Synjardy Dosage
Generic name: EMPAGLIFLOZIN 5mg, METFORMIN HYDROCHLORIDE 500mg
Dosage form: tablet
The information at Drugs.com is not a substitute for medical advice. Always consult your doctor or pharmacist.
2.1 Recommended Dosage Individualize the starting dose of SYNJARDY based on the patient’s current regimen: – In patients on metformin, switch to SYNJARDY containing empagliflozin 5 mg with a similar total daily dose of metformin; – In patients on empagliflozin, switch to SYNJARDY containing metformin 500 mg with a similar total daily dose of empagliflozin; – In patients already treated with empagliflozin and metformin, switch to SYNJARDY containing the same total daily doses of each component. Take SYNJARDY twice daily with meals; with gradual dose escalation to reduce the gastrointestinal side effects due to metformin [see Dosage Forms and Strengths (3)]. In patients with volume depletion not previously treated with empagliflozin, correct this condition before initiating SYNJARDY [see Warnings and Precautions (5.2) and Patient Counseling Information (17)]. Adjust dosing based on effectiveness and tolerability while not exceeding the maximum recommended daily dose of metformin 2000 mg and empagliflozin 25 mg [see Dosage and Administration (2.2)]. 2.2 Recommended Dosage in Patients with Renal Impairment 2.3 Discontinuation for Iodinated Contrast Imaging Procedures
Discontinue SYNJARDY at the time of, or prior to, an iodinated contrast imaging procedure in patients with an eGFR between 45 and 60 mL/min/1.73 m2; in patients with a history of liver disease, alcoholism or heart failure; or in patients who will be administered intra-arterial iodinated contrast. Re-evaluate eGFR 48 hours after the imaging procedure; restart SYNJARDY if renal function is stable [see Warnings and Precautions (5.1)].


The differential between Brent and WTI spot prices historically was just a few dollars per barrel in either direction. In 2011, the Brent premium over WTI averaged $16.38 per barrel; however, in 2012 this premium widened to $17.61 per barrel.
The significant events in 2012 include:
* U.S. crude oil production rose by an estimated 780,000 barrels per day (bbl/d) in 2012, the largest yearly increase to date.
* The surge in crude oil production led to crude oil stocks held in land-locked Cushing, Oklahoma, which is a major pricing point for crude oil, that resulted in record-high end of month stock levels from April through December.
* The United States remained a significant net oil importer when levels of crude oil and petroleum products are added together.
* After Brent fell below $90/bbl in late June and WTI dropped below $80/bbl, prices rebounded in July on expectations that policymakers in the United States, Europe, and China would take action to stimulate economic growth, which could increase oil demand. * Disruptions in oil production in South Sudan, Yemen, Syria, and the North Sea reduced available global supplies, putting upward pressure on oil prices.
Get our free video series "Options Trading Strategies"


Doctors who immediately viewed FDG-PET findings in cases of suspected Alzheimer's disease handled treatment differently than those who did not see the findings for two years, according to University of California, Los Angeles, researchers. Among patients whose doctors saw the scans right away, 40% were treated with dementia drugs within the initial six months of the two-year study while none of those whose doctors did not see the scans until two years later were treated within the first six months. Just 12% of patients in the delayed group received proper medication by the end of the first year. Researchers concluded that FDG-PET not only aids in early Alzheimer's disease diagnosis but also helps expedite treatment.


The European Central Bank has been particularly busy. It is engaged in an asset-buying program. Despite a European Court of Justice ruling highlighting the conflict of interest between its bank supervisory function and role as creditor, the ECB is still part of the Troika official creditors and participated in the marathon negotiating sessions over Greece.
The ECB is closely monitoring the situation at Greek banks. It has not increased the ELA ceiling for the second consecutive week, following the Greek government's acceptance of the creditors' demands.
Still its staff has time to conduct some fun research. It released a report that many market participants will find interesting. It looked at whether Twitter and Google can be useful in predicting the stock market. It finds that Twitter is better than Google. It is also better than the survey that the ECB currently uses. The ECB staff (Huina Mao, Scott Counts and Johan Bollen) concludes that Twitter generates statistically and economically significant predictive value. The caveats are that it is particularly useful in the US, UK, and Canada. It is not very useful in China. In addition, the predictive value is only for the very short-term.
The research looks at the use of "bullish" and "bearish" words on tweets and in Google. A one-point increase in the sentiment survey index it currently uses translates, for example, into a 2.26 bp move in the Dow Jones Industrials the next day. In contrast, a one-point increase in its Twitter index is associated with a 12.5 bp move in the Dow.
This research found that Twitter bullishness helps predict Google bullishness. This suggests that Twitter information precedes Google searches. It also finds that the bump given to stocks from the Twitter bullishness wears off, and stocks return to what the ECB staff says are fundamental values within a week.
The ECB's work shows a positive correlation between Google queries and Chinese stocks. It suggests that others look at Weibo, which is a Chinese-version of Twitter. Students and practitioners may pick up mining social media for insights into other markets, including the foreign exchange market.


Newspaper > Guest Column Articles Lessons for Managing Unconventional Resources
Recently, a report produced by the US Energy Information Agency noted that Egypt has significant proven and prospective volumes of natural gas and sizeable deposits of crude oil. There are around 2 trillion cu meters of proven conventional natural gas reserves and nearly further 3 trillion cu meters in unconventional reservoirs. Egypt also has 4.4 billion barrels of proven crude oil reserves and around the same volume in unconventional deposits. Whilst these are not the highest figures in the world, if optimally managed, such resources could play a significant role in Egypt's economic development.
Ratification of the Petroleum Concession Agreements
The Egyptian constitution, adopted in 2012, stipulated that exploitation rights of ''state properties or public facilities'' shall be granted by a law. On July 3rd the Egyptian army declared the immediate suspension of Egypt's constitution. Given this, questions emerge regarding petroleum agreements in Egypt. Is it possible to formalize petroleum concession agreements in the absence of the legislature or People's Assembly? Considering exploration and exploitation rights are to be issued only by a law, are parliamentary elections necessary for new petroleum agreements to be completed?
Egypt’s Energy Trap
Egypt's energy sector is in profound disarray, at a time when the Egyptian economy would desperately need the proceeds from functioning energy production and trade. Declining reserves and falling production, coupled to surging domestic energy demand have since 2008 turned Egypt into a net importer of oil and oil products.
Between a Rock and a Hard Place: Egypt’s New Natural Gas Supply Policy
The decision by the Egyptian government to commit to the long-term domestic supply of natural gas while allowing immediate imports of LNG and the rapid adjustment of domestic prices to reflect the cost of supply to the industry, signals a potentially significant shift in Egypt's energy policy.
Upstream Anxiety: A Commentary on the Current Challenges within the Upstream Business Sector of the Egyptian Oil and Natural Gas Industry
The 2011 revolution transformed the Egyptian government and left a sense of vagueness in the upstream business sector in Egypt. Revisions of the current gas export agreements resulted in amendments to increase gas prices in order match the current international benchmarks.


A quality heater is necessary if you intend to maintain a successful tropical freshwater, marine fish or reef system. Temperature fluctuations often go unnoticed by aquarists and can cause stress to fish and corals.
Most heaters include a built-in thermostat to select the optimal temperature for your aquarium, however, the use of a thermometer to monitor the temperature is highly recommended. You might consider a temperature controller for keeping a stable environment in your aquarium since they offer more precise readings and an advanced feature set. A minimum of 1-2 watts per Litresis recommended to keep aquarium temperatures at an optimal level. Aquarists with larger tanks should consider using more than one heater. In the unlikely event that your heater goes, have multiple heaters in place safeguards your tank from crashing


What is a 'Capital Dividend'
A type of payment by a firm to its investors that is drawn from a company's paid-in-capital or shareholders' equity, rather than from the company's earnings, as with regular dividends. Such a dividend is often paid out in instances where a dividend payment is required, but company earnings cannot facilitate such a cash payment.
Also known as a "return of capital". BREAKING DOWN 'Capital Dividend'
A capital dividend is typically not taxable for shareholders, as it is viewed as a return of the capital paid in by investors. Capital dividends are not a preferred form of dividend payment for firms or investors, as they are often seen as a sign of a company struggling to generate earnings and free cash flow. Additionally, by paying out dividends from retained earnings, a company's struggles may worsen as its capital base shrinks, limiting investment and business opportunities in the future.


Interviews
Interviews are an alternative method for asking questions. They differ from questionnaires in their face-to-face nature. They are particularly useful for gathering more detailed information and enabling a more natural and flexible approach to questioning. An interview generally involves a conversational exchange between the interviewer and one or more other individuals. The interviewer usually has certain topics that they want to explore. The possible structures for interviews can be viewed along a scale from those which are highly structured to those which are very open in nature. Generally, the more the researcher already knows about the topic and the range of possible answers, the more structured the interview becomes. Also, if the researcher knows they need to report the results of…


Cite As:Nazir A, Khan B, Counsell S, Henderson M, Gao S, Boustani M. Impact of an Inpatient Geriatric Consultative Service on Outcomes for Cognitively Impaired Patients. Journal of hospital medicine. 2015;10(5):275-280. doi:10.1002/jhm.2326.
Found At:John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Abstract:
BackgroundImpact of geriatric consultative services (GCS) on hospital readmission and mortality outcomes for cognitively impaired (CI) patients is not known.ObjectiveEvaluate impact of GCS on hospital readmission and mortality among CI inpatients.DesignSecondary data-analysis of a prospective trial of a computerized decision support system between July 1, 2006, and May 30, 2008.SettingStudy conducted at XXXXX hospital, a 340-bed, public hospital with over 2,300 yearly admissions of 65 or older.Patients415 inpatients aged 65 and older with CI were enrolled from July 2006 to March 2008.Measurements30 day and one year mortality and hospital readmission following the index admission. Cox’s proportional hazard models were used to determine the association between receiving GCS, re-admission or mortality while adjusting for demographics, discharge destination, delirium, Charlson Comorbidity Index, and prior hospitalizations. The propensity score method was used to adjust for the non-random assignment of GCS.ResultsPatients receiving GCS were older (79; 8.1 SD vs 76; 7.8 SD; p<.001 with higher incidence of delirium (49% vs. 29%; p<.001)). No significant differences were found between the groups for hospital readmission (Hazard Ratio (HR)=1.19; 95% CI = 0.89, 1.59) and mortality at 12 months of index admission (HR=.91 ; 95% CI = 0.59, 1.40). However, a significant increase in readmissions was observed for the GCS group (HR=1.75; 95% CI = 1.06–2.88) at 30 days post-discharge.ConclusionOne year post-discharge outcomes of CI patients that received GCS were not different from patients who did not receive the service. New models of care are needed to improve post-discharge readmission and mortality among hospitalized patients with CI.


Even if you don't have a sunny windowsill, you can still grow herbs indoors, thanks to new products on the market.
These kits include everything you need to get started, including seeds, a full-spectrum grow light, and either pots or a hydroponic container system. You can choose from basil, oregano, thyme, parsley, and many other herbs.
Start by inserting special pre-seeded pods into your hydroponic container or by planting seeds in the provided pots. As the herbs grow, just add water and nutrients as recommended.
Hydroponic kits will produce finished herbs faster than potted ones, but they typically cost more.


dc.description.abstract The purpose of this study was to explore participants' (teachers, students, administrators,
and parents) experiences and perceptions regarding the perceived impact a rural high school's
one-to-one laptop initiative had on content area literacy, new literacy's, and critical literacy.
Through a case study, data were collected through multiple sources and viewpoints to obtain an
in-depth perspective of how this rural high school's one-to-one laptop initiative had perceivably impacted teacher's instruction to enhance student learning.
Data were collected and analyzed through a blending of direct interpretation and
categorical analysis, presenting the following findings. The one-to-one laptop initiative's
technology was utilized: (a) by student participants for academic purposes, personal efficiency,
and recreational purposes, (b) by teacher participants for educational purposes, and (c) within
content area instruction. Resulting from the access to laptop technology, this study documented
the purposes of finding information for assignments, facilitating "just in time" learning, and
stimulating schema about curricular content. Content area literacy instruction was perceivably
effected because of the multiple textual formats the technology provided, and instructional
occurrences were documented as developing vocabulary and fostering either content
comprehension or reading comprehension. The new literacy's and how they were implemented
within the mathematics, language arts, science, and social studies classrooms were discussed.
The role of critical literacy was presented in relation to students' sense of agency, and the power
dynamic within various content area classes.
The majority of participants were documented having a positive perception regarding the
one-to-one laptop initiative. Although integration of technology was occurring, there were
opportunities lacking that could further develop teachers' instruction to enhance student learning.
When considering professional development within schools implementing a one-to-one
technology initiative, administrative teams should: (a) consider what will be requisite versus
elective technology integration tasks, and (b) ensure professional support is provided to teachers
regarding integrating technology within their pedagogical practices. Additionally, teachers
should instructionally integrate the technology tools and literacy's that students currently employ.
Pedagogically, this study implies that teachers must expand their comfort zones regarding
content area literacy, new literacy's, and critical literacy. en


The importance of effectively combating HIV/AIDS through tackling the social aspects of the pandemic post-2015.
An open letter to Ban Ki Moon
Mr Secretary General:
This letter starts with one patient.
I met her on my second day at Kenyatta National Hospital, on the paediatrics ward. I would like to tell you her name, but she had never been given one, so I called her “Beautiful”. She was 3 months old and had never left the hospital. Twenty-four hours after a traumatic birth to an HIV-positive mother who had not accessed the care freely available to all pregnant women for prevention of mother-to-child-transmission, she had been abandoned. Despite having no name, she already had a status: positive. When I met her she didn’t cry, because in her short life she had learnt that no one came when she did. She was developmentally delayed because, in such an underresourced department, caring for the well child was not the physician’s priority. “What makes a mother give up her child?” I asked one of the junior doctors. He responded: “It happens; there are usually more of them”. I explained that I didn’t understand, and the doctor’s response was as sharp as the answer was obvious — I was right. I
didn’t
I knew the proportion of AIDS-related fatalities had decreased dramatically with the upscaling…


The McKinsey Quarterly, a publication of McKinsey & Company, recently published a short article offering Three Tips for planning in these uncertain times. It emphasizes the importance of developing multiple scenarios, rigorous monitoring and longer-term focus to enhance the success of your planning. (You’ll need to register – for free – to read the entire article).
We respect your email privacy


While much research focuses on healthy babies for pregnant mothers, little has been published about the physical and emotional health and changes that the mothers go through themselves.
The study was conducted by lead researcher Dr Jennifer Haas, Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, on a group of multi-ethnic women, during and immediately after pregnancy. Over the course of their pregnancy, researchers observed significant changes in health, including decline in the ability to perform daily functions and increased signs of depression, both of which improved during the postpartum period. However for some, these health problems can also extend into postpartum. Women who reported insufficient money for food and housing, and lack of exercise, were most associated with poor health, before, after and during pregnancy. The article published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine states that "depression is more common among disadvantaged and minority women.” Exercise is recommended and seen as an effective way to counter or prevent these changes. The American College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology endorses this and suggests 30 minutes of moderate exercise for pregnant women on most, if not all, days of the week. "These results can be used to guide the expectations of women, their providers and policies around functional status during pregnancy,” states Haas. Statistics show that over 90% of women in the work force continue to work up to the month before delivery. Of the 60% of women who return to work in the year after delivery, two thirds return to work within three months. The data from the study could ultimately affect public policies such as work leave for mothers-to-be. While the association between exercise and significant health benefits for pregnant women is shown here, the relationship has not yet been established as causal. MEDICA.de; Source: Blackwell Publishing


Running time: 2:29
During late winter, Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas received sorely needed rain which helped reduce short-term impacts, like wildfire and dry topsoil. But it has taken months to develop deep and severe drought in the region, and a few wet weeks won’t erase that situation. It can take months of ideal conditions to bring soil, rivers, and vegetation back to health.


Cross-basin comparison of phosphorus stress and nitrogen fixation in Trichodesmium
Limnol. Oceanogr., 54(5), 2009, 1438-1448 | DOI: 10.4319/lo.2009.54.5.1438
ABSTRACT: We investigated the phosphorus (P) status and N
2 fixation rates of Trichodesmium populations from the North Pacific, western South Pacific, and western North Atlantic. Colonies of Trichodesmium were collected and analyzed for endogenous alkaline phosphatase (AP) activity using enzyme-labeled fluorescence (ELF) and for nitrogenase activity using acetylene reduction. AP hydrolyzes dissolved inorganic phosphate (DIP) from dissolved organic phosphorus and is active in Trichodesmium colonies experiencing P stress. Across multiple stations in the subtropical North and South Pacific, there was low to moderate ELF labeling in Trichodesmium, although labeling was present in other taxa. In contrast, Trichodesmium ELF labeling in the North Atlantic ranged from low to high. Low ELF labeling corresponded with high DIP concentrations while high ELF labeling occurred only at North Atlantic stations with DIP concentrations #40 nmol L21, indicating that Trichodesmium was not experiencing dramatic P stress in the Pacific Ocean while P stress was evident in the western North Atlantic. However, nitrogenase activity was significantly higher in the P-stressed western North Atlantic than in the Pacific Ocean (0.40-1.30 compared to 0.01-0.46 nmol C 2H 4 h -1 colony -1). These data underscore the differential basinlevel importance of P availability to Trichodesmium and suggest that factors other than P are constraining their N 2


While boards acknowledge they bear ultimate responsibility and accountability for their organizations' affairs, governance quality is often far from optimal. The High- Performance Board offers pragmatic and candid advice about what your board must do to maximize performance and contributions. The authors provide sixty-four principles designed to help your board achieve peak performance. They describe every principle in detail and present best practices and practical applications for each one. Each section of the book concludes with a board check-up-a set of questions that can be used to assess your board in light of the principles. A quick read for busy board members, this book is the ultimate board "drivers' manual."


Dear Driving for Dollars,
I recently moved to an area where it rains a ton, and I find driving in it disconcerting. It never seems like my car is making good contact with the road like it does when the roads are dry.
Is my car hydroplaning? If so, what can I do to prevent it?
-- Jim F.
Joseph O. Holmes/Getty Images
Dear Jim,
It's understandable how driving in the rain can make you feel uncomfortable when you are not accustomed to wet weather. It does "feel" different from driving on a dry road.
Find the best auto loan rates
Hydroplaning occurs when your tires don't have enough tread or tire pressure for the water to be dispersed and allow the rubber to keep contact with the road. You also can have momentary instances of hydroplaning when driving through standing water, such as a puddle or where water collects on the edge of a road.
To reduce your chances of hydroplaning, make sure your tires don't need to be replaced. Check the tread depth and inspect for signs of wear, such as flat spots or sidewall cracks.
If your tires are in good shape, make sure they are inflated to the correct tire pressure. Set a reminder to check the pressure monthly because tires naturally lose air over time. The correct tire pressure is listed in your owners manual or on a sticker on your driver's side doorjamb.
Reduce speed when driving on wet roads. The faster you drive, the harder it is for your tires to distribute the water and maintain contact with the road. Avoid making quick turns and braking hard, as these maneuvers only make it harder to maintain contact with the road.
If it turns out you need some new rubber for your car, read "How to choose new tires."
Bankrate's content, including the guidance of its advice-and-expert columns and this website, is intended only to assist you with financial decisions. The content is broad in scope and does not consider your personal financial situation. Bankrate recommends that you seek the advice of advisers who are fully aware of your individual circumstances before making any final decisions or implementing any financial strategy. Please remember that your use of this website is governed by Bankrate's Terms of Use.


You are hereHome › Declining Per-Capita VMT: A Broad-Based Trend
Posted by: on
Frontier Group intern Danielle Elefritz contributed this blog post.
In prior work, Frontier Group research has demonstrated that the decline in per-capita driving over the last decade is a broad-based trend taking place in a variety of states and metropolitan areas across the United States. As the economy continues to recover, it is worth checking in on trends in per-capita VMT, using monthly traffic data for 2013 and population data from the Census Bureau.
The monthly data confirm that the trend toward lower per-capita driving remains broad based. While the South Atlantic region has seen the greatest decrease in VMT per capita since 2004, all five regions saw declines. Furthermore, only one region, the South Gulf, has had a meaningful uptick in per capita VMT data in the last few years as each of the other four regions saw driving either flatline or decrease in this same time period.
The Federal Highway Administration divides the U.S. into five regions—the Northeast,[1] the South Atlantic,[2] the North Central,[3] the South Gulf,[4] and the West.[5] Since 2004, the South Atlantic region saw the largest decrease in VMT per capita, declining 8 percent relative to 2004. The West saw the second largest decrease in VMT per capita at 7.7 percent, followed by the Northeast at 7.4 percent, the South Gulf at 5.6 percent, and finally the North Central at 4.3 percent.
All five regions have also seen declines in per-capita driving since the pit of the recession in 2009. Since 2011, the only region to see a meaningful uptick in per-capita VMT has been the South Gulf.
During the first five months of 2014, as Doug Short has noted, per-capita VMT has continued to fall, suggesting that the shifts in driving patterns Americans have demonstrated over the last decade are continuing, even amidst a more robust economic recovery.
[1] Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont
[2] Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia
[3] Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin
[4] Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Texas
[5] Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming


Opalesque Industry Update - Credit hedge funds should not be considered part of the ‘shadow banking’ sector, according to a new paper by the Alternative Investment Management Association (AIMA), the global hedge fund trade association.
AIMA’s research paper* highlights crucial differences between the key functions of a traditional bank and those of credit hedge funds and other non-bank financial institutions.
Credit hedge funds do not take deposits, do not offer daily liquidity nor otherwise hold themselves out as guaranteeing the return of the invested principal.
They manage their liquidity profiles by agreeing investor redemption terms which correspond to the liquidity profile of the underlying investments. They therefore do not engage in significant maturity transformation.
Crucially, hedge funds do not benefit from implicit or explicit taxpayer guarantees.
Andrew Baker, AIMA CEO, said:
The G20 mandated the Financial Stability Board (FSB) to develop recommendations to strengthen the oversight and regulation of the ‘shadow banking’ system in November 2010, but there has been considerable debate about what constitutes a ‘shadow bank’. Recent G20 language referred to 'money markets funds, securitization, securities lending and repo activities, and other shadow banking entities. '
Credit and credit-related hedge funds comprise up to one-third of the global hedge fund industry and use a very diverse range of investment strategies, ranging from fundamental credit analysis and arbitrage to the trading of complex derivatives.
(press release)
As the global hedge fund association, the
BG


The Hetch Hetchy Power system is composed of three hydroelectric powerhouses: Moccasin Powerhouse, which includes a small, in-line hydroelectric unit, Kirkwood Powerhouse and Holm Powerhouse. The combined total hydroelectric output for these facilities is over 400 megawatts. Hydroelectric generation at Moccasin and Kirkwood Powerhouses rely on gravity-driven water flowing downhill from the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir. Holm Powerhouse generates energy from gravity-driven water flowing downhill from Cherry Lake. On average, the Hetch Hetchy Power System generates 1.6 billion kilowatt hours of clean, hydroelectric energy each year.
This process starts at the source. Gravity gently coaxes water from the reservoirs in the Hetch Hetchy Water and Power System. At our hydroelectric powerhouses, large turbines harness the kinetic energy of gravity-driven water, transforming it into hydroelectric power. This clean energy is then transmitted to San Francisco along City-owned transmission lines that transverse the State of California from east to west. Once in the City, the energy is distributed to the City’s municipal facilities and retail customers; SFO, SFGH, MUNI, Police, Fire, retail City tenants, residences and businesses in the San Francisco Shipyard and Treasure Island. In normal-to-high precipitations years, we sell energy on the California energy markets.
Moccasin Power House
Hetch Hetchy Reservoir- O'Shaughnessy Dam
Moccasin Power House, featured above, is the powerhouse furthest downstream. The control room at Moccasin Powerhouse not only operates all three powerhouses, but also remotely starts and stops generating units, adjusts generator speeds and takes all necessary readings. Holm Powerhouse is the largest of the three powerhouses.
San Francisco benefits immensely from owning and operating the Hetchy Power System. Hetch Hetchy hydroelectric energy is cost-effective and 100% greenhouse gas-free. It does not produce any harmful radioactive byproducts or leave behind any waste. Its cost-effective, clean electricity keeps our environment clean and helps the City’s fiscal bottom-line.


Scientists Develop Mathematical Model of Zombie Outbreak
It is becoming clear that World War Z could have been prevented. Between ludicrous positioning of medical research labs and the less than stellar performance of the authorities, it’s a wonder that humanity is not extinct.
We now learn that scientists had developed a model of a potential zombie outbreak before SHTF. This is documented in When Zombies Attack!: Mathematical Modeling of an Outbreak of Zombie Infection (pdf). The conclusion of this is quite prescient:
In summary, a zombie outbreak is likely to lead to the collapse of civilisation, unless it is dealt with quickly. While aggressive quarantine may contain the epidemic, or a cure may lead to coexistence of humans and zombies, the most effective way to contain the rise of the undead is to hit hard and hit often.
The inference in the paper is that the collapse of civilization is equivalent to extinction. It did not seem to occur to the authors that a new civilization would arise from the ashes, albeit one largely based on the world as we knew it. Truly, that which did not kill us, made us stronger.


Employee Gratitude: A New Direction for Understanding Organizational Citizenship Behaviour Date2010-12-08 Author
Spence, Jeffrey Robert
MetadataShow full item record Statistics
Abstract
Organizational citizenship behaviour (OCB) is extra-role behaviour that is not formally required by organizations, but benefits the organization and its members (Organ, 1988). OCB is considered to be a core dimension of job performance (Rotundo & Sackett, 2002) with research showing that OCB contributes to the health and productivity of organizations (e.g., Podsakoff, Whiting, Podsakoff, & Blume, 2009). As a result, both organizational researchers and organizations have long been interested in understanding the origins of this behaviour. However, research into the antecedents of OCB has important limitations. Notably, this research has conceptualized OCB as a static construct, which recent theorizing and research indicates is an inaccurate assumption (e.g., Beal, Weiss, Barros, & MacDermid, 2005; Ilies, Scott, & Judge, 2006). Additionally, OCB research has relied on a single theoretical framework, social exchange theory, to explain previous findings, creating narrowness in the field. The current dissertation sought to address these important limitations by conceptualizing OCB as a dynamic construct (i.e., one that has sizable day-to-day within-person variability) and examining the ability of state gratitude, a novel and theoretically relevant antecedent, to predict OCB. Drawing on the Moral Affect Model of gratitude, Affective Events Theory, and Broaden and Build Theory, I propose that state gratitude is an important driver of day-to-day fluctuations in OCB. In two daily diary studies, my findings revealed that, as predicted, dynamic fluctuations in OCB were significantly predicted by state gratitude. Additionally, in the second of two daily diary studies, state gratitude was successfully induced by a “count your blessings” task and state gratitude was found to be a significant mediator of the induction and OCB. Overall, the results lend support to the notion that OCB is dynamic and that state gratitude, a discrete positive emotion, can be an effective driver of OCB.
Cite this work
Jeffrey Robert Spence (2010). Employee Gratitude: A New Direction for Understanding Organizational Citizenship Behaviour. UWSpace. http://hdl.handle.net/10012/5654
Other formats


A:Hi,Thanks for the query.I understand your concern.Irregularity in periods can occur due to many causes like dietary or exercise changes, recent illness etc leading to gonadal hormonal imbalance, thyroid hormonal abnormalities etc.If your thyroid profile is normal with medicines, that may not be a cause for your problem.Usually, menstrual cycle with length between 21 to 35 days can be considered as normal only.So, you may wait for one more week, possibly by that time you will get periods.If not consult your doctor once and take tablets for withdrawal bleeding.Take care.
(*)These Q&A’s are for educational purposes and should not be relied upon as a substitute for medical advice you may receive from your physician. If you have a medical emergency, please call 911. These answers do not constitute or initiate a patient/doctor relationship.


According to children with CHSCN and their families, good practice in service provision:
● Demonstrates flexibility and responsiveness to families’ individual needs.
● Actively safeguards their “ordinary” lives and needs. ● Works in partnership with families, valuing their knowledge and expertise. ● Works with wider networks, including family, friends, other services and settings.
For Scie’s knowledge review, eight services that fulfilled these good practice criteria were selected for a practice survey.
Common features included:
● Families were perceived as competent experts.
● The child and family were acknowledged as partners in defining need. ● A high value was placed on individual relationships. ● Different aspects of a child and family’s identity were actively recognised and accommodated. ● Autonomy was delegated to frontline staff. ● High levels of flexibility and responsiveness were provided. ● Tasks such as “navigating”, “signposting”, “way-finding”, “advocating” or “key working” were included within the function of the service.


If they told me upfront than no. There is absolutely no reason for me to risk my sexual, physical, and emotional health for someone who may not last. If this is a new relationship and even if I feel those pangs of "this could be going somewhere", there is absolutely NO reason to pursue any sort of sexual activities.
If they tell me they have herpes or gonorrhea than what else could they have that they wouldn't be so willing to tell me? If it was a treatable disease than why haven't they treated it yet? And how soon was their last sexual partner from me if they still have it? I have no interest in being with someone that sleeps around or doesn't use protection with their partners- it says to me, if they're so careless with their own health and safety, how will they be with my health and safety?
In a world full of uncertainty people need to take their sexual health seriously, if it's a partner that didn't know they had it because they weren't tested than I don't want to be with them. If they can't be bothered to be regularly tested than that's not the type of partner I want, I do not want someone who hops from bed to bed with little regard for themselves or their partners.
This is all rhetorics and being married it doesn't' really apply to me. However, if the time were to come where I wasn't with DH, I'd still take this seriously. I have PCOS which already puts me at a higher risk of endometrial and cervical cancer, I'm not going to further put myself at risk of HPV or various STI's- it would be a new chapter in my life, why ruin it with something that has the potential to last a lifetime?
My body is a temple, yes, I occasionally destroy it with fast food even though I know the dangers... but to risk a lifetime of either infertility, depression, cervical cancer, or pelvic pain caused by any various STI is not worth the risk.


Enterprise Minister Arlene Foster today welcomed the appointment of managers for a new £50million fund which will safeguard and create over 2,000 jobs within the next ten years.
Braveheart Investment Group plc has been appointed to manage the Growth Loan Fund, which aims to generate £150million sales growth per annum for small and medium enterprises (SMEs).
The fund forms a key component of Invest Northern Ireland’s wider Access to Finance strategy, with the objective of stimulating the availability of risk capital to the SME sector across Northern Ireland. Arlene Foster said: “I have listened to the business community and I fully understand the frustration of the SME sector at not being able to access finance. The Growth Loan Fund is a practical measure which will help to address this problem. It is part of a major new Access to Finance initiative that my department, through Invest Northern Ireland, is launching to stimulate and encourage economic growth in these challenging times. "The Growth Loan Fund will provide loans of between £50,000 and £500,000 to businesses in the manufacturing or tradable services sectors over the next five years. It is a valuable addition to the existing sources of funding for businesses in Northern Ireland and I welcome the appointment of Braveheart Investment Group plc, who are experienced fund managers, to oversee its operation. “By ensuring that companies with high growth potential are not held back because they cannot access finance, the Growth Loan Fund will boost business confidence and help SMEs that have strong potential for growth, particularly in international markets.” The appointment has been made to Braveheart as the lead bidder in a consortium comprising itself, NEL Fund Managers Ltd (‘NEL’) and Clarendon Fund Managers Ltd (‘Clarendon’). NEL operates from Newcastle upon Tyne and has a long track record in managing mezzanine loan funds. Clarendon is based in Belfast and manages various funds supporting SMEs in Northern Ireland.
Loans will be made to businesses that can demonstrate sales and profitability growth, or strong growth potential. Businesses that currently export and wish to further expand sales in international markets will be a key target of the Fund, as they have the potential to contribute most to Northern Ireland’s economic growth.
Geoffrey Thomson, Chief Executive of Braveheart, said: “We are delighted to have been appointed to manage the Growth Loan Fund. We have teamed up with two respected fund managers whom we know well, and we are delighted to be working with them. We look forward to working with Invest NI in delivering what is a new and innovative product in Northern Ireland.” It is intended that the Fund will be significantly financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) under the Sustainable Competitiveness Programme for Northern Ireland.


The key to weight loss is simple when you consume fewer calories than you use. Although this fundamental tenet of weight loss is simple, the execution is difficult. Once your know how many calories you use daily, you can then determine how many calories to eat to lose weight. Many factors affect your daily calorie requirement, including your height, weight, age, sex and activity level.
Calorie Calculations
To decide how much you should eat to lose weight, first determine the number of calories needed to maintain your current weight. Calculators are available on many websites; look for one that takes into account key factors that affect your calorie needs. Age, for example, affects the number of calories you use daily. A 5-foot-4-inch, 180-lb., 20-year-old woman with a sedentary lifestyle requires roughly 1,885 calories daily to maintain her weight. A similar 40-year-old woman requires approximately 1,770 calories daily because metabolic rate slows with age. Your activity level also influences your calorie requirement. A 5-foot-4-inch, 180-lb., 40-year-old woman who participates in moderate exercise three to five days per week boosts her daily maintenance calories to approximately 2,285 calories, a 29 percent increase over what she needs if sedentary.
Calorie Amount
To lose weight safely, the American Dietetic Association recommends that you set your daily intake at 500 to 1,000 calories below what you require to maintain your current weight. Consider the example of a 40-year-old, 5-foot-4-inch, 180-lb. woman who exercises moderately three to five days weekly. Given that she requires approximately 2,285 calories daily to maintain her current weight, her target calorie intake to lose weight is 1,285 to 1,785 calories daily. Keeping all other factors the same but changing the age to 20 years old, target calorie intake is 1,435 to 1,935 calories daily. Your expected weight loss if you set your daily intake at 500 calories below maintenance level is 1 lb. per week. With a 1,000-calorie deficit, you can expect average weight loss of 2 lb. weekly.
What to Eat
Weight loss programs commonly target restriction of either fats or carbohydrates to achieve reduced calorie intake. These strategies make sense considering that solid fats and added sugar account for approximately 35 percent of the calories in the average American diet, according to the "Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010." The relative advantages and disadvantages of low-fat versus low-carbohydrate diets remain hotly debated. Both strategies can be successful if you follow the program. A low-carbohydrate diet may lead to more weight loss initially, primarily due to decreased total body water. Whatever diet you choose should include a sufficient variety of foods to ensure that your vitamin, mineral and protein needs are met.
Considerations
Talk with your doctor about the best diet for you, especially if you have a preexisting medical condition such as diabetes, heart disease, liver disease, kidney disease or high blood pressure. Your doctor may recommend that you consult with a dietitian to develop an individualized weight loss plan that meets your nutritional and medical needs.


Abstract There is accumulating evidence that the viral interleukin-10 (vIL-10) ortholog of both human and rhesus cytomegalovirus (HCMV and RhCMV, respectively) suppresses the functionality of cell types that would be critical to contain virus dissemination and help shape long-term immunity during the earliest virus-host interactions. In particular, exposure of macrophages, peripheral blood mononuclear cells, monocyte-derived dendritic cells, and plasmacytoid dendritic cells to vIL-10 suppresses multiple effector functions, including notably, those that link innate and adaptive immune responses. Further, vaccination of RhCMV-uninfected rhesus macaques with non-functional forms of RhCMV vIL-10 greatly restricts parameters of RhCMV infection following RhCMV challenge of the vaccines. Vaccinees exhibited significantly reduced shedding of RhCMV in saliva and urine following RhCMV challenge compared to unvaccinated controls. Based on the evidence that vIL-10 is critical during acute infection, the role of vIL-10 during persistent infection was analyzed in rhesus macaques infected long-term with RhCMV to determine whether post-infection vaccination against vIL-10 could change the virus-host balance. RhCMV-seropositive macaques, which were shedding RhCMV in saliva, were vaccinated with non-functional RhCMV vIL-10, and shedding levels of RhCMV in saliva were evaluated. Following robust increases in vIL-10-binding and vIL-10-neutralizing antibodies, shedding levels of RhCMV modestly declined, consistent with the interpretation that vIL-10 may play a functional role during persistent infection. However, a more significant association was observed between the levels of cellular IL-10 secreted in PBMC exposed to RhCMV antigens and shedding of RhCMV in saliva. This result implies that RhCMV persistence is associated with the induction of cIL-10 receptor-mediated signaling pathways. IMPORTANCE Human health is adversely impacted by viruses that establish lifelong infections that are often accompanied with increased morbidity and mortality (e.g., HIV, hepatitis C virus, human cytomegalovirus). A longstanding but unfulfilled goal has been to develop post-infection vaccine strategies that could ‘reboot’ the immune system of an infected individual in ways that enable the infected host to develop immune responses that clear reservoirs of persistent virus infection, effectively curing the host of infection. This concept was evaluated in rhesus macaques infected long-term with rhesus cytomegalovirus by repeatedly immunizing infected animals with non-functional versions of the rhesus cytomegalovirus-encoded, viral interleukin-10 immune modulating protein. Following vaccine-mediated boosting of antibody titers to viral interleukin-10, there was modest evidence for increased immunological control of the virus following vaccination. More significantly, data were also obtained indicating that rhesus cytomegalovirus is able to persist due to upregulation of the cellular interleukin-10 signaling pathway.


Motivation
Assistive devices, such as bionic limbs, exoskeletons, rehabilitation and other service robots need ‘muscle-equivalent’ motion control.
This need crosses over into established sectors heavily dependent on mobile systems, such as aerospace, med-tech and agriculture.
WaveDrives new actuation technology, incorporated in the SILA linear actuators, has been developed to address these needs.
Human-compatible motion
High band-width, slow but forceful motion with fast response times and back-drivability for safety - is key to developing the user-friendly, performance enhancing products needed by our ageing population and for human-centered manufacturing.
High efficiencyacross the full dynamic range is essential to reduce power requirements and deliver consistent performance, particularly for mobile applications. Quieter operationis vital for prosthetics, other wearable actuated devices and in medical, domestic and workplace scenarios.
For example, the requirements for an active knee prosthesis include quiet operation, high power to weight, fit within the leg envelope, free swing, energy harvesting, low maintenance/ high reliability and affordability.
Higher reliabilityand minimal maintenance is pre-requisite in safety critical, difficult and dangerous applications and key to acceptability in devices for human interaction.
Compared to hydraulic and pneumatic systems, electric actuators can be controlled more precisely, present significantly reduced environmental and workplace hazards, and minimal maintenance related downtime. The highly competitive global economy and pressure on more sustainable use of resources continue to drive demand for electric actuation offering even greater power density, efficiency, reliability and reductions in through-life cost.


LETTER FROM WELDON TO GATES
January 17,1997
Dear Mr. Gates:
Now that I have had the opportunity to review your testimony on the 1995 National Intelligence Estimate (NIE 95-19) before the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, I would like to share some of my thoughts with you. While I think we agree on many of the flaws in the analysis, I was disturbed by your assertion that it was congressional pressure which caused the premature release of the NIE and disappointed by your comments which absolve the intelligence community for its role in producing a defective assessment.
While you acknowledge the 1995 NIE is in many ways flawed, you criticize others who raised questions about the quality and objectivity. As a consumer of intelligence, Congress has a right to raise criticisms and it has an oversight responsibility to ensure that the intelligence community is delivering a quality product. It would be remiss to remain silent when incompetence or bias is suspected. That is precisely why Congress established the Gates panel over the objections of the DCI.
Not once did your panel provide an opportunity for Members who charged politicization to be heard. Given your harsh condemnation, I believe you had a responsibility to explore those allegations and to offer a detailed rebuttal of them. Instead, your merely exonerate the intelligence community of politicization, suggesting the report became victim to "political naivete." It is far more injurious to ignore or whitewash politicization when it exists than it is to suggest that possibility.
Ironically, NE 95- 19 failed to adhere to the criteria that you laid out in a March 1992 memo for avoiding politicization. For example, you stated that analysts must clearly distinguish between fact, inference, and judgment. As noted by GAO, this N1E presents judgments and assumptions as facts. You also warned against the dismissal of alternatives and the exaggeration of certainty. GAO found that NIE 95-19 exaggerated the certainty of its key judgments that no new ICBM threats to CONUS would
arise in 15 years -- and that no evidence was presented to support that conclusion. Notably, the 1993 NIEs did not make these mistakes.
I completely agree with your statement that the exclusion of Alaska and Hawaii from the assessment of the ballistic missile threat to the United States was "foolish from every perspective." If these estimates are to be of any use to policy makers, they should be framed in such a way that they can form the basis for national security decisions, not CONUS security decisions.
As you know, earlier NIEs warned of a potential missile threat to the United States shortly after the turn of the century. Had the threat to Alaska and Hawaii been considered in the 1995 NIE, there is little doubt that the outcome would have been, at best, much less optimistic. Indeed, the faulty framework of the
1995 NIE itself suggests politicization. The analysis also dismisses the remaining threat from Russia, exaggerates the efficacy of the MTCR and ignores critical developments which suggest the potential for accelerated maturation of a missile threat. It also conflicts with the 1993 assessment in terms of future missile threats to the United States without any attempt to justify such a major departure. I wholeheartedly agree with you that the estimate understated the risk of an unauthorized or accidental Russian missile launch, particularly in light of military and civil instability there.
You told the Senate Committee that the analysis was rushed to completion, and subsequent press reports quote you as attributing that to congressional pressure. Mr. Osias testified to the same effect. That is patently false, and events surrounding the release confirm that.
In January 1995, General Malcolm O'Neill requested from the intelligence community an assessment of the ballistic missile threat to the entire United States. He stated in congressional testimony that the intelligence community pledged to deliver it to him before the summer, in the May timeframe. Four months after the due date, I wrote to Secretary Perry expressing concern about the delay and asked him to ensure its timely delivery. General O'Neill had not received a copy of the NIE nor had he been informed of its completion, and I had not received a response to my letter when the unclassified findings on the 1995 NIE were released to Senators Bumpers and Levin during Senate debate on the National Defense Authorization bill. Interestingly, that release came in the form of a letter from CIA's congressional affairs office.
One would think that the primary customer, General O'Neill, would have been informed of the NIE's completion before the findings were released. But more to the point, if it was my letter which pressured the intelligence community to rush the NIE to completion, then why was I not informed of its release et the same time as the Senators, if not before? Even after the findings were released to the Senators, I did not receive any information on the NIE until one week later after I personally requested a CIA brief on it.
Some have suggested that it was politically naive for the intelligence community to have released the NIE during the Senate debate. From my perspective, it was not political naivete which prompted the release, but political calculation. The intelligence community never publicly stated that it needed more time before the release, and it would not likely have jeopardized its work to meet any political deadline -- from Capitol Hill, the Administration or anywhere else.
Given that the NIE was already seven months past its due date, the notion that congressional pressure caused a premature report release is a foolish assertion on its face; so is the suggestion that it was a mere coincidence that the NIE was released during Senate debate. It is clear that the Administration recognized that the NIE could be used to advantage during debate on national missile defense policy; its congressional affairs representatives ensured that happened.
While I agree with many of your criticisms of the NIE, I believe that defects which so significantly impact the outcome are suggestive of politicization deserve much harsher criticism. The mishandling of the 1995 NIE not only sullied the assessment process, but the community itself. Regardless of the cause for a flawed analysis, the community in my mind did an inadequate job and should not escape responsibility for shoddy workmanship. Nonetheless, I would still welcome the opportunity to meet with you if you have any evidence to support your claim in that regard.
Sincerely,
Curt Weldon
Member of Congress


In their one-hour film, Paul Maguire and GYA member Alexander Kagansky take us on a journey through today’s world of science. Strung together in an ongoing dialogue on interdisciplinary research, we meet representatives of manifold disciplines: Art, philosophy, neuroscience, mathematics, education and sociology – to name only a few. The film discusses interdisciplinarity as both, a challenge and an opportunity for future-oriented academic work. It thereby showcases Nobel prize winner Peter Higgs, highly regarded professors such as Joyce Tait and Richard G. Morris and emerging young scientists from variying fields of research. BEYOND DISCIPLINE captures their perspectives on interdisciplinarity as a “mind-set” for research, innovation and peace.


GraphCrowd: Harnessing the Crowd to Lay Out Graphs with Applications to Cellular Signaling Pathways Date2016-07-05 Author
Singh, Divit Pal
MetadataShow full item record Abstract
Automated analysis of networks of interactions between proteins has become pervasive in molecular biology. Each node in such a network represents a protein and each edge an inter- action between two proteins. Nearly every publication that uses network analysis includes a visualization of a graph in which the nodes and edges are laid out in two dimensions. Several systems implement multiple types of graph layout algorithms and make them easily accessible to scientists. Despite the existence of these systems, interdisciplinary research teams in computational biology face several challenges in sharing computed networks and interpreting them. This thesis presents two systemsGraphSpace and GraphCrowdthat together enhance network- based collaboration. GraphSpace users can automatically and rapidly share richly- anno- tated networks, irrespective of the algorithms or software used to generate them. A user may search for networks that contain a specific node or edge, or a collection of nodes and edges. Users can manually modify a layout, save it, and share it with other users. Users can create private groups, invite other users to join groups, and share networks with group members. Upon publication, researchers may make networks public and provide a URL in the paper. GraphCrowd addresses the challenging posed by automated layout algorithms, which incor- porate almost no knowledge of the biological information underlying the networks. These algorithms compel researchers to use their knowledge and intuition to modify the node and edge positions manually to bring out salient features. GraphCrowd focuses on signaling networks, which connect proteins that represent a cells response to external signals. Treat- ing network layout as a design problem, GraphCrowd explores the feasibility of leveraging human computation via crowdsourcing to create simplified and meaningful visualizations. GraphCrowd provides a streamlined interface that enables crowd workers to easily manip- ulate networks to create layouts that follow a specific set of guidelines. GraphCrowd also implements an interface to allow a user (e.g., an expert or a crowd worker) to evaluate how well a layout conforms to the guidelines. We use GraphCrowd to address two research questions: (i) Can we harness the power of crowdsourcing to create simplified, biologically meaningful visualizations of signaling net- works?(ii) Can crowd workers rate layouts similarly to how an expert with domain knowledge would rate them? We design two systematic experiments that enable us to answer both ques- tions in the affirmative. This thesis establishes crowdsourcing as a powerful methodology for laying out complex signaling networks. Moreover, by developing appropriate domain-specific guidelines for crowd workers, GraphCrowd can be generalized to a variety of applications.
Collections Masters Theses [16646]


The CO150 Fall 2007 Common Syllabus is designed to achieve the following course goals, which are aligned with gtPathways and AUCC guidelines:
The syllabus writers also hope this curriculum moves students toward these broader educational goals:
Phase 1: Reading for Critical Inquiry
In the first phase of the course, we're studying the work of an accomplished writer who addresses the question-at-issue:
What should we eat? Michael Pollan is a professional writer and journalism professor whose writing for The New York Times exemplifies the thorough research, critical thinking and clear communication we ask our students to strive for. By looking at the strategies used by a writer who is trying to answer a significant question-at-issue as he approaches varying rhetorical situations, we hope to demonstrate critical inquiry-in-context that shares values and strategies with academic discourse. To this end, Unit 1 focuses on close and critical reading. We'll ask students to read several articles for various purposes, employing a variety of reading strategies. Our primary goal for this unit is to establish critical reading practices that will enable effective inquiry and support an understanding of writing as rhetorical practice. To assess students' close reading practices, we will ask them to write summaries of the readings. We'll assess students' critical reading practices with a review/letter at the end of this phase. Phase 2: Expanding Critical Inquiry through Investigation and Argument
In the second phase of the course, we expand our inquiry into the question of what we should eat by identifying related issues, developing and refining questions, and investigating those questions. The goals for this phase include not only increasing our understanding of the issues, but also engaging in the conversations about them. In the first phase, we learned how one writer investigated the "ominvore's dilemma," considered some of the answers he found to "what should we eat?" and began posing further questions that Pollan's work raised for us. Now, we will refine some of those questions and investigate them. In the process of doing so, we will build
information literacy as we find and select sources that offer a variety of perspectives on the questions we pose as well as credible and authoritative information. Students will work collaboratively to investigate one question and explain their findings to the class. These explanations can serve as initial inquiry for students who wish to pursue these questions further or as an impetus for initiating other lines of inquiry. Students will then join the conversation on a question-at-issue by writing an argument. Phase 3: Sharing Local Inquiry with Public Audiences
In the final phase of the course, students will apply the inquiry and writing practices and strategies they have been using in the course as well as learn and develop additional research methods and writing skills. So far, we have focused our inquiry on questions related to “the omnivore's dilemma.” At this point, we hope students have begun to understand how critical inquiry into significant questions crosses disciplinary boundaries. As students investigate their issue across a variety of disciplines, we expect that they will learn to develop a repertoire of strategies for considering purpose and audience is a variety of academic writing situations. In Phase 2, students had a chance to see how conversations about significant issues occur in layered contexts that are interrelated, much like an ecosystem. Phase 3 asks students to explore the local ecosystem of the CSU campus and surrounding community, focusing on sites of academic, social, cultural, recreational, political, or personal interest to new students at the university. In this unit, we ask students to
investigate a site of interest--a course, an academic program, a service, an activity, an organization—and explain the results to inform new students about it. Based on their investigation of the site and evaluation of its value to students, students will then write an argument to promote the site to other students, to address a problem with the site, or to effect change.


This book provides a comprehensive overview of host genetic factors that influence susceptibility to infectious diseases. It deals with the role of infections as evolutionary forces, methods of identifying susceptibility genes, the role of susceptibility genes in the pathogenesis of infectious disease, as well as with the application of this knowledge in public health policy, vaccine development, and animal breeding.


There is currently a lively debate ongoing in society about the nature of trust and the conditions necessary to establish and sustain it. Given the role of trust in bridging uncertainty, it is perhaps not surprising that as our consciousness of risk has increased, the role and nature of trust in social practices has come under growing scrutiny. These developments are particularly relevant to health because participation in health practices is arguably based on and engendered through trust. There is thus a need for empirically based research, which intelligently unravels this complexity to support all stakeholders in the health arena. This multidisciplinary volume of work addresses this gap by contributing substantively to the exploration of trust in the experience, practice and organization of health. It offers an overview of recent scholarship, based on empirical research, which explores the significance of trust in relation to key health-related issues. At the same time, this text examines conceptual themes in relation to trust more generally, including the relationship between trust and auditing, consent, expert knowledges and social capital.


A significant worldwide challenge is to increase the food supply to accommodate a population growing to 9,000,000,000 in the face of climate change. Per capita water supply in Jordan is among the world's lowest. Despite this scarcity, three-quarters of Jordan's water use is consumed by irrigated agriculture, while producing low economic values from additional water used compared to urban uses. However, irrigated agriculture supports Jordan's food security, so its policymakers continue to examine measures to produce more crop per drop in irrigated agriculture, to permit scarce water to meet growing urban demands. This paper examines economically efficient measures to conserve water in irrigated agriculture to sustain growing urban water demands. Using a sample of one-third of the farms in Jordan's Mafraq Basin, an econometric model is formulated to identify factors influencing irrigation water use and economic productivity. Findings show that the price of water is the overarching factor influencing both. A low water price discourages water conservation even if other institutions promote it. A high price of water encourages conservation even in the presence of other discouraging factors. Results suggest that water-conserving policies in Jordan's irrigated agriculture can be more effectively implemented where water institutions and programs are designed to be compatible with the underlying economic scarcity of water. Results carry significant implications for the design and implementation of development programs affecting the use of water in the world's dry areas.
Keywords: Aquifer, Irrigation, Jordan, Mafraq Basin, Urban water use, Water conservation