ）成分の配合量が少なすぎると溶融粘度が低くなり加工性が低下し、多すぎると耐久性が低下する。 Reduces the workability and the melt viscosity amount is too small, low component (c), too large, the durability is lowered. （ｄ）成分の配合量が少なすぎると熱安定性、反発性の向上が見られず、多すぎると過剰の塩基性無機金属化合物によりゴルフボール用材料の耐熱性が却って低下する。 (D) If the amount of component thermal stability, improved resilience can not be seen, the heat resistance of the golf ball material by an excess of the basic inorganic metal compound is too large is rather lowered.
上述した樹脂成分、（ｃ）成分、（ｄ）成分は、それぞれ所定量配合されるものであるが、材料中の酸基の５０モル％以上、好ましくは６０モル％以上、より好ましくは７０モル％以上、更に好ましくは８０モル％以上が中和されていることが推奨される。 Above resin component, (c) component, (d) component is respectively intended to be a predetermined amount, more than 50 mole% of the acid groups in the material, preferably 60 mol% or more, more preferably 70 mol % or more, it is recommended that they are more preferably neutralized at least 80 mole%. このような高中和化により、上述した従来技術のベース樹脂と脂肪酸（誘導体）のみを使用した場合に問題となる交換反応をより確実に抑制し、脂肪酸の発生を防ぐことができる上、熱的安定性が著しく向上し、成形性が良好で、従来のアイオノマー樹脂と比較して反発性に非常に優れた成形物を得ることができる。 This high neutralization, more reliably suppress the exchange reaction which becomes a problem when using only the base resin and the fatty acid in the conventional technology (derivative), on which it is possible to prevent the occurrence of fatty acid, thermal stability is remarkably improved, moldability is good, it can be compared to the conventional ionomer resin obtained very good moldings resilience.
ここで、中和度とは、ベース樹脂と（ｃ）成分の脂肪酸（誘導体）の混合物中に含まれる酸基の中和度であり、ベース樹脂中のランダム共重合体の金属イオン中和物としてアイオノマー樹脂を使用した場合におけるアイオノマー樹脂自体の中和度とは異なる。 Here, the degree of neutralization, a neutralization degree of the acid groups contained in the mixture of the base resin and component (c) fatty acid (derivative), a random copolymer metal ion neutralization product of a base resin as different from the degree of neutralization of the ionomer resin itself in the case of using the ionomer resin. 中和度が同じ本発明の混合物と同中和度のアイオノマー樹脂のみとを比較した場合、本発明の混合物は、非常に多くの金属イオンを含むため、反発性の向上に寄与するイオン架橋が高密度化し、成形物に優れた反発性を付与できる。 If the neutralization degree is compared only with the ionomer resin of the mixture and the degree of neutralization of the same invention, the mixture of the present invention contains a large number of metal ions, contributing ionic crosslinking to the improvement of resilience densification, can impart excellent resilience to the molded product.
なお、高中和化と優れた流動性をより確実に両立するために、上記混合物の酸基が遷移金属イオンと、アルカリ金属及び／又はアルカリ土類金属イオンとで中和されたものを用いることができる。 In order to achieve both excellent flowability and higher neutralization more reliably, the use of those acid groups of the mixture was neutralized with transition metal ions, and alkali metal and / or alkaline earth metal ion can. 遷移金属イオンによる中和は、アルカリ（土類）金属イオンと比較してイオン凝集力が弱いが、これら種類の異なるイオンを併用して、混合物中の酸基の中和を行うことにより、流動性の著しい改良を図ることができる。 Neutralization with transition metal ions is an alkali in comparison with the (earth) metal ions ions cohesive force is weak, a combination of these different types of ions, by performing the neutralization of acid groups in the mixture, flow it is possible to achieve a significant improvement in sexual.
上記遷移金属イオンと、アルカリ金属及び／又はアルカリ土類金属イオンとのモル比は、通常１０：９０〜９０：１０、好ましくは２０：８０〜８０：２０、より好ましくは３０：７０〜７０：３０、更に好ましくは４０：６０〜６０：４０であることが推奨される。 The molar ratio of the above transition metal ion, and alkali metal and / or alkaline earth metal ion is usually 10: 90 to 90: 10, preferably 20: 80 to 80: 20, more preferably 30: 70 to 70: 30, more preferably 40: 60 to 60: it is recommended is 40. 遷移金属イオンのモル比が小さすぎると流動性を改善する効果が十分に付与されない場合があり、遷移金属イオンのモル比が大きすぎると反発性が低下する場合がある。 Transition molar ratio of metal ion is too small may effect of improving the fluidity is not sufficiently imparted, the molar ratio of transition metal ions resilience is too large may be lowered.
上記金属イオンは、遷移金属イオンとしては、亜鉛イオン等を挙げることができ、また、アルカリ金属イオン又はアルカリ土類金属イオンとしては、ナトリウムイオン、リチウムイオン及びマグネシウムイオン等から選ばれる少なくとも１種のイオンを挙げることができるが、これらは特に制限されるものではない。 The metal ions, transition metal ions, may be mentioned zinc ions, etc., and, as the alkali metal or alkaline earth metal ions, at least one selected from sodium ion, lithium ion and magnesium ion, etc. can be exemplified ions, it is not particularly limited.
遷移金属イオンとアルカリ金属イオン又はアルカリ土類金属イオンとで上記所望量の酸基が中和された混合物を得るには、公知の方法を採用でき、例えば、遷移金属イオン（亜鉛イオン）により中和する方法は、上記脂肪酸誘導体に亜鉛せっけんを用いる方法、ベース樹脂として（ａ）成分と（ｂ）成分とを配合する際に亜鉛イオン中和物（例えば、亜鉛イオン中和型アイオノマー樹脂）を使用する方法、（ｄ）成分の塩基性無機金属化合物に亜鉛酸化物等の亜鉛化合物を用いる方法などを挙げることができる。 Medium in the transition metal ions and alkali metal ions or alkaline earth metal ions is an acid group of the desired amount to give a mixture that is neutralized, can be employed a known method, for example, by transition metal ions (zinc ion) how to sum, a method using zinc soap to the fatty acid derivative, the base resin as component (a) and (b) a zinc ion neutralization product in formulating the component (e.g., a zinc ion-neutralized ionomer resin) it can be exemplified a method of using, and methods of using zinc compound such as zinc oxide in the basic inorganic metal compound of the component (d).
上記樹脂材料は、射出成形に特に適した流動性を確保し、成形性を改良するため、メルトフローレートを調整することが好ましく、この場合、ＪＩＳ−Ｋ７２１０で試験温度１９０℃、試験荷重２１．１８Ｎ（２．１６ｋｇｆ）に従って測定したときのメルトフローレート（ＭＦＲ）が、通常０．６ｄｇ／ｍｉｎ以上、好ましくは０．７ｄｇ／ｍｉｎ以上、より好ましくは０．８ｄｇ／ｍｉｎ以上、更に好ましくは２ｄｇ／ｍｉｎ以上であり、上限として２０ｄｇ／ｍｉｎ以下、好ましくは１０ｄｇ／ｍｉｎ以下、より好ましくは５ｄｇ／ｍｉｎ以下、更に好ましくは３ｄｇ／ｍｉｎ以下に調整されることが推奨される。 The resin material, for ensuring particularly suitable flowability for injection molding, improving moldability, it is preferable to adjust the melt flow rate, in this case, test temperature 190 ° C. with JIS-K7210, a test load 21. 18N melt flow rate when measured in accordance with (2.16kgf) (MFR) is usually 0.6dg / min or more, preferably 0.7 dg / min or more, more preferably 0.8 dg / min or more, more preferably 2dg / min not less than, 20 dg / min, preferably up 10 dg / min or less, more preferably 5 dg / min or less, it is recommended that more preferably is adjusted to below 3 dg / min. メルトフローレートが、大きすぎても小さすぎても加工性が著しく低下する場合がある。 Melt flow rate, workability too large or too small may be lowered significantly.
包囲層材料として具体的には、Dupont社製の商品名「ＨＰＦ １０００」「ＨＰＦ ２０００」、「ＨＰＦ ＡＤ１０２７」、実験用 ＨＰＦ ＳＥＰ１２６４−３などが挙げられる。 Specific examples of the envelope layer material, Dupont Co., Ltd. under the trade name "HPF 1000", "HPF 2000", "HPF AD1027", and the like experimental HPF SEP1264-3.
次に、中間層について説明する。 Next, the intermediate layer will be described.
中間層の材料硬度は、特に制限はないが、デュロメータＤ硬度（ＡＳＴＭ Ｄ２２４０に基づくタイプＤデュロメータによる測定値）で好ましくは５０以上７０以下、好ましくは５５以上６６以下、さらに好ましくは６０以上６３以下の範囲である。 Material hardness of the intermediate layer is not particularly limited, preferably 50 or more 70 or less in Durometer D hardness (measured by Type D durometer based on ASTM D2240), preferably 55 or more 66 or less, more preferably 60 or more 63 or less it is in the range of. 上記範囲よりも軟らかすぎると、フルショット時にスピンが掛かりすぎて飛距離が伸びなくなることがある。 If too soft than the above range, it may not extend the flight distance and spin is too much at the time of the full shot. 逆に、上記範囲よりも硬すぎると、繰り返し打撃時の割れ耐久性が悪くなったり、パターやショートアプローチの実施時の打感が硬くなりすぎることがある。 On the other hand, if it is too hard than the above range, the repetition or the durability to cracking sick at the time of hitting, hitting feel of implementation at the time of the putter or a short approach is too hard. 中間層の厚さは、特に制限はないが、０．７ｍｍ以上２．０ｍｍ以下、好ましくは０．９ｍｍ以上１．７ｍｍ以下、さらに好ましくは１．１ｍｍ以上１．４ｍｍ以下である。 The thickness of the intermediate layer is not particularly limited, 0.7 mm or more 2.0mm or less, preferably 0.9mm or more 1.7mm or less, more preferably 1.1mm or more 1.4mm or less. その範囲を逸脱すると、ドライバー（Ｗ＃１）打撃による低スピン効果が足りずに飛距離が伸びなくなることがある。 When departing from its scope a driver (W # 1) low spin effect by striking it may not extend the flight distance in insufficient. また、上記範囲よりも小さすぎると、繰り返し打撃時の割れ耐久性が悪くなることがある。 Also, if too much lower than the above range, the durability against cracking during repeated impact is poor.
中間層は、上述した上記包囲層の材料とは同種又は異種の樹脂材料を主材として形成されるが、特に、アイオノマー樹脂を用いることが好ましい。 Intermediate layer is the material of the envelope layer described above is formed of resin material of the same or different as main material, in particular, it is preferable to use an ionomer resin. 具体的には、（商品名）ハイミラン１６０５、同１６０１、サーリン８１２０等のナトリウム中和型アイオノマー樹脂やハイミラン１５５７、同１７０６等の亜鉛中和型アイオノマー樹脂などが挙げられ、これらの１種を単独で又は２種以上併用することができる。 Specifically, (trade name) milan 1605, the 1601, sodium-neutralized ionomer resin and Himilan 1557 such as Surlyn 8120, such as a zinc-neutralized ionomer resin such as the 1706 and the like, alone these one it can be used in combination in two or more.
中間層の材料として特に好ましいのは、亜鉛中和型アイオノマー樹脂とナトリウム中和型アイオノマー樹脂とを混合して主材として用いる態様が本発明の目的を達成するうえで望ましい。 Particularly preferred as the material of the intermediate layer, embodiments employing a mixture of a zinc-neutralized ionomer resin and sodium-neutralized ionomer resin as the main material is desirable in order to achieve the object of the present invention. その配合比率は、亜鉛中和型／ナトリウム中和型（質量比）で２５／７５〜７５／２５、好ましくは３５／６５〜６５／３５、さらに好ましくは４５／５５〜５５／４５である。 The mixing ratio of zinc-neutralized / sodium neutralized (weight ratio) at 25 / 75-75 / 25, preferably 35 / 65-65 / 35, more preferably 45 / 55-55 / 45.
上記の比率を逸脱すると、ボールの反発性が低くなりすぎて所望の飛びが得られなかったり、常温での繰り返し打撃時の耐久性が悪くなったり、さらに低温（零下）での割れ耐久性が悪くなることがある。 When departing from the above ratios, it may not desired jump is obtained too low resilience of the ball, may become poor repetition durability when hit at room temperature, further durability to cracking at low temperature (sub-zero) it may become worse.
中間層の表面硬度、具体的には、コア及び包囲層を中間層で被覆した球体の表面硬度については、特に制限はないが、ＪＩＳ−Ｃ硬度で８５以上１００以下とすることが好ましく、より好ましくは９０以上９９以下、さらに好ましくは９５以上９８以下である。 Surface hardness of the intermediate layer, specifically, for the surface hardness of the spheres covering the core and surrounding layers in the intermediate layer is not particularly limited, it is preferable to 85 or more 100 or less in JIS-C hardness, and more preferably 90 to 99 or less, more preferably 95 or more 98 or less. 上記範囲よりも軟らかすぎると、フルショット時にスピンが掛かりすぎて飛距離が伸びなくなることがある。 If too soft than the above range, it may not extend the flight distance and spin is too much at the time of the full shot. 逆に、上記範囲よりも硬すぎると、繰り返し打撃時の割れ耐久性が悪くなったり、パターやショートアプローチの実施時の打感が硬くなりすぎることがある。 On the other hand, if it is too hard than the above range, the repetition or the durability to cracking sick at the time of hitting, hitting feel of implementation at the time of the putter or a short approach is too hard.
中間層の表面硬度はコア表面硬度よりも高く形成され、具体的には、包囲層表面のＪＩＳ−Ｃ硬度よりも１以上３０以下、好ましくは５以上２０以下、より好ましくは９以上１６以下の範囲で高く形成されることである。 Surface hardness of the intermediate layer is formed higher than the surface hardness of the core, specifically, 1 to 30 than the JIS-C hardness of the envelope layer surface, preferably 5 to 20, more preferably 9 to 16 it is to be formed higher in the range.
また、中間層の表面硬度はカバー表面硬度よりも高く形成されるものであるがこれについては後述する。 Further, the surface hardness of the intermediate layer is intended to be higher than the cover surface hardness which will be described later.
上記中間層材料については、後述するカバーで用いられるポリウレタンとの密着度を高めるために中間層表面を研磨することが好適である。 For the intermediate layer material, it is preferable to polish the surface of the intermediate layer in order to increase the degree of adhesion between the polyurethane used in the cover, which will be described later. さらに、その研磨処理の後にプライマー（接着剤）を中間層表面に塗布するか、もしくは材料中に密着強化材を添加しておくことが好ましい。 Further, it is preferable to add an adhesion reinforcement primer (adhesive) after the polishing process or applied to the intermediate layer surface, or into the material. 材料中に配合する密着強化材としては、１，３−ブタンジオール、トリメチロールプロパンなどの有機化合物やポリエチレングリコール、ポリヒドロキシポリオレフィンオリゴマーなどのオリゴマーが挙げられる。 The adhesion reinforcing material to be incorporated in the material, 1,3-butane diol, organic compounds and polyethylene glycols such as trimethylol propane, oligomers such polyhydroxy polyolefin oligomer and the like. 特にトリメチロールプロパンやポリヒドロキシポリオレフィンオリゴマーが好適に用いられる。 In particular trimethylolpropane and polyhydroxy polyolefin oligomer is preferably used. これらの市販品として、例えば、三菱ガス化学社製トリメチロールプロパンや、三菱化学社製ポリヒドロキシポリオレフィンオリゴマー（主鎖の炭素数が１５０〜２００、末端に水酸基を有する。商品名ポリテールＨ）等を挙げることができる。 As commercially available products of these, for example, manufactured by Mitsubishi Gas Chemical Company, Inc. and trimethylolpropane, manufactured by Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation polyhydroxy polyolefin oligomer (number of carbon atoms in the main chain 150-200, having a terminal hydroxyl group. Trade name Polytail H) and the like it can be mentioned.
次に、カバーについて説明する。 Next, a description will be given of cover. なお、本発明に言うカバーとは、ボール構造体中の最外層を意味し、本発明に言う中間層、包囲層は除かれる。 Note that the cover referred to in the present invention means an outermost layer of the ball structures in the intermediate layer referred to in the present invention, the envelope layer is removed.
カバーの材料硬度は、特に制限はないが、デュロメータＤ硬度で４０以上６０以下とすることが好適であり、より好ましくは４３以上５７以下、さらに好ましくは４６以上５４以下である。 Material hardness of the cover is not particularly limited, it is preferably set to 40 or more 60 or less in Durometer D hardness, more preferably 43 or more and 57 or less, further preferably 46 or more 54 or less. 上記の範囲よりも小さいと、フルショット時にスピンが掛かりすぎて飛距離が伸びなくなることがある。 When smaller than the above range, it may not extend the flight distance and spin is too much at the time of the full shot. また、上記の範囲よりも大きいと、アプローチでのスピンが掛からずにプロや上級者でもコントロール性が不足することがある。 Also, if larger than the above range, there may be insufficient controllability even in professional or advanced without spin Kakekara of approach.
カバーの厚さは、特に制限はないが、０．３ｍｍ以上１．５ｍｍ以下とすることが好適であり、好ましくは０．５ｍｍ以上１．２ｍｍ以下、さらに好ましくは０．７ｍｍ以上１．０ｍｍ以下である。 The thickness of the cover is not particularly restricted, is preferably set to 0.3mm or more 1.5mm or less, preferably 0.5mm or more 1.2mm or less, more preferably 0.7mm or more 1.0mm or less it is. 上記の範囲よりも厚すぎると、ドライバー（Ｗ＃１）による打撃時にボールの反発性が足りなくなったり、スピン量が多くなり、その結果として飛距離が伸びなくなる場合がある。 Too thick than the above range a driver (W # 1) may become insufficient resilience of the ball when hit by, the number of spin rate, which may result distance as will not stretch. 逆に、上記の範囲よりも薄すぎると、耐擦過傷性が悪くなったり、プロや上級者でもコントロール性が不足する場合がある。 Conversely, too thin than the above range, or scuff resistance deteriorates, there may be insufficient controllability even in professional or advanced.
本発明では、カバー材料については熱可塑性樹脂又は熱可塑性エラストマーを主材として形成されるものであるが、特にポリウレタンを主材として用いることが好適である。 In the present invention, for the cover material but those formed of a thermoplastic resin or thermoplastic elastomer as a main material, it is particularly preferable to use polyurethane as a main material. これによりコントロール性と耐擦過傷性の両面を満たした本発明の効果を得るものである。 Thus it is to obtain the effect of the present invention which satisfies both sides of controllability and scuff resistance.
上記カバー材料であるポリウレタンについては、特に制限はないが、特に、量産性の点から熱可塑性ポリウレタンを用いることが好ましい。 The polyurethane is the cover material is not particularly limited, in particular, it is preferable to use a thermoplastic polyurethane from the viewpoint of mass productivity.
具体的には、（Ａ）熱可塑性ポリウレタン及び（Ｂ）ポリイソシアネート化合物を主成分とする特定の熱可塑性ポリウレタン組成物を用いることが好適である。 Specifically, it is preferable to use a specific thermoplastic polyurethane composition composed mainly of (A) a thermoplastic polyurethane and (B) a polyisocyanate compound. この樹脂配合物について下記に説明する。 This resin blend is described below.
本発明の効果を十分有効に発揮させるためには、必要十分量の未反応のイソシアネート基がカバー樹脂材料中に存在すればよく、具体的には、上記の（Ａ）成分と（Ｂ）成分とを合わせた合計質量が、カバー層全体の質量の６０％以上であることが推奨されるものであり、より好ましくは、７０％以上である。 In order to sufficiently effectively exhibit the effects of the present invention may be present necessary and sufficient amount of unreacted isocyanate groups in the cover resin material, specifically, the above components (A) and component (B) total mass of the combined bets is, which it is recommended that at least 60% of the total cover layer weight, more preferably 70% or more. 上記（Ａ）成分及び（Ｂ）成分については以下に詳述する。 The components (A) and component (B) described in detail below.
上記（Ａ）熱可塑性ポリウレタンについて述べると、その熱可塑性ポリウレタンの構造は、長鎖ポリオールである高分子ポリオール（ポリメリックグリコール）からなるソフトセグメントと、鎖延長剤およびポリイソシアネート化合物からなるハードセグメントとを含む。 Describing the above (A) a thermoplastic polyurethane, the structure of the thermoplastic polyurethane has a soft segment made of a polymeric polyol (polymeric glycol) long chain polyol and a hard segment consisting of a chain extender and a polyisocyanate compound including. ここで、原料となる長鎖ポリオールとしては、従来から熱可塑性ポリウレタンに関する技術において使用されるものはいずれも使用でき、特に制限されるものではないが、例えば、ポリエステルポリオール、ポリエーテルポリオール、ポリカーボネートポリオール、ポリエステルポリカーボネートポリオール、ポリオレフィン系ポリオール、共役ジエン重合体系ポリオール、ひまし油系ポリオール、シリコーン系ポリオール、ビニル重合体系ポリオールなどを挙げることができる。 Here, the long-chain polyol as a raw material, any one conventionally used in the art relating to thermoplastic polyurethane can be used, but are not particularly limited, for example, polyester polyols, polyether polyols, polycarbonate polyols , polyester polycarbonate polyols, polyolefin polyols, conjugated diene polymer based polyols, castor oil polyols, silicone polyols, and vinyl polymer based polyols. これらの長鎖ポリオールは１種類のものを使用してもよいし、２種以上を併用してもよい。 These long-chain polyols may be used one kind of those may be used in combination of two or more thereof. これらのうちでも、反発弾性率が高く低温特性に優れた熱可塑性ポリウレタンを合成できる点で、ポリエーテルポリオールが好ましい。 Among these, from the viewpoint of synthesizing the thermoplastic polyurethane rebound resilience and excellent high temperature properties, polyether polyols are preferred.
上記のポリエーテルポリオールとしては、例えば、環状エーテルを開環重合して得られるポリ（エチレングリコール）、ポリ（プロピレングリコール）、ポリ（テトラメチレングリコール）、ポリ（メチルテトラメチレングリコール）などを挙げることができる。 Examples of the polyether polyols, such as poly obtained by ring-opening polymerization of cyclic ethers (ethylene glycol), poly (propylene glycol), poly (tetramethylene glycol), poly (methyl tetramethylene glycol) and the like can. ポリエーテルポリオールとしては１種類のものを使用してもよいし、２種以上を併用してもよい。 It may be used one type of thing as the polyether polyol may be used in combination of two or more thereof. これらのうちでも、ポリ（テトラメチレングリコール）および／またはポリ（メチルテトラメチレングリコール）が好ましい。 Among them, poly (tetramethylene glycol) and / or poly (methyltetramethylene glycol) are preferred.
これらの長鎖ポリオールの数平均分子量としては１，５００〜５，０００の範囲内であることが好ましい。 It is preferred the number average molecular weight of these long chain polyol in the range of 1,500 to 5,000. かかる数平均分子量を有する長鎖ポリオールを使用することにより、上記した反発性や生産性などの種々の特性に優れた熱可塑性ポリウレタン組成物からなるゴルフボールを確実に得ることができる。 The use of long-chain polyols having such number average molecular weight, it is possible to reliably obtain the golf ball comprising a thermoplastic polyurethane composition having excellent properties such as resilience and productivity as described above. 長鎖ポリオールの数平均分子量は、１，７００〜４，０００の範囲内であることがより好ましく、１，９００〜３，０００の範囲内であることがさらに好ましい。 The number average molecular weight of the long chain polyol is more preferably in the range of 1,700 to 4,000, and still more preferably in the range of 1,900 to 3,000.
なお、上記の長鎖ポリオールの数平均分子量とは、ＪＩＳ Ｋ−１５５７に準拠して測定した水酸基価に基づいて算出した数平均分子量である。 Note that the number average molecular weight of the long-chain polyol, a number average molecular weight calculated based on the hydroxyl number measured in accordance with JIS K-1557.
鎖延長剤としては、従来の熱可塑性ポリウレタンに関する技術において使用されるものを好適に用いることができ、例えば、イソシアネート基と反応し得る活性水素原子を分子中に２個以上有する分子量４００以下の低分子化合物であることが好ましい。 As the chain extender, those used in the prior art relating to thermoplastic polyurethane can be suitably used, for example, having two or more molecular weight 400 or lower in the molecule active hydrogen atoms capable of reacting with isocyanate groups preferably a molecular compound. 鎖延長剤としては、１，４−ブチレングリコール、１，２−エチレングリコール、１，３−ブタンジオール、１，６−ヘキサンジオール、２，２−ジメチル−１，３−プロパンジオール等が挙げられるが、これらに限定されるものではない。 As the chain extender, 1,4-butylene glycol, 1,2-ethylene glycol, 1,3-butanediol, 1,6-hexanediol, 2,2-dimethyl-1,3-propanediol but it is not limited thereto. 鎖延長剤としては、これらのうちでも、炭素数２〜１２の脂肪族ジオールが好ましく、１，４−ブチレングリコールがより好ましい。 As the chain extender, Among these, preferred aliphatic diols having 2 to 12 carbon atoms, 1,4-butylene glycol are more preferred.
ポリイソシアネート化合物としては、従来の熱可塑性ポリウレタンに関する技術において使用されるものを好適に用いることができ、特に制限はない。 As the polyisocyanate compound, can be suitably used those used in the prior art relating to thermoplastic polyurethane is not particularly limited. 具体的には、４，４'−ジフェニルメタンジイソシアネート、２，４−（又は）２，６−トルエンジイソシアネート、ｐ−フェニレンジイソシアネート、キシリレンジイソシアネート、ナフチレン１，５−ジイソシアネート、テトラメチルキシレンジイソシアネート、水添キシリレンジイソシアネート、ジシクロヘキシルメタンジイソシアネート、テトラメチレンジイソシアネート、ヘキサメチレンジイソシアネート、イソホロンジイソシアネート、ノルボルネンジイソシアネート、トリメチルヘキサメチレンジイソシアネート、ダイマー酸ジイソシアネートからなる群から選択された１種又は２種以上を用いることができる。 Specifically, 4,4'-diphenylmethane diisocyanate, 2,4- (or) 2,6-toluene diisocyanate, p- phenylene diisocyanate, xylylene diisocyanate, naphthylene 1,5-diisocyanate, tetramethyl xylene diisocyanate, hydrogenated xylylene diisocyanate, dicyclohexylmethane diisocyanate, tetramethylene diisocyanate, hexamethylene diisocyanate, isophorone diisocyanate, norbornene diisocyanate, trimethylhexamethylene diisocyanate, can be used alone or in combination of two or more selected from the group consisting of dimer acid diisocyanate. ただし、イソシアネート種によっては射出成形中の架橋反応をコントロールすることが困難なものがある。 However, there is a difficult to control the crosslinking reaction during injection molding by the isocyanate species. 本発明においては生産時の安定性と発現される物性とのバランスとの観点から、芳香族ジイソシアネートである４，４'−ジフェニルメタンジイソシアネートが最も好ましい。 From the standpoint of balance between the properties that are manifested as stability during production in the present invention, an aromatic diisocyanate 4,4'-diphenylmethane diisocyanate are most preferred.
上記（Ａ）成分の熱可塑性ポリウレタンとして最も好ましいものは、長鎖ポリオールとしてポリエーテルポリオール、鎖延長剤として脂肪族ジオール、ポリイソシアネート化合物として芳香族ジイソシアネートを用いて合成される熱可塑性ポリウレタンであって、上記ポリエーテルポリオールが数平均分子量１，９００以上のポリテトラメチレングリコール、上記鎖延長剤が１，４−ブチレングリコール、上記芳香族ジイソシアネートが４，４'−ジフェニルメタンジイソシアネートのものであるが、特にこれらに限られるものではない。 (A) above Most preferred as the thermoplastic polyurethane component are polyether polyols as the long chain polyol, aliphatic diols as chain extenders, a thermoplastic polyurethane synthesized using an aromatic diisocyanate as the polyisocyanate compound the polyether polyol is the number average molecular weight 1,900 or more polytetramethylene glycol, the chain extender is 1,4-butylene glycol, the aromatic diisocyanates are of 4,4'-diphenylmethane diisocyanate, in particular the present invention is not limited to these.
また、上記ポリウレタン形成反応における活性水素原子：イソシアネート基の配合比は、上記した反発性、スピン性能、耐擦過傷性および生産性などの種々の特性がより優れた熱可塑性ポリウレタン組成物からなるゴルフボールを得ることができるよう、好ましい範囲にて調整することができる。 The active hydrogen atoms in the polyurethane-forming reaction: compounding ratio of the isocyanate groups, resilience described above, a spin performance, a golf ball in which various characteristics are the better thermoplastic polyurethane composition such as abrasion resistance and productivity so that it is possible to obtain, it can be adjusted in a preferred range. 具体的には、上記の長鎖ポリオール、ポリイソシアネート化合物および鎖延長剤とを反応させて熱可塑性ポリウレタンを製造するに当たり、長鎖ポリオールと鎖延長剤とが有する活性水素原子１モルに対して、ポリイソシアネート化合物に含まれるイソシアネート基が０．９５〜１．０５モルとなる割合で各成分を使用することが好ましい。 Specifically, the long-chain polyol, when a polyisocyanate compound and a chain extender are reacted to produce the thermoplastic polyurethanes, the active hydrogen atom to 1 mol of a and the long-chain polyol and chain extender, it is preferred that the isocyanate groups contained in the polyisocyanate compound is used each component so that the ratio of 0.95 to 1.05 mol.
上記（Ａ）成分の熱可塑性ポリウレタンの製造方法は特に限定されず、長鎖ポリオール、鎖延長剤およびポリイソシアネート化合物を使用して、公知のウレタン化反応を利用して、プレポリマー法、ワンショット法のいずれで製造してもよい。 Method for producing a thermoplastic polyurethane component (A) is not particularly limited, using a long chain polyol, a chain extender and a polyisocyanate compound, using a known urethanization reaction, the prepolymer method, a one-shot it may be prepared by any of the law. そのうちでも、実質的に溶剤の不存在下に溶融重合することが好ましく、特に多軸スクリュー型押出機を用いて連続溶融重合により製造することが好ましい。 Among them, it is preferable to melt polymerization in the absence of a substantially solvent, it is particularly preferable to be produced by continuous melt polymerization using a multi-screw extruder.
具体的な（Ａ）成分の熱可塑性ポリウレタンとし、市販品を用いることもでき、例えば、パンデックスＴ８２９５，同Ｔ８２９０，同Ｔ８２６０，同Ｔ８２９５，同Ｔ８２９０（いずれもディーアイシーバイエルポリマー社製）などが挙げられる。 A thermoplastic polyurethane concrete component (A) can also be used commercially available products, for example, Pandex T8295, the T8290, the T8260, the T8295, the T8290 (all manufactured by DIC Bayer Polymer, Ltd.) and the like and the like.
次に、上記（Ｂ）成分として用いられるポリイソシアネート化合物については、少なくとも一部が、全てのイソシアネート基が未反応状態で残存するポリイソシアネート化合物が存在していることが必要である。 Next, the polyisocyanate compound used as the component (B), at least partially, it is necessary that the polyisocyanate compound is any isocyanate groups remaining unreacted state exists. 即ち、１分子中にイソシアネート基が完全にフリーな状態のポリイソシアネート化合物が存在すればよく、このようなポリイソシアネート化合物と、片末端のみがフリーな状態のポリイソシアネート化合物とが併存していてもよい。 That is, it is sufficient present isocyanate groups in one molecule polyisocyanate compound completely free state, and such polyisocyanate compounds, even only one terminal has present together with a polyisocyanate compound in the free state good.
このポリイソシアネート化合物としては、特に制限はないが、各種のイソシアネートを採用することができ、具体的には、４，４'−ジフェニルメタンジイソシアネート、２，４−（又は）２，６−トルエンジイソシアネート、ｐ−フェニレンジイソシアネート、キシリレンジイソシアネート、ナフチレン１，５−ジイソシアネート、テトラメチルキシレンジイソシアネート、水添キシリレンジイソシアネート、ジシクロヘキシルメタンジイソシアネート、テトラメチレンジイソシアネート、ヘキサメチレンジイソシアネート、イソホロンジイソシアネート、ノルボルネンジイソシアネート、トリメチルヘキサメチレンジイソシアネート、ダイマー酸ジイソシアネートからなる群から選択された１種又は２種以上を用いることができる。 As the polyisocyanate compound is not particularly limited but can adopt a variety of isocyanates, specifically, 4,4'-diphenylmethane diisocyanate, 2,4- (or) 2,6-toluene diisocyanate, p- phenylene diisocyanate, xylylene diisocyanate, naphthylene 1,5-diisocyanate, tetramethyl xylene diisocyanate, hydrogenated xylylene diisocyanate, dicyclohexylmethane diisocyanate, tetramethylene diisocyanate, hexamethylene diisocyanate, isophorone diisocyanate, norbornene diisocyanate, trimethylhexamethylene diisocyanate, can be used alone or in combination of two or more selected from the group consisting of dimer acid diisocyanate. 上記のイソシアネートの群のうち、４，４'−ジフェニルメタンジイソシアネート、ジシクロヘキシルメタンジイソシアネート及びイソホロンジイソシアネートを採用することが、（Ａ）成分の熱可塑性ポリウレタンとの反応に伴う粘度上昇等による成形性への影響と、得られるゴルフボールカバー材料の物性とのバランスとの観点から好適である。 Of the above group of isocyanates, 4,4'-diphenylmethane diisocyanate, the influence of adopting dicyclohexylmethane diisocyanate and isophorone diisocyanate, the moldability by viscosity increase or the like due to the reaction between the thermoplastic polyurethane component (A) When a preferred from the viewpoint of the balance between the physical properties of the resulting golf ball cover materials.
本発明において、必須成分ではないが、上記（Ａ）及び（Ｂ）成分に、（Ｃ）成分として、上記熱可塑性ポリウレタン以外の熱可塑性エラストマーを配合することができる。 In the present invention, it is not an essential component, the above components (A) and (B) can be blended (C) as component, a thermoplastic elastomer other than the thermoplastic polyurethane. この（Ｃ）成分を上記樹脂配合物に配合することにより、樹脂配合物の更なる流動性の向上や反発性、耐擦過傷性等、ゴルフボールカバー材として要求される諸物性を高めることができる。 By blending this component (C) in the resin blend, it is possible to increase further the fluidity improved and resilience of the resin formulation, scuff resistance, physical properties required as a golf ball cover material .
なお、上述した包囲層、中間層及びカバーの樹脂材料には、上記樹脂分に加えて、必要に応じて種々の添加剤を配合することができる。 Incidentally, envelope layer described above, the resin material of the intermediate layer and the cover, in addition to the resin component, can be blended with various additives as necessary. このような添加剤としては、例えば顔料、分散剤、酸化防止剤、紫外線吸収剤、紫外線安定剤、離型剤、可塑剤、無機充填剤（酸化亜鉛、硫酸バリウム、二酸化チタン等）等を挙げることができる。 Such additives include, for example include pigments, dispersants, antioxidants, ultraviolet absorbers, ultraviolet stabilizers, mold release agents, plasticizers, inorganic fillers (zinc oxide, barium sulfate, titanium dioxide, etc.) and the like be able to.
本発明では、上記の包囲層、中間層及びカバーの厚さについては、 カバー厚さ ＜ 中間層厚さ ＜ 包囲層厚さ の条件を満たすことが必要である。 In the present invention, the envelope layer, for the intermediate layer and the cover thickness, it is necessary that the cover thickness <intermediate layer thickness <envelope layer thickness condition is satisfied. コアの直径が３１ｍｍ以上としたことと併せて、この各層の厚みの適正化により、飛びとコントロール性、耐久性及び打感を両立したゴルフボールを得ることができる。 Together with the diameter of the core is not less than 31 mm, by optimizing the thickness of the respective layers, it is possible to obtain fly and controllability, a golf ball having both durability and feel. この場合、カバーが中間層よりも厚いと、ボール反発が低くなったり、フルショット時にスピンが掛かりすぎて飛距離が伸びなくなることがある。 In this case, cover and thicker than the intermediate layer, or lower the ball rebound, it may not extend the flight distance and spin is too much at the time of the full shot. また、包囲層が中間層よりも薄くなると、低スピン効果が不足し、所望の狙った飛距離が得られなくなることがある。 Also, envelope layer becomes thinner than the intermediate layer, a low spin effect is insufficient, it may distance the desired targeting has can not be obtained.
本発明では、包囲層、中間層及びカバーの表面硬度（ＪＩＳ−Ｃ硬度）が、 包囲層表面硬度 ＜ 中間層表面硬度 ＞ カバー表面硬度 の条件を満たすことが必要とされる。 In the present invention, envelope layer, the surface hardness of the intermediate layer and the cover (JIS-C hardness), it is the requirements of the surrounding layer surface hardness <intermediate layer surface hardness> cover surface hardness.
上述したコア，包囲層，中間層及びカバーの各層を積層して形成されたとマルチピースソリッドゴルフボールの製造方法については、公知の射出成形法等の常法により行なうことができる。 Above core, envelope layer, a method of manufacturing a multi-piece solid golf balls and formed by stacking the layers of the intermediate layer and the cover may be carried out by a conventional method such as a known injection molding method. 例えば、ゴム材を主材とした加硫成形物をコアとして所定の射出成形用金型内に配備し、順に、包囲層材料、中間層材料を射出して中間球状体を得、次いで、該球状体を別の射出成形用金型内に配備してカバー材を射出成形することによりマルチピースのゴルフボールを得ることができる。 For example, a vulcanized molded article in which the rubber material as the main material deployed within a predetermined injection mold as a core, in turn, give the intermediate spherical body by injecting envelope layer material, the intermediate layer material, then the it is possible to obtain a golf ball of the multi-piece by injection molding the cover material deployed spheroids into another injection mold. また、カバーを中間球状体に被覆する方法により、カバーを積層することもでき、例えば、予め半殻球状に成形した２枚のハーフカップで該中間球状体を包み加熱加圧成形することができる。 Further, the method of covering the cover on the intermediate spherical body, can also be laminated to cover, for example, can be heated pressure molding wrapping the intermediate spherical body with two half cups molded in advance half shells spherical .
本発明のゴルフボールの表面硬度（カバー表面硬度とも言う。）については、各層で用いられた材料の硬度と各層の硬さ及び下地の硬さにより決定されるものであり、ＪＩＳ−Ｃ硬度で通常８３以上１００以下、好ましくは８６以上９７以下、さらに好ましくは８８以上９４以下である。 (Also a cover surface hardness refers.) Golf surface hardness of the ball of the present invention for, is to be determined by the hardness and the hardness of the underlying hardness and the materials of each layer used in each layer, in JIS-C hardness Usually 83 or more and 100 or less, preferably 86 or more 97 or less, more preferably 88 or more 94 or less. 上記の範囲よりも小さすぎると、スピンが掛かりすぎて飛距離が伸びなくなることがある。 Too small than the above range, it may not extend the flight distance and spin too much. また、上記の範囲よりも大きいと、アプローチでのスピンが掛からずにプロや上級者でもコントロール性が不足することがある。 Also, if larger than the above range, there may be insufficient controllability even in professional or advanced without spin Kakekara of approach.
本発明のゴルフボールの表面硬度を中間層表面硬度よりもＪＩＳ−Ｃ硬度で１〜１０、好ましくは２〜８、さらに好ましくは３〜６の範囲で軟らかくすることが好ましい。 1-10 in JIS-C hardness than the intermediate layer surface hardness of the surface hardness of the golf ball of the present invention, it is preferable preferably 2 to 8, further preferably soft in the range of 3-6. 上記の範囲よりも小さすぎると、アプローチでのスピンが掛からずにプロや上級者でもコントロール性が不足することがある。 Too small than the above range, there may be insufficient controls even in professional and advanced users without spin Kakekara in approach. 上記の範囲よりも大きすぎると、反発性が不足したり、フルショット時にスピンが掛かりすぎて所望の飛距離が得られなくなる場合がある。 If too much greater than the above range, or insufficient resilience, a desired flight distance takes too much spin upon full shots can not be obtained.
また、上記カバー表面には多数のディンプルを形成することができる。 Further, the cover surface can form a large number of dimples. カバー表面に配置されるディンプルについては、特に制限はないが、好ましくは２８０個以上３６０個以下、より好ましくは３００個以上３５０個以下、さらに好ましくは３２０個以上３４０個以下具備することができる。 The dimples are arranged on the cover surface is not particularly limited, preferably 280 or more 360 or less, more preferably 300 or more 350 or less, more preferably may comprise 320 or more 340 or less. ディンプルの個数が上記範囲より多くなると、ボールの弾道が低くなり、飛距離が低下することがある。 If the number of dimples is more than the above range, the trajectory of the ball is low, the flight distance may be reduced. 逆に、ディンプル個数が少なくなると、ボールの弾道が高くなり、飛距離が伸びなくなる場合がある。 On the other hand, if the number of dimples is reduced, trajectory of the ball is high, there is a case in which no longer extend the flight distance.
ディンプルの形状については、円形、各種多角形、デュードロップ形、その他楕円形など１種類又は２種類以上を組み合わせて適宜使用することができる。 The shape of the dimples can be appropriately used in combination circular, various polygonal shapes, dewdrop shapes, one or two or more such other oval. 例えば、円形ディンプルを使用する場合には、直径は２．５ｍｍ以上６．５ｍｍ以下程度、深さは０．０８ｍｍ以上０．３０ｍｍ以下とすることができる。 For example, when using a circular dimple, the diameter is much more than 6.5mm or less 2.5 mm, the depth can be 0.08mm or 0.30mm or less.
ディンプルがゴルフボールの球面に占めるディンプル占有率、具体的には、ディンプルの縁に囲まれた平面の面縁で定義されるディンプル面積の合計が、ディンプルが存在しないと仮定したボール球面積に占める比率（ＳＲ値）については、空気力学特性を十分に発揮し得る点から６０％以上９０％以下であることが望ましい。 Dimple occupancy dimples occupies the spherical surface of the golf ball, specifically, the total dimple area defined by the surface edges of the flat plane circumscribed by an edge of the dimple occupies the assumed ball sphere area with dimples is absent ratio for (SR value) is preferably 90% or less 60% from the viewpoint of capable of sufficiently exhibit the aerodynamics. また、各々のディンプルの縁に囲まれた平面下のディンプルの空間体積を、前記平面を底面とし、かつこの底面からのディンプルの最大深さを高さとする円柱体積で除した値Ｖ 0は、ボールの弾道の適正化を図る点から０．３５以上０．８０以下とすることが好適である。 Furthermore, the spatial volume of the dimples under the flat plane circumscribed by an edge of each of the dimples, the plane and the bottom surface, and a value V 0 obtained by dividing the cylinder volume to the height of the maximum depth of the dimple from the bottom, it is preferable that from the viewpoint of achieve an appropriate trajectory of the ball is 0.35 or more 0.80 or less. 更に、ディンプルの縁に囲まれた平面から下方に形成されるディンプル容積の合計がディンプルが存在しないと仮定したボール球容積に占めるＶＲ値は、０．６％以上１．０％以下とすることが好ましい。 Additionally, VR values occupy a flat plane circumscribed by an edge of the dimple to the assumed ball sphere volume and total dimple volume formed downward no dimples, to 1.0% or less 0.6% or more It is preferred. 上述した各数値の範囲を逸脱すると、良好な飛距離が得られない弾道となり、十分満足した飛距離を出せない場合がある。 When departing from the scope of the numerical values described above, becomes a trajectory not good distance is obtained, it may not afford a satisfactory and flight distance.
なお、本発明のゴルフボールは、競技用としてゴルフ規則に従うものとすることができ、ボール外径としては４２．６７２ｍｍ内径のリングを通過しない大きさで４２．８０ｍｍ以下、重量としては通常４５．０〜４５．９３ｇに形成することができる。 The golf ball of the invention is for use in competitive play can be in accordance with the Rules of Golf, as the ball outer diameter 42.80mm or less size that does not pass through the ring of 42.672mm inner diameter, usually 45 as weight. it can be formed to 0~45.93g.
以下、実施例と比較例とを示し、本発明を具体的に説明するが、本発明は下記の実施例に制限されるものではない。 Below by examples and comparative examples, the present invention will be described in detail, the present invention is not intended to be limited to the following examples.
表１に示す配合によりゴム組成物を調整した後、表１中の加硫条件により加硫成形することによりコアを作成した。 After adjusting the rubber composition by the formulation shown in Table 1 to prepare a core by vulcanization molding by vulcanization conditions in Table 1. なお、比較例１については、表２に示す配合によりゴム組成物を配合、加硫した後、外層コア（包囲層）を未加硫状態でセンターコアをくるみ、その球体を加硫成型することにより積層した。 In Comparative Example 1, the mixing of the rubber composition by the formulation shown in Table 2, after vulcanization, walnuts center core outer core (envelope layer) in unvulcanized state, to the sphere to vulcanization It was laminated by. なお、加硫は全て１５５℃、１５分間の条件で行った。 Note that all vulcanization 155 ° C., was carried out for 15 minutes.
なお、表中に記載した主な材料の商品名は以下の通りである。 It should be noted, is as the following trade names of the main materials described in the table.
商品名「ＢＲ０１」、ＪＳＲ社製 Trade name "BR01", JSR Corp.
商品名「ＢＲ７３０」、ＪＳＲ社製 Trade name "BR730", JSR Corp.
商品名「ＢＲ５１」、ＪＳＲ社製 Trade name "BR51", JSR Corp.
商品名「ＩＲ２２００」、ＪＳＲ社製 Trade name "IR2200", JSR Corp.
２，２'−メチレン−ビス（４−メチル−６−ｔ−ブチルフェノール）、商品名「ノクラックＮＳ−６」大内新興化学工業社製 2,2'-methylene - bis (4-methyl -6-t-butylphenol), trade name "Nocrac NS-6" from Ouchi Shinko Chemical Industrial Co., Ltd.
２，６−ジ−ｔ−ブチル−４−メチルフェノール 商品名「ノクラック２００」大内新興化学工業社製 2,6-di -t- butyl-4-methyl phenol trade name "NOCRAC 200" Ouchi Shinko Chemical Industry Co., Ltd.
次に、表３に示された各種の樹脂成分を配合した包囲層、中間層及びカバーを射出成形法により成形して、コアの周囲に包囲層、中間層、カバーを順次被覆・形成した。 Then, the envelope layer blended with various resins components shown in Table 3, the intermediate layer and the cover by molding by injection molding, surrounding layer around the core, the intermediate layer were successively coated, forming a cover. なお、比較例１の包囲層については上記に示した通りゴム材を使用した。 Note that the surrounding layer of Comparative Example 1 was used as a rubber material shown above. そして、表４及び図４に示す共通のディンプルを用い、該ディンプルをカバー表面に形成したマルチピースソリッドゴルフボールを作成した。 Then, using a common dimples shown in Table 4 and Figure 4, to create a multi-piece solid golf balls forming the dimples in the cover surface.
、約８．５質量％のアクリル酸、および約１５．５〜１６． , About 8.5 wt% acrylic acid, and about 15.5 to 16.
ックスと混合して用いられた。 It was used as a mixture with box.
得られた本実施例１〜３及び比較例１〜９の各ゴルフボールにつき、各層及びボールの表面硬度及びその他の物性、飛び性能，アプローチスピン（コントロール性），繰り返し打撃耐久性及び耐擦過傷性を下記の基準で評価した。 The obtained each golf ball of the present Examples 1-3 and Comparative Examples 1-9 per each layer and the surface hardness and other physical properties of the ball, flight performance, approach spin (controllability), durability to repeated impact and abrasion-resistance It was evaluated according to the following criteria. 結果を表５，６に示す。 The results are shown in Tables 5 and 6 a. なお、全て２３℃の環境下で測定した。 It should be noted, was measured in the environment of all 23 ℃.
コアを硬板の上に置き、初期荷重９８Ｎ（１０ｋｇｆ）から終荷重１，２７５Ｎ（１３０ｋｇｆ）に負荷したときのコアのたわみ量（ｍｍ）。 The core placed on a hard plate, deflection of the core when the load from the initial load 98 N (10 kgf) in final load 1,275N (130kgf) (mm).
コアの表面は球面であるが、その球面に硬度計の針をほぼ垂直になるようにセットし、ＪＩＳ−Ｃ硬度（ＪＩＳ−Ｋ６３０１規格）により、コアの表面の２点をランダムに測定した値の平均値。 The surface of the core is spherical, the value for its spherical surface is set to be substantially perpendicular to needle hardness tester, the JIS-C hardness (JIS-K6301 standard) were measured two points of the surface of the core at random the average value of.
包囲層の樹脂材料を厚さ２ｍｍのシート状に作成し、ＡＳＴＭ−２２４０規格のデュロメータ「タイプＤ」により測定した。 Create a resin material surrounding layer thickness 2mm sheet were measured by the ASTM-2240 standard durometer "type D".
球面である包囲層表面に硬度計の針がほぼ垂直になるようにセットし、ＪＩＳ−Ｃ硬度に従って計測した。 Set as needle hardness scale is substantially perpendicular to the surrounding layer surface is spherical, measured in accordance with JIS-C hardness.
上記（３）と同じ測定方法である。 The same measurement method as described above (3).
球面である中間層表面に硬度計の針がほぼ垂直になるようにセットし、ＪＩＳ−Ｃ硬度に従って計測した。 Set as needle hardness scale is substantially perpendicular to the surface of the intermediate layer is a spherical, measured in accordance with JIS-C hardness.
ボール表面のディンプルが無い部分に硬度計の針がほぼ垂直になるようにセットし、ＪＩＳ−Ｃ硬度に従って計測した。 Needle hardness meter dimple is not part of the ball surface is set so as to be substantially perpendicular, measured in accordance with JIS-C hardness.
クラブ（ブリヂストンスポーツ社製，「TourStage X-Drive Type 405」（ロフト角９．５°）を打撃ロボットに装着し、ヘッドスピード（ＨＳ）４７ｍ／ｓで打撃した時のキャリー及びトータルについての飛距離を測定した。その評価については下記の基準を用いた。なお、スピン量は打撃直後のボールを初期条件計測装置により測定した値である。 Club (Bridgestone Sports Co., Ltd., "TourStage X-Drive Type 405" (equipped with a loft angle of 9.5 °) to the swing robot, the flight distance of the carry and total when struck at a head speed (HS) 47m / s was measured. using the following criteria for evaluation. Incidentally, the spin amount is a value obtained by measuring the ball after hitting the initial condition measurement device.
サンドウェッジ（ＳＷ）（ブリヂストンスポーツ社製，J's Classical Edition）を用い、ＨＳ２２ｍ／ｓにて打撃したときのスピン量を測定した。 Sand wedge (SW) (Bridgestone Sports Co., Ltd., J's Classical Edition) was used to measure the spin amount when hit at a HS22m / s. その評価については下記の基準を用いた。 Using the following criteria for the evaluation. なお、スピン量は上記の飛距離測定と同じ方法により測定した。 Incidentally, the spin amount was measured by the same method as distance measurement described above.
ゴルフ打撃ロボットにＷ＃１クラブをつけてヘッドスピード４０ｍ／ｓにて繰り返し打撃した。 It was repeatedly hit at a head speed of 40m / s with a W # 1 club in the golf swing robot. 実施例３のボールの初速が初期１０回平均の初速対比で９７％以下になった時の回数を１００とした場合の各々の指数を、下記基準にて評価した。 The index of each of the case where the initial velocity of the ball of Example 3 was 100 times when the drops below 97% at an initial speed compared with an average initial 10 times, was evaluated by the following criteria. 各ボールＮ＝３としてその平均値を評価対象値とした。 As each ball N = 3 and the evaluation object value and the average value.
ノンメッキのピッチングサンドウェッジを打撃ロボットにセットし、ヘッドスピード４０ｍ／ｓにて１回打撃してボール表面状態を目視観察し、下記基準にて評価した。 Set the pitching sand wedge of Nonmekki to swing robot, the ball surface state was visually observed was hit once at a head speed of 40m / s, it was evaluated by the following criteria.
表６の結果から、比較例１では、包囲層がゴム材にて形成されており、その結果、繰り返し打撃時の割れ耐久性が悪かった。 From the results of Table 6, in Comparative Example 1, surrounding layer is formed of a rubber material, as a result, poor durability to cracking during repeated impact. 比較例２では、カバー（外層）が硬すぎるため、アプローチスピンの量が足りず、また耐擦過傷性も悪かった。 In Comparative Example 2, since the cover (outer layer) is too hard, the amount of approach spin is insufficient, also scuff resistance was also poor. 比較例３は、包囲層が硬く、耐久性を持たせるために中間層を軟らかく形成されたものであり、低スピン化の実現と実打初速を高くすることの両立ができず飛距離が劣る。 Comparative Example 3 is hard and envelope layer, which is softer form an intermediate layer in order to impart durability, flight distance can not achieve both increasing the realization and Jitsuda initial speed of low spin poor . 比較例４では、包囲層が薄く、低スピン効果が足りず、飛距離が伸びなかった。 In Comparative Example 4, thin envelope layer, low spin effect is insufficient, flight distance was not extended. 比較例５では、カバーが厚すぎるため、Ｗ＃１打撃時の低スピン化が足りないとともに、実打初速も低下するため飛距離が劣る。 In Comparative Example 5, since the cover is too thick, W # with low spin at 1 blow is insufficient, even actual driving initial velocity distance inferior to decrease. 比較例６では、コアが小さすぎるため、Ｗ＃１打撃時のスピンが増えてしまい飛距離が劣る。 In Comparative Example 6, since the core is too small, the distance will be increased spin of shots with a W # 1 is inferior. 比較例７では、コアの硬度分布をプロットすると直線上に近くなく、低スピンが足りずに飛距離が出ない。 In Comparative Example 7, not close to a straight line when plotted the hardness distribution of the core, low spin is not out distance in insufficient. 比較例８では、コアの中心と表面との硬度差が小さく、低スピンが足りずに飛距離が出ない。 In Comparative Example 8, the hardness difference between the center and the surface of the core is small, low spin is not out distance in insufficient. 比較例９では、包囲層が存在しないコアに２層を被覆したスリーピースゴルフボールであり、このボールでは低スピンが足りず飛距離が伸びなかった。 In Comparative Example 9, a three-piece golf ball coated with two layers in the core of the envelope layer is not present, low spin did elongation distance insufficient in the ball.
本発明のマルチピースソリッドゴルフボール（４層構造）の概略断面図である。 It is a schematic cross-sectional view of a multi-piece solid golf balls (four-layer structure) of the present invention. コア内部の位置を説明する説明図である。 Is an explanatory view illustrating the position of the inner core. 本発明において、コア中心及び該中心から離れた箇所における硬度の一例を示す説明図である。 In the present invention, it is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a hardness at locations spaced core center and intermediate heart. 本実施例に用いられたディンプルの配置態様を現したゴルフボールの平面図である。 It is a plan view of a golf ball represents the arrangement of the dimples which are used in this example.
コアと、これを被覆する包囲層と、これを被覆する該中間層と、これを被覆し、表面に多数のディンプルが形成されたカバーとを備えたマルチピースソリッドゴルフボールにおいて、上記コアがゴム材を主材として形成され、そのコアの直径が３１ｍｍ以上であり、コアの中心からコア表面まで硬度が漸次増加し、コア中心とコア表面との硬度差がＪＩＳ−Ｃで１５以上であり、かつコア中心から１５ｍｍ離れた位置とコア中心との断面硬度の平均値を（Ｉ）、コア中心から７．５ｍｍ離れた位置の断面硬度を（ＩＩ）とした場合、両硬度差（Ｉ）−（ＩＩ）がＪＩＳ−Ｃで±２以内であると共に、上記包囲層及び上記中間層が、それぞれ同種又は異種の樹脂材料を主材として形成され、上記カバーが熱可塑性樹脂又は熱可塑性エラストマー A core, a surrounding layer covering this, and the intermediate layer covering this, which was coated, in a multi-piece solid golf ball comprising a cover plurality of dimples formed on the surface, the core rubber formed a timber composed primarily, that is a diameter of the core is 31mm or more, the hardness gradually increases from the center of the core to the core surface, and the hardness difference between the core center and the core surface 15 than at JIS-C, and when the average value of the cross-sectional hardness of the position and the core center at a distance 15mm from the core center (I), the cross-sectional hardness at a position 7.5mm from the core center and (II), both the hardness difference (I) - (II) being within ± 2 in JIS-C, the enclosure layer and the intermediate layer, are respectively formed of a resin material of the same or different as the main material, the thermoplastic the cover is resin or a thermoplastic elastomer 主材として形成され、上記の包囲層，中間層及びカバーの厚さが、 カバー厚さ ＜ 中間層厚さ ＜ 包囲層厚さ の条件を満たし、かつ包囲層、中間層及びカバーの表面硬度（ＪＩＳ−Ｃ硬度）が、 包囲層表面硬度 ＜ 中間層表面硬度 ＞ カバー表面硬度 の条件を満たすことを特徴とするマルチピースソリッドゴルフボール。 Is formed as the main material, said envelope layer, the thickness of the intermediate layer and the cover, the cover thickness <qualify for the intermediate layer thickness <envelope layer thickness, and surrounding layer, the intermediate layer and cover the surface hardness ( JIS-C hardness), multi-piece solid golf ball, wherein a satisfies the surrounding layer surface hardness <intermediate layer surface hardness> cover surface hardness.
（ｄ）上記ベース樹脂及び（ｃ）成分中の未中和の酸基を中和できる塩基性無機金属化合物 ０．１〜１７質量部とを必須成分として配合した混合物である請求項１記載のマルチピースソリッドゴルフボール。 (D) the base resin, and (c) in the component of claim 1, wherein the unneutralized acid groups capable of neutralizing basic inorganic metal compound 0.1 to 17 parts by weight of a mixture obtained by blending as essential components The multi-piece solid golf ball.
上記最外層カバーの樹脂材料が、（Ａ）熱可塑性ポリウレタン及び（Ｂ）ポリイソシアネート化合物を主成分とする単一な樹脂配合物を射出成形して形成されるものであり、上記樹脂配合物中には、少なくとも一部に、全てのイソシアネート基が未反応状態で残存してなるポリイソシアネート化合物が存在する請求項１又は２記載のマルチピースソリッドゴルフボール。 Resin material of the outermost cover layer is, (A) are those of the single resin blend containing as a main component a thermoplastic polyurethane and (B) a polyisocyanate compound is formed by injection molding, the resin formulation to, at least in part, multi-piece solid golf ball of claim 1 or 2, wherein the polyisocyanate compound in which all the isocyanate groups formed by residual unreacted condition exists.
上記コアのゴム材が、希土類元素系触媒又はＶＩＩＩ族金属化合物触媒で合成されたポリブタジエンである請求項１〜３のいずれか１項記載のマルチピースソリッドゴルフボール。 Rubber material of the core is multi-piece solid golf ball of any one of claims 1 to 3, a polybutadiene synthesized with a rare-earth catalyst or a Group VIII metal compound catalyst.
上記中間層の材料には、ナトリウムイオンにより中和されたアイオノマーを含む請求項１〜４のいずれか１項記載のマルチピースソリッドゴルフボール。 Above the material of the intermediate layer, the multi-piece solid golf ball of any one of claims 1 to 4 comprising an ionomer neutralized with sodium ions.
を満たした請求項１〜５のいずれか１項記載のマルチピースソリッドゴルフボール。 The multi-piece solid golf ball of any one of claims 1 to 5 filled with. | 2019-04-23T11:16:47Z | https://patents.google.com/patent/JP2007319660A/en |
This teaching concerns the two main stages of meditation: (1) Shiney; tranquility meditation which develops concentration, and (2) Lhatong; the meditation which develops supreme insight.
We must first engender precious Bodhicitta before listening to this dharma teaching. Bodhicitta is the motivation to achieve enlightenment so that one can benefit all sentient beings.
Before beginning and progressing through the stages of meditation, one must maintain good ethics and steadfast discipline. A practitioner should listen to, study, contemplate and put into practice the authentic dharma teachings. It is with good discipline as the foundation that a practitioner can achieve the fruit of meditation practice. Without pure discipline and without properly studying the dharma, the practitioner cannot reach the fruition of meditation. Without pure discipline, one is missing the most important foundation of the dharma path.
A practitioner should likewise contemplate that Samsara, our worldly state of confusion, is conditioned existence. Samsara arises due to the coming together of causes and conditions. In order to attain enlightenment, one must be unattached to worldly existence and not chase after worldly desires; a practitioner should break away from samsaric confusion.
If one practices in this way, enlightenment is possible!
To develop real understanding about the delusive state of samsara, the practitioner should deeply reflect upon the impermanence of all phenomena. Also, one should develop a deep understanding about the suffering which sentient beings endure.
In samsara, no happiness we experience is ever-lasting and forever real. As they say, whatever goes up must come down! Whether it be our body which was created by our parents or a tree which grows from a seed in the ground, all appearances will "come down" and dissolve. All appearances will end at some point. Every moment, every step we take, we get closer and close to this ending point.
Now, due to people's perception about death, some become frustrated with this impermanence topic. They confront death with a frightened and terrified attitude. But, it is senseless to be so paranoid and so attached to the physical body.
People are so concerned about their age and youthfulness. They develop a tragic attachment that is so strong; they are blinded by it. We must not fail to recognize that we are dying every moment.
From the moment of birth until death, each moment we die little by little; it is a long process. The elements and conditions which make up our body become less and less vital throughout our life. At the time of death, they diminish totally.
Since this process is happening all the time, why are we so attached and worried over it? Unfortunately some individuals die from a gradual painful illness, or from a sudden malady such as heart attack. Even though there is suffering involved with these illness, it is the natural potential of the body to become ill. As long as there is a body, the potential is there. Take, for example, a vase with four living snakes inside of it. Usually the snakes sleep, but when it gets warm the snakes wake up and begin moving or fighting, shaking the vase back and forth.
Our body works in the same manner. We have the elements of Earth, Water, Air, Fire and Space. As long as they are in harmony, one does not have illness. But, the potential danger to become ill is always there. It is only a question of time until the illness breaks out. Through this understanding a practitioner can lessen attachment to the body and worldly existence.
Unable to recognize the above truths, those who wander in samsara's confusion are distracted and afflicted by the experiences that their senses take in. They search for delicious tastes, pleasant sounds, good feelings, and so forth. But in reality these "sense-pleasures" have no sense and meaning!
A dharma practitioner must understand that the desire for worldly happiness leads only to distraction and further conditioned existence. For example, someone who is sentenced to death cannot enjoy the delicious food offered a day before the execution. This is because he is aware that death is imminent.
Dharma practitioners do not want to become discouraged or feel worthless in this sort of manner! But, like the man to be executed, practitioners should see that death can happen. We must understand that constantly being attached to everything does not result in happiness being prolonged.
One can never satisfy the mind through using the five senses; the very opposite is the case! The more one feeds the senses, the more one wants! The more energy one puts into satisfying the mind, the more is needed to maintain that happiness. If you eat delicious food today, you will want delicious food tomorrow; otherwise one is not satisfied.
Feeding into our senses and desires (in order to achieve happiness) is like going to a phony doctor. This doctor diagnoses the patient with the wrong illness and then treats him or her with the wrong medicine. The more medicine taken, the more sick and ill the patient becomes.
This is the same result with searching for happiness through sensual pleasures.
The mind only becomes more and more unsatisfied by craving for things which appear beautiful or pleasing. A practitioner can prevent this by using a remedy called "closing the sense doors." This means one does not chase after, or run away from, appearances. Through practicing in this way, a peaceful state of mind will be achieved.
Maintaining good discipline while guarding our sense doors is also a necessary part of our practice. One should not engage in negative behavior, because it is negative behavior which is used to satisfy our sense desires.
After gradually reducing fixation and our uncontrolled senses, we can then begin to learn and practice the path of enlightenment.
A practitioner then respectfully attends dharma teachings and becomes aware that existence has suffering. By analyzing these teachings, genuine trust can develop. Now a practitioner must integrate what has been learned into daily life and meditation.
The Buddha said that a practitioner should not just “believe” in his teachings, especially not blindly. He told us to analyze, develop trust in, and then put into practice his teachings. With such genuine trust, one can practice meditation and learn about the different methods used during meditation.
Meditation is mental activity and contemplation. We work with the mind because it is the basis for all of samsara and nirvana. Whatever appears, it is the mind's own activity.
Appearances which are supposedly outside of the mind itself are truly not different from the mind; it is the mind which perceives and classifies phenomena. According to the Mahayana, no phenomena which arises is ultimately “outside” of the mind's perception.
The Buddha taught that ignorance causes conditioned existence (our existence, which is condition by karma and other factors). From the mind’s ignorance arises the Twelve Links of Interdependent Origination. This causes us to experience samsara.
Ignorance is when the perceiver believes that the objects he or she sees are ultimately independent of the mind’s experience. Therefore, the perceiver is attached to external objects, believing their existence to be separate from the mind’s own individualized perception. This tendency, and attachment to external phenomena, keeps growing stronger everyday. It has been growing this way since beginningless time.
Only if there is a perceiver can form be seen and sounds be heard. Through this understanding we know that everything comes from the mind’s own perception and experience.
There must be an awareness, a mind, to perceive objects. For example, if there is a blue object in a room and everyone gathered in that room is talking about it, the perception and awareness must exist. Otherwise, there is no blue object and no one to talk about it with.
Suffering also exists only due to the condition of this perception. If there is something causing suffering and someone to perceive it, then the suffering exists. If there is nothing which can perceive the suffering, then the suffering is considered not there, not existing by perception.
Nothing can be experienced outside of the mind’s awareness.
As described in the Buddha's teachings, the true nature of the mind is beyond relative words and extremes, it is beyond existence and nonexistence. The mind has no form and no color. There are different terms for this true nature (such as Buddhanature, Dharmadhatu, Tathagatagarbha), yet they all refer to the essence of the mind.
The nature of the mind is beyond words, it is different from common awareness or consciousness which experiences samsara. The great master Saraha of India said that the mind's nature is beyond words, just like vast space is beyond conceptual understanding. No matter how long one thinks about it, no solid conclusion will be there. The mind's nature must be realized, it cannot just be talked about.
With this view about the mind as the basis, the practitioner can meditate and samadhi (state of deep concentration) will arise. By entering into samadhi, a practitioner will directly see that all experiences manifest directly from the mind and are illusory in nature.
Two major conditions are needed before one learns to practice Shiney and Lhatong meditation. First, the practitioner should study the dharma and know where authentic teachings are given. Second, the practitioner must meditate where one is not distracted; having enough food, being healthy, not being around people and objects who one has strong attachment too, are all necessary conditions so that distraction does not arise.
Once these conditions are fulfilled and distraction is not there, the practitioner must know what obstacles, or veils, arise while meditating. One should know these emotional tendencies during meditation before they arise and hinder practice.
These veils are in general are (1) Agitation and distraction of the mind with many thoughts. The mind is stirred up and follows after these thoughts, thinking about them, such as what is beautiful and what is not. (2) Regret and doubt arises when the practitioner starts to contemplate about what happened in the past, letting the mind wander. (3) Heaviness of the mind causes meditation experience to be unclear. The true nature of the mind cannot be seen and one cannot even concentrate one-pointedly. (4) Dullness of the mind is when one foolishly cannot even go into or stay in meditation.
The practitioner should gradually learn what are the causes for these veils to arise, and how to get rid of them. For example, the mind gets stirred up due to thinking about beautiful forms, good food, friends, desires and other objects. One gets distracted sometimes by eating too much or too little, or due to sleeping a lot or not sleeping enough. Mental tendencies of dullness or agitation arise due to food and sleep conditions. The mind can become unclear and dull if our stomach is full of food, or agitated if we do not eat.
Although there are many different methods of meditation, all are contained within Shiney (Tranquility) and Lhatong (Supreme Insight) meditations.
Shiney meditation is when one develops one-pointed concentration. The mind becomes calm and still. Lhatong meditation is when the practitioner sees the nature of the mind.
The practitioner can only see clearly the mind’s nature only if Shiney and Lhatong meditation are practiced together. This way, recognizing the mind’s true nature is like a bright flame which does not move.
When the flame does not move it is clear and illuminates all darkness with its light. But if the wind is moving, the flame then will not be clear and darkness will remain. So, without Shiney meditation, Lhatong will not arise. Without Shiney, meditation will not be stable and one-pointed. And, without Lhatong meditation, the practitioner will not gain wisdom.
Now the practitioner can begin Shiney meditation. One starts concentrating on one object. There are both pure and impure forms in which one can concentrate the mind on. Visualizing or concentrating on a solid form of the Buddha is the best method, it is a pure form which the mind can settle it's concentration with.
However, especially at the beginning, people have the tendency to not concentrate on a pure form like the Buddha. So then an impure form such a stone, piece of wood, or anything else is placed in front of oneself. The mind’s concentration is then guided to this impure object and one trains the mind to remain without unwavering on that object. One can placed the object in the shadow of the sun and moon, and watch as it changes. One can also concentrate on the breath and watch it go in and out.
Shiney meditation uses the senses and our mind’s awareness. The eyes are the sense which distracts us the most, therefore forms are used to slowly aid one in concentrating single-pointedly. Distraction through sound, smell, taste and touch are not always as dominant as distraction through sight during meditation.
Slowly the practitioner will adapt to the calm mind and learn to use other meditations. After one learns to concentrate on a stone, then one can next visualize a ball of light between one’s eyebrows or above the head. The color of this sphere of light is not important. It is more important that one sticks with this meditation for a long time and trains the mind with it.
Then, the practitioner can begin visualizing the Buddha and other deities, and take these pure forms as the objects of our meditation. First one should visualize the Buddha without much detail. Gradually the eyes, cloths, nose and details are included in the visualization.
We must balance meditation practice by not concentrating too much or too little. This is like what should be done when someone tries to spin a cord. If he does it too fast and strong, the cord will get cut. And, if he spins it too loosely, the cord will end up being a ball of intertwined, loose strings. So, with meditation, a balance needs to be maintained. Too loose and too tight are both unsuitable for meditation.
Shiney meditation is not meant as a method to become unaware or to develop a blank mind. While meditating, if your mind becomes very unaware and too quiet, then take a short break. Pause and then begin the meditation afterward. Stop the meditation for a short period if one is tired or the meditation isn’t working well. Otherwise, if one continues, you will not want to meditate again that day or become frustrated.
This can be understood through the example of us doing manual, physical work. If you do some work and then take a short break, you will be happy to return to the work. But if you continue to work until you are tired, you will not want to work again. Likewise, you meet a friend and have a good time; you both want to see each other again when the time is right. But, if you and your friend spend a very long time together, you will get tired of seeing him and will not be interested to meet him again in the near future.
So, short yet frequent periods of meditation is what beginning practitioners must do. Slowly one learns to meditate longer and develop concentration.
By practicing this way, one will reach the results of Shiney quickly. The mind will naturally be able to remain in a state of concentration. Even the body will learn to relax and be able to sit in meditation for longer periods of time. In time, even meditating for one week or more will not be painful.
Meditating in this way is connected with the Hinayana, the vehicle of the Listeners who aim at liberating only themselves from suffering. In in the Hinayana, one begins to meditate in this manner.
Other Shiney practices in the Hinayana include meditating upon the impermanence of the body; one sees how the body consists of many organs and then dies. The process of death is meditated upon, such as how the body becomes darker and more ugly, until only a skeleton is left. This is not done as a morbid practice, but instead so the practitioner will recognize the reality of impermanence and death. People sometimes do not wish to think about death, they feel it is a sad topic. But if we are so against it now, when the time of death comes the individual will face much more agony and resentment. So by thinking about death now, we will suffer less later on.
There are also different methods used to meditate upon the breath. Meditating upon one's breath cuts off our constant thought flow and the stir of mental activity. The practitioner breaths in and out, doing so for twenty-one times. The breath is relaxed and natural. Forcing the breath is not proper here. This breathing technique is repeated for as long as is possible, and also based upon what level the practitioner is at.
In one particular breath practice, the student follows the exhaled breath mentally until it is sixteen finger-lengths in front of the nose, and likewise follows the inhaled breath until it reaches down into one's body.
Another method used with breathing is to imagine colors with the breath, such as blue, yellow and red. One can also visualize the breath as a jewel necklace circulating as one breaths in and out.
With regards to the various obstacles that arise in meditation, there are two types of antidotes: one is changing the meditation method and the second is through behavior/external changes. If neither of these antidotes work, it generally means that there is a karmic cause for the mind's dullness or distraction.
If too many thoughts arise, make sure that one is wearing warm cloths, the gaze is looking slightly downward and that one is not hungry. During meditation, visualizing a dark blue buddha like Akshobhya or the Medicine Buddha is beneficial. Likewise, contemplating the truths of impermanence, suffering and death will calm the mind's excitement.
The karmic cause for an active and overly excited mind is generally desire and attachment. Having greed and jealousy in previous lifetimes can cause this habit. To lessen this karmic cause, shunning attachment and greed should be practiced.
If the mind is dull and too relaxed, do not eat too much, wear less clothing and gaze slightly upward. It is useful to make the mind happy when dullness arises. Contemplating on the qualities of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas is beneficial here. Recalling that one has a precious existence and a wonderful opportunity to practice the dharma is also an excellent antidote. Meditating on white colored buddhas bring positive results.
The karmic cause for a dull and unclear mind is having wrong views, meaning one might have disrespected the Three Jewels, whether it be not standing in their presence or even slandering them. To lessen this karmic cause, praising the Three Jewels, whether it be the Bodhisattvas or the authenticity of the the Four Noble Truths, will bring positive results.
When meditating, it is necessary to assume the proper position, which is called the Seven Points of Vairochana. By sitting in these seven points, the energy channels in the body flow properly. Otherwise, if the body and its energy are imbalanced or in an awkward position, this can cause the mind to wander or become dull.
The legs should be placed in either the full lotus position or half lotus position.
The hands should be placed below the navel, resting on the lap, with the right hand placed on top of the left hand. The thumbs should touch each other right below the navel.
The shoulders should be pulled back slightly and broadened.
The chin should be tucked in only slightly, closing the back of the throat.
One's gaze should be focused into the space in front, about sixteen finger-lengths in front of the nose.
The tongue should gently touch the top palate of the mouth and the lips not be too open or tightly closed.
The back should be straight, but naturally bend at the bottom.
It is important that the practitioner learns to sit in this meditative position. This is because, the position of our body affects our physical and mental state of well-being.
Physically, inside our body, we have different energy channels (winds). Our posture during meditation affects these energy winds. The legs control the downward energy winds, which control excreation. The hands control the energy wind of digestion. The back holds the energy wind that controls physical strength. The shoulders control the energy wind which stabilize our lifeforce. The position of the mouth and chin control the upward winds. So, our body position during meditation can protect against illnesses and aid one's physical well-being.
Likewise, the way our body leans can affect our mental state. Leaning towards the right causes more aggression to arise while leaning towards the left causes desire to become stronger. Ignorance and dullness arise when one leans forward, and as one leans back pride arises. When the gaze is improper, more thoughts tend to distract the one's concentration.
With Shiney meditation, the goal of practice is to learn how to control these distractions and negative emotions, even though the practitioner has not fully cut these obstacles from their root yet.
With Lhatong meditation, the student develops wisdom, recognizes the true nature of the mind and fully cuts the emotions from their roots.
There are different levels of Lhatong meditation, such as contemplating the emptiness of the self or the emptiness of phenomena. Then, there are the 'pointing out instructions' given by a qualified master to the disciple, pointing out the nature of the mind and how to meditate in order to arrive at this recognition. Based on the student's degree of accomplishment, one of these levels of Lhatong meditation can be used.
An basic way to meditate upon the emptiness of the self is to by analyzing the five skandhas. The five skandhas are the five aggregates which cause us to infer that a self or "I" exists. They are Form, Feeling, Perception, Mental Formation/Discrimination and Consciousness.
The self, the "I," is a strong concept. But it is a false one, something that we just get attached to. It is our own perception which sees a "self" as being a particular way.
This is just like someone who mistakes a tree at night to be a human figure, or falsely sees a cord as a snake. Our concept of ego is like this. We habitually, since beginningless time, identify these five skhandhas as being the ego, the self.The first skandha is Form, which in this case refers to the body.
This aggregate, this body, is not the self exclusively. We cannot identify our body as being "me," this is a misplaced idea. The self would be changing just as the body does if this were a true idea: when you are weak, your ego is weak; when you are thin, your ego is thin; when you are old, your ego is old. Our body is always changing so it cannot be the self.
Also, the body is not a solid entity; it is consist of many parts. If someone has sixty-three bones, do they have sixty-three egos then? If someone has thirty teeth, do they have thirty egos? The body then has so many parts, each of these parts would become an individual "self," or ego, and so instead of there just being one "I" or "me," there would be many.
One can continue to analyze the other skandhas in the same manner. For example, with the second skandha, feeling, we might have felt something in the morning. Now that feeling is gone, but is the ego also gone? Likewise our tastes, such as sweet and sour, are they the ego? Obviously the ego isn't just feeling. Feelings come and go, but our ego, our self, doesn't come and go in the same way.
The mind attaches wrong concepts to the self, an illusory idea. This tendency of an ego is so imbedded in our mind. Therefore one should conclude in meditation that the self is not the five skandhas. And, the self is not the five senses either.
Once one has gained this confidence in the illusory nature of the self, then this understanding is the beginning of Lhatong. With the non-distraction of Shiney already firmly developed, the student can begin to develop the wisdom of Lhatong.
So, to develop this wisdom during Lhatong meditation, the student should be introduced to the concept of a self, and its illusory or empty nature. The student needs to be taught about how one's perception of appearances is not always what is truly there. The student should be taught that their strong tendency to affirm a self is an ignorant habitual pattern which arises out of ignorance.
Emptiness is explained in the commentaries of Nagarjuna, and the teachings on Madhyamika (Middle Way). In Madhyamika philosphy, conditioned existence is analyzed and critiqued. Evidence and logic is presented, demonstrating that phenomena is empty of appearance. The simplest explanation is that there is no unit of phenomena. We first see things and label them, or have directions or places such as north or south. The further and further we go, the smaller and smaller part of phenomena we claim to find, we can still go smaller. We understand that there is no unity or solid unit in phenomena.
The student now sees how phenomena is empty. The term emptiness though, in Buddhism, is beyond all extremes. By saying "there is nothing, there is no phenomena," one leans towards one extreme that there is nothing at all existing. And likewise by affirming that existence is solid, one is leaning towards the extreme of permanent existence. But emptiness does not mean a total void. This misunderstanding should be cleared away, otherwise the student will not understand this term and think that the universe is just blank space.
Analyzation is another form of Lhatong meditation. It is what has been primarily used so far here and is considered the tradition of the Panditas of India. One meditates analytically about phenomena. For example, one realizes that emotions such as anger and desire arise due to causes and conditions and are empty of true existence.
The other form of Lhatong meditation is through the pointing out instructions from the teacher, which can be given during an empowerment or another teaching. One meditates upon the nature of the mind without analysis in this case. One just rests the mind in its own nature, free from extremes and all emotions and concepts; it is a direct experience.
So, there are these two specific categories related to emptiness. The first is the 'emptiness' which we think of, which we imagine during meditation or analyzation. The second is the real emptiness which is beyond all intellectual concepts and only experienced by realized beings.
As Mahayana practitioners, at the conclusion of our Shiney and Lhatong meditation, we must dedicate the merit, wishing to benefit all beings and ourselves so that enlightenment is reached.
This motivation must always be there when we meditate, otherwise we will stray from the Mahayana path. Meditating upon emptiness without bodhicitta is not a Mahayana practice!
In India there was once a Brahmin who meditated upon emptiness without Bodhicitta. He did so for twelve years. Through this time, he was very proud and always thought, "I am such a great meditator, no one can meditate like me. No one is as good as me in realizing emptiness!"
This Brahmin then developed attachment to his own state of mind, and aversion towards others. He thought he was better than everyone else. After he died, he was reborn as a cat. The Brahmin was possessive of oneself and angry at others, like a typical cat, so that was the state in which his mind went.
So, as we progress now in our practice, the attitude of bodhicitta must be there. Otherwise, our practice will not result in any benefit.
There are five main faults which can hinder a practitioner's meditation or samadhi (concentration).
The first fault is laziness. Now, there is a different between worldly laziness and laziness when practicing the dharma. Worldly laziness is when we do not have much energy and are tired. But here, with dharma practice, it means one thinks "I can't practice, I am bad at this." So this is dharma laziness. It is more a lack of confidence and lack of desire to practice.
To overcome this laziness and be diligent in practice, there are various methods. Shantideva wrote a commentary on the Bodhisattvas' Way of Life which explains how to practice the six paramitas (perfections) and develop endurance and diligence. People in this world are often so ready to fight, or even die in a war. They train themselves so diligently for this. But instead they should apply this energy to diligently practice the dharma, which brings the true result.
True happiness is not from worldly activity. It is from the dharma.
Also, when we get very ill, people are often very diligent in finding a doctor and vigorously aim to get cured. But we will only be cured for a short while, because since beginningless time we have suffered in samsara.
We have been in a prison, and our negative emotions are what holds us in that prison. All painful states of existence including old age, sickness are from these emotions, they are the cause for our suffering.
If we try to eliminate our suffering through means other than dharma practice, there will be no true result. Even if we find the right doctor and he eliminates the illness from us, the illness can come back. Likewise our enemies can come back and attack us again after a war.
So, we must attack our real enemies, our distracting emotions. One doesn't need to go to war, find a doctor to eliminate illness or engage in political agenda. Instead, practicing the dharma will (as its final result of supreme enlightenment) bring a cessation to all these sorts of suffering.
The second fault people encounter when meditating is forgetting what one has learned. If we forget the dharma teachings and instructions, then we cannot use or apply them. We sometimes are distracted and do not concentrate, so the teachings are not in our memory. Therefore, the dharma student should listen attentively to dharma teachings. One must recall and reflect upon the teachings we receive again and again, so we do not forget anything.
The third fault we encounter is having a dull or unstable mind, which was discussed previously. Our mind can be either unclear or have too many thoughts.
The fourth fault people have is not using the antidote or instructions which eliminate distracting emotions. If we are taught how to overcome dullness or another distraction but do not apply such instruction, then we are failing in our meditation practice.
The fifth fault is when a practitioner over-applies the instructions or antidote. For example, some people continue to be frustrated over getting distracted in meditation and continue applying a particular antitode, even though the distraction is over. This fault in itself causes distraction in meditation and is not beneficial.
There are six powers which develop though proper Shiney (Tranquility) Meditation.
First, the power of listening aids our practice. We hear detailed instructions on meditation and which methods to adopt in our practice. If we listen to these teachings, then we can practice them in order to clear away all the veils and emotions which cloud our mind's nature.
Second, the power of contemplation arises. After listening to instructions, the practitioner should remember and reflect on them.
Third, the power of attention becomes strong. One's mind is clear and concentrated upon an object without a lot of effort.
Fourth, the power of knowing what is going on during meditation. The practitioner here is mindful and aware during meditation. He or she knows when distracting emotions arise and what antidotes to apply. The practitioner can also see the subtle distracting thoughts which are not always apparent. For example, a river can flow both above and below ground. It is obvious on land, but below the ground it is subtle. In the same way the mind during meditation should even uproot the most subtle forms of distraction. One's meditation should be mindful, not mindless.
Fifth, the practitioner uses diligence when meditating. We learn to be diligent when applying the instructions on how to eliminate the distracting emotions. The distracting emotions can be categorized into six particular ones: ignorance, desire, anger, pride, jealousy and wrong view. Wrong view is when one falls into the extreme of either eternalism or nihilism. From these six emotions stem twenty others such as dullness. Diligence is when we are able to use the right antidote to eliminate one of distracting emotions as it arises.
Sixth, through daily meditation the practitioner has the power to meditate very easily. It is almost effortless, and the five faults are caught right away and eliminated. At this stage of meditation, the mind can concentrate easily. This activity of concentrating allows us to be able to explain the nature of samsara and nirvana. Concentration gives us the ability to be motivated. Also in this stage, the mind overcomes the emotions easily, one can meditate without distraction and one can meditate spontaneously.
Already we have discussed the emptiness of the self and phenomena. There are three kinds of awareness and enlightenment. Here it will be explained based on the teachings of the Buddha Maitreya, who transmitted these teachings to the master Asanga in India. Maitreya's teachings elaborate on the Middle Way View (Madhyamika). Asanga's commentaries are known as the Mind Only view.
As Asanga explained, all appearances are from the mind. It is the mind which sees and creates these appearances. This is because, an object appears in many different way for sentient beings. It there was a flower and everyone experienced the appearance of this flower on the worldly level, there would be so many different appearances. If one hundred people saw it, each person would perceive it differently.
So we do not have only one appearance, because we have many minds perceiving it. If there was only one appearance there should be only one mind here, but there are one hundred people. If there are four people then four appearances of the flower are there. Exactly how many appearances arise are due to how many sentient beings there are to perceive them differently. It is the same with sound, and the other senses.
So our perception is conditioned by our consciousness. Appearances are conditioned by the experience of our consciousness. So, all appearances are from the mind.
Also, all appearances are from the mind only because for an appearance to arise both the subject and the object must be present at the same time. A subject is the one who is aware and uses his or her senses (such as the ability to hear or smell) in order to perceive phenomena.
So if our awareness has the ability to perceive an object, then it is perceived. If the subject and object do not come together, then phenomena does not arise. Objects and other appearances are not separate from the mind, they all arise from within the mind's awareness.
The Middle Way (Madhyamika) view explains that the mind's nature is emptiness. The mind's nature cannot be spoken of as arising, we cannot classify phenomena or appearances as being the mind's true nature. The mind's nature is beyond all words and concepts. The Madhyamika view here is considered the highest wisdom, beyond the duality of the mind and external objects.
First, one learns to understand the real nature of phenomena through analyzation. For example one can contemplate upon the question: if objects truly exist do they arise due to self-conditioned causes or due they arise due to something else? Next one analyzes the essence of phenomena and if one can actually find it; one analyzes whether or not phenomena truly has an essence or even the smallest unit. Then if there is a so-called essence, one analyzes whether or not it was already there or if it just came up new.
So through logic one analyzes phenomena and recognizes its empty nature. Through this, the practitioner is liberated from attachment and the concept of an eternal ego. One also will be liberated from the extreme of nihilism.
One will soon understand very firmly that everything is due to the coming together or causes and conditions. It is like a picture on the television screen or an image in a mirror, there are many factors which connect and come together. The picture and image is not really there on the television or in the mirror, but it appeared due to conditions and causes. So one sees that appearance and emptiness are inseparable like a mirror or television.
The view of the Madhyamika has different explanations, such as the Svatantrika and Prasangika views.
The Svatantrika view explains that the nature of phenomena has an inherent essence or buddha-nature. It represents the teachings of the Middle Way by demonstrating that since we already have the inherent nature, then the view of emptiness is there. It explains that appearances and emptiness are inherently inseparable. Therefore, although external appearances are empty, the true nature of the self is always there and can be revealed through direct experience.
The Prasangika view explains that phenomena and the self both are empty. Therefore the nature of everything, including the self, is refuted through logical means and pure analyzation which brings forth realization.
The Prasangika view and its connection with the wisdom paramita is explained in the commentary the Bodhisattvas' Way of Life by Shantideva.
The Svatantrika view (and instructions on analyzation and meditation) is explained in the commentaries of the Indian master Kamalashila.
The teachings on the Mind Only view of Asanga can be found in two of the five divisions of Maitreya's teachings such as the Uttaratantra (Gyu Lama) and the Abhisamayalankara (The Ornament of Clear Realization which explains the perfection of wisdom). | 2019-04-25T16:02:30Z | http://mahajana.net/en/library/texts/medytacja-uspokojenia-i-wgladu |
Family of Five's Ventana Tiny House: 32ft x 10ft Alpine Tiny Home with Three 'Bedrooms'!
Family of Five’s Ventana Tiny House: 32ft x 10ft Alpine Tiny Home with Three ‘Bedrooms’!
This is the Ventana Tiny Home on Wheels by Alpine Tiny Homes.
It’s a 32ft THOW with oversized windows headed to Santa Cruz, California to a family of five!
Step inside to take the grand tour and then let me know what you think about it in the comments below. Thanks!
Learn more at Alpine Tiny Homes!
Can you please tell me how much this weighs? The RV people I have been talking to are trying to talk me out of a tiny home because they aren’t meant to be towed. I don’t know where I want to live yet. Do you agree with them?
This home weights 16k lbs. It’s absolutely meant to be towed. It’s definitely not as light as an RV, because it’s built like a house, not an RV. You can tow this home with 3/4 ton diesel or a 1 ton.
Yeah Billy, I noticed this too. Been following Escapes designs for awhile.
Amber and James, at 16k pounds this trailer is quite heavy. Most likely a 3/4 ton would not handle this trailer, which would be an F-250. An F-350 at best in class can tow 16,900, so it could but no dishes, clothes, food, and two people might be shaky. An F-450 at best in class can handle a thousand pounds more so it would be able to handle it but you would have to be careful. For this trailer the better bet would be an F-550 or F-650, medium heavy duty trucks.
Sorry I meant Amber and Brian, not James. Usually James and I are having conversations and I am used to typing his name. Sorry again.
No problem Tom, btw… You should check the specs by the latest model years as they’ve been significantly improving them recently.
The 2017 F-450 is capable of towing a highest of 32,500 pounds with a gooseneck trailer, for example. They’ve been tweaking things like switching to a lighter all aluminum body and other performance boosting changes.
The 2017 has about a 6500 pounds advantage over the previous year model, and they’ve tweaked the engine again for the upcoming 2018 release.
Would be just nice if they did as much work on the gas mileage efficiency, but you can see up to 24mpg when not towing anything and just using it as your daily driver.
Impressive! Thanks for sharing that info James!
Amber, anything on wheels can be towed… It’s just a question of how powerful of a tow vehicle you will need and how that figures into costs, as well as gas mileage costs.
Tiny houses do tend to be heavier than an equivalent RV because Tiny Houses are built to be homes and thus are built to be more durable and longer lasting, but if you want to be very mobile then builders can optimize how it is built to be lighter and thus easier to tow.
Tiny House Expedition, for example, kept the weight of their Tiny House under 10,000 lbs and travel by renting a U-Haul truck, and so far they have traveled well over 40,000 miles.
While, if you only need to travel occasionally, then there are plenty of moving companies that will move it for you at a reasonable price… Add it means you’ll have a professional driver doing the move with a company that will also help ensure the house against any accidents that may happen during the move.
James, yes they have. I am using the 2017 and 2018 books that I just picked up a couple of weeks ago since I am looking at the F-650 for my 30ft tiny.
Maximum Conventional Towing = 21,000 lbs.
Maximum 5th Wheel Towing = 27,500 lbs.
Maximum Gooseneck Towing = 32,500 lbs.
James, the info I showed was for the F450 2017 super duty chassis cab. Interesting since my other book the 2017 super duty pickup says f350 maximum conventional towing is 32,000 and the f450 maximum conventional towing is 32,500. I thought it was interesting since I thought a 450 was a 450. I didn’t show any of the irrelevant garbage that you showed that does not show the conventional towing. This trailer also is not a gooseneck or 5th wheel so that also is irrelevant to what we are talking about. Keep on subject. I thought it interesting the two books would show so much difference.
Things like the difference between the towing capacity of the single rear wheel models and the dually models, along with gas and diesel engine performance differences shows the max tow ratings are different with different configurations and emphasized the point that the website is showing the max towing conventional capacity is 21,000 lbs and not 17,000 lbs as you stated the books are showing.
Amber, James is quite right. Now this house is 10ft wide which makes a problem for free movement by the owner. They can get the licenses or hire someone to tow it for them. If it was 8.6 wide then they could move it without any problems with the laws anywhere. Just have to have a strong enough truck for towing. The 10 ft wide requires in some places a vehicle in front and back for wide loads. So may need 3 vehicles in some areas. I am desigining mine with 8.5 wide roughly 30 ft long and with decks will have around 650 sq ft of space. This may require a medium heavy duty truck such as an F-550 or F-650. I am also looking to see what Tesla is coming out with their Medium truck.
RV people want you to buy one of THEIR homes. Have you looked around and seen how many RV’s are for sale second hand? Wonder why that is? Could it be because they are made cheaply, can’t be modified to YOUR requirements and fall apart, generally, after about 5 years.
Good luck staying warm in one of those during winter… unless you’re planning on living in the Southern most States.
A real shame 5000 of these were not available for temporary housing on the lots where the fires were there is power and water and sewage available, just nothing standing….The property owners have lost EVERYTHING….A great time to start without a bunch of “stuff” cluttering their lives. With this or Park Models to do a temporary housing on site, there could be a whole class of understanding created. Of course for an Industry that only sells 2800-3200 units a year as a whole, Park Model RV’s are failing to see the potential or the Paradigm shift….And I am giving away Ideas on my 4Fathoms Designs sight that could open factories in every state. Both for in country and export bringing not only work and money to each location, but with the knowledge that these facilities can be set up to use salvage like Tiny Texas Houses and keep 50 of the stuff that goes into landfills in use.
Sounds like the RV people are desperate to get you to buy their product! Tiny homes on wheels ARE meant to be towed. I don’t know where they get the idea they can’t be towed or moved.
it’s called greed and commissions. Sales people are trained to sell not send the potential commission to another entity. Thus, why would an RV dealer NOT lie to you to get the sale?
RV Dealers are not who people should be asking the questions regarding towing of a fifth wheel RV or a Tiny House. Wrong choice because there job is to sell you an RV not a Tiny House which make no money for them.
Now, IF and only IF an RV dealer ALSO SELLS Tiny Houses would they be somewhat qualified to tell you which is which – assuming the commission rate for the sale is the same in both cases. That way, what do they have to loose if you decide their answers were appropriate?
And RVs are not meant to be lived in 24/7 but Tiny homes on wheels are.
Super great looking unit – with one catch: Storage for FIVE PEOPLE. There’s one skinny closet for two adults in the main bedroom, and a few drawers under the stairs – one of which has some sort of gizmo in it. Oh, and a small rack in each loft. Good thing there’s a washer/dryer! Everyone will be wearing the same clothes three days a week. Then there’s books and toys and sports gear and bikes and and and… This clearly has to be for RV use only. There’s no way a family of 5 can actually live in something like this for more than a week.
Having said that, I LOVE that it’s 10′ wide – this THOW is even bigger than what I live in, which is a 10’x27′ cottage, land-bound. It would be PERFECT for a single person to live in full time – though storage would still be a bit of an issue, given you’d have to store your clothes up in the lofts. But it would be do-able. If I could find a place to put it, I’d be a buyer.
Not tiny. This is a mobile/modular home with its own market sector. Let’s get the focus back to “Tiny” homes with all their owner-built charm and quirkiness.
Mike, Tiny Houses aren’t limited to just DIY made ones. Some builders just aren’t as creative as others and instead focus on function more than appearance.
Besides, Modular Homes are regular houses that are just modular built but otherwise follow the same building codes as site built houses and are not on wheels.
Looks suspiciously like the ONE XL tiny home by Escape. It’s a great design though.
Yeah Karl…I’ve seen the ONE XL tiny house from ESCAPE and this is the exact same design. I think it’s disgraceful when companies rip off designs. Aren’t there laws about that?
It isn’t against the law to, as you call it, rip off designs, unless they have copyrighted the design. Given that there were plenty of Tiny Homes of that shape before ESCAPE’s ones I think they’d have a little bit of a hard time convincing the trademark/design people that they should have copyright.
Besides, how can you possibly copyright a rectangular box anyway? Because that is what it is. A big one at that but doesn’t change what it is.
I really love this one, but I feel like it’s missing a living room area. I’m assuming that is what the space by the stairs is for officially, but those beautiful doors kind of get in the way. I would love to see the family actually living in it!
Maybe they could put a couch on the right wall of the bedroom and a murphy bed on the left, with the TV hanging from the ceiling and able to flip up and out of the way. Personally, I don’t have a living room in my place, but I’m living solo. I also don’t have any lofts, and I’m 10×27.
Eric, being you are 10ft wide, what travel restrictions do you have for towing your trailer?
My “cottage” isn’t on wheels. It’s on a foundation.
For all those people, I see very little storage.
This is an exact rip off of Escapes ONE XL. Even the small details including windows and their placement.. This is B.S. you would use another companies design and call it your own..
Too many windows and not enough wall space, but it is still nice. I agree with the above about no living room area. I like the concept, but, as with anything, i would have to design it for my own tastes.
This is Escape ONE XL to a tee. A complete design rip off..
Wow! You guys totally knocked off Escape’s ONE XL model. Nice job being original.
I’ve seen the ONE XL tiny house from ESCAPE and this is the exact same design. I think it’s disgraceful when companies rip off designs. Aren’t there laws about that?
Two showers – one inside and one out. At least two people can now share the hot water at the same time. With 5 people, that’s generally a must. Yet, only one commode. And, don’t anyone tell me that you can pull it off with one commode and 5 people. I came from a family of six and lived in houses with only one commode and one shower. There were a few of us who had to have clothes washing done and floors cleaned because someone else was using the facilities. It’s just not a good situation, regardless of reason, to put a family of 5 into that precarious position unless all the kids are babies and still in diapers.
Regarding the comments about storage – you don’t need closets for storage. Dressers, yes, closets aren’t required. Nice but not required. There are devices now and inexpensive which allow for hanging of clothes which need that sort of thing to keep wrinkles in check. Otherwise, go to the Dollar Tree store and get big plastic tubs for socks, undies, shirts etc. Works fine and some of them can be stackable. Even Walmart has a decent price for plastic storage drawers. Even for a family of 5.
Love the kitchen though with the size of that Microwave, I doubt the mother cooks all that much. More counter space would be nice. However, there are ways to get more space without cluttering up the the place.
The bath, I’m assuming is on the other side of the kitchen towards the front of the vehicle rather than at the back? Perfect in a weird sort of way because it is farther away from the sleeping areas.
If you want a living room, the second loft could be used for something of that sort especially since it has very large windows all around it. Otherwise, it could be used as an office area if the family is self-employed.
I also grew up in a family of six, and one bathroom was difficult frequently. Even with two people, one commode was not always enough. It would get downright ugly if both of us were suffering from a stomach bug.
I like the Escape homes, and this one does look like the One XL. While I love the airiness of all the windows, I’d need to have blinds, and I would most likely keep most of them closed even during the day for privacy.
One feature the Escape Home models have that I don’t always see in other similar models from other companies is most of their windows have the built in blinds between the glass panes.
James the smart glass also comes in as film that can be applied at a much cheaper rate. that is what I am planning for my smart home.
But wait… I too came from a family of 6. 1 toilet (attached to the house but access from outside) and one bathroom. Never. Ever. Did we have a problem with usage of bathroom or toilet. But wait… there’s more, for a goodly period we had 2 boarders as well. Still, no problem. So… is there something about America and Americans that they can’t sort of… I dunno, sort themselves out.
Are you the Eric from NZ? As I remember most houses only had one bathroom with toilet and anything up to 12 people. If the house was jacked up to provide extra space then another toilet was often added but I knew of many houses where this wasn’t done. Mum grew up in England and they had up to 20+ regular occupants in a 3 bed house with one bathroom, more recently I was at college with a lad my daughter’s age who grew up in a 2 bedroom and a boxroom with one tiny bathroom, he was one of 9 kids (yes they top and tailed in bed to fit them all in) and that was only ten years ago. Suspect this mania for plenty of toilets (unless one family member suffers from a chronic illness requiring instant and urgent access to a toilet at all times, used to be called a comode) is mainly to be found in the US because the UK and Ireland aren’t that bothered, though all new homes must now have a ground floor toilet fully wheelchair accessible. But to have more than one bathroom means that the rest of the rooms have to shrink (downstairs is under the stairs meaning a loss of storage while there is also often an en suite upstairs resulting in much smaller bedrooms) because the UK, Ireland and, from what my family and son-in-law’s family say, also in Auckland, Taupo, The Puke and Wellington, and probably many other places as well. Here we are losing valuable farm land, as in vegetables and fruits plus sheep and cattle, to housing and once lost it can neither be regained nor used to feed the population. Will take healthy affordable food over an extra toilet any day, and I speak as one of four adults in a 38′ mobile home with one toilet and two members (one disabled and one with a chronic illness) who need often instant access to the toilet. Yet we still manage and find the occasional use of a camping portable potty solves most problems. Would be easy to add to a THoWs and is also useful for those days when you are out and the loo is far away.
@Karen Blackburn… I yam indeed dat Kiwi from NZ.
And all your comments are pretty spot on. But now of course, we too have untold McMansions. And in many cases these self same buildings (I use that term real loose like) they are (not so) little boxes made of ticky tacky and they all look just the same.
Bob, I agree about the need for a second “commode” for such a large family. Though, a easy fix would be a camper style porta potti to handle any emergencies.
For the counter space… A fold up table extension by the sink would prevent help prevent any splashing onto the stairs and can fold down over the stairs for extra prep space when needed but not block the walk space.
Back when I was growing up, they didn’t really have commodes like there are today nor did they have portables. I thought about the portables though I also remembered about the camping trips we would take and staying in a tent with a portable commode. The question always came up with what do you do with it when it isn’t in use. For a tiny house, one could be kept in a large hamper – out of the way and out of sight; though it should be easy to grab when necessary. But then, if you have guests over whether it be other adults and/or kids, maybe two or three more portables should be available. Just thinking out of the box which some families might want to keep all this in mind. After all, we are humans, not animals.
Btw, the camping type Porta Potti’s can be pretty small and it’s a option for even smaller spaces like van dwellers who convert their own instead of buying a ready made RVs.
So two to three should be definitely doable unless they have too much stuff to put a corner or two aside for them.
Alternatively, when designing the structure, the bump out could have something that slides into the space for that kind of usage but slides back out to retain the normal space otherwise.
I’ve even seen toilets that slide out from under a vanity that still flush… So lots of options, just have to keep it in mind during the design phase.
I agree with Diane, that was my first thought that no common living area. But love the separate bedroom areas.
I love the 10 ft wide tiny’s but can live with an 8 foot. I could live happily in this place no problem. It is spectacular. I am 70, hope to have a tiny to replace my house in a couple of years.
Very nicely designed home with good layout. Lots of room for storage as well as people. Personally I could get by with a countertop cooking unit and no bathtub……I would prefer a generous shower stall. Love the downstairs bedroom!
I am no expert, but this unit appears to be an exact replica of the ESCAPE ONE XL!
I guess this product is flattering to the original designer and manufacturer – Escape. However, there are laws that protect original designs in order to reward ingenuity and creativity such as the U.S. Copyright Act. See below.
An original design of a building created in any tangible medium of expression, including a constructed building or architectural plans, models, or drawings, is subject to copyright protection as an “architectural work” under section 102 of theCopyright Act (title 17 of the United States Code), as amended on December 1 ..
1) Designers don’t always give a builder exclusive access to their designs and thus you can see multiple companies make similar designs if they all paid the actual designer for those designs.
Any given company would have to pay the designer for exclusiveness to prevent this…. But just because you may have first seen a design built by one company doesn’t automatically mean no one else can built it as well.
2) A patent is only a patent if it is actually granted and filed, if there’s no patent then there’s nothing to infringe on.
3) Just because you see something you think is unique doesn’t mean it actually is… Many designs just take from previous designs and common design elements can’t be patented.
Namely, we’re talking about what is called modern design… A square or rectangular structure with large and/or lots of windows is not original!
Mind, products like containers and PreFab houses naturally follow this design as well.
4) Patents aren’t intended to prevent competition forever, thus patents have an expiration date and there are limits to what can be patented that can be seen as direct attempts to prevent competition and create a monopoly.
Thus, often, patents are limited to the exact design presented for the patent and if the inventor doesn’t patent all variables of the design then that leaves a similar but still different design the ability to be patented separately.
An example of this is like when Apple tried to patent every design aspect of their iPad and iPhone, which they mostly lost because of these limits on what can and can’t be patented.
5) Just because you see something similar doesn’t mean it’s the same thing.
Thanks for this clarification. I agree.
Very true James. If they used the excapes floorplan then the trailer would probably be at least 100 sqft smaller. If you look at the escape plan my bathroom is 6×8 kitchen 8×12 counters on both sides with stove, fridge, sink and dishwasher. living room is 8×12 Porch is 4×8, back porch 10×12, loft bedroom is 8×18 and roof top deck of 8×12. This all equals 632 sq ft. They are similar to mine but 1/2-2/3 the size of mine.
Jeff then only buy from Tumbleweed homes.
1) Designers don’t always give a builder exclusive access to their designs and thus you can see multiple companies make similar designs if they all paid the actual designer for those designs. SOME BUILDERS/MANUFACTURERS OWN THEIR DESIGNS OR CREATE THEIR OWN DESIGNS. YOU APPEAR TO BE REFERENCING THE POTENTIAL FOR AN ARCHITECT/DESIGNER LICENSING HIS OR HER TINY HOME DESIGNS OUT TO MANUFACTURERS. THAT COULD BE THE CASE FOR SOME COMPANIES – I CHECKED WITH ESCAPE – THEY IN FACT OWN THEIR OWN DESIGNS AND DO NOT LICENSE THEM OUT TO OTHER BUILDERS.
Any given company would have to pay the designer for exclusiveness to prevent this…. But just because you may have first seen a design built by one company doesn’t automatically mean no one else can built it as well. YES – COMPANIES CAN OWN DESIGNS OUTRIGHT OR CREATE THEIR OWN LIKE ESCAPE HAS FOR THE DESIGN AND UNIT IN QUESTION.
2) A patent is only a patent if it is actually granted and filed, if there’s no patent then there’s nothing to infringe on. THERE ARE SEVERAL TYPES OF PATENTS – UTILITY AND DESIGN AMONG THEM. THAT IS ONE PORTION OF LEGAL RIGHTS UNDER WHAT IS GENERALLY KNOWN AS INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY. OTHER RIGHTS UNDER THE IP RUBRICK INCLUDE TRADEMARKS, TRADE SECRETS AND COPYRIGHT. A DESIGN HAS AN INHERENT COPYRIGHT – NOT SURE IF THIS DESIGN HAS A COPYRIGHT APPLICTION ON FILE BUT ONE WOULD STILL BE INFRINGING ON THE COPYRIGHT OWNER’S WORK REGARDLESS OF WHETHER THE COPYRIGHT APPLICATION WAS FILED WITH THE USPTO. JUST LIKE YOU CANNOT STEAL A SONG, NOVEL OR THE SOFTWARE FROM A DEVELOPER – EVEN IF IT WAS LICENSED TO SOMEONE ELSE. AS I MENTIONED EARLIER – I LIKE TO REWARD TRUE INGENUITY AND HAVE FOUND THAT IF SOMEONE IS WILLING TO CUT CORNERS BY KNOCKING ANOTHER ONE’S PRODUCT OFF THEIR QUALITY AND CRAFTMENSHIP IS ALSO USUALLY SUSPECT!
An example of this is like when Apple tried to patent every design aspect of their iPad and iPhone, which they mostly lost because of these limits on what can and can’t be patented. JAMES – THESE DESIGNS ARE NOT NECESARILLY PROTECTED BY PATENTS (THEY WOULD BE DESIGN PATENTS IF THEY WERE) AND IT APPEARS THAT THIS DESIGN AND ITS DESIGNOR TRIED TO MAKE SOME VERY MINOR CHANGES (AT BEST) TO THE ESCAPE MODEL TO TRY TO SKIRT INFRINGEMENT OF ESCAPE’S IP. NOT COOL IN MY HUMBLE OPINION.
Besides, if there was any violation then the lawyers for the respective companies will take care of it… It’s not like they will miss an opportunity to do so… THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT IS WRONG TODAY – LET’S TRY TO GET AS CLOSE AS WE CAN TO KNOCKING OFF SOMEONE’S HARD WORK AND LET THE LAWYERS TAKE CARE OF IT. WHAT HAPPENED TO PRIDE IN ONE’S OWN WORK PRODUCT ANY LONGER? JAMES – I HOPE YOU ARE CORRECT AND THAT THESE COMPANIES WITH GREAT DESIGNS THEY HAVE SPENT HOURS AND MONEY ON TO PROVIDE US WITH COOL TINY HOME OPTIONS DO TAKE ACTION AGAINST THE KNOCKOFF DESIGNS!
While, as pointed out before, this is basically just modern design architecture that predates Escape Home’s use of it.
Besides, one of the reasons I brought up Apple is because they basically tried to patent every aspect of what makes a modern tablet easily usable, which is the opposite extreme of what could happen and why there has to be balance in both directions.
An analogy would be if someone patented the best way to make a seat belt but only sold it to one company… Would you still consider that fair if you wanted a car from a different company that could not have that seat belt but had to settle for a inferior design that didn’t infringe on that patent but still trust it with the safety of your family?
Pride in one’s work isn’t limited to just how it looks, but how it is built and whether it actually serves the customer’s needs the best or not.
Consider, there are many common design elements that remain pretty consistent when designing a THOW for various factors like the fact for safety everything must be placed for proper weight distribution as otherwise it would be unsafe to tow.
Pushing the limits of space within road legal size limits also tends to produce similar shapes in designs.
There are also many common design elements that any builder is free to use. So there are only so many variables in a THOW design.
While lets put this into proper perspective and not forget that we’re discussing a custom builder, not a manufacturer of a mass produced product that is always the same.
Custom builders build basically whatever the customer wants, even if they come to them with a photo or link to something on Pinterest, etc.
So is a far cry from one manufacturer trying to copy another… and we shouldn’t forget that the consumer matters as well and it’s not just the interests of the companies that matter.
If a consumer wants a different builder to make them a product because they don’t like how the original builder does theirs, then within reason they should have the right to do so.
While they still sell their model on lots, just like RV’s and have different dealerships in different states.
So it’s not quite the same business as your typical custom builder Tiny House company and there are things to consider like being sure you can get the house made with low to non-VOC materials that only a truly custom builder can offer.
I have assumed that this was built for a particular family, and they had influence over what their needs were.
2. There is hanging space in each of the lofts – there is a bar – which could be used for clothing storage.
3. The bench space in the kitchen isn’t enormous, but with the great cover for the sink, I could cook in this kitchen, every night.
I think the point is living tiny is having enough for the normal needs, not peak demand. So if there were two people, both with tummy trouble, then you might have a problem… But I can’t think of the last time, we had that need in our house.
It’s a great looking home, but I would like to see what it looks like with the family of five actually living in it. As much as I love the tiny movement, I don’t think it’s always practical – especially with such a large family ( i.e. where do they hang their wet laundry when it’s raining outside, and where do they store their clothes, shoes, toys, etc.)? These may be small things for minimalists (of which I am one), but I’d be curious about storage. It would be hard to maintain on a daily basis. All the power to them!
Good points, Reid! You know, we’re actually not sure if this is their main home or if it’s their second home/vacation home/travel trailer but these are still great points/concerns to talk about!
I really enjoy looking into this tiny home, I just have a question. I remember when tiny homes started to get popular, the idea of not having a mortgage, spending more time with the family, green energy, etc. I don’t see the benefit of spending 80k on a trailer, think about this; in my hometown, Lake Worth, Fl I can buy a fairly nice house for less than 80k, and I’ve seen condos 2bd/2b for 60k. So, what is the advantage of spending 80k on a tiny home? I even have seen them more expensive than that. I mean no disrespect, I just puzzle.
Hey Pedro, there’s a long list of variables but the first thing to understand is you’re not just getting a regular home with a Tiny House but something that was custom made either by you or for you to best fit your lifestyle and optimize your life to be the most efficient it can be to best help eliminate waste from your life.
The vast majority of traditional housing gives you basically no choice in how it is made, how it looks (beyond decorating and renovating), and whether or not the space is optimized for your lifestyle or not, with the general design paradigm of one size fits all and the idea of one day selling it off often times being more important than having a home.
Self built tiny houses made with reclaimed materials can be done for very little… Even down to just a few thousand if it’s worked out right and you can handle most of the work yourself.
Stuff like solar power systems so they live off-grid, for example, are things that would easily cost a normal residential house over $30,000 but even in a Tiny House can add over $15,000 to the price if you want a system that can power everything and not need grid power at all.
Others pay extra for a house they can be sure will last a really long time and/or can withstand extremes that may help it be more live-able in the area they plan on living in it with… Like those living in Florida can have the house made to withstand extremely high winds, some are even rated to handle over 200 MPH winds, which is beyond what a typical house can withstand.
Or they may want a house that is easily moveable because they may live someplace like California, where they can have forest fires, and be able to move the house to safety quickly and easily.
Yet others use the savings of building tiny to give themselves luxuries they may not otherwise be able to afford in a bigger house… Like radiant floor heating, steam showers, saunas, smart homes, etc.
While others still are just getting what they need to have self sufficient lives. Such as those who need wheelchair access and other special accommodations that may require special equipment and custom design features you can’t just get with regular appliances and furniture and that does cost more but still far less than it would cost to do the same to a larger house.
While these options aren’t for everyone, there’s always trade offs… Traditional residential means you’re tying yourself to the local economy, for better or worse. You will generally have more daily and long term costs living in a traditional house… Just about every aspect of owning a traditional house will cost you more than a Tiny House and these ongoing costs can add up to a lot over time.
So the real savings for a Tiny House comes from the lifestyle it affords that saves you for the life you spend in the Tiny House.
Thus some will seek to go tiny even if it’s at a higher entry fee for the long term gains it provides.
But you aren’t required to get a Tiny House at a specific price, it all depends what you want out of it as again, it can be for very little as well as very high, but with custom build it means you have control and you only spend as much as you are willing for what you want to get and how much you are willing to work for it can have a big impact on final costs.
Thing is there’s just nothing that will ever be a cure all as our housing needs are just too complex and diverse to be solved by any one solution, but tiny houses should be considered among other alternatives to finding solutions that actually work and that doesn’t always mean doing it the same way as someone else… Besides, you should always do what’s right for you.
Like listed above, there are many reasons why the costs may vary and what you ultimately want out of it will determine whether those costs are worth it or not.
Even tiny houses aren’t all meant to be of one type… You can just as easily have a Tiny House on foundation that’s just a regular house scaled down… Or modular houses, or PreFab Houses, or even Tiny House Boats or Tree Houses… As well as many ways to use them… Guest house, ADU, a B&B, a place of business, multiple units can be combined or specialized for different needs, etc.
Thank you for taking the time to go over my question, your answer was very educational. I did not think about it, nor see all the ins and outs until you explained it to me; I can definitely see the price difference taking into account bare necessity to great to have approached. You also pointed out other benefits which raised a question, can these houses be built to be put together as modules for more of a permanent place?
Yes, modular and scalable designs are possible options. It just takes more advance planning of the design of the house.
Great reply James, long but great. You mentioned someone in California moving the house due to a fire and as a Californian I was thinking of someone in Florida wanting to move it due to hurricanes or someone along the Mississippi moving due to floods. By far the best is taking the house on a long vacation and enjoying being home all the time. The movement factor is what makes the houses fantastic.
may i know the height from ceiling to floor?
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The utilization of wine and our strong emotions of its medical benefits, teetotalers and nondrinkers in any case, are presumably as outdated as wine itself going again to the first human developments within the antiquated world. In Mesopotamia ca. the third thousand years BC, the Babylonians trusted wine to have restorative and remedial impacts and it was thought of so unadulterated and freed from pollutions that it was favored alongside brew over water. In Historic Egypt in extra of two thousand years BC, wine moreover changed into a typical fixing in “doctor advisable medicine” for relieving an assortment of sicknesses. The medicines had been figured using completely different fixings as properly, for instance, water and particularly these received from therapeutic vegetation.
Additionally, tales flourish from the Far East the place the Chinese language would bind wine with creature elements to give you medicines to repair just about any illness. Certainly, even Hippocrates, the dad of medicine who had a pointy feeling of physiological and metabolic responses within the human physique not simply utilized wine as a doctor advisable sedate in Historic Greece but as well as spearheaded it right into a germicide for treating wounds.
The connection amongst wine and its restorative and useful benefits turned extra grounded by way of the completely different instances and Center Ages as much as current day instances. So convincing was the connection that following the diminishing passing charge of convicts and vagrants who had been handled with wine on board www.uggshopsite.com ships within the early piece of the nineteenth century, it introduced forth the establishing of vineyards and wineries by British specialists all by way of no matter stays of the century. Quite a few such wineries have developed into worldwide organizations in control of absolutely the largest wine yields on the planet. As an illustration, Lindemans and Penfolds had been established within the mid 1840s by Drs. Henry J. Lindeman and Christopher R. Penfold, individually.
Be that as it could, as wine ended up very important to religions from Biblical events and the shades of malice of liquor flourished into social orders, wine, its medical benefits, and its sociological results turned out to be exceptionally questionable and introduced forth the counter liquor steadiness improvement in frontier America. In 1916, authorities wellbeing specialists expelled liquor from the USA Pharmacopeia (USP), “the official open gauges setting skilled for all resolution and over-the-counter medicines and different medicinal companies objects fabricated or bought in the USA.” Then in 1920, the Volstead Act was ordered below the Eighteenth Modification to the USA Structure making the produce, deal, importation, and dispersion of liquor illegal which saved going till 1933 when the Twenty-first Modification was sanctioned to rescind Nationwide Prohibition. Amid Prohibition, utilization of liquor and natively constructed wine for particular person make the most of was nonetheless permitted nonetheless every state and frequently cities or provinces had been left to actualize additional management as indicated by neighborhood wants. Wine for consecrated and therapeutic makes use of was moreover excluded. In Canada, territories had simply begun executing prohibitory legal guidelines in 1917.
GOVERNMENT WARNING: (1) In line with the Surgeon Normal, women ought not drink blended refreshments amid being pregnant on account of the hazard of beginning absconds. (2) Consumption of blended refreshments impedes your capability to drive a car or work equipment and will trigger medical points.
Nonetheless, there was a noteworthy turnabout in 1991 when French researcher Dr. Serge Renaud made open his speculation of the French Paradox which noticed that the French endure a usually low incidence of coronary coronary heart sicknesses (CHD) which is the actual cause for demise in industrialized nations however having an consuming routine reasonably rich in soaked fat present in, as an example, eggs, dairy objects and particularly cheddar, and meat. Renaud’s work slung presents of crimson wine within the U.S. additionally, a reestablished enthusiasm for the medical benefits of wine when CBS broadcast its French Paradox TV fragment on a hour that equal yr. The French Paradox, the countless epidemiological examinations and analysis heart investigations and analyses, for instance, these by well-known Kaiser-Permanente heart specialist Dr. Arthur Klatsky put forth a strong protection in testifying the J-or U-formed connections between the utilization of liquor and demise charge. All of the extra explicitly, these have exhibited that reasonable liquor utilization led to a decrease demise charge contrasted with teetotalers and nondrinkers or overwhelming liquor shoppers. Too, reasonable utilization has likewise been related to a decrease dismalness (sickness) charge.
Average utilization is often characterised to talk to 14 g of unadulterated liquor (ethanol) on daily basis which could be gotten from 148 mL (5 fl oz) of twelve-percent-liquor wine-watchful with that “two glasses per day” rule or from 355 mL (12 fl oz) of five-percent-liquor lager or from 44 mL (1½ fl oz) of 40% liquor soul. What’s extra, to understand and amplify the medical benefits of reasonable ingesting, utilization have to be day-to-day and never discovered the center worth of out by, as an example, ingesting a number of instances the prompt sum at one Saturday-evening celebration, and should be a chunk of an honest consuming routine and sound lifestyle together with regular train.
Should you’re at present importing movies onto YouTube for extra potential enterprise or are wanting to take action, then this text is only for you. As a result of inside, you’ll be taught an unlimited quantity of how to get site visitors to your web site from utilizing Youtube.
As you already know, YouTube may be very widespread. In actual fact, it is so widespread, that it is at present ranked one of many high 10 websites on the web by way of the quantity of web site visitors that it will get. So should you’re not advertising on YouTube or are utilizing it ineffectively, you are lacking out on a ton of latest prospects that you possibly can be getting every day.
However first, let’s discuss why you’d wish to market on Youtube. I am positive you are heard of the time period “social networking” or “social advertising”. Nicely, YouTube is greater than a video website – it is a social website – and has a ton of person interplay every and on a regular basis. So should you don’t love the concept of social advertising, then YouTube could be your reply, as a result of it’s a social networking website.
Since importing movies to YouTube is a type of social advertising, it solely is smart that one of many best methods to get site visitors to your web site from YouTube is to let your family and friends members know in regards to the YouTube movies that you simply created. Proper buy youtube likes ?
On YouTube (and social networking websites typically), you can also make quite a lot of mates rapidly. An effective way to make related mates on YouTube is to subscribe to channels of customers who create comparable movies that you simply do. A few of these customers will in flip subscribe to your YouTube channel simply because they wish to make new mates additionally. So if you create a brand new video, guess what? Your new mates will get a discover that you simply created a brand new video!
Oh and by the best way, I take advantage of the time period “Youtube channel” as a result of importing movies to YouTube is like having your personal television station. Viewers can tune into your channel to see in case you have something new, and may watch no matter you need to provide, and watch it anytime they like. However displaying your movies to mates is only one nice solution to get site visitors to your web site. One other wonderful means is by way of categorised adverts.
There are two nice categorised adverts websites that I take advantage of to get site visitors to my web site, and if you wish to make your YouTube movies very fashionable and get extra subscribers to your channel, it would be best to hyperlink to your movies by way of categorised advert web sites.
One nice categorised advert website that I take advantage of is usfreeads.com. It at present prices $9.99/month to submit adverts on this web site however it’s positively price it. Together with your $9.99 a month membership, you possibly can submit limitless quantities of categorised adverts. Which means that every time you submit a brand new YouTube video, you possibly can promote it by way of your usfreeads.com account, and get extra site visitors to your video.
With extra site visitors, you get extra views and extra subscribers assuming that your data is superior. However you do not have to cease at categorised adverts, you may as well market your YouTube video by way of your weblog.
There is not any denying that photographs converse louder than phrases. Add to that movies and you’ve got a robust mixture of content material that enterprise house owners have a capability to utilize on-line to unfold consciousness of your corporation.
Let’s check out the professionals and cons of utilizing the three strongest social media platforms that generate large quantities of image-driven site visitors. We’re speaking about Pinterest, Tumblr, and Instagram.
Pinterest – The quickest to breach the “ten million distinctive customers in a month” barrier.
Continues to develop at a powerful charge and drives extra site visitors to web sites than another social media website, similar to YouTube.
Ladies outnumber males on this platform. So, if your corporation targets the women, then this website is a good place to get in contact with many potential clients.
You need to market your product and companies in a delicate method; stokes artistic advertising.
Guests to Pinterest keep longer, supplying you with the chance for detailed communication.
Sure companies which might be simpler to market by way of photographs, similar to residence interiors, crockery, clothes, equipment, and so forth can actually leverage this web site.
The content material is basically way of life targeted; that is altering slowly however creating pins and reaching out to a neighborhood desirous about your merchandise requires creativity and planning.
Content material posted on Pinterest ages slowly, it does not likely go viral like how a hyperlink on Digg or Twitter may.
Re-pinned photographs on others’ pages can acquire extra recognition, negating your efforts to get site visitors.
Instagram – Greater than 45 million pictures uploaded day by day funny instagram captions.
It is a free platform that’s extremely straightforward to make use of. The vital factor with Instagram is that it is rising wildly.
You’ll be able to submit occasion happenings in real-time; photographs and movies. Model reinforcement by way of photographs.
Nice technique to construct a buzz round your product. Massive and small manufacturers do it. A teaser pic of a brand new pair of sneakers, announcement of a neighborhood contest, something.
Hashtags, geotags, and captions for the viewer’s info who can share the media you add and touch upon it as nicely.
Converse together with your viewers informally. Pictures may give your corporation a face. Construct a neighborhood and create certified leads.
The Instagram app is obtainable for iPhone and Android smartphones; that covers the majority of smartphone customers. That mentioned, you need to ensure that implementors of any advertising challenge involving Instagram are utilizing telephones with these working techniques.
Companies want to make sure that the standard of images uploaded is of a excessive commonplace. You do not need photographs put up by way of Instagram making a damaging impression about your product and repair.
The service can’t be utilized in isolation. You first need to create a presence on different platforms similar to Fb and Twitter.
Tumblr – 134.5 million blogs on it and rising by the day!
The platform is simple to get began with and helps each textual content and pictures.
It helps audio recording of posts instantly out of your cell phone.
Its assist for visually interesting media has made it common with photobloggers.
The inherently social attributes in Tumblr simplify the method of neighborhood constructing.
Companies can open their blogs to person content material and enhance engagement.
With a well-laid out content material technique, you need to use Tumblr’s on-line presence to spice up your website’s website positioning rating.
Tumblr is common with the under-40 demographic, which supplies your small enterprise or giant model the prospect to achieve out to this demographic, which is web literate and outlets on-line.
Lack of full management and restricted capabilities offset ease of use. Tumblr doesn’t supply the performance and formatting management supplied by a CMS like WordPress.
The extent of analytics isn’t detailed sufficient. In case you’re planning to make use of Tumblr for your corporation, you want to have the ability to see your effort in measurable phrases.
You are enterprise weblog on Tumblr isn’t self-hosted. So if Tumblr is down for upkeep or from a technical snag, your website is down as nicely.
All three websites supply benefits to firms constructing a model or promoting a product on-line. Which one you select is determined by your product, your audiance and also you particular on-line advertising objectives.
Whether or not you’re on the tender age of eight or are pushing 90, laptop coaching will make your life simpler and undoubtedly can open up a variety of studying that you just by no means thought attainable. Collaborating in a computer-training course is made out there in all elementary colleges as much as particular school programs that entail distinctive packages and a dizzying array of supply codecs.
Youngsters be taught computer systems at an alarming charge, their minds absorb the broad reaches of computer systems and extra importantly their minds are open to the pc expertise and software program. Some youngsters even present an astonishing propensity for coding and programming at a really early age.
Pc coaching programs are usually held on-line, although in fact, some could be achieved by way of precise classroom examine. Whatever the methodology used, all computer-training programs begin with the fundamentals. Fundamentals often start by introducing . One ought to be taught the bodily components to a pc resembling output gadgets, enter gadgets, the system unit, storage gadgets, communication gadgets and at last peripheral gadgets.
Software program is subsequent, and may cowl the elementary fundamentals such because the variations between system software program and utility software program. Will probably be vital so that you can be taught the important range between shareware, freeware, public area software program and business software program. Additionally, you will learn the way software program is launched into a pc and the varied strategies that can be utilized and which to make use of relying on numerous conditions. Additionally, you can establish which system software program is constructed into a pc and why.
Working methods can be coated for you and the way they work together with numerous software program. The coaching will cowl the variations between textual content interfaces and graphic consumer interfaces and what every accomplishes for the consumer. You may study all of the completely different utility software program that’s on the market, and what every does for you. Additionally you’ll be taught that are thought of the very best software program to make use of relying on the precise outcomes you want.
Lastly the coaching course ought to intensely cowl utilities, and what they do for a pc in addition to what advantages they provide the operator. You’ll be taught all about anti-virus utilities, and disk administration software program.
As an adjunct to your fundamental laptop coaching, good programs go one step additional and train you the right way to correctly keep and defend your laptop in order that you’ll not should take care of malware, and diverse laptop viruses. You additionally ought to be taught the fundamentals of laptop ethics, privateness and safety. Ultimately it’s best to progress by way of using laptop functions in schooling, resembling academic analysis, administration, in addition to studying and instruction computer training center in uttara dhaka.
After getting discovered these fundamentals, computer-training programs additionally train you the right way to correctly “surf” the Web, making use of the very best search engines like google, and refining these engines so as so that you can entry the precise info you’re searching for each time. The world of the Web is vast open to everybody who has a pc and a connection, and it is really wonderful what a pc can do for you!
If perceived by way of features of scholars trainer is meant to take care of, the aim of any instructing course of might be noticed anyplace alongside a continuum. At one finish of the continuum goal of instructing is very structured and necessary. On the different finish it’s construction free the place trainer’s discretionary energy units the aims and it’s purely his/her selection. Within the necessary, structured facet there’s a prescribed syllabus, specific studying aims and consequent cognitive abilities to be developed within the college students by the act of instructing. Within the unstructured facet of the continuum, the trainer is predicted to cope with these features of scholars which aren’t prescribed within the syllabus however indispensable for efficient assimilation and mastery of all issues prescribed within the structured necessary facet. They’re generally known as “non-brain” features of pupil life. They embrace college students’ mindset, motivation to be taught, effort, aim setting abilities, his/her research habits, self-efficacy and so on. Whether or not a trainer ought to take note of these dimensions of pupil life is solely subjected to the discretionary energy of the trainer. On this sense, high quality instructing isn’t completely a matter of transferring of information prescribed within the syllabus. However it is rather a lot linked to trainer’s willingness to discover non-mandatory areas in student-teacher relationship. Within the realm of non-mandatory features of teacher-student relationship trainer can train her autonomous energy as no person can query her selections she makes right here. She/he’s free to train inclusiveness in instructing by attending to emotional, social, psychological features of studying or to stay completely impervious to those “non-brain” features of scholars studying. However bitter fact is, non-brain features of studying like motivation, research habits, self-efficacy, resilience and so on has essential position within the correct functioning of many cognitive features of studying like processing of knowledge, consideration, retention, reproducing or recalling of discovered materials (reminiscence), artistic abilities, reasoning and so on. Ongoing analysis findings in numerous branches of psychology, schooling, neurosciences and so on vouch for it.
The precise success of instructing lies in trainer’s willingness to concentrate to cognitive in addition to non-cognitive features of pupil mind and regulate instructing accordingly. Not a lot instructional establishments have the systemic laws for evaluating whether or not instructing is all inclusive. However all establishments assess instructing professionals for extra goal features like ending the subjects at proper time, class hours trainer spends with college students, well timed analysis of assignments, class assessments performed and so on. In lots of establishments, evaluating lecturers for his or her high quality of instructing is especially confined to the criterion of proportion of scholars who come out efficiently within the examination. Past that, establishments don’t probe into the queries associated to high quality instructing.
Move proportion of scholars can by no means be a dependable standards for assessing the standard of instructing on this period of information explosion the place the trainer is likely one of the myriad out there sources of information. Innumerable assets like native tuition facilities, web search engines like google, free on-line programs are on the finger tip of pupil inhabitants. For a pupil of contemporary world trainer is barely a proper determine within the course of of information acquisition. In comparison with gigantic digital sources like web, a trainer’s repository of information is proscribed and somewhat inferior. Furthermore, availability of interactive video lectures on any subject underneath the sky undermines the need of attending actual class rooms for studying. Therefore cross proportion isn’t all the time an unique product of class-room instructing and nonetheless a proof for high quality in instructing.
three. Classroom teaching-teacher is the king.
Social abilities that may be developed by attending the colleges throughout early phases is the main issue that forces dad and mom to ship their wards to high school. On this period of expertise, the career of instructing is ticking simply due to one-one head to head relationship the category room atmosphere can supply to the scholar. Therefore high quality of sophistication room instructing is a matter of sustaining the standard of that one-one relationship. It’s by no means a matter of transferring of information somewhat it’s a matter of high quality with which data is transferred. This high quality is solely a operate of inclusiveness with which trainer offers pupil’s life. Trainer’s discretionary energy determines precise high quality of instructing as there isn’t a legislation insisting instructing to be all inclusive. There are not any systemic laws insisting that trainer ought to attend to social, emotional, psychological or ethical features of pupil life. Depletion of high quality schooling in any society is because of lack of viable methods to make sure whether or not there’s inclusiveness in instructing. Whether or not instructing is happening for transferring data or reworking pupil life is the essential query.
No career is as mysterious as instructing is. No one can assess objectively what a trainer does inside the category room. Nor can anyone constrain actions of a trainer within the class by suggesting what he/she ought to do. The standard of classroom atmosphere is the prerogative of a certified trainer. The subjectivity inside which teacher-student relationship is functioning is so precarious that trainer has complete freedom to personalize it. Even the scholars’ analysis of lecturers cannot make any appreciable influence on “how a trainer pertains to his/her skilled area”. No surprise educationists and their analysis makes an attempt don’t cater a lot to the standards for measurement and analysis of instructing course of for its high quality. To date there are few legitimate instruments to judge effectiveness of instructing. This mysterious aura surrounding the trainer is so fascinating and trainer’s autonomy inside the category room is so superior that no drive from exterior can curb it. Usually administrative restrictions or guidelines and laws of the system cannot penetrate the liaison developed between the trainer and her/his college students. As a result of trainer is the only real authority who determines the standard or authenticity of interpersonal relationship which is the premise of whole strategy of instructing teaching.
The above described autonomy of lecturers usually seem as an insurmountable block for the efficient implementation of many inventions within the area of instructing. To grasp how the autonomous energy of trainer within the class room change into a hindrance to high quality instructing, one should understand how a trainer wields her autonomy inside the category room. Broadly talking, there are solely two sorts of lecturers. First, there are lecturers who cater solely to the cognitive necessities of their college students by way of their topic of instructing. However there are lecturers who attend to the concrete cognitive necessities as well-as non-cognitive features of scholars throughout teaching-learning course of. The later group of lecturers step into these areas of student-teacher relationship which isn’t explicitly prescribed within the curriculum. Within the course of lecturers’ humane qualities mix with the topic experience and the autonomous energy of trainer goals at high quality in instructing. Educating turns into a artistic act for such lecturers the place they actively have interaction in discovering and channelizing the potential of their college students in the fitting path.
Gone are days the place the whole world was assured of the standard instructing as one thing ingrained within the disposition of the trainer. Concern for college students’ psychological features was one thing spontaneously oozes out of the instructing course of. In these days no person dared to verify or cared to judge whether or not trainer had a holistic bend in her/his attitudes in direction of college students. Evaluating a trainer for this was deemed as ridiculous as asking a surgeon whether or not he cared for the lifetime of the affected person mendacity on the operation desk. However within the fashionable world it’s not so. No one can deny that as in any subject, commercialism is consuming into the career of instructing too and retaining the standard of trainer pupil relationship is getting troublesome than ever. Erosion of high quality instructing is corroding instructional programs and depriving it of its vitality and sanctity.
These cupcakes could be fairly tedious, however they’re at all times a success at any time when I make them. These are chocolate cupcakes with a vanilla frosting and a chocolate topper and a vanilla cupcake with chocolate frosting and a vanilla topper. I discover that most individuals just like the combination of the 2 flavors, however you possibly can at all times customise and make no matter mixture most closely fits you and your visitors. Please don’t be alarmed by the variety of steps within the recipe. It appears to be like like loads, nevertheless it doesn’t take as a lot time as one would possibly assume, and from my very own expertise I undoubtedly assume that following all the steps are effectively definitely worth the outcomes.
Upon getting made each the chocolate and vanilla cupcakes and each the chocolate and vanilla frosting, you could being getting ready and placing collectively the ultimate product. Seize the set of chocolate cupcakes and the set of vanilla frosting. Frost every cupcake with a beneficiant quantity of frosting. Now repeat the steps, however with the vanilla cupcake and the chocolate frosting Buy Milk Online.
I’ve discovered that though these cupcakes require a number of steps and are much more tedious than merely shopping for a field mixture of cake and frosting, they’re undoubtedly definitely worth the problem. Each time I’ve made these cupcakes I’ve obtained nothing however quite a few compliments and requests to make them once more. I might undoubtedly giving this recipe a attempt a minimum of one time and see how good the outcomes are for your self.
In Half three, we discover the middle of efficient recharging. Extremely essential as the right rechargeable battery would be the correct battery charger. You will not wish to wreck nice batteries utilizing a nasty charger. Let’s take a number of the battery charger choices. First, see whether or not you wish to make use of a common, excessive capability centralized charging unit or a number of transportable models or each. Most avid customers of rechargeable batteries end up using a mix of each.
Suppose your facility is a church with 12 AA wireless microphones, 4 9V in-ear displays, 5 listening help gadgets that use AA’s, and 10 LED lamps that use Triple A’s. Clearly, this software would require a number of high-capacity chargers that may cost a number of varieties of cells.
Maybe you are a household of 4 with a brand new child. You want a charger that may deal with AA’s for the digital digital camera and child monitor, C batteries for the child swing, Triple A”s for the dad’s TV distant and wireless headphones, and a group of C’ and D’s for the toys and video games. It could make extra sense to go along with a common charger too, however it’s your decision a small transportable charger as properly for on-the-go charging qi charger B07GS5YY89.
Knowledgeable photographer might want a particularly quick AA charger for flash models, however nonetheless want portability for on-location. Ansmann presents high quality battery chargers for each software.
In the event you nonetheless have that “machine record” I requested you to create, now’s time so as to add all of the batteries up and determine what charger(s) is/are finest for you. On-line you possibly can find a listing of battery chargers, divided to into AA, 9V, and Combo chargers. Relying on what number of batteries it’s worthwhile to cost, we are able to cost as little as two batteries and as many as 16 with a single charging unit.
A lot of the budding digital photographers as of late age don’t really just like the idea of buying starting title DSLRs, in addition to keep away from spending some huge cash in state-of-the-art variations. That is reasonably simple to grasp as starting DSLRs sometimes cease working to offer a variety of the very important features digital photographers require whereas spending enormous in one thing apart from important worries of life is likewise unattainable for lots of us. This leads to a steady seek for a really perfect mid-range DSLR digicam. The excellent news is, with the present Sony a55 DSLR digicam, your seek for a mid-range digicam can successfully wrap up while not having to speculate many hrs in looking at many options.
Originating from the reliable sector of digital sector heavyweight Sony corp., this digicam has really taken the group of DSLRs beneath 1000 bucks fee brace by a twister. Although you may uncover the physique of this digicam for as lowered as regarding 700 , the charges differ with variation within the packed lens. Typically, Sony a55 options an 18-55mm provide lens good for newbies in addition to day by day capturing. Nonetheless, these which might be looking for one thing added have the choice of choosing 55-200mm, 18-250mm, in addition to far more appropriate lenses. Primarily based upon the issues of the taking pictures setting, you may conveniently uncover a really perfect lens for this DSLR web link.
Approaching to the perform Sony a55 comes filled with; you may successfully anticipate completely first-rate features from this DSLR digicam. A number of of the important features of this digicam are 16.2 environment friendly megapixel with APS Hd CMOS sensing unit, digital viewfinder with 1.15 million dot decision, double reminiscence with the selection of reminiscence stick in addition to SD card, 1080p AVCHD movie setting with fixed automobile emphasis, outdoors microphone outlet, face-detection, and likewise built-in in GPS. Aside from these features, the digicam includes a host of assorted different attributes custom-made for budding skilled photographers.
Folks with no eyebrows can typically really feel like their faces do not look full, and although there are a number of totally different causes for folks to not have eyebrows, fortunately there are additionally a number of totally different choices to take in the event you ought to occur to lose your eyebrows. You might fill in your eyebrows utilizing make-up or tattoos, or you may choose to get synthetic eyebrows.
The trigger for an individual dropping their eyebrows might have been a freak lab experiment with an unlucky miscalculation involving the Bunsen burner, it might have been as a result of they received a bit overzealous with the tweezers just a few too many occasions, it could possibly be genetic, or it could possibly be due to medical therapies like chemotherapy. Different potential causes are infections or nasty little parasites infecting the hair follicles within the eyebrow and thyroid issues or hormonal imbalance, and a superb variety of others.
Regardless of the causes, eyebrow loss could be fairly laborious on an individual, psychologically. After all, there will be those that will not actually thoughts and might merely shrug and go on with their lives, however for lots of people, not having eyebrows can really feel awkward and embarrassing.
What Can a Individual With No Eyebrows Do to Conceal The Truth That They Do not Have Any?
In case your eyebrows aren’t a lot “utterly gone” as they’re simply “sparse,” you possibly can attempt including a little bit of quantity and definition to them by filling in a number of the clean spots with just a few strokes of an eyebrow pencil. It is positively lots much less bother than having to go off and get a set of synthetic eyebrows, and it will often value lots lower than hair regrowth therapies which might be possible to not work anyway.
If in case you have no eyebrows in any respect although, taking out the eyebrow pencil won’t be one of the best plan of action to take. Have you ever ever had any of these humorous aunts whose eyebrows regarded like they’d been drawn in with magic marker?
You would not wish to appear like that. After all, it is potential to get a much less… cartoony look utilizing make-up, however it may well take a little bit of talent and observe to get it good.
Leave a comment on What’s a Transferring Firm?
These days, while you request a free quote on any movers’ web site, you get a mean of 13 completely different transferring corporations calling your telephone off the hook, some calling out of your state, or your surrounding space, and a few calling from throughout the nation. How have you learnt who’s an precise mover and who’s a dealer, and why do you have to care?
In keeping with the INVESTOPEDIA.com, a Forbes Digital Firm, a brokerage firm is a enterprise whose foremost accountability is to be an middleman that places patrons and sellers collectively so as to facilitate a transaction. Brokerage corporations are compensated by way of fee after the transaction has been efficiently accomplished.
So how does this relate to the transferring trade?
Effectively, identical to another cash making trade, the transferring trade has “patrons”- the individuals which are transferring, and “sellers”- the movers. Logically, another supply squeezed into the equation is extremely pointless.
It’s pretty affordable to really feel snug with what an authorized dealer says. Although this can be very essential that you just perceive why they’re such good gross sales individuals. Dealer corporations rent superb gross sales individuals which are very effectively educated to promote. For probably the most, they don’t personal vans (nor lease/lease them), and have by no means seen any of “their” strikes happen. In truth, it’s extremely unlikely that they’ve any thought of what precise movers actually do on a job web site! Their job is to promote you a service, simply as a marketer can promote any product his purchasers want- soda pop, clothes designer, automotive sellers… you title it, they’ve performed it. In transferring, the service is your relocation. They offer you an estimated value to your transfer. A value which they’ll by no means bind, since they have no idea what it’s that you’re transferring, or who it’s that can finally “choose you up”.
As soon as they earn what you are promoting they require a deposit, which is generally a lot larger than a typical deposit ($50-$150), and put your data (title, telephone quantity, pickup location, last vacation spot, and desired transfer date) in a database for truckers, and the trucker that has out there area, and will likely be in your space round that time-frame will likely be assigned to your transfer. They don’t background verify whoever chooses to tug you out of that database. Moreover, they don’t signal any settlement with the trucker, stating he should keep at or near the preliminary worth settlement they got here to with you. In different phrases, when you give the deposit, their job is completed, and also you stay to cope with whoever picks you up. If they’ve insurance coverage, what sort of insurance coverage, if they’re background checked and medically checked… all of those and extra will likely be unknowledgeable to you up till the day of the transfer itself. When you have issues on the day of the transfer, you could file a criticism. As soon as they’ve too many complaints below their title they are going to “shut” the enterprise and easily open a brand new D.B.A to work below. Is that this the easiest way to start out a journey of which you might be depositing your complete home maintain items with an organization? Hardly.
A licensed and insured transferring firm is registered with the federal government, and far simpler to search for. Since a transferring firm often owns its personal vans, it will likely be tougher for one to shut their enterprise and reopen below one other title.
A transferring firm has not solely relocation specialists that will help you with the method over the telephone, however additionally they have an workplace, which you will go to, and extra importantly an everyday employees. That is essential as a result of the precise transferring course of doesn’t happen over the telephone, however in your own home. It is best to be capable of know who you might be permitting entrance into your own home, and entry to your belongings. Folks which are background checked, medically checked, and educated to securely pad and inventory furnishings, will almost definitely have every part go a lot smoother than males who’re “labor prepared”, who can paint, clear, minimize, construct and so forth. With a transferring firm, you get to decide on precisely what day they are going to arrive, since they’re all the time in your space. In any case that is what they do. That is their profession. As soon as the transfer is full and even years after, you’ll nonetheless be capable of name again and communicate to the identical firm that has taken care of you because the starting, since no third get together was ever introduced into the method.
Due to these causes and plenty of extra, you need to extremely think about eliminating brokers when first discussing your transfer with professionals. Give it some thought this manner, would you belief a daycare together with your youngster just because they’d an open spot? Or would you reasonably choose a day care your self, after visiting it, seeing it, studying and feeling snug with what the day care that you just select hasto supply?
Questions and Solutions About LED Lighting – Why LED?
Leave a comment on Questions and Solutions About LED Lighting – Why LED?
1.Q: What are the benefits of LED Lights?
A: LED (Gentle-Emitting Diode) Lights provide a mess of benefits over conventional mild sources together with decrease electrical energy consumption, for much longer lifetime, larger sturdiness, no ultraviolet and infrared radiation, low warmth and smaller measurement.
2.Q: Can I instantly substitute my current lamps with LED lamps?
A: The LED Lights we provide are direct alternative of incandescent, halogen and compact fluorescent lamps. Which means that you shouldn’t have to do any modifications to your current system.
Three.Q: Why ought to I select LED lamps over the cheaper conventional lamps?
A: Think about not solely the preliminary worth of the lamp, however the true value of sunshine, which incorporates the price of vitality, alternative and upkeep prices.
– LED lights use a lot much less vitality. When put in at purposes with lengthy work hours the saved electrical energy value can convey the payback time to lower than 2 years.
– LED lights have for much longer life, from 30,000 to 50,000 hours. Think about that you just shouldn’t have to vary your lamps for the subsequent 20 years, particularly these laborious to achieve lighting fixtures.
For business purposes lengthy life LED Lights imply decrease alternative prices and no extra group relamping. Considered decreased upkeep prices, the ROI (Return Of Funding) time for LED Lamps may be lower than 1 yr Plant Grow Light, 27W LED Grow lamp B07K8FRKYS.
LED lamps produce little or no warmth thus decreasing the ability utilized by your air conditioner.
LED mild has no dangerous UV (ultraviolet) and IR (infrared) rays.
LED lamps comprise NO mercury just like the fluorescent lamps. LED Lights are fully protected for the Nature and may be disposed as atypical waste.
four.Q: Will the Low Voltage LED lamps work with my current transformer?
A: Low Voltage LED lamps are suitable with magnetic transformers used with VAC lighting. You probably have an digital transformer one LED lamp could not work resulting from its very low energy consumption. To work correctly most digital transformers require a minimal load better than the Three-watt utilized by our LED Spot Lights. When connecting just a few LED lamps to 1 transformer the load will increase to a degree the place the usage of an digital transformer is suitable.
5.Q: How does a LED work?
A: The LED (Gentle Emitting Diode) is an digital mild supply that works by the impact of electroluminescence. When a semiconductor diode is turned on electrons recombine with holes and vitality is discharged as mild.
6.Q: What’s the shade of the sunshine from a LED?
Deciding to breastfeed is simple. The truth of breastfeeding might be much less simple.
Throughout these previous couple of months of being pregnant, you’ll have to take into consideration the way you need to feed your child. Your midwife will ask whether or not you need to breast or system feed, encouraging you to breastfeed as a result of – as everybody is aware of – ‘breast is greatest’. The nutritional vitamins, minerals and antibodies in breast milk present every little thing your child wants for the primary six months. Along with the dietary advantages, the closeness and bonding that breastfeeding helps to determine is nicely documented, together with many different advantages for each mom and child.
Numerous ladies have an ambivalent perspective in direction of breastfeeding earlier than their first child is born, not wanting so as to add pointless strain after they have the start and the newborn care fundamentals to get via first. When the newborn is born nevertheless, the intuition to breastfeed might be very robust Inverted and Latch On Difficulties to Help Mums B07FPFZTCZ.
Generally breastfeeding your first child goes in addition to the ante-natal video promised; your new child is positioned in your chest, pores and skin on pores and skin, and their little puckered mouth naturally finds its solution to your breast and begins to suckle. This nevertheless, will not be the tip of the story and isn’t the state of affairs many ladies discover themselves in.
Numerous new moms discover breastfeeding troublesome. To present only a small variety of examples, troublesome can imply: the newborn can not latch on correctly; the newborn is not getting sufficient milk and is consistently crying or feeding; breastfeeding is extraordinarily painful; the brand new mom is desperately exhausted by the each two-hour, evening and day feeding schedule. Regardless of the difficulties are, many new moms discover themselves shocked and utterly unprepared for them. The conversations about the advantages of breastfeeding could have been plentiful, however the ones about what to do when it is not working might not have been.
Shifting on to system if breastfeeding is troublesome might be the very best resolution for some new moms, others merely want some assist. Discovering out the place to go for assist when you’re caring for a new child nevertheless, can seem to be an unattainable activity, and bodily getting your self to that assist even more durable.
Breastfeeding issues are extraordinarily widespread and a number of the greatest breastfeeding journeys have had a rocky begin. Assistance is on the market, and half an hour with an skilled breastfeeding counselor could make an enormous distinction. No matter your challenge, they’ll have dealt with it earlier than, perceive how you feel and have the ability to supply sensible recommendation. Many counselors can go to you at dwelling in the event you aren’t in a position to attend a breastfeeding clinic and make follow-up visits to see how you might be getting on.
Deciding methods to feed your child is a really private choice that solely you may make. If you’re planning to breastfeed and even considering you would possibly need to give it a attempt, perform some research earlier than the newborn arrives. Discuss to your midwife, ask questions, discover out the place your native breastfeeding clinic is and when they’re open, discover out who your native breastfeeding counselors are, how and when you may contact them. | 2019-04-24T11:52:04Z | http://www.sheedravi.com/ |
Thomas Hannagan, Jonathan Grainger; Learning diagnostic features: The delta rule does Bubbles. Journal of Vision 2013;13(8):17. doi: 10.1167/13.8.17.
Abstract It has been shown (Murray & Gold, 2004a) that the Bubbles paradigm for studying human perceptual identification can be formally analyzed and compared to reverse correlation methods when the underlying identification model is conceived as a linear amplifier (LAM). However the usefulness of a LAM for characterizing human perceptual identification mechanisms has subsequently been questioned (Gosselin & Schyns, 2004). In this article we show that a simple linear model that is formally analogous to the LAM—a linear perceptron trained with the delta rule—can make sense of several Bubbles experiments in the context of letter identification. Specifically, an analysis of input-output connection weights after training revealed that the most positive weights clustered around letter parts in a way that mimicked the diagnostic parts of letters revealed by the Bubbles technique (Fiset et al., 2008). Our results suggest that linear observer models are indeed unreasonably effective, at least as first approximations to human letter identification mechanisms.
Common sense and empirical evidence suggest that certain features are more important than others when identifying objects such as single letters. The Bubbles technique (Gosselin & Schyns, 2001) was developed expressly in order to empirically determine the diagnostic features of visual stimuli and has been successfully applied to natural scenes (McCotter, Gosselin, Sowden, & Schyns, 2005), faces (Vinette et al., 2004), facial expressions of emotions (Smith, Cottrell, Gosselin, & Schyns, 2005), letters (Fiset et al., 2008; Fiset et al., 2009), and words (Blais et al., 2009). Accompanying such versatile applications, an informal attempt was made to couch human visual categorization processes within a general framework, the so-called RAP framework stating that “potent” information is a product of “represented” information (R) and “available” information (A) (Gosselin & Schyns, 2002). This effort was later carried out further and the Bubbles method criticized by Murray and Gold (2004a). Under certain assumptions, Murray and Gold were able to provide a formal description of how information is used in a Bubbles experiment that relates Bubbles not only to the RAP framework but also to previous categorization techniques (the “reverse correlation” method) and spells out possible biases and limits of Bubbles.
However this progress in formalizing the product of a Bubbles experiment and comparing it to reverse correlations was achieved at the cost of assuming that a simple linear model (hereafter LAM, for linear amplifying model) underlies the human ability for visual categorization. It was assumed, specifically, that subjects use a linear function to compare the representation of the input to pre-existing representations of the different alternatives allowed in the task. In its simplest form, a subject would essentially calculate the dot product between, for instance, a representation corresponding to the visual letter input, and all 26 “letter template” vectors previously formed by the subjects for uppercase letters in the alphabet. Such an assumption has been deemed unrealistic (Gosselin & Schyns, 2004), which would marginalize the relevance to bubbles of Murray and Gold's analysis and criticism (Murray & Gold, 2004a, 2004b).
More specifically, Gosselin and Schyns (2004) claimed that a LAM is not sufficiently general in scope to impose any prescriptive standards on the conduct of research in visual categorization. In what follows we will show that on the contrary, a LAM has relevance for understanding data obtained using the Bubbles method on letter identification. The two observations on which we build our computational study are the linearity of a perceptron network and the diagnostic properties of the most widespread learning algorithm for perceptrons, the delta rule (Widrow & Hoff, 1960).
Here, I, Ti, and Z are real matrices of equal dimensions, and ⊗ is any linear operator with a scalar output, for instance the cross-correlation operator as in Murray and Gold (2004a) or the convolution operator that multiplies two matrices element-wise and returns the sum of the elements.
When the convolution operator is used, this system is analogous to a standard perceptron network, the simplest neural network that can perform a direct mapping from input to output. In the network's input layer, each unit stands for an element of the input matrix I, whereas in the output layer each unit stands for a possible decision. The two layers are linked with full feedforward connections (i.e., each unit in the input layer sends a connection to every unit in the output layer). In the case of 26 decisions A, B,..., Z, each set of connections arriving at output unit A, B,..., Z is a matrix of same dimension as the input, respectively written as TA, TB,..., TZ.
The activation of output unit i is given by a function of its net input neti = I ⊗ Ti + si, where si is the “bias” weight.1 We will use a “saturated” linear activation function throughout this article: a linear function bounded below by zero and above by one. The weight matrices TA, TB,..., TZ are initially set to zero. However under the influence of a learning algorithm and the repeated presentation of inputs IA, IB,..., IZ, the weights progressively come to embody the templates for A, B,..., Z.
Possibly the simplest supervised associative learning algorithm and the one we will use in this article is the “delta rule,” also known as the Widrow-Hoff rule (Widrow & Hoff, 1960), an algorithm that has formal connections with conditioning models (Wagner & Rescorla, 1972) and that we will describe more formally in the next section. The delta rule has been applied to the computational modeling of several cognitive phenomena and processes, including for instance conditioning (Gluck & Bower, 1988), memory (McClelland & Rumelhart, 1985), language acquisition and processing (Baayen, Milin, Filipović Durdević, Hendrix, & Marelli, 2011), category learning, and associative learning (Kruschke & Bradley, 1995), but its use extends well outside of cognitive science whenever decision making is involved, notably in the medical field where it can be used to operate diagnostics (Brause et al., 2001).
The notion that the delta rule could help explain the diagnostic information used by human subjects in a Bubbles experiment is therefore well founded. In addition, the so-called perceptron convergence theorem (Nilsson, 1965) ensures that if the patterns on which the delta rule is applied are linearly separable, then in the case of a binary classification task the perceptron will converge to a solution. To our knowledge, however, a simple perceptron trained with the delta rule has not yet been applied to diagnostic visual feature extraction in general and certainly not to the specific case of letter identification.
The LAM and the perceptron are trivially analogous systems, when templates in the former are seen as connection sets in the latter. Then the linear convolution operator between inputs and templates in LAM exactly corresponds to the linear propagation of inputs along multiplicative weights in the perceptron (i.e., the net input computation). We will now show how the perceptron trained under the delta rule can account for behavioral data recently gathered using the Bubbles method on letter identification tasks.
The Bubbles experiment of Fiset et al. (2008), which we simulate in this paper, was based on a letter identification task. It consisted in the short presentation (for 200 ms) of letter stimuli that were occluded by a uniformly gray mask except for small apertures at randomly chosen locations (bubbles) that could be of one of five different sizes. Each subject performed 100 blocks of 260 trials for each case. A strong appeal of both the Bubbles and reverse correlation paradigms is that they can produce, in a compelling visual output, “classification images” that arguably reveal the diagnostic features that subjects use for target identification (Ahumada, 1996). The signal detection analysis underlying these images is similar in each case and involves contrasting the average noise fields—or sums of bubble windows—presented to the subjects across different stimulus/response trials. Specifically, and to paraphrase Murray (2012), a reverse correlation classification image obtains by regressing all observers' responses against additive Gaussian stimulus noise, whereas a Bubbles classification image is found by regressing correct observers' responses against sparse multiplicative noise.
A key point is that when the underlying model is a linear amplifier, it can be shown that these classification images are either directly scaled versions of the templates, if one uses reverse correlation methods, or blurred versions of the template convolved with a particular difference of input signals, in the case of the Bubbles method (Murray & Gold, 2004a). Therefore in what follows we will start by directly comparing the templates obtained by training a perceptron network on a letter identification task to the classification images revealed in a bubbles experiment.
Two perceptron networks were trained to recognize either uppercase or lowercase letters. All computations were done in floating point and implemented in the Python language. Letter inputs were 26 black Arial letters centered on a white background, with dimensions 188 × 188 pixels for lowercase letters and 128 × 128 pixels for uppercase letters. The connection weights were initially set to zero and evolved as the networks were repeatedly and uniformly exposed to letters. One training epoch consisted of the presentation of all 26 letters exactly once. Each network was trained until a criterion for response accuracy was reached or 500 epochs had elapsed, and on each trial within an epoch, weight modification proceeded according to the delta learning rule described in the Appendix. Correct identification was granted whenever the maximally active unit in the output layer corresponded to the target letter. In both the uppercase and lowercase conditions, the network had reached 100% accuracy at the end of training. We note that for each condition, the total number of learning trials undergone by the network (500 × 26) was of the same magnitude as the number of trials completed by the human subjects (100 × 260).
Figure 1 compares the Bubbles classification images reported for uppercase and lowercase letters by Fiset et al. (2008) to the letter templates embodied in the connection weights of the perceptron network after training in both conditions. Bubbles images were z-scored classification images whose colored pixels exceeded the significance threshold of a statistical test (the so-called “Pixel Test,” Chauvin, Worsley, Schyns, Arguin, & Gosselin, 2005). As in Fiset et al. (2008), a global Bubbles classification image was then obtained for each letter in each case by summing over the five “partial” classification images corresponding to different bubble sizes. Finally, each letter weight matrix and each classification image was normalized and thresholded. The threshold was obtained in the same way for all weight matrices and all classification images and set to one eighth of the range of values in the matrix considered. This was done so as to emphasize the diagnostic regions falling inside letter bodies as opposed to outside. The resulting diagnostic regions were then coded by a color gradient of increasingly dark red for the perceptron and increasingly dark blue for the bubbles classification images before being superimposed to the letter inputs.
Diagnostic features for letter identification in humans (blue regions, data from Fiset et al., 2008) and in the model (red regions), for uppercase (upper panel) and lowercase letters (lower panel). The human diagnostic regions correspond to bubbles classification images, whereas the model diagnostic regions correspond to letter weights obtained after training with the delta rule.
Visual inspection of Figure 1 already suggests that the agreement between model and bubbles data is quite strong. With the possible exception of uppercase letters M and W, the letter regions found useful by human subjects for a detection task are closely matched by the strongest connection weights in the model. This is nowhere more obvious than for what one might call “subset/superset letter pairs” like O and Q, I and F, F and E, F and P, or P and R, pairs of letters that differ only by the presence of a single localized feature in one and not in the other (for instance a diagonal stroke on the bottom right of superset letters Q and R, respectively not present in O and P). In these cases the delta rule emphasizes the connection weights that come from the critical diagnostic region in the superset letter.
Table 1 quantifies the similarity between perceptron connection weights and human classification images in two different ways, using cross-correlations or the Frobenius norm, for uppercase and lowercase letters. The Frobenius norm takes values between zero (identical signals) and one (opposite signals) and is sensitive to location shifts. The cross-correlation measure also takes values between zero (opposite signals) and one (identical signals) and is invariant to location shifts in the 2-D signals being compared. We used the same clipped matrices as presented in Figures 1 and 2, implying all elements were positive, and for our cross-correlations we further normalized all matrices to the unit norm. It can be seen that the cross-correlation is very high in both cases, with an average value of 0.80 for uppercase letters and 0.83 for lowercase letters, whereas the Frobenius norm is more stringent with average values of 0.63 for uppercase letters and 0.58 for lowercase letters. In both cases, cross-correlation and Frobenius norms were very strongly anticorrelated, showing that for all comparison purposes location shifts could be safely neglected. The high similarities we obtain are proof that the delta rule selects diagnostic regions that are remarkably similar to those used by human subjects.
Proportion of useful features in uppercase letter identification for humans (black bars) and the model (gray bars), when classified into the 10 types of features considered by Fiset et al. (2008).
Cross-correlation values and Frobenius distances between human classification images and trained perceptron weights for uppercase and lowercase letters.
Uppercase Cross-corr. Frob. Lowercase Cross-corr. Frob.
Figure 2 shows that the order of importance assigned to feature types is on the whole similar for humans and for the model (correlation coefficient r = 0.65). Indeed, the top five most useful feature types according to humans and to the model had four features in common (terminations, horizontals, slants tilted right, and slants tilted left). Most notably, and although the delta rule incorrectly gives more importance to verticals than to horizontals, it assigns the highest importance to terminations. This pattern of results compares favorably with those obtained by the ideal observer model studied in Fiset et al. (2008), which correlated only weakly with the same data (r = 0.16) and disagreed on the most useful feature types.
We now turn to another aspect of the phenomenology of letter identification revealed by the Bubbles method. Figure 3 compares the average number of bubbles required for identification, as reported for uppercase and lowercase letters in Fiset et al. (2008), to the Frobenius norm of the connection weight matrices obtained in the uppercase and lowercase training conditions. Because the experimentally observed number of bubbles was independent from the thresholds and statistical tests later applied to obtain classification images, we carried out this comparison with raw letter weights rather than with the reprocessed weights from Figure 1. Hence Figure 1, because it only takes positive weights into account, is here only of limited help and sometimes misguiding to form an intuition of what the norm of a letter is.
Correlation between the average number of bubbles needed to identify uppercase letters (upper panel) or lowercase letters (lower panel) as reported in Fiset et al. (2008) and the norm of the corresponding weight vectors in the model.
The high correlations obtained for the lowercase (r = 0.69, p < 0.001) and uppercase letters (r = 0.60, p = 0.001) demonstrate that in addition to the type and spatial location of diagnostic features, the magnitudes of letter weights also reflect the number of bubbles necessary for identification. In other words, the larger the norm of the weight matrix in the model, the more bubbles are needed to identify the corresponding letter experimentally. This result might appear counterintuitive at first but reflects an interesting trade-off in the model between the letter surface area covered by the weights and their strength. Specifically, the delta rule drives the perceptron from its initial condition of zero weights, through an early condition of large areas of weak and noncontiguous weights to its mature condition of small contiguous areas of strong weights. Because of the quadratic character of the Frobenius norm, a strong increase in a limited number of weights has a higher impact than a small increase in a large number of weights. According to the purely pixel-based comparisons made by the model, letters like W, M, and A (bottom left in Figure 3, upper panel) that can be easily distinguished in the alphabet will need less bubbles to be identified. Being less confusable, these letters will also have their weights less modified by the delta rule: These will stay closer to the early state of spread out weak weight regions, and their magnitudes will remain small. On the contrary, for letters like O and Q (top right on Figure 3, upper panel) that can easily be confused because they are part of subset/superset pairs, the network will be driven to put relatively strong weights on small diagnostic input regions, which makes for large weight magnitudes. But since the diagnostic regions will be smaller and contiguous, and because bubbles are uniformly distributed, it will take many useless bubbles before the diagnostic regions eventually get hit and useful information can be let through.
It has been claimed that the human letter identification system cannot be construed as, or even informed by, a linear amplifier model. We have observed that a perceptron network trained by the delta rule is analogous to a linear amplifier, and we have demonstrated that it can indeed capture several important aspects of human letter identification as revealed by the Bubbles method. Consequently a first contribution of this article is to show that the LAM-based analysis initially proposed by Murray and Gold (2004a) has much more explanatory power and bearings on what the Bubbles method achieves than has been previously acknowledged (Gosselin & Schyns, 2004). This parallels the recent findings reported in Murray (2012), that standard Bubbles images are very similar to the theoretical Bubbles images obtained from a linear model.
It is worth recalling here that the perceptron model we have used can only operate a direct mapping from raw input pixels to output units. It has no ability to rotate, scale, or reframe the input, no notion of symmetries, no spatial frequency filters with which to decompose and analyze the input, no simple or complex units that would detect oriented bars or edges, and no hidden layers that could perform any other kind of sophisticated computations. These are severe limitations, and indeed it has been known for decades that such networks without a hidden layer can only solve linearly separable discrimination tasks. The finding that this outrageously simple model can nevertheless accommodate so much of the Bubbles data on letter identification is therefore unsettling. At the very least, this demonstrates that the task of letter identification as defined in the experiments of Fiset et al. (2008) would be linearly separable if the target letters were presented in clear conditions. This fact is likely to impact on the type of strategies and features used by subjects: Experiments with stimuli of randomly varying sizes, locations, or shapes within a session may require other processing strategies and diagnostic features from the subject that would presumably not be well captured by a linear perceptron model with a convolution operator and raw pixel inputs. As it happens, Watson and Ahumada (2008) recently introduced a set of template matching models to predict visual acuity from aberrated retinal images of letter stimuli and under conditions of noise and location shifts. The models all used realistic preprocessing steps such as optical and neural transfer functions and differed only in their template matching procedure. They found that although an ideal observer model best captured human performance, all models performed at a high level of accuracy, including a linear template matcher using a cross-correlation matching operator. This establishes that linear template matchers that use more sophisticated operators and preprocessing steps can emulate human behavior in realistic conditions.
We have also shown how the perceptron with delta rule can outperform an ideal observer model on accounting for the types of features used by humans during letter identification. A case in point is that only the perceptron model places the most emphasis on “termination” features, like humans do. It is still unclear why this should be so, considering the above mentioned limitations of the network, in particular the lack of any edge feature detectors or of any preprocessing of the input (we note that these specific limitations are also shared with the ideal observer). Part of the reason for the model's behavior has to do with the exact placing of letter stimuli during training and the fact that the delta learning rule will give more importance to these features that are unique to a letter. Clearly, because not all letters are of same width, if they are centered on the input layer then terminations of wide letters like A, M, or W will be unique and selected by the delta rule. Although this argument does not go all the way to explaining the prevalence of terminations, some of which are emphasized despite overlapping significantly across letters (for instance terminations in I, J, K, and L), it can actually explain the importance of vertical features over horizontal ones for the model. Indeed, horizontal features will have more overlap in the training set because they tend to fall always on the top, middle, or bottom of Arial letters and because letter inputs are adjusted for height. Hence and contrarily to the experimental data, these features will be less diagnostic for the model than vertical features, which exhibit much more variability in locations.
It should be noted that both the perceptron and the ideal observer model used by Fiset et al. (2008) point to a very local type of explanation for the diagnostic features used by human subjects in bubbles experiments. In the ideal observer model, the nature and relative importance of letter features are entirely determined by the experimental stimuli and the bubbles distribution during test trials. In the perceptron model, these same features are determined by letter templates discovered by the delta rule from the experimental stimuli themselves. In neither case is the knowledge acquired on other letter exemplars or with other viewing conditions being taken into account, which again greatly restricts the type of explanations that can be provided by these models. In fact the success of the perceptron model at mimicking human behavior actually suggests that much, though clearly not all (e.g., horizontal vs. vertical features), of what is being discovered through a Bubbles experiment is independent from the details of the subjects' histories and from their previous expertise with visual letters. Indeed in our simulations this rich previous history is not taken into account, and learning is simplified as a process of repeated exposure to standardized letter targets, which are exactly those used in the bubbles experiments.
We would argue that none of the limitations we have discussed for the LAM and the perceptron, including their linearity, are insurmountable. The LAM itself essentially only makes a statement about the existence of letter templates and of a linear mechanism involved in comparing them to inputs, but it says nothing about the sophistication of letter templates, which could be arbitrarily complex or high-dimensional. In our perceptron implementation of the LAM, the low sophistication of letter templates directly reflects the simplistic nature of the input code, but there are a number of other codes that could advantageously replace these crude pixel inputs, from pyramidal kernels (Bosch, Zisserman, & Munoz, 2007) to SIFT features (scale invariant feature transforms; Lowe, 2004) or shape contexts (Mori, Belongie, & Malik, 2005) to name a few.
Some of these codes attempt to emulate the properties of primary visual areas (Pinto, Barhomi, Cox, & DiCarlo, 2011), while other codes attempt to integrate natural image statistics. In fact taking such a step would recast letter identification into the more mainstream research effort that is generic object recognition. We have argued that some limitations of the model arise because it uses a unique supervised process, and indeed for most computer vision scientist and many neuroscientists of vision, it is useful to distinguish between two stages when modeling visual processes. The first stage essentially performs an analysis of the visual input into universal features; it is often unsupervised and can use deep networks or any of the above mentioned codes (e.g., Serre, Oliva, & Poggio, 2007), whereas the later stage is one of feature selection specific to the task, which uses supervised classifiers that are most commonly of the generalized linear type known as support vector machines (see for instance Pinto, Barhomi, Cox, & DiCarlo, 2008). Following on the procedure outlined in recent instanciations of state-of-the-art visual object recognition models like HMAX (hierarchical model and X; Serre et al., 2007), the LAM/perceptron's input code could be upgraded to the product of an unsupervised learning process that turns images into a high-dimensional vector of frequently occurring feature combinations detectors, as determined by the statistics of a training base of natural images. A supervised linear classifier operating on such a code could possibly explain why for instance horizontal features are preferred by human subjects over vertical ones. Last but not least, turning a set of highly entangled patterns into a high-dimensional feature space through a nonlinear function is a demonstrated way to obtain linearly separable patterns (Cover, 1965; see also DiCarlo & Cox, 2007 for a discussion in the context of human vision).
We have observed that a LAM and a linear perceptron are formally analogous systems, and that the delta rule achieves diagnostic feature selection. Building on these observations we have demonstrated that a LAM, when implemented as a perceptron network trained by the delta rule, can reproduce many different aspects of the data gathered on human letter identification using the bubbles experimental method. Not only does this demonstrate that the letter targets used in these experiments are linearly separable based on their pixels alone, but it also brings new information to the existing debate on how to conceive of the bubbles method, supporting the usefulness of Murray and Gold's (2004a) analysis that had assumed an underlying linear model for visual categorization. Our study also establishes that a trained neural network, although inferior to an ideal model in terms of optimal decision taking, actually provides a superior account of human data on letter identification. Finally we have outlined possible extensions to the LAM that would circumvent its current limitations.
We thank Daniel Fiset and Frédéric Gosselin for providing the visual stimuli and classification images from Fiset et al. (2008), Jasmin Léveillé and Arnaud Rey for stimulating discussions, and Myriam Chanceaux for her valuable help in an earlier version of this article. This research was conducted under the ERC research grant 230313.
Address: Laboratoire de Psychologie Cognitive, CNRS, Aix-Marseille University, Marseille, France.
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1 The “bias” unit from which these bias connection weights originate is always clamped to one in order to ensure that the separating hyperplane defined by the connection weights is affine.
2 Alternatively, a proportional count of the number of weights per feature types could be used.
The model is a simple perceptron network with one input layer consisting of X × Y + 1 input units, where X and Y were the dimensions in pixels of the input images and varied across conditions, fully connected to one output layer of 26 output units. The network was trained to recognize the 26 letters of the alphabet, either in uppercase (upper condition) or in lowercase (lower condition). All letters used the Arial font and were black printed on a white background, for an image of dimensions 188 × 188 pixels in the lowercase condition and 128 × 128 pixels in the uppercase condition. Before being presented to the network, each letter image was converted to a bitmap and rasterized into a large vector of X × Y elements. Presenting the input to the network means clamping each input unit to the value of its corresponding element in the input. The value is then propagated forward along multiplicative weights, and the net input thereby received by each output unit is used to calculate its output activity. In our model, the output activity of a unit is a linear function of its net input, bounded by [0, 1]. We emulate competition in the output layer by setting the most activated output unit to one and the others to zero. One training epoch consisted of the presentation of all letters exactly once. Connection weights were initialized at zero, and modified at each trial according to the delta rule.
The model was trained until the average delta error reached below 0.01, which required 323 epochs of training for lowercase letters and 242 for uppercase letters. In both conditions, the model achieved 100% recognition by the end of training. For each letter unit in the output layer, all the trained weights afferent to it were resized as a 2-D image (of sizes 188 × 188 or 128 × 128, depending on the lowercase or uppercase training condition). These were normalized and thresholded in order to be compared to the global human classification image for the same letter. The global classification image was the sum of the classification images over the five different bubble sizes tested in Fiset et al. (2008). All programs were written in Python and the Neurolab package was used to implement the networks. The Neurolab package can be found at https://pypi.python.org/pypi/neurolab and the code for the model is available upon request to the first author. | 2019-04-21T22:48:31Z | https://jov.arvojournals.org/article.aspx?articleid=2193976 |
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JUVINESSE reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to terminate any User License, remove Content, assist law enforcement in the prosecution of criminal liability, or assert a civil or criminal legal action with respect to Content or use of the Applications or other Services, including any Virtual Juvinesse Credits, that JUVINESSE reasonably believes is or might be in violation of these Terms, but failure or delay in taking such actions does not constitute a waiver of its rights to enforce these Terms.
The User may generate content, written or otherwise, while using the Services (“User-Generated Content”). User acknowledges and agrees that User-Generated Content may be used, reproduced, displayed, modified, deleted, added too, adapted, and published by JUVINESSE (for example, in product marketing campaigns). User grants JUVINESSE and its successors a worldwide; irrevocable; transferrable; sublicensable; fully-paid and royalty-free; and non-exclusive license to use, reproduce, display, modify, delete from, add to, adapt, publish, and prepare derivative works from the User-Generated Information. User further acknowledges and agrees that the User, and the User alone, is responsible for the development of User-Generated Content.
User agrees to indemnify and hold harmless Juvinesse, its affiliates, licensors, suppliers, and third-party service providers, and each of their respective directors, officers, employees, contractors, agents, successors, and assigns (collectively, the "Juvinesse Parties") from all claims or causes of action, liabilities, damages, costs, fines, penalties, and expenses (including attorneys’ fees) arising from or related to the User's misuse of the Services or Products, violation of these Terms, or violations of any rights of a third party, or any allegation thereof. Juvinesse reserves the right to assume the exclusive defense and control of any matter otherwise subject to indemnification by the User, in which event the User will cooperate in asserting any available defenses. This provision does not require you to indemnify any Juvinesse Party for any unconscionable commercial practice by such party, or for such party's negligence, fraud, deception, false promise, misrepresentation or concealment, suppression or omission of any material fact.
THE SITE, APPLICATIONS, OTHER SERVICES AND CONTENT ARE FURNISHED TO YOU “AS IS” AND WITHOUT WARRANTIES, REPRESENTATIONS OR CONDITIONS, STATUTORY OR OTHERWISE, OF ANY KIND. JUVINESSE, ON BEHALF OF ITSELF AND THE OTHER JUVINESSE PARTIES: (A) EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ALL REPRESENTATIONS, WARRANTIES AND CONDITIONS, WHETHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF NON-INFRINGEMENT, TITLE, MERCHANTABILITY, AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE; (B) DOES NOT REPRESENT OR WARRANT THAT THE SITE, APPLICATIONS, CONTENT, OR SERVICES WILL MEET YOUR REQUIREMENTS, OR THAT THE OPERATION OF THE SITE, APPLICATION OR SERVICES WILL BE TIMELY, UNINTERRUPTED, STABLE, OR SECURE; (C) DOES NOT REPRESENT OR WARRANT THAT THE SITE, APPLICATIONS, CONTENT, OR SERVICES WILL BE ERROR-FREE OR THAT ANY DEFECTS WILL BE CORRECTED; AND (D) DOES NOT MAKE ANY REPRESENTATIONS OR WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS REGARDING THE USE OF THE SITE, APPLICATION, SERVICES OR CONTENT IN TERMS OF THEIR ACCURACY, RELIABILITY, TIMELINESS, COMPLETENESS, OR OTHERWISE. YOUR USE OF THE SITE, APPLICATIONS, SERVICES AND CONTENT IS ENTIRELY AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION AND RISK.
THIS LIMITATION OF WARRANTIES IS A PART OF THE BARGAIN BETWEEN YOU AND JUVINESSE. NO ORAL OR WRITTEN INFORMATION OR ADVICE GIVEN BY JUVINESSE OR ANY PERSON ON BEHALF OF JUVINESSE SHALL CREATE A WARRANTY OR CONDITION, OR IN ANY WAY CHANGE THIS EXCLUSION OF WARRANTY.
NOTHING IN THIS SECTION SHALL EXCLUDE OR LIMIT THE JUVINESSE PARTIES’ WARRANTIES, REPRESENTATIONS OR CONDITIONS TO THE EXTENT THEY MAY NOT BE LAWFULLY EXCLUDED OR LIMITED BY APPLICABLE LAW, IN WHICH CASE, SUCH WARRANTIES, REPRESENTATIONS OR CONDITIONS WILL BE EXCLUDED AND LIMITED TO THE GREATEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW.
IN NO EVENT SHALL THE JUVINESSE PARTIES BE LIABLE TO YOU OR ANY THIRD PARTY FOR ANY ECONOMIC DAMAGES ARISING FROM THE USE OF THE APPLICATIONS, SITE, OTHER SERVICES OR CONTENT, THE INABILITY TO USE THE APPLICATIONS, SITE OR OTHER SERVICES OR CONTENT, OR DEVICE FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO DIRECT, INDIRECT, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE, EXEMPLARY OR OTHER ECONOMIC DAMAGES, INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, DAMAGES FOR LOSS OF GOODWILL, OR LOST PROFITS, EVEN IF A JUVINESSE PARTY HAS BEEN’ ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH ECONOMIC DAMAGES.
IF, NOTWITHSTANDING THE FOREGOING, A JUVINESSE PARTY IS FOUND TO BE LIABLE FOR ANY ECONOMIC DAMAGE OR LOSS WHICH ARISES UNDER OR IN CONNECTION WITH YOUR USE OF THE SITE, APPLICATIONS OR OTHER SERVICES, THE RELEVANT JUVINESSE PARTY’S TOTAL CUMULATIVE LIABILITY SHALL NOT EXCEED THE GREATER OF: (A) THE AMOUNT YOU PAID JUVINESSE FOR THE PRODUCTS OR MEMBERSHIP, AS APPLICABLE; OR (B) THE SUM OF ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS (US $100). THIS LIMITATION EXPRESSLY APPLIES ONLY TO ECONOMIC DAMAGES ARISING FROM THE USE OF THE APPLICATION, SITE, OTHER SERVICES OR CONTENT AND DOES NOT APPLY TO PERSONAL INJURY OR ANY INJURY CAUSED BY ALLEGED FRAUD.
JUVINESSE, JUVINESSE, the Juvinesse logo, and other JUVINESSE trademarks, service marks, graphics and logos used in connection with the Applications and other Services are trademarks or registered trademarks of Juvinesse or other companies of JUVINESSE (collectively “JUVINESSE Marks”). Other trademarks, service marks, graphics and logos used in connection with the Applications and other Services are the trademarks of their respective owners (collectively “Third-Party Marks”). The JUVINESSE Marks and Third-Party Marks may not be copied, imitated or used, in whole or in part, without the prior written permission of JUVINESSE or the applicable trademark holder. The Applications and the Content are protected by copyright, trademark, patent, trade secret, international treaties, laws and other proprietary rights, and also may have security components that protect digital information only as authorized by JUVINESSE or the owner of the Content.
If any of these Terms shall be deemed invalid, void, or for any reason unenforceable, those terms shall be deemed severable and shall not affect the validity and enforceability of any remaining terms. Failure of JUVINESSE to exercise or enforce any right or provision of this Agreement shall not constitute a waiver of such right or provision in that or any other instance.
Subject to Section 10.1(x) of this Agreement, JUVINESSE reserves the right to change or modify this Agreement or any other JUVINESSE terms, conditions, or policies related to use of the Applications or other Services at any time and at its sole discretion by posting revisions on the Site (http://www.JUVINESSE.com) or within the Applications. Continued use of the Applications, Site, or other Services following the posting of these changes or modifications will constitute the User’s acknowledgement and agreement to such changes or modifications. Only a specific, written waiver signed by an authorized representative of JUVINESSE shall have any legal effect as a waiver by JUVINESSE of any Terms of this Agreement.
User agrees that JUVINESSE’s service providers, licensors, or others involved in creating or providing the Applications or other Services are third party beneficiaries to this End-User Agreement and may rely upon the provisions of this End-User Agreement, including but not limited to, the provisions concerning Indemnification, No Warranties, and No Liability.
By purchasing Juvinesse Gift Cards ("Gift Cards"), you agree and represent that your use of the Gift Cards will comply with this Agreement and all applicable laws, rules, and regulations, and that you will not use the Gift Cards in any manner that is misleading, deceptive, unfair, or otherwise harmful to consumers or Juvinesse, including its investors, officers, employees, agents, servants, assignees, subsidiaries, or any other Juvinesse-related entity.
You may purchase Gift Cards for any values then available on the Site which may be amended from time to time by Juvinesse at its sole discretion and without notice. The amount of the Gift Card you purchase shall be charged to you according to your selected payment option when you confirm the purchase of the Gift Card. If the purchase of a Gift Card is part of a promotional campaign wherein purchase of a Gift Card at a pre-determined dollar amount is awarded with additional Juvinesse credits (“JUVINESSE Credits”), these JUVINESSE Credits shall only be available for use after the total amount of Gift Cards has been exhausted. In all circumstances JUVINESSE Credits shall be used only after the exhaustion of Gift Cards.
Gift Cards and JUVINESSE Credits may only be redeemed toward the purchase of eligible products on the Site. Redemption of Gift Cards and JUVINESSE Credits on the Site is subject to change in Juvinesse's sole discretion. Purchases are deducted from the Gift Card balance. Any unused balance will be placed in the recipient's Juvinesse account (“JUVINESSE Credits Balance Display”) when redeemed. If an order exceeds the amount of the Gift Card, the balance must be paid with a Payment Method or other payment method accepted by Juvinesse.
You may be able to obtain your gift card balance by contacting Juvinesse customer service at support@JUVINESSE.com. The Gift Card balance relayed to you by a Juvinesse customer service agent is an estimate only. In most cases, the balance is adjusted immediately when you make a purchase online, but there may be occasions when the updated balance is delayed for a period of time.
Gift Cards may only be purchased and redeemed by persons residing in the 50 United States and the District of Columbia, and may only be used on the Site (www.JUVINESSE.com). Gift Cards may not be purchased through or redeemed for the purchase of products at any other website operated by JUVINESSE, its affiliates, or any other person or entity, except as indicated by these terms and conditions.
To the fullest extent of the law, Gift Cards cannot be reloaded, resold, transferred for value, or applied to any other account. Unused Gift Card balances in a Site account may not be transferred. Juvinesse Gift Cards may not be resold by any unauthorized vendor under penalty of law; unlawful resale or attempted resale is grounds for cancellation without compensation. We will not honor gift cards purchased through an unauthorized vendor, including, without limitation, any Internet auction sites.
Gift Cards may be used as personal or business gifts, but may not be used in connection with any marketing, advertising, or other promotional activities (including without limitation via websites, Internet advertisements, email, telemarketing, direct mail, newspaper and magazine advertisements, and radio and television broadcasts) unless you obtain Juvinesse's prior written approval.
Use of Juvinesse's name, logo, trade dress (including any image/likeness of the Gift Cards) or trademarks (or those of any of its subsidiaries or affiliates) in connection with the purchase or use of Juvinesse Gift Cards is strictly prohibited. Furthermore, the use of Juvinesse Gift Cards in any manner that states or implies that any person, website, business, product, or service is endorsed or sponsored by, or otherwise affiliated with, Juvinesse or any of its subsidiaries or affiliates is prohibited.
Juvinesse shall have the right to close member accounts or any related account(s) if Juvinesse suspects a Gift Card is being used in a fraudulent manner to make purchases on the Site. If a fraudulently obtained Gift Card is redeemed and/or used to make purchases on the Site or any of its affiliated websites set forth above Juvinesse shall immediately suspend the Gift Card and may recoup the amount of the Gift Card by charging the amount from the Credit or Debit Card supplied. Juvinesse may also cancel or remove any and all Juvinesse Credits on the member accounts and/or any related account(s). Juvinesse has a zero-tolerance Fraud policy and it is the responsibility of the account holder to secure their account and Gift Card.
Gift Cards are issued by BESHIRVEHALEL, INC., a California corporation.
These are the Terms and Conditions applicable to the Juvinesse Referral Program (the “Program”) which Juvinesse may offer (and discontinue from offering) from time to time at its sole discretion. Under the Program, Juvinesse offers its Members the opportunity to provide their friends, family, or other individuals (“Prospective Members”) with a unique referral ID link (“Personal Link”) that a Prospective Member can use to sign up for Juvinesse services (“Membership”). For each Qualified Referral (defined below) generated through the Member’s Personal Link, the Member may receive a Juvinesse credit (“Credit”) as specified on the Company’s Referral Program page. We reserve the right to terminate this Program at any time for any reason.
Generally: To participate, a Member shall provide the Prospective Member with the Member’s Personal Link. The Prospective Member must click on the Personal Link and complete the sign up in the same session. If the Prospective Member does not complete the sign up in the same session, the Member will be not be credited for that referral and will not be eligible for the Credit, even if the Prospective Member subsequently signs up for a Membership. For purposes of clarification, completion of sign-up in the same session means clicking the Personal Link provided by Member and completing Juvinesse service sign-up within a reasonable period of time and without the Prospective Member closing their Internet browser or pressing the back button.
Have a Membership account in good standing with Juvinesse.
Employees of Juvinesse, its service providers or any of its or their subsidiaries, affiliates or promotional agencies, including immediate family and household members, are not eligible.
Personalized Referral Links that are promoted, advertised, or publicized on any Juvinesse owned or operated websites, third party websites, social networks, and any other similarly situated Internet site, property, location, or asset where Juvinesse is an Administrator or Trustee. By way of example, this includes but is not limited to Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Juvinesse Blog, or any other similarly situated websites.
Members can refer Prospective Members by giving their Personal Link to the Prospective Member. Once a Prospective Member uses a Member’s Personal Link and successfully completes the signup process for the Juvinesse services, the Member may receive a communication from the Company confirming that the Prospective Member has signed up. The confirmation communication to the Member shall include some of the Prospective Member’s personal information provided to Company such as name and email address. A Member’s failure to receive such a confirmation communication means that the Prospective Member failed to complete the signup process (during the same session, or at all) and no Credit will have been earned. The Member and/or the Prospective Member may email Company any comments or questions in regard to a failed referral, but whether to award Member the Credit shall be at Juvinesse's sole discretion. Prospective Members must satisfy the requirements of these Terms and Conditions and consent to receiving communications from Juvinesse. Members may not refer themselves.
For purposes of emphasis and clarification, by using a Personal Link, a Prospective Member acknowledges and affirms his/her understanding that some of his/her personal information, including but not limited to his/her name and email address, may be sent to the Member who provided the Personal Link as confirmation of the Prospective Member’s successful referral and sign-up with Juvinesse. Accordingly, Juvinesse strongly advises that Prospective Members only use a Personal Link they receive from someone whom they personally know and trust. For their own security, Prospective Members should not use a Personal Link if they receive it from an unknown, untrusted, or public source, such as an Internet forum.
The Prospective Member is a) at least 18 years old; b) meets the eligibility requirements to become a Member of Juvinesse's services; and c) has consented to receiving communications from Juvinesse.
If the Prospective Member upon sign up takes advantage of a Juvinesse trial offer (see Section 3.3 above) then the Prospective Member must remain a Member beyond the first month of the trial offer and pay the standard, non-promotional subscription fee for at least one month.
Earning Credits Member shall receive Credits for each verified Qualified Referral generated through the Member’s Personal Link. The actual Credit will be determined by Juvinesse in its sole discretion as specified on its Credits Page. If the Credit consists of credit, such credit may only be applied in the amount specified by Juvinesse towards the Member’s purchase of future services from JUVINESSE. A Member may attain an unlimited number of Qualified Referrals, but any Qualified Referral shall be subject to review at any time by Juvinesse and it is in the sole discretion of Juvinesse as to the legitimacy and validity of such Qualified Referral.
Verified Qualified Referrals All Credits are subject to verification. Juvinesse may delay a Credit for the purposes of investigation. Juvinesse may also refuse to verify and process any transaction Company deems, in its sole discretion, to be fraudulent, suspicious, or in violation of these Terms and Conditions, or Juvinesse believes will impose potential liability on Juvinesse beyond what is reasonable for this Referral Program, its subsidiaries, affiliates or any of their respective officers, directors, employees, representatives and agents. Juvinesse may cancel, amend or revoke the Credit at any time due to business considerations of circumstances beyond Juvinesse's control. Juvinesse is not responsible for errors, omissions, malfunctions, interruptions, deletions, delays or failures of operations. All of Juvinesse's decisions are final and binding, including decisions as to whether a Qualified Referral or Credit is verified.
Value of Credit Credits have absolutely no monetary value and may not, under any circumstances, be redeemed for cash or any cash equivalent including but not limited to gift cards, certificates, or refunds. Juvinesse may cancel, amend or revoke the Credit at any time for any reason.
To receive communications from Juvinesse from time to time.
The Juvinesse disclaims any liability for damage to any computer system resulting from participating in, or accessing or downloading information in connection with the Program, and reserve the right, in their sole discretion, to cancel, modify or suspend the Program should a virus, bug, computer problem, unauthorized intervention or other causes beyond the Juvinesse's control, corrupt the administration, security or proper play of the Program.
The Juvinesse shall not be liable to any Member for failure to supply any Credit or any part thereof, by reason of any acts of God, any action(s), regulation(s), order(s) or request(s) by any governmental or quasi-governmental entity (whether or not the action(s), regulations(s), order(s) or request(s) prove(s) to be invalid), equipment failure, threatened terrorist acts, terrorist acts, air raid, blackout, act of public enemy, earthquake, tornado, tsunami, war (declared or undeclared), fire, flood, epidemic, explosion, unusually severe weather, hurricane, embargo, labor dispute or strike (whether legal or illegal), labor or material shortage, transportation interruption of any kind, work slow-down, civil disturbance, insurrection, riot, or any other similar or dissimilar cause beyond any of the Released Parties' control.
The Juvinesse reserves the right to cancel or suspend the Program should it determine, in its sole discretion, that the administration, security or fairness of the Program has been compromised in any way.
If a Member provides a Personal Link to a Prospective Member by email, the email must be created and distributed in a personal manner that is appropriate and customary for communications with friends, colleagues and family members. By using a Member’s Personal Link, the Prospective Member represents that he/she has given consent to Juvinesse to send Member his/her personal information such as full name and email address.
Bulk email distribution, distribution to strangers, or any other promotion of a Personal Link in a manner that would constitute or appear to constitute unsolicited commercial email or "spam" in the Juvinesse's sole discretion is expressly prohibited and may be grounds for immediate termination of the Member’s account and deactivation of the Personal Link. We have a zero-tolerance spam policy.
The Juvinesse has no obligation to monitor the content provided by Members; however, Juvinesse may choose to do so and block any email messages, remove any such content, or prohibit any use of the Program.
Juvinesse may prohibit a Member from participating in the Program or receiving a Credit, in their sole discretion, if they determine such Member, either directly or indirectly is attempting to undermine the fairness, integrity or legitimate operation of the Program in any way by cheating, hacking, deception, or any other unfair playing practices that would in any way annoy, abuse, threaten or harass any other users or representatives of Juvinesse.
Juvinesse reserves the right to disqualify any Member and/or cancel any Credit(s) if they determine a Member has tampered with the operation of the Program or violated these Terms and Conditions.
Juvinesse reserves the right to suspend, disqualify or terminate any Member’s or Prospective Member’s participation in the Program and forfeit any Credits or credits earned if the Member or Prospective Member is found to have engaged in any prohibited conduct or otherwise violated the provisions of this Section 6. If Members have engaged in prohibited conduct, spam or fraudulent or suspicious behavior that undermines or affects the integrity or credibility of the Program, and Juvinesse is unable to find a solution to restore the integrity and credibility of the Program, then Juvinesse may in its sole discretion cancel, change or suspend the Program.
CAUTION: ANY DELIBERATE ATTEMPT TO DAMAGE OR UNDERMINE THE LEGITIMATE OPERATION OF THE PROGRAM MAY CONSTITUTE A VIOLATION OF CRIMINAL AND CIVIL LAWS AND WILL RESULT IN DISQUALIFICATION FROM FURTHER PARTICIPATION IN THE PROGRAM. JUVINESSE RESERVES THE RIGHT TO SEEK REMEDIES AND DAMAGES (INCLUDING ATTORNEY FEES) TO THE FULLEST EXTENT OF THE LAW, INCLUDING CRIMINAL PROSECUTION, IN THE EVENT OF ANY SUCH ATTEMPT.
You hereby acknowledge and agree that Juvinesse or its licensors own all legal right, title and interest in and to the Service and Content, including, without limitation, any and all intellectual property and other proprietary rights which subsist in the Services and Content, whether such rights are registered or unregistered, and wherever in the world those rights may exist.
Juvinesse is a trademark of Juvinesse in the United States. Other trademarks, names and logos on this Site are the property of their respective owners. Unless otherwise specified in this Agreement, all information and screens appearing on the Services, including Content, site design, text, graphics, logos, images and icons, as well as the arrangement thereof, are the sole property of Juvinesse, Copyright ©2017 BESHIRVEHALEL, INC. All rights not expressly granted herein are reserved. Except as otherwise required or limited by applicable law, any reproduction, distribution, modification, retransmission, or publication of any copyrighted material is strictly prohibited without the express written consent of the copyright owner or license.
Juvinesse and its personnel do not accept or consider unsolicited ideas, including, without limitation, ideas for new advertising campaigns, new promotions, new or improved products or technologies, product enhancements, processes, materials, marketing plans or new product names. Please do not submit any unsolicited ideas, original creative artwork, suggestions or other works (“Submissions”) in any form to Juvinesse or any of its employees. The sole purpose of this policy is to avoid potential misunderstandings or disputes when any of Juvinesse’s products, services or marketing strategies might seem similar to ideas submitted to Juvinesse. If, despite our request that you not send us your ideas, you still submit them, then regardless of what your correspondence says, the following terms shall apply to your Submissions.
Juvinesse has no obligation to keep any Submission confidential, and no confidential relationship may be established by or inferred from any such Submissions to, or the consideration of your Submissions by, Juvinesse.
If you believe that any Content, User Material, or other material contained on this Site or the App, including through a link, infringes your copyright, you should notify Juvinesse of your infringement claim in accordance with the procedures below.
To be effective, the notification must be in writing and contain the following information: (i) a physical or electronic signature of the person authorized to act on behalf of the owner of an exclusive copyright interest; (ii) a description of the copyrighted work that you claim has been infringed; (iii) a description of where the material that you claim is infringing is located that is reasonably sufficient to enable Juvinesse to identify and locate the material; (iv) how Juvinesse can contact you, such as your address, telephone number, and email address; (v) a statement by you that you have a good faith belief that the disputed use is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law; and (vi) a statement by you that the above information in your notice is accurate and under penalty of perjury that you are authorized to act on behalf of the copyright owner or the owner of an exclusive right in the material. Emails sent to legal@JUVINESSE.com for purposes other than communication about copyright infringement may not be answered.
Juvinesse has a policy of terminating repeat infringers in appropriate circumstances.
11 – DISPUTE AND ARBITRATION; CLASS ACTION WAIVER; CHOICE OF LAW 10.1 – Arbitration Agreement; Class Waiver; Waiver of Trial by Jury. Please read this Section (“Arbitration Agreement”) carefully. It is part of your contract with Juvinesse and affects your rights. It contains procedures for MANDATORY BINDING ARBITRATION AND A CLASS ACTION WAIVER.
Informal Resolution. Most customer concerns can be resolved quickly and to a customer’s satisfaction by writing to our customer service department at members@JUVINESSE.com or Juvinesse, Attn: Customer Service, 24011 Ventura Boulevard, Suite 200, Calabasas, CA 91302 . In the unlikely event that our customer service department is unable to resolve a complaint you may have to your satisfaction, the terms of this Section 10.1 govern dispute resolution between us.
Applicability of Arbitration Agreement. All claims and disputes in connection with the Agreement or the use of any product or service provided by Juvinesse that cannot be resolved informally or in small claims court shall be resolved by binding arbitration on an individual basis under the terms of this Arbitration Agreement. This Arbitration Agreement applies to you and Juvinesse, and to any of Juvinesse's licensors, suppliers, dealers or third party vendors, subsidiaries, affiliates, agents, employees, predecessors in interest, successors, and assigns, as well as all authorized or unauthorized users or beneficiaries of services or goods provided under the Agreement.
Authority of Arbitrator. The arbitrator will decide the rights and liabilities, if any, of you and Juvinesse, and the dispute will not be consolidated with any other matters or joined with any other cases or parties. The arbitrator shall have the authority to grant motions dispositive of all or part of any claim. The arbitrator shall have the authority to award monetary damages and to grant any non-monetary remedy or relief available to an individual under applicable law, the Arbitration Rules, and the Terms. The arbitrator shall issue a written award and statement of decision describing the essential findings and conclusions on which the award is based, including the calculation of any damages awarded. The arbitrator has the same authority to award relief on an individual basis that a judge in a court of law would have. The award of the arbitrator is final and binding upon you and Juvinesse.
Waiver of Jury Trial. THE PARTIES HEREBY WAIVE THEIR CONSTITUTIONAL AND STATUTORY RIGHTS TO GO TO COURT AND HAVE A TRIAL IN FRONT OF A JUDGE OR A JURY, instead electing that all claims and disputes shall be resolved by arbitration under this Arbitration Agreement. Arbitration procedures are typically more limited, more efficient and less costly than rules applicable in court and are subject to very limited review by a court. In the event any litigation should arise between you and Juvinesse in any state or federal court in a suit to vacate or enforce an arbitration award or otherwise, YOU AND JUVINESSE WAIVE ALL RIGHTS TO A JURY TRIAL, instead electing that the dispute be resolved by a judge.
30-Day Right to Opt Out. You have the right to opt out of the provisions of this Arbitration Agreement by sending written notice of your decision to opt out to the following address: Juvinesse, Attn: Legal Department, 24011 Ventura Boulevard, Suite 200, Calabasas, CA 91302 within 30 days of purchasing a Membership. If you send this notice, then the Arbitration Agreement will not apply to either party and you must litigate pursuant to subparagraph xii below. If you do not send this notice, then you agree to be bound by this Arbitration Agreement.
Survival of Agreement. This Arbitration Agreement will survive the termination of your relationship with Juvinesse.
Modification. Notwithstanding any provision in the Agreement to the contrary, we agree that if Juvinesse makes any future material change to this Arbitration Agreement, it will not apply to any individual claim(s) that you had already provided notice of to the Juvinesse.
Small Claims Court. Notwithstanding this section 10, either you or Juvinesse may bring an individual action in small claims court.
Whenever you visit our Site or send emails to us, you are communicating with us electronically. For that reason, you also consent to receive communications from us electronically. We will communicate with you by email (if you have provided your email address to us), by text (if you send a SMS or text message to JUVINESSE), by posting notices on our Site or by such other means as we may determine from time-to-time. You agree that all agreements, notices, disclosures, and other communications that we provide to you electronically satisfy any legal requirement that such communications be in writing, to the extent permitted by applicable law. | 2019-04-20T00:33:09Z | https://juvinesse.com/pages/terms-of-use |
2006-10-04 Assigned to SONY CORPORATION, SONY ELECTRONICS INC. reassignment SONY CORPORATION CORRECTIVE ASSIGNMENT TO CORRECT THE ASSIGNORS, PREVIOUSLY RECORDED AT REEL 018011 FRAME 0788. Assignors: PEDLOW, LEO M., JR.
A method for downloading content to a target device. Content and target device selection is initiated by a set-top-box. When the selection is approved by the content provider, the target device receives a message indicating that a selected content is ready for download. A user interface is generated, displaying the message and allowing the user to accept/refuse the download, download at a subsequent time, authorize a specific subscriber to upload content to the target device without authorization, refuse to download content from a specific subscriber, or download to the target device by explicit authorization only. As a result, a television-centric experience is provided while eliminating the need to transfer the downloaded content from the target device to another electronic device. Moreover, content selection is initiated by a device other than the target device while providing the target device with flexibility to initiate the download when the downloadable content is ready.
Embodiments of the present invention relate to the field of multi-media content. More particularly, embodiments of the present invention relate to a method and system for downloading multi-media content to a target device.
Over the past few years, increase in bandwidth efficiency and reduction in download time has increased the use of multi-media content. For example, the use of multi-media content (e.g., video and music) has become prevalent through use of electronic devices such as cellular phone, PC, IPod and set-top-box to name a few.
Generally content download is initiated by a device and the content is downloaded to the same device. For example, a PC may initiate a content download and the content is downloaded to the same PC. Similarly, a set-top-box may initiate a content download and the content is downloaded to the same set-top-box. Downloading multi-media content to the initiating device slows the process if the content is needed by a device other than the initiating device (e.g., a target device) because it requires an additional transfer of content from the initiating device that receives the downloaded content to the target device. For example, to download content to an IPod, the download is initiated by a PC and once the files are downloaded to the PC they can be transferred to the IPod. Accordingly, in general the initiating device receives the content and thereafter the content is electronically transferred to another electronic device. For example, FIG. 1 shows a PC downloading content from a server and upon completion of the content download, the downloaded content is transferred to an IPod, Play Station Portable (PSP), memory stick or other similar electronic devices. Therefore, this process necessarily requires a transfer of content from a PC to other electronic devices after completing the content download.
Using a personal computer (PC), IPod, cellular phone or other similar electronic device for downloading multi-media content in general require a web based system to enable the user to navigate screens in order to find and select a downloadable multi-media content. For example, FIG. 1 shows a PC in communication with a server for downloading content. Using a web based system for a PC, cellular phone or IPod is sometime complex.
Electronic devices such as a set-top-box have been used to download content while avoiding using PC and a web based system all together. For example, video on demand (VOD) has been used by subscribers to order movies through their cable provider. FIG. 2 shows one example for downloading content to a set-top-box initiated by the set-top-box. In FIG. 2, the set-top-box generates a user interface for the subscriber and displayed using a television set. The subscriber then navigates the user interface (e.g., a menu) to select and download a desired content, thereby initiating the content download. The set-top-box then communicates with the content provider (headend) to initiate the download and receive the content. The use of set-top-box for initiating and receiving content, however, has its own restrictions. For example, once content (e.g., a movie) has been ordered and played, it is not saved. Moreover, the content from a set-top-box cannot be used by other electronic devices nor can it be transferred and used elsewhere. Additionally, currently set-top-boxes in use are not capable of initiating content download to electronic devices other than the set-top-box itself.
As such, the current technology for downloading multi-media content has not only proven complex at times but it further requires an additional electronic transfer of content between the initiating device and another electronic device thereby prolonging the process by necessarily requiring a transfer after completion of content download. Accordingly, initiating devices are not capable of initiating a content download to an electronic device other than the initiating device itself.
Accordingly, there is a need for a television-centric experience in order to ease the process for downloading content by eliminating a web based system. Additionally there is a need to eliminate the need to transfer content from initiating device to a target device after completion of content download. Moreover, there is a need to initiate a download from one device and download the selected content to a different device (e.g., a target device) in response to an acceptance of download by the user of the target device. Furthermore, there is a need to provide the user of a target device with more flexibility and control (e.g., to accept download of the selected content, reject download of the selected content or choosing to download the selected content at a subsequent time). It will become apparent to those skilled in the art after reading the detailed description of the present invention that the present invention remedies the above mentioned needs.
In one embodiment of the present invention a download is initiated by an electronic device (e.g., a set-top-box). The subscriber selects the content to be downloaded by using an initiating device (e.g., a set-top-box). Moreover, the subscriber selects a target device for downloading the selected content. The content provider (e.g., a cable provider) coupled to the initiating device (e.g., a set-top-box) receives the download initiation from the initiating device. The content provider in response to the selected content and the selected target device identifies the content and the target device. Thereafter, the content provider determines whether the subscriber is in good standing. The content provider further determines whether the selected target device is a valid device and registered with the content provider. If the subscriber is in good standing and the target device is registered, the content provider determines a proper encryption key and format for the target device and uploads the encrypted content to the target device. Alternatively, the content provider may provide available format and available encryption schemes to the subscriber for selection and in response thereto uploads content with the selected format and encryption scheme. The content provider sends a message to the target device indicating that a selected content initiated by the set-top-box is ready for download.
The user may accept the selected content for download to the target device. Alternatively, the user may request a download of the selected content at a subsequent time. Additionally, the user may refuse to download the selected content. The user may authorize a specific subscriber to upload content to the target device without further authorization by the user. Moreover, the user may refuse to download content from a specific subscriber. Furthermore, the user may accept a content download to the target device on a case by case situation and by explicit authorization only.
As a result, the embodiments of the present invention provide a television-centric experience while eliminating the need to electronically transfer the downloaded content from one electronic device to another. Additionally, the embodiments of the present invention provides a system to initiate a content download from one device and download the content to a device other than the initiating device. Furthermore, the embodiments of the present invention provide more control in granting authorization to download content by enabling the target device to accept or to refuse downloading the selected content.
More specifically, an embodiment of the present invention pertains to a method for downloading content to a target device that includes receiving a message from a content provider wherein the message in response to a set-top-box separate from the target device and indicates that a selected content by the set-top-box is ready for download to the target device when a download is initiated by the target device in response to the message; generating a user interface using the target device wherein the user interface is operable to allow a user to interact with the target device in response to the message; displaying the message wherein the user interface comprises a plurality of selectable actions; and in response to a user selection of the selectable actions, processing and performing a selected action.
Embodiments include the above and wherein the performing a selected action includes initiating the download in response to the message. The embodiments further include the above and wherein performing a selected action further includes receiving the selected content at the target device; and storing the selected content. Furthermore, embodiments include decrypting the selected content, and transferring the selected content to another electronic device wherein the selected content may be optionally encrypted prior to the transfer.
Embodiments further include the above and wherein the download is aborted after the initiation of the download. Embodiments also include the above and wherein a signal is sent to the content provider requesting download of the selected content at a subsequent time in response to the message wherein the subsequent time may optionally be a predetermined time or alternatively cancelling download of the selected content in response to the message. Moreover, embodiments include the above and wherein user selection is selected from a group consisting of always permitting download of content initiated by the set-top-box, never permitting download of content initiated by the set-top-box and permitting download of content initiated by the set-top-box only in response to authorization by a user of the target device.
FIG. 1 shows a prior art system for downloading content using a PC.
FIG. 2 shows a prior art system for downloading content to a set-top-box.
FIG. 3 shows an exemplary system embodiment of the present invention for downloading content to a content downloader.
FIG. 4 shows an exemplary user interface for selecting a type of content for download in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 5 shows one embodiment of a user interface for selecting content.
FIG. 6 shows one embodiment of a user interface for confirming the download for selected content.
FIG. 7 shows one embodiment of a user interface for providing information prior to download.
FIG. 8 shows one embodiment for indicating the download status of a content downloader.
FIG. 9 shows one embodiment of the present invention for downloading content to a content downloader.
FIG. 10 shows one system embodiment of the present invention for downloading content to a content downloader.
FIG. 11 shows one system embodiment of the present invention for downloading content to a content downloader.
FIG. 12 shows one system embodiment of the present invention for downloading content to a content downloader.
FIG. 13 shows one system embodiment of the present invention for downloading content to a content downloader.
FIG. 14 shows one system embodiment of the present invention for creating a folder in a content downloader for storing a downloaded content.
FIG. 15A shows a flow diagram for downloading content to a content downloader in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 15B shows a flow diagram for downloading content to a content downloader in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 16 shows one embodiment of the present invention for uploading content to a target device.
FIG. 17 shows a user interface for accessing subscriber information in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 18 shows a user interface for displaying available target devices for downloading content in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 19 shows a user interface for selecting a target device in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 20 shows a user interface for selecting a type of content download for a target device in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 21 shows a user interface for confirming the selection of the content and the target device in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 22 shows a user interface for providing the subscriber with additional options in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 23 shows a user interface for providing the subscriber with additional information in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 24 shows one system embodiment of the present invention for downloading content to a target device in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 25A shows a flow diagram for uploading content to the target device in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 25B shows a flow diagram for uploading content to the target device in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 26A shows a flow diagram for downloading content to a target device in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 26B shows a flow diagram for downloading content to a target device in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 27 illustrates a general purpose computer system that may serve as a platform for embodiments of the present invention.
Reference will now be made in detail to embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. While the invention will be described in conjunction with these embodiments, it will be understood that they are not intended to limit the invention to these embodiments. On the contrary, the invention is intended to cover alternative, modifications and equivalents, which may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. Furthermore, in the following detailed description of the present invention, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. However, it will be evident to one ordinary skill in the art that the present invention may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well known methods, procedures, components, and circuits have not been described in detail as not to unnecessarily obscure aspects of the invention.
Some portions of the detailed descriptions which follow are presented in terms of procedures, steps, logic blocks, processing, and other symbolic representations of operations on data bits that can be performed on computer memory. These descriptions and representations are the means used by those skilled in the art to most effectively convey the substance of their work to others skilled in the art. A procedure, computer executed step, logic block, process, etc., is here, and generally, conceived to be a self-consistent sequence of steps or instructions leading to a desired result. The steps are those requiring physical manipulations of physical quantities.
Usually, though not necessarily, these quantities take the form of electrical or magnetic signals capable of being stored, transferred, combined, compared, and otherwise manipulated in a computer system. It has proven convenient at times principally for reasons of common usage, to refer to these signals as bits, values, elements, symbols, characters, terms, numbers, or the like.
It should be borne in mind, however, that all of these and similar terms are to be associated with the appropriate physical quantities and are merely convenient labels applied to these quantities. Unless specifically stated otherwise as apparent from following discussions, it is appreciated that throughout the present invention, discussions utilizing terms such as “processing” or “creating” or “transferring” or “executing” or “determining” or “instructing” or “issuing” or “halting” or “clearing” or “accessing” or “aggregating” or “obtaining” or “selecting” or the like, refer to the action and processes of a computer system, or similar electronic computing device, that manipulates and transforms data represented as physical (electronic) quantities within the computer system's registers and memories into other data similarly represented as physical quantities within the computer system memories or registers or other such information storage, transmission or display devices.
Downloading content to a content downloader, a standalone downloader, is described first. Downloading content to a selected target device is next described.
Referring now to FIG. 3, one system embodiment of the present invention for downloading content is shown. In this embodiment of the present invention, a display 310 (e.g., a television) for displaying a user interface may be coupled to a set-top-box 320. The user interface enables a user to find and select content for downloading. In one embodiment, the user interface is provided by functionality of the set-top-box 320. As such, the set-top-box 320 generates the user interface, receives an indication that content is selected and is ready to be downloaded. The set-top-box 320 is further coupled to a content downloader 330 which receives the content from a content provider 340 (e.g., a cable service provider). The content provider 340 provides the content in response to the user command initiated at the set-top-box 320.
System 300 provides a two way cable receiver to receive portable media content from a content provider 340 (e.g., a cable service provider) in a television-centric experience. System 300 eliminates the need to transfer the downloaded content from one electronic device to another. Moreover, the embodiments of the present invention free the processor of download initiating device from downloading content since the content is being downloaded to a device other than the initiating device. Consequently, during the download period the user may continue with other applications (e.g., playing games, watching videos, or listening to music) without any impact on the processing speed of the application being run by the processor of the download initiating device. In one embodiment of the present invention a subscriber uses the user interface provided by the set-top-box 320 as displayed through a display, such as a television set 310 to navigate a selectable menu in order to find a desired content to download. When content is selected, the content provider 340 (e.g., a cable service provider) is contacted and download of the content to the content downloader 330 is initiated.
For example, a subscriber may wish to watch a movie on a flight to New York. Referring now to FIG. 4, an exemplary user interface is provided by the set-top-box 320 and displayed to the subscriber using the display 310. It is appreciated that the user interface may be a graphical user interface. In this example, the subscriber is provided with a selectable menu for different content to download. For example, the subscriber may be given an option, through a selectable tabs to download music videos 410, fun clips 420, movies 430, product reviews 440, TV shows 450, sport clips 460, magazine 470 or to read about the content downloader 480 to name a few. In this example, the subscriber uses the interface and selects the on-screen Movies 430 tab. It is appreciated that the use of a tab is by way of example and not limitation. As such, it is appreciated that selectable means other than a tab may be employed in order to select an appropriate action. For example, a selectable option may be through a drop down menu, a pop-up window or a link.
Referring now to FIG. 5, a list of movies available for download to a content downloader is presented on-screen to the subscriber. In this example, available movies are Kill Bill Vol. 1, Cheaper by the Dozen, Miracle, Spy Kids 3: Game Over, Stealing Candy and Timeline. It is appreciated that various information regarding downloadable content for instance may be displayed to the subscriber. For example, a short summary, the year and leading actors for example may be displayed to assist the subscriber in selecting a downloadable content. In this example, Cheaper by the Dozen has been selected by the subscriber.
It is appreciated that a confirmation of a content selected may be desirable in order to ensure that a selected content for download is not by mistake. Referring now to FIG. 6, the subscriber is asked to confirm the selection of the content for download. In this example, the subscriber is asked whether the subscriber wishes to purchase and download Cheaper by the Dozen. Other selectable tabs may provide the subscriber with additional options. In this example, selectable tabs are help 610, purchase 620 or cancel 630. Accordingly, the subscriber may confirm the selection of the content (e.g., Cheaper by the Dozen) by selecting the purchase 620 tab. Alternatively, the subscriber may select a help 610 tab for additional help or select a cancel 630 tab for canceling the download of the selected content (e.g., Cheaper by the Dozen). It is appreciated that even though three selectable options are provided, other options may be added or deleted as needed for a particular application. It is appreciated that the use of an on-screen tab is by way of example and not limitation. It is further appreciated that selectable means other than a tab may be employed in order to select an appropriate action. For example, a selectable option may be through a drop down menu, a pop-up window or a link.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the content downloader 330 may be associated with the subscriber's account. In this example, the content downloader 330 is tied to the subscriber's account and pre-registered with the content provider 340 (e.g., cable service provider). Prior to downloading the selected content, the content provider 340 may determine whether the subscriber is in good standing. For example, the content provider 340 may determine whether the subscriber has paid for the selected content or whether the subscriber has been approved for purchasing the selected content. Steps performed by the content provider 340 are later described.
The content provider 340 may also interrogate the content downloader 330 in order to determine whether the content downloader 330 has sufficient memory to download the selected content. The content provider 340 may send an on-screen-status-display to the set-top-box 320 stating whether sufficient memory exists.
Alternatively, the content provider 340 may send an on-screen-display to the set-top-box 320 indicating how much memory is needed for downloading the selected content. Referring now to FIG. 7, an exemplary on-screen-display to the set-top-box 320 is shown. In this example, the subscriber is thanked for purchasing a downloadable content (e.g., Cheaper by the Dozen). Moreover, a message is displayed notifying the subscriber that a content downloader 330 is enabled and that sufficient memory is required. In this example, the movie selected requires 248 megabytes of free space. The subscriber may be provided with further options. For example, a help 710 tab and a done 720 tab may provide the subscriber with additional options. Accordingly, the subscriber may confirm that the content downloader 330 has sufficient memory to store the selected content by selecting the done 720 tab. Alternatively, the subscriber may request help by selecting the help 710 tab. It is appreciated that even though two selectable tabs are provided in this example, other tabs may be added or deleted as needed for a particular application. It is appreciated that the use of a tab is by way of example and not limitation. It is further appreciated that selectable means other than a tab may be employed in order to select an appropriate action. For example, a selectable option may be through a drop down menu, a pop-up window or a link.
Once the content is selected and the download is initiated, the set-top-box 320 can act normally. In other words, once download is in progress the subscriber may continue surfing other channels, continue listening to music or continue playing games. Therefore, the processing speed of applications running by the processor is not affected by the download.
Moreover, the download status may be indicated using a status indicator. Referring now to FIG. 8 a download status is displayed to the subscriber. For example, the subscriber may be provided with a set of information regarding the downloadable content such as whether the download is in progress and if so how much of the content is downloaded. In this example, the download is in progress and 83% of the download is completed. Moreover, the status indicator may provide additional information such as whether sufficient memory exists, whether content downloader is connected and whether the download has been completed. It is appreciated that other information may be similarly implemented and displayed to the subscriber. The subscriber is also provided with an option to cancel the download at any time by selecting the cancel 810 tab.
It is appreciated that other means may be employed to indicate the status. As such, the status may be indicated by sounding an alarm, or by using light emitting devices (LED). For example, flashing a red light rapidly may indicate that the content downloader 330 does not have sufficient memory to download the content. A solid red light may indicate that a download is in progress and flashing a green light may indicate that download has been completed.
In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the content may be stored on a removable memory device (e.g., a flash memory). Accordingly, when the content is downloaded to the removable memory (e.g., a flash memory), the subscriber may simply remove the memory card and carry it to watch the movie on the flight to New York.
It is appreciated that using a content downloader 330 as described eliminates the need to transfer the content from one electronic device to another after completion of the download e.g., as done with a PC as the receiver device. Moreover, it is now apparent that using the content downloader 330 provides a television-centric experience to the subscriber. Additionally, it is now clear that once the download is initiated by the initiating device (e.g., a set-top-box), the initiating device (e.g., a set-top-box) can return to previously running applications (e.g., listening to music, watching a video, playing games). Accordingly, the processing speed of the application running by the initiating device (e.g., a set-top-box) is not affected by the download because the download is to a device other than the initiating device. For example, the download is to the content downloader 330 separate than the set-top-box that initiated the download. As such, the subscriber may continue with previously running applications (e.g., listening to music, watching a video, playing games) on the initiating device (e.g., a set-top-box) without any impact on the processing speed of the applications being run by the set-top-box. Moreover, it is now apparent that content selection is performed at the set-top-box 320 and the selected content is downloaded to a content downloader 330 separate than the set-top-box 320.
Referring now to FIG. 9, one embodiment of a content downloader is shown. In this embodiment, the content downloader 330 comprises an input/output 910 connection which is in communication with the content provider 340 or other electronic devices. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the input/output 910 is a coax input/output. Optionally, an input/output connection 920 may be used to communicate with the set-top-box 320.
Referring still to FIG. 9, memory card slots 930 may hold at least one memory card for storing content download. Memory cards may be removable memory. The content downloader 330 further comprises a status indicator 940. As described above, the status indicator 940 may be a display or a unit sending a message to the set-top-box 320 indicating the status of the download. In this embodiment, the status indicator 940 may be an LED device, flashing a red light rapidly for instance indicating that the content downloader 330 has insufficient memory to download the content; a solid red light indicating that a download is in progress; and flashing a green light indicating that the content download has been completed. It is appreciated that in other embodiments the status indicator may be a speaker for outputting an audio signal as its status indicator.
The content downloader 330 may further include additional input/output connections for connecting to additional electronic devices. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention the additional input/output connection is a USB2 master/slave 950. It is appreciated that other forms of connections may be used.
Referring still to FIG. 9, the content downloader 330 may include an encryption/decryption unit 960. The encryption/decryption unit 960 is for providing secure access to content and prevent unauthorized users from accessing the content. For example, the desired content may be encrypted prior to download to make the content inaccessible to hackers and interceptors. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention the content is protected by a digital rights management (DRM). As such, Marlin codes are used for protecting content. Therefore, during download, the content is encrypted by the content provider 340 and the encrypted content received by the content downloader 330 is decrypted in order to make the downloaded content accessible. Similarly, to prevent unauthorized access, the received content may be encrypted before transferring the content to other electronic devices through input/output connection 950 or other connections.
The content downloader 330 includes a wireless device 980 for allowing communication between the content downloader 330 and other wireless devices. Content downloader 330 may optionally include a battery to enable it to operate without a need to connect to a power supply, thereby providing a greater mobility and flexibility.
Referring now to FIG. 10, one system embodiment of the present invention for downloading content to a content downloader is shown. In this embodiment, the subscriber uses the user interface provided by the set-top-box 320 as displayed by the display, such as a television set 310, to navigate a selectable menu to find and select a downloadable content. When a content is selected, the content provider 340 (e.g., a cable service provider) is contacted. Accordingly, the download to the content downloader 330 is initiated.
In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the content downloader 330, in addition to having a removable memory that may be used to play content on other electronic devices, is also coupled to other electronic devices such as an IPod 1040 and play station portable (PSP) 1050. Coupling, the content downloader 330 to other electronic devices enables the content to be transferred to other electronic devices or alternatively be played by other electronic devices without transferring the downloaded content. For example, IPod 1040 may be coupled to the content downloader 330 and play a music file that was downloaded without physically transferring the file from the content downloader 330 to the IPod 1050. Alternatively, downloaded content may be transferred to the IPod 1040. By transferring the files, the electronic device (e.g., IPod 1040) can play the transferred files without having to connect to the content downloader 330. Alternatively, the memory may be removed from the content downloader 330 and placed in other electronic devices in order to use the downloaded content. Therefore, using the removable memory eliminates the need to electronically transfer content after completion of content download.
Referring still to FIG. 10, the content downloader 330 may be coupled to other electronic devices (e.g., PC 1030). By coupling the content downloader 330 to the PC 1030, the content downloader 330 can communicate with the PC 1030 and in response to the communication either transfer files between the two devices or simply enable the PC 1030 to use the downloaded content. The PC 1030 can be further coupled to a server 1010 via a cable modem 1020. It is appreciated that other means to connect to the server 1010 may be employed (e.g., wireless router). Coupling the PC 1030 to the server 1010 allows the content stored by the content downloader 330 to become accessible to other users that are connected to the server 1010. As a result, content may be shared between different electronic devices and different users. Moreover, coupling the content downloader 330 to the server enables the subscriber to upload content such as personal pictures to the server 1010.
It is appreciated that the content may be limited to subscribers in good standing. Therefore, a proper encryption may be used to limit the use of the content to those subscribers in good standing or those subscribers that have purchased the content. For example, the content can be protected by a Digital Rights Management (DRM) scheme (e.g., Marlin encrypted).
Referring now to FIG. 11, one system embodiment of the present invention for downloading content to a content downloader is shown. System 1100 is similar to the system described in FIG. 10. In this embodiment, however, the content downloader 330 is coupled to the content provider 340 through a wireless router 1110. Accordingly, the content downloader 330 is in communication with the content provider 340 wirelessly. Moreover, the wireless router 1110 may be further coupled to a cable modem 1120 and a PC 1130. It is appreciated that the cable modem 1120 or the PC 1130 may be further coupled to a server (not shown). Accordingly, content stored on the content downloader 330 may become accessible to other electronic devices that are coupled to the server. Moreover, coupling the content downloader 330 to the server enables the subscriber to upload content such as personal pictures to the server.
Referring now to FIG. 12, one system embodiment of the present invention for downloading content to a content downloader is shown. In this embodiment, the content downloader 330 is integrated within a cable modem 1210. In this embodiment, the subscriber uses the user interface generated by the set-top-box 320 and displayed by a display such as a television set 310 to select content for download. The content is then downloaded from the content provider 340 to the content downloader 330 which is part of the cable modem 1210. It is appreciated that the cable modem 1210 may be further coupled to other electronic devices such as a PC (not shown) or a server (not shown). The cable modem 1210 may be used to network the content downloader 330 and other electronic devices together. Similar to before, coupling the content downloader 330 to the server enables the subscriber to upload content such as personal pictures to the server.
Referring now to FIG. 13, one system embodiment of the present invention for downloading content to a content downloader is shown. In this embodiment, the content downloader 330 is integrated within a wireless router 1310. Similar to before, the subscriber may use the user interface generated by the set-top-box 320 which is displayed by a display such as a television set 310 to select content for download. The content is then downloaded from the content provider 340 to the content downloader 330 which is part of the wireless router 1310. It is appreciated that the wireless router 1310 may be further coupled to other electronic devices such as a PC or a server (not shown). The wireless router 1310 may be used to network the content downloader 330 and other electronic devices together. For example, the wireless router 1310 may be used to network the content downloader 330 and a PSP device (not shown). Similarly, the wireless router 1310 may be used to network the content downloader 330 and a PC, a server and an IPod (not shown).
Some electronic devices require content to be stored in certain folders for location thereof. Referring now to FIG. 14, one system embodiment of the present invention for creating a folder in a content downloader 330 for downloading content is shown. For example, music files for a PSP device may be required to be written into a special folder such as PSP/MUSIC. Similarly, pictures for a PSP device may be required to be written into a special folder such as PSP/PHOTO. In this embodiment, a folder is created if a folder is not present on the flash memory of the content downloader 330.
In one embodiment, the content provider 340 as a host 1410 sends a plurality of signals (e.g., SDIO 1412, BS 1414 and SCLK 1416) with default folder names to the memory component (e.g., memory stick 1420) of the content downloader 330. Upon receiving the signals from the host 1410 the content downloader 330 creates the default folder in the memory stick 1420 if the default folder is not present.
Alternatively, the content provider 340 may send simple read/write and paging commands to the content downloader 330. The content provider 340 may then examine the memory and determine the appropriate course of action depending on the target player(s). In one embodiment the content provider 340 may create the required folder in the content downloader 330.
Referring now to FIG. 15A, a flow diagram 1500 for one embodiment of the present invention for downloading content to a content downloader is shown. At step 1505 a set-top-box 320 generates a user interface. The user interface allows a user to select content by navigating a series of menus and/or windows. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the generated user interface provides a television-centric experience.
At step 1510, the generated user interface is displayed. The user interface contains a series of selectable items. For example, a user interface may have a number of tabs (e.g., Music, Video, PSP). The user may then activate a selectable tab (e.g., Music). After making a selection, the user is presented with further selectable options. For example, the user may be asked whether the user wishes to download R&B music, Classical music, or Hip-Hop music. Furthermore, the user may be asked to select the artist, or the recording studio, or the desired album and finally select the desired music content.
At step 1515, the content provider 340 receives the identification of the device (e.g., content downloader 330). The content provider 340 authenticates the device by comparing the identification of the device with identification of other pre-registered devices. In one embodiment, if the content provider 340 finds a match and if the subscriber is in good standing, the content may be downloaded to the content downloader 330.
If the device is not successfully authenticated, the process for downloading content terminates. Optionally, an error message may be displayed on screen indicating the reason why authentication failed. Moreover, additional information such as contact information for the content provider 340 may be displayed in order to resolve the problem.
If the device is successfully authenticated, at step 1525 the download is initiated in response to a user selection of a downloadable content. When the content download is initiated, the downloadable content is prepared for download from the content provider 340 to the device (e.g., content downloader 330).
At step 1530 in preparation of the download, for security purposes and for preventing unauthorized access to the content, the content may be encrypted. In one embodiment, the user may be asked to select the proper encryption scheme. Alternatively, the content provider 340 may automatically select the appropriate encryption scheme.
At step 1535 the selected content is uploaded from the content provider 340 to the device (e.g., content downloader 330). At step 1540 the status of the device and the download is indicated. For example, the device may output a message on a display screen indicating that the device does not have sufficient memory to store the selected content. Similarly, the device may output a message indicating that the download is in progress or that the download has been completed. In other embodiments of the present invention, indicating the status of the device is achieved using LEDs. For example, a flashing red light may indicate that a download is in progress. Similarly, a solid red light may indicate that the content downloader 330 has insufficient memory and a solid green light may indicate that the content has been downloaded successfully.
At step 1545, the downloaded content is decrypted in order to make the content accessible. At step 1550, the received content is stored in the device (e.g., content downloader 330). It is appreciated that the device for storing the content is a device separate from the set-top-box 320. Alternatively, the encrypted content may be stored in the device. It is appreciated that the steps for the above method may be in a sequence other than the one presented and described.
The embodiments of the present invention may be extended to enable a user to select a target device for downloading content instead of a content downloader. A method and system for uploading/downloading content to a target device, enabling a user/subscriber to select a target device for downloading content to, is described below.
Referring now to FIG. 16, one system embodiment of the present invention for downloading content to a selected target device is shown. In this embodiment of the present invention, a display 1610 (e.g., a television set) for displaying a user interface is coupled to a set-top-box 1620. The user interface is generated by the set-top-box 1620 and enables a user to find and select a particular downloadable content. Moreover, the user interface enables a user to select at least one target device 1640, for downloading the selected content. The set-top-box 1620 in addition to generating the user interface, receives an indication of the selected content for download to the selected target device 1640. The set-top-box 1620 is further coupled to a content provider 1630 (e.g., a cable service provider). The content provider 1630 provides the content in response to the user command. Furthermore, the content provider 1630 may provide a list of target devices available for receiving the selected content.
System 1600 provides a system whereby a subscriber can use a set-top-box 1620 to select a downloadable content for a target device 1640, separate from the set-top-box 1620, in a television-centric experience. System 1600 eliminates the need to transfer the downloaded content from one electronic device to another because the content may be downloaded directly to the selected target device.
In one embodiment of the present invention, at least one target device is registered with the content provider 1630 prior to selecting the content and the target device. In one embodiment, target devices may be registered through a human operator. Alternatively, target devices may be registered through a customer support website with very little or no user involvement. For example, the target device 1640 may be coupled to the content provider 1630 and automatically register the target device 1630 by sending its corresponding information to the content provider.
In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, connecting the target device 1640 to the content provider 1630 automatically detects and registers the target device. Therefore, information such as MAC address and the serial identification number and other information may be provided to the content provider 1630 automatically. Alternatively, the user may provide the target device information through the customer support website.
Referring now to FIG. 17, an exemplary user interface for registering a target device 1640, modifying user information and monitoring downloads in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention is shown. The user interface enables the user to update profile by selecting an update profile 1710 tab. By selecting the update profile 1710 tab, the user can modify user's profile such as email address, password, and address. Moreover, the user may wish to register target devices by selecting the portable device registration 1720 tab. Selecting the portable device registration 1720 tab enables the user to register target devices by specifying their respective MAC address and by specifying the player type. Additionally, the user may monitor downloads by selecting the download 1730 tab. Selecting downloads 1730 tab enables the user to monitor past downloads as well as downloads in progress. The user may be provided with additional options (not shown). It is appreciated that the use of an on-screen tab is by way of example and not limitation. As such, it is appreciated that selectable means other than a tab may be employed in order to select an appropriate action. For example, a selectable option may be through a drop down menu, a pop-up window or a link. It is further appreciated that the user interface may be a graphical user interface.
After a target device is registered with the content provider 1630, a subscriber may use the user interface provided by the set-top-box 1620 to navigate a selectable menu in order to find and select a downloadable content. Moreover, the subscriber may use the user interface provided by the set-top-box 1620 to select a target device 1640 for receiving the downloadable content. When the content and the target device are selected, the content provider 1630 (e.g., a cable service provider) is contacted.
In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, a target device is selected before selecting the content for several reasons. The type of target device may result in a different content format. For example, some target devices are audio only versus other target devices that may be audio as well as video. The type of target device may require a corresponding codec. Moreover, the bit rate and frame rate of one target device varies from another. Additionally, the type of target device may dictate the resolution and the screen size. Furthermore, the type of target device may dictate the type of DRM and player security.
Moreover, in addition to the reasons provided above, device specific content has other advantages including optimizing flash memory space, optimizing system bandwidth and download time, and simplifying content offerings to the subscribers. For example, video on a SonyEricsson cell phone is 1/16 Common Intermediate Format (CIF) as compared to a PSP which is ¼ CIF. Therefore, in comparison the amount content downloaded to a SonyEricsson cell phone is ¼ of the file size of a PSP. Consequently, at an equivalent bit rate, it takes the SonyEricsson cell phone less time to download the content. As another example, Net Walkman only offers music or audio books and does not render video. Therefore, knowing the specific target device simplifies the content offerings to subscribers because video content is not offered to subscribers knowing that Net Walkman does not render video thereby simplifying content offerings to subscribers. Moreover, inherent player security might allow the content provider 1630 to offer content for a particular target device over other target devices because one may be perceived as more secure. For example, embedded flash may be perceived as being more secure because it cannot be copied to other devices and that the content can only be erased. Accordingly, the content is protected from being transferred without authorization (e.g., without purchasing the product).
Referring now to FIG. 18, a list of target devices available for downloading content is presented to the user. In this example, the subscriber has previously registered three target devices, two PSP devices and a Sony Content Link. The two exemplary PSP have MAC address of 12:34:56:9A and 12:34:56:9B respectively. The third target device, the Sony Content Link, has a MAC address of 123456789. In other embodiments, additional target devices may be pre-registered and displayed.
From the list of available target devices, the subscriber selects at least one target device for downloading the selected content. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, if the desired target device is not listed or in order to register the target device, the subscriber may contact the content provider 1630 by calling the content provider 1630 or by simply logging into the subscriber's account. Alternatively, the subscriber may seek additional help by selecting a help 1810 tab. Alternatively, the subscriber may wish to cancel target device selection by selecting the cancel 1820 tab. The subscriber may, however, proceed with target device selection by selecting the desired target device and selecting the ok 1830 tab.
After selecting the target device, the subscriber may select the type of the target device. Referring now to FIG. 19, an interface for providing the subscriber with different types of players is shown. For example, in this embodiment the subscriber is provided with a set of target devices such as a playstation portable (PSP) 1910, Net Walkman 1920, SonyEricsson Cell Phone 1930, IPod 1940, Content Downloader 1950 and PC 1960. In this example, the subscriber has selected PSP 1910 is appreciated that the use of a tab is by way of example and not limitation. As such, it is appreciated that selectable means other than a tab may be employed in order to select an appropriate player. For example, a selectable option may be through a drop down menu, pop-up window or a link. It is further appreciated that the user interface may be a graphical user interface.
After the subscriber has selected the target device for downloading content, the subscriber proceeds to selecting content types and the content offering available for that player. Referring now to FIG. 20, a user interface for providing the subscriber with various content types is shown. In this embodiment, the subscriber may select various content types for a selected PSP. For example, the subscriber may select Music Videos 2010, Fun Clips 2020, Movies 2030, Product Review 2040, TV Shows 2050, Sport Clips 2060, Magazine 2070 or alternatively choose to learn about the PSP by selecting the About the PSP 2080 tab.
In this embodiment, a subscriber may wish to watch a movie on a flight to New York as presented before. Therefore, using the interface, the subscriber selects the Movies 2030 tab. It is appreciated that the use of a tab is by way of example and not limitation. As such, it is appreciated that selectable means other than a tab may be employed in order to select an appropriate content type. For example, a selectable option may be through a drop down menu, pop-up window or a link. It is further appreciated that the user interface may be a graphical user interface.
By selecting the Movies 2030 tab, the subscriber is presented with a set of available downloadable movies as shown above in FIG. 5. As discussed above, the subscriber selects the movie, Cheaper by the Dozen.
In one embodiment of the present invention, a user interface is used to confirm the selection of the target device 1640 as well as confirming the selection of content which in this example is Cheaper by the Dozen. Referring now to FIG. 21, the subscriber is asked to confirm the selection of the content for download as well as confirming the MAC address of the target devices selected for download. In this embodiment, the subscriber is asked whether the selected content is Cheaper by the Dozen and whether the target devices selected for downloading content are the two PSP devices with their respective MAC address of 12:34:56:9A and 12:34:56:9B. Moreover, a message may be displayed to the subscriber that in order to select a different target device (e.g., a PSP), the subscriber should log into the user account and register the target device before selecting the target device for content download. In this embodiment, the subscriber may confirm the selection by selecting the purchase 2110 tab. Alternatively, the subscriber may seek help and additional information may be displayed by selecting the help 2120 tab. Additionally, the subscriber may cancel the selection at any time by selecting the cancel 2130 tab. It is appreciated that the use of a tab is by way of example and not limitation. As such, it is appreciated that selectable means other than a tab may be employed in order to confirm the selection. For example, a selectable option may be through a drop down menu, pop-up window or a link. It is further appreciated that the user interface may be a graphical user interface.
It is appreciated that in one embodiment, the price for the content may be adjusted to reflect the number of players/target devices allowed to play the content. Moreover, there may be a limit to the total number of players/target devices allowed to play the content.
Referring now to FIG. 22, the subscriber may be thanked for purchasing content for download to the selected target device. In the preferred embodiment of the present inventions, the subscriber is provided with additional information including the amount of memory needed to complete the download. In this embodiment, the subscriber is reminded that 248 megabytes of memory is needed to store the content.
In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the subscriber is provided with additional options including selecting an alternative method for downloading the selected content by selecting the other download methods 2210 tab. Alternatively, the subscriber may seek help by selecting the help 2220 tab. The user may otherwise select to proceed with download of the selected content to the selected target device by selecting the done 2230 tab. It is appreciated that the use of a tab is by way of example and not limitation. As such, it is appreciated that selectable means other than a tab may be employed in order to select an appropriate action. For example, a selectable option may be through a drop down menu, pop-up window or a link.
In this example, the subscriber wishes to download using other methods. Referring now to FIG. 23, a message is displayed, providing the subscriber with additional information as to other methods for downloading the selected content. For example, the subscriber may access the selected content using a PC or a PSP. Furthermore, the subscriber may log into the subscriber's account and select “Downloads” link 1730. Selecting “Downloads” link 1730, the subscriber may monitor previous content downloads as well as to choose the method for downloading content by selecting to download to a PC or a PSP. After selecting other methods for download, the subscriber may proceed by selecting the done 2310 tab. Alternatively, the subscriber may seek additional help by selecting the help 2320 tab. Optionally, the subscriber may cancel the selection and the content download (not shown). It is appreciated that the use of a tab is by way of example and not limitation. As such, it is appreciated that selectable means other than a tab may be employed in order to select an appropriate action. For example, a selectable option may be through a drop down menu, pop-up window or a link.
Referring now to FIG. 24, one system embodiment for downloading content to a target device is shown. After the subscriber proceeds with content download, the content provider 1630 identifies the selected content and the selected target device 1640. The set-top box 2410 may be coupled to a video on-demand (VOD) management system 2420 for associating devices with a customer account in the billing system. When a content download is requested, the database under VOD management system 2420 may be accessed to determine the type of target devices registered under a particular account. After identifying the selected content and the selected target device, the content provider 1630 determines whether the subscriber is in good standing and whether the target device is pre-registered. The VOD management system 2420, order fulfillment 2430, portable content server 2440, DRM license acquisition server 2450 and the customer care site 2460 are collectively referred to as a content provider.
The VOD management system 2420 is further coupled to an order fulfillment server 2430 for fulfilling the requested content for the selected target device. The order fulfillment 2430 server may be further coupled to a portable content server 2440 for providing content. Furthermore, the order fulfillment 2430 server may also be coupled to a DRM license acquisition 2450 server for providing an appropriate license for using the selected content for the selected target device.
The VOD management system 2420 may request a DRM packager to process the content for the customer's target device 1640. In one embodiment, the DRM determines the appropriate encryption key depending on a particular target device selected and the content selected. Unlike regular video on demand (VOD), which is fulfilled immediately through the set-top-box 1620, portable content and downloading to a target device is likely for a particular category of device like a PSP, cell phones, Blackberries and IPod to name a few. Therefore, the content provider 1630 may encrypt the content according to the proper encryption key for certain players in a customer's home network. In one embodiment, content is DRM encrypted (e.g., Marlin codes). Alternatively, the content provider 1630 may provide the subscriber with a list of available encryption keys and in response to the subscriber's selection the content provider 1630 encrypts the selected content.
In one embodiment of the present invention, content is pre-encrypted and stored on a server (e.g., a portable content server 2440). Accordingly, the target device receives the content and the license. Different methods may be used to handle the license. For example, the license may be appended to the content file. Alternatively, the license may be sent as a separate file. Moreover, the license may be obtained after the content download has been completed.
The content provider 1630 may also determine the appropriate format of the selected content for the selected target device 1640. Alternatively, the content provider 1630 may provide the subscriber with a list of available content formats, and in response to the subscriber's selection the content provider 1630 may encrypt the content.
The order fulfillment server 2430 may communicate with a customer care site 2460 when the content and the appropriate license are gathered. The content provider is further coupled to at least one target device. By way of example and not limitation, a plurality of target devices such as a PC 2470, PSP 2472, cell-phone 2474, content downloader 2476 and a set-top box 2478 are shown.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the selected target device continuously checks with the customer care site to determine whether a downloadable content is ready. If the content is available and sufficient memory exists, the target device downloads the content automatically. In other embodiments of the present invention, the target device may download the selected content manually, by initiating content download after receiving a message that a content is ready for download.
It is appreciated that at various steps, an error message may be displayed. For example, an error message may be displayed if a target device is not registered. Moreover, an error message may be displayed if no memory is installed, or if there is insufficient memory to download the content. Furthermore, an error message may be displayed if the memory is removed during the download.
Referring now to FIG. 25A, a flow diagram 2500 for one embodiment of the present invention for downloading content to a target device is shown. At step 2505, the content provider 1630 receives a command originating from a set-top-box 1620. The command indicates a selected content and the target device 1640 for downloading the selected content. Moreover, the command identifies a user account.
At step 2510, the content provider processes the received command. Processing the user command identifies the selected target device 1640. At step 2515, the content provider 1630 determines whether the subscriber is in good standing by using for example the VOD management system 2420. For example, the content provider 1630 may determine whether the subscriber has paid all purchased content in the past. Moreover, the content provider 1630 may determine whether the subscriber is approved by the credit card company specified in the user profile. If the subscriber is not found to be in good standing, at step 2555, an error message may be displayed indicating the reason why the subscriber was not found in good standing.
If the subscriber is found in good standing, at step 2520 the content provider 1630 determines and identifies the target device 1640 specified by the subscriber. The content provider 1630 determines whether the selected target device 1640 is valid and pre-registered with the content provider 1630 by using, for example, the VOD management system 2420. If the selected target device is found to be an invalid target device, at step 2555, an error message may be displayed indicating the reason why the target device is found to be invalid. In one embodiment, if the target device 1640 is not found to be registered, the subscriber may be provided with an option to register the target device 1640 (not shown).
If the target device 1640 is found to be registered, the content provider 1630 proceeds to step 2525. At step 2525, the content provider 1630 determines a proper format for the selected content for download to the identified target device 1640 and prepares the formatted content for download. In one embodiment, determining the proper format is based on the type of selected target device 1640. Alternatively, in one embodiment at step 2530, the content provider 1630 provides the subscriber with a set of available formats. The content provider 1630 in response to the subscriber's selection prepares the formatted content for download.
At step 2535, the content provider 1630 determines a proper encryption key for the selected content by using the DRM packager or DRM license acquisition 2450. In one embodiment, the proper encryption key is based on the selected target device. Alternatively, in one embodiment at step 2540, the content provider 1630 provides the subscriber with a set of available encryption keys and in response to the subscriber's selection proceeds to step 2545 and encrypts the selected content. At step 2450, the content provider 1630 uploads the encrypted content to the selected target device 1640.
The embodiments of the present invention may be extended such that a user of a target device is given the control and flexibility to accept or to refuse to download the selected content initiated by the set-top-box. A method and system for downloading content to the target device in response to acceptance by the user of the target device are described below.
In one embodiment of the present invention, after the target device and the content have been selected, the content provider 1630 does not automatically upload the content to the selected target device 1640. Instead, the content provider 1630 sends a message to the selected target device 1640 indicating that a downloadable content has been selected by the set-top-box 1620 and is ready for download. The user of the target device 1640 in response to the message from the content provider 1630 may wish to proceed with downloading the selected content. Alternatively, the user of the target device 1640 may wish to download the selected content at a subsequent time. Furthermore, the user of the target device 1640 may refuse to download the selected content. In one embodiment of the present invention the user of the target device may authorize a specific subscriber (e.g., a set-top-box) to upload content automatically. Alternatively, the user may reject all content downloads from a given subscriber. Moreover, the user may authorize download only through explicit authorization by the user.
Referring now to FIG. 26A, a flow diagram 2600 for one embodiment of the present invention for downloading content to a target device in response to initiation of the download by the user of the target device is shown. At step 2605, a selected target device (e.g., cell-phone 2474) as identified by the set-top box 2410, receives a message from the content provider indicating that a content selected by the set-top box 2410 is ready for download. Furthermore, the message may also indicate that in order to download the selected content, the download must be initiated by the target device 2474.
At step 2610, the target device 2474 generates a user interface that is operable to allow the user of the target device 2474 to interact with the target device 2474 in response to the message received from the content provider. At step 2615, using the generated interface, the received message is displayed. The displayed message also provides a plurality of selectable actions that may be selected by the user. For example, selectable actions may be to download the selected content immediately, to download the selected content at a subsequent time, to reject downloading the selected content, to always permit downloading of content initiated by a particular set-top box 2410, to never permit downloading content initiated by a particular set-top box 2410, or alternatively to download content initiated by a particular set-top box 2410 in response to explicit authorization by the target device 2474 to name a few.
At step 2620, in response to a user selection, the target device 2474 processes and performs the selected action. For example, at step 2625, the target device 2474 may process the selected action to determine if download is initiated. At step 2625 if the download is initiated, the process continues to step 2640. Alternatively, at step 2630, if the download is not initiated the target device processes and determines whether a download is to be initiated at a subsequent time. The download at a subsequent time may be predetermined or specified by the user of the target device 2474. At step 2630, if the download is not initiated at a subsequent time, the process ends. Alternatively, if the download is initiated at a subsequent time, at step 2635 the target device 2474 keeps checking the status to determine whether the time has arrived to initiate the download. When the target device 2474 determines that it is time to initiate the download, the process continues to step 2640.
At step 2640, the target device 2474 receives the selected content from the content provider, as initiated by the set-top box 2410. Downloading the selected content may be aborted by the user of the target device 2474 at any time. At step 2645, the target device 2474 determines whether the received content is encrypted and if so, then the content is decrypted. At step 2650, the target device stores the received content. The content may be stored on a removable memory (e.g., flash memory). After the content is successfully downloaded to the target device 2474, at step 2655 the content may be transferred to other electronic devices depending on the type of licensing provided by the content provider (e.g., DRM license acquisition 2450). Optionally, at step 2655, the content may be encrypted prior to transfer of content as dictated by the license provider.
FIG. 27 is a block diagram that illustrates a computer system 2700 upon which an embodiment of the present invention for downloading and uploading content to a target device, or downloading content to a content downloader may be implemented. Computer system 2700 for downloading/uploading content to a target device/content downloader as shown in FIGS. 1-26 includes a bus 2702 or other communication mechanism for communicating information, and a processor 2704 coupled with bus 2702 for processing information. Computer system 2700 also includes a main memory 2706, such as a random access memory (RAM) or other dynamic storage device, coupled to bus 2702 for storing information and instructions to be executed by processor 2704. Main memory 2706 also may be used for storing temporary variables or other intermediate information during execution of instructions to be executed by processor 2704. Computer system 2700 further includes a read only memory (ROM) 2708 or other static storage device coupled to bus 2702 for storing static information and instructions for processor 2704. A non-volatile storage device 2710, such as a magnetic disk or optical disk, is provided and coupled to bus 2702 for storing information and instructions and may store the persistent internal queue.
Computer system 2700 may be coupled via bus 2702 to an optional display 2712, such as a cathode ray tube (CRT), for displaying information to a computer user. An optional input device 2714, including alphanumeric and other keys, may be coupled to bus 2702 for communicating information and command selections to processor 2704. Another type of user input device is cursor control 2716, such as a mouse, a trackball, or cursor direction keys for communicating direction information and command selections to processor 2704 and for controlling cursor movement on display 2712.
An embodiment of the invention is related to the use of computer system 2700 for downloading and uploading content to a target device. According to one embodiment of the invention, the interface is used in response to processor 2704 executing one or more sequences of one or more instructions contained in main memory 2706 e.g., to implement process 1500, 2500 and 2600. Such instructions may be read into main memory 2706 from another computer readable medium, such as storage device 2710. Execution of the sequences of instructions contained in main memory 2706 causes processor 2704 to perform the process steps described herein. One or more processors in a multi-processing arrangement may also be employed to execute the sequences of instructions contained in main memory 2706. In alternative embodiments, hardwired circuitry may be used in place of or in combination with software instructions to implement the invention. Thus, embodiments of the invention are not limited to any specific combination of hardware circuitry and software.
The term “computer-readable medium” as used herein refers to any medium that participates in providing instructions to processor 2704 for execution. Such a medium may take many forms, including but not limited to, non-volatile media, volatile media, and transmission media. Non-volatile media includes, for example, optical or magnetic disks, such as storage device 2710. Volatile media includes dynamic memory, such as main memory 2706. Transmission media includes coaxial cables, copper wire and fiber optics, including the wires that comprise bus 2702. Transmission media can also take the form of acoustic or light waves, such as those generated during radio wave and infrared data communications.
Various forms of computer readable media may be involved in carrying one or more sequences of one or more instructions to processor 2704 for execution. For example, the instructions may initially be carried on a magnetic disk of a remote computer. The remote computer can load the instructions into its dynamic memory and send the instructions over a telephone line using a modem. A modem local to computer system 2700 can receive the data on the telephone line and use an infrared transmitter to convert the data to an infrared signal. An infrared detector coupled to bus 2702 can receive the data carried in the infrared signal and place the data on bus 2702. Bus 2702 carries the data to main memory 2706, from which processor 2704 retrieves and executes the instructions. The instructions received by main memory 2706 may optionally be stored on storage device 2710 either before or after execution by processor 2704.
Computer system 2700 also includes a communication interface 2718 coupled to bus 2702. Communication interface 2718 provides a two-way data communication coupling to a network link 2720 that is connected to a local network 2722. For example, communication interface 2718 may be an integrated services digital network (ISDN) card or a modem to provide a data communication connection to a corresponding type of telephone line. As another example, communication interface 2718 may be a local area network (LAN) card to provide a data communication connection to a compatible LAN. Wireless links may also be implemented. In any such implementation, communication interface 2718 sends and receives electrical, electromagnetic or optical signals that carry digital data streams representing various types of information.
Network link 2720 typically provides data communication through one or more networks to other data devices. For example, network link 2720 may provide a connection through local network 2722 to a host computer 2724 or to data equipment operated by an Internet Service Provider (ISP) 2726. ISP 2726 in turn provides data communication services through the worldwide packet data communication network now commonly referred to as the “Internet” 2728. Local network 2722 and Internet 2728 both use electrical, electromagnetic or optical signals that carry digital data streams. The signals through the various networks and the signals on network link 2720 and through communication interface 2718, which carry the digital data to and form computer system 2700, are example forms of carrier waves transporting the information.
Computer system 2700 can send and receive messages through the network(s), network link 2720 and communication interface 2718. In the Internet example, a server 2730 might transmit a requested code for an application program through Internet 2728, ISP 2726, local network 2722 and communication interface 2718. The received code may be executed by processor 2704 as it is received, and/or stored in device 2710, or other non-volatile storage for later execution.
In the foregoing specification, embodiments of the invention have been described with reference to numerous specific details that may vary from implementation to implementation. Thus, the sole exclusive indicator of what is, and is intended by the applicants to be, the invention is the set of claims that issue from this application, in the specific form in which such claims issue, including any subsequent correction. Hence, no limitation, element, property, feature, advantage or attribute that is not expressly recited in a claim should limit the scope of such claim in any way. The specification and drawings are, accordingly, to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense.
in response to a user selection of said selectable actions, processing and performing a selected action.
initiating said download in response to said message.
transferring said selected content to another electronic device.
encrypting said selected content before transferring said selected content to another electronic device.
7. The method as described in claim 3 further comprising aborting said download after said initiation of said download.
sending a signal to said content provider requesting download of said selected content at a subsequent time in response to said message.
9. The method as described in claim 8 wherein said subsequent time is a predetermined time.
canceling download of said selected content in response to said message.
11. The method as described in claim 1 wherein user selection is selected from a group consisting of: always permitting download of content initiated by said set-top-box; never permitting download of content initiated by said set-top-box; and permitting download of content initiated by said set-top-box only in response to authorization by a user of said target device.
18. The computer-useable medium as described in claim 14 further comprising aborting said download after said initiation of said download.
20. The computer-useable medium as described in claim 19 wherein said subsequent time is a predetermined time.
22. The computer-useable medium as described in claim 12 wherein user selection is selected from a group consisting of: always permitting download of content initiated by said set-top-box; never permitting download of content initiated by said set-top-box; and permitting download of content initiated by said set-top-box only in response to authorization by a user of said target device.
29. The target device as described in claim 25 wherein said download is aborted after said initiation of said download. | 2019-04-26T16:08:59Z | https://patents.google.com/patent/US20070288986A1/en |
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Acquiring silver bars lets you to get hold of it while sitting back and waiting for its value to soar high in the market. Silver has numerous industrial uses, thus promising higher price escalations that in the end will secure your wealth. It is also a known fact that a third of the earth’s silver supply is used up in photography. A number of gadgets also use silver including iPods, mobile phones, microphones and microscopes. It is also the main metal used as conductor of electricity and heat.
Silver like gold is the most tangible form wealth which won’t become worthless even if paper currencies from all over the world lose its worth. Silver offers you a safe haven even if paper currencies fail. Savvy individuals are buying silver bar bullion to protect their savings, wealth, property, family and to secure their future.
When looking to invest in silver, various sizes, shapes and weights may overwhelm you so it is more likely for you to stick with silver bars. It is better to track down, to store and much, much easier to determine its purity. It also saves you time in inspecting, researching and determining its worth in the market.
If ever you think of buying silver bars, look for the pure ones. Pure silver has no other metals alloyed to it. Pure silver bars basically are 99% pure. These bars are the best way to own in bullions. E sure to pick the right ones for there is a couple of fake silver bars out there in the market. While buying silver bars, doing a simple test is a must to ensure it is a hundred percent genuine. Silver bars are commonly available in sizes 100 ounces. Buy silver bars and you are in the right track.
When you acquire silver, you don’t only generate income, moreover, you may safeguarded your finances from rising prices and economic distress. Buy silver rounds now for more useful information.
Precious metals investing has so many feasible ways. Even though the industrial market is already clamoring for much more silver, we will focus on investing in silver within the trading marketplace. You can start off simple with silver, being significantly less expensive than its yellow metal brother, gold. Many people like starting their investment with silver simply because they are able to obtain much more and it is a good simple ground to maneuver around. But in this business, the frequency of your silver updates are important.
We’re not referring to collecting coins off from EBay. This is investing in silver as an approach of investing in the value per ounce. But it is much more than merely investing in actual items of silver or trading in your old Aunt Rochelle’s silver gravy boat. Your monetary future can significantly be impacted by silver. Discover how that will occur to you these days.
Investing in Silver Mining Companies – This essentially means you are investing in stocks of these businesses and not truly the actual silver. There are other kinds companies like this aside from the actual silver mining ones: the junior exploration companies are one kind and also the conglomerates are another. But if you’re going to be beginning out, it could be your greatest bet to go with the junior exploration companies. Potential to profit is very likely with small purchase ins into different and varied companies rather than just having all your eggs in a singular basket.
Investing in Futures Contracts – Even constant silver updates, even as a seasoned and skilled investor, for futures contracts still makes this industry extremely tricky. In a nutshell, futures contracts mean that you buy silver within the pre-determined date within the future with a pre-determined cost. No matter what the current marketplace value of silver is, you’ll be purchasing based on the cost in your contract. When the marketplace price is higher than the one stated within the contract by the time the contract matures, you win. Your silver contract will state, for instance, that you will buy silver at $10 an ounce in six months time. After six months, silver per ounce is estimated at $15. According to the deal on the contract, you get a bargain. You would need to pay for the distinction, nevertheless, if the contract matures and also the market value only ends up being $5 per ounce.
Investing in Silver ETFs – Exchange-Traded Fund, this is what the ETF stands for The tricky factor about ETFs is that they’re not regulated by the SEC. With ETFs, you don’t physically own the silver, just like in mining companies. In essence, you would be paying a business handling and storage fees for the quantity of silver displayed inside your investment.
What are you waiting for? Be mindful of <a href=”http://www.buysilvertips.com/tips/silver-updates-for-the-entrepreneur-in-you/”>silver updates</a> and begin your investment now. You’ll certainly by no means regret selecting it as a means of investment. Do not be left behind. Find out more data about silver updates and also pay a visit to <a href=”http://www.buysilvertips.com/tips/silver-updates-for-the-entrepreneur-in-you/”>http://www.buysilvertips.com/tips/silver-updates-for-the-entrepreneur-in-you/</a>.
Considering Of Foreign exchange Investing? 3 Major Queries To Inquire Oneself.
How important things have modified. The procedures in use now are a million miles away from the ways employed barely 25 years back. This also applies to forex charting tactics.
The moment once more Warren Buffett (sure, he is 1 of the worlds best businessmen) said In the enterprise community, the rear-see mirror is often clearer than the windshield.
That is why comprehension your charts and becoming in a position to use them in to trade is such a useful instrument Historically there have been 4 diverse chart choice:. Pondering Of Forex trading Investing? 3 Essential Problems To Inquire On your own.
Will I go back to investing the capital markets yet again? Undoubtedly the reply should be indeed.
I have a true enthusiasm for buying and selling, and one day I will return.
Whenever people first decide that they wish to put up an online business they forget to think about driving traffic to their web sites or affiliate offers. Without a steady stream of people to your web site, you will never earn enough money or even any money. Driving traffic to your sites isn’t that hard once you have the right information. In this article, we will cover several traffic generation methods.
When people are initially getting started online they are are interested in inexpensive or cost-free ways to start promoting and getting traffic to their websites. There is nothing wrong with that but you have to know how to use these gratis ways.
Traffic exchanges are one type of gratis traffic that a lot of people feel are ineffective. Naturally, the people who are saying that traffic exchanges are useless are the folks who never used them the right way in the first place. If you use them the wrong way, yes they are useless. The first thing about this method of getting traffic is that you should not use these exchanges to promote a money site. You need to use these exchanges to build downlines in your free traffic programs and they are a good way to develop a list. Attempting to sell something directly from a traffic exchange is simply not going to work. The ones that choose to make use of traffic exchanges are there to try and drive free traffic to their site, they are not there to buy your product. By advertising other no-cost traffic programs, you will be able to build your downline in those other programs since the people at traffic exchanges are always searching for more no-fee advertising for their sites.
Traffic exchanges truly are a great way to start developing your own list. If you have a web page offering a free e-book on how to obtain more traffic and add an opt in box so they have to enter their email to access this e-book, people will sign up. This way you’re developing your own list, which is one of the best ways to get traffic to any website or affiliate link.
The next way to drive a lot of great targeted traffic is through the search engines. When someone does a search in the search engines and your website is in the search results it is the most targeted traffic you can get. Building back links will be the crucial key for obtaining top search engine ranking and therefore traffic from the search engines. The way most of the search engine algorithms work is that they consider back links as a form of vote. So, the greater the number of back links you have the higher in the rankings your site will appear for your targeted keywords.
There are several ways you can build back links for your site. One way you can begin building links is by taking your site’s URL and submitting it to directories. You can find a list of site directories in the search engines and you can even find software that can help you submit your website in a short amount of time. This is perfect for people who don’t have a lot of money, but this can also use up a lot of time.
Also, you can use blogs and forums to get started building back links, just leave a comment and leave your link. I am certain you have heard that these sorts of links don’t hold the power of other links but it is a great free-of-charge way to build them.
Article marketing would be one more means to build these links, and every link built through article marketing will be a good quality link. How this method works is you craft an article about a theme you know about and leave a link at the bottom.
Although this is only a few ways to start obtaining traffic, it is a superb place to start. If you want to achieve online success, you need to have traffic, without it you will not reach your goals.
I have a serious enthusiasm for trading, and a single day I will return.
How items have transformed. The strategies in use now are a million miles away from the strategies utilised barely 25 several years in the past. This also applies to foreign exchange charting methods. Reference As soon as again Warren Buffett (indeed, he is just one of the worlds best businessmen) mentioned In the business enterprise entire world, the rear-see mirror is constantly clearer than the windshield.
That is why knowing your charts and currently being URL capable to use them in to trade is this kind of a helpful tool Historically there have been 4 diverse chart choice:.
Considering Of Forex trading Buying and selling? 3 Critical Queries To Ask Yourself. Will I go back to buying and selling the money markets again? Undoubtedly the reply should be yes. I have a authentic enthusiasm for buying and selling, and 1 day I will return. However, in mild of my questions earlier mentioned, I know what the URL ailments will be.
A dedication to stick with a trading system, have a extended phrase view, and steer clear of any temptation to tweak or break the guidelines. Get to Know the Things That Have an effect on Currency trading Investing. The currency market place or the Currency trading market place can be explained as a huge network of world businesses and persons concerned in the company of promoting and buying unique variations of currency or revenue. Foreign exchange buying and selling is centered on a spot industry in which participants can trade at the existing industry rate as dictated by the laws of offer and need. This signifies that you are trading cash for dollars at the current industry selling price.
With each from the communicate amid politicians about insurance plan coverage, lots of individuals are trying to locate distinctive ways to have insurance policy. There are a variety of methods you will get the clinical insurance plan quotes you would like to create your thoughts up what!|s ideal to fit your wants as well as your family.
When it!|s time to suit your needs to identify economical insurance plan policy, here certainly are a very few approaches to have the wellness insurance coverage coverage you’ll like.
a single. Talk to your mates which may be self-employed where by they get their wellness insurance policy protection.
Give considered to your mates that really own a compact company enterprise. Problem them for their thoughts on economical well staying insurance plan plan. Anybody which is just a little enterprise operator by using a household has maybe at the moment executed research on reasonably priced insurance policies policies. They get give strategies to the extremely finest ideas around, and so they might even be prepared to analyze their existing policy.
two. Get in touch with roughly to one of a kind firms from your cell phone guide.
You’ll be able to speak to close to to diverse businesses along with the cellular mobile phone ebook to determine what wellness options can be identified for you individually. It is actually attainable to very probable get estimates from your workplace. For those who do the work by owning an independent agent, it is possible to in all probability get costs from a broad number of various corporations. Once you function together with the agent that signifies a specific company, you might get exclusive rates in the identical enterprise.
3. Glimpse to the best net websites for insurance policy protection estimates.
The majority of the folks are acquainted with gaining estimates online in relation to automobile insurance policy coverage. You may also get wellbeing insurance policy policies estimates via the internet from many internet sites. Whenever you run while using the on-line web site, you might have a number of rewards. You can do the career through the privacy in the possess dwelling, to ensure you are likely to not ought to shell out as significantly time waiting on other people. You could possibly search into distinct coverage selections too thus you could personalize just about almost everything to nutritious your distinct requirements.
Obtaining well being treatment insurance plan policy rates has absolutely not been easier than it truly is basically at the moment. The information age has given men and women the chance to check and contrast costs for a variety of insurance policy policy at the moment. If you find yourself definitely considerable about gaining really affordable well-being insurance policy coverage for ones family members, the world wide web is more than likely the fastest process to have the quotes you need nowadays. Make sure to do your research and discover your alternatives therefore you will come across the insurance that may be excellent in your case.
The process of liquidation of assets from the debtor in order to pay their debt is Bankruptcy Law Chapter 7. A bankruptcy trustee will handle your case and he will be responsible to liquidate or sell your assets that are non-exempt and distribute the proceeds among your creditors. There is a way that you can possibly avoid this, and that is help with payday loans.
One thing about Bankruptcy Law Chapter 7 is most people who qualify under it have few or no valuable assets that can be liquidated. For instance, if the equity or resale value of the house, any real estate property or a car is very little, then the owners can keep it. If you need help with payday loans, there are plenty of lenders that can afford you that window of opportunity to pull yourself from debt.
Whether or not you have assets that are worth liquidating, most of your unsecured type of debt may be erased or discharged through Bankruptcy Law Chapter 7. Medical bills, personal loans, or credit cards might be included as well. Student loans, family support, or criminal fines are some of the obligations that can’t be charged under Chapter 7. Keep in mind, real payday loan help is there to help you from tough financial situations, not to spend on a new car.
Listed below are the criteria for Bankruptcy Law Chapter 7 eligibility for an individual, married couple, or business organization.
- You have not filed for Chapter 7 Bankruptcy in the last 8 years.
-You have not received a Chapter 13 discharge in the last 6 years.
-You do not have a Chapter 7 petition dismissed within the last 180 days.
-You have not attempted to deceive your creditors or the bankruptcy court.
-You have an income equal or below the median state income.
For income and eligibility, you are required to take a means test.
After counseling comes the paperwork. When filing for Bankruptcy Chapter 7, you will have to prepare the required documents, and fill out official bankruptcy forms. This includes detailed statement of your income and expense, a list of your assets and liabilities, current tax returns, and a copy of your credit counseling certificate.
After you have filed for Bankruptcy, or any other types of bankruptcy, it will remain on your credit history for about 10 years. It might just take a couple of years before you can reestablish your credit. It might be best to thing things through and do your research before actually filing for Bankruptcy Chapter 7. Be sure to investigate beacon payday loans to avoid any future bankruptcy.
Pondering Of Currency trading Investing? 3 Crucial Queries To Request Oneself.
How points have altered. The ways in use now are a million miles Visit Here absent from the ways utilized barely 25 years ago. This also applies to foreign exchange charting strategies. When once again Warren Buffett (indeed, he is a single of the worlds finest businessmen) says In the company community, the rear-view mirror is continually clearer than the windshield.
That is why knowing your charts and getting in a position to use them in to trade is these kinds of a valuable Click Here tool Historically there have been four several chart variety:. Pondering Of Fx Investing? 3 Major Questions To Inquire All by yourself.
How items have improved. The strategies in use now are a million miles away from the procedures Click Here applied barely twenty five many years ago.
This also applies to forex charting techniques. The moment all over again Warren Buffett (indeed, he is 1 of the worlds best businessmen) said In the small business entire world, the rear-view mirror is usually clearer than the windshield.
That is why comprehension your charts and remaining ready to use them in to trade is these kinds of a handy instrument Historically there have been 4 unique chart kind:. Contemplating Of Currency trading Trading? 3 Critical Issues To Request Click Here Your self. Will I go back to trading the money markets yet again? Unquestionably the solution have to be sure. I have a genuine enthusiasm for buying and selling, and a person day I will return.
A determination to stick with a trading procedure, have a very long expression see, and avoid any temptation to tweak or break the guidelines.
How important things have improved. The procedures in use now are a million miles absent from the ways Resource applied barely 25 several years ago. This also applies to forex charting procedures. The moment once more Warren Buffett (sure, he is just one of the worlds finest businessmen) mentioned In the small business community, the rear-see mirror is always clearer than the windshield.
That is why knowledge your charts and currently being in a position to use them in to trade is like a helpful tool Historically there have been 4 different chart style:. Thinking Of Foreign exchange Trading? 3 Key Inquiries To Consult Yourself.
Will I go back again to trading the funds markets again? Unquestionably the response should be yes.
I have a authentic enthusiasm for investing, and one day I will return.
Nonetheless, in light of my issues Read This previously mentioned, I know what the ailments will be. A dedication to stick with a trading technique, have a prolonged term view, and keep away from any temptation to tweak or break the policies. Get to Know the Elements That Influence Webblog Currency trading Investing. The forex market place or the Currency trading sector can be explained as a huge network of world wide corporations and folks involved in the company of selling and acquiring diverse types of currency or money.
You in no way know what could take place. This is why insurance providers have the ability to stay in company: individuals are prepared to spend great income within the event on the unanticipated. Nevertheless it may be intimidating to select a everyday life insurance policy provider when you will find a lot of diverse companies offering lots of different types of policies. If you need for making convinced you are getting the top attainable policy for the greatest achievable selling price, then your best wager would be to do a life insurance comparison.
The primary action to functioning an correct daily life insurance coverage comparison should be to work out simply how much coverage you actually need. The easiest approach to figure this out should be to take your yearly gross cash flow and multiply it by however lots of a long time you would like your loved ones to get offered for right after your loss of life. You can even factor in issues like mortgages and funeral prices, to ensure that your loved ones won’t ought to be bothered about these things immediately after you will be gone. When in doubt, round up. It is actually improved to provide too much to your loved ones than not plenty of.
It’s best to also start out searching into which insurance coverage providers you should commence receiving quotations on your comparison. It is possible to hop on the internet and seem at purchaser testimonials. You can come across out how excellent the client service is, and the way hassle-free their payout treatment is. The very last thing you’d like is for your household to have to fight your insurance plan company so as to obtain the benefits outlined in your policy. It’s also possible to get a corporation rating from the.M. Ideal, the oldest watchdog while in the insurance coverage sector. Armed with all of this info, you are certain to come across various insurance plan providers that will potentially provide you with excellent and very affordable existence insurance coverage.
The ultimate move to your comparison is always to request rates through the corporations you’ve got decided on. You might more than likely really need to fill out a well-being evaluation of some sort. Be as precise while you can, as your quote will only be as accurate because the information and facts you offer. Once you start off receiving quotations back, you could run your comparison and choose the coverage that best fits your desires for that very best price tag. Then, you are able to speak to that firm and let them understand that you need to start off the formal application approach for your daily life insurance plan. This is a great way for making confident that your family is guarded just in case anything takes place to you personally.
What exactly Is Everyday living Insurance plan?
What is Life Insurance Settlement? What is Life Insurance Settlement? What Is Life Insurance And How Does Life Insurance Work?
Just what Is Lifestyle Insurance?
The entire world today is a reasonably unsafe spot. Accidents can happen wherever, as part of your business office, though on holiday getaway and also while in the safety of your unique dwelling. If you need a peace of mind of not having to be bothered about what would happen for you and your family immediately after fate dealt you having an accident that leads to you to become disabled and then worrying of not currently being in a position to make as much as ahead of to purchase your bills or your health-related costs, then an insurance coverage policy is that which you want. There are plenty of differing types of insurance coverage agencies that have policies that may be customised to suit every last life style. An insurance coverage coverage is great for the keep at your house mother or maybe the youthful, ambitious and upwardly mobile. They would no more need to have to worry of any accidents that could materialize because they dwell their lives.
In its most basic kind, a Daily life insurance coverage policy would be defined as being a contract involving an insurance plan agency (the Insurer) along with the policy holder during which the Insurer would spend a predetermined level of money towards the beneficiary on the demise with the one that is insured. Relying about the contract, the policy could also include things like lump sum payments in the occasion of crucial or terminal diseases. In return, the policy holder would concur to produce payments in month to month installments or in complete lump sums. Your everyday life as well as your overall health is really a priceless reference and owning an insurance policy that reflects that is definitely the most crucial investment in your lifestyle.
An important part of having a fantastic monumental life insurance would be to get in contact while using the companies that sell them. Some of the insurance policy businesses are identified to be hiring agents who might not have your well-being and security in brain, often wanting to sell low-priced policies having an impressive array of economic jargon to ensure that they might produce a residing off their marked up price ranges, so do be over the lookout for them. As being a would-be policy holder, you’ll also need to have to know on (and have the right to learn) what existence incidents you will be insured on, what exceptions which the policy has and also to know when they also have a very “deposits only” daily life financial savings plan, in any other case generally known as an Investment Coverage, that can be attached on top rated on the ordinary insurance coverage coverage.
The money that would be put aside regular monthly could expand in fascination calendar year on 12 months, plus the total would boost indefinitely until eventually you are feeling that it’s time to shut the account and just take out the income from the monumental lifestyle insurance coverage account, which might, as most insurance coverage agents would recommend, most likely be 25 to thirty ages from now, leaving you using a very good sufficient nest egg so that you can retire on and never needing to fret about capital and getting a task properly into your twilight many years.
The strategies in use now are a million miles away from the techniques employed barely twenty five a long time ago.
in the past. This also applies to forex charting methods. Great Site The moment all over again Warren Buffett (sure, he is one of the worlds finest businessmen) claimed In the company planet, the rear-view mirror is often clearer than the windshield. That is why understanding your charts and staying able to use them in to trade is these a useful tool Historically there have been four distinct chart style:. Contemplating Of Currency trading Buying and selling? 3 Essential Queries To Ask Your self.
Is This What You Are Looking For On Bad Credit Home Loan?
There is a common belief that it is difficult or even impossible to obtain a home loan if you have a bad credit history or if you cannot afford to pay extremely high interest rates. Well, the good news is that there are ways of getting such a loan in the form of bad credit home loans or mortgage loans. If you use the house as collateral, it is very likely that your home loan application will be seriously analyzed for a mortgage approval. However, before taking any steps in getting a bad credit home loan, verify all the payment details and the loan amount available; also, make efforts to put your credit reports in order; and obviously search for bad credit home loans lenders.
It is important to know the value of the property and the bad credit home loan amount in the first place since mortgage lenders use these two elements to determine the LTV ratio. The concept of LTV refers to the borrowed amount divided by the home value. It is normal that the bad credit home loan amount be lower, compared to the value of your house, because a lower LTV means higher chances to the loan. It shouldn’t be difficult to find lenders willing to give you such a loan with an LTV either at or lower than 80%.
Hopefully the information presented so far about bad credit home loans has been applicable. You might also want to keep reading so that you will discover more interesting tips that you previously didn’t know about. That said, keep reading the rest of this article.
In order to be prepared for a bad credit home loan, you should start by cleaning up your credit record some months in advance. Pay you credit due on time and ask for copies of your credit report from three major reporting agencies, and do it at least one month before you apply for the loan. Once you get these copies check them for any possible errors and, if you find some, get the agencies to correct them, in order to increase your credit score.
Finally, do your best to find the most appropriate lender in order to get yourself a good deal on the bad credit home loan and to save money. Online research could help you decide who to work with, thanks to the many details available on websites. Thus, you will be able to get the necessary information and compare the packages for borrowers with a bad credit history like you. As a result you will have the opportunity to select the matches your purposes. You should be aware that bad credit home loans are not an impediment to your achieving set goals.
Regardless of how much you feel you are informed about bad credit home loans and even on home equity loans, visit this informative site and be thrilled with really essential information.
Nevertheless, in light of my queries previously mentioned, I know what the ailments will be.
How points have changed. The procedures in use now are a million miles absent from the techniques applied barely twenty five several years in the past.
This also applies to forex charting See Here systems. After yet again Warren Buffett (indeed, he is one of the worlds best businessmen) reported In the business entire world, the rear-see mirror is normally clearer than the windshield.
That is why knowledge your charts and currently being ready to use them in to trade is this kind of a useful instrument Historically there have been 4 several chart type:.
That is why comprehending your charts and becoming able to use them in to trade is these a practical tool Historically there have been 4 unique chart form:.
How issues have improved. The methods in use now are a million miles absent from the procedures applied barely 25 a long time ago. This also applies to fx charting approaches. When yet again Warren Buffett (sure, he is one particular of the worlds finest businessmen) stated In the small business globe, the rear-watch mirror is always clearer than the windshield. That is why knowing your charts and being ready to use them in to trade is such a advantageous device Historically there have been 4 diverse chart type:.
Thinking Of Forex Investing? 3 Essential Inquiries To Inquire On your own. Will I go again to trading the funds markets once again? Unquestionably the answer must be sure. I have a true enthusiasm for buying and selling, and 1 day I will return. Having said that, in light of my inquiries above, I know what the ailments will be.
A holiday getaway is a vital time to refresh you by traveling to various parts of your globe. It is actually that which you function for and owe on your own. When you have got meticulously planned every last part of a trip, you’ll find however chances of issues heading awry due to occasions outside of your handle an damage or sickness on a trip, can be unpleasant and high priced. Journey Guard can be a “Global Journey Protection” coverage underwritten with the TATA AIG General Insurance coverage Organization Minimal.Journey Guard may possibly be bought by any Indian residents between the ages of six months and 70 several years even for journey abroad on business or leisure and so on… For just a finish bailout from unnerving encounters even though traveling you may need TATA AIG Travel Guard journey insurance plan presents great travel insurance protection. A number of the travel merchandise supplied by TATA AIG journey insurance are, Travel insurance coverage, University student insurance plan, Asia Travel, Domestic Journey, and Annual Multi Journey.
TATA AIG journey insurance plan can be a adaptable travel insurance plan prepare, you can find there are actually programs out there beneath the single journey they may be Silver, Gold, Platinum. Additionally, there are two possibilities under an Annual Multi Journey plan exactly where a traveler can get an Yearly Multi trip and Platinum Plans. This Indian insurance policy method insurance coverage merchandise are significant on company excellence, world-wide coverage and appeal for cash. This covers large amount of health-related rewards like accidents, healthcare fees, emergency healthcare evacuation, and loss of passport, private liability, trip delay, and emergency money upfront etc. To insured under journey insurance plan prospects have to have no health-related certification in spite of age nevertheless you do need to have a declaration of new health-related background.
Any pre-existing ailments or medical circumstances are usually not coated below insurance policy coverage.Prospects can Invest in TATA AIG journey insurance coverage using a credit score card wherever while in the planet. The majority of the buyers pay for the travel insurance India from the USA,. United kingdom… etc… for mothers and fathers or family members traveling from India.
You can use worldwide credit cards or Indian debit cards for obtaining. On completing the overseas medical insurance application and buy using a credit score card, you might receive an instantaneous acknowledge of the journey program.
The issued TATA AIG travel Insurance coverage approach together with statements treatment and appropriate paperwork will be emailed towards the e-mail adders offered within the software. The coverage will also be couriered for the Indian address as furnished within the application if requested with the Insurance plan consumer. For prospects who really don’t choose to use the credit score card, on the internet, payment is usually designed by cheque or DD. To clarify your uncertainties you may get in touch with at +91(80) 4110 1026 in India. Wellbeing insurance Advisor will give you guidance, by which you are able to pot to get a method that most effective fits your desired requirements.
Tata AIG has access to that skills – this means you get the providers of a multilingual team familiar with local ailments and methods. Needless to say, each journey product or service sets benchmarks on provider excellence, around the world coverage and appeal for dollars.This insurance coverage is obtainable to India citizens only. Be insured less than professional medical insurance before you decide to commence your travel and anticipate to possess a satisfied and peaceful travel.
Even if you finish up earning no earnings but not having a reduction possibly you should really take into consideration your self to be winner in the trade. Keep in mind this. You would as a result be completely unaware of them.
It thus becomes an fantastic source of secondary cash flow.
Blog URL The 1st is simply just to wait for the price to break out for this variety, both upwards or downwards.
If you are a novice trader, you may possibly obtain Currency trading trading just a very little bit also complex, with so a lot of things occurring at the exact same time.
The moment you are convinced your brain is obvious then the best recommendation for the forex trading trader next would be to exploration your heart out. There are two: fundamental analysis and technical analysis.
Long-term disability insurance is just about the most crucial types of insurance policy somebody can unique. It safeguards one’s revenue, that is probably the most useful financial asset of any doing work human being, who’s not independently rich. Despite the fact that, disability insurance policy is really a pretty precise type of coverage with numerous distinct provisions and definitions presented, it can be critical for pros serious about obtaining coverage to comprehend the essential anatomy in the policy as well.
When Do I Get Compensated? The provision that describes when positive aspects start off is known as the “elimination period”. The majority of the major insurance carriers give 30-day, 60-day, 90-day, 180-day, 360-day and 720-day elimination periods. The truth is the fact that this provision should not be taken lightly and need to entail at the least a essential analysis of your respective overall economic condition. Should you have sufficient liquid assets in reserve, to cover six -12 months worthy of of fees, than it could be sensible so that you can take into account a 180-day or 360-day elimination period relatively than 90-day or 60-day. This cuts down the price of your long-term disability insurance policy, but however makes certain which you are adequately shielded in case of a long-term disability. When you do not have satisfactory personal savings, than it might probably be highly recommended to pick a 90-day waiting interval in its place, or potentially even shorter. It’s critical to consider your total fiscal predicament into context when deciding about the elimination interval for the policy.
How Extended Do I Get Paid? The benefit period of time of a disability insurance coverage policy establishes the duration of time for which a gain is paid for any single period of time of disability. Most insurance coverage companies providing long-term disability insurance coverage today offer you a 2-year, 5-year, 10-year also to age 65 advantage. For your long-term disability declare, the “to age 65″ advantage plainly supplies the greatest stage of protection. However, additionally it is important that you simply have an understanding of exactly how the shorter expression added benefits operate also. A 5-year reward period signifies that for a solitary period of disability, you will be eligible to receive rewards for as much as 5-years. Nonetheless, should you recover from your disability, return to work and then go on a separate declare 2 several years later on, the full 5-year gain period of time is accessible once more. The 5-year reward period is just not only beneficial for 5 single ages, but instead a 5-year period for any single time period of disability.
How Do I Get Compensated? Comprehension the circumstances by which just one may possibly qualify for advantages is probably the most crucial issue you can do ahead of in fact obtaining a policy. The provision that describes these conditions is known as the “definition of complete disability”. There are many different versions of this definition available in modern day market location and with no influencing your thoughts and opinions, I just recommend you critique this provision with care. There are many variations which are certain towards the duties of the occupation (for the time of disability) and some others which are far more generalized and basically relevant to any occupation. Knowing which definitions are more favorable is usually vital in deciding upon the most beneficial disability insurance policy coverage. Critique this provision and focus on it using your insurance plan agent or financial advisor.
Given that not all disabilities are whole disabilities, it is usually essential for being sure your policy can pay gains for partial disabilities at the same time. A partial disability is just one in which an injury or illness triggers you a 20% or higher reduction of cash flow. The provision that addresses partial disabilities is called the residual disability advantage and ought to also be reviewed together with your insurance policy representative.
Your credit rating will influence your chances for a credit refinance for sure, but they don’t have to paralyze it. You know how it works; your interest rate will climb for every bad marker on your credit history, and it will drop for every good pointer. You are in better shape if you just fix your credit score once and for all.
Many people are not aware of this, but it’s a reality today. Refinancing your existing mortgage may be the only way to get a home equity line of credit. And if you like, you may decide that it is some other kind of loan that you want for it. What you happen to do with it is really your call, but try to see that you are at least smart about it.
There are many new practices in the lending industry that are simply in place to help people who can’t seem to get a grip on their expenses. Some aren’t really new practices, they are just improvements on old ones. Something like credit refinance, for instance. It allows you to consolidate your debts with greater ease.
Read to this carefully as it might help you – There are specialized lenders who will gladly refinance any loan you want them to, as long as they are convinced that you are for real. The problem is that a bad credit history will tarnish any credibility you have with anyone. So do yourself a favor and don’t mess up your credit.
An interest rate that you can afford is certainly attractive enough to bring you in for credit refinance. However, you want to do it with a firm that will not sell you out and not one that cares nothing for you. That is why you want to be careful as you surf the internet for them.
The best way to consolidate debts is through credit refinance. Bringing all the other monies you owe and their interests together under a single lower interest loan sure makes a lot of sense. It is certainly a way in which you can be totally free in a shorter time.
There are lots of ways on how you can avail of payday loans. Payday loans are a service offered by many lending companies. You can ask your local lending companies if they have this type of service. They charge a small fee once you choose to avail of this type of loan. If you cannot find this kind of service in your local lending shops, you could also search the internet for it. The internet provides a great way for you to search for companies who have this service. The companies have websites in the internet. They would guide you through the process of availing the loan. They would also state how much you are going to pay if you want to avail of this service. A step by step procedure on how this is done is available in their websites. It is good to know that there are services that would help you get the money that you need on time.
Will I go back again to investing the capital markets again? Without doubt the solution will have to be sure.
How points have altered. The tactics in use now are a million miles absent from the methods put to use barely twenty five several years ago.
This also applies to foreign exchange charting approaches. As soon as once again Warren Buffett (indeed, he is one of the worlds biggest businessmen) said In the organization earth, the rear-see mirror is continually clearer than the windshield. That is why comprehension your charts and becoming able to use them in to trade is these a useful instrument Historically there have been four distinctive chart type:. Contemplating Of Forex Investing? 3 Crucial Concerns To Ask Your self. Will I go again to investing the capital markets once more? Undoubtedly the solution should be yes.
Internet banking, like any other business arena, is vunerable to fraud. Phonies abound in every the category of business, and this is no different. Yet, there are several ways you can prevent being taken.
One kind of fraud is done on fake bank sites. They’re look-alike sites that imitate your online banking website. They sometimes appear when you type in a slight misspelling of one’s bank’s web address.
If you are not focusing, you can type in your username and password before you realize you are not connected to your own bank at all. Always type in the bank’s web address carefully to stop this from happening. Most banks have names that are simple to remember, so this ought not take too much effort.
A different type of fraud is “phishing.” This is the use of emails to lure you onto a fake bank website to steal your details. You might open the email and discover a request for information from “your bank.” One of the links will be provided to you.
In the event you click on the link and navigate to the fake bank site, you might give up all kinds of valuable information should you not pay attention to what is happening. You could be asked not only your specific internet banking information. You could also be asked for other private data much like your social security number, or your driver’s license number.
Think about remember is that a legitimate internet banking operation won’t ask you for the password on your account. This is your private information and you ought to not give it to anyone, even when they claim to be from the bank.
Your bank may also never ask for personal information using an email link. Anytime you handle the bank online, type in the bank’s name yourself. Then look to be sure the closed lock symbol appears about the upper right corner of your respective screen. You will never go to your internet banking website without getting able to see that locked padlock symbol.
Sometimes, regardless of what you do, a fraudster will find a way into your bank account. The best defense is to watch your account carefully. In case you always know what money is commencing and out of your account, you will observe if something unexpected is going on.
If you see withdrawals on your account that you did not make, be sure to report it for a bank right away. Internet banking frauds will often be hard to find. If you do not act quickly, you create it nearly impossible.
Once you have reported it, you possibly can make arrangements to put your money in a whole new secure account. This way, the crooks will be able to steal less money from your account and you’ll not be vulnerable to further attacks.
The bank has many procedures to safeguard the safety of your internet banking. However, you may fare better if you take some steps to shield yourself as well. It only is sensible.
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In the world of GFC, it’s so easy to overlook one bill or one particular pay back to mud your financial history. That’s the reason a lot of us now have got the what are known as adverse credit. Consequently, loans for less-than-perfect credit borrowers usually are very popular. And if you perform any investigating on “bad credit ratings loan”, you’ll retrieve an abundance of recommendations on the way to get hold of the lowest rate of interest. You’ll also see an abundance of folks ready to offer you a poor credit bank loan, on the contrary you’d be making miscalculation to accept it.
So why, it is somewhat as the next illustration shows. Assume you now must to obtain a loan to buy a building, if you have a low credit score, then regardlesss of how hard you choose to do the searching, you will always must pay for higher intereste reate than if you have fine credit history. Along with fine credit score, you might have home financing financial loan at 6% interest. But nevertheless , a low credit score mortgage can cost you nearer to 12%. If you secure a $100,000 mortgage more than 30 years, the visible difference you’d pay for in interest comes down to a massive $154,461.60 MORE mainly because you may have less-than-perfect credit. That’s in excess of 1½ times the finance itself!
So can be you wondering how to obtain a lot better interest rate for a less-than-perfect credit financial loan? The reply might not be something you were assuming.
What you need is to “think outside the box.” Easy methods to have a below-average credit financial loan with the ideal rate of interest is to NOT get hold of just one! Instead, invest two months fixing your poor credit, then try to find a “good credit history loan” as an alternative.
This reply perhaps may come as something of a great shock to you. Most likely, quite a few arguments to this particular solution arrives to mind.
? Well, could it possibly be worth a reductions of $150,000 or more? Might you do not be looking for a $100,000 loan. But then even if you desire to borrow only $10,000 or so, the more suitable rates you’ll enjoy having good credit history will be able to still help you save several thousand dollars.
It’s often achievable to earn very an important improvement in your credit rating rating in barely a couple of months, and even less than four weeks.
For a portion of your cost of a professional agency, acquire a great guide on credit score mend that are going to take you step-by-step through the whole technique.
Don’t be afraid of the very idea of mending your very own credit. If you could write quite a few letters, address the envelops, put some postage stamps on them, and mail them it is possible to restoration your personal credit history.
Your option comes down to this unique; you will have two options.
1. It is possible to invest a while (probably a LOT of time) trying to find a bad credit score loan product using the lowest easy enough rate, whilst still being find yourself paying thousands (even 1000′s) more in interest.
2. You can actually spend a while improving your credit and throw away those thousands on your own family’s wants, preferably instead of paying them to your loan company.
Do you actually assume your loan service demands your hard earned cash well over you and your family have it? Anyone can build up restoring their own credit history. That’s right, any one!
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A determination to stick with a buying and selling program, have a very long term view, and stay clear of any temptation to tweak or break the guidelines.
How issues have modified. The procedures in use now are a million miles absent from the methods put to use barely twenty five decades in the past. This also applies to forex trading charting procedures. After again Warren Buffett (indeed, he is an individual of the worlds greatest businessmen) stated In the business enterprise globe, the rear-see mirror is continually clearer than the windshield. That is why knowing your charts and currently being in a position to use them in to trade is such a useful tool Historically there have been 4 distinct chart Great Site type:.
Thinking Of Fx Investing? 3 Major Questions To Inquire All by yourself. Will I go back again to buying and selling the money markets again? Unquestionably the reply ought to be sure.
1 day I will return. However, in light of my queries over, I know what the Webpage conditions will be. A determination to stick with a investing program, have a lengthy phrase see, and keep clear of any temptation to tweak or break the guidelines.
Get to Know the Components That Have an impact on Currency trading Trading. The forex market place or the Forex market can be explained as a significant network of worldwide businesses and folks concerned in the organization of marketing and acquiring diverse types of currency or revenue. Foreign exchange trading is based on a spot sector in which participants can trade at the recent sector fee as dictated by the laws of supply and desire. This means that you are buying and selling funds for revenue at the current sector cost.
Are you kidding me? Needless to say Ignite Energy isn’t a scam. In this article, I’ll discuss exactly why folks are claiming that it is. This really is from a third party perspective, I’m certainly not connected to the business, but I was previously a customer with the company.
The major reason people might think that this business opportunity is a scam is that a lot of people do not earn there initially investment back after they join the business. To get started in Ignite, it takes a $299 investment. There is also a continuous $25 monthly fee. What typically happens is this: Someone watches a video about the home based business, gets excited, pays the $299 and is officially a power broker. He shares the business enterprise plan with friends and family, but not most of them get involved in the company. This new distributor gets extremely frustrated, quits the business, and claims that it’s a scam.
The example above is a common scenerio for many home based companies, not just Ignite. What folks indirect sales do not realize is always that direct selling has nothing to do with selling. What it has to do with is building rapport with folks. It isn’t about hounding your Aunt Sally to join, when she’s no desire to actually have a home-based business.
The key is to locate individuals who are already interested in an online business. Why spend never ending hours prospecting people that don’t want to be their very own boss? Would you agree that this can be a waste of time? What you need to do if find those who want financial freedom and residual income, as opposed to those who would like to be an employee for the rest of their life.
The problem is that individuals in many cases are trained in direct sales to approach their warm market, which only is sensible because these are the individuals who know, like, and trust us. When folks know, like, and trust us, they may be more likely to do business with you. But the problem is that after people run out of their warm market, they don’t have any more individuals to show their business to.
Wouldn’t make sense that our marketplace be other home business owners? If you target individuals who already have an internet business, you will never get the response of: Is this a gimmick or a pyramid? Now, I am sure that you’re thinking things I first thought initially. Why would I target somebody that has already been in the home business? Statistically 97% of men and women home based companies are not making any cash. Most don’t have a mentor or coach, which if you wish to succeed is a thing that you must have. If you’re able to become that coach in their mind and they like you, then they will join you in business.
In order to create a huge organization than you should step out of your comfort zone and turn into that leader you need to be. Anyone can build a huge team, however it is your decision get educated and skilled on marketing and leadership and do items that make you feel uncomfortable. I used to be scared to death about doing live webinars, I actually do them of the time now which is so nice to obtain compliments on them and have individuals let me know how much We have helped them! Isn’t this what this business is all about, helping other folks get what they desire out of life?
Stream Energy Scam Scam – Why So Many Complaints?
For those who have stumbled across this short article then chances are you are either involved in Ignite Stream Energy otherwise you want to become involved. My goal for you would be to give you information regarding the business so that you can decide whether it is sensible to get involved. I had been a customer of the company, but at present, I’m not.
To start I would like to clear up some confusion, I know that we first had relating to this business. When I first learned all about this company, I did not know the relationship between Ignite and Stream, all I knew was that they are associated somehow. So, the way the organization is structured is: Stream Energy is the retail energy supplier and Ignite is the multi-level marketing distribution channel for Stream Energy. Ignite will not supply energy, they just compensate representatives for gathering customers on behalf of Stream.
Today, you are able to turn into a customer if you reside inside the following states: Texas, Pennsylvania, Ga, and Maryland. Becoming a customer is a breeze and you will become a customer free of charge. It’s almost guaranteed that should you switch to Stream, you will be paying a more affordable energy rate. It is possible to want to have a fixed energy rate, for this you’re locked in to a year contract otherwise you can elect a variable rate, in which you have a monthly contract. I became a customer of Stream. I loved the fact that the enrollment was really easy and I experienced no issues with the company in any way. So, the corporation is definitely not a scam.
I did wind up quitting Ignite and went to a different energy provider. While I used to be a customer I had no want to link up as a distributor for the company because I was already associated with another direct selling company. To begin with in Ignite, there exists a $299 initial investment and you will have to pay $25 on a monthly basis. I discovered a company that needs no investment to begin with and without any fees each month. It seemed like I really could help a lot of individuals in this bad economy if I could offer folks a way to earn an income from the home that did not require a big investment, and so I made a decision to join that business.
If you choose to join Ignite and you also wish to build a big team, unless you have a big warm market, you need to use the internet to discover new team members. Using the internet is a great approach to expose your business to the masses and discover new team members. The issue with this is that many people have no idea how to promote on the internet and putting ads on Craigslist is not as productive as it was previously. So, instead of wondering if this company is a scam, you should concentrate on the method that you are going to grow your business.
After reading this column about the Stream Energy Scam, you will aspire to start your education and understand marketing talent that will bring you distributers to expand your business and be the leader you aim to be, Get access to our completely no cost resource handbook, click here: Stream Energy Scam .
Protection and safety are two fundamental requires that have to be significantly regarded as. Accidents, fatalities, accidents and illness are unpredictable occurrences, nevertheless tough we try in order to avoid them. By accepting the fact that daily life is fragile and facing fact head on, the best way to face the long run is through the use of a reputable and cost-effective insurance policy prepare.
Wellbeing insurance coverage quotes are very good sources of information any time you are thinking of gaining an insurance policy prepare for your self, your loved ones and/or your business. You could surf the online world and come across insurance coverage agencies to be able to personally go over policy provisions with their insurance policy agents or chat to buyer services agents on-line or via the phone.
Prior to you purchase an insurance policy prepare, it might be sensible to respond to the subsequent questions evidently and fully.
!P What on earth is your have to have?
Pick out an insurance plan program that could most effective meet your and your family or company’s needs. In addition, it must be one particular that fits your spending budget. In addition, you have got to determine what sort of insurance policy policy you will want.
Fundamentally, you will discover a few key varieties insurance policy ideas, specifically: Individual Health Insurance that’s made for any single particular person and that’s typically designed especially for individual; Relatives Wellness Insurance policy is supposed for that self-employed or for persons who do the job to get a little corporation that does not present overall health protection; and Group Well-being Insurance plan is for any enterprise proprietor who really wants to enable his/her workforce purchase well being protection.
!P The amount of is your funds?
The second stage to contemplate is your finances. Simply how much have you been ready to pay for a health plan and just how considerably are you able to manage? Really don’t be deceived by appearances; bear in mind the lowest cost won’t constantly guarantee that the strategy is giving the best deal. Find out to seek advice from gurus and well-being insurance coverage estimates to receive into the information of every prepare featured for you. You may seek advice from an insurance coverage agent or insurance broker for the rates and providers or advantages that each program might entail.
Payday loans is best way to get rid of bills.
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Top 3 Best Credit Cards of 2011 Getting yourself a credit card is one of the many plus sides of living in today’s society. Because it functions just like cash, a credit card can be of assistance in getting you many of your basic necessities like food and clothing, and it can even help you pay your rent or even help you out on your medical bills if the need arises. The nice thing about having a credit card is that you can buy or pay for whatever your immediate needs now and then worry about paying the creditor later. If you have been thinking about getting your own credit card, or if you already have one but think that maybe you need a supplemental card, then it is highly advisable that you get yourself acquainted with some of 2011’s best credit cards. Knowing which card to get is as important as the money that you invest into them later on. The list of 2011 best credit cards was compiled to highlight the best ones in the market today. 2011 best credit cards are considered some of the most widely accepted and internationally recognized cards there are. When choosing from 2011 best credit cards, keep in mind that, just like any other card, you must look for one that offers you the most value. Choose the card that will not burden you with excessive and usually unnecessary fees. There are credit card companies that will offer rewards for using the card that the customers can use at their own discretion, and there are those who offer customers the chance to avail of the card on promotional rates and they usually pair this up with waiving certain charges like annual fees. In keeping with this financial trend, the 2011 best credit cards also give their customers all these bonus features, plus possibly some extra features as well.
Gold Delta SkyMiles® from American Express is one of 2011 best credit cards. This credit card has garnered such an extensive reputation for giving its customers a multitude of benefits. The well known Delta SkyMiles associated themselves with the equally prominent label, American Express and their union gave way to a credit card that offers the best of both their worlds. With each use, the holder of one of 2011 best credit cards gets credited with air miles, not to mention that upon signing up, they are instantly credited with 20,000 miles as a new customer welcoming bonus. This member of 2011 best credit cards also gets to avail of very reasonable interest rates, 24/7 hotlines for travel and luggage problems, travel insurance, online and mobile monitoring, plus travel assistance when the card holder needs it. Obviously, this card is best suited for the frequent flyers of today.
Another card that has made it to the list of 2011 best credit cards is the Household Bank® Rewards Mastercard. Probably the most prominent feature about this little blue card is that it offers its credit card holders a 2% cash back promotion on all the purchases made using the card. This money back system works through points accrual. Card holders get 2 points for every dollar spent, and the rebates start at the 2500 point mark. Added features include a 24/7 hotline where customer service, which are a basic feature in most of 2011 best credit cards.
The 2011 best credit cards list has another addition to its list of prestigious credit cards that offer customers significant value. The BillMyParents® Reloadable Prepaid Mastercard. As the name implies, this card is intended for the younger card wielding generation of today. One of the great things about this credit card is that it allows parents to keep track of their children’s spending habits while also giving them the option of either extending the credit line, or putting a stop to it. And because it has been chosen as one of 2011 best credit cards, it also offers most of the streamlined features other cards on the 2011 best credit cards list.
Having a credit card is undeniably convenient and handy. What’s even better than having one is having one from the 2011 best credit cards roster, which ensures that you are getting only the most excellent offers and promotions in the market. So before you decide on which one to take, peruse the cards on the 2011 best credit cards list and prepare to be impressed.
Yet, in light of my inquiries previously mentioned, I know what the problems will be.
How elements have modified. The ways in use now are a million miles away from the procedures put to use barely 25 a long time ago.
Even so, in light of my issues earlier mentioned, I know what the disorders will be.
How issues have improved. See Page The techniques in use now are a million miles absent from the procedures utilised barely 25 several years in the past.
This also applies to forex trading charting systems. Once yet again Warren Buffett (yes, he is a person of the worlds greatest businessmen) stated In the small business world, the rear-view mirror is always clearer than the windshield.
That is why comprehension your charts and staying in a position to use them in to trade is these a practical tool Historically there have been four several chart form:. Considering Of Foreign exchange Trading? 3 Essential Questions To Inquire Oneself. Will I go again to buying and selling the cash markets once more? Without doubt the response will have to be yes.
I have a true passion for buying and selling, and an individual day I will return. Having said that, in light of my problems over, I know what the conditions will be. A dedication to stick with a investing procedure, have a lengthy term see, and prevent any temptation to tweak or break the principles.
Cash is something you need sometimes for numerous emergency will cause. As you lookup for the amount of money and avoid getting the idea, you feel discouraged. Throughout this, you try to banking institutions and apply for loans. Finding a loan is not that easy however when you obtain it on saying yes to many phrases and problems, you are feeling allayed. You think the stress moments possess handed down but actually, the strain regarding paying back the loan drops like a problem you, that you’ve to cover back in repayments together with curiosity. Currently occasionally, your own debt turns into therefore large which you cannot require a sigh involving reduction. Below this sort of circumstances, the debt deal would be a suitable determination to look at. This is a give up associated with settlement using your collector. If they accept to the circumstances of the contract then you certainly, that now’s legitimately binding for these. Monk Symes may be the largest on the list of supplier with the debt arrangement Sydney firms.
You could possibly propose for the debt agreement within the Area X of the Bankruptcy Behave. You are able to enter into the particular contract if you’re not insolvent. The right after levy earnings have to be less than $66,284.Forty the year. Before you decide to may well access such an arrangement, you have to make certain that the quantity of unprotected debt is not more than $88,379.Twenty. The final problem to which you could possibly type in the debt contract Australia is you must prove you are financially troubled.
An individual can always be named a great insolvent any time he gets not able to shell out the actual debt she has in the perfect time. There is a distinction between staying broke and putting forward a new debt deal. However, you are performing a role associated with bankruptcy if you distribute this arrangement. The job associated with convincing creditors to take your own agreement is a difficult career. Whenever they don’t accept your pitch then your contract won’t come about. Hence , it is, under your control to work with give it your all impact these to concur your proposal. For this you need to put in the front ones the particular financial condition regarding your own. They have to end up being furnished the top discounts so they find interested in producing an agreement along with you. You can’t fault your service provider associated with debt deal Sydney for denial of your respective proposal because of your financial institution. The actual acceptance or perhaps being rejected is actually wholly dependent on the will and want of the lender. Checkout more other useful reviews related to mass health insurance, mass health insurance plans and mass health insurance law.
As a result of economic hardship that will beset our own land, there was a drastic alter on the way loan companies of credit card financial obligations reunite with their collectors. During the past, lenders would have to undergo a painful occasion just before help was made open to them. This even contains alleviation for the charges costs they’ve incurred with time.
The loan panorama has transformed creating debt relief easy to get to for just about all debtors. Several debt relief choices may even help reduce the key loan amount borrowed. These adjustments possess provided the particular borrowers an opportunity to lessen their debt and to eliminate credit card debt quick.
Credit businesses typically cope with collectors implementing for debt relief over a specialist way. They tend to create things search just as if everything is the only problem with the debtor. There will become zero potential for getting rid of charges costs waiver as well as attention waiver. Using the adjustments to the overall economy, stuff has changed.
Creditors have become about the shedding end and additionally they must acquire the particular united state’s stimulus package. Even though reduction how the federal government presents will be encouraging, it really is along with a weighty value which is to grant debt relief choices to borrowers. This specific ensures that auto weather will soon get back to their track and people get rest from their own enormous fiscal burdens.
Lenders are now usually offering debt relief by way of debt consolidation, negotiation and additional solutions that allows switching associated with debt from their account to a new lender. Nowadays, the average financial institution offers around $30,000 debt propagate throughout 6 diverse collectors. It’s not uncommon for lenders to supply to cut far from the first debt, with respect to the negotiations how the borrower tends to make.
After an agreement can be fulfilled, the actual borrower may possibly be forced to pay $15,000 to the first $30,000 debt. That is a lot better than departing your own personal credit record inside poor condition. To utilize this debt relief, the person should available a forex account and repay the actual debt using that consideration over a payment amount time period.
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Somehow, regardless of how much we earn every month, there comes the time when you just do not have enough to get through the month. When faced with a situation like that, we usually end up taking a loan keeping one of our assets as collateral. Such loans usually take a while before they are processed since they involve many credit checks and paperwork. Or we may settle with asking a friend for a loan. But, in this modern world, do you not want to keep your dignity? Lending money is always a boost to the ego whereas borrowing money is like letting someone else walk over you. In order to cope with shortages of cash in emergency situations and keep your dignity, financial institutions have specially designed short term loans called quick cash loans.
Quick cash loans are the kind of loans that can be applied for when you are in a sudden need of money. Usually, you will be able to receive the loan within a day of applying. These loans, as mentioned before, are designed to solve temporary financial emergences that include petty expenses such as the urgent repair of a car, house improvement, travel expenses, medical treatment, child education expenses and so on. Requirements to be eligible to apply for these loans include being above 18 years of age, and a citizen of the country you apply in. You should have a stable job and a stable income to apply for such loans. Security, against which traditional loans are given, is also not necessary when applying for quick cash loans. Such loans do not see the difference between good credit and bed credit backgrounds. The rules are the same for all. The only concern in applying for these loans are the extra high interest rates involved.
Many companies deal with quick cash loans, be it online or otherwise. It is important that you carefully compare interest rates between companies and get the best quote, especially since quick cash loans have very high interest rates. Knowing exactly how much you will be expected to repay, including fees such as loan fees and penalty fees, will mean you know exactly what you are getting into before you apply for the loan. Going through the fine print in any document you sign is also a good idea. Finally do a thorough check on the companies that offer quick cash loans to make sure you know you are getting it from a company you can trust.
I know you might already be used to the bad and greedy credit institutions and companies out there. But the truth remains that some credit institutions and companies really do have your best interest in mind. You’d never know it though, until you are able to confront them. That is why you need to swallow your doubt and try them out with that debt consolidation plan. It might just work out far better than what you currently have.
A great way to deal with teeming debts is going for debt consolidation. This is a very smart idea for people who are having a great deal of trouble handling tons of different debts at the same time. A debt consolidation allows you to put all of your financial burdens some other company, while you just pay small bits to them. It is a chance you should be grateful for all the time.
Loans might be hard to come by when you have bad credit in your wake, making life such a horrible thing to live with. Suddenly, you can find every credit firm that you approach closing their door on you. However, a debt consolidation loan should just be perfect to fix that kind of situation because debt consolidation also helps with bad credit situations. Why not try to get that one?
The information related to debt consolidation presented here will do one of two things: either it will reinforce what you know about specific or general topic or it will teach you something new. Both are good outcomes.
The thing about debt consolidation is that it not only leaves you with a lower interest rate to deal with than what you owed before, but it also helps to repair any kind of bad credit that you have in your history. You know you can live without that kind of complication in your life. As such, once this one is done, you are eligible for another loan right away.
What you need to remember the most about debt consolidation is that it takes longer to pay off than some of the other debts that you owe. However, within that time, you get some much needed breathing space to think more clearly than before. In fact, your status could have changed enough to just pay it all off. It still is a good idea anyhow you look at it.
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The Internet holds a wealth of good websites where you would be able to gather all the necessary information about any subject on earth. If you are contemplating to refinance 2nd mortgage, you would be wondering where to go or whom to turn to. The websites available on the Internet have very informative and educative articles on this subject which will help you become familiar with the pros and cons of refinancing. They will give you the necessary advice and instructions on how to go about the refinancing in a way that will accrue all the benefits to you.
Prior to setting off to refinance 2nd mortgage, it is advantageous to educate yourself on the pros and cons of the whole exercise. If done correctly, it will greatly lessen your financial burdens. If poorly executed, you may end up with financially harmful results. When refinancing, time plays a great role in granting benefits. If you are in doubt, seek the assistance of a reliable mortgage-lending expert for advice.
Refinance 2nd mortgage is a good decision in the light of some reasons. If you think of combining your 1st mortgage loan with your 2nd mortgage loan so that they become a single loan, it is good to refinance 2nd mortgage. This way you will have the convenience of only one payment. To avail yourself of a better rate of interest is another good reason to go for refinance. When the interest rate has become lower in the financial market than what you are paying at present, then it is time for refinancing.
Every precaution must be taken when deciding to refinance your existing mortgage. Base your decision totally on your individual situation and personal wants. When making up your mind to refinance 2nd mortgage, give some thought to the terms and conditions, refinance expenses and the reasons for refinance. If you have any misgivings about refinancing, you could make use of some mortgage calculators found online to determine how beneficial it is to you.
You had better not jump headlong into it as refinance 2nd mortgage is beneficial to you in the long run. Wait till you locate the most appropriate lender that provides you the ideal terms and conditions that are compatible with your income.
When it comes to filing for bankruptcy it is important that a debtor comprehends all the options available to him or her before going headlong to file for bankruptcy. It is for this reason that the Bankruptcy Act is established and the same Act made it compulsory for all debtors to undergo counseling.
Do you want to avoid the pitfalls most debtors fall to? Then read this: you must complete your pre-bankruptcy credit counseling program that spans for one hundred and eighty days before filing for bankruptcy. Failure to complete this session within the stipulated period will result to the bankruptcy court dismissing your petition.
One precaution you must take when or before beginning a credit counseling program is this: ensure you search on the website of the Department of Justice to make you certain that the counselor that would counsel you is certified by the department as he or she would be on the approved list. If your counselor is not an approval counselor then it is the same as if you did not go through the session and you know what that means.
When receiving your certificate after attending and completing a credit counseling session make sure the certificate your received is the original one, as only credit counseling agencies that are cleared by the US Trustee program are permitted to issue certificates.
When it comes to filing bankruptcy it is important you understand that there could be some complexities in the bankruptcy filling process and even the credit counseling stipulations could add more difficulties to the whole process. So your best bet is to get the service of a professional bankruptcy handler or you carryout a thoroughly research about the whole process in order to avoid predictable pitfalls.
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A friend of mine told me there's a saying in Egypt "a knife that's not used much soon becomes dull." The same can be said on one level concerning our faith. We're all familiar with the testimonies of Christians (particularly in other lands) whose faith has grown and become strengthened as a result of being challenged, tested, opposed and even persecuted. While some may suggest that the challenges in the west and particularly in America may result in the decline of Christianity, I submit the opposite is true when it comes not just to the numbers of those who may profess the faith, but to the strength and vitality of those who truly belong to the faith and to the overall well-being of the body itself which is called by God's name.
Both challenges from without and those from within will serve to boost and strengthen the church in coming days. Not only will individuals and churches be forced to examine their foundations and distinctions, but division will come (which must happen in revealing those who are of God and those who are not), Christians will grow through the testing and practice of their faith, and churches will become stronger as they stand upon Biblical truth or become marginalized as they prove little or no difference from the world. Besides this, churches will benefit even from challenges that come from having to think and strategically plan so as not only to avoid decline but do those things which lead to health, growth and greater effectiveness.
With this in mind, I believe the context we live in and that which we will see in the coming years is a context not only in which true Christianity and evangelicalism but also and in particular the reformed faith can not only thrive but make significant strides. The greater the exposure, variety and extent of the challenges brought on and found between believers and unbelievers, in addition to the greater tendency toward rational arguments and exchanges, the more the strength and value of the reformed faith will be revealed. More and more, we're seeing the need for Christians, their children and their converts to know what they believe or risk being isolated, found irrelevant, and weakening in their witness in the world; and at the same time, more and more we're seeing the ability of those who hold to the gospel and its truth with great conviction and understanding not only to gain a greater hearing but to have a significant impact in the world as apologetics and winsome character, love, and message are becoming the sway that wins the day. In a time when there's great sinfulness, hopelessness, confusion, searching, darkness, and hardness of heart; what better context both for us and our message to be sharpened and honed so that we might become more useful and effective both in cutting to the chase and in serving as instruments in the Lord's hand to bring the gospel cuts even to the heart, circumcising it, and doing away with the filthy and bad while promoting life, health, purity and prosperity.
It's great to see not just the historic reformed community participating in apologetics, but seeing Christians from other backgrounds taking interest and steps in apologetics as well. I look forward to seeing these new bridges, relationships, and partnerships being developed, even as the city of God protects itself and advances against both her enemies and the enemies of God, taking not the weapons of this world in hand, but the sword of the Spirit, God's holy word.
c1 - The worship elements laid out in the Psalms are allowable for public worship unless abrogated by the NT.
The lesson is that unforgiveness leads to this bitterness and then opens you up to the spirit of Satan, to the spirit of whatever, and when that occurs, it becomes a power that people cannot control,'' said Ronald Murray, a neurologist.
Without forgiveness,'' Ronald Murray said, ''I don't think we could have moved on.
Quotes by Ronald Murray, father of the young man who killed four people at a church and a missionary training center in Denver. Quotes provide a powerful confirmation of truths taught in Scripture. Quotes were taken from article entitled Parents Tell of Church Shooter's Anguish .
May the Lord be with this family.
From a scietific perspective, the only hope for humanity...celestial bumperpool!
Note: it's not that Christians are opposed to science and the study of the physical realm, but to suggest one knows when the earth will cease to exist is like assuming to know all that tomorrow brings.
Yet the exhibition’s overarching theme, the ability to switch fluidly from the scale of the atom to the scale of entire cities, may sound a death knell for the tired ideological divides of the last century, between modernity and history, technology and man, individual and collective. It should be required viewing for anyone who believes that our civilization is heading back toward the Dark Ages.
The above quote is from an article in the NY Times about "Design and the Elastic Mind,” which is described as "an exhilarating new show opening on Sunday at the Museum of Modern Art." The quote communicates this year's theme which is different but still one in a line of themes which have characterized the art show over the years.
As students of worldviews recognize, art often reflects the thinking, mindset, apsirations, hopes and even struggles of a particular age. It's not surprising that science and technology plays a predominant role in this year's show. Nor is it surprising that phrases like "hold the key to paradise" and "shaped by an unwavering faith in the transformative powers of technology" appear in this article.
However, the article is telling of the future... when it in seeking to set apart this years theme of science and technology not only distinguishes it from themes of the past, but reveals it as one in a line of changing themes and in a line that is clearly subject to more change.
There's no doubt that with scientific advancements we will continue (as people have been in the past) to be facinated and impressed with the changes; however the question of whether man's hope and supreme pleasure lies in it will certainly not remain in the place where it may be found today (and in this year's art show). In fact, I saw a man on TV the other day who stated there's even a new form of interest and entertainment (agri-tainment, agri-tourism) where some are moving in the opposite direction and looking back to the simple things of nature and fellowship for fun.
Hope in science and technology... this too shall pass (as have the other themes)... as the only real hope and satisfaction is found in God.
Fuller, 69, who has lived for several years with his wife, Prue, in Squamish, where he plans to remain, also doesn't let off the hook those atheists who like to blame religion, whether Islam or Christianity, for inciting much of the planet's violence.
He notes that the "principal horrors" of the 20th century "came almost exclusively from strictly secular regimes: Leopold II of Belgium in the Congo, Hitler, Mussolini, Lenin and Stalin, Mao and Pol Pot. It was Europeans who visited their 'world wars' twice upon the rest of the world -- two devastating global conflicts with no remote parallels in Islamic history."
The Middle East, without Islam, would still be challenged, Fuller says, by ethnic rivalries involving Turks, Kurds, Jews, Persians, Arabs and others -- all of whom remain involved in ongoing conflicts over power, territory, influence and trade.
1. Regardless of whether the author's take is correct or not (or to what degree); it can be deduced that "religion" itself is not the problem, but man and his sinfulness (Note the quote "...conflicts over power, territory, influence and trade...", and this is just to mention a few of the problems which point to the "root" problem which the author does not mention.) Man, in his sinfulness can and often does use religion for his evil purposes. Man in his sin also uses opposition to religion for sinful purposes. While some such as the new leadership of Atheism like to suggest that "religion" is the problem, they fail to understand the problem ultimate lies with the heart and nature of man.
2. This is not to deny that false religions (and even the true religion...when high-jacked, faked, abandoned, or lived inconsistently with, etc.) can serve as part of the problem... but this only to the extent that sinful man allows and makes use of it.
3. While the author suggests troubles would have occurred even if Christianity rather than Islam had been the predominant religion, he fails to distinguish between true Christianity and other forms (such as the fallen fleshly Christianity often experienced on earth where individuals even as Christians live according to the flesh and inconsistly with true Christianity).
4. Christ, and the salvation, redemption, rule and ultimate re-creation and restoration is the only effective and real hope for mankind. This is true because the sinful nature and sinfulness of man are dealt with (and will be fully dealt with) in Christ. Putting one's hope in anything less, be it secular humanism, false religion, or even Christianity itself (apart from God's redemptive and restorative plan) is hopeless and foolish. Only God can bring about the type salvation and deliverance we need. This work he has begun through Christ, whose rule and dominion will continue to abide and increase until the day of the consumation of his kingdom's rule. Come Lord Jesus!
5. Don't buy into the lie of New Atheism which suggests "Religion is the problem!" As always, context and qualification is the key!
In a previous post, I summarized Hitchen's Arguments with Christianity (in his debate with Alister McGrath) in the following way.
1. Christianity's establishment and strength has resulted and depends upon man's ignorance.
3. Christianity's rule is totalitarian and brings the greatest burden and shame on our species.
6. Christianity's message (i.e., revelation of delay & method of God)is immoral.
7. Christianity's message (i.e., "man is blood, mud, etc., but God has a plan for you")is sadomasochism.
Here, I will provide a quick response to his arguments.
“We have better claims -- excuse me, better explanations for the origins and birth of our cosmos and our species now, so much better so, in fact, that had they been available to begin with, religion would never have taken root. No one would now go back to the stage when we didn't have any real philosophy, we only had mythology, when we thought we lived on a flat planet or when we thought that our planet was circulated by the sun instead of the other way around, when we didn't know that there were micro-organisms as part of creation and that they were more powerful than us and had dominion…. We wouldn't have taken up Theism if we'd known then what we do now.
1. What are those “BETTER EXPLANATIONS for the ORIGINS & BIRTH of our COSMOS?
- Organic goo on bottom of ocean (Never been discovered)?
- Eternal matter and eternal evolutionary forces (forces which remain unidentified, but when pressed for an answer about them begin to look alot like the God of the Bible). Simple to complex development, but how long would such a process take? Has the universe existed anywhere near that long?
- Life from no life, intelligence from no intelligence, etc.
- Has not Science concluded that the Universe had a Beginning.
2. Examine the foundations of his argument.
i. Has/Can Science explain/define the purpose of man?
ii. Has Science & Secularism solved the problem of Evil, Sin, Death?
iii. Does Science & Secularism explain /provide a foundation for law, ethics, etc.?
b. Hitchens seems to suggest: Religion Has Only Served as a Substitute (Weak & Faulty One at that) until Philosophy & Science developed.
ii. Religion has not been replaced by science and philosophy but undergirds and serves alongside them.
ii. Are there more today who are Religious, or Non Religious?
iii. Are there not Intellectuals, Scientists, Doctors, Lawyers, etc., who still look to religion & consider it of inestimable value today?
d. The God of the Bible and the gosple proclaimed in the Bible have NOT CHANGED, but have been the abiding comfort, hope, security,& love of God's people throughout ALL generations (regardless of the state of science and philosophy)!
It’s IMMORAL for God to Punish Jesus for Sins He Did Not Commit, & Call Believers Righteous when we are Sinners.
3. Hitchens puts himself in the place of God as the one who determines what is moral/immoral.
8. *** Hitchens Mistakenly Asserts that the Doctrine of Vicarious Atonement & Justification abolishes the concept of Personal Responsibility!
The truth is that only the biblical worldview and that which is illustrated through the vicarious atonement and justification of Christ provides a consistent basis, grounds, motivation, etc. for human resposibility and accountability, and calls man to personal responsibility, not only for our actions, but to the Law Giver Himself!
Rom 6:1ff “What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?
III. Christianity's rule is totalitarian and brings the greatest burden and shame on our species.
“Well it's here that we find something very sinister about Monotheism and about religious practice in general. It is incipiently at least and I think often explicitly totalitarian,b/c I have no say in this. I am born under a celestial dictatorship which I could not have had any hand in choosing. I don't put myself under its Government. I am told that it can watch me while I sleep. I'm told that it can convict me of, here's the definition of totalitarianism, thought crime, for what I think I may be convicted and condemned.
And that if I commit a right action, it's only to evade this punishment and if I commit a wrong action, I'm going to be caught up not just with punishment in life for what I've done which often follows action systematically, but, no, even after I'm dead. In the Old Testament, gruesome as it is, recommending as it is of genocide, racism, tribalism, slavery, genitalia mutilation, in the displacement and destruction of others, terrible as the Old Testament Gods are, they don't promise to punish the dead. There's no talk of torturing you after the earth has closed over the Amalekites. Only toward when gentle Jesus, meek and mild, makes his appearance are those who won't accept the message told they must depart into everlasting fire. Is this morality, is this ethics?
1. Hitchens fails to take into Account Creator/Creature Distinctives.
2. Hitchens “groundlessly” suggests His Own Self-Governance is the basis of Truth/Reality.
What we discover is that it's Hitchen’s own self centeredness and self-exaltation and desire for self-rule which not only distorts, but keeps him from acknowledging, and submitting to the truth!
The denial of God’s rightful place & man’s exaltation of self (& self-rule) which resulted in God needing to provide salvation & light to begin with!
“I further think that it undermines us in our most essential integrity. It dissolves our obligation to live and witness in truth. Which of us would say that we would believe something because it might cheer us up or tell our children that something was true because it might dry their eyes? Which of us indulges in wishful thinking, who really cares about the pursuit of truth at all costs and at all hazards?
religions themselves that, well it may not be really true, the stories may be fairy tales. The history may be dubious, but it provides consolation. Can anyone hear themselves saying this or have it said of them without some kind of embarrassment, without the concession that thinking here is directly wishful, that, yes, it would be nice if you could throw your sins and your responsibilities on someone else and have them dissolved, but it's not true and it's not morally sound and that's the second ground of my indictment.
On our integrity, basic integrity, knowing right from wrong and being able to choose a right action over a wrong one, I think one must repudiate the claim that one doesn't have this moral discrimination innately, that, no, rather it must come only from the agency of a celestial dictatorship which one must love and simultaneously fear.
And that we don't have an innate sense of right and wrong, children don't have an innate sense of fairness and decency, which of course they do. What is it like? I can personalize it to this extent, my mother's Jewish ancestors are told that until they got to Sianai, they'd been dragging themselves around the desert under the impression that adultery, murder, theft and perjury were all fine, and they get to Mount Sinai only to be told that's not kosher after all.
I'm sorry, excuse me, you must have more self-respect than that for yourself and for others. Of course the stories are fiction. .. It's an insult, it's an insult to us, it's an insult to our deepest integrity.
No, if we believed that perjury, murder and theft were all right, we wouldn't have got as far as the foot of Mount Sinai or anywhere else.
1. Hitchens clearly misunderstands the unfolding of the covenant & the role of covenant law in the Old Testament.
b. Who determines morality? Was God ever UNJUST in his accusations/judgments? Is the punishment for sin not “death”? Can God not use man to carry out his just will?
a. Where do ethics & morality come from? What is the standard?
b. What is the standard? Whose right … those who declare abortion right or wrong… How do we know?
3. Hitchens fails to take into account “common grace” & the need for the conscience to be trained.
4. Hitchens mischaracterizes the biblical position on “perjury, murder, theft" etc by failing to take context into account.
6. Hitchens gives credit to hmself (& oher hmanity) with no basis for how man has gotten (& judges) the way he does.
It has a further implication. I'm told that I have to have a share in this human sacrifice even though it took place long before I was born. I have no say in it happening, I wasn't consulted about it, had I been present I would have been bound to do my best to stop the public torture and execution of an eccentric preacher. I would do the same even now.
ii. God’s people who having first been loved by God… freely desire to love God.
iii. It’s a SAD STATEMENT when one falsely assumes there must be a "compulsory nature” for man to love that which is good & lovable!
This points to the Hitchens being influenced by the “Individualism” of the 21st century, rather than the evidence of the oneness of humanity.
VI. Christianity's message (i.e., revelation of delay & method of God)is immoral.
For 100,000 years Homo sapiens were born, …very often dying in the process or killing its mother in the process at life expectancy probably not much more than 20, 25 years. Dying probably of hunger or of micro-organisms that they didn't know existed or of events such as volcanic or tsunami or earthquake types that would have been wholly terrifying and mysterious as well as some turf wars over women, land, property, food, other matters. You can fill them in, imagine it for yourself what the first few tens of thousands of years were like.
way, worshipping bears fairly early on, I can sort of see why, sometimes worshipping other human being, (big mistake, I'm coming back to that if I have time), this and that and the other thing, but exponentially perhaps improving, though in some areas of the world very nearly completely dying out. And a bitter struggle all along.
According to the Christian faith, heaven watches this with folded arms for 98,000 years and then decides, whew, it's time to intervene and the best way of doing that would be a human sacrifice in primitive Palestine where the news would take so long to spread that it still hasn't penetrated very large parts of the world and that would be our redemption of human species.
Now I submit to you, ladies and gentlemen, that that is, what I've just said which you must believe to believe the Christian revelation is not possible to believe, as well as not decent to believe. Why is it not possible? Because a virgin birth is more likely than that. A resurrection is more likely than that and because if it was true, it would have two further implications. It would have to mean that the designer of this plan was unbelievably lazy and inept or unbelievably callous and cruel and indifferent and capricious.
Is this the biblical picture of God’s involvement?
Ans: No. Hitchens could not be further from the truth. God has been involved from the beginning.
1. God was immediately on the scene with Adam and Eve presenting salvation (protoeuvangelion).
2. The cross has application to both those who came before and after.
3. God has always be faithful and there for his people.
4. Because God has not redeemed all and because God has not consumated his plan does not mean he has been absent or uncaring!
VII. Christianity's message (i.e., "man is blood, mud, etc., but God has a plan for you")is sadomasochism.
And here's my final point, the final insult that religion delivers to us, the final poison it injects into our system. It appeals both to our meanness, our self-centeredness and our solecism and to massochism. In other words, it's sadomasochistic.
alive, God fashioned you for his convenience, even though you're born in filth and sin and even though every religion that's ever been is distinguished principally by the idea that we should be disgusted by our own sexuality. Name me a religion that does not play upon that fact. So you're lucky to be here, originally sinful and covered in shame and filth as you are, you're a wretched creature, but take heart, the Universe is designed with you in mind and heaven has a plan for you.
4. Hitchens slanders the goodness and purposes of God.
Patterns today among Muslim communities and groups are telling and can provide Christians insight into planning for more effective evangelism in the future among Muslims as well as planning for how to equip and build up saints so as to not be deceived or led astray by Muslims in the future.
...in many places, the face of Islam is changing and will continue to undergo change so as to look different in the near future, particularly due to the effects of westernization and modernity. These changes are now being seen in places such as college campuses, European and American Muslim communities, the practice of Muslim leaders thoughout the world, etc. See For Muslim Students, a Debate on Inclusion for insight into the types of changes in process.
While others I'm sure are more seasoned and experienced and are already seeing these changes, my projections would be that we will continue to see more splintering of the Muslim community along typical lines such as liberal vs. conservative; literal vs. non-literal, legalistic vs. licentious, etc.; each of which must be examined as to how it will not only affect the Muslim faith but also how it offers opportunities, challenges and roadblocks to Christian evangelism as well as how it affects the role of the church in equipping saints for standing firm and dealing effectively in the new environment.
I suspect the battleground will include everything from pockets of traditional isolated hardline non inclusive resistant groups to those who besides their theological doctrines (and associated and resulting practice) will look outwardly no different than anyone else on the street, even to those who while they look no different outwardly are of a jihad mindset and secretly plot with against their neighbors to do them physical harm and bring death. The point being many of the former identifiers on a physical level of those who are different will not be as present or evident. This will do several things. First, it will require believers to be more discerning, it will require the state to be more creative and on top of things, etc. But as believers, these are not times we must fear or dread, but rather both appreciate the good that comes with the changes and take advantage of them as well as to be aware of the new challenges that will come both spiritually and physically.
One good is that we will continue to see the melting of the peoples of the world into one. Another good is that many of those who formally would have been isolated due to their Muslim heritage and environment will be more assessible, engagable and open. Another good is that rather than emphasis and distraction being placed on physical and geographical differences more emphasis will be placed on theological, doctrinal and ethical differences. Another good is that faults and errors within the Muslim faith and traditions will be open to greater scrutiny and the thoughts, attitudes and practices of its adherants challenged. Another good is that we will again have opportunity to see the face of the Christian faith advance from being more of a western look to seeing more of the unity and peace as those from every tongue and tribe and nation come together in one body ("Red and yellow black and white, they are precious in his sight, Jesus love ALL the children of the world). Another good will be the advancement of the church's thinking and work as greater perspective and additional scholarship is brought to bear. Another good is that cultural as opposed to biblical Christianity will more and more be challenged. Another good is that we ourselves will be challenged in areas we've grown comfortable or are not living consistent with the truth. These are just to name a few, but to point out that the future possesses great promise.
At the same time, we must understand that these changes will also bring a greater spread of Muslim teaching and resources, a greater exposure of our children and immature to that which is false, not biblical thought forms, attitudes, and practices which oppose, challenge, and seek to supplant our own; greater numbers of those who will blindly hold to pluralism, a greater challenge to the churches personnel and resources in confronting Islam at home as well as abroad; a greater amount of false teaching to defend against, etc. Again, these are just to name a few, but to point out why it is important that the church and its members not blindly and unwisely fail to prepare and get caught behind the curve.
Much more can be said, but the purpose of this post is simple to bring the matter to attention and encourage greater conversation and planning among God's people.
Owners of domestic animals are forbidden from taking them on the streets of the city because Islam considers dogs to be impure.
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad ...took possession of four guard dogs, bought in Germany for approximately $161,040 each.
1. I question Ehrman's sincerity and truthfulness when he states he does not want to convert people to be agnostic as he is. (Perhaps it might be stated he desires people to question the God of the Bible, or the Bible, or Christianity, but otherwise...) Why write the book?
2. Despite Ehrman being a professor of religion (even a recognized one), I question his understanding of the very Scripture passages he bases his argument on. For example, his explanation of the book of Ecclesiastes misses the point when he suggests the writer of the book concludes that since everything is going to pass away the ultimate point is simply to eat, drink and be merry (as if perhaps from a secular humanist standpoint)... But note the author's own concludion (Song of Solomon 12:13) who writes "Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man." (To understand this view, let me recommend Walter Kaiser's book on Ecclesiastes.) Similarly, with the book of Job, Ehrman seeks to divide the text without seeing the natural relationships and unfolding of Job's story to reach the conclusion through the struggles he had due to suffering. When one divides, takes from, or distorts the text, it should not be surprising to find them arrive at distorted conclusions!
4. Revisiting Ehrman's motives, one must wonder when he presents his being "born again" and his "evangelical" studies and participation, is he presenting this simply as "credentials" or is he using this as others do to try say "I was a REAL Christian" but now I'm admitting I was wrong" so as to try to discredit both Christianity and those who are true believers. What's interesting is that Ehrman's own testimony is not congruous with those who are "born again" (for those who are... not only receive the testifying seal of the H.S., but also do not deny Christ as the Son of God).
5. The saddest part of this book is that for the unspiritual, uneducated and undiscerning, many will be persuaded both by his story and his arguments. However, the great news is that even this book fits within the greater context of God's redemptive plan in bringing all the elect to himself so that not one will be lost.
6. While I do not deny that it's an absolute qualification for one to be religious to teach in a religious department, UNC's decision in having him in this position on one level could be likened to having a creationist teach evolution classes or an evolutionist teach classes in creationism. While there's certainly nothing that forbids it, one must question whether it is best and how much stock one should put in what they have to say.
In Ephesians 5, it is written "Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them." The word "expose" literally means "reprove" them...reminding us that it is the duty of believers not only to walk in ways of holiness and righteousness ourselves, but to "reprove with conviction" those who are offenders of the law and authority of God.
In reading this, I was reminded of the inconsistency being lived out in America these days in regard to homosexual behavior and the likes. On the one hand, many in America have not only not spoken out and condemned such thinking and behavior, but have unthinkingly bought into the lies and co-participated in the evil (of those who participate in or promote such immorality) by either actively approving or passively accepting their ways (or at least speaking of it as something should be perceived and/or embraced as acceptable). And yet on the other hand, the truth itself is both exposed and revealed when revulsion and objection is shown in response to clips and pictures of public expressions of such behavior and practices at such events as the gay parades in San Francisco where the shameful, unbecoming and filthy practices are brought to light...leaving many (and some of the same...) observers disgusted and with distaste for the things which are taking place, much of which is done today in secret, but these providing a glimpse into the darkness of their world of sin and evil.
I stand apart and am not ashamed to take a stand and publicly condemn all such thinking, attitudes, practice and behavior as contrary to the holy and authoritative law of God, as opposed to nature, as that which is improper, immoral, impure, unbecoming and unfit for anyone to take part in to any degree. Those who do so and speak thus so should be ashamed beyond measure and deserve the disgrace that belongs to them (whether or not it comes to them) and that they bring upon themselves. The only right response from them is to stop, to start anew, and to proceed on the path which consists of repentance and then toward purity.
It's time for God's people to speak out, for think of all those who will be drawn asunder because we have not spoken out, think of all the poor souls who need to be confronted and whose sin needs to hear words of conviction that they might turn and be saved, and think of all the extent of responsibility that lies with us in participating in all goodness, righteoueness and truth as we serve to shed light and truth in the name of God here in this world.
I have no doubt such a post will draw great criticism and response; so be it. I submit it as a clarion call for truth and for repentance, in the spirit and as a bearer of light, truth, and of the gospel of Jesus Christ, who himself is the light, Savior, sanctifier, and ruler of the world.
1. I can understand Atheists' frustrations when it comes to dealing with those who "profess Christianity but do not hold to doctrines such as virgin birth, miracles, etc.", ... but what should you expect when you debate one who is an "agnostic Catholic Buddhist" who claims to profess Christianity.
While one can understand the frustration of Dawkins, Hitchens and others who often are confronted with those who profess Christianity but deny it's foundations; that does not excuse their (atheists')common perception and practice of first attributing the errors and/or inconsistencies of such individuals to the whole or to the rest of Christianity and then criticizing them for it particularly as if that is the norm. It would be no different that a Christian going to the infidels site and finding those who proclaimed to be atheists but "agnostic" or "pluralistic" in certain areas and then criticising athesism (even hard athesists) as if they were consistently inconsistent.
Note: Dawkins didn't run into the same situation when he debated Alister McGrath.
It will be interesting to see if in the future Atheist leaders continue to carry out their business among those of the like of Madeline Bunting (or others of like position, even if among the intellectuals but not grounded and built up upon the faith), or if they will be wise and courageous enough to deal with those positionally, doctrinally, and unapologetically Christian.
2. While I respect Dawkins for his continuous advocacy for truth and evidence, I submit that (1) One must allow for ALL the evidence (including revelation/testimony/etc.) or one poisons the outcome even before looking to the evidence; (2) One must allow for metaphysical possibilities and application before denying the metaphysical based on limitations of the physical (ie. the question of God and whether Jesus had a father or not is not determined simply by other human births (as if simply because in all other human births a human father (or sperm) is necessary. The very question and introduction of God and of metaphysical reality suggests that just because all other human beings have a father through ordinary means does NOT mean that Jesus had to... in fact, not only does revelation and Christian doctrine state otherwise but the remainder of the evidence (history/testimony/the church/etc.) serves as evidence and supports the truth of Christ's birth as other than ordinary.
3. The miracle of Jesus turning water into wine should not be as surprising and shocking today as more and more even mankind is proving the ability to change the nature and characteristics of liquids or metals (originally composed of particular elements or compounds). (However, when man is able to do that more thoroughly, consistently, and completely, atheists will even use that to try to deny the miracle of Jesus).
4. Note the inconsistency when one suggests that it's okay for believers to allow their beliefs into the public sphere when it comes to poverty (, clothing the naked, and the like) but NOT in other areas (particular those which atheists disagree with).
5. Dawkins continued to refer to Christianity in AMERICA and to the Bible Belt because Christianity is still alive and well in these areas; also because it's in these areas in particular that doctrinal truth is not watered down or denied but stands in direct opposition over and against the positions and arguments of atheism.
6. Christianity is not threatened by intellectualism, nor are Christians insecure due to size or the belief of others concerning our being disempowered. Our foundation is eternal, our hope is secure, our lot is good, and our confidence is sure and alive. God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but of power, of love and of self discipline. The wisdom of this world (because it denies God and stands in opposition to his sovereign and eternal kingdom) does not threaten or impress us, rather it is seen for what it is, man's futile attempt to think highly of himself and glory in himself ... all the while he continues to walk in darkness and remains under condemnation. While others smugly assure themselves while making reference to our supposed insecurity, we pity them not only concerning the future but in their present arrogance.
7. Dawkins opposition to believers training up their children points by teaching them they belong to God points out one of our greatest blessings and truths, and that is that we are not just what we think or believe, but we are also defined by our relationships and covenants. While Dawkins and others view man as lost until he finds himself, the believer is one who belongs (by decree, love and relationship) even before he discovers his identity in Christ.
8. Dawkins suggests that to teach a child that he will "roast forever in hell" is child abuse, but if such is the truth apart from faith and union in Christ, to do otherwise (and falsely comfort a soul which IS in danger by telling them they are NOT) is one of the the greatest abuses one can commit (and one God not only does not, but will not take lightly; Luke 17:2).
9. Not surprising that Dawkins who suggests that religion should be "private" and "not forced on others" does not heed his own position and keep his own views and beliefs out of the public sphere.
10. For Dawkins, who prides himself in being a scientist, to suggest there is no (supreme) intelligence in our world, is the ultimate irony.
11. I do not believe Atheists will back off their message one iota. This will result in the advance of the gospel.
Is it not correct that MARRIAGE (the union of one man and one woman) is available for ALL Coloradans (who qualify and desire marriage as defined)? If so, then there is nothing unjust about the ban (based on equal opportunity and marriage as defined).
The charge of something "unjust" comes by those who first want to "twist" or REDEFINE marriage (as something "in addtion to" or "other than" between one man and one woman) and then suggest their rights are being denied.
Those who have studied the Scripture understand that "twisting" the truth or presenting "half truths as the whole truth" is nothing new.
Walking down the hall of a hospital where my mother just had surgery, my thought reverted back to the statement of a man who said the doctors in this hospital were good. I thought to myself "They did what needed to be done for my mother.... or at least that's what they said they did. My mother didn't need someone to simply tell her (along with the rest of my family) what we wanted to hear, but not deal with her true physical condition and needs.
As I thought about this, I was reminded that if this is true on a physical level, how much moreso on a spiritual level, and yet how many people today are content as Jesus said they would be to gather around them those preachers and companions who tickle their ears and tell them what they want to hear rather than deal with the true nature, condition and needs of their soul.
How many are deceived by those who they consider "sincere" though they may be "sincerely wrong"? How many are satisfied to hear "feel good" messages and motivational speeches rather than hear what God says concerning our sin? How many continue to think of themselves of "good" and able to please God themselves if they will just try harder rather than accepting the truth that God accepts only Christ and those joined to him through repentance and faith. (See here for a comparison chart between biblical Christianity and cultural Christianity).
Cancer can only kill the body, but sin can condemn the soul. Do not be led astray by flattering lips and smooth talk that deceives.
This article though a few years old is worth reading again, not only for when considering statements like Hitchens who says archeology does not support the Bible (see McGrath-Hitchens debate) but in learning to deal apologetically with those who make similar statements.
Free pdf version of the book here.
White, 63, said he was raised as an atheist, and after earning a doctorate in chemistry, embraced evangelical Christianity in 1964.
He says that when he is asked to speak to science classes, he challenges the accuracy of radioactive dating which shows the world to be thousands of millions of years old and says that the Bible is a more accurate description of how mankind began. He personally believes the Earth is between 6,000 and 12,000 years old.
"Usually I find the discussion goes on science, science, and science and then when the lesson is finished one or two students say, 'Can we talk about other things?' and I sit down with them and usually they want to talk about Christianity," he said. "They want to know, why do you believe in God? Why do you believe in the Bible? How can you be sure it's the word of God?"
Pachelbels Canon in D - Bedtime Version - HILARIOUS!
See the advisory board for The Reason Project.
A new "spiritual" book called “The Third Jesus: The Christ We Cannot Ignore”, written by new age mystic Deepak Chopra, is set to be released on February 19. According to the book description, the purpose of The Third Jesus is to provide “a challenge to current systems of belief and a fresh perspective on what Jesus can teach us all, regardless of our religious background.” In short, this novel is just another false revelation of the modern religion of pluralism.
This fact is further exemplified in the description of the third Jesus in contrast to the first two.
“Ultimately, Chopra argues, Christianity needs to overcome its tendency to be exclusionary and refocus on being a religion of personal insight and spiritual growth. In this way Jesus can be seen for the universal teacher he truly is–someone whose teachings of compassion, tolerance, and understanding can embrace and be embraced by all of us”.
Clearly, this speaks volumes about Chopra’s real theology of religious pluralism. Pluralism is simply the theology of unbelief. We are never told what the source of this “third Jesus” is in the book summary. Perhaps the book itself will tell us, but I doubt it. Therefore, I’ll take the liberty of doing so. The “third Jesus” is a vain invention of human neurons. Chopra created this Jesus out of necessity, for he knows nothing of the first Jesus, and obviously doesn’t think too highly of the second.
Framing questions of economics, ethics and other aspects of policy as ‘science issues’ does no favor for either science or politics.
Seems men like Dawkins could learn from this when he tries to define the question of the existence of God as a "science" question.
Seems also that the place of science is coming more and more to the forefront, as those who believe science may be used as a tool to further their own thinking and agendas there's a propensity to want to redefine the place of science. While I don't disagree that science can sometimes lose it's proper place and need to be restored especially in it's realtion to politics, policy, etc., at the same time one should be especially leery when hearing of others who want to set science above all other things. Anytime one desires to set things out of their proper place, it's not good news and there's a reason for doing so which is not good.
Beleivers need to be alert, on their guard, and watchful concerning the place and role of science in our world. It should not surprise us to find those who look to "reason alone without a foundation in and an eye toward faith" and those who hold a secular view of the world to try to overthrow the natural places and relationships and replace them with their own.
Because some lost souls did not lead good lives, the nuns explained, they are agonizingly stuck between this life and the next. So each night, at precisely 8:30, the nuns take turns striking a large gong with a wooden mallet and reciting a “hell-breaking mantra” to release them from their pain.
More and more we see Atheists seeking to come together to actively strategize and plan how to advance their cause and beliefs in the world.
Two questions this raises is: What type of unity will this produce and what will be it's effect.
The answer to the first is illustrated in the videos of the four horsemen. Here leading atheists sit around a table and discuss various issues related to their treatment and cause. What's interesting is that while there may be common thinking (and even common laughter)as they sat around the table pondering and discussing how their interests might better be served, there was certainly not a "unity" or close bond between them like what you find among Christian servants, but is this not what we should expect, since besides their cognitive pursuits and positions the only relation they believe to exist between one another is that of the simultaneous co-existance of evolved forms.
As far as what it's effect will be eventual tribulation, as prophesied in Scripture, for believers. This is already seen in the fact that the four horsemen agree that any who affirm a belief in or position on faith are to be discredited as illogical and irrelevant. (History has shown that once a segment of society is set apart as irrelevant, unequal, etc., then tribulation and persecution soon follows.) Personally, while the current movement may not necessarily result in the time of great tribulation referred to in Scripture (I say that because I believe its leaders have erred in trying to discount the faithful before their own numbers are of any account, and thus the thrust of their campaign will prove premature), at the same time, it does signify signs of things to come and could be laying the very seedbeds and paving the path of things will surely come. It's clear that as prophesied in Scripture, the spirit of the antiChrist is already at work in our world, and the direction as foretold by Scripture is sure to come. This is all the more reason for believers not to become complacent, but to stay alert, to pray and to prepare. Certainly God is exalted even in the truth as it surely is going to come to pass. How thankful we should be that his faithfulness will be just as sure as his truth.
Richard Dawkins comments on the God Delusion here.
1. The question of primacy - There's a huge difference between saying the existence of God (being the greater issue) has significant implication in the area of science (along with others area) or that science is a field where the existence of God can be looked at ... and stating the existence of God is a scientific question. Dawkin's statement falsely presupposes the supremacy of science over God whereby it denies the definition of God. Rather than getting the cart before the horse, Dawkins errs in setting the physical over the spiritual.
2. The question of justification - Dawkins continues to suggest that God's law has been given such that men may "try to please God" by obedience to his law. Here, Dawkins, while he seeks to set himself as an expert on the very Scripture he sets out to deny, shows his lack biblical and spiritual understanding resulting from both his ignorance of the Christian faith and his faulty exegesis of the biblical text. The Christian position is that "faith" not "works" serves as the instrument of justification. It's no wonder that if Dawkins misunderstands this (a central truth associated with the Bible/gospel) that his understanding and view of much of the rest of Scripture is twisted.
3. The question of existence - Dawkins states that apart from the existence of God the world "stats with essentially nothing and builds up" to what we find today with all the complexities, etc. What does Dawkins mean my "essentially nothing"? Is that to suggest either: (1) that there was even minimalistically something... & if so, where did that come from???; or (2) it began with nothing... & somehow something came and grew from nothing, i.e., life from no life, intellegence from no intelligence, law from nothing, etc.?
a. In suggesting that a person can be "good" apart from the existence of God, he fails to speak to (and provide answers) to the basis, standard, and meaning of "good".
b. While Dawkins uses comparison, it's clear that atheist's do not consider "fear of punishment" as a legitimate motivation for obedience. While I agree there are better motivations, that does not deny "fear" as a legitimate motivation.
Evolutionists argue that the fetus has not fully evolved into a baby, and thus has no need or right to life because it is not fully human.
In his view, toddlers are not just small people. In fact, for all practical purposes, they’re not even small Homo sapiens.
Can anyone tell me what they have in common?
The second quote is found here and comes from one who believes evolution is the key to understanding and communicating with toddlers.
It's a slippery slope when one departs from the biblical understanding of humanity and begins to redefine segments of society (young, old, mentally challenged, other races, etc.) as other than human...but that's where evolution and the pride of the flesh take some.
Distinctions in the way humanity is defined not only provides a reason why God and the way of his truth should be embraced, but provides a real concern and reason why evolution must be opposed.
Isn't it interesting the number of religions which at the same time claim the Scriptures are tainted or corrupt in some form BUT then go on to suggest they (in some form... which is often clouded) hold to the Scriptures (in addition to their other "holy" books).
When confronted with this, one should immediately recognize the issue at hand. Those who seek to "add to" or "take from" the Scripture must in some way try to discredit portions of Scripture which stand in stark contrast to their deviations, or otherwise prove inconsistent.
Because of the exclusivity of Christ, of the Gospel, and of the truth, one cannot "add to" or "take from" them without departing from, changing, or opposing them.
These actions should not be taken lightly by those who commit them. The warning of Scripture sounds loud and clear: "I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book. And if anyone takes words away from this book of prophecy, God will take away from him his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book." Because of the exclusivity of the gospel (and the exclusive means of justificaion), by adding to it one actually takes from it and hence disqualifies themselves from it's reward. Likewise, by taking from it, one must add to make up the difference, thereby stripping it of it's power and imposing on it that which keeps it from attaining it's end. Either way, it's a futile effort. Only the gospel, in its pure, biblical, unique, and unaltered form is sufficient and able to provide salvation.
As apologists, anytime one comes across this, one should key in and press the issue on this point. It takes one straight to the gospel, where the wisdom, power, purity, and sufficiency of Christ is seen most clearly, and where the foolishness, weakness, corruption and insuffiencies of false hopes may be exposed through contrast.
For these reasons, it should not surprise us to find that so often those who proclaim they believe in the Bible in addition to their other holy books in practice and when pressed are found in the end in effect attempting to supplant the Bible with their own texts, for you cannot have it both ways. The suggestion and/or presumption that one can has gone unchallenged for too long; however, the Scripture speaks clearly to the issue.
Fox News reports that 9 year old Josh Rich in paying his last respects to Hinckley (a man he revered as a prophet) had a hand-drawing of Heaven with a message he had written at the top that said "You passed the text. Welcome home."
While the boy's sincerity and intention are commendable, one must question the truth and legitimacy of his message (which he probably has picked up from the Mormon faith).
"You passed the test. Welcome home."
The point being that Scripture attests to the fact that NO human being (Hinckley or ANY other) has or can meet the standard of God's righteous requirements on their own. That's why there is a need for a Savior who can meet the requirements of God for us.
God has sent such a Savior in Jesus. We read in Scripture "But now a righteousness from God, apart form law, has been made known... This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God..." but those who believe on Christ (rather than their own righteousness, their own ability to pass God's test, etc.) are justified freely by God's grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus, who offered himself in our place and paid the penalty for our sins by offering himself as a sacrificial atonement at Calvary and by perfectly fulfilling God's righteous requirements (through active and passive obedience in all things) which God accepts and credits to all those who believe on Christ.
Those who believe that as sinners they can do enough to meet God's standard need to consider Isaiah's statement that "ALL OF US have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous works are like filthy rags" [before God](Isaiah 64:6)" That's why Jesus said in applying the prophesy of God to himself "Sacrifice and offering I did not desire, but a body I prepared for you" referring to Christ. (Heb 10:5) Because our own righteousness would not result in salvation, God provided another means of attaining it, which is found in Christ crucified for us.
Do not be fooled. There is a way that seems right to a man but ends in death. But the righteous will live (not by their own works) but BY FAITH!
See this for more on the difference between Justification by Faith or Works. | 2019-04-25T12:25:39Z | http://www.oddxian.com/2008/02/ |
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Scroll through this document to see a description of all the features that are new since v11, or click the links below as a short-cut to any topic of interest. Improvements added in the November 2016, March 2017 and July 2017 updates are marked Nov 2016, March 2017 and July 2017. You can find details on updates after December 2017 (v15) here. We offer an upgrade path from all older versions, available now on magix.com.
We know that many of you find it frustrating to have to wait a whole year for our next update - knowing that we are working on (and likely finished) new cutting-edge features and on-trend content. From our side, developing features for 12 months before they are released is equally frustrating. We would rather get features into your hands as soon as they are done. So we’re changing the model. We are moving away from yearly releases, and even from ‘headline’ version numbers. For the 365 days from purchase you’ll get access to new feature, updates and content. At the end of the 365 days you can choose to upgrade again, or not. If you choose not to, then you can continue to use the program, but the online service components such the web hosting and the Online Content Catalog will be disabled or restricted (these are online services anyway that would typically be part of a subscription). It’s important to note this is not a subscription service. Unlike other products such as Office 365, or Adobe Creative Cloud, the program you purchase is yours to keep, and will keep functioning with no further purchases. This new approach also means features developed during the next year, which would typically be part of next year’s update, will be made available as soon as they are completed. So you’re getting next year’s features included in this year’s product. We believe this move away from once-a-year major updates, towards a more regular update process is better for our customers. The Update Service gives you 365 days access to: • The new Online Content Catalog, including any new templates, graphics and designs, photo filters and SmartShapes • New program features and upgrades released in the 365 days after you purchase and register. Note: these updates continue to work after 365 days but if you reinstall the software after the Update Service expires (and you don’t renew) then it will be the same version as feature set as you originally purchased.
Now when you select a photo or SmartShape in the Selector tool, you see smart handles without having to first switch into the Photo Tool or Quickshape Tool, so you can directly edit these objects without having to switch tools. You can revert to showing the normal selection bounds handle using the toggle button on the left of the Selector Tool infobar.
When you embed a single object in text, you can now directly select that object in the text instead of selecting the “Embedded group” that encloses it. A similar improvement has been made for anchored objects, repeating objects and live copies.
You can now paste the contents of the clipboard to any number of pages in your document. Simply select the pages you want to paste to in the Page & Layer Gallery. Ctrl+click on a page thumbnail to add it to the selection, or use Shift+click to add a range of pages to the selection. Then paste (Ctrl+V). This is especially useful if you have copied a repeating object that you only want on some pages of a document.
As with SmartShapes, hold the mouse pointer over any handle to reveal a pop-up tip for that handle. If the image is made larger than the frame (in other words clipped), which can happen if you reduce the edges of the frame inwards, or use the rotate/scale handle in the top right to enlarge the image, then the ‘hand’ control can be used to re-position the image within the frame. There are numerous benefits to this new method of manipulating photos:. • It’s super-easy to scale and rotate the image within its frame, (like a masked operation) directly from the Photo Enhance Tool. • Drag the outer top right corner to rotate the whole image (frame and photo). • Both rotate operations (internal and whole image) display the rotation angle as you rotate. • The side handles can be used to change the shape (aspect ratio) of the photo, but the image is never stretched - it is scaled, keeping the correct aspect ratio, to fit whatever frame size you want. • Dragging the side handles inwards clips (masks) the image within the frame. Use the ‘hand’ to re- position the clipped image within the frame. • It’s easy to adjust the horizon of landscape images, without introducing gaps in the corners. • It’s easy to give any photo a rounded corner. • If you rotate the image, all these operation remains functional. You can still use the Fill Tool to manipulate a photo fill, which works the way it always has. To reset a photo back to its ‘best fit’ state, double click on the rotate/scale handle. To center the image in its frame, double click on the ‘hand’ icon. To un-clip an image double-click on one of the side handles. These smart photo operations also work with photos of any shape, not just rectangular photos and with photos within groups and Soft Groups.
Smart photo editing has been improved so that as you drag the handles to adjust an image, a faint copy of the full uncropped image is shown behind. This makes it easier to make adjustments because you can see parts of the image that fall outside the crop area, as you drag the handles. Also (Mar 2017) Smart Photo now behaves better with photos that don’t already fit into their frames (there are unfilled gaps) - it no longer attempts to immediately remove the gaps as soon as you drag on a handle, making small adjustments possible.
These are aesthetically pleasing arrays of photos, but in a fixed arrangement. You can replace any photo by dragging a photo file (typically a JPG or PNG) from your Windows File Explorer on top of any image in the grid. You can then use the new photo tools described above to adjust the image within its frame, but it’s not recommended you change the crop or size of the individual images.
This is a more flexible SmartShape that lets you display any collection of photos, even those with different shapes and aspect ratios, in a compact grid. You can adjust the number of photos on each row, or number of rows, drag re-order the photos, and adjust the gap between all the photos. As with all SmartShapes, double-click on it in the Selector tool to show the control handles.
In the Online Content Catalog (Menu Insert > From Content Catalog.. and select the category Components > Image resources > Photo Grids). All the SmartShape photos (as opposed to the Static ones) have ‘smart’ in the title. To use the new Photo Controls on individual images, go into the Photo Tool and click on an image. Each time you replace an image, it puts you into this Photo Tool mode. To get back to the SmartShape handles use the QuickShape Tool and click on a photo, or go back to the Selector Tool and double click again.
To replace an image with your own photo, just drag and drop a photo file from Windows Explorer (or from the Bitmap Gallery if the photo is already in the current document). The image in the grid that you drop onto is replaced with your photo and the grid automatically updates to fit your photo in. In this first release you can’t adjust the crop of images within the grid, but we hope an update to SmartShape photo grids will address this. To add more images click the green ‘Add photo’ handle on the right end of each row, or drag the ‘Add/Remove rows’ handle at the bottom left of the grid to add a complete row. Note: The height of a row is calculated by fitting the number of images in this row into the width of the grid. So the more images per row, the less tall that row is, especially if the images are wide such as panorama photos. Similarly rows containing just a single image will usually be taller.
There’s a Border width handle on the top left photo in the grid that lets you adjust the space between each photo. You can have no space at all if you choose, but when you do have a border it’s simply empty space between the photos so you see whatever is behind your photo grid. Therefore if you want to see something other than the page background behind, just draw a rectangle behind with the desired color.
Photo filter presets allow you to instantly apply ready-made photo effects to your photos. The presets are provided in the Online Content Catalog under Components > Image Resources > Photo Filter Presets. You can apply them directly from the Content Catalog by selecting the photo and then choosing Insert > From Content Catalog. Below are are just a few examples of available effects, applied to the same photo for comparison. When you replace an image with a new one (using drag and drop from Explorer or right-click Replace photo…) any preset effect is retained.
Once you’ve imported one preset, you can optionally download all the presets to your Local Designs Gallery, for easier access. Open the Local Designs Gallery and navigate to the corresponding folder: Components > Image Resources > Photo Filter Presets. Right click on the folder name and choose Download All. The folder closes once it has downloaded to your disc. Re-open the folder and now you can drag and drop any of the effects onto your photos, or select the target photo and double click an effect in the Gallery.
a photo and so these will replace each other. In other words, only one of these presets can be applied to a photo and applying a second will automatically remove the first. However the Overlays folder contains various different classes of presets that can be applied in addition to any of the presets under the Filters folder. So for example this photo on the left has had the Softlight filter effect applied from Filters > Effects and also the Stripes pattern, from Overlays > Patterns. Each of the presets in the same sub-folder under Overlays will also replace each other, because it wouldn’t be useful to have for example two different patterns applied. But you can mix presets from each of the other folders under Overlays as much as you like. So you could for example apply a check pattern from the Patterns folder, a texture from the Textures folder and a transparency effect from the Transparency folder all to the same photo.
When you right-click on a photo, you will see a Photo Filter option in the context menu that appears. This option has a sub-menu, which allows you to apply filters to your photo and remove filters that are already applied. The Apply filter… option opens the Content Catalog onto the Photo Filter Presets folder so you can apply a filter to the selected photo. Following this option in the menu, you will see Remove options for each of the filters you currently have applied to the photo, so you can remove any of them. The final option in the menu allows you to clear all applied filters from the photo.
The overlay effects under Overlays > Transparency work by applying transparency effects to your photo directly. You can see and modify these effects by selecting your photo and going into the Transparency Tool .
In Nov 2016 we added 50 more new photo filter presets. The set of available presets is now separated into sub-folders in the Content Catalog, but you can still download all of them to your Local Designs Gallery as described above, for easy access.
Approximately 40 additional presets were added in this update, including transparency effects and the ability to apply multiple classes of filter to a photo, as described above.
In this update we’ve added 10 more new photo filter overlays, these are predominantly camera effect type filters - give your social media profile pictures a great photo finish!
Designer Pro now supports 2 additional W3C standard blend modes in the Transparency Tool, Color Dodge and Color Burn. Dodge lightens images and Burn darkens them. Some of the effects in the new Effect Painter tool use these blend modes, see below.
Choose the effect you want to apply from the list on the left of the InfoBar. For example the Desaturate effect will reduce the color saturation on the areas you paint onto. Choose a nib/brush size using the Size control. Note that by default, as in the Shape Painter tool, the on- screen nib size stays the same as you change the zoom, which makes it easy to zoom in and work on small detail, or zoom out and work on larger areas without also having to change the nib size. However if you prefer you can switch to an absolute nib size by clicking the Size toggle button.
Use the Softness control to give your strokes a soft edge by feathering, so the edges blend into the photo, instead of having a hard edge (softness 0). When you start painting an effect, you are creating a new region shape on top of your photo. Just as with the Shape Painter and Region Painter, additional strokes on top of the existing region will enlarge the region. Hold down Shift while you paint and you can un-paint and so erase the edge or any part of the shape. So it’s very easy with these tools to paint accurately over any desired region of the photo. Tip: Remember using Ctrl + mouse wheel to rapidly zoom in and out, without changing tool, allows you to change the relative size of the brush so you can paint in as much detail as you like. Left: I’ve painted a region using the Desaturate- medium effect. The ‘marching ants’ dotted outline shows the region is selected and active still. Press Ctrl+H to show/hide the outline.
Effect Painter or Photo Enhance tools. Once selected, you can modify it as described above. Press the Delete key to delete any selected region.
Xara Designer Pro is using vector-based, non-destructive editing of photos when you apply effects and regions this way. Each region is a vector shape on top of the photo. If you use a soft brush, you’re creating a feathered shape instead of a hard edged one, but it remains an editable vector shape. All your edits are contained in a group associated with the photo - which is why the status line calls this a Photo Group. For advanced users, you can see the structure of a Photo Group in the Page & Layer Gallery. You can also use this to see and select any regions ‘inside’ your photo. The Page & Layer Gallery showing I’ve made three separate region edits to this photo, Desaturate, brighten and darken. Using Ctrl+click or this Page & Layer Gallery I can select and edit these regions at any time in the future. The advantage of this approach is that no pixels of your original photo are altered. It’s easy to go back, at any time in the future, and adjust any of your previous edits. Use Ctrl+click to select inside, then you can drag the region around with the Selector Tool to see this object-oriented approach to photo editing.
• Feathering/softness setting now preserved across effect type changes • Improved naming of Regions inside the Photo Groups.
This is a new effect on on the main Photo Tool InfoBar. Cross processing simulates a photographic processing technique which historically used the ‘wrong’ chemicals to develop film - thus resulting in some dramatic contrast and saturation effects. Designer Pro and other photo editing programs achieve this by manipulating the red, green and blue color channels. Use the slider to experiment.
This is for cutting objects from photos. The old Freehand Region Tool has been enhanced and re- purposed as the Magnetic Lasso Tool because it can now automatically detect outlines of objects as you trace out a region. This allows you to semi-automatically trace around an object in a photo to create a region. Once the region has been created you can copy or cut the object out, or apply an effect or enhance this region as usual. A frog cut out of photo, with floor shadow applied.
snap, then dragging acts exactly drawing with the freehand tool. Clicking with no magnet snap will just add a straight line segment to the current point.
Sometimes you may want the outline to follow the straight outside edge of the photo. To do this, click just outside the photo edge.
When you get back close to where you started, click on the start point again to complete a closed outline (the mouse pointer will change to show a + sign when you are over the start point) . Once you have a complete closed outline, you can now copy (Ctrl+C), cut (Ctrl+X) or delete the selected part of the photo. Or switch into the Photo Tool to enhance the selected region.
Once you have cut out an object, you can usually improve the edges by applying a small amount of feathering using the feather control on the top bar. During the trace operation you can turn Magnetic effect on and off using the toggle button on the InfoBar (or using shortcut key “T”).
Background Erase or Magnetic Lasso?
There are two ways to cut items out from the background. You can use the automatic background erase which is part of the Eraser Tool. Or you can use this Magnetic Lasso tool to create a region around the image which can then be cut out. Which is best? The automatic background erase feature creates a new bitmap with the background erased. This is a pixel based operation, creating a transparent (alpha-channel) image. It works best when there’s a lot of complicated detail, or soft edges where there’s not always a clear edge. Cutting around fur or hair with the Magnetic Lasso tool is impractical.
Take this chocolate example. There are lots of fiddly bits that would be almost impossible to trace around with the Magnetic Lasso. Using the automatic Background Erase (in the Eraser Tool) on the other hand, would take only a few seconds, and create an extremely effective result, as seen below, where the cut out result is placed on a different color background. Where there is a more complex background that either has very complex edges, such as hair, fur or this type of image, then the automatic background erase would usually be better. This even knows to make shadows semi-transparent so they work on different colored backgrounds.
PanoramaStudio is a separate program for automatically producing natural-looking wide-angle pictures and 360° panoramas by combining multiple overlapping images.
40 new reveal animation types have been added to the Reveal/Scroll tab of the Web Animation dialog (Utilities menu), in addition to the simple slide and fade animations that were in Designer 11. Reveal animations happen as you scroll, or reveal, parts of the website. It’s a fashionable effect that can highlight specific content and makes websites more interactive and fun. But in addition to all the new animation types we’ve added scroll-linked animations and parallax scrolling effects. Select the item you want to animate on reveal, and the menu Utilities > Web Animation… to show this dialog. There are now two options; Reveal or Scroll animations. This shows the drop-down list of some of the possible reveal animation types. The top option ‘Instant’ is the same as no reveal effect. Reveal animations are triggered when the item is first shown in the browser. The speed slider controls how fast this animation (how many seconds it takes). There’s a ‘Once only’ check box to control whether this reveal animation happens every time the items is revealed (e.g. when scrolling it off and then back on screen) or just the first time. An alternative to reveal animation are scroll animations.
Scroll animations are similar to reveal animations, but the position on the page (or other values such as the amount of fade) is linked to the scroll position. The more you scroll a page, the further the animation moves. This also means the faster you scroll the page, the faster the animation happens.
Instead of the animations running once when the object first appears and then finishing, the object animates whenever the document is scrolled. When you select the ‘Scroll animations’ option, from the same Reveal/Scroll tab of the Web Animation dialog (menu Utilities > Web Animation…) the top item in the drop-down menu is called ‘Parallax’ followed by a long list of alternate scroll animations. The ‘speed’ slider determines how fast the animation runs relative to the scrolling speed. So if it’s set to a high value the animation completes quickly, almost as soon as you scroll it up into view, so the object will only be animating when it first appears close to the bottom of the window. If speed is set to a low value, the object won’t complete its animation until it’s scrolled much further up the window. Note that you can’t have a scroll animation on a sticky object or an object set to ‘stick at top’.
Parallax scrolling is where some objects on your page scroll at a different rate to others, giving a parallax effect. The ‘Parallax’ option appears at the top of the list of scroll animation types. The speed slider determines how fast the object scrolls relative to other objects on the page, with values between 100% (moves same as normal objects) and 0% (which means it sticks on the page). So with a midway setting, items will scroll 50% of the usual scroll speed. If set very low, the object hardly moves at all as other objects scroll past it. If set very high the object scrolls at almost the same rate as the other page content. So the most useful speed values are towards the middle, but you can experiment with different speeds. Note: If you have a low parallax scroll speed, items below the bottom edge of the browser window may never appear.
How to use Reveal, Scroll and Parallax Animations.
the appropriate browser icon in the preview window.
Web Designer 11 allowed you to make an object ‘sticky’, which means it floats above other page content and is positioned fixed relative to the browser window, so it’s always in view. There is now a new ‘Stick at top’ option (menu: Utilities > Web Sticky/Stretchy) an alternative way of keeping objects such as navigation bars in view. A ‘Stick at top’ object starts off on the page where you place it, and scrolls with the page just like all your other page content. But instead of scrolling off the top of the window, the object sticks to the top of the browser window and so stays in view. Therefore it’s great for navigation bars. An example website with a ‘stick at top’ NavBar. This will remain at the top of screen no matter where you scroll in the document.
Example 1: Charity website A contemporary design combining parallax scrolling, with multiple scroll and reveal animation effects. This is also a responsive website - make the browser narrow to see the mobile variant. Example 2: Able website A ‘stick at top’ NavBar, and slide-in reveal animations on the header bar. There are 6 pages to this website each with different examples of animation effects. Example 3: Fresh single page website A reveal animation for the heading, a ‘stick at top’ NavBar. Lower down the page there are various new hover (mouse-over) effects in a few picture galleries and a roll-in animation applied to the new Percentage ring SmartShape. Example 4: Pagoda single page website. Shows parallax scroll on the top image and heading. Has a number of scroll based animation effects. Read the description in the file for more info.
Page transitions (animation shown when moving from one page to another in a web browser) have been improved so that they are smoother, more reliable and more consistent across the different web browsers and devices.
Normally if you group multiple objects together, those objects are exported as a single image in your published website. For example if you group a photo with its caption text, the whole group, photo plus text, appears as an image in your website, so the text is not selectable in the web browser. Now there is a new option to control how groups are exported, in the Utilities > Web Properties dialog, in the Image tab. See the Group images section at the bottom of the dialog. By default, existing groups and new groups are set to One image for whole group, so groups will export to your website as with earlier versions of Designer. But if you change the setting to Separate images for all group members, then the grouped objects will export individually as if they were not grouped at all. It’s not advisable to use this new option on very complex groups such artwork that is made up of tens or even hundreds of vector shapes. It’s more efficient for such groups to export into the website as a single image, as with earlier versions of Designer. But for simpler groups such as a group of photos, it’s best if they are set to export separately because then each object can have its own individual settings. For example each photo could be set to be a popup, or have its own reveal animation.
And it’s especially useful for groups containing text, so the text remains as text in the published site. Once you have changed this new property on a group, so it’s set to Separate images for group members, Designer will then allow you to set properties on the objects inside the group. You can use Ctrl+click to select objects inside the group and then apply links, reveal animations, etc. to the objects.
The Xara Slideshow widget (the first item in folder Components > Image Resources > Photo Slideshows & Galleries) now supports the option to make the photos span the full width of the browser window. To turn this option on, right-click on the widget on the page, choose Web Sticky/Stretchy… in the context menu and turn on the Full Width option in the Sticky/Stretchy dialog.
There are significant enhancements to the SmartShape system and new SmartShapes that are a lot more powerful and complex and begin to show the real power of this system. New chart and photo grid SmartShapes SmartShapes are a way enhanced functionality can be added to Designer. SmartShapes are plug-ins. We (and soon third parties) will continue to release new SmartShapes. Each SmartShape incorporates its own editing controls, usually in the form of small handles you drag to adjust the shape. Although there are simple SmartShapes that are just a single shape, such as this arrow design, the underlying SmartShape architecture now supports much more complex examples, including charts and percentage segment indicators, grids of photos that can be customized and improved smart text panels.
Some examples of percentage segment SmartShapes. In the Text Tool you can enter a new value and the chart adjusts. Or drag chart and the value adjusts. These SmartShapes are automatically matched to your document Theme Color SmartShapes are entirely self-contained. No new tools are required. You just double-click on the SmartShape (or select the QuickShape tool) to reveal its editing controls.
Designer Pro now shows larger and clearer handles on SmartShapes when editing. You can edit SmartShape simply by double-clicking on the shape in the Selector tool. Alternatively, select them using the QuickShape (or rectangle or ellipse) tools from main tool bar. When selected the SmartShape will show a set of control handles on and around the shape, like this: This is a simple Text Panel SmartShape. The blue circular handles on the sides allow you to stretch the panel to be any size. The top right corner handle will rotate the whole object. The bottom right will enlarge or reduce the size of the whole SmartShape. Each SmartShape has its own set of control handles. Hold the mouse-pointer over any handle to get a tool-tip hint of the function of each. The Status Line (bottom of window) also provide some description of the function of each handle. In this example the top left orange handle adjusts the rounded corner of the panel background (and most rectangular SmartShapes have a similar function). The inset handle at the top right, in this case, adjusts the margin around the text.
This percentage segment SmartShape has controls to drag either end of the segment (doing so will update the value), or using the Text Tool you can edit the value, in which case the segment bar is changed. The handle mid-way around the arc allows you to adjust the thickness of the band. The top right handle will rotate the whole thing, the lower right will resize it. When you insert a SmartShape, many of the colored ones, will take on Theme Color 1 of your document (in this document a dark red).
Improved mouse pointers shown over SmartShape handles.
The Online Content Catalog includes new charting SmartShapes, with bar, column charts and a variety of circular ‘percentage’ indicators. The menu Insert > Charts is a short-cut to the chart category. You can just edit the values and labels on the charts using the Text Tool and the graphics update accordingly. Or you can drag the graphics and the values update. When we add new SmartShapes, they will appear in the Content Catalog automatically. As with all SmartShapes, double-click on the SmartShape to go into the QuickShape tool and reveal the control handles. Instead of complex dialogs, or charting tools, almost all aspects of chart SmartShapes can be adjusted by simply dragging on the control handles, or directly editing the labels and values. Below is an annotated diagram of the controls.
Move the mouse pointer over each handle for a tip on what each does. Entering precise chart values: You can drag the bars to adjust the value. If you need more resolution or accuracy, just zoom in and drag. Alternatively you can enter any precise numeric value, even with decimal places, using the Text Tool. The example chart SmartShapes are quite simple, but we anticipate that we, and third parties, will release more powerful charting SmartShapes over time. These will just appear in the Content Catalog as we make them available.
You can change the colors of charts easily just by selecting the whole chart and clicking a color on the color line or dragging a color onto the SmartShape.
The Replace Colors dialog appears to let you choose which of the colors in the chart you would like to replace with your chosen color. Alternatively the Color Editor to edit the colors - the list of replaceable colors appears at the top of the color editor, so select the color you want to edit from that list. Sometimes you may need to do more than just replace or edit the existing colors in the chart. You can select a specific bar or column inside the chart using the normal ‘select inside’ short-cut of Ctrl+clicking on it in the Selector Tool. That selects just that bar/column inside the chart. Then you can change its color directly, or its outline, or even change the type of its fill using the Fill Tool. If you want to copy the style of one bar onto the other bars, first copy (Ctrl+C) the selected bar to the clipboard. Then select one of the other bars and use Edit > Paste > Paste format/attributes or the simpler short cut Ctrl+Shift+A.
The Chart labels and value can be edited using the Text Tool. You can apply the usual text attributes, to adjust the appearance of the text. Both the labels and values have separate Text Styles applied, and so by using the usual Text Style update to apply any style change to all the labels or values. (From the InfoBar menu of the Text Tool, select the Style drop-down and select ‘Update Style to Match’).
In the Online Content Catalog you can find some new Text Panel SmartShapes (short cut menu Insert > Shapes > More Text Panels… but they are also under the Components > Print & Web Components in the Content Catalog. These text panels are smart in that they grow to accommodate whatever text you put in them - you can freely edit the text using the Text Tool. If you display the SmartShape controls (double click on it using the Selector Tool or the QuickShape tool) you can adjust the width and height (and the text re-flows), the margins around the text and the corner roundedness of the whole panel. You can also rotate the whole object and it remains fully functional. In addition we have a collection of similar panels containing photo and text. You can find these in the Online Content Catalog under Image resources > Photo Panels.
See the Photo Features section above for details of these new SmartShapes for arranging photos in grids.
There are new simple SmartShapes available from the Online Content Catalog under Shapes category (Short-cut menu Insert > Shapes > More Shapes…) Each of these is a customizable by dragging on the SmartShape handles. You can now vary the number of sides on the spiral SmartShape, and vary the spacing to be non-linear to produce 3D effects such as this.
The new Chevron Bar SmartShape (Insert > Shape > Arrows…) is particularly useful in presentations. Drag on the different handles to add/remove chevron shapes, re-order, change the arrow angles, etc. And of course just click on the text in the Text Tool to edit the labels.
Most of the arrows in the arrows folder (Insert > Shape > Arrows…) can now be changed to use a variety of different head and tail designs. Click or drag on the green style selection handles to cycle through all the available styles.
Timelines are common in many types of documents and particularly in presentations. The Timeline SmartShape consists of a line with an object (or group of objects) repeated along its length with regular spacing. You can increase or reduce the number of objects on the line, adjust their spacing, size, vertical alignment, etc. using the SmartShape’s handles. To insert a Timeline, use Insert > From Content Catalog > Components > Print & Web Components > Timelines.
End handles Drag either end to change the length of the line, or rotate the whole line Spacing Drag to adjust the spacing of the objects on the line and therefore determine how much of the line sticks out on each end. Add/Remove Click to add a copy of the rightmost object, or drag to add or remove multiple objects. If nothing happens when you try to add a copy, that means there is not enough space on the line to fit another copy. Try reducing the size of the objects using the Size handle, or extending the line length by dragging it out. Vertical offset Drag to adjust the vertical positioning of the objects on the line. Delete Delete an object from the line. Line width Drag to adjust the width of the line Size Change the size of the objects on the line.
Many of the Timelines include text, which of course you can edit using the Text Tool. If you find you can’t fit the text you want into the space available, try increasing the size of the objects on the line using the Size handle and then select the text and reduce its font size, so you can fit more text in. If the change the font size of all the text on one object, you should see the text on all the other objects update too, to help you choose the size that fits best.
SmartShapes are a way of extending the functionality of Designer series of applications. The examples shown here are just a sample of what’s possible. If you’re a developer we’ll soon be releasing the plug-in API so you can start adding your own SmartShapes - or just enhancing the existing SmartShapes, as we expect to release the source code of most of the SmartShapes we’ve created. If you’re interested in learning more about this, email us at smartshapes@xara.com and we’ll make sure you get information when we launch this to the outside world.
An enhanced Online Content Catalog is included free for one year as part of our new Update Service. It now offers:- • Regular updates to the templates and content as part of the Update • Full keyword search of the entire catalog • A new more logical structure to the content offering a better work flow • Brand new Stock Photos and Stock Illustration sections - see below.
Normally when you click on the Import button over the item you’ve chosen in the Content Catalog, the item is imported and the Catalog window closes. Now if you hold the Shift key down when clicking Import, the item is imported and the Catalog is kept open. This is useful if you want to try out several different items without having to keep re-opening the Catalog.
All content is now searchable, making it much easier to find templates and components to add to your document or website. Select a category folder on the left and then enter a keyword in the search field to search in that category only. Or select All on the left to search all available content.
This is unlike most stock photo libraries you may be used to, where you purchase a ‘royalty free’ image, with restricted license terms, often with limited production runs, limited reproduction rights, no re-distribution rights. An increasing number of photographers are submitting their work to the public domain, in particular under a license called CC0, which is a very liberal license, totally royalty free, where you can use the image for personal or commercial use with almost no limitation. Read more about the CC0 license. In conjunction with Pixabay, a website that collected and collated a huge number of high quality CC0 images, we have included a section in the Content Catalog where you can search and download hi-res photos directly into Designer. Their collection includes high-quality images from sites such as Unsplash.com and other collections of CC0 licensed content. The first time you import one of these photos you will be asked to read and accept Pixabay’s Terms & Conditions. But you only need to do this once on each computer you use, then you can import as many photos as you like.
Before this update photo resolution was limited to HD (1920x1080), but now when you import a stock photo into a print document you get the photo’s full resolution into your design. The resolution of photos varies, but most are much higher than HD resolution. When you import into a web document, as when importing local photos, the resolution is still limited to HD because it’s rare to need any higher resolution than this for a website.
In addition to stock photos, there’s now an additional category of vector graphic ‘stock illustrations’. All the images have keywords so you can easily search for the graphic you want. Select the Stock Illustrations category on the left side and enter a search term, such as Frog - see left. Because the original vector files vary enormously in size, graphics larger than around 300px are scaled down. Also un-grouped images, are placed in a group for ease of manipulation. Because this is vector clipart, it’s re-sizable to any size without loss of quality.
The Designs Gallery has now become the Local Designs Gallery. As the name implies, this now shows only content that you have present locally on your device, either because it was installed with the program using the optional backup CD, or was downloaded from the Content Catalog. This makes it easier to find and access designs you use regularly. The folder structure in the gallery still mirrors that of the Content Catalog and each folder in the gallery has a link allowing you to jump straight into the corresponding folder in the Content Catalog, so you can easily view what other content is available for download into that folder. Whenever you open or import a design file from the Catalog, that file then appears in the Local Designs Gallery and so you can use it even when offline.
As just mentioned the Design Gallery (right edge of the window) now shows content that has been previously downloaded, that is cached on your local hard drive. This is therefore available while working offline. For example if you download a button from the Online Content Catalog (from Components > Print & Web Components > Buttons) then there will be a corresponding category created in the Local Designs Gallery.
You can download the whole category (in this case all the button designs), so they all available offline, by right clicking on the category name, and selecting this ‘Download All’ option.
The Symbol library is a great source of high quality vector icons symbols, and we’ve made it even better. We’ve added Google’s Material Designs symbol font to the library (menu Insert > Symbol… and also from the Content Catalog) to provide over 1500 high-quality open-source vector symbols. These can be used as editable vector graphics on the page, or inline symbol font characters in text. To insert the symbol in the text, in the Text Tool, just place the text caret where you want to insert the symbol and select the symbol from the picker. If you insert the symbol on the page, it’s created as a simple vector shape. You can adjust its fill, shadow, outline, shadow using the usual tools.
The Font Awesome and Google Material Design fonts are updated quite regularly with new symbols. When this happens you’ll be prompted when you open the symbol picker. It’s important that you choose to accept these updates because the symbol picker and Content Catalog always show symbols from the newest font versions, so if you’re not up to date you may find symbols you choose appears as a black rectangle.
The symbol library is now searchable - enter a keyword in the search field at the top of the symbol picker to find matching symbols in any of the symbol fonts supported. e.g. search for ‘face’ to find all Facebook icons, or ‘credit card’ to find all credit card designs.
To replace a symbol, right-click on it and choose Replace symbol… from the context menu. This brings up the symbol picker, where you can search for a new symbol. You can also use this operation in bulleted lists to replace the symbol used for the bullet points. Place the text caret in the list, right-click and choose Replace symbol… July 2017 update - this now also works if the symbol is inside a group so you don’t have to perform a “select inside” operation first.
If you make a non-rectangular object repelling, by default the text flows tightly around the object, following its outline, as demonstrated by this ellipse on the right. Now you can choose to make the text repel around the rectangular bounding box of the object instead, ignoring its outline, as for the second ellipse below left. This rectangular repelling option is also more efficient if your document or website has long text flows and has a lot of repelling objects that are also anchored to the text (as both ellipses here are). Therefore this is now the default option when you turn repelling on for rectangular objects. Non- rectangular objects, such as the above ellipses and transparent PNGs default to ‘tight’ repelling around the shape, or transparent parts of a PNG bitmap. You can control the repel margin - how close the text comes to the edge of the repelling object. You can access this dialog by right clicking on the item to repel, and selecting the Repelling & Anchoring… option, which also appears under the top level Arrange menu.
Auto-kerning (the small adjustment of the overlap of certain pairs of letters such as ‘Aj’) in earlier versions of Designer works only with older TrueType fonts. Work has been done to support kerning on newer OpenType fonts, so now many newer OpenType fonts now render with the correct kerning. Most modern web browsers also automatically support the correct auto-kerning.
Right-click on a text selection in the Text Tool and choose from the new Change case to… sub-menu in the context menu.
The spell-checker menu now includes options to change the language of all text in your document at once, instead of having to set each text object separately.
In previous versions of Designer, the Text Tool InfoBar had a flyout bar on the end, which gave access to additional text controls that wouldn’t fit on the main InfoBar. Alternatively users could choose to have an extended Text Tool InfoBar, containing all controls. We’ve now replaced both these options with an additional toolbar which you can turn on and off using the button toggle button on the end of the Text InfoBar. When turned on, the additional bar only appears when you are in the Text Tool. By default the bar appears below the InfoBar, but as with all bars in Designer, you can drag the bar to another location. If you have a wide enough screen you may wish to move it to the right side of the InfoBar. Here the Advanced text Toolbar has been moved to appear at the end of the text InfoBar. The … icon switches this extra toolbar on or off.
option in the Style menu (Text Tool InfoBar). Do the same for each different heading style you use, to ensure you are never left with a heading on its own at the bottom of a page or column.
This is another new paragraph option that prevents a paragraph from being split across a page or column boundary. For example if you have a long two-line paragraph heading, you wouldn’t normally want the second line of heading text to flow to the next page, leaving the first line at the bottom of the previous page or column. Turning this option on makes sure that the two lines of the heading will always stay together. Find this option in the same Paragraph Options menu described above. Update the heading styles in your existing documents in the same way as described for Keep With Next Paragraph, above.
In order to connect a list to a previous one, right click on the list and select the menu ‘List Properties…’, to open the list properties dialog (see screenshots above). Check the ‘Link to previous list’ option to link lists. When you do this the lists will take on a common numbering format. Size This field allows you to change the size of the number or bullet character for the list or sub-list at the caret. Color Change the color of the bullet or number. You can either select a named color from the drop-down list, or click the Edit button and use the color editor to choose a color. Once you have opened the color editor in this way you can also click on any of the colors on the color line, if you want to choose a standard color. In the Mar 2017 update the use of this option was extended to also work with bulleted lists and sub-lists. When the option is checked, the current list picks up its settings from the previous list at the same level and of the same type. So set this option on a bulleted sub-list and it will pick up the bullet symbol, margin, indent, color, etc. settings from the previous sub-list of the same level. Vertical Offset This option allows you to adjust the vertical offset of the bullet/number relative to the list text. This is particularly useful for bullet symbols because the vertical positions of these vary, so depending on which symbols you choose for your bullets (see below), you will often find they don’t align nicely with the list text. So use this vertical offset facility to adjust the alignment. Indent The indent is the space to the right of the numbers/bullets (the space between the numbers/bullets and the start of the list text). So you can use the Indent controls to adjust this spacing for the list at the caret. Margin The margin field controls the space to the left of the bullet/number, so you can use these controls to adjust the horizontal offsets of sub-lists.
Replace with Symbol This button is enabled for bulleted lists only and allows you to choose a different symbol for the list. It brings up the symbol picker window, which lets you choose from hundreds of different symbols. You can also search by keyword if you are looking for a particular symbol. If you choose any of the Material Icons symbols, you will probably need to adjust the vertical position of the symbol, as described above. Here’s an example: A list using a graphical bullet symbol from the Symbol library. In this case the symbol can be found searching for ‘bullseye’. In addition the bullets have been colored red and had a vertical position adjustment. A great benefit of using Symbols this way is that they are just characters from a symbol font, and so zoom without quality loss, are resolution independent and look good on high-res devices such as Retina screens. Replace from Clipboard Designer allows you to use any graphic for your bullets or numbers in lists. Search for “Graphical bullets” in the help for details on how to do this. The Replace from clipboard button in this dialog does the same as the Paste as list bullet and Paste as list number operations in the context menu.
Various other small list editing improvements have been made in this update.
The Link dialog now has an option to link directly to any heading in your document. Previously you needed to add an anchor name manually to each heading, in order to link to the heading, but this is no longer necessary. Just select the heading you want to link to from the list.
The new option Insert > Table of Contents … builds a table of contents automatically and inserts it at the text caret.
This operation works by finding all the headings in your document that use a Heading text style (Heading 1, Heading 2, etc.). It won’t find headings that you have formatted manually, for example by just making text bold - you must have a heading text style applied to the headings. When you invoke this operation, the following dialog appears.
This lets you choose which headings should be included in the table. If you only want your top level headings (usually Heading 1) to appear in the table, set the level to 1. The table of contents at the top of this document, for example, was generated with headings up to level 2, so only Heading 1 and Heading 2 headings are included in it.
Select this option if you want to include page numbers in your table. The page number style is chosen to match the style of page numbers you have in the same document, if there are any. Otherwise it uses the default number style. The table includes tab stops on each line so that the page number appears near the right edge of the text column or area.
Each entry in the table of contents is linked to the appropriate heading in the document. So this option lets you choose how the links appear in the table. If selected, the links will use the document’s link colors, as specified on the Website tab of the Utilities > Web Properties dialog.
the table of contents in this document, the top level headings (TOC1) were changed to use a larger font.
As you update a document, adding and removing headings, you will soon need to update your table of contents. To do this place the text caret anywhere in the table, right-click and choose Table Of Contents > Update from the context menu. The table is updated, while preserving any changes you made to the TOC styles.
The Table Of Contents context menu also includes a Remove option, for removing the table. It also has a Properties option, which brings up the same dialog you used to create the table. This allows you to change the properties of an existing table, for example to turn page numbers on or off.
You can now align text within text areas vertically, so it’s top, center or bottom aligned. This is useful wherever you want to align multi-line text vertically with other features on the page, especially text that you want to edit regularly so the number of lines varies. To change the vertical alignment of a text area, place the text caret in the text and select the button on the advanced text InfoBar. This reveals a menu allowing you to choose the vertical alignment. This option is not available for text columns or simple text lines.
Note that unlike normal top-aligned text, centered and bottom aligned text cannot currently be repelled. So objects with ‘Repel text under’ turned on will have no effect on such text.
Many modern OpenType fonts include typographical ligatures, which allow pairs or sequences of consecutive characters in text to be displayed with a single glyph. They are used to improve the legibility and presentation of text and to introduce stylistic flourishes.
Some fonts have very few or no ligatures, others have many and may also include multiple Stylistic Sets (see below). Ligatures are organized into the following groups and you can choose which groups to turn on or off independently for any range of characters. Select a character range in the Text Tool and then click on the button on the end of the Advanced Text bar, to access the ligature options. Under the Open Type Ligatures option, you can select any or all of the following groups, for the current selected characters: Standard The default set of ligatures the font designer has provided. Discretionary Discretionary ligatures are usually decorative - to be applied at the discretion of the user. Historical Historical ligatures are mainly ornamental suggesting a historical context.
Some fonts include alternative sets of ligature characters that the user can choose from, allowing more flexibility. If any sets are available for any of the characters in the current text selection, they are listed under the Stylistic Sets sub-menu, where they can be turned on and off independently. Ligature settings can be used in text styles just like other text attributes.
Text styles can now be marked as “hidden” in the text styles properties dialog, which means they won’t appear in the main styles list unless the text caret is located in text that uses that style. This is useful to help avoid the styles list becoming too long in documents that use a lot of different styles. Some SmartShapes such as the bar and column charts have their own text styles and these are now automatically made hidden styles, so they don’t appear in the main styles list. Similarly the TOC styles used for Tables of Contents are also hidden. Use the “Show hidden styles” option in the styles menu to have all styles included in the styles list. Additionally hidden styles can’t become current, so any new text you add to a design should never use a hidden style by default.
Designer Pro now has a new “language” document property. This determines what language new text added to the document will be set to, for the purposes of spell checking, instead of assuming the document language should be the same as the language your device is set to. This new property can be seen and modified with the new Document language option in the Spell Checker menu in the Text Tool. You can still set any text in your document to any language, regardless of what the “Document language” property is set to, so you can still have a mixture of languages in your documents when required. If you change the current document language, you are asked whether all existing text in the document should also be set to the chosen language, or left unchanged. When you open an existing 12.6 or older document, the document language is automatically set according to the language on the Normal text style in that document. Newly created documents have their document language set to match the language setting of the current device, as with previous versions of Designer.
• (Nov 2016) A Delete Style operation has been added to the styles menu. So you no longer need to locate and remove every reference to a style in order to remove it from your document. • (Nov 2016) The text syle properties dialog now includes the option to set the outline level of a heading style. The outline level is used when inserting a table of contents. The level determines the indentation level in the table and you can specify the maximum level of heading that should be included in the table. For example the table of contents at the top of this document only includes levels 1 and 2 (Heading 1 and Heading 2), to keep the size of the table down. • It’s easier and more predictable to select and cut or delete list items or single line paragraphs (such as headings). If you select a whole line from start to end, including the Carriage Return on the end, then a cut / delete will remove the whole list item. If you partially select a list item or line (e.g. not from the start of the item, but including the end of the line), then cut / delete will no longer join the following paragraph to this one.
You can now give individual objects names in the Page & Layer Gallery, to help find objects and to organize your designs. Change object names the same way you change layer and page names in the gallery - just click on the name while the object is selected in the gallery, or right-click on it and choose Rename object.
In previous versions of Designer, when you exported a design as a psd file, each Xara layer in the design became a separate layer in Photoshop. And similarly when importing a psd file, each psd layer became a Xara layer in Designer. Now instead we map psd layers to and from Xara objects instead of Xara layers. This is a better fit between the two applications, because whereas in Photoshop effects and blend modes are applied to whole layers, in Xara the same tools are applied to objects, not layers. So it’s more useful to map Xara objects to and from psd layers.
• Generally improved text reconstruction, including better justification detection and line spacing accuracy. • Clipview optimization (removal of unnecessary clipviews) • Improved import of bulleted/numbered lists • Support for PDF/X 4 export (July 2017) • And many other small improvements (Nov 2016, Mar 2017 and July 2017).
• Import of diagrams (SmartArt objects, art borders, picture effects and other constructs) • Many other small improvements to both import and export (Mar 2017).
Improved import of shapes, hyperlinks, text styles, gradients, transparency and many more improvements and fixes.
General reliability fixes. SVG blur effect import improvement.
Designer Pro X includes an upgrade to ‘Website M’ hosting, free for one year as part of our new Update Service (worth $1.99 a month). This includes 2GBytes of free web hosting space and one free domain name (e.g. yourname.com or .co.uk or .de, and others). Plus you can password protect your web pages.
Xara Online Designer offers an innovative and ultra-simple way to view, edit and update Xara documents and websites using a web browser on any computer or tablet (yes, even a Mac or Android tablet!), from anywhere in the world. Online Designer also gives you the ability to work on documents in collaboration with friends, colleagues and clients. Online Designer remains in beta, but it is evolving rapidly, you can track the latest updates here. Access to Online Designer is included with all copies of Designer Pro while Online Designer is in beta. You can sign in to Xara Online Designer here: cloud.ixara.com You can sign-in the first time using the Xara option on this page, enter the username / password you used to purchase Designer Pro. Once you’ve signed in you can connect to any cloud drive (Dropbox, Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive) to access Xara files saved to any of these services. Once you have connected a cloud drive, then next time you can one-click sign-in using the cloud drive links. See our Outsider Tutorial An Intro to Online Designer for more information on how to get started. | 2019-04-23T20:48:24Z | http://releasenotes.xara.hosting/pro365/ |
Why Learn French Cooking Techniques Anywhere Else?
» Archive by Category "Culinary Topics"
Classic French food never goes out of vogue, but French dining is certainly making a comeback this year with a new French-style bistro and café popping up around every corner in New York City. Now you can embrace this delicious trend at home and bring these French-favorites to your kitchen! After all, the International Culinary Center is still The French Culinary InstituteTM with curriculum rooted in the fundamentals of classic French technique. Why learn how to cook French food anywhere else?
Check out our one-day French Classics courses through FCI, a recreational division of ICC below!
At ICC, you can learn elements of the craft of the charcutier, a trade that has been around for centuries. You’ll walk away with hands-on knowledge to make fresh-cured bacon, fresh and dry-cured sausages, pâtés, pork rillettes, duck & ham confit, and more!
Click here for upcoming classes and more information.
Transform your culinary abilities in just five exciting hands-on sessions, and you’ll soon be a star in your own kitchen, turning out wonderful meals. Master the fundamentals of French cuisine in this hands-on experience, whether you are deftly slicing an onion, gently poaching a fish or creating one of the many classic dishes contained in the curriculum.
Sharpen your knives—and your skills—with this three-session class designed to give you greater consistency, confidence and precision in the kitchen. Master the French codified skills from taillage to chiffonade and dozens more, to improve both your fundamental knife and cooking skills.
The foundation of great chefs begins with classic French techniques. In 100 fast-paced hours at ICC, you’ll advance from basic knife skills to more complex, classic recipes, including how to make the game-changing five “mother sauces”: velouté, Espagnole, hollandaise, béchamel and tomato.
The French Culinary InstituteTM, FCI, a recreational division of the International Culinary Center, is proud to bring you these one-day FCI cooking & baking classes centered around your favorite French techniques & classics!
Vive le croissant! Spend a few hours learning how to make, roll out, shape and bake your own croissant creations, as well as understanding lamination (the science behind creating those magnificent, flaky layers). Nothing could be more French or more perfect at a lazy Sunday brunch with friends or an elegant breakfast with family.
In this class, you’ll savor the tastes of France and add a host of new techniques to your cooking repertoire while learning how to make classic dishes. A chef-instructor will guide you through the execution behind a three-course seasonal menu with dishes such as Warm Petatou and Goat Cheese Salad, Coq au Vin and Chocolate Soufflé.
Learn the basics of making pâte à choux, the French pastry dough that serves as the foundation of cream puffs, éclairs and so many more Gallic favorites. By trying your hand at mixing, piping and filling techniques, plus a couple of versatile pastry cream recipes, you’ll become familiar with the signature creations of a classic French patisserie.
Eating a delicious baguette is only part of the fun: making it from scratch brings its own sense of reward. Here, we will teach you how to make the perfect baguette—rich, chewy texture and satisfying crunch of the crust—and get hands-on in mixing, fermenting, folding and shaping your dough before scoring and finishing it in the oven.
In this class, enjoy the tastes of France without leaving home and add a host of new techniques to your kitchen repertoire by learning how to make two seafood bistro favorites. You’ll learn the execution behind Soupe de Poissons à la Marseillaise—four different fish in a broth fragrant with saffron and Vichysoisse, the classic potato-leek soup. And for the grand finale, you’ll make your own crèmes caramel.
In this lively hands-on class, you will learn how easy it is to make marvelous madeleines—those elegant and distinctively shell-shaped French cakes—and the ever-popular classic French macaron (Gerber or macaron en français using almonds, meringue, buttercream and ganache). The result: delicate, delicious creations in bright, bold colors.
Selection and hiring in our wonderful world of Hospitality is everything because we are only as good as the people who work for us. We work long, we work hard, it is hot in the kitchen and crazy on the floor and one of the main ingredients in success is passion. I am certain that we can train knife skills and we can train steps of service, but passion – we need you all to bring it!
When asked to write this article, of course, I was stoked! Then I thought, I can easily be the boring ‘HR Lady’…. or how about I get by with a little help from my friends?
So, I reached out to some of our industry greats to ask them their tips on how to land the interview you desire and some of their culinary interviewing go to questions. Along with their help and my own expertise, we are certain to set you up for success. Identifying and supporting great talent has been my passion for many years, I am amazingly lucky to have access to some of the very best in the industry (and don’t forget the food) and I also get to share my knowledge, stories and passion with the ICC community.
Own and know your Personal brand – Know your mission, values, social presence and goals and integrate them in all you do. Some of our core values at Bobby’s Burger Palace are being fast, friendly, focused and fun. What are yours and how do you live them? – Me!
What our advice all has in common is the basics, the passion and the accountability that is needed to make it in this business. My chefs and restaurant managers know and love (and sometimes hate) how many times I tell them… “The more time we spend hiring, the less time we spend firing”.
Follow our tips and prepare for our questions. Listening to our tips will guide you to land the interview and the restaurant job of your dreams!
Students of ICC’s Professional Culinary Arts program are in the kitchen cooking from day one under the watchful eyes of accomplished chef-instructors, learning from a curriculum established by world-renowned deans such as Jacques Pepin, André Soltner and Cesare Casella. With help from ICC’s on-going Career Services, students leave with the credentials and connections to pursue careers in the culinary industry. For more information about landing your culinary dream job and enrolling at the International Culinary Center, simply complete the form on this page.
What Do Culinary Arts Students Do After Graduation?
If you’re considering enrolling in culinary school as a next step in your education, your ultimate goal is getting a job in the food industry after graduation. While you may have an idea of what that dream job may be, there are many career paths available to Professional Culinary Arts graduates that are worth exploring—as demonstrated by the diverse careers of the many talented alumni of ICC’s program.
Students in the Professional Culinary Arts program have often enrolled in cooking school with the goal of becoming a chef in a restaurant. Many alumni have worked their way up through jobs in restaurant kitchen—from line cooks to sous chefs—all the way up to the role of executive chef or chef/owner.
Some of ICC’s high-profile alumni who have gone on to build their own restaurant empires include David Chang and Bobby Flay. Other alumni, like 2001 Culinary Arts grad John Lasater, use their culinary expertise to work their way through the ranks of established kitchens. After graduating ICC, Lasater worked in several restaurants including Capitol Grille in the Hermitage Hotel and Flyte World Dining & Wine before landing a job at Hattie B’s Hot Chicken, where he is now in charge of all areas of operations including hiring, training, scheduling and overseeing the kitchen.
Many students enroll in culinary school in the hopes of one day becoming food entrepreneurs. ICC Culinary Arts alumni have opened countless food business to great success, including graduate Michael Chernow.
Michael Chernow, a graduate of both the Culinary Arts and Culinary Entrepreneurship programs, is the co-owner, creative director, and front-of-the-house operator of The Meatball Shop‘s six locations in New York City. Chernow attributes his business success to what he learned at ICC.
There are plenty of culinary careers outside the restaurant—including careers for private chefs and caterers. Many alumni have worked as the private chefs for people all over the world, while others have opened their own thriving catering businesses.
Culinary Arts graduate Elisabeth Weinberg enrolled in ICC’s program after college to pursue her longtime passion for food and afterwards opening up her own catering business Ms. Elisabeth’s in NYC. Through her catering business, Weinberg offers clients food from styles of cuisine all over the world—using the international culinary techniques she learned throughout the program.
Other graduates of the Culinary Arts program find their niche in the world of food media as authors, bloggers, journalists, food stylists and even as chefs for food television programs. A culinary education at ICC provides students with a foundation of cooking techniques needed for a successful career in food media.
ICC has graduated the likes of television and award-winning cookbook star Daisy Martinez, Executive Chef of Food Network and food stylist Robert Bleifer and Editor in Chief of Food Network Magazine Maile Carpenter. In addition, with the preparation provided by ICC, countless other alumni author cookbooks and contribute to food blogs in conjunction to working other industry jobs.
ICC’s Total Immersion curriculum prepares students for a multitude of the exciting careers available in the culinary industry. The moment students in the Professional Culinary Arts graduate, they become a part of the ICC alumni network that includes more than 15,000 graduates across the globe. With the incredible support from career services that lasts well beyond your months of training at ICC.
Between the world-renowned chefs that serve as ICC’s deans, our experienced chef-instructors and the countless alumni who have had breakthrough culinary careers after graduation, the alumni and faculty of our culinary school are experts in cooking and baking techniques all around the world—proven by the top-selling and award-winning cookbooks they’ve authored.
Nominated for the James Beard Award for Cooking from a Professional Point of View, this cookbook by 2001 Culinary Arts graduate David Chang is inspired by his the award-winning New York City restaurant group which includes Momofuku Noodle Bar, Ssäm Bar and Ko. Complete with stories from Chef Chang’s rise in the culinary world, Momofuku includes recipes for everything from ramen to pork buns, capturing the Michelin star-winner’s Asian-inspired flair.
ICC inaugural ’84 class-graduate Bobby Flay has been changing American cookouts for over two decades with his grilling expertise. His latest collection of recipes Bobby Flay’s Barbecue Addiction is the companion cookbook to Flay’s show of the same name—for which he has won two Outstanding Culinary Host Emmy Awards. One of many by Flay, this cookbook features recipes for chicken, burgers and other barbecue staples of all sorts, giving aspiring grill masters a chance to broaden their range of grilling techniques and flavors.
Dan Barber —graduate of ICC’s Classic Culinary Arts (now Professional Culinary Arts ) class of 1994 and chef/owner of Blue Hill and Blue Hill at Stone Barns—explores the ins-and-outs of farm-to-table food culture from rethinking the local food movement to discussing the future of culinary sustainability. While this James Bear Award-winning read isn’t your typical cookbook, it’s a must-have for aspiring professional and recreational chefs who want to understand where there food comes from—and where the future of food is headed.
Featuring recipes influenced by the cuisine from the Middle East, North Africa, the Mediterranean, and Eastern Europe as encapsulated by Israeli cooking, Zahav: A World of Israeli Cooking book was the winner of both the 2016 James Beard Award in International Cooking and Cookbook of the Year. Steven Cook, a Culinary Arts ’00 graduate, co-authored the book with Solomonov—whose restaurant Zahav served as the stage on which some of the book’s popular recipes for fried cauliflower and hummus made their highly-praised debut.
ICC’s Dean of Special Programs Jacques Pépin, with an illustrious career spanning many decades and mediums through which he’s shared his French culinary expertise (and charm), has released countless cookbooks over the years. His latest, in conjunction with what will be his final PBS series, features 200 recipes Pépin enjoys preparing for his family and friends. Taking a very personal approach to cooking, the book also peppers in vivid stories from his years in the culinary world, offering an unmissable look into cooking for professionals and amateurs alike.
An alumni of ICC’s Art of International Bread Baking Program and chef-owner of award-winning Italian restaurant Vetri in Philadelphia, Marc Vetri’s cookbook is a masterclass in all kinds of pasta—from dough, to shapes, to sauce pairings. If you’re considering making a culinary career in Italian cooking—or even if you’re an Italian home cook looking to step up your game—this 2016 James Beard Award-nominated book is a must-have in your culinary library.
In the search for the perfect finish to any meal, look no further than the cookbook of ICC 2004 Pastry Arts alumni Executive Pastry Chef at David Chang’s Milk Bar Christina Tosi. With recipes straight from the synonymous bakery including the infamous crack pie® and compost cookies®, Milk Bar Life: Recipes & Stories includes other sweet and savory dishes as well as stories from the James Beard Award’s 2012 Rising Star Chef and 2015 Outstanding Pastry Chef herself.
ICC Dean David Kinch—who recently earned a third Michelin star for the restaurant Manresa in Los Gatos, California—connects farm-to-table cooking to the flavors of Northern California. Nominated for the 2014 James Beard Award for Cooking from a Professional Point of View, Kinch reached 19th on The New York Times Best Sellers list with this cookbook inspired by the West Coast.
Culinary Arts ’06 and Bread Baking ’08 graduate Samantha Seneviratne’s James Beard Award-nominated cookbook features interesting twists on classic desserts from brownies to pudding. Organized by spices, this book offers bakers at all levels recipes to expand your sweet treats beyond the typical flavors and baking techniques.
International Culinary Center also has a cookbook series of its own, teaching the fundamentals of cooking and baking techniques including everything from Italian cuisine to bread baking based on the teachings of ICC courses and programs. You can also view an expanded list of books by ICC alumni to explore even more recipes and techniques.
To get the hands-on education created by legendary deans—like Jacques Pepin and José Andrés—shared by the many ICC alumni who have become renowned in the culinary industry, learn more about joining the Professional Culinary Arts or Pastry Arts programs or complete the form above to request information from our admissions representatives.
What is Culinary School Like?
Making the decision to get your Culinary Arts education could be the first step on a journey to having your dream career as a chef. Learn about what it’s like to go to culinary school and train in the International Culinary Center (ICC) kitchen in New York City or California.
Students spend the first portion of their time in ICC’s Professional Culinary Arts with Externship program learning the skills used by professional chefs through a Total Immersion, hands-on curriculum designed by culinary masters and ICC deans Jacques Pépin, André Soltner and Alain Sailhac. The in-class training, separated into four levels of technique, gives students the skills they will need to have success throughout the program and into their careers.
Before class, students set up their individual workstations with tools from their knife kit, included in tuition that they will be using for the day’s lesson. Once class starts, students gather around their chef-instructors’ workstation to watch him or her complete a live demonstration of the day’s lesson. Returning to their stations, students then work in pairs to recreate the dishes with the equipment and techniques demonstrated by the instructor. Chef-instructors grade each student’s daily performance on their ability to successfully replicate each dish.
After class, students are expected to prepare for the next day of training by copying down the recipes from their ICC textbook and reviewing the tools and techniques they’ll use in the day to come. This daily process is repeated throughout the program to give students a breadth of knowledge covering many cooking techniques and skills that will carry on into their careers. To ensure that students are learning the newest culinary trends and techniques, ICC also has an education department dedicated to creating and updating a curriculum unique to ICC that evolves with changes in the food industry.
While the first two levels of the program focus mainly on culinary techniques, Levels 3 and 4 focus on teaching high volume cooking, charcuterie, scaling recipes, consistency, refinement and time management. During Level 3, students are actively practicing high-volume cooking by preparing family meal, food served to the entire ICC student body and faculty.
During Level 4, students focus on consistency and refinement by repeating recipes, learn valuable skills in time management by preparing, cooking and plating a variety of dishes in time intervals. Some of the most important techniques will be learned in this lesson, which will be used throughout students’ professional careers.
After completing training in the kitchens of ICC, students have the exciting opportunity to work among the kitchen staff of a real restaurant, test kitchen or catering business in the required externship portion of the program. Each Professional Culinary Arts student works one-on-one with a member of ICC’s career services department to choose a placement for their externship that aligns with his or her career goals.
The search for externship placement often includes a trail—the culinary version of an interview in which students get the opportunity to experience the inner workings of a restaurant. During a trail, students are assigned a role in the kitchen, allowing them the chance to work on the line or help with food prep depending on the needs of the executive chef. Through this process, students get a hands-on view of the specific restaurant’s environment while meeting the kitchen staff and showcasing their own cooking abilities, providing a chance for both the student and the chef to evaluate the fit for externship placement.
This 200-hour portion of the program allows students to gain professional experience and make invaluable connections within the culinary industry. Some recent, well-known culinary establishments where students have externed include Daniel, Saveur, The Nomad and Babbo. Students are evaluated throughout their externship by the executive chef at their restaurant of placement as part of their ICC program grade.
ICC’s team of chef-instructors bring a depth of experience to share with culinary students each day in the kitchen. Students get personal attention and direction while they’re completing each lesson. Our chef-instructors are more than experienced professionals, they’re educated teachers too! Beyond regular class time, workshops and tutoring are available for students to get the extra help they need to master techniques for success as professional chefs.
Successful completion of the Culinary Arts program also allows students to experience ICC’s graduation commencement ceremony held in New York City’s iconic Carnegie Hall. ICC students receive continuous career services support and become a part of the 15,000+ ICC alumni network that extends to all corners of the globe.
Whether you’re interested in a traditional daytime program or an alternative track that fits a busy schedule, ICC offers a variety of schedules to help you achieve your goals no matter what. Professional Culinary Arts with Externship is offered in a six-month, five-days a week daytime schedule and a nine or 14-month evening schedule so you can keep your day job, while training for your dream job. The daytime classes meet five times a week, while classes in the evening program meet two to three nights a week.
To explore the culinary school options that can make your dreams of becoming a chef a reality, request more information by filling out the form on this page or contact us to answer any questions you have about ICC’s professional programs.
The James Beard Foundation (JBF) recently revealed the list of semifinalists for their 26th annual awards show honoring chefs and culinary achievement—a list which included a remarkable 23 nominations for International Culinary Center (ICC) alumni making an impact in restaurants and bakeries all over the country.
Each year the James Beard Foundation Awards awards acknowledge stand-out achievements of culinary professionals—narrowing down a list of semifinalists from more than 20,000 entries—as a part of the Foundation’s mission to “celebrate, nurture, and honor America’s diverse culinary heritage.” In all, 21 categories of culinary awards salute professionals from around the country for excellence in every facet of the culinary experience—from chefs to service experiences to wine programs and more.
ICC Professional Culinary Arts alumni who brought home James Beard Award semifinalist nods include Momofuku restaurant group founder David Chang, who earned four separate nominations: Chang’s Momofuku Noodle Bar in NYC earned a spot as an Outstanding Restaurant semifinalist while the food journal Lucky Peach for which Chang serves as co-editor was nominated for two Broadcast Media Awards.
Other key nominations for Professional Culinary Arts graduates include Tori Miller of L’Etoile for Outstanding Chef, Jeremiah Stone and Fabian von Hauske’s Wildair for Best New Restaurant and Matt Rudofker—who is among the final nominees for Rising Star of the Year. Alumnus Joshua Skenes was also nominated as a semifinalist for Best Chef: West for his three-Michelin-starred restaurant Saison in San Francisco, also earning a nod in the Outstanding Service category. View the full list of ICC alumni and deans nominated for James Beard Awards to see other Culinary Arts grads honored as semifinalists.
Each of these distinguished alumni learned the culinary techniques that prepared them to succeed in their careers through a Total Immersion curriculum designed by legendary chef and longtime ICC Dean Jacques Pepin—which lays the foundation of expertise by teaching students more than 250 cooking techniques in just six months of hands-on learning.
The school provides Career Services for graduates throughout their careers, tapping its network of placements across restaurants, catering businesses, media and more. Find out more about becoming a chef through ICC’s Professional Culinary Arts programs in New York and California.
Alumni of ICC’s Professional Pastry Arts program have also been recognized for the impact they’ve made on the culinary scene in the past year; 2004 Pastry Arts grad Melissa Weller’s bakery Sadelle’s—which opened September 2015 in NYC and quickly gained attention from the likes of The New York Times and Wall Street Journal—earned her a place on the semifinalist list for Outstanding Baker. Fabian von Hauske, previously mentioned for the nomination of Wildair, graduated from the Pastry Arts program in addition to the Professional Culinary Arts program.
The Professional Pastry Arts program—with a number of previously-nominated alumni including Christina Tosi of Momofuku Milk Bar, Nick Bonamico of Bouchon and Rebecca DeAngelis of Babbo—jumpstarts careers by immersing students in a pastry curriculum designed by world-famous chocolatier and longtime ICC Dean Jacques Torres.
Elements within the program include everything from baking fundamentals to a hands-on class with Food Network Cake Wars judge Ron Ben-Israel, and students have the option to participate in internships at places like Dominique Ansel Bakery, Ladurée and Jacques Torres’s chocolate factory and businesses. Learn more about the education and opportunities available through ICC’s Professional Pastry Arts programs in New York and California.
The James Beard Awards named two of ICC’s Art of International Bread Baking alumni among the semifinalists this year. Samantha Seneviratne, a graduate of both the Bread and Professional Culinary Arts programs, was nominated in the James Beard Book Award category in Baking and Dessert for The New Sugar & Spice: A Recipe for Bolder Baking.
Marc Vetri, chef/owner of Vetri in Philadelphia and 2005 winner of the James Beard Award for Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic, was named a semifinalist in two categories. His book co-authored with David Joachim Mastering Pasta: The Art and Practice of Handmade Pasta, Gnocchi, and Risotto was nominated for the Single Subject Book Award, and Vetri was recognized as a semifinalist in the Outstanding Chef category.
The Art of International Bread Baking program from which Vetri and Seneviratne graduated gives New York City students an in-depth knowledge of bread baking techniques from around the world in just eight weeks. Led by ICC alumnus and chef-instructor Johnson Yu, one of the first bakers at Michelin-starred Bouchon Bakery, bread students learn the pace of a real pastry kitchen and get experience with a variety of classic and modern baking technologies and techniques, from steam injection ovens (each student gets his or her own oven) to gluten-free bread baking.
When are the James Beard Awards?
The winners of the James Beard Foundation Book, Broadcast & Journalism Awards will be announced Tuesday, April 26, 2016, and awards in the Restaurant and Chef categories will be named during the James Beard Awards Gala hosted Monday, May 2 at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.
See the full list of ICC alumni and deans named as 2016 James Beard Award semifinalists.
Opening a successful restaurant, bakery or any other food business takes more than just a great idea—it requires concept development, finance, market savvy and operations, along with how to handle real estate, marketing and social media—in other words, decisions that can make or break your restaurant’s success.
Before you begin scouting a location, hiring staff or designing a menu for your new restaurant, you’ll need to make sure your business gets off to the right start. Having the skills to build your food business on a foundation of shrewd market analysis and business planning—skills ICC students learn in the Culinary Entrepreneurship program—will help make your restaurant dream a reality.
An idea is a great starting point for opening a restaurant, bakery or food business, but without the right market conditions, even the best idea can fall flat. To determine whether or not there is opportunity to turn your restaurant idea into the thriving business, you’ll need to find out if your idea is viable for success by doing a thorough analysis of the market.
Is there a need for my product or service? What “problem” will my business solve for the consumer?
Are consumers willing to pay for my products or services?
Is there opportunity to open my business in my desired location?
Can I provide my product or service at the right price for the market and still generate revenue?
Is the timing right to launch my business now?
Who are my competitors? How will I differentiate myself?
How large is the market? Is the industry growing or declining?
Answering these questions help you decide if the market circumstances are in your business’s favor and will lay the groundwork for making smart decisions for your restaurant or bakery later on.
You may have a great idea for a food establishment, but right now that’s all it is—an idea. To turn that idea into a viable business, ICC’s Culinary Entrepreneurship program gives future food entrepreneurs an in-depth knowledge of how to find real business opportunities through market assessment, feasibility and other important entrepreneurial skills.
A business plan is a roadmap for your success as a food entrepreneur, and the process of writing a business plan helps you clearly define your restaurant’s concept and business model, test market assumptions and validate feasibility.
Not only will creating your business plan help you stay on track with starting and running your restaurant, but it is also a tool to help you clearly communicate your passion and vision to investors who want to help fund the growth of your food business.* Once you’re up and running, the business plan helps you act quickly to take advantage of trends.
What are my funding sources?
How long before I break even? Generate a profit?
What will set me apart from my competitors?
Who are my target customers? How will I market to them?
Who will be the key players in the business? What staff do I need to hire?
What are my risks? How will I handle potential problems?
What are my operational milestones? How will I gauge success?
A comprehensive business plan should answer these questions and more, helping you to clarify your vision and lay the groundwork for future growth.
If you’re serious about starting your own restaurant, bakery or other food business, you need to develop the entrepreneurial skills and business expertise needed to succeed in this competitive industry. ICC’s Culinary Entrepreneurship instructors include those from world-class institutions such as Cornell University School of Hospitality, Babson College—ranked #1 in entrepreneurship education—and the gold-standard Union Square Hospitality Group, ensuring you have the best academic resources and chances for success.
The instructors leading ICC’s Culinary Entrepreneurship program—seasoned experts from both the academic business field and the culinary entrepreneurship industry—are there to help provide you with the knowledge, guidance and invaluable mentor-ship that can last long after the program ends.
Enroll in ICC’s Culinary Entrepreneurship Program today and go from idea to business plan in just weeks while learning from leaders in the culinary and entrepreneurship industries.
For those aspiring to become a pastry chef, choosing an immersive pastry education through a culinary school like International Culinary Center (ICC) will help you build the foundation of baking fundamentals of your career. From the beginning of class on the first day through graduation, get a glimpse into what it’s like to study as a Professional Pastry Arts student in the ICC kitchen.
Preparation is one of the keys to success in the kitchen—even for aspiring chefs starting out in their pastry education. On the first day of class, ICC students are in the kitchen, in their chef’s whites, ready to bake. Each day from then on, students are expected to review the lesson plan for the day and prepare the tools necessary for the day’s recipe. The process of “mise en place”—or the proper placement—for everything in the kitchen work space laid out in advance plays an important role in baking and pastry students learning the discipline necessary to be an efficient chef.
Daily classroom instruction in the ICC pastry kitchen begins with a brief lecture, summarizing key vocabulary and objectives of the day’s dishes, followed by the first demonstration led by the chef-instructor. Demonstrations show students techniques they will need for the recipe that follows, while also providing an opportunity to ask questions before trying the techniques on their own.
Students then return to their own stations to recreate the demonstrated recipe, using multi-tasking, organization and teamwork in learning to navigate the kitchen environment. The chef-instructor helps students around the kitchen by providing feedback, answering questions and pointing out important details.
A typical day in the pastry arts program is broken down into three to four recipes or projects, each including its own chef demonstration and techniques. Some recipes—like cakes and pies—may contain several components including baking, cooling, filling and decorating. More complex recipes may therefore span more than one demonstration.
Director of Pastry Operations Jansen Chan —who has worked in the pastry kitchen of Alain Ducasse at the Essex House in NYC and served as the executive pastry chef of Michelin-starred Oceana— describes the pastry kitchen environment as bustling, at times chaotic, but above all else, supportive.
By following the carefully constructed lesson plans, students learn the timing of recipes and processes firsthand. Over the course of the program, students complete hundreds of recipes covering a range of baking skills, including everything from doughs and breads to fruit compotes and more advanced chocolate work.
While the first half of the program is designed to help students learn and master skills essential to becoming a pastry chef, the second half cultivates students’ creativity and personal style, matched with their new skills. Some of the projects students complete include a three-tiered wedding cake, chocolate sculptures, a final showcase for friends and family—called “Restaurant Day”—and more.
“The first is that pastry has a ton of rules. The scientific foundation required is immense. The second is that all of those rules can be bent or broken. With some creative thinking anything is possible!” –Nick Wuest, Professional Pastry Arts alumnus, now a Pastry Cook at American Cut.
During the course of the program, students can participate in industry field trips to a location, where they can meet chefs, ask questions and see the skills and techniques they’ve learned in action.
Chefs at participating patisseries walk students through the kitchen and show them how it functions—from ingredient preparation to plating to delivery. Taking these field trips not only provides a networking opportunity for students, but also allows them to experience a professional kitchen space in person.
Recent locations for pastry field trips include Oceana, Ron Ben-Israel Cakes, Dominique Ansel Kitchen, and ICC Dean Jacques Torres’s chocolate factory Jacque Torres Chocolate.
To read more stories from students at ICC, explore the blogs and recipes written by Pastry Arts students and graduates of the program. If you’re ready to start your pastry education and begin your career as a chef, you can learn more about our Professional Pastry Arts programs in New York and California or enroll in the program’s upcoming dates.
What is ICC’s Total Immersion Curriculum?
At International Culinary Center (ICC), giving students a high-quality culinary and pastry education that fully prepares them for a rewarding culinary career is our mission. That’s why ICC’s team of chef-instructors, master chefs and deans have worked together—pulling their collective expertise of the industry and their individual culinary training experiences—to deliver a curriculum that gives students a world-class education.
Our Total Immersion curriculum teaches culinary and pastry arts students the fundamental techniques of the kitchen using proven methods they can carry on into their careers with confidence. In cooking, it’s about how to think about what you make—not just how you make a single recipe.
From day one, you’ll learn fundamental techniques to keep building upon throughout your culinary training, and your lifetime. These classical techniques, first codified by the French, open the door to all different global cuisines.
Total Immersion begins with hands-on instruction in the kitchen on day one of the program, providing knowledge of the cooking tools used in the industry by interacting with them firsthand.
By the end of the Professional Pastry Arts and Professional Culinary Arts programs, students will have gained hundreds of hours of hands-on instruction in the kitchen. During the Total Immersion process, students get in-person, interactive demonstrations from their chef-instructors every day before replicating the techniques and recipes on their own—allowing them to accumulate the full skill set of a professional chef.
ICC’s Total Immersion curriculum is based on the experience of our cooking school’s impressive chefs and deans, which includes legendary names like Jacques Pépin, André Soltner, Jacques Torres and Alain Sailhac. ICC’s team of full-time chef-instructors have worked in the top kitchens and culinary establishments around the world, meaning ICC’s culinary and baking students learn under the guidance of industry professionals with real-world experience and different global food perspectives.
With small class sizes and a low student-to-teacher ratio, chef-instructors can focus on the individual success of each chef-in-training, providing students with feedback and guidance as they work in the kitchen.
Learning fundamental culinary techniques in the ICC kitchen also means students receive their education in an environment that teaches students the structure and intensity of professional kitchens—with the bonus of building technique from the ground up.
The Total Immersion curriculum is designed to teach aspiring chefs a full range of more than 250 essential skills from high-volume food production, to food costing. Culinary students get experience with a variety of ingredients including traditional vegetables and specialty meats, while pastry students will learn techniques in everything from doughs, fillings, cake and mixing methods, to chocolate, sugar artistry and more.
To give students the preparation they need to start their culinary careers the Total Immersion curriculum also includes projects that simulate the real-life restaurant environment. Students in the Professional Culinary Arts program participate in paid externships as part of their program—recent classes have externed at Daniel, Saveur, The Nomad, Blanca and other restaurants and industry locations—giving students practical experience in real kitchens and restaurants. Pastry students have an internship option with recent placements including Dominique Ansel Bakery, Ron Ben-Israel Cakes and ICC Dean Jacques Torres’ chocolate business.
In the kitchen, timing is everything; ICC’s Total Immersion curriculum gives students an education with this in mind. ICC’s intensive culinary and pastry programs are designed to pack in more time in the classroom kitchen in order to help students start their careers sooner.
While other programs can take upwards of a year to finish, completing one of ICC’s rigorous professional programs utilizing the Total Immersion method can take as little as six months by day, nine months by evening, allowing students the chance to get a head start on their culinary career. ICC’s Career Services advisors help along the way in mapping out students’ personal paths.
If you’re choosing cooking school as the first step to achieving your dream of becoming a chef, baker or any job in the professional culinary industry, ICC’s Total Immersion curriculum can help you get there. Learn more about our Professional Culinary Arts programs in New York and California—or, if your passion is for pastry, explore the New York and California program offerings for Professional Pastry Arts.
To get more information on our Total Immersion method of culinary education or about our professional programs, contact us.
If you’re having a hard time staying inspired in the traditional college setting and contemplating a change, consider pursuing a culinary education that could lead you to a rewarding career in the kitchen.
Why Switch to a Culinary Arts Education?
If lecture halls, hours spent poring over textbooks and written exams aren’t your strong suit, the culinary classroom environment may be a good alternative for several reasons—from your learning style to your career goals.
From day one of our Professional Culinary Arts and Professional Pastry Arts programs, students start their culinary arts training in the kitchen with the hands-on instruction of our Total Immersion curriculum. With live demonstrations given by ICC’s chef-instructors, students learn by actively seeing cooking techniques done by the experts then practicing it for themselves in class.
The professional programs at ICC ensure each student is receiving individualized attention from the chef-instructors to help them master the techniques being shared each day in class.
Outside of regular coursework, students are welcomed to participate in extra workshops for particular skills by instructors as well as tutoring sessions. Above all else, the faculty at ICC want each student to succeed in the classroom so he or she can achieve the culinary career of their dreams after graduation.
Changing career goals from college-based path to an education in the kitchen can be a little scary—but those who make the switch to ICC are in good company. Many of ICC’s successful alumni changed their career paths from medical school, law school and many other academic focuses before starting their culinary journey.
Professional Culinary Arts alumna Sandy Yoon was saving for law school when she visited ICC’s New York City campus and decided to pursue cooking. Alumnus and Executive Chef at the three Michelin Star-winning Saison in San Francisco Joshua Skenes was planning on going to college when he followed his longtime culinary passion to the Culinary Arts program. ICC alumnus Hooni Kim—now a superstar of Korean cuisine in the American culinary community—started medical school at University of California at Berkeley before transferring.
Other alumni that began a college education before finding their home at ICC include Culinary Arts and Art of International Bread Baking graduate Melissa Muller Daka, Professional Pastry Arts alumna Liz Gutman and many more.
Learn more about applying to ICC and joining the ranks of the many alumni who have taken the leap from traditional college to satisfying careers in the culinary industry.
Even if you’re interested in a culinary education, earning your college degree might still be important to you. Thanks to ICC’s partnership with The New School in New York City, students in professional culinary and pastry programs can earn credit towards a bachelor’s or associate’s degree from The New School in addition to their culinary diploma. Learn more about our College Degree + Culinary Diploma program or contact us to get started. | 2019-04-19T08:29:19Z | https://www.internationalculinarycenter.com/category/culinary-topics/ |
As developers and software professionals, we spend a LOT of time learning to think logically and clearly. We also spend a LOT of time gathering and organizing information. However, we spend almost no time learning to use our memory so that we can recall information when we need it.
Not too long ago, it was common for students to be taught how to use their memory to absorb and retain information far more quickly than we do today. Our over-reliance on search engines, to-do lists, and poorly organized notes means we take too long to learn new things, forget to do things we should, and continue to be overwhelmed with information.
This is a rapid, information packed, wide ranging session that draws from recent brain research and discoveries, uncovers what the ancient Greeks, Romans, and Medieval scholars knew about memory, and applies it to the problems modern developers face. I'll show you a better way to read, absorb, and retain information - and it's been around for hundreds of years.
Note: this session presents essentially the same material that was presented in a session at SoCal Fullerton last year. While there is some new information and the presentation is tighter, much of it will be a repeat of previously presented material. Due to huge positive reponse last time (thanks!), I'm doing the same session this year.
Have it or not, it will affect you.
Do you have ADHD? Not sure? Come find out ... how to find out.
Learn what challenges some people face and what can be done to minimize or work around these challenges to increase your productivity, meet deadlines, be more organized, be on top of your tasks and priorities, become more productive overall, which will likely lead to better reviews, and earning more.
Find out how ADHD will likely show up in you or those around you.
Listing each of the 4 groups, how they work, and LOTS of specifics about each.
Learn what advantages can be used by those of you with ADHD and how you can Optimize your Brain to the Fullest.
How to profile your unique brain.
The many scales of measurement and how to track them.
Tracking the many aspects of distractions (inner and outer), including the first awareness of the distraction, and the ability to control and redirect your attention and activities.
Continually increasing your self-awareness (exercises you can do each day).
Tracking progress with metrics. Being able to get the value out of the details without getting lost in the details.
How to use your profile.
Self-Hacking, the Qualtified Self, Personal Informatics.
Self-Coaching - the ultimate goal.
Learn what some of the more common challenges are and what can be done about them. Some examples will be offered from a coaching perspective, and how they were resolved.
Questions from the audience will be received and answered.
Software engineer for more than 20 years, with a Masters degree in psychology, BS in computer information systems, a PMP, and self-employed or running small businesses most of his life, Steve presently is a Success Coach for those wanting to take powerful next steps forward in their life.
An introduction to the widely popular Python programming language.
We'll skip the history and jump right into coding so you are ready to start writing your first unit testable python scripts when you get home.
Seasoned BizTalk consultants tend to accumulate best practices as they implement BizTalk solutions across various projects and clients. In this session we will share some of the tips, techniques and tools that professional BizTalk developers use on a daily basis to improve the quality of their deliverables and reduce development time and effort. We will start with infrastructure aspects such as how to set up projects, naming conventions, and automating tasks for highly repeatable results. Next, we will look at architectural patterns and design approaches that yield more efficient, better performing, more extensible and more robust BizTalk solutions. Join us to learn how you can avoid common pitfalls and improve your BizTalk development experience.
Have you been meaning to make the jump to Git, but just haven't had the time or patience to figure it out?
What makes it so different/better than Subversion, anyway?
And what are some of the underlying design features that make it so ingenious? ... and so fast?
Just in case you haven't heard -- Git rocks!
It's the new de facto standard distributed version control system (DVCS). But it's also a very deep toolset, and so can be intimidating at first, and possibly unlike what you've used before.
The goal of this session is to demystify Git and just what makes it different, faster, and more flexible.
With this short session under your belt, you'll finally 'grok' Git, and really understand what makes it different from SVN and others.
With the basics demystified, you'll be able to proceed onward with confidence, and harness some of its awesome power on your own projects.
We'll also provide a list of helpful resources for further study and practice.
No more excuses -- let's get Git!
This session will NOT deal with advanced workflows. The primary focus of the session is understanding its underlying concepts. WIth those concepts under your belt, you'll now be in a much better position to move ahead on your own, and take advantage of all the other helpful resources available.
Learn the ins and outs of Nuget and Package Repostiory Management.
Screen casting 101 - Become a millionaire!
Want to be come a millionaire doing screen casting? You can! I'll explain how and I'll teach you what you need to know to get started with screen casting. No prior screen casting experience necessary.
Want cleaner views? Code cluttering up your views? Try parrot, risk free* for 90 days. In this session I'll be talking about my new view engine, Parrot.
Parrot strives to remove code from your views. This hopes to result in cleaner, easier to maintain views.
By the end of this talk, you'll be able to understand the parrot syntax as well as use Parrot in your mvc apps.
*not actually a product. 'tis a joke, son. nice kid, but about as sharp as a bowling ball.
We will consider different architectures and implementations with Microsft tools to move data across environments during the software development life-cycle. Whether you start from scratch working under eXtremeProgramming, or you have to establish processes in already existing organization working under waterfall methodology, whether the data to move is 1 KB or terabytes, we will uncover ways to handle the tasks and outline the cons and pros of each approach.
Machine learning is proliferating due to the demand from small devices to business intelligence on big data.
In this talk, I will discussion the principle of machine learning from the ground up without relying on any black box package. Such approach can be adapted to a wide variety of situations.
I will first introduce cost function and the gradient descent method for optimization. I will apply the approach to binary classification (true or false). Then I will extend the idea to multiple classifications. Then I will discuss supervised learning on high dimensional problem using neural network and kernel methods (e.g. support vector machine). Time permitting, I will also discuss unsupervised learning such as clustering with k-mean and dimension reduction with principle component analysis.
This session explores the Arduino open source hardware platform and how to program it using their C++ development environment. Actual hardware will be used to demonstrate how easy it is to learn and what can be done with this platform.
The San Diego Hardware Hackers SIG meets the 2nd. Tuesday each month in the Microsoft UTC offices. There is no cost to attend these meetings & free pizza is provided.
If your application relies on simple string comparison to search through text-based data, you might want to learn about an alternative approach. In this session, I will introduce you to Apache Lucene and Apache Solr, discuss what they offer, and show you how to use them to build your own search feature.
Make sure you attend part 1.With lots of new material for 2013, this session will guide any level of programmer to greater productivity by providing the information needed to write consistent, maintainable code. Learn about common coding mistakes, code style, defensive programming and much, much more. Code tips are included to help you write better, error free applications. Lots of code examples in C# and VB.NET. This session is based off my latest book, David McCarter's .NET Coding Standards.
Cassandra has emerged as one of the world's most relied-upon distributed NoSQL databases, invented at Facebook and used by companies like Twitter, Netflix, RackSpace, Instagram, and hundreds of others.
In this talk you'll learn about how Cassandra works, when you should use it, its ecosystem, and how to write a simple app that leverages it.
iOS has several powerful frameworks and utilities for playing, streaming and creating video. While the APIs provided by Apple are relatively simple, the underlying requirements of video files and video streaming can be daunting to developers. The knowledge about digital video gained in this session will be useful to any technologist, even beyond the scope of iOS.
Stop wasting time writing unnecessary code and start focusing on the code that really matters. Aspect Oriented Programming keeps us DRY, reduces development and testing time by handling cross cutting “boiler plate” code.
You may have heard about AOP and how it’s great for logging. Sure, it’s great for logging. But what you haven’t heard is the tremendous power it gives you over your code.
What you haven’t heard is how is will reduce your LOC, reduce complexity and increase reusability How does automating the implementation of several well known design patterns such as INotifyPropertyChanged sound to you? Never bother writing that code ever again!
How about retro actively applying aspects to legacy projects with a single line of code?
In this session, you’ll learn how to take advantage of AOP to make your life better and I’ll even show you a capability of AOP that will blow your mind!
Microsoft Dynamics CRM allows for the rapid development of line of business applications building on core Microsoft technologies such as asp.net, C#, WWF, SSRS and SQL Server. In this session we will cover the xRM features of Microsoft Dynamics CRM and build a functional application. Using the tools in CRM you can reduce development time by up to 80% while providing a secure robust solutions.
Node, Mongo, Backbone, and Kendo UI - Oh My!
Node.js is one of the most popular repositories on GitHub. Unfortunately it is still difficult to get a good foothold in understand Node since so many of the tutorials show super simple examples and not the way it is used in a production app. In this session I will show how to use Node, Express, Mongo, Backbone, and Kendo UI together to build the core of a real app.
This session will move somewhat quickly in order to cover all the material but all of the source code and slides will be available after the session. If you would like to check out some Node tutorials before the session, please check out my blog: http://therockncoder.blogspot.com/.
You've probably heard of PhoneGap, the free, open source framework for creating mobile apps using standard web programming, but maybe you're skeptical. You probably have a lot of questions. How easy is it to create an app with PhoneGap? Can I convert my web site to a mobile app? Will the app be too slow to use?
In the session I will, with nothing up my sleeves, convert a mobile web site into a PhoneGap app for both iOS and Android. I will take advantage of both device and HTML5 features. I will show solutions to the performance challenges PhoneGap apps sometimes suffer from. I will show to structure your web site to make it easy to convert to a device app. And finally I will show strategies around one of PhoneGaps biggest headaches - debugging.
Whether you want to contribute to an open source project, or your company has remote developers. Learn the why and how open source developers are embracing Git and GitHub for distributed development environments.
Learn more about Git and Git Branching!
Why is Node.js a good fit for soft real-time websites / applications?
Building out an example interactive website that everyone can interact with.
Learn why someone would choose to use Node.js over competing platforms as well as how to get started on your own Node.js website.
Building an IT support team people like!
We will have a fun time using videos, comics, jokes, etc to learn how to create a team that loves to help its users.
The various reputations IT support departments have and why, sometimes, they are well deserved.
1st hint: You're a service department. If your users weren't there you wouldn't have a job.
2nd hit: you're a serivce department. Your users' success should be directly and positively impacted as a result of your service, not despite it.
When your users call do they do it with dread or excitement and confidence that they'll get helped.
When your users hang up, read your email, see the support ticket closed, how do you want them to feel?
Protocols and workflow so things don't get "lost"
Be involved. This is more of a discussion than me simply presenting to you. Hang out, ask questions, give tips about things you see that work well or you'd like to see done.
Orchard is an open source content management system (CMS) based on the modern ASP.NET MVC framework. It has a very clean architecture, and is extensible and developer-friendly.
In this presentation, we will discuss about customizing Orchard with WebMatrix and Visual Studio. We will start by discussing the architecture and the design tool. We will then drill down into creating custom theme and create custom modules.
Orchard is an open source content management system (CMS) based on ASP.NET MVC technology. It is created by the ASP.NET team and other contributors from the ASP.NET community. Borrowing good ideas from WordPress, Orchard has a proven user interface design, modern architecture and is extremely developer friendly and capable. In this presentation, we will give a gentle introduction to the Orchard CMS. We will start with installing WebMatrix tool and downloading Orchard to create a local development environment. We will demonstrate the basic concept and workflow. We will show how to enhance the site by downloading themes and modules. At last, we will demonstrate how to publish an Orchard website to a free Azure website. It is possible to create a fully functional website running on Azure completely free in 60 minutes Time permitting, we will also demonstrate the workflow including git version control system and automatic Azure publishing from git. This presentation does not have any prerequisite. Familiarity with html is helpful but not required.
HTML5 is the hottest buzzword on the web. It gives a lot of new features to websites, so many in fact that it makes it possible to create a fairly decent game in the browser without using a proprietary solution like Flash. Now, we aren't talking about a sequel to Call of Duty, but instead a casual game more in the vein of Bejeweled. When you combine HTML5 with jQuery Mobile you have a great platform for making games which can be played on all of the latest and greatest mobile devices.
In this session I will cover the basics of Ruby on Rails framework. Join me for some fun RoR action!
Have you ever not gotten a job due to not being prepared for the technical interview? I've have interviewed 100's of software developers and will share my knowledge on how to survive, what we look for and even divulge some of the secrets we use during the process. This session will include advice from hiring managers, recruiters and engineers that were recently hired at a new company!
Have you ever not gotten a job due to not being prepared for the technical interview? Do you want a big raise?I've have interviewed 100's of software developers and will share my knowledge on how to survive, what we look for and even divulge some of the secrets we use during the process. This session will include advice from hiring managers, recruiters and engineers that were recently hired at a new company!
With lots of new material for 2013, this session will guide any level of programmer to greater productivity by providing the information needed to write consistent, maintainable code. Learn about common coding mistakes, code style, defensive programming and much, much more. Code tips are included to help you write better, error free applications. Lots of code examples in C# and VB.NET. This session is based off my latest book, David McCarter's .NET Coding Standards. Make sure to attend part 2.
You don’t have to put you ear on the ground, and still, can literally hear it coming. The broad introduction of Voice User Interfaces, allowing the interaction with mobile devices through voice, may become the biggest advancement in user interface design since the transition from text-based to graphical user interfaces.
We are taking a closer look at Android’s Speech-To-Text (STT) and Text-To-Speech (TTS) capabilities – and will develop and deploy three small apps, each a little more capable, and finally walk through the steps of building a voice controlled assistant.
Finally, we will turn our attention to the Browser and voice-enable Web applications.
If you are exposing data using WCF you have probably experienced a number of problems. The problems boil down to creation and maintenance of large amounts of methods to support a large number of types or types of queries. Using WCF Data Services and the OData protocol you can expose your entire data model (not your database) in a REST-based standard using one line of code. In addition clients can craft custom queries against your model without having to modify services to create additional methods.
In the introductory talk, we will talk about how to expose a WCF Data Service using an Entity Data Model, how to customize the Atom feed that results, and how to consume that service from a .NET client.
Do you have a great app idea and want to see that app on iOS, Android, and Windows quickly? Learn how you can leverage frameworks such as Unity, Xamarin, and Scirra Construct2 to build a cross-platform app. We will take a look at a few frameworks and walkthrough building an app and porting the app.
Finally, the long awaited release of ASP.NET 4.5 is here. This session explores the great new features that have been added to in place update known as ASP.NET 4.5. Features explored will include the new request validation options, membership additions and changes including OpenId, OAuth, and Simple Membership, the Web API, MVC4 changes, and Web Forms additions. There will be some discussion of the Entity Framework features involved, since they directly relate to some of the new ASP.NET features as well. Web Forms developers suffering from MVC envy now have reason to celebrate with some great new Web Forms strongly typed control additions as well. We'll explore some new Visual Studio 2012 tooling features that really solidify Visual Studio as the best tool for ASP.NET development.
Developers are notoriously lax with including security in their applications. In an age of hacking, this talk aims to arm the developer with an arsenal of protections to use while developing. This presentation explores the most common attacks on web applications, how they work to exploit your app, and most importantly, how to protect against them. Techniques from the OWASP Top 10 list such as Cross Site Scripting, SQL Injection, Session Hijacking, and Cross Site Request Forgery will be covered. ASP.NET Web Forms and MVC will be covered, as both have pros and cons that will be explored. We will start with a 'broken' application and secure it throughout the presentation. Leave this presentation empowered to immediately start protecting your applications!
• Do you know how to deploy apps retail mode?
• How about easily configuring SSL on your dev box?
• How do multiple ajax requests and the session object affect your application?
• How can I debug when I get the dreaded "?" icon on my breakpoints?
• How can I effectively cache in MVC and how can this help me replace the lack of Viewstate?
• How can I debug an error that is happening in production? Then this session is definitely for you! Help fill your head with useful tidbits to help you cruise in your next web project!
One of the amazing new feature of .NET 4.0 is addition of System.ServiceModel.Routing namespace (aka: routing service). Out of the box the routing service allows us to route messages from one endpoint to other endpoint(s). This is really nice in creating optimized architecture implementation. A good example of such implementation is a load-balancing application.
The purpose of this presentation is to introduce you to a method where you can not only route messages using the System.ServiceModel.Routing namespace but also modify its contents.
Waterfall is Dead: Move On! In today's world, the success of your career is hinged on the ability to adapt to your environment. Learn what the Agile Manifesto is and why it is important. Discover how to manage unpredictability through sprints. Understand the basics of an Agile Project Lifecycle. Increase work team productivity with timeboxing and stand-ups. Learn who owns the product backlog and how it gets worked.
A hands-on introduction to Ruby, the best programming language in the world. We'll be going over what Ruby is, what it's used for, and how to get started programming in it. Bring your laptops!
Microframeworks are the new black and Flask is one of the more popular ones. It's for Python and fun to use for REST applications.
We will explore how microframeworks differ and how to use flask in your (RESTful) projects.
This talk discusses how to understand the funding landscape to prepare your startup for fund raising.
Giang Biscan is a serial entrepreneur and a supper connector, helping early staged technology startups raise seed and series A funding. Her three successful exits include a technology that she invented for the minerals processing industry that was acquired by Ludowici in 2001, a technology transfer platform that was acquired by HITES Ltd in 2005 and an entertainment network that was acquired in 1998. She has a PhD in Chemical Engineering from the University of Newcastle in Australia, and an MBA from UCLA. Currently she is the Founder and CEO of TheStartupAngel.com, a boutique consulting firm that, in the last 3 years, have empowered many entrepreneurs through its fund raising and peer group programs.
Are you tired of sessions that don’t quite cover what you want to learn about? Here is your chance to take part in customizing a session just for you. Attendees will have the opportunity to vote on a selection of IIS related topics and we will cover as many of the top picks as time allows.
Do you want to discuss site deployment, SSL, the art of application pools, site troubleshooting, performance optimizations, load balancers? . . . Trust me you will have a hard time choosing!
You rely on IIS to host your applications. Come learn what you need to know about IIS and how it can make your life easier.
Chapter 3: Site Settings; What did IIS do to your Web.config file?
Chapter 6: Site Deployment; Death to FTP!
Chapter 8: Session State; Get your session state out of process and never fear the recycle again.
Chapter 9: Troubleshooting; Is it broken? Let’s fix it!
Chapter 10: Web Performance; Is it slow? Let’s make it go fast!
The Raspberry Pi is a small credit-card sized linux computer. Developers and hobbyists around the world are creating miraculous applications and projects, and now you can join them. This year's presentation covers the first steps to using your Pi. From the basics, like burning your SD Card to creating a Weather Reporter, you will learn GPIO Basics and simple Python tools. Communication between other components using SPI or I2C will also be covered. It is recommended, but not required that you have a Raspberry Pi, some knowledge of Python and simple electronics.
How should non-technical manages gauge agile team success?
What metrics can we use to gauge the success of an Agile team?
Why are these metrics useful?
How do we use those metrics to guide a team to better results?
What actions can teams take to improve the teams results?
How should we prioritize these actions to get the maximum value out of our time?
Can we datamine to find this information?
Whether you need to deploy a web application to production, convey a proof-of-concept to an audience, or practice development skillsets on the latest server platform, working with EC2 and RDS may give you the technology you need to be up and running in a pinch.
In this session, we will discuss the setup of Amazon Web Services: Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) and Relational Database Service (RDS). We will setup a simple ASPX web application on Windows Server 2012 in EC2 with SQL Server 2012 in RDS.
Following the principles of software craftsmanship will allow you to end up with better maintainability and extensibility of your software and the success of the project in the end.
Why writing Clean Code makes us more efficient Over the lifetime of a product, maintaining the product is actually one - if not the most - expensive area(s) of the overall product costs. Writing clean code can significantly lower these costs. However, writing clean code also makes you more efficient during the initial development time and results in more stable code. You will be presented design patterns and best practices which will make you write better and more easily maintainable code, seeing code in a holistic way. You will learn how to apply them by using an existing implementation as the starting point of the presentation. Finally, patterns & practices benefits are explained.
This presentation is based on C# and Visual Studio 2012. However, the demonstrated patterns and practice can be applied to every other programming language too.
Within this session, we will explore different possibilities for collecting and analyzing the needed information to solve issues on modern distributed application and discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each approach like debugger, log files, performance counter and third party solutions. The focus of this session will be on Developer and DevOps needs, as increased release cycles and third party dependency more and more result in the need for troubleshooting also on production system, rather than in an isolated test environment.
This session requires a solid understanding of distributed applications and knowledge of SOA, but most principles also apply to and can be beneficial for more traditional application design approaches. The used code examples are in .NET but the shown principles generally apply to other languages, too, and shown software is often available for a variety of environments.
Conitnuing where we left off in part one of this session, we will create a simple one page website. See the example below for a sneak peak of what we will be builing.
In this introductory session we will cover what Responsive Web Design or RWD is all about. We will discuss the elements of RWD and best practices involved in buiding a web application that not only looks great but works great on any devices including mobile devices.
You've officially leveled-up in the world of software development with Visual Studio, and you now find yourself working on projects that are infinitely larger and far more complex than anything you've worked on before. Time to beef up your debugging skills not only to debug, but sometimes just to learn the flow of a given process! Plain old break-points have always gotten you by, but now you quickly run into trickier situations that come close to making your head explode. Come and learn some new debugging tricks & tips to bring your debugging skills to new heights.
Quick overview of the SQL# CLR library and then we'll examine a few implementations of some of the functions that I've found useful. Some examples will include string manipulation, file handling, as well as some RegEx usage. There are over 225 procedures and functions, user defined aggregates, and user defined types ... and counting. Come explore some of the interesting problems that SQL# can solve. If you'd like to download an view the CLR library ahead of the presentation, you can get most of the CLR features for free at www.sqlsharp.com.
WordPress is a very popular web tool for building and publishing blogs. Did you know you can build a full featured website, as well? Over 60 million websites use WordPress for eCommerce, club sites, and more. PayPal can be integrated into your subscription membership to monetize it. This WordPress Workshop level 101 provides what you need to get started building and monetizing your creativity!
Play is a powerful method to learn! Come and play some simple agile games to explore the different values that are at the foundation of Agile and Lean development practices.
When coding using TDD, do you often run into a point when you have to “implement the whole thing”? The sequence of tests that we write significantly impacts where are code ends up! We’ll explore Uncle Bob’s Transformation Priority Premise, looking at the transformations that code goes through and how our tests can drive the code in different directions.
What is a design pattern? Why should you care? What it the power of design patterns? How do design patterns tie into object oriented programming? If I'm using objects in my code, isn't that object oriented programming? (The answer is not necessarily!) When should I use them?
Design Patterns are great but the temptation is to use Design Patterns as a golden hammer. This can lead to unnecessarily complicated, over-engineered code in an effort to be flexible and ready for the future. That sounds reasonable - if you happen to be a psychic. More commonly, you will refactor to a pattern when the code (that you’ve written simply and minimally) demands it.
We'll talk about why you should know common design patterns, why they are powerful, how they relate to object oriented principles, different composite refactorings that will move you to (and sometimes away) from patterns and the smells that help you know when to apply them.
In this session we'll quickly go over our best tips on using SQL Server. We'll show you shortcuts, tools, great practices, and hidden gems on how to manage SQL data. We'll have a great tip for SQL Server Reporting Services, SQL Server Integration Services, SQL Server Performance Tuning, Architecture, Design, and Software Development. Come prepared to share your own tips and be interactive.
In this talk, we spend time introducing the key concepts and importance of continuous integration. We then discuss why SQL databases are challenging in a CI environment and how to overcome those challenges.
Come get an overview of the Windows Azure features and hear about my company's migration from hardware maintained in a hosted environment to a no-infrastructure shop with everything running in Windows Azure at 90% less cost. I'll also talk about some cool ways that we're using Azure Blob storage.
Windows Azure Web Sites are easy to deploy and maintain, and are not limited to .NET development. Come learn about WAWS using Visual Studio, and learn about the differences between this feature and the traditional PAAS web roles offered in Windows Azure.
Giving good presentations is a skill that all programmers should have. Whether you're talking about something at your work or at a conference, this talk will go over some of the basics and some things to avoid. I'll also talk about why you should want to present, show some different types of presentations and give examples of how to apply the ideas.
I'll go over how to setup the ksoap 2 library and get it to talk to a .Net Webservice which will in turn pull data from a MS SQL Server. I'll also go over common traps I've found myself in while using it and debugging techniques that I've found helpful. It's really great if you want to have a .Net website with an addon Android app.
This session discusses how to break from this old &quot;organizational gravity&quot; by embracing the concepts of Scrum at the organizational level to build toward the realization of a truly agile enterprise. An enterprise characterized by new levels of productivity, continuous innovation, a work force with elevated levels of sustained motivation and job satisfaction, and delighted customers on a continuous long term basis. I call it making Scrum stick.
Embrace Scrum for your whole organization; move into the fast lane. It&rsquo;s hard work but immensely rewarding.
Are you having difficulty managing your projects? Are you about to enter the uncharted territory of project management? Do you know how to communicate effectively to your customer, teammates, and your management? Come early, sit close and get some common sense, experienced based tips and pointers on how to improve your skills. Discover how to find the ‘right’ people for your team. Learn the practical elements of working with customers, people, technology, process, and “connecting” them successfully to be more effective at your job. You will leave with demonstrable actions that you can apply at your next day back at work.
Time to make a career move? Afraid to make the jump into the deep end of the pool? Looking for direction? Want to create a new company?
Hate your job? This is a safe environment to talk out loud and hear from experiences that worked for others.
What’s this? Another acronym? Well if you haven’t yet seen MVVM in action this will be a good class for you.
In this class we will discuss what MVVM is, what it isn’t, and see it in action using Knockout JS.
NancyFX – A lightweight web framework you didn’t know you should be using.
If you like MVC you’re going to love NancyFX.
In this presentation we will build a basic web application on the framework from the ground up showcasing many of the best features of the framework.
Based on the Ruby DSL Framework named Sinatra NancyFX is a lightweight framework that is easy to use, deploy, and extend. Its main features are ease of use, small resource requirements, and support for extensibility.
The techniques for building applications have changed dramatically in the last few years. Gone are the days of single-tier, battle-ship gray, boring user interfaces. Users demand that your applications (or portions) run on more than one device. This session will take you on a tour of how you should be architecting your application by breaking it up into services. You will learn how to create your business rules and data layer as a service. This seminar will assume you have some knowledge of .NET but have been developing applications the old way and you are now looking to see how to use WCF and the Model-View-View-Model (MVVM) design pattern to create applications that can be run one more than one user interface platform. This session has many demonstrations and you will be led step-by-step through the code. You will walk away with a sample set of services that run on Silverlight, Windows Forms, WPF, Windows Phone and ASP.NET.
We introduce network/graphical data, its features, how to represent it, and how to compute on it. As an example that you can adapt for your own software, we will develop a critical, but simple and practical algorithm that calculates a best path over relationships (Dijkstra's shortest path algorithm).
Using the googleapis in Node.js to interact with Glass.
Inserting Cards into the Glass timeline.
Subscribing to events on Glass.
If you want to prove that a complex system works, a good place to start is to check that each piece is working right. Unit testing intends to do just that: take a unit of your code, and verify that it behaves properly. Unfortunately, in "real software", classes interact with other parts of the system, which makes testing in isolation difficult. Mocking is a technique designed to overcome that issue: replacing dependencies by Mocks, lightweight versions of the "real thing", allows you to validate the interactions of a class with its collaborators.
I will discuss reasons you should care about mocks, illustrate how you would go about addressing them by rolling your own mocks & stubs, and demonstrate free, open-source frameworks, Moq and NSubstitute, which greatly simplify the process. Mocks and Stubs can sound intimidating; the goal of this presentation is to demystify the topic and give you a clear understanding of what they are, where they can help you, and to give you a good quick-start so that you can productively use them in your own code.
The purpose is to demonstrate how LightSwitch allows you to create professional business applications that would take a developer days to create. With LightSwitch you can create such applications in under an hour.
ComponentOne will raffle off a license to their Ultimate suite. Plus, plenty of additional swag will be available.
Angular JS with ASP.NET MVC and WebAPI.
In this session, you will learn the alternatives available for building a line of business web application using ASP.NET MVC and see a working sample of a time tracking business application built on the ASP.NET MVC platform.
Takeaways: An understanding of the challenges inherent in developing business applications in ASP.NET MVC as well as approaches and alternatives for building business web applications on this platform.
HTML5 Media APIs : Let’s build a camera web app in ASP.NET MVC!
HTML5 gives front end developers many cool tools. We have native access to the camera, video and audio. I will show you how to play media files and how to capture input from a webcam. We will also look at the Canvas tag and learn to draw simple shapes and even video. We will host our camera app in an asp.net mvc application and allow users to save photos.
Lets look at some best practices for building real world Windows 8 apps. That includes using MVVM light to provide dependency injection & messaging. I’ll go over tips for using the app bar, toast notifications & the settings charm. I'll show you how to share data from your app via the share contract. We'll also look at responsive design, file picker, credential locker & facebook authentication.
A lot of work in .NET gets done by converting objects into other formats in order to store (or transmit) the values and then convert back into an object later on. This is known as serialization and deserialization of object state. In this session, you will learn the options available for serialization, formatting and deserialization of objects in .NET, using in order to create SOAP, binary, JSON and XML representations of object state, and how you can customize objects to control what information is serialized and how it is restored.
Takeaways: An understanding of the options for serialization and deserialization, and how to control the formatting of serialized objects using features in the System.Runtime.Serialization and System.Xml.Serialization namespace in .NET.
ASP.NET MVC - What a View!
MongoDB is a very prominent and popular NoSQL database. You may have heard about it, now you can see it in action!
When you want your site to perform under load, you should know how when and why async can help you. Doing it wrong can actually hurt your performance. We'll cover the simple facts and methods you must know in order to solve scalability problems in your application. | 2019-04-26T16:14:51Z | https://www.socalcodecamp.com/pastevents/sessions.aspx?id=25 |
Mater Ecclesiae Roman Catholic Church, Berlin, NJ, Diocese of Camden, welcomes you to attend the 14th Annual Assumption Mass. The Mass, in the Extraordinary Form, will take place on Friday, August 15, at 7:00 PM, at the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul, 18th Street and the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia, PA 19103. There is a parking lot next to the Cathedral and there is an underground garage at the Sheraton Hotel on 17th Street.
The celebrant of the Mass, who will also deliver the sermon, is Monsignor Andrew Wadsworth. Msgr. Wadsworth, originally a priest of the Archdiocese of Westminster, London, is now the superior of the Oratorian Community of St. Philip Neri, an oratory in formation in the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C. Since 2009, he has been Executive Director of the International Commission for English in the Liturgy (ICEL), responsible for the proposal of English translations of Latin liturgical texts for use in places where the liturgy is celebrated in English. Msgr. Wadsworth has written and lectured widely on both forms of the Roman Rite and the 'ars celebrandi'.
This Mass was begun fourteen years ago to thank and honor our Lady for the establishment of Mater Ecclesiae. We also wanted to feature some of the greatest works of orchestral/choral music ever written for the Sacred Liturgy. Under the direction of Dr. Timothy McDonnell, the setting for the Ordinary of the Mass is the "Missa in Angustiis," or "Lord Nelson Mass," by Franz Joseph Haydn sung with full orchestra. Other works include the motets "Salve Regina" by Antonio Salieri (1750-1825), the "Salutatio D.N.I.C." by Ludwig Senfl (1486-1543), the "Beata Viscera" by Gregor Aichinger (1565-1628), the "Adagio" from Concerto for 2 oboes in G Major by Tomaso Albinoni (1671-1751), the "Hodie Maria Virgo" by Luca Marenzio (1553-1599), the "Tantum Ergo" by Wolfgang A Mozart (1756-1791) and a Postlude, "Concerto for 2 trumpets in D Major", by Giuseppe Maria Jacchini (1663 - 1727). The traditional hymns, "O Sanctissima and Hail Holy Queen," arranged by Dr McDonnell, will also be sung.
We wish to thank His Excellency, Archbishop Charles Chaput, as well as the rector of the Cathedral Basilica, Father G. Dennis Gill, for the great privilege of celebrating this Mass in the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul. Please spread the word about this grand celebration of Our Lady's Assumption.
Young people! Join Juventutem on August 4th for a solemn Mass (EF, of course) and social following. A reader provides all the details below. This is a bit closer to me than most of their events, though unfortunately, I will not be in attendance. I have heard many good things about Juventutem, and I hope you can make it, if you are in the area! I look forward to being able to attend a Juventutem event in the future.
On Monday evening, August 4th, young adults (18-35) and clerics who appreciate the Traditional Latin Mass are invited to gather at the Oratory of St. Francis de Sales for a 6:00pm Solemn Mass, followed by an 8:00pm social at Hodak's Restaurant & Bar, 2100 Gravois Ave, St. Louis 63104.
Hodak's is located a half-mile from the Oratory of St. Francis de Sales, and this social gathering is scheduled so as to directly follow the Solemn High Mass.
We hope that this gathering will bring together young adult Oratory parishioners (who may be members of Sursum Corda St. Louis), other St. Louis young adults, and visiting traditionalists from around the country. Leaders of other American Juventutem chapters will be present and would be glad to encourage and answer any questions of any St. Louis young adult who might seek to establish a Juventutem chapter in that archdiocese.
The Cistercians, like the Premonstratensians, changed their Offertory in the middle of the 17th century, abandoning the traditional form of their Use and replacing it with that of the Missal of St Pius V. The vogue for Romanization was at the time so strong within the Order (and elsewhere) that the possibility was seriously considered of completely abandoning the Cistercian Use of the Office in favor of the Monastic Breviary of Paul V, a matter in which, fortunately, wiser heads prevailed. Here I shall describe the Cistercian Offertory ritual as it was before this change.
After saying the Offertory antiphon, the priest elevates the paten, host and chalice together, and says the Cistercian version of the standard Offertory prayer Suscipe Sancta Trinitas while kneeling.
Suscipe, sancta Trinitas, unus Deus, hanc oblationem, quam tibi offerimus in memoriam beatæ passionis, resurrectionis et ascensionis Domini nostri Jesu Christi: et in honorem beatæ Mariæ semper Virginis genetricis ejusdem Domini nostri, et omnium Sanctorum et Sanctarum, caelestium virtutum et vivificae Crucis; ut eam acceptare digneris pro nobis peccatoribus, et pro animabus omnium fidelium defunctorum. Qui vivis et regnas Deus. Per omnia saecula saeculorum.
Receive, o holy Trinity, one God, this offering, which we offer to Thee in memory of the blessed Passion, Resurrection and Ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ, and in honor of the blessed Mary ever-Virgin, and mother of the same Our Lord, of all holy men and women, of the heavenly powers, and of the life-giving Cross; they Thou may deign to receive it on behalf of us sinners, and for the souls of all the faithful departed. That livest and reignest, God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Bowing profoundly before the altar, he then says the prayer In spiritu humilitatis, with the same variation found in the Dominican Use.
In a spirit of humility, and in contrite heart, may we be received by Thee, o Lord; and so may our sacrifice take place in Thy sight this day, that it may be received by Thee, and please Thee, o Lord.
The Cistercian version of the Orate fratres is “Orate, fratres, pro me peccatore: ut meum pariter ac vestrum in conspectu Domini acceptabile fiat sacrificium. – Pray brethren, for me, a sinner: that my sacrifice, which is also yours, may be made acceptable, in the sight of the Lord.” This is very similar to that of the Premonstratensian Use; the reply to it is identical between the two uses.
Dominus sit in corde tuo et in ore tuo; suscipiatque Dominus Deus de manibus tuis sacrificium istud, et orationes tuæ ascendant in memoriam ante Deum pro nostra et totius populi salute.
May the Lord be in thy heart and in thy mouth, and may the Lord God receive this sacrifice from thy hands, and may thy prayers ascend in remembrance before God, for our salvation and that of all the people.
Like many missals formed in the medieval period, printed Cistercian Missals before this reform have no Ritus servandus, the long rubric describing in detail the actual rite of Mass; this was written down in a separate book. Fr. Edmund Waldstein of Heiligenkreuz Monastery in Austria (a.k.a. Sancrucensis) very graciously provided me with the text of this rubric from a 12th-century Cistercian manuscript. This contains a description of the rite of incensing, which I include as something which may perhaps interest the reader. One should not assume, however, that this rite was still done in precisely the same manner in 1606, when the Missal out of which I have cited the Offertory above was printed.
When the priest has received the thurible from the acolyte, he passes it once around the chalice, then incenses the right side of the mensa, the left side, and the front of the altar. He passes the thurible to the deacon, and proceeds to wash his hands, assisted by the subdeacon, after which he bows low and says In spiritu humilitatis. Meanwhile, the deacon, standing slightly away from the altar, incenses the right side of the altar twice, then the cross twice; he then passes behind the altar over to the left side, incenses it twice, and the cross on the altar twice again. The thurible is then given back to the acolyte. No reference is made to incensing any of the persons present, as one might expect in the spirit of Cistercian austerity.
The Cistercian Abbey of Pontigny, one of the four eldest daughter houses of Cîteaux. In the Cisterican system of visitations, by which mother-houses would routinely visit their daughters to ensure adherence to the rules and customs of the Order, Pontigny took turns with the abbeys of Clairvaux, La Ferté and Morimond in visiting Cîteaux itself. It was here that St Thomas Becket took refuge when driven out of England by King Henry II in 1164.
No one will be surprised to know that the Carthusian Offertory is even simpler and more austere than that of the Cistericans; uniquely among the Uses of the religious orders, it contains no version of Suscipe Sancta Trinitas, even though that prayer was well established as a part of Offertory when the Carthusian Order was founded in 1084. Here I give the texts and basic rubrics from a Missal of 1627; a fuller account of the Carthusian Mass is given in this article from 2008.
The prayer In spiritu humilitatis is the same as the Cistercian version noted above, but it is said “when he offers the chalice at the middle of the altar.” He then makes the sign of the Cross with the chalice, saying “In the name of the Father etc.”, and lays it down.
The Missal does include a simple rubric for the incensation at the Offertory. The priest begins by holding the thurible over the chalice, without moving it, and saying “Let my prayer, o Lord, be directed as incense in thy sight.”, but only this. He then makes a cross over the chalice with it once, saying “In the name of the Father etc.” He then swings the thurible once towards the cross, once over the right side of the mensa, once over the left side, and three times before the front. As in the Cistercian Use, the incensation of the altar is continued by the deacon, who walks around the altar in a full circle, stopping to incense the Blessed Sacament as he passes both behind and in front. As the Priest turns and says the Orate fratres, the deacon raises the front of the chasuble with one hand and with the other incenses the priest with one swing of the thurible; only the priest is incensed.
The Orate fratres is much shorter than that of the other religious Uses of the same period, consisting only in the words “Orate, fratres, pro me peccatore, ad Dominum Deum nostrum. – Pray brethren, for me a sinner, to the Lord, our God.” No reply is made.
This series was begun as a reply to the contention made elsewhere that the Offertory was invented in the Scholastic period to create a “second sacrifice” of bread and wine, apart from the Sacrifice of Christ’s Body and Blood. I have argued against this partly on the basis of the fact that the Roman version of the Offertory makes no reference to either bread or wine as objects of sacrifice. The Carthusian version does not even use the word “sacrifice”. If the Offertory were indeed an imposture of the Scholastic period, which succeeded in foisting itself on the entire Western Church, how were the Carthusians alone allowed to not adopt this putative new theology of sacrifice and priesthood? We must also note that unlike the Cistercians, Premonstratensians and Carmelites, their use of the Mass was never Romanized, and continued to have this particularly simple form of the Offertory ritual throughout the post-Tridentine period.
Joseph Shaw of the Latin Mass Society has posted to his flickr account some great photographs from a day of Eucharistic Recollection held at St Edmund’s College in Ware, Hertfordshire, England, led by Fr. Armand de Malleray, FSSP, assisted by Mgr. Gordon Read and Fr. Patrick Hayward, with the schola led by Mr. Christopher Hodkinson. Fr de Malleray gave spiritual conferences, and the day concluded with Solemn Vespers, veneration of a relic of St. Edmund of Abingdon, and Benediction, officiated by Mgr Read.
As NLM readers will know, my friend Stratford Caldecott died very recently of cancer. I heard the news at a time that I was was reading his newly published book, Not as the World Gives: the Way of Creative Justice.
It was just yesterday that I discovered that in the psalter he is in fact portrayed kneeling before an unknown king.
The picture that I painted of this knight, below, is my Christian Knight. When I painted it I thought of him as accepting his call from God to take up his personal vocation in life. But now I see him paying homage, as Strat described in his book, to the King of Kings, seeking personal transformation in Christ and accepting his role as a walking icon of Christ in the world, drawing others to the Faith.
Our entire life, the whole liturgy, and everything ceremonial are symbols. If you abolish the symbols, then you tear down the walls of your own house. When we abolish the signs, we lose our orientation. Instead, we should search for their meaning … one should unfold the core of the symbols. … The signs are not to be questioned, we are.
That is monastic wisdom, pure and simple.
It furnishes us a lesson that may, in fact, be the most important lesson of all in our age of constant change, planned obsolescence, the myth of progress, the seductions of postmodern pluralism. The liturgy, like the divine revelation out of which it emerges and to which it ministers, is our lifeline to God, giving nourishment to our faith, oil to the fire of our charity. If we lose our hold on the sacred symbols that come to us from the cosmos and from revelation, we will indeed lose our orientation to God; we will tear down the walls that surround us, and will lose our faith, our charity, even ourselves. We must not adapt the signs to ourselves, for that will bring about nothing more than an echo chamber, a hall of mirrors that reflects only us. We must rather conform ourselves to the sacred signs, and be molded by them, for they are tools used by the potter’s hands.
Whatever belongs to the liturgical offices, objects, and furnishings of the Church is full of signs of the divine and the sacred mysteries, and each of them overflows with a celestial sweetness when it is encountered by a diligent observer who can extract honey from rock and oil from the stoniest ground (Deut 32:13). . . . I, William, bishop of the holy church of Mende, by the indulgence of God alone, knocking at the door, will continue to knock, until the key of David deigns to open it for me (Rev 3:20), so that the king might bring me into his cellar where he stores his wine (Song 2:4).
What Bishop William is saying (and goes on to say at some length) is that he knows the liturgy is a treasure trove of mystical meaning, a means of purification, illumination, and communion, and so he will knock continually at the door of the Lord, with all diligence and zeal, until he understands everything he can, turning it to his own advantage and that of the flock he shepherds. Now this is an attitude of true humility, of trust in the ways of Providence, of heartfelt surrender to the sacred liturgy so that it may shape us through and through, unto the image of the New Adam.
And this, too, is the reason why a full parish life is required to sustain the liturgy and to initiate generation after generation into this sacred inheritance. The formation of the New Adam is a formation of the whole person—the imagination as well as the intellect, the child as well as the man, the family as well as the individual, from cradle to tomb, before and beyond. As a gem shines more beautifully when set in gold or silver, the traditional Mass is but a part—the most important part—of a whole that surrounds it and endows it with maximal power to form the Christian.
All the activity of the parish life are a preparation for the Holy Sacrifice, or a flowering of it. Because of the sacred nature of the Mass and Holy Eucharist, Catholics require a strong doctrinal and spiritual formation. … Within these [sodalities and confraternities], the faithful have a greater sense of the parish as the locus of their participation in the Mystical Body of Christ. … The parish life in a Fraternity apostolate may be characterized as imbuing Catholic families with a true Catholic identity. … The parish today must also be a bright beacon of light, a sign of contradiction, and a haven for hungry souls in an ever-secularizing world. This mission is carried out first and foremost by the outward expression of its worship of God.
Dom Alcuin Reid has often made a related point: the most curiously neglected passages of Sacrosanctum Concilium are those in which the Council Fathers indicate that the only way liturgical reform will be fruitful is if the clergy and the faithful are profoundly immersed in the spirit of the liturgy. Only by a true formation in and by the sacred liturgy in all its objectivity and splendor can there be authentic Christian renewal and, with it, prudent liturgical reform, as Guardini before the Council and Ratzinger after the Council recognized.
On January 1, 2012, Pope Benedict XVI established the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter for those groups of Anglicans in the United States who seek to enter into full communion with the Catholic Church. This is the second Ordinariate created in light of the apostolic constitution Anglicanorum coetibus, the first having been created for England and Wales on January 15, 2011. Pope Benedict’s gracious response represents an important and exciting new step along the difficult path toward Christian unity.
This will be followed the next evening at 7:30 PM by a Solemn High Mass according to the Anglican Use of the Roman Rite. This Mass will feature the group Cantores in Ecclesia singing the “Mass for Four Voices” by Thomas Tallis.
All are welcome who wish to understand and experience this great gift of our Pope Emeritus to our universal Church.
The fourth Sunday of Lent, John XXIII was once again among the crowd, at Ostia. (about 15 miles to the south-west of Rome.) Thousands of people were waiting for him along the street, in the piazza, in the church. They wanted to see him, to applaud him. They did not know that afterwards, he would rebuke them, in a good-natured way, in his simple , spontaneous, familiar way of speaking.
Here is a small piece of news for any who were following the story of the Oratory in Formation in St Anthony's Parish in Port Antonio in Jamaica. Mgr Michael Palud has just informed me that their website is now up, here. If anyone wishes to contact them or support their work and community please contact them through this website. This is a nice little excuse to remind NLM readers of its establishment and to ask for prayers and support for them.
It is a question for Church historians and social historians whether this shift in attitude was actually created by what the persons here interviewed describe as the aftermath of World War I, “a sense of brooding nihilism, (the belief that) nothing was effective”, (Dr David Berlinski), a “shak(ing of) the faith that many Europeans had in their own elites ... (including) religious elites.” (Dr Margaret MacMillan) The emergence of Modernism in the Church well before World War I suggests perhaps that it was already present, but strongly reinforced by the great catastrophe which Pope Benedict XV called “the suicide of Europe.” The shift itself, however, is unmistakable. It may best be seen, I think, in the difference between the writings of Dom Guéranger in the 19th century, and those of the Bl. Cardinal Schuster in the 20th. Every page of the former’s The Liturgical Year breathes a profound reverence for the texts and rites of the liturgy, be they those of great feast day, or an obscure sequence not used since the 14th century. Describing the liturgy of Palm Sunday, Dom Guéranger writes this of the Epistle which is sung before the blessing of palms in the Missal of St Pius V, Exodus 15, 27 - 16, 7.
I would highly recommend to those who find the CNS piece of interest that they also watch this interview with Dr David Berlinski. Personally, I find everything that he says fascinating; after watching an earlier interview on the same program, I read his previous book, The Devil’s Delusion: Atheism and Its Scientific Pretensions, and enjoyed it immensely. Starting at 26:14, he discusses with Peter Robinson the 19th-century’s highly optimistic notions of the inevitable improvement and perfection of society, and the dashing of that optimism in the 20th.
Deus, a quo sancta desideria, recta consilia, et justa sunt opera: da servis tuis illam, quam mundus dare non potest, pacem; ut et corda nostra mandatis tuis dedita, et, hostium sublata formidine, tempora sint tua protectione tranquilla.
God, from whom are holy desires, right counsels and just works, give to thy servants that peace which the world cannot give; that our hearts may be given over to Thy commandments, and, the fear of our enemies being taken away, our times be peaceful under Thy protection.
Today there is a veritable flood of outstanding sacred music publications. And they are coming not a moment too soon, as we see the desire for authentic Catholic liturgy growing, opportunities for learning multiplying, and a generational shift under way. Even if this shift is sometimes leading to a certain polarization among the faithful, nevertheless the need for reconnecting with our past heritage is widely recognized by many, including mainstream publishers.
Most NLM readers are familiar with Bartlett’s company Illuminare Publications, which is bringing out the Lumen Christi line of books. By offering a panoply of English chant that accounts for all the inherent needs of the liturgy, the Lumen Christi series faciliates, for the first time—or at least, for the first time with any ease of execution—a fully chanted English Ordinary Form liturgy.
Not long ago I received review copies of both the LC Simple Gradual and the LC Simple Gradual Choir Edition, and I was quite impressed with the quality of their musical content, internal organization, crisp typesetting, and sturdy production. These should be no surprise to those who have already held in their hands the comprehensive and elegant Lumen Christi Missal.
The LC Simple Gradual is nothing but an excerpted version of the LC Missal—that is, it contains all the chants of the Missal but not the Lectionary readings and devotions. (The LC Simple Gradual Choir Edition adds pointed Psalm verses.) Some parishes don’t want Lectionary readings and are just looking for a sleek, inexpensive volume for the pew in order to begin singing the Mass as the Church desires. This is the niche that the LC Simple Gradual fills, and fills more economically due to its slender size. The LC Missal and LC Simple Gradual are therefore alternatives, based upon community needs and financial ability. The forthcoming LC Hymnal can function as a companion to either. The LC Gradual will complete the series by furnishing a more extensive selection of chants, including more elaborate melodies, for the choir’s use on Sundays and Holydays.
Do you want the lectionary readings as well as congregational chant? Your book is the LC Missal.
Do you want just the congregational chant? Your book is the LC Simple Gradual, with a few copies of the Choir Edition for the cantors/choir.
Do you want to add a substantial collection of classic hymns? Add the LC Hymnal (once it’s available, which I hear is relatively soon).
Do you wish to have fuller or more complex chants for the cantors/choir? Add the LC Gradual (once it’s available).
The LC Simple Gradual Choir Edition comes with a masterful introduction that describes in detail what the guiding ideals are and how the books are intended to be used. Readers should keep in mind that this is indeed a Simple Gradual, with a full Gradual to follow it. The Simple Gradual provides a repertoire that is aimed at congregational singing through seasonal introduction of antiphons. The full Gradual will have every proper text set in a few different ways (including the Simple Gradual settings). Think of it this way: the Simple Gradual is a base repertoire for congregational singing, hence the seasonal options and sometimes abbreviated texts, whereas the Gradual is the book for the choir, which sets the full proper in its full integrity.
For now, the role of the LC Simple Gradual is clear, so long as it is understood for what it is: a selection of liturgical chant for parishes to help them begin “singing the Mass” rather than “singing at Mass.” One can imagine the book sitting alongside various hymnals, with parishes introducing a few new antiphons each season, leading the faithful beyond a total reliance upon hymnody. In time, a base repertoire is built up, the parish gets used to chant, and hymns begin to take a backseat. This is a very non-radical approach to the problem, but one that is more palatable for most parishes today.
1. Saturday evening: LC Simple Gradual antiphons, with a few hymns.
2. Sunday at 9:00 am: Entrance hymn followed by LC Simple Gradual antiphon; English antiphon at Offertory or something more substantial on occasion; Gregorian Proper antiphon at Communion, at the beginning and end of the LC Simple Gradual antiphon, sung with English verses, and with congregation singing the English antiphon.
3. Sunday at 11:00 am: Gregorian Introit and Communion, Lumen Christi chants everywhere else, along with much polyphony.
All of this is done in the context of a fully sung Order of Mass and chanted Ordinaries in Latin and English, as a norm. Bartlett tells me that it has worked out beautifully.
Some parishes, relying more heavily on hymnody, may inch more slowly into the Lumen Christi material. Still, it has the great merit of being accessible to them, and has the potential to open the door to so much more when the time is ripe. Here, a policy of incrementalism in the Ordinary Form context would seem to be more prudent, more realistic about the habits that need to be inculcated, and ultimately more assured of success, as people grow to appreciate the musical and textual prayerfulness that chanted Propers and Ordinary bring to the celebration of the Mass.
We have encountered Gerhard Lamers' (1871-1964) work here before in relation to William Heyer's restoration and rehabilitation of the chapel at the Pontifical College Josephinum, but I was recently sent a photograph of a beautiful painting he undertook for a convent in Cincinnati sometime in the 1930s, and which now is in the possession of St. Mary's Church in Franklin, Kentucky (above). Lamers is one of those ubiquitous if sadly forgotten figures of early twentieth century Catholic art; like his contemporary Hildreth Meière, you may already be familiar with his work without even realizing it. Of German extraction, he traveled first to the United States in 1925 to paint the stunning neo-Byzantine murals that grace the interior of St. Joseph's Cathedral in Wheeling, West Virginia (a work by that other forgotten master, Edward J. Weber) and later returned in 1928, where he remained associated with Cincinnati's large German Catholic community. One of his best-known work is the large mural (now lost) behind the high altar at the Josephinum, but he also produced stunning work at the Monte Cassino shrine at St. Meinrad in Indiana and numerous other locations. Several other examples of his work follow below. Barring his work in Wheeling, his marvelous murals are depressingly under-documented; any further information or photographs would certainly be certainly appreciated.
There are also a host of images of the interior of St. Joseph's in Wheeling at this site.
It is a day, we believe, chosen wisely by that Institute: we urge all our Catholic brethren, East and West, attached to the Ordinary Form (Mass of Paul VI) or to the Extraordinary Form (Ancient Mass), whatever their theological bent, to join this worldwide prayer day. Whether you consider yourself a more liberal, conservative, traditional, or just plain Catholic, let us join together in this worldwide Adoration of Our Lord Jesus Christ, together with all the Angels and Saints.
The Gregorian propers of her Mass (Introit, Gradual etc.) are taken from the various common Masses of holy women; in the Middle Ages, the Epistle was that of Holy Matrons, Proverbs 31, 10-31, “Who shall find a valiant woman? etc.” In the Tridentine Missal, a new Epistle was created, the Song of Songs, 3, 2-5 and 8, 6-7, which begins as follows.
St Gregory the Great refers the words “I will seek him whom my soul loveth” to John 20, 11-18, when Mary meets Christ at the tomb and mistakes him for the gardener, in the Breviary homily for Easter Thursday.
We must consider how great was the force of love that had enkindled this woman’s heart, who left not the tomb of the Lord, though even the disciples were gone away. She sought Him Whom she had not found there, (exquirebat, quem non invenerat) and as she sought Him, she wept, … Whence it came to pass that she alone, who had stayed behind to seek Him, was the only one who then saw Him.
‘Noli me tangere’ by Jacob van Oostsanen, 1507. The words of John 20, 15, that Mary Magdalene at first thought the Risen Christ was the gardener gave rise to a delightful tradition of portraying Him with various gardening implements, such as the shovel seen here, or the kind of broad-brimmed hat often worn by gardeners.
She is also traditionally held in the West to be Martha and Lazarus’ sister, of whom Christ says in the same Gospel “Mary hath chosen the best part, which shall not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10, 38-42) This passage is read on the feast of St. Martha on July 29th, the octave of Mary Magdalene; from it, Martha has traditionally been seen as the symbol of the active life, and Mary of the contemplative. The same passage was then read also on the feast of the Assumption, a custom inherited, like the feast of itself, from the Byzantine Rite; this was understood allegorically in the Middle Ages to signify that in the person and life of the Virgin Mary are perfected both the active and the contemplative life.
The Byzantine Rite (in which the Creed is said at every Eucharistic liturgy) keeps July 22 as the feast of the “Fair Virgin, Equal to the Apostles, Mary Magdalene,” and on June 4 commemorates “Mary and Martha, the sisters of Lazarus the Just.” Neither of the two Marys thus distinguished is associated with the sinful woman of Luke 7, but the Gospel of Mary Magdalene’s feast day is the passage from Luke 8 noted above. The two sisters are traditionally numbered among the “Myrrh-bearers” who went to the tomb to anoint the body of Christ on the morning of the Resurrection, although they are not named as such by the Gospel; with them are included also Mary, the mother of James and Joses, Mary, the wife of Cleophas, Joanna and Susanna named in Luke 8, and Salome, the mother of the sons of Zebedee. They are commemorated as a group on the second Sunday after Easter, along with Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus. At Vespers of the preceding Saturday, the following idiomel is sung, paraphrasing Matthew 28 and Luke 24.
In the traditional Roman Rite, Matthew 28, 1-7 is the Gospel of the Easter vigil, which concludes with a very much shortened Vespers; the antiphon for the Magnificat is the beginning of the Gospel, “And in the end of the Sabbath, when it began to dawn towards the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalen and the other Mary, to see the sepulcher, alleluia.” Even though the term “Apostle of the Apostles” does not occur in the Roman liturgical books, the liturgy itself proclaims this role for her as the first person named in the accounts of the Resurrection.
The church of Rome was traditionally very conservative about the addition of new texts to the Office; one often finds that the proper Office of a saint hugely popular in the Middle Ages, such as St Nicholas, is found in virtually every medieval Breviary except that of the Roman Curia, the basis of the Breviary of St Pius V. Such is the case with Mary Magdalene, whose Roman Office is mostly that of the common of Holy Women. She has proper antiphons for the Benedictus and the two Magnificats, but none for the psalms; there are also three proper hymns, although that of Matins is a single stanza and a doxology. Three responsories at Matins referring to her are borrowed from Easter, but the rest are from the common of Holy Women.
Celsi mériti María, quae solem verum resurgentem vidére meruisti mortalium prima: óbtine ut nos visu gloriae suae tecum laetíficet in caelis.
Mary of high merit, that first among mortals did merit to see the true Sun rising; obtain that He may grant us joy by the vision of His glory in heaven.
O mundi lampas, et margaríta praefúlgida, quae resurrectiónem Christi nuntiando, Apostolórum Apóstola fíeri meruisti! María Magdaléna, semper pia exoratrix pro nobis adsis ad Deum, qui te elégit.
O lamp of the world, and bright-shining pearl, who by announcing the Resurrection of Christ, didst merit to become the Apostle of the Apostles! Mary Magdalene, of thy kindness stand thou ever before God, who chose thee, to entreat him for us.
Outstanding among the responsories of Matins is the eighth, (necessarily not as beautiful in my poor English).
R. O felix felícis mériti María, quæ resurgentem a mórtuis Dei Filium vidére meruisti mortalium prima! Pro cujus amore, sæculi contempsisti blandimenta: * sédula nos apud ipsum, quæsumus, prece commenda. V. Ut tecum mereámur, o Dómina, pérfrui felicíssima ipsíus præsentia. Sédula.
R. O happy Mary of happy merit, that first among mortals did merit to see the Son of God rising from the dead; for whose love thou disdained the blandishments of the world: * by thy prayer, we ask thee, commend us to Him with diligence. V. That with thee, o Lady, we may merit to enjoy his most happy presence. By thy prayer.
Fidelis sermo et omni acceptione dignus, quia Christus Jesus venit in hunc mundum peccatores salvos facere; et qui nasci dignatus est de Maria Virgine, tangi non dedignatus est a Maria peccatrice. Haec est illa Maria, cui dimissa sunt peccata multa, quia dilexit multum. Haec est enim illa Maria, quae resurgentem a mortuis prima omnium videre meruit Dominum nostrum Iesum Christum, quem pro nostris reatibus oret, quaesumus, in aeternum.
A faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptance, that Jesus Christ came into this world to save sinners; and He that deigned to be born of the Virgin Mary, did not disdain to be touched by Mary the sinner. This is that Mary, to whom many sins were forgiven, because she loved much. This is indeed that Mary, who before all others merited to see our Lord Jesus Christ rising from the dead; and we ask that she pray Him forever for our sins.
Lastly, we may note the Preface of her feast in the Ambrosian liturgy, another text that can only suffer in translation.
The Penitent Magdalene, by Caravaggio, ca. 1594-95.
Artist Henry Wingate has just completed a large-scale commission for St Mary's in Piscataway in southern Maryland.
Based in rural Virginia, Wingate studied with Paul Ingbretson in New England and with Charles Cecil, in Florence, Italy. Both Ingbretson and Cecil studied under R H Ives Gammell, the teacher, writer, and painter who perhaps more than anyone else kept the traditional atelier method of painting instruction alive. His website is henrywingate.com.
The academic method, which Wingate uses, was first developed in Renaissance Italy and was the standard for art education and nearly every great Western artist for the next 300 years. It almost died out altogether in the first part of the 20th century but is gaining ground again now.
For this commision, Wingate writes: 'The subject was the baptism of the Tayac, or chief, of the Piscataway Indians by the Jesuit, Father Andrew White. This took place on July 5th, 1640. It is well documented because the Jesuits were required to send a yearly report on their efforts here in the New World to their superiors in Rome, and those documents are available to read.
The church that asked me to do the painting is Saint Mary's of Piscataway. The baptism took place in the Piscataway Indian village which was someplace near where this church stands today, possibly even on the land owned by the church. The painting is in the entrance way to the church, and above the new baptismal font. I finished the painting after about seven months of work, in time for an Easter unveiling. At the Easter Mass their were three baptisms using the new font. Two of those baptized were descendants of Piscataway Native Americans. One of the most interesting things I learned while doing this project is that most of the Piscataways, to this day, are practicing Catholics. Father Andrew White's efforts, and those of his fellow Maryland Jesuits, were very effective.
The painting is 16 feet across and nearly 13 feet high. It is on canvas that is glued to panels. I had to cut a slot in my studio wall just to get the painting out and into a truck to get it to Maryland.
The photographs show the completed painting and preliminary studies.
On Monday 28 July at St Thomas, Apostle, Washington DC, there will be a Prayer Vigil to pray for our beloved brothers and sisters who are being persecuted in Iraq. Holy Mass will be celebrated at 7pm following which there will be Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament until Midnight. Priests are invited to concelebrate the Mass, and there will be an opportunity for confession.
Last May while visiting a dear friend, Pater Edmund Waldstein, O.Cist., a monk of the Abbey of Heiligenkreuz in Lower Austria and maintainer of the ever-thoughtful blog Sancrucensis, I had the opportunity to see certain parts of the monastery that I had never seen (or seen up close) before. Among the stages of our tour were the immensely beautiful wooden choir stalls where the monks chant the daily Divine Office, to which they are very devoted.
But it was not so much the woodwork that caught my attention as it was certain over-sized wood-covered leatherbound volumes set up between every other stall.
As a cantor and schola director, these naturally engaged my curiosity and I asked Pater Edmund to tell me about them. Seeing my great interest, he not only obliged me at the moment, but sent notes and photos to be shared with the readers of NLM who might be interested in this fine example of contemporary book-making on a scale rarely seen. What follows is Pater Edmund’s account of the genesis of this project.
In the 1970s, hand-size editions of the breviary, hymnarium, antiphonarium, and psalter were printed. Inevitably, the wear and tear on the books, together with the desire for something more permanent and more worthy of the splendor of the liturgy, motivated the monastery to take a decisive step. In the early years of the millennium, work began on the large choir edition of the Psalter. For the new edition, everything was newly typeset by one of the monks, including all the music (this took him several years).
The choir Psalter is printed on thick Italian paper, usually used for reproducing art prints (size: DIN A3). It was bound by the monks in our own book-binding shop. The covers are made of wood harvested from the abbey’s own forests in the vicinity. The tabs are made of goat leather, and were cut and printed by one of the monks. The pictures are reproductions of pencil drawings by Michael Fuchs, drawn especially for this Psalter.
Saint Praxedes is depicted in art squeezing the blood of the martyrs which she has collected from a sponge into a vessel. In her basilica in Rome, a part of the floor in the central nave is marked as the place where their relics were laid to rest within the building that was once her house.
Especially on this day, let us remember and pray for all persecuted Christians in every part of the world.
“Today (the Christians of Mosul, Iraq) are persecuted, they are driven away, they have to leave their homes without the possibility of taking anything with them. To these families, to these people, I want to express my closeness and assure them of my constant prayer. Beloved brothers and sisters who are so persecuted, I know how much you are suffering, I know that you have been stripped of everything. I am with you in the faith of Him who has conquered evil! And to those of you, here in the piazza and those who are following us by means of television, I address the invitation to remember these Christian communities in prayer.” - His Holiness Pope Francis at yesterday’s Angelus. | 2019-04-22T06:08:31Z | http://www.newliturgicalmovement.org/2014/07/ |
A covenant not to compete is typically included in a franchise agreement to ensure that customer goodwill, once developed in the name of franchise, is not destroyed by former franchisees. The ultimate weapon for a franchisor to enforce a covenant not to compete is obtaining a preliminary injunction against the former franchisee. However, many courts place a heavy burden on the franchisor to prove that a preliminary injunction is proper. The recent case of Colorado Security Consultants, LLC v. Signal 88 Franchise Group, decided in March 2017 by the U.S. District Court for the District of Nebraska, illustrates how difficult that burden can be to meet under unfavorable facts.
Colorado Security Consultants, LLC (CSC), had a three year franchise agreement with franchisor, Signal 88 Franchise Group, Inc., to provide on-site security guard services within a territory in Colorado Springs. CSC also had a right of first refusal over additional franchises to be added within a radius of Colorado Springs. At the end of the initial term, the franchisor and franchisee continued the franchise agreement on a month-to-month basis, subject to 30-day notice of termination. Signal 88 informed CSC that another person, Rebecca Resendes, wished to enter into a franchise agreement for a territory in the right of first refusal area where CSC had developed contracts with some customers. Resendes and CSC negotiated for several months over her either purchasing CSC’s franchise or compensating CSC for customers it had developed in her contemplated territory. When no agreement was reached Resendes signed a direct franchise agreement with Signal 88. After additional negotiations between CSC and Resendes failed, Signal 88 told CSC that it had to stop serving customers in Resendes’ territory and then terminated CSC’s franchise entirely. CSC began providing security services under the name “Guardhail”, and then Signal 88 sued CSC for violation of the 2 year post termination non-compete and sought an injunction to stop it from providing any security services.
To obtain an injunction Signal 88 had to demonstrate the following: (a) without an injunction it would suffer irreparable harm greater than the harm the franchisee would suffer from its issuance; (b) it had more than 50% likelihood of demonstrating violation of an enforceable non-compete by CSC, and (c) the injunction would serve the public interest.
Signal 88 alleged that CSC was causing it irreparable harm because it “contacted Signal 88’s customers, undercut Signal 88 on price, and caused a number of customers to cancel contracts with Signal 88.” CSC responded that it did not use “any of the names or trademarks of Signal 88” nor did they use any confidential materials. All customer contracts in the Signal 88 system are entered into in the name of the franchisor, which also does billing and collection. So if Guardhail sought to continue to serve the customers that CSC recruited for Signal 88 (as seems likely) then CSC would have had to utilize the customer contact information and likely would have made offers that were more attractive than the pricing offered under the franchise.
Nevertheless, in declining to issue a preliminary injunction, the Court determined that Signal 88 failed to show that the “harm is certain and great and of such imminence that there is a clear and present need for equitable relief,” because Signal 88 failed to show that in the harm of CSC’s actions “threatened the very existence” of Signal 88’s business. Accordingly, even if there is a loss of customers and revenue for Signal 88, money damages would still suffice without the “extraordinary” measure of a preliminary injunction.
Signal 88 also argued that failing to enforce the non-compete would cause “irreparable harm to its franchise system”, presumably by encouraging other franchisees to not renew and to flout the non-compete. The court said that Signal 88 had no evidence to back up that general supposition. Since a preliminary injunction would effectively put CSC out of business and would moot the parties’ claims before addressing the merits of the case, including CSC’s breach of contract counterclaim, the court found that the balance of hardships heavily favored CSC.
Despite the case being heard in Signal 88’s hometown of Omaha and the franchise agreement stating that Nebraska law governed, the Court held that Colorado had a greater material interest in the franchise agreement and therefore its laws regarding non-competes applied. Under Colorado law non-compete provisions are disfavored except to protect trade secrets or if issued when selling one’s business. The Court found that the evidence presented did not demonstrate CSC’s use of Signal 88’s trade secrets with any specificity. Moreover, CSC argued that, as Signal 88’s selling and servicing agent when dealing with the customers, its principals were Signal 88’s employees – an allegation that, if proven, would cause the non-compete being held to very strict scrutiny under applicable law. Since that determination is fact-specific the Court would not make such a decision at the preliminary injunction stage.
It is likely that these factors heavily influenced the Court’s denial of the preliminary injunction: (a) CSC recruited and developed the Signal 88 security customers in Colorado Springs, probably through the sales efforts of its owners more than franchisor-provided marketing; (b) accordingly CSC was not provided a customer list and did not inherit a list of long-standing Signal 88 customers, so the Colorado Springs customer list was not trade secret provided by Signal 88; and (c) Signal 88 terminated its relationship with CSC, apparently without cause, and allowed new franchisee Resendes to service all of CSC’s contracts without requiring her to pay for the goodwill that CSC had developed in them.
As this case shows, absent favorable facts it is very difficult for a franchisor to obtain a preliminary injunction enforcing a non-compete. Accordingly, certain franchisors may be well-served by adding a provision requiring a former franchisee that violates a post-expiration covenant not to compete to pay 2 years’ worth of continuing franchise fees. Such a liquidated damages provision is more easily enforced and represents a fair compromise between franchisor’s interest in retaining customer goodwill and franchisees’ interests in making sure that the franchisor’s brand and business system continue to provide value.
Take-away. A franchisor’s diligence in conducting and documenting quality assurance inspections is as important as ever, particularly if the franchisor seeks to exercise its ultimate weapon – termination of the franchise agreement. Prudent inspection and documentation practices are particularly crucial in the many U.S. states and territories that have statutes requiring a showing of “good cause” in order for a franchisor to terminate a franchise agreement. In such states, a franchisor must furnish evidence demonstrating that the franchisee failed to substantially comply with the material and reasonable franchise requirements; otherwise, a court may well restore the franchise rights and order money damages to the franchisee.
The Case. Pooniwala v. Wyndham Worldwide Corp., a May 2014 decision by the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota, is an exemplary demonstration of how a franchisor establishes that one of its franchisees repeatedly violated quality assurance standards so that there was “good cause” to terminate the franchise agreement under state law. The franchisor’s in this case diligently conducted and documented regular quality assurance (“QA”) inspections.
Pooniwala involved franchise agreements for two hotels, one a “Super 8,” and the other a “Travelodge.” The franchisee alleged that the franchisors, both of which are affiliated companies within the Wyndham Hotel Group, took retaliatory action against the franchisee because of a lawsuit between the franchisee and Ramada Worldwide Inc., its fellow Wyndham Group affiliate. The franchisors, for their side, argued that their attempts to terminate the franchise agreements were not retaliatory actions, but rather that the franchisee had repeatedly violated QA standards found in the respective franchise agreements, giving each franchisor good cause for termination.
The first attempted termination involved a Super 8 hotel facility in Roseville Minnesota. The franchise agreement for the Roseville Super 8 included quality assurance requirements, as well as provisions allowing Super 8 to inspect the facility to ensure that it was operating in compliance with Super 8’s system standards and QA requirements. The franchisee had failed six consecutive QA inspections at the Roseville Super 8. Each inspection was followed by a letter indicating that the franchisee had received a failing score on the QA inspections. The letters also gave the franchisee notice that it had sixty days to cure the QA deficiencies, the failure of which could result in termination of the franchise agreement. Finally in September 2013 Super 8 notified the franchisee that the franchise would terminate on December 29, 2013, unless the hotel passed a final QA inspection. The franchisee failed that final inspection, and shortly thereafter Super 8 informed the franchisee that termination would take effect on the originally scheduled termination date.
The second termination was for a Travelodge hotel facility in Burnsville, Minnesota. The Burnsville Travelodge agreement contained similar QA requirements, and the franchisee failed eight consecutive QA inspections, receiving letters documenting the failures following each inspection. Finally the franchisee received notice of termination for the Travelodge franchise. The notice described QA deficiencies, and stated that termination would take effect in ninety days, but that another inspection would be scheduled to determine whether the QA violations had been cured. The franchisee failed that inspection, and as a result Travelodge informed the franchisee that termination would take effect on the originally scheduled date.
Preliminary Injunction. It is not a wonder that motions for preliminary injunction are commonplace in hotel franchise termination cases. With the great potential for loss of good will among customers, employees and suppliers, franchisees will not want to give up their rights to franchise logos or their presence on a franchisor’s reservation system. In Pooniwala, the franchisee sought an order for preliminary injunction to stop the franchisors from terminating the franchise agreements before the court heard the case on its merits.
In deciding whether to grant a preliminary injunction, courts have to balance the harm to the two sides. They also consider the requesting party’s likelihood of success on the merits in the underlying claim–here, violation of the good cause requirement of the Minnesota Franchise Act.
In Pooniwala, the court denied the franchisee’s motion for preliminary injunction and ordered it to go ahead with its post-termination obligations, such as removing the franchised brands’ signage. The court found that, given the many QA inspection failures at the two hotels, and the fact that the franchisees had continuing franchise relationships with Wyndham Hotel Group affiliates at other hotel properties, the franchisee did not demonstrate an adequate likelihood of success of proving that the termination was without good cause. Further, the court held that, while the franchisee would suffer obvious harm through loss of the franchise rights, the franchisors were also suffering continuing, irreparable harm as long as the franchisee’s hotels continued to operate under their trademarks while not maintaining brand quality standards.
Conclusion. Hotel franchise agreements typically provide for substantial liquidated damages if the franchisor terminates for cause, meaning that the Pooniwala franchisees are likely to owe hundreds of thousands of dollars. In other franchise cases, the terminated franchisee may be forced to cease operating a similar business due to a covenant not to compete.
The stakes are high, and franchisors can expect a fight. So if they decide to take the drastic step of terminating for cause, they had better have their “ducks in a row.” In Pooniwala, the Wyndham Hotel Group franchisors showed how this is done.
Nicholas Cintron, a law clerk at the firm and a 2016 J.D. candidate at Wake Forest University Law School, contributed to the preparation of this article.
Take-away: If your franchise offering document is silent on key issues, you can be liable if your people “oversell” to a potential franchisee. Better to deal with the issue in carefully vetted writing than to be surprised by something your people say off the cuff.
The case: A recent Michigan Court of Appeals decision, reinstating a jury verdict against a cellular communications store franchisor, shows the potency of franchise investment and disclosure laws in protecting franchisees against misleading sales tactics, if the information provided does not contradict the franchise disclosure document presentation.
The facts: In Abbo v. Wireless Toyz Franchise, L.L.C., Abbo was a failed franchisee and area developer of cellular communications stores. Looking back, he alleged that an officer of Wireless Toyz provided misleading information in the “discovery day” presentation.
As background, you need to understand something about the business model of cellular franchises. Their profitability can be affected by “hits” (discounts given in the sale of phones); “chargebacks” that decrease store commission revenue; the franchisor’s bargaining power with cell phone carriers; the hidden costs of purchasing inventory from the franchisor; and ultimately the number of cell phone sales necessary to make a profit.
None of these issues was dealt with in any meaningful way in Wireless Toyz’s franchise disclosure document (“FDD”). Since the FDD was silent, that left wide areas about which prospective franchisees could ask for additional information, and left the franchisor’s executives, eager to sell franchises, vulnerable to providing answers outside the FDD. In this particular case, the franchisee directly asked a senior franchisor executive about revenue deductions from “chargebacks” and “hits,” and the franchisor executive apparently said that chargebacks constituted “only five to seven percent” of total commissions and that Wireless Toyz stores outside of Michigan (the home state) had been “subject to only ‘very minor’ hits.” In fact, neither statement was accurate.
The FDD’s Item 19 Financial Performance Representation said that there were 181 average new activation contracts each month, and an average of $222.31 in commissions per activation. However, the presentation did not mention “hits” or the minimal amount of revenue (net of the cost of cellular devices) earned by the stores, and it also did not detail the extent of chargebacks and how they impacted the actual net commissions earned per activation.
After a jury trial, the jury found that the franchisor had failed to provide material facts necessary to make the FDD’s statements not misleading under the circumstances of their presentation, and also that it was liable for creating false impressions when responding to the prospective franchisee’s direct questions regarding “hits” and “chargebacks.” The Michigan Franchise Investment Law (like its statutory cousin, the Maryland Franchise Registration and Disclosure Law) creates an affirmative legal duty to disclose all material facts necessary to avoid creating a false impression.
In this case, Wireless Toyz made a corporate decision not to provide information on the extent of chargebacks in Item 19 of the FDD, even though that information was clearly relevant to the picture of commission revenue generated per activation. The “gasoline on the fire” in this case was the “five to seven percent” estimate provided by the franchise salesperson in response to a direct question.
Except as provided in the [Disclosure Document] delivered to the Franchise Owner, the Franchise Owner acknowledges that Wireless Toyz has not, either orally or in writing, represented, estimated or projected any specified level of sales, costs or profits for this Franchise, nor represented the sales, costs or profit level of any other Wireless Toyz Store.
The jury concluded that, despite this language in the contract, Abbo was reasonable in relying on the verbal statements on matters not addressed in the FDD. Moreover, because the verdict was for misleading omissions, the jury presumably found that the failure to provide additional clarifying information both in and out of the FDD presentation was what misled the franchisee.
The appellate court agreed with the jury, not the trial judge.
There was a dissenting opinion at the appellate level, and it is likely that Wireless Toyz will seek to have the Michigan Supreme Court review the decision. However, that court is not obligated to do so and may not want to substitute its opinion for that of the jury. As in many franchise cases, Wireless Toyz’s chances were not terribly good once it allowed a jury to deliberate regarding its actions.
In an era when about two-thirds of franchisors now provide written financial performance information in their FDD, this decision is an important reminder to franchisors of the risk of providing only partial information in the FDD – particularly if the franchisor has access to accurate (if not necessary encouraging) information on unit-level expenses or deductions from revenue.
That sort of information is important to prospective franchisees and is almost certainly data that they will seek from the franchisor. It is better to disclose fully in the FDD instead of hoping your salespeople don’t get asked about it or that, if asked, they answer accurately.
Restaurant and retail franchisors: could this be you in 2014?
The case of Wojcik v. Interarch, Inc., currently pending in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois against the fast casual restaurant franchisor Saladworks, LLC, contains a factual scenario that should serve as a valuable reminder for existing franchisors who are updating their Franchise Disclosure Document (“FDD”) for use in 2014, for companies beginning the offer of franchise rights, and for prospective franchisees who are investigating opportunities. Bottom Line: Franchisors need to be careful not to underestimate site development costs, ongoing operating costs, and the challenges of opening locations in geographic areas not familiar with their brands.
During 2011, one of the plaintiffs, David Wojcik of suburban Chicago, investigated development of a Saladworks franchise restaurant. Saladworks is based in suburban Philadelphia, and the bulk of Saladworks locations are within 250 miles of Philadelphia. When Mr. Wojcik attended Saladworks’ “Discovery Day” to learn more about the franchise, Saladworks’ executives took him to their “Gateway” location, which they described as being typical in terms of physical appearance and menu offerings. They also told him that Saladworks’ designated commercial real estate firm Site Development, Inc. (“SDI”) and a designated architecture firm would help Wojcik find a location and design his restaurant.
After reviewing the FDD and going to “discovery day,” Mr. Wojcik convinced his wife Denise that they should sign the franchise agreement and that she should invest $90,000 that they used to purchase a single franchise license plus multi-unit development rights in suburban Chicago. However, it cost the Wojciks substantially more to open their first Saladworks location than the estimated initial investment cost stated in the FDD, and the business failed within six months – both opening and closing during 2012.
D. Wojcik “would receive a `standard location,'” thus making the financial information Saladworks included in its FDD for franchised restaurants at “standard locations” relevant and meaningful for him.
(4) “[The Saladworks] brand was most successful in a core market area, which included the area covered by an approximate 250-mile radius of Philadelphia. . . . [but] beyond the core market area, most of [Saladworks’] franchises were substantially under-performing in relationship to those that were located within the core market area,” thus making Saladworks’ disclosures about the financial performance of franchised restaurants at “standard locations” deceptive and misleading to a franchisee in Illinois.
(5) The two restaurants for which Saladworks supplied information about average operating costs obtained free labor from new franchisees in training, thus making the average operating costs Saladworks disclosed in its FDD materially misleading.
This case decision was in the context of Saladworks’ and SDI’s motions to dismiss (the architect, InterArch, had already settled), and many of the allegations recited above may not survive a motion for summary judgment on the failed franchisee’s misrepresentation claims. For example, as the court also points out, the franchise agreement specifically warned the franchisee that its “Brand Development Fund” contributions did not have to be used to promote the franchisee’s restaurant (as opposed to other System restaurants), and a franchisee in a new region typically should negotiate that point.
(ii) If your Item 19 disclosure includes operating costs disclosures, are those impacted at all by the use of trainees in place of paid staff?
(iii) if you feel it is necessary to designate a commercial real estate company or architecture firm, be careful about how you promote their abilities, and consider (a) requiring the real estate firm to work with a local firm with whom it would share its fees, and (b) for states where the architect is not licensed, consider allowing the franchisee to select alternative architects upon payment of a modest review fee to your designated designers.
(iv) Are your Leasehold Improvement or construction estimates in Item 7 based on certain positive assumptions? If so, carefully disclose them, and consider whether the high estimate should not include those optimistic assumptions.
From the point of view of a prospective restaurant or retail franchisee, the lesson of this case is to show the kinds of issues you should carefully consider in your due diligence before purchasing a franchise. While litigation may help you recover if the franchisor is not completely truthful, better to figure it out beforehand!
At the October 2013 American Bar Association Forum on Franchising Convention, the keynote program was entitled “If I had a Wizards’s Wand” and concerned what each of the four presenters would change about franchising and the law, if they could. Rochelle “Shelley” Spandorf’s proposals as part of that program are summarized by reporter Janet Sparks in this BlueMauMau.com article . While Ms. Spandorf’s proposed changes are wonderful as far as they go (if not magical), unfortunately she did not clearly address one of the most important dispute resolution issues in the U.S. legal system, including franchising; the use of mandatory pre-dispute arbitration clauses to blunt weaker parties’ access to civil justice.
Aspects of Shelley’s proposals that seem particularly commendable are requiring all new franchisors to have some base of experience, creating a uniform national regisry of franchise sales registration, mandating the provision of a financial performance representation, and freeing states’ attorney generals to puruse enforcement rather than adminiistering a registration system. Moreover, while such legislation might appear to be substantially more burdensome to franchisors than the current legal regime of franchise sales regulation, the reality is that, even in the so-called “non-registration states” most franchisees do have the ability to pursue private civil actions for material violations of the FTC Franchise Rule; for example, see Final Cut, LLC v. Sharkey, 2012 Conn Super. LEXIS 98, 2012 WL 310752 (Conn. Superior Ct., Jan. 3, 2012) (franchisee prevails under Connecticut Unfair Trade Practices Act in claims that franchise sales were made in material violation of the FTC Franchise Rule).
However, on the issue of dispute resolution, it is unclear whether the proposal that U.S. federal courts have “exclusive jurisdiction” over U.S. franchise law claims would mean that franchisors could not require arbitration instead of court proceedings. This is particularly important with regard to the ability of franchisees to pursue group or class actions. Through many Supreme Court decisions authored by conservative justices, as well as legislation passed by Republican Congressional majorities, plaintiffs seeking class certification face a rigorous burden in U.S. courts. As many an attorney can attest, there are myriad difficulties (both ethical and practical) in representing substantial groups of franchisees pursuing common claims. However, in appropriate circumstances where common questions of fact predominate, particularly on liability, use of a group or class action is the most efficient (and sometimes the ony practical) way for parties who have suffered grievous financial losses to seek a remedy. Supreme Court decisions have made it extremely easy for parties to bar class or group actions by inserting an arbitration clause in their form contracts and refusing to remove them.
While reforms freeing state attorneys’ general to focus on claims enforcement might help improve failed franchisees’ access to justice, experience shows that attorney generals tend to focus on relief for large number of consumers rather than smaller numbers of small business owners. Unless a federal franchise law contains an express exemption from the Federal Arbitration Act for disputes between franchisors and franchisees, its benefits for franchisees may prove to be illusory.
Summary: Recent cases involving attempted enforcement of covenants not to compete by franchisors show the unpredictability of the results in such cases. However, careful reading of the factual circumstances of the cases also supports the adage that “bad facts make bad law.” So it behooves franchisors to check whether they have a sympathetic case on the facts when trying to enforce their non-competes.
Under those circumstances, the court enjoined the former franchisee and her son, who had managed the restaurant, from continued operation of a Caribbean-style restaurant. In its order the court, acting under New York law, enjoined such operations at the former franchised location and within 4 miles of it (rather than 10 miles, as written in the contract), or within 2.5 miles of any other Golden Krust restaurant (rather than 5 miles, as written in the contract). While giving them a bit of a break on the geographic extent of the non-compete, the court overall had no sympathy for the franchisee’s arguments of harm to their livelihood, including the possibility that their landlord would not allow them to operate a different type of restaurant at the leased premises; rather, the court found that to be a harm of the former franchisee’s own making.
In September of this year, in the case of Steak ‘N Shake Enterprises, Inc. v. Globex Company, LLC, the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado found that the franchisor had good cause to terminate and force its Denver franchisee to cease use of the trademarks, but did not find cause to enjoin the former franchisee from violating the covenant not to compete. The cause for termination was that the franchisee refused to comply with the franchisor’s demand that it offer a “$4 value menu” and instead insisted on charging higher prices. The court held that Steak ‘N Shake had good cause to terminate the franchise and enjoined continued use of the Steak ‘N Shake trademarks, trade dress and menu item names.
However, the court did not order the former franchisee to refrain from operating a similar restaurant, finding that, because the next closest Steak ‘N Shake restaurant was in Colorado Springs (about 100 miles away) and the franchisor had no prospects to open up any Denver area locations in the near future, it could not prove irreparable harm if the former franchisee continued to operate. This decision does not preclude the franchisor from seeking damages due to violation of the covenant not to compete later in this case. While not expressly stated in the opinion, it is quite possible that the court may have been swayed by the fact that Steak ‘N Shake was requiring that an enormous number of meals be offered for $3.99, which likely would mean little or no profit to the franchisee on those sales. In other words, Steak ‘N Shake had a right to insist that restaurants using its name follow its pricing demands, but if it chose to terminate on those grounds it would have to suffer repercussions.
Finally, on August 6, 2013, in the case of Outdoor Lighting Perspectives Franchising, Inc. v. Patrick Harders, the North Carolina Court of Appeals affirmed a state trial court ruling denying enforcement of a post-expiration covenant not to compete by a North Carolina based franchisor against its former franchisee in northern Virginia. In so doing, the court wrote, “During the time in which Mr. Harders operated as an OLP franchisee, entities holding OLP franchises encountered numerous problems with OLP suppliers. Since [Outdoor Living Brands] purchased [the franchisor] in 2008, numerous franchises have closed and the OLP business model has been devalued. Among other things, [the franchisor] failed to provide its franchisees with adequate support, feedback, and product innovation. Although the information provided to Mr. Harders and OLP-NVA by [the franchisor] was alleged to be proprietary, much of it was publicly available and common knowledge in the industry. Similarly, the training that Mr. Harders had received from [the franchisor] was readily available without charge in many national home improvement stores.
Once the court laid out the facts in this manner, it was obvious that it would rule against the franchisor. It did so in a fairly creative manner, seizing on the fact that the non-compete prohibited the non-renewing franchisee from engaging in a “competitive business” within any “Affiliate’s territory.” At the time of the franchise agreement, the franchisor was only involved in Outdoor Lighting Perspectives, but during the term the franchisor was purchased by OUtdoor Living Brands, which also owned the Mosquito Squad® and Achadeck® franchise systems. While the likely purpose of restricting competition with “affiliates” was to protect Outdoor Lighting Perspective businesses owned by the Franchisor’s corporate siblings, and the franchisor was not seeking to enjoin the former franchisee from competing with later-acquired affiliates in unrelated fields, the literal language of the non-compete supported an argument that it was overbroad in its geographic scope.
The court also found that the definition of a prohibited “Competitive Business” under this non-compete was overly broad. It prohibited involvement in “any business operating in competition with an outdoor lighting business” or “any business similar to the Business.” The provision’s scope could prohibit the former franchisee from operating an indoor lighting business or “obtaining employment at a major home improvement store that sold outdoor lighting supplies, equipment tor services as a small part of its business even if he had no direct involvement” in that part of the operation. The appeals court affirmed the trial court’s decision to read the provision literally and therefore refuse to enforce it in any manner, rather than entering a more limited injunction prohibiting the former franchisee from operating or managing an outdoor lighting business.
These court rulings demonstrate the “bad facts make bad law” truism. The Golden Krust franchisor had a sympathetic case and a franchisee acting badly; in the Steak ‘N Shake case, the parties clearly needed to go their separate ways, but the franchisor’s inflexibility persuaded the court to allow the franchisee to operate independently, at least pending a full trial; and the Outdoor Lighting franchisor, despite litigating in its “home court,” apparently had such an unimpressive franchise system that the court was unwilling to fashion an equitable remedy when confronting an overly broad non-compete. These cases should make franchisors think carefully about the situations in which they seek to enjoin competition by their former franchisees.
In the opening General Session of the International Franchise Association (“IFA”) Legal Symposium on May 6, 2013, Aziz Hashim, President & CEO of NRD Holdings, LLC (Multi-Unit Franchisee of Popeye’s, Checkers, and Domino’s Pizza) & the IFA’s current Secretary, and Kenneth L. Walker, formerly IFA Chairman and the Chairman of the Board of Driven Brands, Inc. (franchisor of Meineke Car Care businesses), commented on franchise agreements and franchise relationship management in an interview-style program moderated by Joel Buckberg. Their comments, which are summarized below, demonstrate both the promise and the challenges inherent in franchising.
4. Franchisor’s right to require “periodic” remodeling, without limitations on the frequency, timing or cost of the facility changes.
Walker did not list any concerns with franchise agreements, which is not surprising given his background as a franchisor executive. However, he did emphasize that one of his biggest “turnoffs” when he was CEO (from 1996 until 2012) was having the first contact in a negotiation coming from a franchisee’s lawyer rather than the franchisee executive himself. He was much more likely to negotiate an issue with a franchisee who first approached him directly, even if the final agreement might be worked through by each party’s counsel.
Use of Marketing Funds: Walker expressed a preference for wide franchisor discretion in deciding how to use franchisee contributions, as long as the uses were devoted to growing franchisees’ businesses. Hashim agreed, but with the caveat that franchisees had to be actively engaged and consulted as to the franchisor’s proposed uses of the monies. Hashim objected to use of such funds to cover part of franchisor’s executive salaries (such as for a Chief Marketing Officer) or to conduct product development analysis. He supported flexible uses such as contributing towards the remodeling and rebranding of franchisee restaurants. Walker agreed that franchisee engagement and “buy-in” is critical, on the basis that it is better to have a somewhat flawed marketing plan that is widely executed than an outstanding plan that the franchisees refuse to implement.
Territorial Rights: With regard to franchisees’ territory protections, Walker argued that if the brand as a whole is losing market share to competitors with its existing network of locations, then it should be able to “backfill” with additional franchises. Hashim seemed to agree, as long as the plan protected franchisees who were properly executing the system and meeting expected revenue targets.
Supply Chain Controls: Hashim argued that franchisors should not require purchases of commonly available supplies or ingredients from more expensive sources, if the franchisees can obtain the same items less expensively through other means. He said that at a minimum, there should be clear disclosure to prospective franchisees of how the franchisor makes money from the supply chain.
Facility Remodeling and “Upgrades”: The panelists agreed that it is critical for franchisors to efficiently monitor the quality of goods and services being provided and to discipline franchisees who are not meeting such standards. However, Hashim argued that franchisors need to “make the business case” as to how facility updates or remodeling are going to benefit the profitability and value of the franchisees’ businesses rather than just drive revenue growth. He also believes that “smart franchisors” help fund the costs of facility updates to obtain rapid adoption by most franchisees.
Training and Operations Support: Walker believes that in-person, live training and conventions continue to have value in fostering a team spirit among franchisees and an exchange of best practices information, as compared to Internet “webinars” or recorded trainings. Hashim expressed frustration that the ratio of franchisor field staff or “business consultants” to franchisees has been decreasing over time, and the experience level of those consultants has been decreasing. He said that periodic visits by qualified field representatives play in important role in franchisee satisfaction and success.
Termination and Damages: Despite his broad disapproval of personal guarantees and liquidated damages, Hashim agreed with Walker that, if a franchisee is not in financial distress but simply wants to quit the franchise to stop paying royalties, then it is appropriate to require that franchisee to pay termination compensation to the franchisor.
5. Employ a true ombudsman to address franchisee complaints and concerns before they mushroom into disputes.
In many ways this program showed the best that the IFA has to offer, since it brought together franchisor and franchisee perspectives for the purpose of furthering industry best practices. It also highlighted Aziz Hashim as a rising leader in franchising who bears watching in the future.
During 2012 Sylvan Learning, Inc. and its corporate affiliates are fighting a claim of violating of the Maryland Franchise Registration & Disclosure Law and fraudulent conduct in its sale of tutoring center franchise rights, after having its motions to dismiss the fraud claims denied by the U.S. District Court in Baltimore.
In Next Generation Group, LLC v. Sylvan Learning Centers, LLC, Case CCB-11-0986 (decided Jan. 5, 2012), the plaintiff franchisee alleged that he agreed to develop and operate a new Sylvan Learning Center in Irving, Texas, in reliance upon representations from Sylvan that it would sell the plaintiff two existing Centers in nearby Arlington and Allen, Texas. According to the Amended Complaint, those representations were made orally by Sylvan’s agent to plaintiff’s principal both before and after the plaintiff signed the franchise agreement for Irving, but several weeks before the Irving location opened, Sylvan’s agent advised plaintiff’s principal “in writing that Sylvan had approved his acquisition of the Arlington and Allen Learning centers, respectively.” The parties executed letters of intent for the sale of both sites about two weeks before the Irving Center opened. However, about three weeks after the Irving Center opened, Sylvan’s same agent “informed [plaintiff] that Sylvan would not sell him the license and assets for any more franchises.” According to the Amended Complaint, Sylvan provided no explanation of its reversal of course. The franchisee claimed that Sylvan fraudulently induced it to develop and open the Irving location.
Sylvan argued for dismissal of the claims on the basis that the Irving franchise agreement contained an “integration clause” that prevented the plaintiff from relying on promises made outside that written agreement. The court rejected this, by quoting a prior court decision stating, “[T]he law in Maryland … is that a plaintiff can successfully bring a tort action for fraud that is based on false pre-contract promises by the defendant even if (1) the written contract contains an integration clause and even if (2) the pre-contractual promises that constitute the fraud are not mentioned in the written contract. Most of our sister states apply a similar rule. Greenfield v. Heckenbach, 144 Md. App. 108, 130, 797 A.2d 63, 76 (2002).” Sylvan’s problem is that the contractual “integration clause” did not disclaim any specific oral representations, and certainly not any concerning Sylvan’s willingness to sell the plaintiff additional existing franchised businesses. Without specific disclaimers as to representations made on that specific topic, the integration clause did not prevent pursuit of the claim.
While Sylvan could use the presence of the integration clause at trial to challenge whether the plaintiff reasonably relied on promises made outside of the Irving franchise agreement, based on the facts alleged the court stated, “there is reason to believe [plaintiff] could reasonably have relied on Sylvan’s representations” concerning the sale of the existing locations. Therefore, the court held that permitting the plaintiff to file a second amended complaint would not be “futile” and granted the plaintiff’s motion to do so.
After the plaintiff filed its Second Amended Complaint, Sylvan immediately moved to dismiss it on essentially the same grounds as asserted previously, and the court once again refused to dismiss the claims for fraud and violation of the Maryland Franchise Registration & Disclosure Law. Accordingly, the parties are now conducting discovery that may take most of 2012 to complete.
It is important to recognize that the proceedings in this case to date solely concern the sufficiency of the plaintiff’s factual allegations as a matter of law, and in later proceedings Sylvan’s representatives will provide information on what occurred with regard to this franchise sale. Nevertheless, the decision reiterates an important point for all Maryland business people – even if promises and statements are excluded from a particular written agreement, they may have legal consequences if the subsequent business relationship fails to meet the other party’s expectations.
1. Does your business primarily involve the sales of products you supply, the sale of products to be created by others using your methods, or the provision of services?
2. Does your business benefit from close association with a related enterprise? Examples are energy auditing, which is complementary to mechanical and renovation contractors, and the selling of fractional interests in real estate as part of a real estate brokerage business.
3. Will your business incur substantial upfront costs in the opening of new locations, either directly in the purchase of materials and inventory or indirectly in the time spent by staff in supporting the new operator?
4. Are your business methods a more compelling business asset than your brand name?
5. To what degree is poor service quality in one location likely to jeopardize the ongoing fortunes in other locations?
6. What is your ability to finance growth through profits from existing operations?
7. What is your appetite for risk in growth? Company-owned locations can be more profitable than franchises, but also substantially riskier for many reasons, including employment risk (for a recent example, see this National Labor Relations Board decision).
Your answers to these questions and others will help lead to the desired method of growth and, in turn, the steps required to comply with applicable laws and that safeguard your company’s interests. The answer could be granting a franchise for someone else to develop and own a truly new, independent business, i.e., licensing someone else to operate using your brand, under methods you prescribe and in exchange for fees paid to you. Alternatively, you might recruit local representatives who have successful related businesses to sell your product or service as a relatively small part of their ongoing operations. You might use profits from existing operations to finance part of the costs of opening new locations, while recruiting “local talent” who will finance the other part of the cost and operate those locations (as “partners”). Or perhaps you will offer stock in your company and recruit talented salespeople or managers who will make no cash investment, but who also will have more limited ability to control and profit from local operations over time.
Each such solution (and there may be more than one) requires different legal services and provide different challenges. As growth counselors, the attorneys of Whiteford Taylor & Preston L.L.P. have the skills to assist with any of these endeavors. Contact David L. Cahn to discuss your growth strategy.
In its recent decision of Meineke Car Care Centers, Inc. v. RBL Holdings, LLC, et al., Case No. 09-2030, Case No. 09-2030, Bus. Franchise Guide (CCH) ¶ 14,586 (decided April 14, 2011), the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit provided valuable guidance on one of the most important legal issues for franchisors and franchisees. Specifically, if a franchisee closes franchised businesses that it can no longer afford to operate, can its franchisor obtain a judgment for “lost future royalties” that it would have earned had the businesses continued to operate?
In this Meineke case, the trial court had granted summary judgment dismissing the franchisor’s claim, on the bases that: (1) the franchise agreement did not state that the franchisee would be liable for royalties even if the business closed, and (2) even if Meineke had the right to seek lost future profits due to the franchisee’s closure of the stores, the claim failed because Meineke could not prove that it was “reasonably certain” that such profits would have been realized if the stores had not been closed. The U.S. Court of Appeals disagreed on both points and remanded the case for trial on Meineke’s claim.
On the first point, the court held that the parties are not required to specify in the Franchise Agreement all categories of potential damages each could seek as a result of the other’s breach. Rather, the standard is whether, at the time of entering into the agreement, “lost profits may reasonably be supposed to have been within [the parties’] contemplation as a probable result of [the franchisee’s] premature closure of the Shops.” A specific statement in the Franchise Agreement that the franchisee would be liable for all royalties throughout the term of the agreement would have been powerful evidence of the parties’ understanding when they signed the contracts. However, it was not the only admissible evidence of the parties’ “contemplation” on that issue, and therefore a factual dispute on that point existed – making it an issue for the jury to decide.
On the second point, the court emphasized that the royalties payable to Meineke were calculated from a percentage of the Stores’ gross revenue, not net profits. The court found that Meineke had demonstrated “with reasonable certainty” that, except for the franchisee’s breach of the agreements by closing the Shops, some revenue and therefore some lost royalties would have been realized. Thus, a trial was necessary to determine the amount of those lost “profits” with reasonable certainty.
However, at the trial, it would be relevant in making that determination how long it would have been “commercially feasible” to continue to operate each of the Shops, based on its historical net profits to the owner. In other words, the fact finder’s decision of how long it was “commercially feasible” to expect the franchisee to keep the doors open would determine the amount of the lost future royalties damages.
(1) the only way that a franchisee and its personal guarantors can be sure that they will not be liable for lost future royalties if the franchise fails is to insist upon language in the franchise agreement eliminating (or limiting) the franchisor’s right to those damages.
(2) if a franchised store ceases operations and truly “goes dark” due to ongoing net operating losses, at trial on a claim for lost future royalties the franchisor will need to be able to demonstrate that it was “commercially feasible” for the franchisee to remain open and, if so, provide some reasonable basis for the fact finder to determine how long the store should have remained open.
How Can You Know If Your Business Is Ready To Franchise? | 2019-04-21T08:08:03Z | https://franbuslaw.com/blog/tag/contracts/ |
• Comprehension Strategies ...Reading is the key to unlocking math, social studies, science, health, government, and yes, your favorite fiction novel. There are strategies you can use to find the information you need, make sense of what you read, and use what you read to make decisions. With so many subjects and so much reading to do, it makes sense to learn strategies that will help you understand and remember what you read. Have you ever read a novel and tried to guess the ending? That skill is called “predicting outcomes” You can use this skill with everything you read whether it is your favorite novel or a chapter in your biology textbook. There are many strategies to explore in this Web lesson including cause and effect, drawing conclusions, making generalizations, and monitoring comprehension by asking questions.
• Nonfiction...Like a good detective, you have learned how to look for clues and to carefully examine what you read in order to gain a full understanding of the text you are reading. By becoming familiar with reading comprehension strategies like visualizing, synthesizing, making connections, prior knowledge, inferring, evaluating, questioning, summarizing, paraphrasing and learning how to find context clues, the main idea, topic sentences, supporting details, and the author’s purpose, you will solve your case every time!
• Story Sequencing...Story sequencing is a technique that will help you achieve better reading comprehension. Many diagrams can help you put a story in its correct sequence. These include mountain graphics, ranking diagrams, continuum scales, cycle diagrams, bridging snapshots diagrams, series of events chains, and problem/solution outlines. Each diagram has specific techniques that will help you see the story from a different perspective, while still putting the main events in order. The diagrams draw out different aspects of the story so that once you have used a specific diagram on a story, you will better understand what you are reading and will be able to better recall it later.
• Components of Fiction...Reading for enjoyment is important because you develop your reading skills. When reading for understanding, you will retain more by focusing on the elements of fiction: theme, setting, character, plot, and point of view. Being able to understand how the characters overcome problems and how they interact with the setting can deepen your understanding of fictional stories. Knowing the author’s purpose for writing helps you to determine the message the author is trying to convey. Once you learn these elements, you will develop a better understanding of fictional short stories and novels. Knowing these elements can also help you write fictional short stories.
• Analyzing Fictional Techniques...When working with fictional writing, it is important to note fictional techniques. This will not only enrich the literature that you are reading, but it will help you to incorporate the techniques in your own writing. In most of your reading, you have probably already encountered these specific fictional techniques without even realizing it. When you write, try to develop each technique and you will see that many of them connect to each other. Your foreshadowing and point of view will add to your mood and tone. When you use character conflict and symbolism, you will engage the reader in your writing. By studying and developing each of these fictional techniques, you will become a better writer.
• Graphic Organizers...You have learned a great deal about graphic organizers. There are a wide variety of different graphic organizers. Considering how and why to use graphic organizers is a vital step in the process. Always remember the fact that though many different kinds of graphic organizers already exist, you need not use a previously developed template, or model. Instead, you should take the liberty to develop your own model that best meets your needs. These needs will evolve whether you use the organizer to develop deeper understanding of written text or brainstorm before you write your own paper. Though you can certainly develop your own graphic organizers, certainly try already-developed graphic organizers as well. There are many benefits from using them.
• Fairytales, Fables, and Folktales...Fairytales, fables, and folktales have amused and enlightened audiences around the world for millennia, and they continue to do so into the present day. Each one has particular features that make it distinct from the group, but they all succeed in taking us out of the ordinary and placing us in the extraordinary. Despite using non-human characters, magical places, and incredible circumstances, these stories encourage us to see our own reflections – our own frailties and struggles.
• Fairytales and Folktales from Around the World...Japan, Bangladesh, Angola, China – all of these countries have stories with rich, vivid detail that draw the reader and listener into the tale. Though we may be unfamiliar with some of the elements or environments within the story, we can still share the wonder of hearing a well-written story. In addition, these tales not only entice and captivate us, but also teach us, providing insights into life that are still applicable today. Indeed, one might say that the heart of a people is in its stories. To neglect reading or sharing these tales is to neglect the wit and wisdom of the ages.
• Identity...Would we know what we looked like if we never saw our reflection? Literature can be a mirror into our character, goals, longings, personality, faults, and relationships. Viewing choices others made, difficulties they face, growing changes in their lives all can help us to see ourselves clearer. The best authors know that there are universal conflicts that we each face but different ways for us to react to these problems. As we read a variety of literature, we can determine where we fit into the picture now, where we want to go and how best to achieve our goals and dreams. The reflection of our deepest self is much more lasting than outward appearances. Can we not take the time to look carefully inside a book to see ourselves?
• Family...Many of the literary masterpieces we know and love include themes of family, whether parents, siblings, or extended family members. In fact, we see in some cases that family does not necessarily mean those who are related by blood. Family is often realized by adoption, friendship, or situation. The authors you have studied in this lesson were people whose families were important to them, and their writings were inspired by experiences they had within their own families.
• Survival...Many writers have written about the concept of survival because it is interesting to the reader to see how people respond when placed in dire circumstances. “Robinson Crusoe,” Swiss Family Robinson,” “Call of the Wild,” “Lord of the Flies,” and “Hatchet” explore the concept of survival, especially against nature. In all five of these novels, the characters are in a battle with nature that, if they lose, ultimately means death. As the characters face nature, some of them learn to work in harmony with it, utilizing its vast resources for their own survival. These characters come out of the battle with a new understanding about themselves and, in some cases, about society.
• The Great Depression...The Great Depression was a difficult time in our world’s history. The people who lived through it had to suffer extreme loss, poverty, hunger, and distress. Parents worried for their children’s health and happiness, and children were hungry and often affected by their parents’ worry. People looked for a distraction during this scary time. Despite the difficult economy, there were some things that still thrived. People turned to books to escape their troubles. Books could take their minds to a different place, help them remember the things that are truly important, and even provide an uncommon laugh! There were a number of masters and masterpieces arising during The Great Depression. There were a vast variety of titles from which to choose. If you wanted something silly, you could pick up Dr. Seuss’ children’s books. If you wanted a love story, you could take a walk through Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby.” If you wanted to learn about other cultures, you could explore Pearl Buck’s “The Good Earth.” For those wanting a good American novel, “Gone with the Wind” was an excellent choice. And people longing for a book that would relate to them in their actual situation could choose “The Grapes of Wrath.” These literary masterpieces have transcended time and remain a part of American culture even today.
• Finding the Meaning...Not knowing the meaning of just one word can limit your understanding of an entire passage. Having the clues to understanding new words do not just build your vocabulary, but your ability to understand and think about the whole text. Being able to understand the nuances of a word gives you the tools to think in new and different ways about something you thought was familiar to you, such as love or freedom. As you become more familiar with the way words can be used, you will find that you are able to understand what the author was trying to convey in a given passage. The ability to understand and analyze the ideas of others is how we grow in knowledge, wisdom, and compassion.
• Working with Vocabulary...Your vocabulary is made up of all the words you know. These are words you have learned in school and words you have heard on television, from your parents and family, and in your community. As you grow, your vocabulary grows to include all kinds of words with many meanings. When you have a large vocabulary, it is much easier to understand what you read whether it is a chapter on the Civil War or the process of photosynthesis. You can broaden your vocabulary by understanding and identifying the synonyms and antonyms of words and by recognizing that some words have multiple meanings. Knowing the right meaning of a word helps us to understand and process what we read.
• Aspects of Vocabulary...In this Web lesson, we learned that part of understanding new vocabulary is being able to identify parts of words, punctuation marks, and shortened forms of words in order to gain meaning from words. While the word “comfort” means to feel relaxed, if you add the prefix “un” then it means the opposite. If you add the suffix “able” to this new word, it might describe how uncomfortable you might feel taking a final exam in algebra. We also learned that an apostrophe can tell us what a word means. An apostrophe can be added to a word to show ownership, but it can also be used when other letters in the word are omitted like in “do not” becomes “don’t”. Finally, as we read and write we may see or use abbreviations or acronyms in the place of a word or phrase. If you text your friends, you probably use many abbreviations to compose your message more quickly. Understanding how these terms help us to build a stronger vocabulary.
• Word Origin (Etymology)...When we learn the root meaning of a word, we learn the basic building block of its definition. This will help us understand the whole word with prefixes and suffixes, as well as is shades of meanings. For instance, Greek and Latin roots are often used for technical or scientific terms. If we can identify a word with a root from one of these languages, it can help us understand the intentions of the author, and the context of the documents we read. Understanding the roots and affixes can help us to understand the meanings of unfamiliar words as well.
• Punctuation...Now you know how important punctuation is to your writing. Punctuation includes more than just what you end your sentences with. Other forms of important punctuation include commas, colons, semi-colons, apostrophes, hyphens, parentheses, and quotation marks. Here are just a few ways these forms of punctuation help make you a better writer. Commas help clarify your meaning and enable you to write things more clearly. Commas and semi-colons can advance your writing by allowing you to be more creative with your sentence structure. Colons help you make a statement by drawing attention to certain details. Apostrophes help sort out what belongs to whom and make things easier to say. Hyphens give you more options when describing a noun. Parentheses (along with commas) allow you to add in extra information to a sentence. Quotation marks help readers identify your dialogue and give credit to the original speaker.
• Parts of a Sentence...See? That was not too confusing! Here is a quick summary of what you just learned. Simple sentences are simple. They have a subject and a predicate. Compound sentences are compound. They join two or more simple sentences. Remember to make sure they are joined by a comma and a coordinating conjunction (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so). Complex sentences are slightly more complex. They join an independent and a dependent clause. Do not forget - if the independent clause comes first you do not need a comma, but if the dependent clause comes first, place a comma after it. Fragments are just a fragment (part) of a sentence and are not a complete sentence. Run-on sentences tend to run on and on, sometimes too fast for proper punctuation.
• Parts of Speech: Nouns...Nouns were the words you learned first, because saying the name of the object was easier than pointing! Attaching a word to something gives it an identity or a name. However, it is important to be specific with the word. When you were little you might have said “ball” and everyone would spring into action to bring you any kind of ball. But as your language skills grew, you learned to be more specific and were able to name things like soccer ball, football, or basketball. Understanding the difference between common and proper, singular and plural, concrete and abstract, and how to use possessive and collective nouns correctly will help you polish your writing. Using specific types of nouns in writing and speaking is important so you can communicate precisely what you want to say.
• Noun Usage...People often think of nouns as “people, places, or things”; however, there is more to nouns than this. They also convey ideas, emotions, and qualities. Nouns fall into several broad categories: common and proper, abstract and concrete, countable and non-countable. To keep you on your toes, irregulars break the patterns: the plural of woman is women, not womans; the possessive of bus is not bus’s. Without clearly communicated nouns, we will not know who, where, what, or how many. To understand each other, we have to understand nouns.
• Types of Sentences...It is important to understand the proper forms of sentence writing (the four types of sentences, compound/complex sentences, and complete sentences), as well as the improper forms of sentence writing (run-on sentences, fragments, and dependent clauses). You have seen how using different sentence types can make your paragraphs more interesting, and how avoiding run-on sentences can help your readers stay focused on your words. Think about what a better writer you will be now that you know these techniques!
• Parts of Speech: Verbs ...People often think of verbs as “action words.” However, there is more to verbs than action. The six verb tenses are indicated by only a few letters at the end of the verb—s, ed, ing—yet, these little endings both tell when and how many. To keep you on your toes, irregular verbs break the conjugation patterns. With so much of a sentence’s clarity resting on their shoulders, verbs are worthy of our attention.
• Parts of Speech: Pronouns...Congratulations, you are now a pro at pronouns! Although pronouns have such a simple definition (replacing nouns), they are really a little trickier to use than you might think. This is because there are a number of different types. First, you need to choose the correct word, so it helps to know the type that is appropriate to the situation. The two main things you have to watch out for are the facts that (1) it is clear who/what you are referring to and (2) your antecedent (noun) and pronoun agree in number. Do not forget! A singular noun needs to be referred to by a singular pronoun, and a plural noun needs to be referred to by a plural pronoun.
• Parts of Speech: Adjectives and Adverbs...Adjectives describe nouns or pronouns, but you have also learned about other types of adjectives. Articles are adjectives because they give some information about a noun. “A” or “an” are indefinite articles because they make a general statement about something. “The” is a definite article because it makes a specific statement about something. Comparative adjectives compare two or more nouns. To compare two nouns, use the ending -er and place the word “than” after it. To compare three or more nouns, use the ending -est. Nouns and verbs can be changed into adjectives by changing the endings. Adverbs describe verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs. Since adverbs can move around in the sentence, you have learned four questions to ask to help you find them: how, when, where, why. You can also change adjectives into adverbs by using the ending -ly.
• Parts of Speech: Prepositions, Conjunctions, and Interjections ...It is important to correctly identify and use prepositions, conjunctions, and interjections. Prepositions are words used to show a relationship between a noun or a pronoun and some other word in the sentence, and they often show time, place, or movement. The object of the preposition is found by asking who or what after the preposition, and the prepositional phrase begins with the preposition and ends with the object of the preposition. Conjunctions connect other words or groups of words to each other. There are three types of conjunctions: coordinating, subordinating, and correlative. Coordinating conjunctions (and, but, or, nor, for, yet, so) join words, phrases, or clauses. Subordinating conjunctions introduce dependent clauses and join the dependent clause to the main clause in a sentence. Correlative conjunctions work in pairs (both/and; either/or; neither/nor; not only/but also; so/as; whether/or). Finally, interjections are short words or phrases used to express emotion. Mild interjections are followed by a comma: So, how was your day? Strong interjections end with an exclamation mark: Yikes! That was scary!
• Working with Verbs...Working with verbs may involve only simple verbs, but many changes can be made to the verb form. Simple verbs, like active, passive, and linking verbs, are true forms of verbs. However, verbals are words that have the idea of action or being, but they do not function as true verbs. Gerunds, infinitives, and participles are all important parts of grammar. Knowing the difference between these types of verbs will help us as we use the English language. Whether you are reading what others have written or writing something yourself, it is important to know how to use these words properly. As you continue to practice, you will increasingly develop your skills.
• Diagramming Sentences...You have learned how to diagram the basic parts of a sentence, and as you learn more complex grammatical constructions, you can learn how to diagram those as well. All sentences share the basic structure that you have learned, however, so this introduction to diagramming has given you a full picture of diagramming as a whole. Remember that every sentence has two parts: the subject and the predicate. No matter how complex a sentence is, it will always have these two parts. Nouns and verbs, which are the most important words, go on horizontal lines, and all the modifiers go on slanted lines that are attached to them. Thus, just the lines themselves show you how the English language works and which parts are more or less important!
• Types of Paragraphs...Paragraphs help to organize and present a writing sample in a clear and concise manner for the reader. Seven different types of paragraphs each provide unique methods for conveying a story, information, an analysis, an opinion, and other purposes. By utilizing the narrative, expository, descriptive, process analysis, classification, persuasive, and informational types of paragraphs, we may create well-written and meaningful reports, essays, articles, and more.
• The Writing Process...The writing process is a complicated endeavor, comprised of numerous components: pre-writing, drafting, revising, proofreading, editing, and publishing. Strong writers must thoughtfully complete each step of the writing process. However, these writers recognize that often the process can be circular - one in which writers continue to switch back and forth between the various components.
• Introduction to Persuasive Writing...Trying to convince your parents to let you do something, watching commercials on TV, or reading an ad in a magazine are all example of how being persuasion is a part of your daily life. The goal of persuasive writing is to convince people to agree with you. To do this, you must grab their attention in the beginning, and keep their attention through a well-developed argument that includes facts to support your opinion. Remember, a strong persuasive essay will also include reasons why your position is better than the opposite position. Finally, your persuasive essay should end with a call to action, which your reader should feel motivated enough to follow.
• Basics of Expository Writing...An expository essay informs, explains, or exposes. An expository essay could be written in many forms such as a letter, a report, or an article. It can also be organize in a variety of ways including explaining how to do something, the order in which things occur, comparing and contrasting two or more things, or by explaining the causes and effects of something. It is important for an expository to contain facts rather than opinions. Quotes are a good way to include facts in your essay. You may also paraphrase or summarize information from other sources and include it in your essay as long as you document where it originally came from.
• Make Use of Organizational Structures and Patterns...Every essay has a common structure: an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. However, the organizational structure will depend upon your topic. You might want to write about the effects of a volcanic eruption to a small village. This is an example of a cause and effect essay. You would brainstorm all of the effects on the small village caused by the volcano. If you wanted to compare your school to your rival school, you would list what is similar and what is not. This is an example of a comparison and contrast essay. When you write instructions on how to do something, this is another type of organizational structure. This is procedure or instruction writing. In each type of structure, transition words and phrases are important. They help the reader anticipate what will come next and ties ideas together. If you think about these rules when you write, your essay will be better organized. Your reader will have a good understanding of whatever you write about.
• Introduction to Narrative Writing...Although non-fictional or biographical narrative writing follows a similar structure to other types of writing, fictional narrative writing has a format all of its own. All good fictional narrative writing must have a plot. It is important to grab the reader’s attention and to introduce the setting and main characters at the beginning of your story. Another key component of fictional narrative writing is conflict. The conflict can be either external or internal, and it will build interest and hold your reader’s attention. Other important aspects of all narrative writing include using active voice as much as possible and using senses other than just sight to create interesting descriptions.
• Point of View...Point of view is an important part of an author’s decision when considering how to write the story. As you have seen, the entire story can change depending on the perspective of the person who is narrating it. It is important for readers to understand point of view in order for them to understand the author’s full meaning for the story. For example, a reader must decide whether the main character in a story written from a first person point of view is really trustworthy or believable or not. When reading a story from a third person omniscient (all-knowing) point of view, the reader must remember that not all the characters have the same information as the reader since he/she has access to each main characters’ thought, opinions, and feelings.
• Writing Techniques...There are many ways to make your writing interesting and enjoyable. Making sure you write a good paragraph, especially a good leading paragraph, can get your reader hooked from the very beginning. Using techniques like persuasion, concision, active voice, parallel structure, compound sentences, similes, metaphors, personification, hyperbole, and alliteration will keep readers interested as they continue to read. Remember that variety is an essential part of good writing. At the same time, however, you must not neglect the fundamentals. Employing the basics properly will allow your other techniques to stand out all the more.
• Responding to Literature - Fiction...Literature is a term which refers to fiction novels, short stories, poems, and plays. In this Web lesson, you learned about novels, short stories, and poems. Within fiction, there are elements that help us to understand and make sense of the story. These elements are plot, character, point of view, setting, and theme. Within the plot, there is a conflict which can be about a man versus man, or man versus nature. The theme of a story or even a poem can answer the question “What have I learned” or sometimes give us a moral. Authors use figurative language when they write fiction or poems. Figurative language can help us imagine a scene or event. Figurative language can also tell us more about a character. We use the elements of fiction and figurative language to respond to a story. As in the poem “The Road Not Taken,” we can respond by thinking about choices we have made in our lives. A story is more than just something to read. A story or poem can impact they way we see ourselves and our world.
• Responding to Literature - Nonfiction...Nonfiction is the type of text we read every day to get information. Nonfiction is used to explain, inform, advise, persuade, argue, or instruct. If you understand the type of nonfiction you are reading, you can correctly respond to it in writing. As you read nonfiction, you will see text features that are special and help us to learn more information. You probably noticed that your science textbook has a table of contents, index, titles, subtitles and a glossary. Within the chapters, you will see pictures with captions that give information. You will also see maps, charts, and graphs. Sometimes a writer will include a textbox, which gives you even more information about a subject. Lastly, you should always remember to think of your purpose, audience, and text type as you write nonfiction text. These tips will help you become a better writer.
• Figurative Language...Figurative language is used to describe something in an imaginative way. Figurative language does not describe the literal or the true sense of the object or idea. You often compare one thing to something else that is very different. For example, to describe how long you wait in a line, you might say, “I waited a million years.” You did not really wait that long, but you are comparing the time to something really big to give your reader or listener a picture of your situation. You might describe a baby’s cheeks as being “soft as velvet.” Cheeks are not made of velvet, but you want to show how soft the baby’s cheeks felt. There are many types of figurative language: simile, metaphor, alliteration, idiom, personification, symbolism, and onomatopoeia. We use figurative language when we speak and we use it in poetry and prose.
• Poetry...Poetry can take many different forms, from something as simple as a limerick or haiku to a complex composition like a ballad or sonnet. These forms help us express exactly what we mean to say in just the right collection of words. As you increase your knowledge of poetry through reading and recitation, you will begin to see new and wonderful things about poetry, even (and especially) in works you have known for a long time. All it takes to become an appreciator of poetry is patience, a well-tuned ear, and an open heart. Who knows – maybe you will become a great poet yourself!
• Correspondence Writing...Whether written by hand, typed, or emailed, our written words to others are important. Through them we share our experiences, invite others to join us, let them know how grateful we are for a gift, tell them facts or ask questions, and let our voice be heard on issues that concern us. We can now communicate with more people at a faster pace. This means we need to be even more careful in the form we use and in our choice of words. One way of communicating does not mean that all other ways are outdated. We now have the freedom to choose how we send our message as well as what we want to say. When we carefully write our correspondence and use language to its fullest extent, our message will be clear and cause fewer misunderstandings.
• Personal Narrative Writing...Personal narratives are stories from our life that explain a situation or belief in a brief but interesting essay. We write them in first person and use proper punctuation, grammar and use of dialogue. Sometimes we might use photographs or media to enhance our story. Whether typed, online, hand-written or recorded by video, we can share our stories with friends and family.
• Writing Plays and Skits...Writing drama has similarities to all narrative writing. The characters and conflict need to be believable. When the conflict is resolved readers need to understand how this affects the characters. Drama has additional elements that the writer must be aware of that are unique, however. Dialogue moves the action rather than description. Stage and voice directions are needed. Settings must be considered and understood. After a script is written, revised, and finally performed, the playwright enjoys something that other authors often do not. The playwright can share an evening of his or her work with those who participate as both actors and audience.
• Writing for a Test...Writing an answer to an essay question for a test begins when the lesson starts. Take good notes in class and read your textbook and notes carefully. Make flashcards with key words and ideas. Form a study group with classmates to review your notes and flashcards. On the day of the test, read over all of the test questions carefully. Underline the key words in the question so that you can focus on what your teacher is asking of you. Remember that short answer essay questions are used to find out if you know the basic facts. The extended response essay is much longer and like the essay you might write in class or for homework. It should have an introduction, body, and conclusion. In your body paragraphs, make sure you include proof for your supporting details. Proof is evidence by showing facts or examples. If you have time, proofread your answer for any grammar or punctuation mistakes. Follow these steps and you will write an essay that answers the question and includes all of the information your teacher wants to see.
• Components of Mysteries...Mystery writing can be an exciting and fun way to create both your own mystery story line and fascinating characters who are able to find the solution. Plot, action, and suspense are all critical components. The characters, plot, setting, clues, and red herrings should be woven together to make readers want to read more to see if they can solve the puzzle before the protagonist does. First, we decide on the mystery and the characters. Then map out the plot and solution before we begin writing. After revisions and rewriting, we can stump our friends with our very own mystery and surprise ending.
• Developing Strategies of Research...A research project does not have to be as difficult as it sounds. Brainstorming ideas comes first, and can be the most fun. A good way to organize your ideas is to make a concept map. Getting your thoughts on paper this way helps to narrow down a specific idea or subject you would like to research. Writing a thesis comes next, after you have narrowed down your ideas to a single topic or argument. A thesis statement must inspire your reader to ask “How?” or “Why?” and you must be ready to provide evidence for your belief. Gathering information is a crucial part of the research project. Using notecards to organize your source material is an excellent way to make the next part of the research process easier. (Don’t forget to paraphrase, summarize, and quote correctly!) Making an outline ensures that you will stick to the ‘plan’ of your paper, and makes the writing process a whole lot easier. It is the perfect map that will lead your reader effortlessly through your argument and hopefully guide them to the ‘treasure’ – your thesis!
• Using a Wide Variety of Resources...The Internet is a great tool for research. You can find the answer to every question at the click of a mouse. Whether you are looking for facts, opinions, or both, the World Wide Web is the place to go. However, when you are writing a research paper, or anything requiring solid research, you must be selective with the Web pages you choose. Web sites should be filtered based on the publisher and the author to maintain validity and authority and reliability. They should contain little to no bias, but rather be based on facts. They should be in-depth, containing research elements such as quotes, statistics, and outside sources. They should be accurate, which can be discovered by cross-checking them with other reliable sites. In addition, they should be up-to-date to ensure relevancy. Sites like Wikipedia may not contain examples of good research. Valid sources are the cornerstone of solid research. | 2019-04-25T00:03:32Z | http://weblessons.com/discipline.php?id=56 |
The purpose of this paper is to determine and describe the library culture in Croatian public libraries. Semi-structured interviews with 14 library directors (ten public and four academic) were conducted. The tentative discussion topics were: definition of quality, responsibility for quality, satisfaction with library services, familiarization with user perspective of library and librarians, monitoring of user expectations and opinions. These interviews incorporate some of the findings of the project Evaluation of library and information services: public and academic libraries. The project investigates library culture in Croatian public and academic libraries and their preparedness for activities of performance measurement. The interviews reveal that library culture has changed positively in the past few years and that library leaders have positive attitude towards quality and evaluation activities. Library culture in Croatian libraries is a relatively new concept and as such was not actively developed and/or created. This article looks into the library culture of Croatian libraries, but at the same time investigates whether there is any trace of culture of assessment in them. Also, this article brings the latest update on views, opinions and atmosphere in Croatian public and academic libraries.
Organizational culture, its types and variations and the significance it has for a successful organization management is a rather novel concept for Croatian library community. This is not surprising since it is a rather recent topic at the international library community scene, as well (the first writings on this topic in a LIS community come from mid-90s) (see Varner 1996, Kaarst-Brown & Robey 1999).
The term ‘organisational culture’ was first introduced by Pettigrew in 1979. According to him popular interest for organisational culture in the Anglo-American literature appeared in the late 1970s. Today, when a severe recession affects economies at the global scale, organizational culture is important more than ever. At times when ‘going gets tough’, when numerous organizations (especially non- profit ones) struggle to survive and when many of them are faced with the necessity to at least reduce the salaries (or to ‘freeze’ them for several years) organizational culture can help managers retain the best employees (instead of losing them to the better paid positions). Important for the LIS community, Kaarst-Brown et al. (2004, 33) suggest that there are characteristics of organizational cultures in information-based organizations that lead to increased collaboration, collegiality, and organizational effectiveness.
However, although the organizational culture is considered by many as a very important strategic resource that has value in ensuring the continuing existence and success of organizations (Kaarst-Brown et al. 2004, 33), many Croatian library directors are only implicitly aware of its existence and importance. Consequently, they only rarely utilize it to achieve a certain business goal. The main intention of this paper is to explore the level of current library culture awareness between Croatian library directors and to identify whether elements of culture of assessment can be found in those libraries.
It is very important to understand one’s organisational culture, especially for organisation’s leaders, because the culture can be the very obstacle to having a completely rational budget process or to having a library’s director that is able to institute changes (Linn 2008, 88). However, although important to understand, it is not always easy or straightforward to say what it actually is. Namely, organisational culture being an abstract phenomenon covering a wide array of behaviour or thoughts is defined in different ways, depending on who defines it. In addition, there is a wide variety of disciplines that have studied it, including management (e.g. Bititci et al. 2004), anthropology (e.g. Jordan 1989), education (e.g. Kezar and Eckel 2002) and medicine (Jacobs et al. 2013). The different disciplines, understandably, look at the phenomenon from different perspectives which, in turn, make it more difficult to come to a universally accepted definition of organisational culture. Its definitions therefore range from very simple “the way we do things around here” (Deal and Kennedy 1982, 4), to more detailed “the collective programming of the mind which distinguishes the members of one human group from another” (Hofstede 1980, 25). However, Hofstede’s definition, although more detailed than the first one, fails to fully explain the concept. For example, it does not mention that some of the facets of an organisational culture are easily noticeable, such as behaviour and stories, whereas some other parts are more difficult to perceive such as beliefs, values and assumptions. The most widely accepted definition of organisational culture comes from Edgar Schein who defines a culture of a group as “a pattern of shared basic assumptions that was learned by a group as it solved its problems of external adaptation and internal integration, that has worked well enough to be considered valid and, therefore, to be taught to new members as the correct way to perceive, think, and feel in relation to those problems” (Schein 2004, 17).
Understanding of organisation’s culture becomes extremely important at moments when the leadership wants to institute changes. If the culture is not taken into account, the desired changes can, and invariably do, fail.
As already argued, organisational culture is an extremely complex and evasive concept. It includes a number of interrelated, comprehensive, and ambiguous sets of factors. Libraries are often stereotypically viewed as organisations that have a single, dominant, or strong culture; however, there is a body of literature (Kaarst-Brown & Robey 1999, Martin 1992) that supports multicultural frameworks. To determine the most important factors on which to focus, it is important to use a framework, a theoretical foundation that can narrow and focus the search for key cultural dimensions. The Competing Values Framework (CVF) (Quinn and Rohrbaugh 1981, 1983) focuses on the competing tensions and conflicts inherent in any human system: primary emphasis is placed on the conflict between stability and change, and the conflict between the internal organisation and the external environment. Quinn and Kimberly (1984) have extended the framework to study organisational culture. Cameron and Quinn (2006, 31) assert that the CVF is a strategy for examining the organisation’s characteristics that may impact its organisational effectiveness and success.
They also (2006, 23-25) devised an instrument to measure organisational culture according to CVF framework. Organisational Culture Assessment Instrument (OCAI) was developed to diagnose six key aspects of organisational cultures. These subsystems are integrated into the four theoretical archetypes of culture (clan, adhocracy, hierarchical, and market) and are briefly described in Figure 1. The OCAI instrument allows an organisation to analyse their present and the desired culture types.
The CVF enables understanding of the prevailing cultural conditions at the organisation while simultaneously revealing whether there are conflicts between cultural values of leaders and managers and those by staff and other stakeholders (Kaarst-Brown et al. 2004, 40). Here, it is important to stress out that an organisation will rarely have only one type of organisational culture – it usually has between two to all four of them.
Kaarst-Brown at al. (2004, 43-48) have analysed several prototypical library types and tried to apply CVF on them. Authors agree (see Kaarst-Brown et al. 2004; Maloney et al. 2010; Awan & Mahmood 2010) that academic libraries were traditionally close to hierarchical cultural type (valued stability and control, were internally oriented), but now they have to embrace clan and/or adhocracy frameworks if they want to survive in the changed environment. A research from 2010 (Maloney et al.) revealed that senior academic library administrators (associate directors and associate university librarians) perceived a significant gap between their current and preferred organisational cultures and that current organisational culture limited their effectiveness. Similarly, successful public libraries are likely to strive for a clan culture, with some hints of adhocracy through empowered committees (that work to make changes in library services). More recently, there are even signs that public libraries are changing their culture into marketing culture (Harrison & Shaw 2004) or even the 2.0 culture (Hammond 2010). Small institutional libraries also need to develop either the clan or the adhocracy culture, depending upon how much focus they place on the external needs of the organisation over the internal needs of the library. In conclusion, it is obvious that the best cultural types for majority of libraries, being non-profit, service-oriented institutions, are either clan or/and adhocracy culture.
Finally, it is important to mention another type of organisational culture that is relatively new and usually referred to in the context of performance measurement activities. It is the culture of assessment and the concept and ideas that comprise the principles and practices of a culture of assessment were outlined for the first time by Amos Lakos and Shelley Phipps in 1999 (Lakos and Phipps 2004, 346). As already said, it is extremely difficult to change the present library culture, and Farkas, Hichliffe and Houk (2015) have identified several hindering factors for the development of the culture of assessment in academic libraries. Some of those factors are: assessment is not priority of administration, library culture is not user-focused, assessment data is not available to interested parties, library administration does not use assessment data systematically in decision-making, lack of sufficient staffing, lack of time, etc. Today, many library leaders in the world are advocating for the development of culture of assessment, but Croatian libraries (and library leaders) seem to be quite far from that idea. The interviews conducted should give us an insight into the type of organisational culture Croatian library leaders create and/or wish for in their libraries.
In Croatia, an increased interest in performance measurement has been noticed in the last ten years. The pioneering work in this area was done by a Slovenian colleague Melita Ambrožić (Ambrožić 1999), later by Kornelija Petr Balog (Petr 2004) and Martina Dragija Ivanović (Dragija Ivanović 2006, 2012) with their master or doctoral theses. In addition to their work, there have been several articles on this topic but they mostly dealt with user satisfaction (Pavlinić-Horvat 1998, Petr 2000, Šapro-Ficović 2000, Cvetnić-Kopljar 2002, etc.) or assumed a more theoretical approach and dealt with the quality of academic and national libraries (Mihalić 2000). There are only a few articles on the impact or outcomes of library services (Dragija Ivanović 2012, Morić Filipović 2012) or on the topic of library culture (Petr Balog 2012, Šmider, Petr Balog 2012).
As time progresses, the topic of library quality, its measuring and continuous improvement is becoming more and more interesting for Croatian libraries (for academic libraries it is because they, together with the institutions of HE they belong to, are subjected to the process of external evaluation activities, mandatory for initial or re-accreditation of all institutions of HE in Croatia and conducted by the National Board of Higher Education i.e. Agency for Science and Higher Education and for public libraries because they are financed by the local community and at times of recession have to work hard and prove to their stakeholders that their existence is necessary for the welfare of the community). This interest was also materialized in a conference and a round table on this topic, and at the moment there is one textbook in the Croatian language on evaluation of academic libraries (but with parts that can be applied on public libraries, as well) (Petr Balog 2010).
However, all those surveys, articles and meetings were not the result of a planned and continuous activity, but isolated attempts executed by enthusiasts. Unfortunately, until the scientific project Evaluation of library and information services: public and academic libraries (2007-2012) no systematic research of library quality was attempted in either public or academic library arena in Croatia.
The articles published in Croatia between 2000-2011 reveal that both practitioners and academic researchers in Croatia are familiar with the significant research in the area of performance measurement, as well as manuals and textbooks, but that this knowledge was not capitalized and applied in practical projects (apart from the aforementioned one) whose findings might be used to promote the Croatian library performance. Experience of international library community is definitely valuable and important, but Croatian library community must start its own evaluation projects and activities.
It is fair to say that up until the project presented in this paper Croatia was in Cronin’s preliminary phase of efficient evaluation (Cronin 1982, 228). According to him, theoretical discussions without empirical confirmation precede real evaluation activities, and that is evidently the case with Croatia. There are many authors that suggest an evaluation method, but majority of those propositions are never applied in the real world.
Since insufficient awareness of library service quality affects all library processes and may lead to deterioration of service quality this project was motivated by the need to raise the awareness for the need of continuous improvement of library quality. Initially, the project was planned for five years, but at first only three years were approved (2007-2009) and the adjustment of project goals had to be made. Another two were approved upon the evaluation of project outcomes in 2009 and the project finished in 2011, as initially planned. Therefore, we shall refer to them as Phase I (2007-2009) and Phase II (2010-2011) of this project.
Croatian libraries did not pay enough attention to processes of measuring their performance.
Croatian librarians are unprepared and unwilling to conduct any sort of evaluation at their library (lack of motivation, education, etc.).
The instruments used during the project were an online survey aimed at public and academic librarians in Croatia and interviews with public and academic library directors. During the project 34 interviews were conducted with public and academic library directors. This paper focuses on the last 14 interviews, the findings of which have never been published.
The interviews presented here were conducted during 2011 and their purpose was to determine the kind of organisational culture present in Croatian public and academic libraries, with intention to detect traces of culture of assessment. As already mentioned, since the project itself was financed in several stages, the interviews ran in two phases: Phase I (2008) and Phase II (2010-2011). The interviews were semi-structured and the tentative discussion topics that will be analysed in this paper were: definition of quality, responsibility for quality, satisfaction with library services, familiarization with user perspective of library and librarians, user expectations, monitoring of user expectations and opinions. Interviews were recorded; only rarely notes were taken.
Phase II - 24 interviews: 12 academic, 12 public libraries. Last 14 interviews are part of Phase II and were conducted with 4 academic and 10 public library directors.
Geographically, during Phase I six interviewees came from the coast (Dalmatia) and four came from the far east of the country (Slavonia). During Phase II all the interviewed Chief librarians came from Zagreb University, the biggest and oldest University in Croatia. As for the public library directors, they came from all parts of Croatia.
The interviews were transcribed and coded in order to preserve the anonymity of interviewees. In Phase I interviews were conducted with interviewees V1-V10, and the rest of the interviews (V11-V34) in Phase II (last 14 interviews: V21-34).
Both academic and public library directors have similar ideas about what makes up library quality: library staff (expert, friendly, courteous), satisfied customers, collections, functional and sufficient space and furniture, reading rooms. Some equal library quality with accessibility to information in a library setting (informed librarians that refer customers to information sources; organized collections) (V30, V32). One academic librarian thinks that library quality is strongly correlated with library budget (V22). On the other hand, for public librarians it is more about library programmes and activities, good relationship with stakeholders and financiers (V25, V27, V31). One librarian (V31) looks at the quality from a librarian and economic point of view and defines it as a way in which the library satisfies needs of the primary user groups, and other stakeholders. This librarian also makes a distinction between internal (motivated librarians and library administration, good information system) and external components (customers, their needs and expectations, other stakeholders – founders such as the local government or the Ministry of Culture) of quality.
Earlier interviews : Earlier interviews record similar views about the library quality. They (in particular public librarians) only fail to grasp the importance of cooperation with the stakeholder groups which the latest interviews address.
Judging by the answers from our interviewees, the public library directors are generally satisfied with their library services. However, there are some (V21) who think that the insufficient funding prevents a library from keeping pace with the ever-changing environment (higher standards of operation, new media, etc.) whereas some (V30) are openly dissatisfied with the knowledge and skills of their co-workers (lack the necessary formal education). Several interviewees mentioned that they base their satisfaction on customer feed-back that they receive through satisfaction surveys and opinion boxes. Some academic interviewees are satisfied with the service their libraries provide but there are those who have some reservations – V33 would like to see library finances improved in the future whereas V34 does not think that the library achieved the satisfactory integration within the scientific processes at its institution of higher education.
Earlier interviews : In the earlier interviews there seemed to be more dissatisfaction with library services, especially among academic librarians. The most pronounced reason for dissatisfaction was the lack of library software, but also the understaffing, or/and inadequate library space.
Majority of both academic and public librarians have similar ideas about strong points of their libraries: first and foremost library staff – their expertise, hard work, friendliness, ability for teamwork and acquisition of new knowledge and skills, appropriate working hours, pleasant and comfortable library space (lighting, air-conditioning, new equipment, flowers, parking space), and library collections. Although not directly asked, some of our interviewees offered also what they had thought were the ‘weak points' of their libraries. In most cases they complained about the lack of space, shift of generations among library staff, and inappropriate working conditions.
Earlier interviews : Earlier interviewees had similar ideas about ‘strong’ sides of their libraries. Some of the elements of the service that were not mentioned in the later interviews were: cooperation with other libraries, interlibrary-loan service, accuracy of cataloguing department, and autonomy in regard to stakeholders (founders).
All our interviewees are satisfied with their workplace, majority even feels privileged to work at the library. According to V29 this is an important and noble profession. V34 stresses that academic libraries provide the most dynamic working environment in comparison to all other library types.
One interviewee came to library from other position (V28), and prefers working in a library to working anywhere else.
Earlier interviews : In the past, there were more dissatisfied library directors (mostly academic) because several of them (three academic and one public) expressed a wish for a more dynamic, better paid job, or simply, a new job with better human relations and possibility for development. Two additional academic librarians expressed a wish to work in a different kind of library – one librarian thinks that the institutional library is less stressful and offers more time for research whereas another one thinks that public libraries provide better possibility for promotion and professional education. Causes of dissatisfaction among academic librarians are mostly under-appreciation of their work, subordinate position within the mother-institution and insufficient funding of academic libraries. The dissatisfaction of public librarians is mainly caused by the local situation i.e. by the circumstances within the library. One public library director pointed out that he does not feel privileged for working at the library because it took a lot of effort to ‘sort things out’ when he assumed the position of a library director.
Almost all interviewees from both academic and public libraries think that their customers have a good opinion of their library work. Causes of customer dissatisfaction might be, according to some academic librarians, insufficient funding that affects library activities in general (V22). Causes for dissatisfaction in public libraries are, according to our interviewees, the unattractive or narrow space (V21, V25, V27), outdated equipment, and in some cases collections of poor quality (V27). Two academic librarians, V33 and V34, express reservations regarding customer satisfaction since V33 noticed that some customer groups have high expectations that library cannot always meet. V34 points out that library has various customer groups with different needs noticing that each of those customer groups has different image of the library. Four (V23, V25, V26, V27) out of fourteen interviewees collect customer opinions through surveys. Some librarians (V26, V31, V32) talk to customers and find out how they feel about the library, however we have no information whether they write their findings down, record them in any way and/or use this information during decision making processes. Other interviewees did not mention the usage of any other methods or techniques by which they could substantiate their claims about satisfied customers.
Earlier interviews : Earlier interviewees expressed more concern for the possibility of customers’ dissatisfaction, especially those from academic libraries. Causes of customer dissatisfaction might be, according to some academic librarians, customers’ perception that library did not use the modern technology, the fact that some older members of the staff did not communicate with customers in a proper way, or inadequate library space. Public librarians seemed satisfied with the customer opinion of their services.
In connection with the previous question, we wanted to know how our interviewees learn about customer needs and expectations, what they are and whether there is any discrepancy between the actual library service and customer expectations. 17 out of 33 libraries in our sample (52% - i.e. 44% academic and 60% public libraries) stated that they use some kind of method (survey, statistical data, Book/Box of Complaints/Suggestions) to find out about the customer expectations. The others obviously do that in an informal conversation with their customers. Academic librarians are faced with following expectations: good working conditions and good collection for preparation for exams (V22), automation of library activities (V33 ), collections, or pleasant reading rooms. Public librarians think that customers expect information/literature (V23-V25), sufficient number of computers (V25, V27, V30), computers for disabled persons (V25), more materials in electronic form (V27), more bestsellers (V27), fast and efficient service (V28), organizing of events (V31), and bigger space (V32).
Earlier interviews : Earlier interviewees did not mention some of the expectations present in the latest interviews such as services for disabled persons and/or more materials in electronic form, which indicates that the expectations have changed over time.
Our interviewees were asked whether they thought they had competitors in their environment, whether in the form of some other library, bookstore or even the Internet. Majority of our respondents (either public or academic) thought that libraries actually had no competitors. They mostly see other institutions as partners who all together work toward the common goal – to solve the customer’s information problem (‘positive competition’, as one librarian referred to it) (V25, V31). In fact, there was one public librarian who actually expressed the desire for a healthy competition hoping it would only help in creating quality service environment (V30). Only two public librarians from Phase II (V26, V32) thought that their libraries had competitors (in the form of other libraries, Internet, bookstores, but also internet cafes and book fairs).
Earlier interviews : Majority of earlier interviewees also did not think they had competition in the form of other institutions or the Internet. However, some public librarians did see the competition in shopping malls that did numerous things such as story-telling, theatre plays, etc. to attract children. Also, another public librarian stated that the library had numerous competitors, but that the library had strategically improved their performance and that they have reached the level of quality with which they have surpassed the competition in their environment.
In this section of our interviews we were interested whether our interviewees had difficulties when they thought they needed to consult the HE administration (dean, vice-dean) or local founder/financier (e.g. mayor). Some academic librarians point out that the type of communication with stakeholders depends on who currently holds the position of the dean, vice-dean, etc. (V34), but majority seem to be relatively satisfied about the relationship with the faculty administration. Public librarians in our sample tend to solve minor problems on their own, and that they only ask for help when they come across an obstacle that they cannot solve by themselves (V23, V25, V31). No visible dissatisfaction in communication with stakeholders was noticed among these last 14 interviews.
Earlier interviews : We noticed temporal discrepancy in the answers we received from our respondents. Interviewees from 2008 thought, as a rule, that they had a fairly good communication with their stakeholders, and their only objection was for the stakeholders’ slow reaction/intervention. In interviews from 2010, on the other hand, this satisfaction deteriorated because there was a number of both academic and public librarians (five of them) who thought it was extremely difficult to make an appointment with the administration (dean/mayor) and usually tried to solve problems on their own.
Interviewees were asked about their satisfaction with the status of library in local community (public libraries) or within the institution of higher education (academic libraries). It was to be expected that some librarians (regardless of library type) will be more satisfied with their position than others, but in general, it seems that academic librarians seem to be more dissatisfied with their position than public ones. In late Phase II, there seemed to be slightly more satisfied than dissatisfied academic librarians. The dissatisfied one (V33) raised the unsolved issue of promotion. Another reason for dissatisfaction was the fact that heads of academic libraries, as a rule, are not the members of the Faculty Board.
Public librarians are usually satisfied with their position. Some public librarians (V27, V31) interviewed in late Phase II (2011) commented on the media attention given to libraries in comparison to other cultural and/or heritage institutions (museums, theatres). In their opinion, libraries are, unjustly, neglected and think that articles on library activities are usually put under the section ‘Town activities’, and not ‘Culture’, as would be the case if the article dealt with a museum or a theatre. V27 points out that in the USA and Europe articles on libraries are listed under ‘Culture’, as well.
Earlier interviews : It seems that the most dissatisfied library directors interviewed in the past were also academic librarians, especially those interviewed in 2010. Their main objective was the fact that they do the research and publish the papers, but that work is not acknowledged within the institution, and they usually get labelled as ‘technical services’ (along with maintenance personnel).
In our next interview topic we were interested to find out what the position of library directors is toward the continuous professional education efforts of their co-workers, and consequently, what the (professional) structure of the library staff is. Almost all of our respondents emphasize that they support continuous professional education activities of their co-workers, but one (academic) librarian (V22) emphasizes that it is up to the individual to decide whether (s)he wants to take part in those activities or not – however, library and the faculty in general support such requests from their employees. In our interviews we noticed that the term ‘continuous professional education’ is understood in several ways: as taking part in a part-time study of library and information science at some of the institutions of higher-education in Croatia, as enrolment in doctoral programme, as a participation in conferences, or as a participation in courses and lectures organized by various organizations (e.g. Centre for Continuous Professional Education, Croatian Library Association, etc.). Some libraries motivate their employees to participate in such activities financially (give them a bonus for a published paper; cover the conference expenses, etc.), or through free days, and some only through notifications about upcoming manifestations. Many of the interviewees organize courses for further professional education on their premises (inviting experts from the Centre, Library Association or teachers from one of the Croatian LIS departments). As expected, younger librarians are more prone to participate in those programmes (V21, V24).
In general, public librarians think that their co-workers are employed at appropriate working positions, whereas academic librarians are more frustrated by their inability to achieve that level of staff education (V22, V33).
In our sample, only three public libraries (V23, V25, V27) employ librarians with higher professional degrees (higher librarian or library consultant).
Earlier interviews : Earlier interviewees also stated that they encouraged their employees to continuously educate themselves. Earlier interviews recorded six higher librarians and three library consultants in the sample.
Librarians were asked whether the user satisfaction indicators would help them plan and develop library services. Also, we wanted to know whether they apply any of the quality management systems (e.g. ISO 9000).
Although almost all of our respondents (both public and academic) agreed that user satisfaction data would help plan and improve their services, only few actually claimed that they conduct surveys (V31, V34), and the others mostly concluded that they receive user feedback in everyday communication (V22, V23, V28). None of the libraries in the sample introduced any quality management system, although, one public library was planning to introduce a Slovenian ISO 9000 for public libraries (V27). This was also the only library that had a positive attitude towards ISO standards – almost all of the remaining respondents thought that ISO standards only burden a library with unnecessary paperwork and formalities, and do little for quality improvement (V22, V29). Even though ISO standards are not represented in our sample, some libraries do take part in some other form of quality evaluation initiatives – such is the example of the public library that took part in an international statistical benchmarking project (V25), or the academic library that underwent the process of external evaluation by the Croatian Agency for Science and Higher Education (V29).
Earlier interviews : Although majority of interviewees in the earlier interviews claimed that the performance indicators would be extremely helpful for library management only one academic library conducted user surveys on a regular basis, and two other academic libraries were planning to introduce it. Libraries did tend to collect some sort of user opinion (through opinion boxes, for instance), but serious efforts to measure and collect necessary data were not present. However, several academic institutions from the previous sample introduced the quality management system ISO 9000.
We were interested to find out who, according to our respondents, should be responsible for performance measurement activities of libraries: libraries themselves, or some external body (e.g. Croatian library association with its sections).
Our respondents had different ideas about who should take care of performance measurement activities. Most of them, though, agreed that Croatian library association (or some of its sections) should be involved as a professional support to library’s own efforts (V23, V25, V27, V31, V32). Also, many of our interviewees thought that evaluation activities must involve some external evaluator, such as the Ministry of Science, Education and Sport or the Ministry of Culture (V21), users (V26, V30), or the quality committee at the institution of HE (V33). Only one (academic) librarian in the sample thought that only the library in question should be involved (V22).
Earlier interviews : Interestingly, 2008 respondents insisted that the evaluations of library activities be done by some external body (provided that it also included the representatives from the library community), whereas the majority of 2010 respondents thought that that should be the responsibility of the library itself.
Interviews presented in this paper come from two types of Croatian libraries: academic and public. However, in many cases our interviewees gave similar responses to our questions. Almost all interviewees point out that library quality for them means satisfied customers, and that the satisfaction can be achieved through: collections, library space, friendly and expert staff, pleasant atmosphere, etc. Also, the connection was made by one academic librarian between the financial and the quality aspects. Electronic services were mentioned only once, by an academic librarian.
Majority of our interviewees are satisfied with services their libraries provide. However, there was pronounced concern about the budgetary issues among both public and academic librarians. Both groups seem to be convinced of the positive correlation between the money and the library quality. Also, public library directors put a strong emphasis on the good cooperation with stakeholders (especially with local government responsible for public library funding). On the other hand, finances seem to be the excuse for not doing things in a case of one academic librarian (V33). One of the public librarians (V30) was unfortunately quite dissatisfied with the level of education and expertise of his/her co-workers (which was an exception in our sample since almost all library directors think that their co-workers present the ‘strong points' of their library).
Almost all interviewees agreed about several traditional factors and pointed them out as strong points of their library. They are, in the first place, library staff, working hours, library space, collections and pleasant and friendly atmosphere in the library. From the point of view of successful management it is extremely important that library staff was given such an emphasis (especially because librarians with bad communication skills, unskilful and/or impolite can significantly reduce the perceived quality, which one of our interviewees very well pointed out). Only two respondents (too few in our opinion) pointed out good cooperation with other libraries and with stakeholders. Several interviewees volunteered the 'weak points' of their libraries: lack of space, shift of generations and inappropriate working conditions. At least two of the aforementioned are ‘traditional’ weak links in the Croatian library system – library buildings are usually old buildings adapted to serve library purposes and majority of librarians must cope with both insufficient working conditions and chronicle lack of space.
Academic librarians interviewed in 2011 are the most positive academic interviewees if we compare them with our interviews conducted before 2011. They are positive about their job and would not change it for anything. We were wondering what might cause such a change – whether it was the time of the interviews or the location of the libraries and the local situation, or maybe both. Interviews with academic librarians in 2010 and 2011 were conducted within Zagreb University, Croatian capital and the city with the biggest concentration of libraries in Croatia. Also, these libraries are perceived among the Croatian library community as the most forward and best funded in Croatia. However, other factors and not location must have influenced the 2010 librarians’ negative feeling toward working in a library since 2011 interviewees also came from Zagreb and were extremely positive toward their work. Public librarians as a rule are satisfied with their work place. Only in one case we detected the desire to work somewhere else due to disturbed human relations within the library. Satisfied, motivated and positive leaders are crucial for the success of any organization. They are responsible for creating a positive working environment, motivated and satisfied workers, which cannot be achieved if they themselves are frustrated, unmotivated or dissatisfied.
Almost all interviewees in our sample are convinced that their library has a positive image in the public and that they can easily detect dissatisfied customers and undertake corrective measures. Those librarians who could think of the reasons why their customers might have a bad opinion of library services (space, equipment or collections) were positive that a better financial support to the library would solve those problems. Four out of fourteen libraries in our sample collect customer opinions through surveys (or, five out of 34, if we consider the whole sample). This percentage is a huge step forward in comparison to the 2003 research (Petr 2004) conducted among academic librarians of one Croatian University when no library had any empirical proof that their customers were satisfied, yet they insisted that they both knew what their customer wanted and that customers were satisfied (because no one complained). Some academic librarians from our sample expressed concern that some customer groups might have too high or unrealistic expectations from their library and therefore become dissatisfied when the library fails to perform as they expect it to. Those librarians are obviously not familiar with ways and documents in which librarians outside Croatia ‘curb’ customer expectations and avoid their unwarrantable dissatisfaction. Those are documents such as Service Level Agreement or Customer Service Pledge (or Commitment) .
As already mentioned, several of our respondents collect data and feedback from their customers. In that way they can monitor the expectations from their customers and modify their service in time to prevent any significant dissatisfaction on their customer side.
Majority of our respondents do not fear or feel that they have a competition in their environment. They see other libraries, Internet or even book stores to be their partners or, even they see them as a competition, they think of that as a positive thing because it motivates them to continue to improve the quality of their services.
In communication with stakeholders (primarily founders and financiers) our interviewees seemed to have no real problems. Academic librarians seem to talk to their stakeholders (deans or vice-deans) more often than the public librarians, but this is expected since they have less independence in their decisions. However, we noticed a temporal discrepancy in the answers we received from our last respondents in comparison to previous interviews. Majority of those interviewed in Phase I (public or academic alike) tended to think they had good communication with stakeholders. On the other hand, those interviewed in Phase II, but before 2011, were sometimes quite negative and dissatisfied with that communication.
Librarians are relatively satisfied with their status. Academic ones are sometimes dissatisfied because of the inability to be promoted, although they publish and go to conferences. They may become the head of the library, but at some institutions that position is not even financially rewarded. Public librarians from our sample concentrated on the media attention given to libraries and criticised the habit of Croatian press to put articles on library under the heading ‘Town activities’ and not under ‘Culture’ as they would the articles on museum or theatre activities.
All our interviewees have positive inclination toward continuous professional education, however, public librarians have more opportunity for promotion and validation of their professional activities. For instance, if a librarian working in a public library got a higher professional degree such as a higher librarian or library consultant (awarded by Croatian Library Association) they would automatically be financially rewarded through higher salary. If such a degree were awarded to an academic librarian it would have no consequence on his/her salary. Therefore, academic librarians are not always as motivated to apply for those degrees (perhaps even not as motivated to become involved in professional work and activities) as those working in public libraries.
Our respondents, although convinced that the satisfaction indicators would help them organize and plan their service, only rarely conduct satisfaction surveys. Majority of them relies on oral feedback from their customers. Also, only one has a positive attitude toward the introduction of ISO standards for quality, the others see that as an unnecessary burden.
Almost all of our respondents think that evaluation activities, if conducted, should be carried out by a group of experts coming from various institutions (Croatian Library Association, library itself, customers, Ministry, etc.). Obviously, they do not feel that the institution that is being evaluated should perform the evaluation.
This paper presented the findings of the last 14 interviews conducted within the scientific project Evaluation of library and information services: public and academic libraries. Altogether 33 library directors in the time span of four years (2008-2011) were interviewed: 18 coming from academic environment and 15 from public libraries. The last 14 interviews described in this paper were conducted with four academic and ten public library directors. The main purpose of those interviews was to get the insight into the views and opinions of library directors and in that way to get some idea about the current library culture in Croatian libraries. The project of external evaluation of Croatian academic libraries has already begun – the Croatian National Board for Higher Education (NBHE) has started with the evaluation of institutions of higher education in 2008 (and academic libraries as integral units of any academic institution). The NBHE evaluation is somewhat feared among the Croatian academic community since it may have serious repercussions – in case that the institution of higher education fails to comply to the Board’s prerequisites, it may lose the licence to operate. It is not surprising therefore that these external evaluation activities are directly responsible for the drastic change in organisational climate in majority of academic libraries. In contrast to interviews from an earlier research dating from 2003 (Petr 2004) interviews conducted during our project, only several years later, give evidence of the beginning of culture of assessment in academic libraries.
Public libraries in Croatia do not, at the moment, have to fear any similar kind of external evaluation. However, public libraries do not have a fixed budget and their existence is subjective to far more volatile laws of local policy than it is the case with academic libraries. And in the current situation of global recession and the major cuts of salaries and increasing of taxes that takes place in Croatia, it will really be difficult to get the necessary funding for any type of a library. In 2009, in some smaller communities local authorities found themselves in such a difficult financial position that they stopped meeting all overhead costs for public libraries. At difficult times such as these, libraries are advised to focus on fund-raising, but Croatian libraries (as many libraries from former communist regimes) are used to receiving funding from the authorities and not raising them themselves. It will take time and training to start significant fund-raising activities by Croatian libraries.
As already mentioned, the interviews presented in this paper revealed that the library culture in Croatian academic and public libraries has improved and that libraries are more open to the idea of performance measurement and continuous investment in quality of their service than several years before (see Petr 2004). Public and academic librarians gave similar answers to almost all questions - the only difference in answers was noticed regarding the satisfaction with status and position within the organization and wish to work somewhere else. Academic librarians interviewed in 2010 (which also indicates that they come from Zagreb, Croatian capital) are much more critical in comparison to their colleagues interviewed in 2008, but also those interviewed later, in 2011 (also from Zagreb). Problem areas that 2010 interviewees emphasize (also problems identified in 2003 interviews) are problems familiar to majority of Croatian academic librarians for decades. What made 2010 interviewees to be so loud in their expressions of dissatisfaction can only be speculated – namely, 2011 interviewees were also from Zagreb, but they were the most optimistic and positive of all of our academic respondents. Maybe the position of those several academic librarians from 2011 (only 4) within their institutions was significantly better in comparison to those interviewed the previous year?
Croatian economy has been strongly affected by the global recession and it had its reflection in library management, as well. These last interviewees, more than any other interview conducted within the project, stressed out and emphasized the importance of sufficient financial support and good cooperation with stakeholders. Our last speakers have obviously had experience with scarce and irregular funding and were forced to look for other ways to make end meets in order to secure the smooth operation of their libraries.
It is clear that Croatian libraries are rather far from culture of assessment, however, these interviews revealed that the attitudes and opinions of library leaders changed significantly in the last ten or so years. Libraries demonstrate positive attitudes toward measurement activities, especially the academic ones. However, the public libraries do not lag behind much, although their activities are not so much formalized as are those of academic libraries who are, together with institutions of higher education, undergoing the processes of external evaluation. Many of libraries in the sample collect data, not only statistical, but also data about their customers, they intentionally look for the customer feed-back and react accordingly.
It is obvious that Croatian libraries still have a long way in front of them when it comes to performance measurement of their activities but these interviews showed that the things have begun to change and detected a positive inclination toward evaluation activities, especially in academic libraries.
A big number of libraries (public in particular) demonstrate the inclination toward the clan culture – those are small oases that function like a family (one library director even emphasized the intentional efforts made by the library to be perceived as such by the public). Team work, consensus and participation, encouragement to continuous education are dominant in those libraries. However, there are several libraries in our sample where, obviously, some other type of culture prevails, where human relations are ruined and our interviewees would like to leave those places and find work somewhere else.
34 interviews from our research create strong basis for us to draw relevant conclusions about Croatian public and academic libraries and culture of assessment. Although it was not possible to analyse in-depth all the data gathered by our interviews, those presented here provide evidence that the Croatian libraries are on the good way to the culture of assessment. This also emphasized another problem – in Croatia there is only one manual for performance measurement, the one intended for academic libraries (Petr Balog 2010). Although the public libraries can use it as well, it is of vital importance that a manual intended for public libraries be drawn in near future.
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Cilj je rada prikazati i analizirati 14 intervjua provedenih 2011. godine s voditeljima narodnih i visokoškolskih knjižnica u Hrvatskoj (deset narodnih i četiri visokoškolske) u sklopu znanstvenog projekta Vrednovanje knjižničnih službi i usluga: narodne i akademske knjižnice. S ravnateljima knjižnica razgovaralo se o različitim aspektima povezanim s knjižničnom kvalitetom, s ciljem definiranja vrsta kulture u tim knjižnicama.
Za istraživanje su se koristili polustrukturirani intervjui, a teme o kojima se razgovaralo bile su definicija kvalitete, odgovornost za kvalitetu, zadovoljstvo knjižničnim uslugama, poznavanje mišljenja korisnika o knjižničnim uslugama i knjižničarima te iščekivanja korisnika.
Intervjui provedeni tijekom projekta pokazuju da se knjižnična kultura znatno promijenila unazad nekoliko godina te da su voditelji knjižnica počeli pridavati znatnu pozornost aktivnostima vezanim uz mjerenje i vrednovanje poslovanja. Intervjui opisani u ovom radu ukazuju na početak recesije u Hrvatskoj i na naglašenije iskazivanje nedostataka financijskih sredstava od strane ispitanika u uzorku.
Rad donosi nove i neobjavljene rezultate istraživanja intervjua s 14 voditelja knjižnica, a temeljni mu je doprinos da kroz istraživanje knjižnične kulture propitkuje postojanje kulture vrednovanja u hrvatskim knjižnicama.
Ključne riječi : knjižnična kultura, Hrvatska, narodne knjižnice, visokoškolske knjižnice, intervjui.
Three most common organisational change initiatives in the last few decades are TQM, downsizing, and reengineering initiatives. However, organizations that have implemented quality initiatives in order to enhance effectiveness have by and large fallen short. Similar thing happened with downsizing. Downsizing was another attempt to improve productivity and effectiveness. Unfortunately, two-thirds of companies that downsized ended up doing it again a year later, and the stock prices of firms that downsized during 1990s actually fell behind the industry average a decade later. Also, many corporate libraries did not survive downsizing initiatives from the 1990s (Kaarst-Brown 2004: 34). The same happened with reengineering initiatives. The failure of these initiatives (TQM, downsizing, reengineering) came as a result of the fact that in most cases the culture remained the same. For those initiatives to have been successful they should have been treated as a fundamental shift in the organisation’s direction, values, and culture (Cameron and Quinn 2006: 9).
Those six aspects are: dominant characteristics, organisational leadership, management of employees, organisation glue, strategic emphasis, and criteria for success (See Cameron - Quinn 2006: 26-29).
Melita Ambrožić wrote the first thesis on this topic (1999) and she dealt with performance measurement of Slovenian academic libraries. Next was Kornelija Petr Balog in 2004 who wrote on performance measurement of Croatian academic libraries. Finally, Martina Dragija Ivanović, the only one who wrote on performance measurement of Croatian public libraries, wrote her master thesis in 2006. In 2012 Dragija Ivanović defended her doctoral thesis on library impact on the local community.
The decision to start with external evaluation was made in 2007 by the National Board for Higher Education. The Agency for Science and Higher Education does the actual job on behalf of the Board. More about the whole process as well as the reports of the past evaluation activities can be retrieved from the Agency’s web pages http://www.azvo.hr/index.php/hr/vrednovanja. Naturally, academic libraries are evaluated together with their mother institutions.
The conference 10th days of Croatian special and academic libraries (Opatija, 2008) were dedicated to the topic of quality in special and academic libraries.
The Section for Statistics and Performance Indicators of the Croatian Library Association organized in 2011 a round table on the performance measurement activities targeting all types of libraries. The conclusion of the round table was that primary goal of Croatian libraries should be to create a national statistical database which would allow benchmarking activities.
For instance, it is more an exception than a rule if a library has created its mission statement, stated its goals and objectives, has documented its activities and procedures or included the statement about the frequency of user satisfaction surveys in its strategic documentation.
The PI Kornelija Petr Balog. The project was funded by Croatian Ministry of Science, Education and Sport and dealt mostly with organizational culture of Croatian public and academic libraries. It looked into the attitudes, views and opinions of Croatian librarians toward various topics on performance measurement of their libraries (Petr Balog 2009).
The interviewees came from the following academic and public libraries: Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences (Zagreb), Central Medical Library (Zagreb), Faculty of Medicine (Zagreb), Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture (Zagreb), Faculty of Law (Zagreb), Public library Nikola Zrinski (Čakovec), Public library ‘Ivan Goran Kovačić’ (Karlovac), Public library and reading room Požega, Zagreb City Libraries, Public library and reading room Pula, Public library (Rijeka), Public library (Gospić), Public library ‘Juraj Šižgorić’ (Šibenik), Public library and reading room Metel Ožegović (Varaždin), and Public library Vinkovci. The interviwees were coded V21-V34.
Library director of Vinkovci public library was interviewed twice. Once in 2008 and again in 2011 because the first interview was extremely short and provided insufficient data.
In Phase I the chosen academic institutions were: Faculty of Maritime Studies in Split, Faculty of Civil Engineering and Architecture in Split, University library in Split, Scientific library in Zadar, Faculty of Law in Osijek, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Osijek. The public libraries were: Public library Marko Marulić in Split, Public library in Zadar, Public library in Vinkovci, Public library in Slavonski Brod.
In Phase II the academic institutions were all from the Zagreb University: Catholic Faculty of Theology, Faculty of Agriculture, Faculty of Economics and Business, Faculty of Science - Central Physics Library, Central Chemistry Library, Geophysics Library, Central Geology Library, Faculty of Teacher Education, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Central Medical Library, Faculty of Medicine, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture and Faculty of Law. Public libraries included in the sample were: Library and reading room Fran Galović Koprivnica, City and University Library Osijek, Public library Nikola Zrinski Čakovec, Public library ‘Ivan Goran Kovačić’ Karlovac, Public library and reading room Požega, Zagreb City Libraries, Public library and reading room Pula, Public library Rijeka, Public library Gospić, Public library ‘Juraj Šižgorić’ Šibenik, Public library and reading room Metel Ožegović Varaždin, Public library Vinkovci.
Academic interviewees were marked as V1, V3-V7, V11-V17, V19, V22, V29, V33-V34 and public library interviewees as V2, V8-V10, V18, V20-V21, V23-V28, V30-V32.
Although in case of the dissatisfaction with this particular library collection our interviewee thinks this is more the case of the lack of information on customer side, than it is real a problem.
At the moment customers are required to fill out the loan request and they are not happy about it.
This public librarian thinks that customer expectations are too high in regard to modern technology.
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The Board started evaluation activities in 2008. The list of evaluated institutions together with evaluation reports can be accessed at: http://www.azvo.hr/hr/arhiva-provedenih-vrednovanja. | 2019-04-25T19:41:41Z | http://libellarium.org/index.php/libellarium/article/view/203/266 |
Borisov A. V., Kilin A. A., Pivovarova E. N.
In this paper we consider the control of the motion of a dynamically asymmetric unbalanced ball (Chaplygin top) by means of two perpendicular rotors. We propose a mechanism for control by periodically changing the gyrostatic momentum of the system, which leads to an unbounded speedup. We then formulate a general hypothesis of the mechanism for speeding up spherical bodies on a plane by periodically changing the system parameters.
Kilin A. A., Pivovarova E. N.
This paper presents a qualitative analysis of the dynamics in a fixed reference frame of a wheel with sharp edges that rolls on a horizontal plane without slipping at the point of contact and without spinning relative to the vertical. The wheel is a ball that is symmetrically truncated on both sides and has a displaced center of mass. The dynamics of such a system is described by the model of the ball’s motion where the wheel rolls with its spherical part in contact with the supporting plane and the model of the disk’s motion where the contact point lies on the sharp edge of the wheel. A classification is given of possible motions of the wheel depending on whether there are transitions from its spherical part to sharp edges. An analysis is made of the behavior of the point of contact of the wheel with the plane for different values of the system parameters, first integrals and initial conditions. Conditions for boundedness and unboundedness of the wheel’s motion are obtained. Conditions for the fall of the wheel on the plane of sections are presented.
Kilin A. A., Artemova E. M.
This paper is concerned with the problem of the interaction of vortex lattices, which is equivalent to the problem of the motion of point vortices on a torus. It is shown that the dynamics of a system of two vortices does not depend qualitatively on their strengths. Steadystate configurations are found and their stability is investigated. For two vortex lattices it is also shown that, in absolute space, vortices move along closed trajectories except for the case of a vortex pair. The problems of the motion of three and four vortex lattices with nonzero total strength are considered. For three vortices, a reduction to the level set of first integrals is performed. The nonintegrability of this problem is numerically shown. It is demonstrated that the equations of motion of four vortices on a torus admit an invariant manifold which corresponds to centrally symmetric vortex configurations. Equations of motion of four vortices on this invariant manifold and on a fixed level set of first integrals are obtained and their nonintegrability is numerically proved.
Ivanova T. B., Kilin A. A., Pivovarova E. N.
In this paper, we develop a model of a controlled spherical robot of combined type moving by displacing the center of mass and by changing the internal gyrostatic momentum, with a feedback that stabilizes given partial solutions for a free system at the final stage of motion. According to the proposed approach, feedback depends on phase variables (current position, velocities) and does not depend on the specific type of trajectory. We present integrals of motion and partial solutions, analyze their stability, and give examples of computer simulations of motion with feedback that demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed model.
Borisov A. V., Kilin A. A., Karavaev Y. L., Klekovkin A. V.
The paper is concerned with the problem of stabilizing a spherical robot of combined type during its motion. The focus is on the application of feedback for stabilization of the robot which is an example of an underactuated system. The robot is set in motion by an inter- nal wheeled platform with a rotor placed inside the sphere. The results of experimental investigations for a prototype of the spherical robot are presented.
In this work we consider the controlled motion of a pendulum spherical robot on an inclined plane. The algorithm for determining the control actions for the motion along an arbitrary trajectory and examples of numerical simulation of the controlled motion are given.
This paper is concerned with a model of the controlled motion of a spherical robot with an axisymmetric pendulum actuator on an inclined plane. First integrals of motion and partial solutions are presented and their stability is analyzed. It is shown that the steady solutions exist only at an inclination angle less than some critical value and only for constant control action.
This paper is concerned with the dynamics of a wheel with sharp edges moving on a horizontal plane without slipping and rotation about the vertical (nonholonomic rubber model). The wheel is a body of revolution and has the form of a ball symmetrically truncated on both sides. This problem is described by a system of differential equations with a discontinuous right-hand side. It is shown that this system is integrable and reduces to quadratures. Partial solutions are found which correspond to fixed points of the reduced system. A bifurcation analysis and a classification of possible types of the wheel’s motion depending on the system parameters are presented.
In this paper, equations of motion for the problem of a ball rolling without slipping on a rotating hyperbolic paraboloid are obtained. Integrals of motions and an invariant measure are found. A detailed linear stability analysis of the ball’s rotations at the saddle point of the hyperbolic paraboloid is made. A three-dimensional Poincar´e map generated by the phase flow of the problem is numerically investigated and the existence of a region of bounded trajectories in a neighborhood of the saddle point of the paraboloid is demonstrated. It is shown that a similar problem of a ball rolling on a rotating paraboloid, considered within the framework of the rubber model, can be reduced to a Hamiltonian system which includes the Brower problem as a particular case.
Kilin A. A., Klenov A. I., Tenenev V. A.
This article is devoted to the study of self-propulsion of bodies in a fluid by the action of internal mechanisms, without changing the external shape of th e body. The paper presents an overview of theoretical papers that justify the possibility of this displacement in ideal and viscous liquids. A special case of self-propulsion of a rigid body along the surface of a liquid is considered due to the motion of two internal masses along the circles. The paper presents a mathematical model of the motion of a solid body with moving internal masses in a three-dime nsional formulation. This model takes into account the three-dimensional vibrations of the body during motion, which arise under the action of external forces-gravity force, Archimedes force and forces acting on the body, from the side of a viscous fluid. The body is a homogeneous elliptical cylinder with a k eel located along the larger diagonal. Inside the cylinder there are two material point masses moving along the circles. The centers of the circles lie on the smallest diagonal of the ellipse at an equal distance from the center of mass. Equations of motion of the system (a body with two mater ial points, placed in a fluid) are represented as Kirchhoff equations with the addition of external for ces and moments acting on the body. The phenomenological model of viscous friction is quadratic in velocity used to describe the forces of resistance to motion in a fluid. The coefficients of resistance to movement were determ ined experimentally. The forces acting on the keel were determined by numerical modeling of the keel oscillations in a viscous liquid using the Navier – Stokes equations. In this paper, an experimental verification of the proposed mathematical model was carried out. Several series of experiments on self-propulsion of a body in a liquid by means of rotation of internal masses with different speeds of rotation are presented. The dependence of the average propagation velocity, the amplitude of the transverse oscillations as a function of the rotational speed of internal masses is investigated. The obtained experimental data are compared with the results obtai ned within the framework of the proposed mathematical model.
In this paper, we develop a model of a controlled spherical robot with an axisymmetric pendulum-type actuator with a feedback system suppressing the pendulum’s oscillations at the final stage of motion. According to the proposed approach, the feedback depends on phase variables (the current position and velocities) and does not depend on the type of trajectory. We present integrals of motion and partial solutions, analyze their stability, and give examples of computer simulation of motion using feedback to illustrate compensation of the pendulum’s oscillations.
In the paper, a study of rolling of a dynamically asymmetrical unbalanced ball (Chaplygin top) on a horizontal plane under the action of periodic gyrostatic moment is carried out. The problem is considered in the framework of the model of a rubber body, i.e., under the assumption that there is no slipping and spinning at the point of contact. It is shown that, for certain values of the parameters of the system and certain dependence of the gyrostatic moment on time, an acceleration of the system, i.e., an unbounded growth of the energy of the system, is observed. Investigations of the dependence of the presence of acceleration on the parameters of the system and on the initial conditions are carried out. On the basis of the investigations of the dynamics of the frozen system, a conjecture concerning the general mechanism of acceleration at the expense to periodic impacts in nonholonomic systems is expressed.
In this paper, we show that the trajectories of a dynamical system with nonholonomic constraints can satisfy Hamilton’s principle. As the simplest illustration, we consider the problem of a homogeneous ball rolling without slipping on a plane. However, Hamilton’s principle is formulated either for a reduced system or for a system defined in an extended phase space. It is shown that the dynamics of a nonholonomic homogeneous ball can be embedded in a higher-dimensional Hamiltonian phase flow. We give two examples of such an embedding: embedding in the phase flow of a free system and embedding in the phase flow of the corresponding vakonomic system.
Borisov A. V., Kilin A. A., Karavaev Y. L.
This paper presents results of theoretical and experi- mental research explaining the retrograde final-stage rolling of a disk under certain relations between its mass and geometric parameters. Modifying the no-slip model of a rolling disk by including viscous rolling friction provides a qualitative explana- tion for the disk's retrograde motion. At the same time, the simple experiments described in the paper completely reject the aerodynamical drag torque as a key reason for the retro- grade motion of a disk considered, thus disproving some recent hypotheses.
Borisov A. V., Vetchanin E. V., Kilin A. A.
The motion of a body shaped as a triaxial ellipsoid and controlled by the rotation of three internal rotors is studied. It is proved that the motion is controllable with the exception of a few particular cases. Partial solutions whose combinations enable an unbounded motion in any arbitrary direction are constructed.
This paper is concerned with the dynamics of a top in the form of a truncated ball as it moves without slipping and spinning on a horizontal plane about a vertical. Such a system is described by differential equations with a discontinuous right-hand side. Equations describing the system dynamics are obtained and a reduction to quadratures is performed. A bifurcation analysis of the system is made and all possible types of the top’s motion depending on the system parameters and initial conditions are defined. The system dynamics in absolute space is examined. It is shown that, except for some special cases, the trajectories of motion are bounded.
Karavaev Y. L., Kilin A. A., Klekovkin A. V.
In this paper the model of rolling of spherical bodies on a plane without slipping is presented taking into account viscous rolling friction. Results of experiments aimed at investigating the influence of friction on the dynamics of rolling motion are presented. The proposed dynamical friction model for spherical bodies is verified and the limits of its applicability are estimated. A method for determining friction coefficients from experimental data is formulated.
Vetchanin E. V., Tenenev V. A., Kilin A. A.
In this paper we consider the controlled motion of a helical body with three blades in an ideal fluid, which is executed by rotating three internal rotors. We set the problem of selecting control actions, which ensure the motion of the body near the predetermined trajectory. To determine controls that guarantee motion near the given curve, we propose methods based on the application of hybrid genetic algorithms (genetic algorithms with real encoding and with additional learning of the leader of the population by a gradient method) and artificial neural networks. The correctness of the operation of the proposed numerical methods is estimated using previously obtained differential equations, which define the law of changing the control actions for the predetermined trajectory.
In the approach based on hybrid genetic algorithms, the initial problem of minimizing the integral functional reduces to minimizing the function of many variables. The given time interval is broken up into small elements, on each of which the control actions are approximated by Lagrangian polynomials of order 2 and 3. When appropriately adjusted, the hybrid genetic algorithms reproduce a solution close to exact. However, the cost of calculation of 1 second of the physical process is about 300 seconds of processor time.
To increase the speed of calculation of control actions, we propose an algorithm based on artificial neural networks. As the input signal the neural network takes the components of the required displacement vector. The node values of the Lagrangian polynomials which approximately describe the control actions return as output signals . The neural network is taught by the well-known back-propagation method. The learning sample is generated using the approach based on hybrid genetic algorithms. The calculation of 1 second of the physical process by means of the neural network requires about 0.004 seconds of processor time, that is, 6 orders faster than the hybrid genetic algorithm. The control calculated by means of the artificial neural network differs from exact control. However, in spite of this difference, it ensures that the predetermined trajectory is followed exactly.
Vetchanin E. V., Kilin A. A.
In this paper we study the controlled motion of an arbitrary two-dimensional body in an ideal fluid with a moving internal mass and an internal rotor in the presence of constant circulation around the body. We show that by changing the position of the internal mass and by rotating the rotor, the body can be made to move to a given point, and discuss the influence of nonzero circulation on the motion control. We have found that in the presence of circulation around the body the system cannot be completely stabilized at an arbitrary point of space, but fairly simple controls can be constructed to ensure that the body moves near the given point.
Kilin A. A., Bozek P., Karavaev Y. L., Klekovkin A. V., Shestakov V. A.
In this article, a dynamical model for controlling an omniwheel mobile robot is presented. The proposed model is used to construct an algorithm for calculating control actions for trajectories characterizing the high maneuverability of the mobile robot. A description is given for a prototype of the highly maneuverable robot with four omniwheels, for which an algorithm for setting the coefficients of the PID controller is considered. Experiments on the motion of the robot were conducted at different angles, and the orientation of the platform was preserved. The experimental results are analyzed and statistically assessed.
In this paper, we study the free and controlled motion of an arbitrary two-dimensional body with a moving internal material point through an ideal fluid in presence of constant circulation around the body. We perform bifurcation analysis of free motion (with fixed internal mass). We show that by changing the position of the internal mass the body can be made to move to a specified point. There are a number of control problems associated with the nonzero drift of the body in the case of fixed internal mass.
We consider the controlled motion in an ideal incompressible fluid of a rigid body with moving internal masses and an internal rotor in the presence of circulation of the fluid velocity around the body. The controllability of motion (according to the Rashevskii–Chow theorem) is proved for various combinations of control elements. In the case of zero circulation, we construct explicit controls (gaits) that ensure rotation and rectilinear (on average) motion. In the case of nonzero circulation, we examine the problem of stabilizing the body (compensating the drift) at the end point of the trajectory. We show that the drift can be compensated for if the body is inside a circular domain whose size is defined by the geometry of the body and the value of circulation.
Karavaev Y. L., Kilin A. A.
We present the results of theoretical and experimental investigations of the motion of a spherical robot on a plane. The motion is actuated by a platform with omniwheels placed inside the robot. The control of the spherical robot is based on a dynamic model in the nonholonomic statement expressed as equations of motion in quasivelocities with indeterminate coefficients. A number of experiments have been carried out that confirm the adequacy of the dynamic model proposed.
Vetchanin E. V., Kilin A. A., Mamaev I. S.
This paper is concerned with the motion of a helical body in an ideal fluid, which is controlled by rotating three internal rotors. It is proved that the motion of the body is always controllable by means of three rotors with noncoplanar axes of rotation. A condition whose satisfaction prevents controllability by means of two rotors is found. Control actions that allow the implementation of unbounded motion in an arbitrary direction are constructed. Conditions under which the motion of the body along an arbitrary smooth curve can be implemented by rotating the rotors are presented. For the optimal control problem, equations of sub-Riemannian geodesics on $SE(3)$ are obtained.
In this paper we describe the results of experimental investigations of the motion of a screwless underwater robot controlled by rotating internal rotors. We present the results of comparison of the trajectories obtained with the results of numerical simulation using the model of an ideal fluid.
Klenov A. I., Kilin A. A.
This paper is devoted to an experimental investigation of the motion of a rigid body set in motion by rotating two unbalanced internal masses. The results of experiments confirming the possibility of motion by this method are presented. The dependence of the parameters of motion on the rotational velocity of internal masses is analyzed. The velocity field of the fluid around the moving body is examined.
This paper is concerned with two systems from sub-Riemannian geometry. One of them is defined by a Carnot group with three generatrices and growth vector $(3, 6, 14)$, the other is defined by two generatrices and growth vector $(2, 3, 5, 8)$. Using a Poincaré map, the nonintegrability of the above systems in the general case is shown. In addition, particular cases are presented in which there exist additional first integrals.
This paper is concerned with the motion of an unbalanced heavy three-axial ellipsoid in an ideal fluid controlled by rotation of three internal rotors. It is proved that the motion of the body considered is controlled with respect to configuration variables except for some special cases. An explicit control that makes it possible to implement unbounded motion in an arbitrary direction has been calculated. Directions for which control actions are bounded functions of time have been determined.
In this paper, we develop the results obtained by J.Hadamard and G.Hamel concerning the possibility of substituting nonholonomic constraints into the Lagrangian of the system without changing the form of the equations of motion. We formulate the conditions for correctness of such a substitution for a particular case of nonholonomic systems in the simplest and universal form. These conditions are presented in terms of both generalized velocities and quasi-velocities. We also discuss the derivation and reduction of the equations of motion of an arbitrary wheeled vehicle. In particular, we prove the equivalence (up to additional quadratures) of problems of an arbitrary wheeled vehicle and an analogous vehicle whose wheels have been replaced with skates. As examples, we consider the problems of a one-wheeled vehicle and a wheeled vehicle with two rotating wheel pairs.
Bolsinov A. V., Kilin A. A., Kazakov A. O.
Topological monodromy as an obstruction to Hamiltonization of nonholonomic systems: Pro or contra?
The phenomenon of a topological monodromy in integrable Hamiltonian and nonholonomic systems is discussed. An efficient method for computing and visualizing the monodromy is developed. The comparative analysis of the topological monodromy is given for the rolling ellipsoid of revolution problem in two cases, namely, on a smooth and on a rough plane. The first of these systems is Hamiltonian, the second is nonholonomic. We show that, from the viewpoint of monodromy, there is no difference between the two systems, and thus disprove the conjecture by Cushman and Duistermaat stating that the topological monodromy gives a topological obstruction for Hamiltonization of the rolling ellipsoid of revolution on a rough plane.
Klenov A. I., Vetchanin E. V., Kilin A. A.
This paper is concerned with the experimental determination of the added masses of bodies completely or partially immersed in a fluid. The paper presents an experimental setup, a technique of the experiment and an underlying mathematical model. The method of determining the added masses is based on the towing of the body with a given propelling force. It is known (from theory) that the concept of an added mass arises under the assumption concerning the potentiality of flow over the body. In this context, the authors have performed PIV visualization of flows generated by the towed body, and defined a part of the trajectory for which the flow can be considered as potential. For verification of the technique, a number of experiments have been performed to determine the added masses of a spheroid. The measurement results are in agreement with the known reference data. The added masses of a screwless freeboard robot have been defined using the developed technique.
Borisov A. V., Mamaev I. S., Kilin A. A., Bizyaev I. A.
This paper is concerned with the problem of the motion of a wheeled vehicle on a plane in the case where one of the wheel pairs is fixed. In addition, the motion of a wheeled vehicle on a plane in the case of two free wheel pairs is considered. A method for obtaining equations of motion for the vehicle with an arbitrary geometry is presented. Possible kinds of motion of the vehicle with a fixed wheel pair are determined.
Kilin A. A., Pivovarova E. N., Ivanova T. B.
This paper is concerned with free and controlled motions of a spherical robot of combined type moving by displacing the center of mass and by changing the internal gyrostatic momentum. Equations of motion for the nonholonomic model are obtained and their first integrals are found. Fixed points of the reduced system are found in the absence of control actions. It is shown that they correspond to the motion of the spherical robot in a straight line and in a circle. A control algorithm for the motion of the spherical robot along an arbitrary trajectory is presented. A set of elementary maneuvers (gaits) is obtained which allow one to transfer the spherical robot from any initial point to any end point.
A nonholonomic model of the dynamics of an omniwheel vehicle on a plane and a sphere is considered. A derivation of equations is presented and the dynamics of a free system are investigated. An explicit motion control algorithm for the omniwheel vehicle moving along an arbitrary trajectory is obtained.
This paper deals with the problem of a spherical robot propelled by an internal omniwheel platform and rolling without slipping on a plane. The problem of control of spherical robot motion along an arbitrary trajectory is solved within the framework of a kinematic model and a dynamic model. A number of particular cases of motion are identified, and their stability is investigated. An algorithm for constructing elementary maneuvers (gaits) providing the transition from one steady-state motion to another is presented for the dynamic model. A number of experiments have been carried out confirming the adequacy of the proposed kinematic model.
This paper presents the results of experimental investigations for the rolling of a spherical robot of combined type actuated by an internal wheeled vehicle with rotor on a horizontal plane. The control of spherical robot based on nonholonomic dynamical by means of gaits. We consider the motion of the spherical robot in case of constant control actions, as well as impulse control. A number of experiments have been carried out confirming the importance of rolling friction.
Kilin A. A., Vetchanin E. V.
In this paper we consider the problem of motion of a rigid body in an ideal fluid with two material points moving along circular trajectories. The controllability of this system on the zero level set of first integrals is shown. Elementary “gaits” are presented which allow the realization of the body’s motion from one point to another. The existence of obstacles to a controlled motion of the body along an arbitrary trajectory is pointed out.
The dynamic model for a spherical robot with an internal omniwheel platform is presented. Equations of motion and first integrals according to the non-holonomic model are given. We consider particular solutions and their stability. The algorithm of control of spherical robot for movement along a given trajectory are presented.
Kilin A. A., Karavaev Y. L., Klekovkin A. V.
In this article a kinematic model of the spherical robot is considered, which is set in motion by the internal platform with omni-wheels. It has been introduced a description of construction, algorithm of trajectory planning according to developed kinematic model, it has been realized experimental research for typical trajectories: moving along a straight line and moving along a circle.
Borisov A. V., Kilin A. A., Mamaev I. S., Tenenev V. A.
Fluid Dynamics Research, 2014, vol. 46, no. 3, 031415, 16 pp.
We consider the problem of motion of axisymmetric vortex rings in an ideal incompressible and viscous fluid. Using the numerical simulation of the Navier–Stokes equations, we confirm the existence of leapfrogging of three equal vortex rings and suggest the possibility of detecting it experimentally. We also confirm the existence of leapfrogging of two vortex rings with opposite-signed vorticities in a viscous fluid.
Borisov A. V., Kilin A. A., Mamaev I. S., Tenenev V. A., The dynamics of vortex rings: leapfrogging in an ideal and viscous fluid , Fluid Dynamics Research, 2014, vol. 46, no. 3, 031415, 16 pp.
We investigate the motion of the point of contact (absolute dynamics) in the integrable problem of the Chaplygin ball rolling on a plane. Although the velocity of the point of contact is a given vector function of variables of the reduced system, it is impossible to apply standard methods of the theory of integrable Hamiltonian systems due to the absence of an appropriate conformally Hamiltonian representation for an unreduced system. For a complete analysis we apply the standard analytical approach, due to Bohl and Weyl, and develop topological methods of investigation. In this way we obtain conditions for boundedness and unboundedness of the trajectories of the contact point.
In our earlier paper we examined the problem of control of a balanced dynamically nonsymmetric sphere with rotors with no-slip condition at the point of contact. In this paper we investigate the controllability of a ball in the presence of friction. We also study the problem of the existence and stability of singular dissipation-free periodic solutions for a free ball in the presence of friction forces. The issues of constructive realization of the proposed algorithms are discussed.
We consider the problem of motion of axisymmetric vortex rings in an ideal incompressible fluid. Using the topological approach, we present a method for complete qualitative analysis of the dynamics of a system of two vortex rings. In particular, we completely solve the problem of describing the conditions for the onset of leapfrogging motion of vortex rings. In addition, for the system of two vortex rings we find new families of motions where the relative distances remain finite (we call them pseudo-leapfrogging). We also find solutions for the problem of three vortex rings, which describe both the regular and chaotic leapfrogging motion of vortex rings.
We investigate the motion of the point of contact (absolute dynamics) in the integrable problem of the Chaplygin ball rolling on a plane. Although the velocity of the point of contact is a given vector function of variables of a reduced system, it is impossible to apply standard methods of the theory of integrable Hamiltonian systems due to the absence of an appropriate conformally Hamiltonian representation for an unreduced system. For a complete analysis we apply the standard analytical approach, due to Bohl and Weyl, and develop topological methods of investigation. In this way we obtain conditions for boundedness and unboundedness of the trajectories of the contact point.
In the paper we study the control of a balanced dynamically non-symmetric sphere with rotors. The no-slip condition at the point of contact is assumed. The algebraic controllability is shown and the control inputs that steer the ball along a given trajectory on the plane are found. For some simple trajectories explicit tracking algorithms are proposed.
We discuss explicit integration and bifurcation analysis of two non-holonomic problems. One of them is the Chaplygin’s problem on no-slip rolling of a balanced dynamically non-symmetric ball on a horizontal plane. The other, first posed by Yu.N.Fedorov, deals with the motion of a rigid body in a spherical support. For Chaplygin’s problem we consider in detail the transformation that Chaplygin used to integrate the equations when the constant of areas is zero. We revisit Chaplygin’s approach to clarify the geometry of this very important transformation, because in the original paper the transformation looks a cumbersome collection of highly non-transparent analytic manipulations. Understanding its geometry seriously facilitate the extension of the transformation to the case of a rigid body in a spherical support – the problem where almost no progress has been made since Yu.N. Fedorov posed it in 1988. In this paper we show that extending the transformation to the case of a spherical support allows us to integrate the equations of motion explicitly in terms of quadratures, detect mostly remarkable critical trajectories and study their stability, and perform an exhaustive qualitative analysis of motion. Some of the results may find their application in various technical devices and robot design. We also show that adding a gyrostat with constant angular momentum to the spherical-support system does not affect its integrability.
In the paper we study control of a balanced dynamically nonsymmetric sphere with rotors. The no-slip condition at the point of contact is assumed. The algebraic contrability is shown and the control inputs providing motion of the ball along a given trajectory on the plane are found. For some simple trajectories explicit tracking algorithms are proposed.
We consider the problem of the motion of axisymmetric vortex rings in an ideal incompressible fluid. Using the topological approach, we present a method for complete qualitative analysis of the dynamics of a system of two vortex rings. In particular, we completely solve the problem of describing the conditions for the onset of leapfrogging motion of vortex rings. In addition, for the system of two vortex rings we find new families of motions in which the mutual distances remain finite (we call them pseudo-leapfrogging). We also find solutions for the problem of three vortex rings, which describe both the regular and chaotic leapfrogging motion of vortex rings.
In this paper we develop a new model of non-holonomic billiard that accounts for the intrinsic rotation of the billiard ball. This model is a limit case of the problem of rolling without slipping of a ball without slipping over a quadric surface. The billiards between two parallel walls and inside a circle are studied in detail. Using the three-dimensional-point-map technique, the non-integrability of the non-holonomic billiard within an ellipse is shown.
We consider a novel mechanical system consisting of two spherical bodies rolling over each other, which is a natural extension of the famous Chaplygin problem of rolling motion of a ball on a plane. In contrast to the previously explored non-holonomic systems, this one has a higher dimension and is considerably more complicated. One remarkable property of our system is the existence of "clandestine" linear in momenta first integrals. For a more trivial integrable system, their counterparts were discovered by Chaplygin. We have also found a few cases of integrability.
The Hamiltonian representation and integrability of the nonholonomic Suslov problem and its generalization suggested by S. A. Chaplygin are considered. This subject is important for understanding the qualitative features of the dynamics of this system, being in particular related to a nontrivial asymptotic behavior (i. e., to a certain scattering problem). A general approach based on studying a hierarchy in the dynamical behavior of nonholonomic systems is developed.
We consider a nonholonomic model of the dynamics of an omni-wheel vehicle on a plane and a sphere. An elementary derivation of equations is presented, the dynamics of a free system is investigated, a relation to control problems is shown.
We consider the problem of explicit integration and bifurcation analysis for two systems of nonholonomic mechanics. The first one is the Chaplygin’s problem on no-slip rolling of a balanced dynamically non-symmetrical ball on a horizontal plane. The second problem is on the motion of rigid body in a spherical support. We explicitly integrate this problem by generalizing the transformation which Chaplygin applied to the integration of the problem of the rolling ball at a non-zero constant of areas. We consider the geometric interpretation of this transformation from the viewpoint of a trajectory isomorphism between two systems at different levels of the energy integral. Generalization of this transformation for the case of dynamics in a spherical support allows us to integrate the equations of motion explicitly in quadratures and, in addition, to indicate periodic solutions and analyze their stability. We also show that adding a gyrostat does not lead to the loss of integrability.
We consider a novel mechanical system consisting of two spherical bodies rolling over each other, which is a natural extension of the famous Chaplygin problem of rolling motion of a ball on a plane. In contrast to the previously explored non-holonomic systems, this one has a higher dimension and is considerably more complicated. One remarkable property of our system is the existence of «clandestine» linear in momenta first integrals. For a more trivial integrable system, their counterparts were discovered by Chaplygin. We have also found a few cases of integrability.
Borisov A. V., Bolotin S. V., Kilin A. A., Mamaev I. S., Treschev D. V.
We consider the problems of Hamiltonian representation and integrability of the nonholonomic Suslov system and its generalization suggested by S. A. Chaplygin. These aspects are very important for understanding the dynamics and qualitative analysis of the system. In particular, they are related to the nontrivial asymptotic behaviour (i. e. to some scattering problem). The paper presents a general approach based on the study of the hierarchy of dynamical behaviour of nonholonomic systems.
We consider the motion of a material point on the surface of a sphere in the field of $2n + 1$ identical Hooke centers (singularities with elastic potential) lying on a great circle. Our main result is that this system is superintegrable. The property of superintegrability for this system has been conjectured by us in , where the structure of a superintegral of arbitrarily high odd degree in momemnta was outlined. We also indicate an isomorphism between this system and the one-dimensional $N$-particle system discussed in the recent paper and show that for the latter system an analogous superintegral can be constructed.
Borisov A. V., Mamaev I. S., Kilin A. A.
The dynamics of self-gravitating liquid and gas ellipsoids is considered. A literary survey and authors’ original results obtained using modern techniques of nonlinear dynamics are presented. Strict Lagrangian and Hamiltonian formulations of the equations of motion are given; in particular, a Hamiltonian formalism based on Lie algebras is described. Problems related to nonintegrability and chaos are formulated and analyzed. All the known integrability cases are classified, and the most natural hypotheses on the nonintegrability of the equations of motion in the general case are presented. The results of numerical simulations are described. They, on the one hand, demonstrate a chaotic behavior of the system and, on the other hand, can in many cases serve as a numerical proof of the nonintegrability (the method of transversally intersecting separatrices).
Systems of material points interacting both with one another and with an external field are considered in Euclidean space. For the case of arbitrary binary interaction depending solely on the mutual distance between the bodies, new integrals are found, which form a Galilean momentum vector. A corresponding algebra of integrals constituted by the integrals of momentum, angular momentum, and Galilean momentum is presented. Particle systems with a particleinteraction potential homogeneous of degree $\alpha = –2$ are considered. The most general form of the additional integral of motion, which we term the Jacobi integral, is presented for such systems. A new nonlinear algebra of integrals including the Jacobi integral is found. A systematic description is given to a new reduction procedure and possibilities of applying it to dynamics with the aim of lowering the order of Hamiltonian systems.
Some new integrable and superintegrable systems generalizing the classical ones are also described. Certain generalizations of the Lagrangian identity for systems with a particle interaction potential homogeneous of degree $\alpha = –2$ are presented. In addition, computational experiments are used to prove the nonintegrability of the Jacobi problem on a plane.
3-particle systems with a particle-interaction homogeneous potential of degree $α=-2$ is considered. A constructive procedure of reduction of the system by 2 degrees of freedom is performed. The nonintegrability of the systems is shown using the Poincare mapping.
Systems of material points interacting both with one another and with an external field are considered in Euclidean space. For the case of arbitrary binary interaction depending solely on the mutual distance between the bodies, new integrals are found, which form a Galilean momentum vector.
A corresponding algebra of integrals constituted by the integrals of momentum, angular momentum, and Galilean momentum is presented. Particle systems with a particle-interaction potential homogeneous of degree $α=-2$ are considered. The most general form of the additional integral of motion, which we term the Jacobi integral, is presented for such systems. A new nonlinear algebra of integrals including the Jacobi integral is found. A systematic description is given to a new reduction procedure and possibilities of applying it to dynamics with the aim of lowering the order of Hamiltonian systems.
Some new integrable and superintegrable systems generalizing the classical ones are also described. Certain generalizations of the Lagrangian identity for systems with a particle-interaction potential homogeneous of degree $α=-2$ are presented. In addition, computational experiments are used to prove the nonintegrability of the Jacobi problem on a plane.
We have discovered a new first integral in the problem of motion of a dynamically symmetric ball, subject to gravity, on the surface of a paraboloid. Using this integral, we have obtained conditions for stability (in the Lyapunov sense) of steady rotations of the ball at the upmost, downmost and saddle point.
In this paper, we consider the transition to chaos in the phase portrait of a restricted problem of rotation of a rigid body with a fixed point. Two interrelated mechanisms responsible for chaotization are indicated: (1) the growth of the homoclinic structure and (2) the development of cascades of period doubling bifurcations. On the zero level of the area integral, an adiabatic behavior of the system (as the energy tends to zero) is noted. Meander tori induced by the break of the torsion property of the mapping are found.
For the classical problem of motion of a rigid body about a fixed point with zero area integral, we present a family of solutions that are periodic in the absolute space. Such solutions are known as choreographies. The family includes the well-known Delone solutions (for the Kovalevskaya case), some particular solutions for the Goryachev–Chaplygin case, and the Steklov solution. The "genealogy" of solutions of the family naturally appearing from the energy continuation and their connection with the Staude rotations are considered. It is shown that if the integral of areas is zero, the solutions are periodic with respect to a coordinate frame that rotates uniformly about the vertical (relative choreographies).
The paper contains the review and original results on the dynamics of liquid and gas self-gravitating ellipsoids. Equations of motion are given in Lagrangian and Hamiltonian form, in particular, the Hamiltonian formalism on Lie algebras is presented. Problems of nonintegrability and chaotical behavior of the system are formulated and studied. We also classify all known integrable cases and give some hypotheses about nonintegrability in the general case. Results of numerical modelling are presented, which can be considered as a computer proof of nonintegrability.
We discuss system of material points in Euclidean space interacting both with each other and with external field. In particular we consider systems of particles whose interacting is described by homogeneous potential of degree of homogeneity $\alpha=-2$. Such systems were first considered by Newton and—more systematically—by Jacobi). For such systems there is an extra hidden symmetry, and corresponding first integral of motion which we call Jacobi integral. This integral was given in different papers starting with Jacobi, but we present in general. Furthermore, we construct a new algebra of integrals including Jacobi integral. A series of generalizations of Lagrange's identity for systems with homogeneous potential of degree of homogeneity $\alpha=-2$ is given. New integrals of motion for these generalizations are found.
The dynamics of an antipodal vortex on a sphere (a point vortex plus its antipode with opposite circulation) is considered. It is shown that the system of n antipodal vortices can be reduced by four dimensions (two degrees of freedom). The cases $n = 2, 3$ are explored in greater detail both analytically and numerically. We discuss Thomson, collinear and isosceles configurations of antipodal vortices and study their bifurcations.
The paper considers the dynamics of a rattleback as a model of a heavy balanced ellipsoid of revolution rolling without slippage on a fixed horizontal plane. Central ellipsoid of inertia is an ellipsoid of revolution as well. In presence of the angular displacement between two ellipsoids, there occur dynamical effects somewhat similar to the reverse fenomena in earlier models. However, unlike a customary rattleback model (a truncated biaxial paraboloid) our system allows the motions which are superposition of the reverse motion (reverse of the direction of spinning) and the turn over (change of the axis of rotation). With appropriate values of energies and mass distribution, this effect (reverse + turn over) can occur more than once. Such motions as repeated reverse or repeated turn over are also possible.
The paper considers the process of transition to chaos in the problem of four point vortices on a plane. A new method for constructive reduction of the order for a system of vortices on a plane is presented. Existence of the cascade of period doubling bifurcations in the given problem is indicated.
Rolling (without slipping) of a homogeneous ball on an oblique cylinder in different potential fields and the integrability of the equations of motion are considered. We examine also if the equations can be reduced to a Hamiltonian form. We prove the theorem stated that if there is a gravity (and the cylinder is oblique), the ball moves without any vertical shift, on the average.
We have discovered a new first integral in the problem of motion of a dynamically symmetric ball, subject to gravity, on the surface of a paraboloid. Using this integral, we have obtained conditions for stability (in the Lyapunov sense) of steady rotations of the ball in the upmost, downmost and saddle point.
In this paper we describe new classes of periodic solutions for point vortices on a plane and a sphere. They correspond to similar solutions (so-called choreographies) in celestial mechanics.
We consider the problem of two interacting particles on a sphere. The potential of the interaction depends on the distance between the particles. The case of Newtonian-type potentials is studied in most detail. We reduce this system to a system with two degrees of freedom and give a number of remarkable periodic orbits. We also discuss integrability and stochastization of the motion.
We obtained new periodic solutions in the problems of three and four point vortices moving on a plane. In the case of three vortices, the system is reduced to a Hamiltonian system with one degree of freedom, and it is integrable. In the case of four vortices, the order is reduced to two degrees of freedom, and the system is not integrable. We present relative and absolute choreographies of three and four vortices of the same intensity which are periodic motions of vortices in some rotating and fixed frame of reference, where all the vortices move along the same closed curve. Similar choreographies have been recently obtained by C. Moore, A. Chenciner, and C. Simo for the $n$-body problem in celestial mechanics [6, 7, 17]. Nevertheless, the choreographies that appear in vortex dynamics have a number of distinct features.
In the paper we present the qualitative analysis of rolling motion without slipping of a homogeneous round disk on a horisontal plane. The problem was studied by S.A. Chaplygin, P. Appel and D. Korteweg who showed its integrability. The behavior of the point of contact on a plane is investigated and conditions under which its trajectory is finit are obtained. The bifurcation diagrams are constructed.
The problem of rolling motion without slipping of an unbalanced ball on 1) an arbitrary ellipsoid and 2) an ellipsoid of revolution is considered. In his famous treatise E. Routh showed that the problem of rolling motion of a body on a surface of revolution even in the presence of axisymmetrical potential fields is integrable. In case 1, we present a new integral of motion. New solutions expressed in elementary functions are found in case 2.
The paper is concerned with the problem on rolling of a homogeneous ball on an arbitrary surface. New cases when the problem is solved by quadratures are presented. The paper also indicates a special case when an additional integral and invariant measure exist. Using this case, we obtain a nonholonomic generalization of the Jacobi problem for the inertial motion of a point on an ellipsoid. For a ball rolling, it is also shown that on an arbitrary cylinder in the gravity field the ball's motion is bounded and, on the average, it does not move downwards. All the results of the paper considerably expand the results obtained by E. Routh in XIX century.
The motion of Chaplygin ball with and without gyroscope in the absolute space is analyzed. In particular, the trajectories of the point of contact are studied in detail. We discuss the motions in the absolute space, that correspond to the different types of motion in the moving frame of reference related to the body. The existence of the bounded trajectories of the ball's motion is shown by means of numerical methods in the case when the problem is reduced to a certain Hamiltonian system.
In the paper Motion of a circular cylinder and a vortex in an ideal fluid (Reg. & Chaot. Dyn. V. 6. 2001. No 1. P. 33-38) Ramodanov S.M. showed the integrability of the problem of motion of a circular cylinder and a point vortex in unbounded ideal fluid. In the present paper we find additional first integral and invariant measure of motion equations.
Borisov A. V., Kilin A. A.
In this work stability of polygonal configurations on a plane and sphere is investigated. The conditions of linear stability are obtained. A nonlinear analysis of the problem is made with the help of Birkhoff normalization. Some problems are also formulated.
We consider two-body problem and restricted three-body problem in spaces $S^2$ and $L^2$. For two-body problem we have showed the absence of exponential instability of partiбular solutions relevant to roundabout motion on the plane. New libration points are found, and the dependence of their positions on parameters of a system is explored. The regions of existence of libration points in space of parameters were constructed. Basing on a examination of the Hill's regions we found the qualitative estimation of stability of libration points was produced. | 2019-04-24T07:52:28Z | http://ics.org.ru/publications/index.php?cat=102&author=7 |
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The online version of this article (doi: 10.1007/s40362-017-0044-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Plastic waste is pervasive and increasing in land and water environments globally. The 2013 global plastic production was estimated to be 299 million tonnes, a 3.9% increase from 2012 . Germany and the United Kingdom (UK) are the two highest producers of plastic waste in the European Union (EU), recovering 80 and 26% of it, respectively . Most plastic in the environment is non-biodegradable and remains as waste for a long time , with approximately 10% ending up in the oceans . Plastics are lightweight and buoyant, and easily transported long distances across a wide range of environments , rendering them ubiquitous contaminants. Previous research from shoreline and beach surveys across all continents indicates that plastic waste commonly accounts for 50–90% of all marine litter . About 80% originates from land-based sources [2, 15, 41], suggesting fluvial systems are important transport routes of these contaminants to the sea. However, compared to marine systems, data for freshwaters remain limited, and the magnitude of their impact has yet to be assessed .
The emphasis on plastic pollution research in oceans until recently may be because its accumulation and impacts appeared to be more evident in these environments . For example, patches of accumulated floating macroplastic debris were observed in gyres and convergence areas in oceans over a decade ago [28, 68, 84]. Furthermore, the marked mechanical effects of plastic litter on marine biota due to entanglement and ingestion raised concerns of its potential harm to biodiversity and ecosystems [21, 84, 92]. While oceans have been used as waste dumps for years despite global efforts to prevent this , the majority of plastic litter is produced inland, thus examining its transport to marine environments by rivers may allow for identification and regulation of its main sources [22, 84].
At present, the increased awareness of the growing production and accumulation of plastic pollution in the environment has brought greater focus to the need for development of policies and management strategies. For example, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) called for an urgent need to address plastic pollution of oceans through implementation and enforcement of coordinated strategies, effective policies and regulations, campaigns, and other incentives at national, regional and global levels . The European Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) 2008/56/EC emphasised the need for more data on the amount, distribution and composition of plastic debris [38, 85]. However, despite the extensive research devoted to monitoring plastic debris over the past decades, the full extent of its quantity, distribution and impact remains widely unknown. Thus, controlling plastic waste may be confounded by lack of measurement of the extent and thus understanding of source and impact, rather than strategy . Further, the importance of plastic fragments at the micro- and nanoscale has only recently been recognised, and method development to define and measure them is still under way. Microplastics and nanomaterials have been classified by Scotland’s Centre of Expertise for Waters (CREW) as emerging contaminants, or alternatively, “contaminants of emerging concern” (CEC) for Scottish watercourses, due to their toxic characteristics and the lack of adequate data for reliable risk assessment . Therefore, it is essential to refine the initial estimates of plastic debris in oceans and inland waters to include these smaller and “invisible” fractions, and identify their main sources before further actions or regulations be implemented.
The concepts of micro- and nano-sized plastics as emerging contaminants, and the role of wastewater and freshwater systems as sinks or sources of these materials to the environment provides the focus for this review. This review synthesises the theory and literature relevant to the topic of micro- and nanoplastic pollution in freshwaters and wastewater systems, including methods for their examination, and identifies knowledge gaps and areas where further investigation are needed.
Plastic litter can occur in a wide range of sizes. The literature commonly distinguishes between two broad classes of plastics: macroplastic (>5 mm) and microplastic (<5 mm) [4, 31, 42, 92], but different terms and size ranges have been used across studies (Table 1). A unified lower limit for measurement for microplastics has not been defined, but for practical purposes 333 µm (~0.3 mm) is often used when sampling with neuston nets [4, 83]. Nevertheless, because a lower cut-off has not been established, the term microplastic has often been used to encompass pieces ranging from millimetre to nanometre dimensions. More recently, the term “nanoplastic” has been introduced as a separate category [7, 56, 94]. This size class has been defined as particles smaller than 0.2 mm based on the WG-GES size classification , and, smaller than 100 nm according to the general definition used for nanomaterials . Mostly, nanoplastics have been overlooked in the literature and are the least-studied size class, as evidenced by a lack of discussion of its definition and quantification. Nevertheless, it has been suggested that these nanoscopic plastics may be the most hazardous yet due to their high potential for bioaccumulation and biomagnification [56, 76], thus requiring further investigation. For purposes of this review, for ease of reference the rest of the discussion will focus on micro- and nanoplastics (MNP) jointly as one single size class.
Micro- and nanoplastics are classified into two general categories according to source: primary and secondary. Their source of origin determines their shape and composition. Primary MNP are intentionally manufactured in small sizes for different applications, including personal care and cleaning products, and pre-production pellets for fabrication of other plastic goods [4, 83, 84, 87, 91]. The manufacture of primary nanoplastics will likely increase with their use in electronic devices, medicines, cars and airplanes . Primary MNP are likely to be collected mostly intact in industrial and household sewage, and go through wastewater treatment (WWT) facilities before being discharged into the aquatic environment . Secondary MNP originate from the breakdown of larger plastic pieces due to weathering by UV-radiation and physical defragmentation by mechanical forces [4, 16, 91]. Thus, macroplastics will breakdown into microplastics, and these will further break down into nanoplastics. Their abundance and production rates will depend on environmental characteristics and polymer type [4, 23, 84, 91, 95], making secondary MNP input to oceans harder to trace, quantify and control than primary sources.
Chemical composition, size and surface features of MNP can provide insight to their origins. For example, primary MNP found in personal care products tend to be smaller than 0.3 mm, contain additives (e.g. plasticisers), and are composed mainly of polyethylene (PE), but also may contain polypropylene (PP), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) and Teflon (PTFE) [83, 87]. Primary MNP in the form of pre-production pellets will be mainly spherical or cylindrical around 5 mm in size . The polymers PE, PP, and polystyrene (PS) are often used in packaging and thus are indicative of urban origins, while denser polymers like polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and polyester (PES) are commonly used in construction and textiles, respectively . These plastics will be introduced as secondary MNP fragments and fibres from sewage effluent or surface runoff . Currently, there are no data in the literature on the relative abundances of primary to secondary MNP, and only a couple of studies have examined the relationship between fragments of different sizes [58, 59]. Thus, there is a need to address these knowledge gaps for accurate quantification of MNP fractions, assessment of the relationship among abundances of different size classes, and application of precise source characterisation approaches for understanding the potential contributions of different urban and industrial sources . This information is crucial for managing this problem and informing policy, since it is predicted that even if land-based inputs are controlled, plastic debris densities in oceans will continue to increase from secondary sources .
Microplastics were described in the literature as early as the 1960s and 1970s , but it was not until 2004 that the term became widely used . Although plastic litter is not a new problem, only recently have MNP become a focus of the scientific community with publications on the topic increasing rapidly [31, 42], particularly in marine systems (see reviews by Andrady et al. and Cole et al. ). Data on MNP pollution of continental freshwaters are less abundant than for marine systems (Fig. 1) [24, 92, 94], but the number of publications are also increasing, mostly since 2014. The research published between 2011 and 2014 on microplastics in freshwater bodies in Asia, Europe, and North America has been reviewed , and additional studies of American, Asian, European, and African sites have been published in 2015 and 2016. All surveys report the presence of different size classes of plastics in these environments and, where available, high relative abundances of MNP compared to macroplastics, in both sediment and surface waters.
In America, most research has concentrated in Canada and the USA, (Fig. 2; Online Resource 1), particularly in the Great Lakes area [6, 18, 26, 80, 96, 97], including the St. Lawrence River watershed . Of these, only two studies collected data from freshwater bottom sediments [12, 18], and one considered open-water loading (the Laurentian Great Lakes system) . The rest of the studies focussed on lakeshore surveys. Across these studies, microplastics were present in both sediment and surface waters, in higher densities compared to macroplastics, and with a high predominance of pellets and fragments, indicative of contributions from both primary and secondary sources. In addition, microbeads found in the St. Lawrence River were comparable in size, shape and composition to those found in the Laurentian Great Lakes , indicating a possible transport of these materials from the municipalities along the river to the lakes. A more recent study in the Palisades Reservoir and Snake River in Idaho, USA, reported microplastics in 72% of the samples consisting mostly of films and fibres , suggesting a greater contribution from secondary sources.
In Asia, (Fig. 2; Online Resource 1) a study in Lake Hovsgol, Mongolia, reported average pelagic microplastic densities of 20,264 items per km2, despite its remoteness and low population density . As microplastic abundance would be expected to be relatively lower in such areas, this was attributed to the lake’s long residence time, small surface area, and lack of proper waste management , indicating a strong need for effective control measures. Similarly, a more recent study of remote lakes in China found evidence of microplastics in abundances of 8 ± 14 to 563 ± 1219 items per m2 and attributed their presence to riverine inputs to the lakes and to a lesser extent atmospheric transport . Data from remote areas are rarely generated but are important for understanding the ubiquity of these materials, as well as their transport pathways and fate. However, it remains necessary to consider developed areas with high industrial and anthropogenic activities. This is especially crucial in the Asian continent as the region contributes considerably to the global plastic production . Marine data from the 1990s indicate that plastic litter in the Japanese coast increased by a factor of 10 every 2–3 years . Further, microplastic pollution has been reported in coastlines of Japan and Korea [53, 58] and in urban estuaries in China . In this context, the region may present useful opportunities for studying these plastic particles in freshwaters that have highly populated and industrialised catchments, but the recent literature considering this is limited. In the Taihu Lake in China, microplastic abundances were highest in the most heavily contaminated areas of the lake, and abundances observed in plankton net samples were the highest reported worldwide, from 0.01 × 106 to 6.8 × 106 items per km2 .
The rest of the literature reviewed here between 2011 and 2016 comprises one study from Africa and several studies across Europe: Switzerland [31, 32], Italy [34, 50, 93], France , Germany [23, 55, 61, 94], Netherlands , Austria , and the UK ; (Fig. 2; Online Resource 1). In the African Great Lakes, suspected plastics were isolated from the gastrointestinal tracts of 55 and 35% of perch and tilapia samples, respectively . While total abundances were not provided, and water or sediment samples were not examined, the study provides the first evidence of microplastic presence in inland waters in the African continent and the only one to date. Similarly to the African study, Switzerland and Italy surveys have focussed on lake systems, with microplastics reported in Lake Geneva [31, 32], the Lagoon in Venice , and Lakes Garda , Bolsena and Chiusi .
Most of the earlier freshwater research appears to have focussed on lentic systems (i.e. lakes), but rivers and WWT environments are gaining more attention as potential conduits of microplastics to the environment. A French study conducted in urban Paris sites was unique in being the first to quantify atmospheric fallout . The same study also collected wastewater and surface water of urban rivers and reported a predominance of fibres across the different systems. In Germany, microplastics in the form of fragments, granules, and fibres were reported in all sediments of the Rivers Rhine, Elbe, Mosel, Neckar, and Main [55, 61, 94], and the Jade system of the southern North Sea . Similarly, the studies conducted in Netherlands, Austria and the UK, also considered free-flowing waters from the Rivers Dommel , Danube , and Thames , respectively, and found evidence of microplastic pollution in all of them. Their findings support the consideration that these systems can be important transport routes but their distribution, retention and loading are largely influenced by a combination of in-stream processes and catchment characteristics.
Rivers are dynamic systems that can either retain or transport MNP but quantitative evidence of river retention and discharge rates remains limited. It is considered that rivers can act as temporary sinks, delaying the release of microplastics to oceans, while transport of these materials can quickly increase during rain events due to increased flow rate [37, 64, 79]. In Brazil [3, 51] the presence of solid waste on beaches, including plastics, was attributed to domestic sources along the river basin, influenced by the proximity of river sources, and increased river flow during high rain events [79, 85]. Similarly, the Danube River was identified as an important transport route of plastics from production sites in Germany and Austria to the Black Sea, and it was proposed that variations in floating densities were linked to release of plastics from nearby production facilities . In Chicago, higher MNP densities were observed after rain events during wet periods for two urban rivers, with evidence of higher abundances of primary MNP that are not regulated by total maximum daily loads (TMDLs) and being discharged into oceans . However, export patterns are not always so clear. For example no major trends in particle sizes of larger plastic pieces (size categories not defined) was observed from up- to downstream sites in the Thames river, although generally higher abundances were observed in sites near sewage discharge . The Tamar river in the UK was not determined to be a source of microplastics, despite their high abundance , considered to reflect drainage of a largely unpopulated catchment .
The relationship between population density and urban and industrial activities with MNP presence in aquatic environments can be explored via analysis of wastewater effluent from treatment facilities and receiving waters. The WWT process may not completely remove MNP [9, 24, 26, 87], thus the role of each treatment stage in the degradation, generation, transport and removal of MNP, particularly those originating from primary sources, should be considered. Conversely, as the systems are expected to function properly in order to minimise treatment costs and ensure adequate water quality standards, the impact of MNP in the treatment process should also be evaluated.
There is increasing focus on considering the relationship between effluent discharge of MNP from wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) and MNP abundances in the recipient channel [22, 27, 48, 64]. Generally, higher microplastic concentrations were observed downstream of WWTP relative to upstream, based on observations in the North Shore Channel in Chicago [48, 64] and in the Raritan river in New Jersey , USA. However, no upstream to downstream evolution was observed in Urban sites in Paris .
Loadings from WWTP and the removal efficiency of various treatment stages has also been considered [10, 11, 13, 23, 60, 72]. For example, in New York, discharges of 109,556, 81,911, and 1,061,953 particles per day were reported for three different WWTP , while an average annual discharge of 9 × 108 particles was reported from a WWTP in Germany . In a smaller plant in Langeviksverket in Lysekil, Sweden, serving ~12,000 population equivalents, although most of the microplastics entering the WWTP were measured to be retained in the sewage sludge, the plant continued to discharge MNP, interpreted from higher concentrations in the recipient water compared to the reference site upstream . Similarly, recent studies conducted in WWTP in Glasgow and Southern California observed that treatment was efficient in retaining microplastics via grit and grease removal (Glasgow) and skimming and settling processes (California). However, in both studies, secondary treatment plants continued to discharge microplastics at yields of 1 item per 1.14 × 103 L and 0.25 + 0.04 items per L (equivalent to 65 million items a day) in the Glasgow and California studies, respectively. It is possible that larger WWTP will contribute larger MNP loads, and thus an additional treatment step before discharging effluent to receiving waters may help reduce its MNP concentrations. This projection is based on the observation of few to no microplastics in tertiary outflow of a WWTP in Southern California . However, the general absence of quantitative studies considering removal at each stage of the treatment process makes this an area of high priority for further MNP research.
The ecological effects of MNP in freshwater systems has received some scrutiny (see review by Eerkes-Medrano et al. ; however, this is limited. Owing to their small size, MNP can be ingested directly and indirectly by aquatic species more readily than larger particles, sometimes when mistaken for food, and leading to harmful physical effects . Evidence from marine studies, for example, indicates that MNP ingestion may lead to choking, blocked digestive tracts, damage to organs, debilitation and ultimately death (see review by Derraik ). Similarities in MNP ingestion by freshwater organisms to marine fauna has been observed [8, 50, 82, 86] (see review by Eerkes-Medrano et al. ), but there is yet little evidence of uptake by fish and bird species in lakes [31, 32].
In addition, MNP can adsorb persistent organic pollutants (POPs), potentially introducing toxicity throughout the food web [5, 25, 63, 80], which could eventually reach humans by bioaccumulation . Desorption of POPs and other manufacturing additives can increase pollutant concentrations in waters and increase the susceptibility of the larger pieces to degradation . Nevertheless, information on sorption and leaching of POPs from microplastics is scarce , and most of the knowledge on toxicity derives from marine and laboratory experiments , while data from freshwaters remain limited. Further, MNP surfaces can provide habitats for microbial colonisation and biofilm formation, allowing for migration of opportunistic pathogens and invasive species [64, 98]. The latter may be relevant for WWTP as it could affect the functioning of the treatment processes, as well as increase the transport of WWT bacteria from these facilities to receiving waters [89, 98].
Micro- and nanoplastic research is still a developing field, with as yet no standardised procedures for their study, and method advancement is still in its early stages [24, 89]. The different size class distinctions and methods used may reduce comparability of results across studies, highlighting the need to unify size class definition and develop simple, low-cost and precise methods for their detection and monitoring [24, 39]. However, it may still be too early to do so, as we have yet to identify the spectrum, sizes, and types of MNP that require greater attention; thus for now, standardised procedures may prove useful only in situations that call for regular site-specific monitoring or have limited budgets [24, 35]. Nevertheless, reviews of methods for identification and quantification of MNP in marine environments are available [47, 78], and the NOAA Marine Debris Program published a manual on recommended laboratory methods for quantifying plastics in oceanic waters and sediments . The methods used for freshwater systems are similar to those implemented in marine studies.
The review of methods presented here is based on the generalised pathway used across studies (Fig. 3) and includes the techniques predominantly mentioned in the literature (Online Resource 1), tailored to gather information for quantification and characterisation of MNP, as well as describe their behaviour and fate in WWT and fluvial systems.
Traditional sampling techniques for both surface water and sediments are common. Surface waters are often sampled using manta trawls and neuston nets , while both in situ filtration and bulk sampling have been described for effluent discharge collection [9, 13, 47, 60, 72]. For lake sediments, selective sampling of visible pieces from beach transects was a frequent practice, and grab-sampling equipment (e.g. Ekman, Van Veen, Peterson and Ponar grabs) has been used for collection of lake-bottom sediments [12, 18, 47]. Shoreline sediment collection is generally accomplished through bulk sampling approaches such as steel trowels and box corers [34, 93, 96, 97].
Sample processing usually involves a combination of approaches including visual pre-selection, size fraction sieving, flotation and density separation, filtration and organic matter (OM) digestion [17, 47, 78, 89]. Sieve analysis is useful for separation of particles into different size ranges. A wide range of sieve sizes has been used across studies, and this approach will largely determine the minimum sizes of plastic debris that are collected and quantified . For example, higher MNP abundances are usually reported where smaller mesh sizes were used in sieving and filtration [47, 87]. This is important as it may reduce the comparability and accuracy of results, possibly underestimating abundances in some cases from loss of material that is not retained in sieves and is discarded.
After physical sorting by sieving, samples are purified using flotation and density separation of MNP from the organic and inorganic medium. Here too there is variation. Most commonly, sodium chloride (NaCl) saturated solution is used for flotation of low-density particles from sediment . Sodium iodide (NaI) and sodium polytungstate (SPT) have been used to float polymers with higher densities, although this approach tends to be more costly . However, the approach is the same across studies: the sample is mixed with the solution, shaken for a certain amount of time and left to settle so that the lower-density particles rise to the surface. The floating pieces can be manually removed, and the smaller ones can be extracted by filtration of the supernatant through membrane filter . The filtered samples are then either visually inspected for identification of microplastics, or further purified with acid, alkaline or enzymatic digestion methods.
Wet digestion protocols have been commonly employed to disintegrate biological materials and facilitate the extraction of microplastics from organic-rich media. Numerous methods are available for chemical removal of organic matter (OM) using different reagents such as H2O2 , NaOCl , Na2S2O8 , HNO3 in combination with H2O2 and H2SO4 . Selection of the adequate protocol is largely dependent on reaction conditions and sample-specific properties, but protocols employing H2O2 remain more widely used. The efficiency of protocols for removing organic material, with minimum impact on composition of microplastic pieces, using H2O2 [14, 74], HNO3 , NaOH [14, 17, 74], HCl [17, 74], HNO3 in combination with HCl or H2O2 , and enzymatic digestion , has been tested. The HNO3, H2O2 and Proteinase-K enzyme techniques exhibited high performance in disintegration of OM, but their efficiencies seemed to rely largely on sample composition and reaction conditions (e.g., reagent concentration, temperature, and digestion time). For example, HNO3 removed more OM than H2O2, NaOH, and in combination with other reagents , but these tests were performed on animal tissue only and direct digestion of PS spheres with HNO3 altered the composition of PS spheres. Conversely, the application of 35% H2O2 digestion for seven days dissolved more organic debris than acids and alkalis, with minimal change to PP and PE particles . However, biogenic material <1 mm was not removed completely, and the remaining material was bleached, resulting in discolouration that could potentially interfere with visual identification of microplastics. The enzymatic digestion with Proteinase-K appears a rapid and efficient method to digest OM with ease, generating higher digestion efficacy (>97%) than acid and alkaline digestion in plankton-rich samples and copepod tissue, with no visible impact to microplastics . No tests have been conducted for OM removal efficiencies from wastewater or sludge samples using these approaches.
Alternative approaches for isolation of microplastics from sediment samples based on principles of elutriation (i.e. using a gas or liquid upward stream to separate particles) [14, 54] and pressurised fluid extraction have been tested as a means to improve extraction efficiencies and showed promising results.
After initial sorting and separation, suspected MNP are characterised and quantified for assessment of spatial and temporal distributions . Typically, millimetre-sized particles are inspected initially under light microscopy, grouped according to different categories (e.g. type, shape, colour) and counted. Larger pieces are often counted with the naked eye or under a stereo microscope and identification of smaller pieces is commonly accomplished with the use of forensic techniques such as electron microscopy (EM) and spectroscopy techniques.
Electron microscopy provides further insight on the chemical and morphological characteristics of the plastic particles. There are two types of electron microscopy: scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Typically, suspected MNPs are analysed with a SEM coupled with energy-dispersive X-ray (EDS) microanalysis to produce backscatter electron (BSE) images and spectra for determination of elemental composition. These data can be used to discriminate carbon-based materials such as plastics from non-polymers as the plastics are made of C and so show C-specific signals different than non-plastic materials. While SEM appears to be employed often [26, 48, 50, 64, 93, 96, 97], no studies reported using TEM.
Similarly, spectroscopic tools may be used for added analysis of individual particles, with Raman and Fourier Transform-Infra Red (FT-IR) spectroscopy used more frequently. These techniques are applied to gather information on polymer type, and the crystalline structure of the particles, which may provide insight into the sorption behaviour of persistent, bioaccumulating, and toxic substances, and the degradation of MNP from changes in bond distances . Here, the basic principle is that infrared radiation is passed through a sample, where it is absorbed, reflected or transmitted. Although there are few differences between techniques, the end result is a molecular fingerprint represented by absorption and transmission, and as different materials will generate different spectra based on their unique molecular structures, the compound from which the MNP is derived can be identified . This information may be used to trace sample origin and is crucial in understanding site-specific loadings. The FT-IR is gaining more popularity perhaps due to being non-destructive, less costly and easier to use, and involving little sample preparation .
Spectroscopy methods can be combined with microscopy to improve accuracy of the results. For example, the combined use of micro-FT-IR and molecular mapping by focal plane array (FPA) can help to reduce scanning time, and facilitate the analysis of entire membrane filters and smaller pieces without affecting spatial resolution [89, 93]. While the implementation of forensic techniques is becoming more common in more recent papers, these can be time-consuming and may not be accessible in every case. Therefore, use and selection of these approaches appears dependent largely on sample size and logistic constraints.
Whilst every freshwater and wastewater survey conducted to date has reported microplastic occurrence in water and sediment samples, total and relative abundances are highly variable among studies and even within studies where different zones of a water body have been considered. While this may be attributed partly to differences in sampling, extraction, and identification techniques, site-specific characteristics (e.g. morphology, surface and catchment area, wind patterns; ) are likely to play an important role in MNP distribution and cycling in these systems. Higher abundances may be expected in habitats that accumulate smaller particles of sediment , and their distribution may be influenced by sediment transport and deposition processes [12, 55, 93]. Hydrodynamic effects can have greater influence in MNP distribution than population density, industrial activities, or sewage discharge and MNP concentrations in river shores, as observed in a case study in Germany . As such, transport models can be useful tools to simulate MNP behaviour in riverine systems and evaluate the factors that control their transport and distribution; however, little focus has been given yet to investigate modelling approaches . To examine riverine and wastewater inputs, sources and flow or discharge can be used as with other contaminants to predict MNP loading. In the Danube, plastic load at mean flow and a correction factor for population density were used to calculate plastic inputs to the Black Sea . Flow rate data from two California rivers were also used to estimate yields of >2 billion particles over a 72 h period . In Venice, high correlations were observed between small microplastics and fine grain size, indicating both follow similar sinking and accumulation processes, with higher accumulation of MNP in low energy sites .
Physical drivers for sediment transport can be tested to build models for MNP transport and storage, and identify areas of high deposition . Fundamentally, if plastics behave in the same way as sediment, available hydraulic models can be easily applied to MNP load studies, and if they behave differently, the models can be fine-tuned to get their behaviour in properly. For example, use of a modified INCA-Contaminants simulator, utilising catchment hydrology, soil erosion and metereological controls for prediction of microplastic accumulation and distribution, revealed strong hydrolological controls in transport and storage of microplastics . Heavier and larger microplastics (>2.0 mm) were more likely to be retained in hotspots for sediment deposition, but high flow events caused their remobilisation . A similar approach can be used with other available models, for example the Delft hydraulics model (Delft 3D suite) for rivers and estuaries. This model allows particle tracking and has a morphology module that predicts sediment movement (Deltares, https://oss.deltares.nl/web/delft3d/about). Statistical approaches could explore linkage between model parameters, e.g. the relationship between grain and MNP size classes, and later incorporated into the transport model to project loading of MNP from freshwaters systems. Further research should focus on modelling approaches as a tool to predict MNP fate in the environment and further understanding of the inheritance of terrestrial MNPs to oceans.
This analysis contributes to recent freshwater and methodology reviews [24, 47, 78] by widening the on-going discussion to include the more recent publications, WWT surveys, and additional methodological approaches that can generate incisive understanding of key aspects of MNP pollution in these systems.
Micro- and nanoplastic fragments originating from primary or secondary sources are contaminants of emerging concern [42, 46]. Considerable work undertaken in recent years advances knowledge of MNP contamination of aquatic environments, but several key challenges remain in this new field of water research. With the majority of surveys to date focussing on marine systems, further research should aim to expand spatial coverage of MNP studies, especially for continental waters, and consider the role of free-flowing freshwaters as transport vectors of land-based inputs to oceans, especially those receiving discharges from WWTP. A few WWT studies are available, but these systems remain largely understudied, providing an area for further investigation. Further, studies conducted in WWT systems should consider not only the removal of MNP by treatment processes, but also the impact of these contaminants on the efficacy of the treatment plant, and their potential for picking up and transporting substances and bacteria that may jeopardise water quality in the recipient channel.
Owing to their small sizes and a lack of unified methods, adequate quantitative and qualitative analysis and reliable risk assessment of MNP have been difficult , especially in the case of nanoplastics, which are yet to be isolated from environmental samples. A unification of methodology for improved quantitative and qualitative assessment of the microplastic fractions could provide guidance for examination of nanoplastic fractions, which are believed to increase in importance as an ecological threat in coming years . While a wide array of protocols have been tested for MNP evaluation, method development research should consider using sample purification and forensic techniques in combination rather than individually, and aim to unify size class definitions and units of measurement to improve comparability among studies. In fluvial systems, modelling tools can be useful to assess key aspects regarding transport, degradation, storage, and fate of MNP in the environment. These considerations will result in a more accurate assessment of MNP abundance and distribution, both in inland and oceanic waters, helping to reduce errors in reporting results, and contributing to identification of where control measures should be implemented.
This project is funded by the Scottish Government’s Hydro Nation Scholars Programme. The programme is supported by CREW (Scotland’s Centre of Expertise for Waters) and administered by the James Hutton Institute. | 2019-04-24T17:04:09Z | https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs40362-017-0044-7 |
Due to the nature of the career that his new forever loving adoptive mom has, the respect for privacy has been noted and, her face has been blacked out.
Thanks Rachel for assisting in the HV with me and, to Bernie also in helping to bring him to begin this new chapter in his wonderful future!
I am so glad 40+ people were able to visit with him one last time on Sunday at our last 'BHRR' EXPERIENCE' Mini Open House of 2014, prior to him being officially adopted!
BHRR's Last 'EXPERIENCE' Mini Open House of 2014!
We cannot thank the 40+ attendees that came out to spend the day and, part of the evening with us!
These are just a few of the amazing BHRR dogs all lined up waiting for the latest 'fresh meat' arrivals to arrive to love on, lean on, drool on, sit on and, be spoiled in turn!
THANKS to all those that came, $628 was raised in donations and our 50/50(Thanks again to Terry for donating his winnings back $87 to help us with BHRR's Stafford's care!).
So proud of all the dogs! The comments and compliments continue to roll in with how social, well behaved, trained and outstanding these dogs are – AND, to think many of them were *labeled* aggressive prior to r/q rescue….So unfortunate….
Even, our newest additions of BHRR's Oakley, BHRR's Victory, BHRR's Ichabod Crane, BHRR's Salem, BHRR's Merlin and BHRR's Stafford ROCKED it!
Thanks everyone for the support, kindness, those that dropped off their SS.'s Plus ALL the yummy food/drink items to help us host another fabu event AND, for understanding the importance of why BHRR exists and, that we, value you as each of our strong LINKS on our 'CHAIN OF SUCCESS'!
This is BHRR's Flint with BHRR approved Volunteer R. Ng and her sister (they came to our BHRR 'EXPERIENCE' mini open house) on his way back to the place, we did a hv with on November 21st. We are going to do a trial transition for three nights and, then touch base again to see how things are going.
This is a great home. We are just not sure if it is the right home for BHRR's Flint. This is for several reasons that we have discussed in length – 3.5 hours at the hv on Friday, with the home.
We will continue to post updates as we can.
BHRR's Ichabod is figuring out the 'fresh meat' of our BHRR "EXPERIENCE" Mini Open Houses well! LOL You can see how emaciated he still is. BUT, we are working on it!!
AND, the 'fresh meat' in this photo coming up the steps is BHRR Approved Volunteer, Bruce M.
AND, we are on our way!! Safe driving Rachel and, I will see you there!
BHRR's Flint is being a great co-pilot, per usual. Keep up those best wishes that this could be that right matched forever loving home for him.
The Home-Visit for BHRR's Flint's possible future adoption is on Friday November 21st, 2014. We will update his blog as we can.
BHRR's Flint has moved under a PENDING ADOPTION! We will update his blog as we can.
All loveable big mushball of love! Such a good boy in his run.
AND, he had a FANTASTIC time with the 40 guests we had last Saturday September 27th at our 7th ANNUAL BHRR 'DINE WITH THE DOGGIES' Event at our home.
We are back at PV Stittsville again TODAY and, hope to see many of our friends and, meet new faces!
We are microchipping, doing nails, have photography, merchandise for sale and, BHRR's Porridge, BHRR's Angel Noelle AND, BHRR's Moncton shall be present!
This is ONLY our 3rd public appearance in 2014 for community awareness and, we only out one more time for 2014, and, that is in November!
The weather looks glorious and, thanks to ALL that came to visit yesterday plus for the extra hands, Bruce J. Moquin, Margaret Aris, Aaron & your gorgeous daughter AND, Ashley Beland, Breanne Jacklin, Regan, Melissa Gingras-Lepage AND, all the rest of the amazing staff at PV for making our day so wonderful!
Excited for what today holds! There is at least one home coming out to visit BHRR"s Moncton that is interested in possibly submitting an application for him when he is ready to be placed up for adoption also!
THANKS to everyone for a beautiful Saturday once again!
Honored as I am to write a testimonial on this Neo, whose primary job and role in life is to love everybody. He does it so well. I begin to think back to the stories of where I have met this "cool dude" of the dog world.
I think back to late last year, where I was fortunate enough to watch Flint. We walked around Pet Valu, we walked around the parking lot. The entire time people stopped me, asked me if they could pet this wonderful dog. Flint's response was nothing but acceptance and encouragement.
The next time, I met this puppy was when I was helping to look after the BHRR clan while Gwen and family left on holiday in March. Flint was again there waiting for his turn, offering nothing but acceptance and an ear to scratch. Then I heard that Flint had been adopted and a little piece of my heart broke, but I was super happy for him. Knowing that he was with his forever home. An amazing story for an amazing dog! What happens next – well you know!
In knowing that BHRR's Flint is coming to the microchip clinic, the entire trip from Casselman to Kanata, I was reminded with his recent experiences don't be surprised is a Flint is a little apprehensive to you. Understandably, however when he exits the car, and sees me he comes running towards me. Again that connection is made where a Flint offers nothing but acceptance and encouragement.
BHRR Flint is an Neo , who has the ability to stop people on the street and offer his wonderful ear for scratching, and is ready for his forever home.
BHRR's Flint had a great time at our 7th ANNUAL KAH/BHRR Microchip/Nail Trim & BBQ Fundraiser! Despite the rain that poured for 5 out of our 8 hour event(the first time ever, we had rain), over $6,500 was raised for the animals' of BHRR!
I have asked for more testomonials to add to BHRR's Flint's blog. Below are some photo's of his WOW day! He remains AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION! Photo's below are from Ashley of AMB Photography with the third photo being compliments of B. Jacklin.
Tomorrow, he has his special picnic date! Busy boy! When you are this social, you are in high demand. LOL On August 30th, should he not be adopted by then, he will be attending as one of our BHRR guests to the 3th annual movie in the park event in Ottawa, Ontario hosted by the Hintonburg Community Association and Global Pet Foods – Hintonburg. Each year, up to 25 of us get together, bring dogs, chairs, snacks and, watch a movie in the park. 🙂 I am told that he is being fought over by several to be 'their' special date. 😀 This event usually sees hundreds of responsible dog owners gather for a great evening under the stars.
BHRR's Flint had an AMAZING BHRR "EXPERIENCE' Mini Open House on June 22nd, 2014! He was always the first at the gate, sitting waiting for all the 'fresh meat' to arrive! 😉 He was a HUGE and, I mean HUGE hit to all 40+ folks that were in attendance. He was everything that I know he is and, what others know he is also! Just beaming over here! He was so well mannered and, a perfect gentleman.
We continue to bring him out everywhere so, that more and more people get to see and be witness to the 'real' him and, that us taking him back from this failed adoption was not any fault of his. This dog is not fear aggressive AT all. He does not have a mean bone in his body.
Below are some photo's from the BHRR 'EXPERIENCE' Mini Open house compliments of S. Dowler.
AND, his seroma was healing yet, still visible to all of our attendees.
I am going to begin to add some of the testimonials sent my way on this incredible Neo. I am also going to post the three photo's that our approved Volunteer Rachel took on May 28th, 2014, when she picked him up and before, we met. I am looking forward to our upcoming BHRR 'EXPERIENCE' Mini Open House so, that another 40+ people can interact with him, either again or for the very first time and, obtain even more testimonials. It is so important for people to understand just who this boy actually is and, any dog at BHRR is like for that matter. Full disclosure, so important and, for people to know that none of that adoption failure is BHRR's Flint's fault…..none….
"No words can express how we feel about BHRR's Flint. I first met Flint shortly after his arrival at BHRR, he was a sweet boy, my little elephant!! Flint was quick to fall asleep in my lap and stole my heart after lying with him for an hour or so. During that day he won over all who met him including children, adults and seniors everyone just couldn't get enough cuddles! Flint even let my 3 year old son walk him around and posed for a professional picture with him!
My husband and I recently had the opportunity to watch over and help with feedings for all the dogs at BHRR while the Boer's family was vacationing. We got to spend 10 days with Flint and fell even more in live with him! Every night we left my husband would try and convince me that we needed to adopt him and if it weren't for our current situation I would be completely on board! He was always so excited to see us and was always waiting for affection! Not once did he ever show any signs of fear or aggression towards us or any of the volunteers.
BHRR's Flint, My little elephant would make an amazing addition to the right family and bring so much love and joy and affection to their lives."
"I had the pleasure of meeting Flint at the BHRR Open house and the Pet Valu PAWS Event in (Stittsville) this year – April. The adorable Neapolitan Mastiff pup was cruising around the store with his very calm cool and collective stature. There wasn’t a person who didn’t stop to pet his ever so cute wrinkly body that he hasn’t quite grown into yet. Very well behaved he just sat or laid there and pretty much let anyone of all ages get all the loving in they wanted with him.
I would have to say he loves his treats… while in the store I offered to take him for a little walk around the store, and any chance he got to sniff or test a treat on a lower shelf he went for it, I couldn’t help but laugh and allow him to have one. He’s too cute to say no to!
While at the BHRR open house you truly got to see Flint in his element with his BHRR family, surrounded by the other dogs, some small and some so much bigger then him. To see Flint with the other dogs and interacting with Gwen and her family is a site to see, one big happy lovable family. It’s moments like these that are forever etched in my memory!! :)"
"Where to begin in describing BHRR Flint??
I have had the privilege in meeting Flint on many occasions; at Birch Haven as well as at public events, in the hands of Gwen as well as in the hands of volunteers (including myself).
What first comes to mind is a goofy, eager to please puppy, who is still figuring out where his feet are in relation to his body. I picture giant drooly jowls flapping in the wind as he runs tail wagging. I also see a forgiving puppy who is trying to put his past behind him and learn that the world is not scary and out to get him.
Yes, I have heard a low uncertain growl from him, but he has been easily redirected. With a gentle touch and a calm "no" he settles fine. Treat in hand coupled with patience, and said scary person is now a new best friend to Flint.
Under careful guidance, his eyes no longer show uncertainty, but rather, curiosity. His body is no longer tense with fear but relaxed and ready to take the world head on.
With careful molding and shaping, Flint has big potential and he will be a great ambassador for Neapolitan mastiffs."
Please allow me to add my five cents' worth (okay, maybe a toonie) about Flint. Poor Flint. What is being described is definitely not the sweet boy I was holding and walking. Flint accidentally stuck his head through the handle of an Easter basket, and he just continued to wander with it hanging from his neck without being fazed at all."
Flint has turned out to be such a sweet and gorgeous boy, and I just love him. I first met him after the Dine with the Animals event last year shortly after he arrived at BHRR. He was such shy little thing. I could see he wanted some attention, but by being patient and waiting and not pushing, he eventually came to me and a couple of other late hangers on for a few pats.
When I saw him again at the November open house, Flint was making the rounds going from person to person for some loving. He was a huge hit, and I was happy to see that he was not showing any ill effects from the attack on him. There was such a major improvement in his friendliness and comfort level among so many people/strangers. It was after everyone left that I got my one on one time with him. What an amazing difference from our first meeting. He was not shy about nudging me gently for his share of my attention and fell asleep with his huge head on my foot! I believe I fell in love with him that night!
I didn't get to see Flint again until the Saturday of the Pet Valu Stittsville community awareness event in April, as the February open house was canceled. I couldn't believe how huge he had gotten – that head and those paws! – and what a lovely boy he had become. He was so open and friendly with all who came into the store and was especially excited to meet the children. Flint would lay down to be at their level so that they could pet and fuss over him. He was incredibly patient with the little ones and so gentle when taking treats from them. Again, he was a huge hit with everyone from our volunteers to the store staff and customers. Flint was just as happy to wander around the store and BBQ area while with me or to stay quietly behind the table as I dealt with questions from people interested in BHRR. He was a fantastic ambassador that day! On a personal level, Flint was a dream – he listened and walked so well while on leash, and he would look back at me when we were walking to check on me.
My favourite memory of Flint that day was walking him around the store and letting him explore. Easter baskets had been set up as part of the photo area, and Flint eagerly stuck his head in one to check what was inside. When he lifted his head, the long handle of the basket slid over his head and onto his neck. He looked up at me in surprise, and I told him it was 'okay'. As I reached to remove it, Flint walked off to continue exploring with the basket hanging from his neck (think St, Bernard with a mini keg – LOL!). There was no anxiety or fear at all. A couple of store employees saw him and laughed. Flint was so cute. Unfortunately, the photographer was not there and we didn't have a camera/cellphone because I would have paid good money for that picture! 🙂 I let him wear the basket for a couple of minutes before taking it off.
I had never thought about owning a Neopolitan Mastiff before being partial to black Great Danes as many know, but I decided that night to bid on Flint as my Date as the auction had just started. I checked with Gwen about my available day for the date should I win, but did not tell her who I would be bidding on as I wanted to surprise her (all my previous 3 dates had been with black Great Danes) . I held off a bit before putting in my bid on him and had a couple of other bids in the works as well. I ended up in a bidding war with other interested parties, but I was determined to have an exclusive date with Flint so much so that I forgot to monitor my other bids in the last fifteen minutes. I can't tell you how excited I was to win the date with Flint and even more excited for him to learn that he could potentially be adopted before our date.
Flint is a superb dog, and I have never encountered any aggressive or negative behaviour from him towards people or other dogs. With consistent training and reinforcement of the groundwork laid by BHRR, I have no doubt that Flint will continue to be the fabulous well rounded dog that anyone would be proud to call their own as he matures. When I am ready for my next dog, I will have to give serious consideration towards the Neopolitan Mastiff thanks to this wonderful, sweet puppy boy – for he is still very much one!
I was so surprised to read that Flint is back at BHRR, but THANK GOODNESS he is! Wow! What that person wrote about him being fearful and growling just didn't sound one bit like the sweet Flint I met last fall! He met so many people at the Dine With The Dogs and at the mini open house (me included) and was so friendly and so receptive of pats and loving! When I read that he submissive peed when he saw Sean, my heart just broke. Something bad must have happened in the short time he was at that adoptive home. 🙁 I'm glad Rachel was able to pick him up and get him to you right away!
Please give wee Flint a hug from all of us.
Much to update on BHRR's Flint. It has taken me almost a week to be able to write a blog update on this incredible dog and, thank you to everyone that has submitted testimonials on him to date. So important, for people to not just 'trust' my word, despite my education, experience, knowledge and that fact, that I have lived with this dog since September 19th, 2013. This boy has been exposed to hundreds and hundreds upon hundreds of folks – from friends, fans, strangers, vets, family, volunteers, adults, kids, seniors, infants, men, women etc. from the time he has arrived, both in our home, at community education and public awareness events and, at work, play dates, play visits both in my hands and, with many others for all of the above. He is one of the most popular of BHRR's dogs. AND, for our third annual special picnic date online auction, BHRR's Flint was the biggest winner for funds raised and, had quite the bid war.
I even left two types of bones, a collar, a leash, a bag of FROMM also with him.
Each dog that is adopted has a very detailed information package emailed to the home prior to the adoption. We also discuss over the phone the dog with the applicant.The blogs are very detailed on the journey our dogs go through and, nothing is hidden. The good, the bad, the great and the ugly are all posted.
We have been operating over 18.5 years now, and this is the 6th dog that we have taken back in that time. Our adoption success rates were 100% for over ten years of operating and were 99% up to last Wednesday May 28th, when I brought him back. Actually, the adoption failed on the 27th of May, not even 48 hours after the adoption occurred. It is so important that we do the best we can and 'right' by each dog that crosses our doors and set-up our dogs and any possible right matched homes for success. We did discuss with the home re: CM tactics as the home was a big fan of CM and, how we do not support any corporal or punitive practices and, sent on literature plus video of examples what CM has done to dogs in the past.
I think its goin ok! Flint has met a couple new people already. He seems unsure when first meeting people but warms up fast. I've taken him for a few walks around the block, he tends to pull very hard on the leash. He sometimes does ok on correction but it will take awhile to be good on leash. He spent the night in the cage and did ok! I'm lookin forward to starting obedience training as I think that will solve a lot of issues.
So far, nothing really terrible in this email on the surface. BHRR's Flint is great on a leash yet, as I told the home, BHRR's Flint has to know that the home knows that BHRR's Flint knows about manners. Yet, I had planned on sending an email ASAP to address the leash manners for, he should not be taking time to be good on a leash. AND, the comment about 'solve a lot of issues', concerned us. This also was in the plan to delve further ASAP. Like all of those that Volunteer for BHRR, I am also a Volunteer of BHRR, and, do have two pt careers outside of my ft work at BHRR and, have a family and other commitments and, as so many are aware, I am up to 5 or 6 AM almost every day, working to help animals and people in need out there, as a Volunteer.
However, I did not even get the chance to respond, for, I then received the following and, I was stunned, shocked, deeply concerned and emailed back as soon as I could and also alerted the rest of the BHRR BOD. We have gone from the home stated as being 'seems unsure when first meeting people but warms up fast' in the first email to what is in no way BHRR's Flint. We have also gone from 'goin ok!' to this…..
AND, I am posted this as, for anyone else that may consider applying to adopt BHRR's Flint, do know that, we remain full of full disclosure and, want people to understand that this adoption failure is not BHRR's Flints fault.
On May 27, 2014, at 12:53 PM, this is what I received re: BHRR's Flint's behaviour in email and, it was similar in the vm left and the word 'aggressive' was also used.
I tried calling and left a message. I want to be honest with you and myself. The first couple days with flint have been hard. At times I see this happy go lucky softy. At other times I see a very fearful dog. I have had a couple instances where flint was very fearful especially when meeting new people at my home or on walks. Flint has growled at me (after waking up from a dream and you could tell he didn't know where he was or was unsure of his surroundings, it took more than 20 minutes for him to calm down), growled at visitors to my home, and growled and even showed his teeth at a passer by on a walk. I was afraid he would snap at the person, so I quickly just got out of the situation and apologized."
Though, per the adoptive homes signed contract, it was their responsibility to bring BHRR's Flint back to BHRR safely, I jumped on this. Something was seriously wrong. Thank you to Rachel for answering my request for assistance and, arrangements were made for her to get him on Wednesday and, I would then get BHRR's Flint from her. I am grateful to the home for emailing me so, we could act fast.
Our dog is back safe with us, and, we are keeping BHRR's Flint the priority.
When the BHRR approved Volunteer got BHRR's Flint, he was not nervous or scared to see her and, she then texted me to say that she was taking him to a dog park and, when I met her, she also told me she took him to PetSmart. This person had not seen BHRR's Flint since March, almost 10 weeks prior and, no signs of anything remotely negative to report. He met an elderly person, a pregnant person, kids and, all sorts of folks. God, he loves kids! The only unsure sign he gave was when they first walked in PetSmart and Rachel reminded him that he was ok and, off they went. She even purchased a big smoked dino bone for him.
What was also pointed out to me was a very large fluid pocket area on BHRR's Flint's lower side when I met the BHRR approved Volunteer to get him and, I did email the home to ask how that could have happened as it would really benefit BHRR's Flint and the Vet to help treat him. It was bigger than a large fist in size, very promniant. I did not get an answer as to the cause from the home. BHRR's Flint is now on antibiotics for what was diagnosed as a seroma. 40 cc's were drained and, if need be, more will be drained if required.
When I arrived home that evening from making the drive to meet our BHRR approved Volunteer, BHRR's Flint was nervous of my 13 year old son Mason and I just handed him the leash and, all was fine again. What did distress me is that when he saw Sean, he submissive peed in the fading daylight. That disturbed all of us immensely to see that.
It took me until the wee early hours of Saturday May 31st and, was so worth only getting 2.5 hours sleep – to successfully integrate him back into the pack here. He would stand between my legs and shake. This dog does not have a mean bone in his body. Never has. It was heartbreaking……. 🙁 🙁 Yet, he is now back into the groove and, no longer wanting to hide in a crate or between my legs and is eating, drinking, and, playing back to normal again.
I shall add photo's taken last Wednesday by the BHRR approved Volunteer and the testimonials sent so far in another blog. This one has become long enough………..
BHRR's Flint has been ADOPTED!
***I held him close, whispered into BHRR's Flint's ear and told him just how proud I am of him, that he deserves nothing but the best and, to keep being such an incredible asset/ambassador to his breed!
I told him how brave he was, thanked him for making me a better person and enriching our home plus heart and, that I would miss him dearly yet, he does not need me any longer…….LOVE you so much BHRR's Flint! CONGRATS!
BHRR's Flint's hv has now been scheduled for Sunday May 25th. Will update his blog as I can.
BHRR's Flint is moving under a PENDING ADOPTION! We will update his blog as we can. Everything crossed that this is that right matched forever loving home meant for him.
BHRR's Flint is now AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION again.
Unfortunately, we could not successfully close off on the Vet reference for the home that had applied to be considered as a possible forever loving adoptive home for him. I have enjoyed conversing with the home over the past almost week, and do sincerely wish them nothing but the very best.
BHRR's Flint is moving under a PENDING ADOPTION!
I will update his blog as I can.
Below are two photo's from the PAWS event he attended on Saturday April 12th. He is always so popular no matter where he goes! AND, did fabu!
So many remarked on how social and loving he has become and obedient! 🙂 AND gorgeous AND, how large his feet are! LOL He was just shy of 111 pounds on April 3rd, 2014 at Dr. Liston. I was asked many times, how big is he going to get and, he is going to get as big as he is meant to be healthy and happy! 🙂 He could be 130 pounds, he could be 150 pounds. All good! He is now around 9 months of age. Makes my heart so warm and proud of him! 🙂 AND, I have a note from Dr. Liston that says that he DOES not require cherry eye surgery. He says that he thoroughly even checked his tear ducts and eyelids etc. and all is normal and healthy and his eyes are perfect for a Neapolitian Mastiff. He says that any cherry eyes that he had when he was younger has been grown out of and, I asked for his note to have for his file so that any right matched perfect fit home, and, their Vet can be assured that at BHRR, we remain full of honesty and in doing full disclosure and that NO dog does without.
His hips and teeth are good for now also!
Any Vet or home that would be approved to adopt this boy, can also discuss his eyes with Dr. Liston(an expert in cherry eyes with Neo's etc.).
I had felt they were now just wicked haws that the breed was prone to yet, wanted to cross all 't's' and dot all 'i's' and so………..on that NOTE, BHRR's FLINT is now AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION! YAY!
He can go to a home that works pt, ft, from home, semi-retired, retired etc. ANOTHER wonderful BHRR versatile dog! I would love to see him a home with another dog, that right matched personality fit one. Male or female does not matter. THERE is not one mean bone in this boy. He is actually quite 'soft' and, he will ONLY go to a home, as with all of our dogs that believe in positive reinforcement(he is so eager to please me and bonds fast plus easily). He is a bit of an excite-man at moments and, has to be reminded sometimes, to sit, take a deep breath and, he will get to see the other dogs or people when he is not going to splat them! He continues to be great with cats also. He is quite mindful and respectful. 🙂 Most of the time, he is calm and quiet and just the best of companions. He has quite the bark on him when he does decide to talk!
He is 100% housebroken and, we still put him in a crate from time to time(he eats in a crate) so, that he remains comfortable for as many know, if more homes crate trained, more homes would be safe plus the dog. If the time came that he was injured or sick and, had to be on crate rest, he would be comfortable and, would not stress when at a Vet Hospital or home. He often will lay in a crate with the door open just as a safe spot.
He is a real character when you get to know him and, he makes my heart thud and thump with such love. From terrified quivering abused mass of jelly to this wonderful social and well mannered and even tempered boy.
He was the last dog that we were asked to assist by a wonderful wonderful wonderful woman that passed away suddenly last year and, we were the last group to save a dog in her life and, BHRR's Groves was the first one she saved in her death. THANK you Debbie(RIP)! AND, Joy! Power Rescue DREAM TEAM! 🙂 I still have four blog posts to add to his section and, am, slowly getting them done. I did another three updates just now. I like the blogs to be detailed and current and, I had fallen behind in 2013 due to the ft management of our BHRR Fb page etc. With that being unpublished for 2014(perhaps even 2015, we shall see), I am catching up immensely.
BHRR’s Flints’ bilateral cherry eye surgery has been rescheduled from March 27th at KAH to April 34rd at LAH with Dr. Liston. His Vet at KAH feels more comfortable sending him elsewhere for this procedure being a Neo.
He is now over 8 months of age and, old enough that we hope that the cherry eyes surgery ‘takes’. Dr. Liston may not do the ‘modern’ method of tacking with him. He may do the traditional method of ‘cutting.’ With the latter method, dry eye could be a possible side effect and, something to note for any possible future adoptive home for him. I will update once he has the surgery and what method Dr. Liston felt best for him.
BHRR’s Winter Wonderland #3 VIDEO – November 27th, 2013!
UPDATE: BHRR's Vet visit showed that he most likely has some minor nerve trauma to his left eye. I was told that things could greatly improve yet, not to be surprised if it does not. Everything else appears to be normal and they do not suspect any neuro damage right now…..
He rock starred all the people he saw and only stood behind me with his head peeking out behind my legs a few times.
What a courageous boy he was!!
UPDATE: BHRR's Flint is doing ok…..he had a 24 hour recheck today and he is back tomorrow for another one and then at 72 hours to start.
They are a bit worried with how droopy one eye appears to be and that his colour is not yet 100% yet, the swelling in his neck and lower face has gone down a lot and though, still a bit more quiet than normal and that he is sticking to me quite closely, he is doing really well…..
He is playing some with Matrix and BHRR's Groves and, at the first sign, of any real excitement, he will run off to a crate and sit in it from the safety of it and watch and observe and when he is comfortable, he will come back out.
He is eating fairly well, yet, we know with his severe underbite, he has issues eating like other dogs and, so, the Vets are happy with knowing that he is eating and drinking per almost his normal.
A whole new journey has begun for him…..my poor wee elephant. All of the fear rehab that had been done, well, we will just keep going onward….
One baby step at a time…….when he is ready, we will be back out there visiting and doing play-dates again. Could have happened to any animal out there(this dog that attacked BHRR's Flint has killed cats in the past and grabbed and hurt other dogs), and, still feeling so fortunate and blessed that I have this amazing boy named BHRR's Flint still with us……one, replays in their mind over and over again, the 'what it's' and 'could I' and 'I should have' and, and, and, and….
At the end of the day, I have resolved to the best that I can within myself, that I took all precautionary methods as I normally do in visiting with my dogs to homes of our friends, family and approved Volunteers and, I did what I had to, to get this dog off BHRR's Flint. I have no regrets stepping in and would do so again, if need be to save a life.
The home of the dog continues to pay for BHRR's Flints bills and I am to continuing to *work* calmly and on educating properly re: their dog. By-law is involved.
May everyone have a wonderful rest of their night. Tell all your loved ones how much you care about them….it is important!
Today, BHRR is grateful and appreciative and humbled by SO much. I have a HUGE Gwennie Novel to post re: JUST how emotionally affected I have been by the generous natures, and, beautiful hearts of quite a few to BHRR………..
Yet, this post is one that I am making is to express my thanks FOR another reason, to all the powers that may be that our dear BHRR's Flint is still with us….
Late this afternoon, when we stopped to visit some extremely lovely folks with some of the dogs(we brought the Bluez boyz – my own two Multi CH. GD's, BHRR's Flint and BHRR's Groves) to also visit. Very commonplace for here to take dogs wherever we go.
When we were parked, about 75 – 100 m from the home, we began to take the dogs out of the truck.
As I turned to bring out Mushmouse(my Tain), I caught a glimpse of a dog making a very fast beeline for us. I did NOT like the body language at all.
I turned and as, I called out for help, the dog grabbed BHRR's Flint, had him pinned and was choking him. Not shaking, not making one sound – no growls, no snarls, not a peep. The dog was a big boy, and, in a different setting, I would have admired his beautiful coat, a mixed breed stunning dog. Yet, not this evening.
Tain cowered in the back of the truck, Bronson was going back and forth very concerned and BHRR's Groves planted himself squarely between my feet and sat and shook.
Our friends came running towards us, got the rest of the dogs out of the way while(and, I am sorry for the words I am about to utter yet, I had to get this dog off BHRR's Flint…I would never harm anything if I could avoid it…. ), I began using what physical force I could. The dog did not have a collar on and, I kicked and I punched and I yanked. I was like a fly on the back of a horse…..
So, I made the decision that I had to get my hands in this dog's mouth to get it off BHRR's Flint. He was crushing his throat and BHRR's Flint was going limp….
Then, I had to wait…I knew it was coming…I knew that at some point, the dog was going to release to shift to get a better grab on my wee man and as I felt it happening, I shoved my hands further between BHRR's Flint and the teeth of this dog.
When, this happened, and, I knew it was going to, the dog re-directed towards me and I put myself then between BHRR's Flint and the dog, standing almost over my poor boy, now laying limp and feeling helpless, as I could not yet, begin to check him out.
As the dog moved in, a neighbour to the home, we were visiting, had a shovel and shook it over his head and yelled and hollared and with that combined with our friends also making noises and becoming a bit of a 'mob', the dog took off.
I just sunk to my knees and was very careful in assessing BHRR's Flint….he was so white…not just a bit pale, white. Shock for sure and I had no idea what other, especially internal injuries he may have sustained.
He was breathing, he only had some very small punctures, not tears – the dog was crushing him to death…..yet, what was going on inside of him?
We carefully lifted him into the truck and covered him up, put up the heat and drove to the emergency….
My boy spent quite a few hours under observation, after being examined, poked, prodding, put on fluids, had blood drawn, x-rayed and though, he does have some trauma to his neck plus neck, a ruptured saliva gland, BUT, he is going to ok. Until, I heard those words, the world felt very surreal…..you just work and move on auto pilot in motion….
His colour is almost normal now, he is alert(understandably not his fast usual becoming perky self) and he is going to be OK! He is going to be OK! Yup! You can believe the tears that welled up…and overflowed…..without shame…..or worry or are that anyone was looking.
I am now in dealings with the O. of the dog that was at large….apparently, a 'problem' in the area and trying to educate and not just point fingers and blame…..
They are finally going to be taking care of BHRR's Flint's bills….as they should in my opinion.
For me, I was given a miracle late this afternoon…..and, I am feeling blessed….BHRR's Flint is still with us….
I always check before letting dogs out that everything is ok…this dog moved fast…never saw the dog before(it lives several blocks over from where I was visiting) and this is my last post of tonight, for, I am now going to go snuggle with BHRR's Flint and all the dogs here and tell them that they are all ok and safe….
Please hug your loved ones…..precious life can be snatched away from you in a blink of an eye.
BHRR's Flint is hanging with me at work today and his new weight @ 4 months is now 30.6 Kgs(67.32 pounds) – he almost weighs as much as our HOBBIT who is 8 months of age.
In just three weeks he has put on another 13.42 pounds! No longer uber skinny and terrified, he is rocking the world! He had a FANTASTIC two days at PV Stittsville this past weekend. Only two small moments, one with a man – soft woof and then we made a new friend! and then on Sunday with two girls and was just re-directed.
His baseball bat of a tail has been wagging non-stop and it was so heart warming to see how many people who saw him when he first arrived and then again this past weekend and noted JUST how amazing he is continuing to be!!!!
We will do pre-surgical bw today and boosters and check out those bilateral cherry eyes again and when he is older, we will have them fixed!
UPDATE: The Vet has thoroughly examined him and his severe underbite is much worse and so, when he is under for his cherry eyes – his left eye is much worse than his right, those teeth will be addressed. We also shall get a much better look at those back hips of his…..
WHAT a brave man he was!!!
He has a TON of potential, is uber sweet, and has bonded so fast to me.
BHRR's Flint as we are calling him arrived safely to KAH today. As soon as I picked him up, and, drove out of the parking lot, I knew that I had to take him to public venues ASAP. He had been taken from the shelter, driving to us, put into a run at KAH until I could arrive and get him. What a stressful day, EVEN if it was all to get him into a good place and, to have a great future! We drove to PetSmart in Kanata and walked the aisles……..he was SOOOOOOOOOOO scared and had, wicked fear aggression in the car, made worse in the dark. Poor thing. He is such a sweetie and so gorgeous so, lots of socialization in his future!!!
As we walked up and down, it was nice and quiet and, the few people we saw there, were very understanding plus respectful and supportive, you could see him visibly relaxing. We needed to get into a lighted venue/arena area and it was working. We did not stay long…..just enough for him to have a chance to catch his breath and settle.
Below are some photo's of him at KAH and at PetSmart!
Person 1: "Male fixed not yet 4 months old. Bit hand shy at first, warms up quickly. Any chance dog could get out on the weekend?"
Person 2: "I need to get this puppy out ASAP. Would you be interested? He was dumped at the shelter….No issue puppy but does show cage aggression. Just needs a little socializing."
At 4:02 PM, I said 'yes, we would commit to him. | 2019-04-22T02:38:59Z | http://www.birchhaven.org/archives/category/success-no-show/flint |
"In a world where stressors will remain largely uncontrollable, the most suitable candidate for control remains the self."
Mental health has loomed large in my life both personally and professionally for as long as I can remember. It touched my family, and later it became the focus of my social work discipline for the better part of a decade.
This post is pretty academic—it's definitely geared towards mental health practitioners—but I'd say there's value here for anyone with a loved one with depression, or anyone feeling like the treatments they've received for depression aren't working.
This post in a nutshell: your reality, for better or worse, is exactly what your perceive it to be. Change your perception, and you change your reality. Negativity and hopelessness are, to a large degree, choice interpretations of events and circumstances. You can choose differently. Mindfulness is a technique to help.
A confession: drug therapy concerns me. I believe in life-saving medications, certainly, but not in perpetual dependence on substances that are not fully understood, even by their own manufacturers. In my years as a mental health professional, the most frightening thing I learned about psychotropic drugs was that the pharmaceutical industry understands that their new products work, but often don't know exactly how or why. That was enough to make me thoroughly investigate the non-chemical options: diet (which I'll save for another post) and therapy.
Current studies have indicated that mindfulness meditation (MM) may be “a promising form of treatment for several physical and psychological conditions, including stress and mood symptoms in general, anxiety disorders, depression relapse prevention, chronic pain, fibromyalgia, binge eating, substance abuse, and skin related diseases” (Ramel, Goldin, Carmona & McQuaid, 2004, p. 434). With specific regard to clinical depression, mindfulness represents a valuable long-term maintenance and relapse prevention strategy not offered by other forms of conventional psychotherapy (like standard Cognitive Behavioural Therapy [CBT]) or currently available pharmaceuticals (like citalopram [Celexa], fluoxetine [Prozac], paroxetine [Paxil], and sertraline [Zoloft]).
It is a reality of our time that the same companies promoting antidepressants in the media are also largely responsible for underwriting their research. Promotional spending in the form of direct-to-consumer advertising increased from $266 million in 1994 to $2.6 billion in 2002 (Donohue & Berndt, 2004), making the research and marketing of pharmaceuticals one of the most significant and salient initiatives competing for consumer attention today. Scepticism about this model of business has led to pharmacoeconomic studies of antidepressants, which demonstrate a clear association between study sponsorship and quantitative outcome (Baker, Johnsrud, Crismon, Rosenheck & Woods, 2003).
Clearly, antidepressants are not a miracle cure, though it is equally clear that increased consumer demand paired with questionable efficacy will leave large numbers asking for and receiving treatment which may be of little use, and may be damaging. The skewed pharmaceutical studies examined by Baker et al. (2003) consistently favoured the latest products of the respective companies over older drugs, making the public most likely to ask for (and receive) products for which the least amount of longitudinal data is available. Beyond the potential physical health risks from side-effects, there exists the emotional let-down experienced by individuals who have tried yet-another treatment that has failed. Additionally, it is important to recall the intended short-term use of these products. Even for those who experience improved mood and affect (regardless of whether this is due to actual or placebo effects), the benefit is ultimately time-limited.
Therapists must necessarily be prepared to provide a competitive option to those who medication has and has not helped—one that although not as convenient as a pill, is relatively simple to integrate into our clients' everyday lives. It should be conceptually simple, but deeply rooted in relevance and truth. It should be easy to learn, and possible to eventually master. It should be a system where the client is fully integrated into the process, in the determination of how and why things in their lives are as they are, and how to effect change in those areas. Most importantly, it should elevate the client to the role of expert, while reducing the social worker to the role of guide, and ultimately, it should be a system that is portable—one that the client can take with them beyond therapy and back into everyday life. The “Third Wave” of behavioral and cognitive therapies described by Hayes (2004) and others promises such a system. Integral to these Third Wave therapies is the practice of mindfulness, a process which has special applicability in the treatment of depression.
In relating to others based on a negative self-view or world-view, mood and mannerisms are likely to elicit reactions from others which conform to the actor's expectations.
In acknowledging the degree to which perception shapes our view of reality, and how our corresponding behaviour may function to maintain that reality, it is not difficult to understand the role this cycle may potentially play in the development of certain personality disorders and other mental illnesses. According to Gunaratana (1992), mental conditions such as anxiety and depression are not merely states of existence, but procedures arrived at in series, like links in a chain. As such, they lend themselves to analysis, treatment, and prevention through Third Wave interventions, like Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT), an approach specifically developed for the treatment of recurrent depression (Teasdale et al., 2000; Fennell, 2004). However, mindfulness as a therapeutic tool can be adapted into any treatment regimen, including Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), which is effective in treating acute depression.
For those familiar with CBT, mindfulness may be initially conceived of as an extension of the reframing technique, where an individual's static view of reality is challenged by the therapist, and altered in terms of how the same elements would appear through an alternate perspective. However, the practice is better conceptualised as a deframing technique, where it is understood that no real, inherent meanings exist apart from our own individual (and arbitrary) attribution, and that it is necessary to stop assigning powerful meanings to neutral events (i.e., thoughts).
In the process of separating thought from reality, mindfulness does not involve the suppression of negative emotions. In fact, attempting to suppress negative thoughts merely substitutes one style of dysfunctional behaviour for another – from unchecked reaction and rumination to excessive, internal meta-cognitive scanning, that constantly searches for examples of negative emotions (Gardner & Moore, 2004). However, in actively searching ongoing behaviour for negativity, one brings to awareness the very emotions that one is concurrently trying to suppress, which has the potential of increasing the frequency of the same thoughts for which suppression is desired (Gardner & Moore, 2004).
To experience thoughts and feelings without dwelling on their content.
To develop an awareness that we have automatic reactions to these stimuli, and to recognize what those reactions are.
In reading quotations such as this, and in further knowing that the practice of mindfulness in therapy (by pioneers like Jon Kabat-Zinn and others) has its roots in Buddhism, there is likely to be a wide variation of reactions among social workers. Some may feel an instant connection with these ideas as an implicitly understood truth—one which is only solidified by the research findings that have supported its increasing use. Others may feel distinctly uncomfortable at the notion of embracing concepts and practices which seem to stray far from allopathic treatment, and into the domain of philosophy and spirituality, despite the research findings.
This in of itself may be a personal demonstration of our own automatic reactions to the unexpected or the unknown. Whether by our socialization within a society where the medical model has been the dominant paradigm, or by a personal need to remain closely aligned with highly scientific feeling interventions in order to minimize the “legitimacy gap” that many social workers perceive between themselves and other practitioners of the “hard sciences”, it is important to remember that skepticism is a natural and human response. Mindfulness itself encourages the acknowledgment of this, while encouraging the removal of any associated guilt or blame.
The challenge, as social workers (or therapists, or a person with depression), is the utilization of a technique that seems as far removed from conventional treatment as any we may have experienced before. As will be discussed later, meditation can integrate well into more typical forms of cognitive behavioural therapy. However, integrating this new approach into work with the clinically depressed obviously necessitates a level of comfort and experience on our part. Clients are likely to react with a similar variety of responses, and we must be prepared to address their concerns or ambivalence with knowledge from our own use of mindfulness and meditation. As such, it is necessary that any who would be a teacher of others should also be a user in their everyday life (Kabat-Zinn, 2003).
Choose a quiet and comfortable area, preferably one that can be designated for this specific purpose on an ongoing basis.
Select a specific period of time (e.g. 15 minutes) and set a an egg timer out of your view, so you will hear the signal to end without being able to focus on the clock.
Sit on the floor, assuming an erect posture. If it is necessary to sit in a chair, ensure that your legs remain still and your feet remain flat on the floor.
Look at the floor, a few inches in front of you. Do your best to clear your mind of all thoughts about the past and the future, and instead stay focused on the present.
Concentrate on your breathing. Focus on the sensation and regularity of the breaths as they enter and exit your body. Feel how the air moves through your chest, nostrils and mouth.
When thoughts cross your mind, do not attempt to suppress them. Do not evaluate the thoughts or yourself. Note them, and continue to relax and breathe regularly. If the thoughts become excessive in number or intensity, note which thoughts caused the diversion and attempt to return focus to your breathing, and the present moment. Do not dwell on the thoughts or blame yourself.
Duration of meditation can vary widely. MBCT incorporates weekly half-day meditation sessions, and daily homework assignments of 45 minute guided meditation to audiotape, or daily 30 minute silent meditation without audiotape (Ramel, Goldin, Carmona & McQuaid, 2004). A fifteen minute session like that described above, conducted silently, may be more practically accomplished during a therapy session, with the option of longer assignments for homework.
From a therapist perspective, the discomfort of this exercise comes from the lack of firm directives. While more conventional therapy might have us direct a client to reflect on specific elements that we consider to be central to their depression, meditation asks that we prompt them to clear their mind.
As an invitation to an experiential exercise, we are less sure of the response we will receive from the client after the time has concluded. It should be noted however that asking someone to clear their mind (or asking it of ourselves) is simple to request but nearly impossible to sustain over a period of several minutes. The important part of meditation within a therapeutic setting is in the client relating what thoughts intruded upon their internal process, and how these are unreal, disruptive, and possible to neutralize. In being primarily non-directive, client feedback after meditation is illustrative of what thoughts cause them the most distraction. Repetition of this exercise is useful both as practice in attaining a calm, non-reactive, non-judgemental state in relation to stressors, as well as identifying which stressors are subsiding and which remain especially troublesome to the client (and are thus a focus for continued CBT).
Those familiar with CBT may be confused as to how mindfulness (and specifically Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy, or MBCT) differs, and how they are the same. As the name implies, MBCT is actually a combination of CBT and Jon Kabat-Zinn's Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR). Beyond the inclusion of MM, MBCT differs from CBT in that it was specifically designed to be delivered to clients with recurring episodes of major depression, whereas CBT is focused on acute sufferers (Ma & Teasdale, 2004). The inclusion (for MBCT) or exclusion (for CBT) of MM also distinguishes each approachs' emphasis on internal messages. Mindfulness entails the recognition that our perception is inherently flawed, and that the meaning that we attribute to objects and events is also flawed, but that our reactions to these mental constructs creates real anguish. Consequently, the end product of MM is the eventual reduction automatic reactions, replaced by a non-judgemental, non-reactive awareness. Traditional CBT readily seeks to replace errant perceptions with alternatives that the therapist deems to be more realistic. One approach lets go of the automatic reactions we have to what we (falsely) perceive as reality; the other attempts to change our perception of reality (Ma & Teasdale, 2004).
Each approach has been determined to be effective with its targeted client base, the conclusion being that there are fundamental differences between people who suffer acute depression, and those who suffer multiple episodes over time (Teasdale et al., 2000; Ma & Teasdale, 2004; Fennell, 2004). In fact, early studies observed that MBCT seemed only effective with clients who had experienced three or more previous episodes of major depression (Teasdale et al., 2000). Later replications determined that there were significant base population differences between those who had experienced 3 or more recurrences versus those who had experienced only two. In analyzing the data from the initial study as well as the replication, it was determined that the latter group (2 episodes of MDD) had experienced their initial onset later in life, and had similar childhood experiences as the never-depressed control group (Ma & Teasdale, 2004).
Still, it is important to keep in mind that no approach need be as inflexible and static as it appears. MBCT was actually intended to be delivered to non-depressed groups of clients over an 8 week period as a preventative measure towards future episodes, with the design primarily as a means of cost-effectiveness (Ma & Teasdale, 2004; Ramel, Goldin, Carmona & McQuaid, 2004), but there is no reason why its techniques cannot be combined with others, or be adapted for individual use. Similarly, CBT for depression (which is intended for actively depressed clients) can include aspects of mindfulness even if MM is never included. For example, rather than attempting to replace one kind of perception with another, CBT could instead focus on the psychological harm of the reaction itself without necessarily trying to substitute another alternate perception. For thinking that is inherently flawed, an intervention based on analysis and replacement has the potential of being infinite, with each new flawed perception requiring assistance in seeing it differently. Additionally, in those cases where the perception largely agrees with fact (as the therapist perceives it), it is still the client's reaction that remains problematic.
In a world where stressors will remain largely uncontrollable, the most suitable candidate for control remains the self. For those who feel helpless and exercise a need to feel in complete control of people and objects in their lives, providing a technique that allows for real control (of self) rather than illusionary, dysfunctional control (of external elements) can be very effective. In diverting focus onto present moment awareness and reaction and away from a definition of reality, there exists a great potential for a high tolerance for a great variety of stressors, and an increased presence of mind to use learned coping skills (Roemer & Orsillo, 2003).
Most (if not all) of the current intervention techniques are combinations or adaptations of other techniques, specialized for specific applications. As a social worker it is valuable to have a working familiarity with the common elements of CBT, MBCT, and mindfulness, and adapt them in a way that meets your needs, and that of your client population. Indeed there are already recommendations within the literature to formally integrate these various approaches more closely (Roemer & Orsillo, 2002; Fennell, 2004; Cayoun, 2004).
Within a new therapeutic partnership, where rapport is not fully established and depression may be impairing the client's communicativeness, it can be problematic to distinguish between temporary negative thinking which is tied to mood; and more firmly held beliefs independent of mood, where the client strongly identifies with negative self-cognition (Fennell, 2004). The former client, whose current functioning represents a departure from their “normal self” may respond well to conventional CBT for depression, whereas the latter one, whose feeling of worthlessness is intrinsic to their definition of “normal self”, is unlikely to. While having some understanding of a client's early childhood experiences and their age of initial onset of MDD seems to be important in determining whether they will respond to CBT, MBCT, or some longer-term variation of one or the other, it is also important to look for response clues in guiding ongoing treatment.
Clients without enduring self-esteem problems will respond well to CBT's emphasis on changing the content of thoughts with those that re-affirm their pre-depression definition of self (Teasdale et al., 2000). They are also more likely to engage more readily in exercises within treatment, complete take-home assignments given by the therapist, and demonstrate swift gains in Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) scores (Fennell, 2004). Conversely, clients whose low self-esteem is deeply entrenched are unlikely to respond to alternate ways of defining themselves, will be less engaged in therapeutic activities, and are unlikely to complete any exercises unless they take place in the presence of and with the encouragement of the social worker. Naturally, between these two extreme types of “I feel worthless” and “I am worthless”, there exists a continuum of variation along which the length of time for successful engagement and eventual improvement varies correspondingly (Fennell, 2004).
For any progress to be possible with clients whose core concept is resistant to change, it is necessary to first work on achieving some admission from the client that change is even possible. To that end, it is important to understand that any integration of MM might well be delayed until treatment with more practical, conventional exercises is well underway. While the unstructured nature of MM may be useful in generating themes for discussion, its departure from the norm is sufficiently daunting that it may be a poor choice for trying to work with a client whose engagement is tenuous, and whose inner-perception of competency puts an exercise like this out of their reasonable grasp.
Treatment rationale – A beginning exercise, and one which is useful in securing an initial willingness to embrace the possibility of change, is to engage the client in a discussion of what CBT is, and how changing thoughts has a positive impact on health (Fennell, 2004). While it may not be necessary to include a full-fledged discussion of mindfulness, as a therapist you can remain aware at this point that your implementation of CBT can vary it its utilization of the technique. If the client does not respond to the short-term cognitive reframing of errant perception, as is practised in traditional CBT, a continuum of less directiveness and more extended exploration of perception and truth (with or without MM) remains an option over the course of treatment. It is important to note that by including the client in the understanding of the tools and rationale, the power of the social worker as expert is diminished. This can also serve as an important step in rapport building.
Questionnaires – These offer a number of benefits, from assessing initial and subsequent functioning to serving as methodical tools for client self-exploration of feelings and experiences (Fennell, 2004). Instruments such as the BDI, MDI, and the HAM-D provide a monitoring tool and an additional source of feedback for the therapist. Walach, Buchheld, Buttenmuller, Kleinknecht & Schmidt (2006) demonstrated that the Freiburg Mindfulness Inventory (FMI) was “a useful, valid and reliable questionnaire for measuring mindfulness” (p. 1551). It is available in two formats – a 30 question version suitable for researchers, and a 14 question variant suitable for general use, but which correlates almost perfectly with the full version. The latter derivative is included as an appendix in their 2006 journal article. Clients (and social work therapists) may find it especially accessible in that it contains no hint of Buddhist practices or meditative techniques, but identifies the significant related mental processes.
Formulation – This intervention examines the aetiology of personal problems, as well as the mechanisms that maintain them (Fennell, 2004). By tracing the experiences that have led the client to their current mode of thinking or feeling, each of the steps can be examined and understood. Additionally, in demonstrating that paths to depression exist, the possibility of a path back to wellness is also suggested. To appeal to visual learners, or as a general practice, these paths and connections can be made especially poignant by depicting them visually by way of flowcharts or ecomaps. Doing so creates a permanent record of a journey, which can be referred to and changed as needed in future sessions as additional understanding comes to light. It is also extremely valuable as a take-home material for clients (Fennell, 2004). It serves as a tangible reminder of the therapy session, than can be utilized by the client at home for reflection. By extension, it is an example of the progress in understanding that is occurring with the assistance of therapy, which may help to sustain or increase involvement. Lastly, it is another example of inclusion, where the process and product of work is being freely shared with the client, rather than remaining bound in a closed file.
Written Materials – In addition to the formulation chart, copies of other in-session activities, summaries, coping tools, informational pamphlets, contracts or action plans can be copied and given to the client to provide the opportunity for reflection outside of the session (Fennell, 2004).
Stimulus: A dog is barking in the distance.
There's that stupid dog again.
He's always barking – what a nuisance.
They don't care that it's disturbing us.
I'm going to file a noise complaint.
I'm going to write a nasty letter to the owner.
I'm going to call the dog catcher.
Her owner has returned home.
She is happy / excited.
She's protecting the yard from strangers.
She's playing with the children.
She's trying signal her owner about something.
I miss our old dog.
I wish we could get a dog of our own.
A barking dog is a neutral stimulus, but one which for some has a very strong and immediate negative reaction. These automatic negative responses: assumptions, assignment of blame, and spontaneous anger all create steps toward a course of action which may be completely unjustified by the actual facts. By comparison, the alternative positive reactions may be equally unfounded or irrelevant – they merely represent different perception, but ones unlikely to result in the same anguish as the negative ones. Using examples like that above are useful in highlighting our perceptual biases, and how these may have been shaped by formulation.
Processing Bias – Our internal processes which validate or ignore incoming information in terms of its agreement with existing self-schemas is instrumental in maintaining negative self-image, particularly for those with low self-esteem (Padesky, in Fennell, 2004). In the same way that we assign arbitrary meaning to neutral mental events (thoughts), we also have an active consciousness that polarizes incoming data, acknowledging those bits that conform to our beliefs, and ignoring or rejecting those which do not. Padesky (in Fennell, 2004) suggests that it is beneficial to examine this process in other people whom we know to have biases, and then observe how we do the same with our own.
Active Awareness of Cognition – Creating an atmosphere where metacognitive awareness is fostered by actively identifying cognitive distortions as they occur, can lead to a general improvement in client awareness of their patterns of thought and expression (Fennell, 2004). As the working relationship proceeds and the client becomes more adept at addressing these distortions in-session, it might be advisable to encourage the client to identify and correct some of their own negative messages as they occur, so the screening process does not remain permanently one-sided. This might be facilitated by a gradual diminishing in role by the social worker, from asking specific probing questions about negative self-messages, to adopting a quizzical look to indicate that they have heard something (thereby signalling the client to stop and analyse), to giving no initial response, but waiting for a brief period to return to the distorted perception should the client not acknowledge it.
Inventory of Recurrent Patterns – The Dysfunctional Thoughts Record, originally developed by Beck is another useful tool that can be sent home with clients in order for them to develop increased awareness of negative thinking. A similar tool is provided below as an example. It asks clients to identify emotions and their subjective severity, identify the factors that triggered the response, and describe the thoughts or reactive behaviours that resulted (subjectively rating their impression of the truthfulness of their own statements).
What thoughts or events triggered the response?
What exactly were your thoughts?
What did you do, if anything?
The dog down the street barked for half an hour.
I didn't do anything about it, but I wanted to go down the street and yell at the owners for being so insensitive.
Like Active Awareness of Cognition, this intervention encourages the client to be involved in their own treatment, but like any sort of homework, it may not be completed by clients who are extremely depressed or suffer from low self-esteem.
Enhancing Positive Self – Beyond the process of reducing unrealistic and unfounded assumptions that interfere with functioning, CBT is also concerned about the re-establishment of daily routines and other anchoring activities that provide structure and normality (Fennell, 2004). Keeping a diary of events, and the thoughts, feelings, and behaviours that reintegration elicits can serve as a valuable tool for reflection, independently as well as in-session.
Preventing Relapse – Low self-esteem and depression carry with them the likelihood of recurrence. To that end, MCBT includes the development of relapse signatures and action plans to anticipate and cope with regression if and when it occurs (Fennell, 2004). Additionally, it advises continued practice of MM as a preventative measure after treatment, and as an early response to signs of relapse, offering the potential to avert a return to depression (Ramel, Goldin, Carmona & McQuaid, 2004). This integration of mindfulness is important as it has been determined that MBCT lowers relapse rates by more than half when compared to conventional treatment as usual (Ma & Teasdale, 2004). Additionally, prevention offers the best hope for sufferers of MDD, because with each recurrence of the condition, resistance is weakened, and less intense external stressors are able to induce future relapses (Ma & Teasdale, 2004).
Though not well known, particularly within the realm of social work, mindfulness and mindfulness-based treatments offer a new and demonstratively effective intervention for understanding and treating depression. In focusing on present-moment awareness, thoughts as mental events, and a non-judgemental, non-reactive model of perception, mindfulness successfully circumvents many of the mechanisms that promote and maintain depressogenic thought. As a complimentary treatment to widely used conventional CBT, mindfulness offers a layer of protection that has been shown to reduce relapse (as demonstrated by MBCT), deliverable by one person without need for expensive written materials or tools. It also represents an empowering, portable life skill which the client can take with them beyond therapy, and which shows the potential of sustaining mood much more convincingly than the pharmaceutical alternatives.
As a final benefit, the necessity for instructors of mindfulness to also be daily practitioners, carries with it a component of built-in self care, potentially contributing to both the quality of care that we provide, as well as the number of years we are able to provide it.
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Oh the things you learn about your friends on the Internet!
This is a great post that I plan on keeping around and re-reading. Especially when I'm looking for something to help me feel better in the darker times. | 2019-04-19T19:12:23Z | https://www.toddlyons.ca/2011/04/mindfulness-for-depression.html?showComment=1301699524047 |
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