Media Statements & Speeches
Commissioner Moeller Statement
April 30, 2012
Docket No. AD12-13-000
Solar Disturbances to Earth’s Geomagnetic Field
"As I stated immediately after the March earthquake in Japan, “[o]ur nation has already made great advances in its preparation for what are sometimes called ‘high-impact, low-frequency’ events.” (Statement) While the consequences of unusually severe solar disturbances are not completely understood --- because no event on the scale under consideration today has ever happened to the modern power grid --- the efforts of scientists and engineers to understand these solar phenomena and how they might impact electricity assets are welcomed. Low probability events that are not fully understood can radically disrupt our lives, and we need to be prepared. To properly allocate this nation’s limited resources, we necessarily consider this matter in the context of our many statutory duties at the Commission. Of highest priority, this Commission must do all that it can to ensure that the lights stay on as coal plants are retired and retrofitted in compliance with recently issued EPA regulations. These regulations have already been issued, and are not low-likelihood events impacting the power grid --- they are a certainty. The benefits of clean air and water, and the costs and challenges associated with EPA compliance, will be driving the agenda of this Commission for many years. Nevertheless, this Commission must still allocate a degree of time and effort to other issues, including issues that are not completely understood by science, to ensure that we are as prepared as reasonably possible for all severe disasters --- earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, solar flares, droughts, infectious plagues, large meteor impacts, nuclear war, etc. --- that could radically impact our lives. Given its statutory function, the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) has ongoing work related to these matters, and I look forward to hearing how NERC plans to address such events."


As contentious debates about the impact of global warming drive on, something unique is occurring in the coastal areas of Alaska.
Rather than rising sea levels and diminishing coastlines, the
land in southeast Alaska is rising out of the ocean at an accelerated rate. This phenomenon is known as "post-glacial rebound " or "isostatic adjustment", and is a direct result of global warming. The region was once covered by vast glaciers and ice fields, which massively deformed and submerged the coastal landscape. As global temperatures rise, the weight of glacial ice is rapidly melting away, and previously buried land is bursting forth into view.
This series is composed of photographs of the extant Alaskan landscape paired with photo-sculptural pieces representing the nascent landscapes to come. The photo-sculptural pieces were created through manipulating silver gelatin emulsion paper and sculpting it into rough approximations of the existing underwater topography. Dry chemistry was then applied directly to the emulsion and washed over with water; as the water flows around ridges and through valleys, it simulates trails and pools that are reminiscent of glaciers, glacial melt waters, silt deposits and the new risen muddy tidal flats.
This project serves as a reminder that the natural world often fails to conform to our polarized understanding of human-environmental interaction. As political battles rage over the possibility of coastal inundation, these pieces speak to the even greater complexity of nature. The contrast of the potential topographies of the future with the natural landscapes of the present challenges the simplified arguments on both sides of the climate change debate. The pieces seek to expand the discourse, while grounding it in the concrete and complex reality of our Earth.
—Daniel Kukla


January 2017
The North America temperature sensors market is projected to reach USD 1.95 billion by 2018 growing at a CAGR of 6.45% over the period 2014-2020. Temperature sensing has been gaining importance in the R&D and industrial settings, giving rise to a high demand for temperature sensors. Huge investments from the companies operating in the market to develop enhanced temperature sensor functionalities, safety mandates and the increasing adoption of HVAC modules act as the key factors driving the market. Technological advancements and reduced prices have resulted in the introduction of new applications in the HVAC space.
Temperature controls are essential for manufacturing, handling and storing of medical equipment and drugs. They are increasingly used in communication industry with growth in handheld communication devices. Growing demand for consumer electronics such as smartphones, cameras, and media players, which make use of microprocessors with temperature sensing ICs, will further boost the market. However, intense competition and significant price cuts may restrain the temperature sensors market over the forecast period.
The North America temperature sensors market is segmented on the basis of type, and industry. North America accounted for 34% of the global market temperature sensor market in 2014, mainly due to advancements in sensor technologies in the region.
This report describes a detailed study of the Porter’s five forces analysis of the market. All the five major factors in these markets have been quantified using the internal key parameters governing each of them. It also covers the market landscape of these players which includes the key growth strategies and competition analysis.
The report also considers key trends that will impact the industry. Some of the key players mentioned in the report are
What the report offers


Bin Zheng, MD, PhD, Xianta Jiang, Msc, Geoffery Tien, Msc, M. Stella Atkins, PhD
University of Alberta
Objective: Eye-tracking studies reveal more and more evidence of surgeons’ expertise level. Novice surgeons often track the movement of surgical instruments while more experienced surgeons focus their gazes on the operating target. Proactive eye movement has been recognized as a behavioral marker closely associated with skill expertise. In this study, we decided to investigate whether experienced surgeons perform more proactive movements in performing laparoscopic tasks. Study Design: We recorded eye-tracking data from twelve subjects performing a laparoscopic task involving 9 sub-steps. Six of the subjects are surgeons with extensive laparoscopic experience; six are office staff with no surgical experience. Each subject was required to perform 5 trials on identical tasks. The eye gazes of the subjects were also recorded during their performance and overlaid with the synchronized task videos during analysis. We analyzed the videos manually and located the times where the subject’s saccadic movements commenced for every sub-task during task performance and where the tool movement commenced during performance. Results: Six surgeons performed a total of 30 trials giving 270 chances to observe proactive eye movement. The same data was collected from novices. On average, surgeons performed the task faster than the office staff (24 s vs 40 s, P = 0.010). We also found that the surgeons performed significantly more proactive eye movements to the target than the staff (64% vs 17%, P < 0.001). The mean offset between proactive eye and hand movement was 168 ms. Conclusion: The early onset of gaze on the target in task performance provides visual guidance for hand movement which allowed surgeons to perform the task with increased accuracy and speed. In addition to the “tool-tracking” behavior, the proactive eye motion provides another behavioral marker for us to assess surgeons’ expertise by checking their eye-hand coordination skills.
Session: Poster Presentation
Program Number: P388


• Seventy-four patients were operated on at Childrens Hospital of Los Angeles between 1951 and 1977 for abnormalities of intestinal rotation with or without volvulus. The mortality in this group of patients was 4% and represents a significant improvement from the 23% mortality previously reported from this institution between 1937 and 1951. Neonatal patients had bilious vomiting and signs of high intestinal obstruction while older children had a more chronic course characterized by intermittent episodes of abdominal pain. Evaluation with contrast studies and early celiotomy is mandatory to prevent bowel necrosis. We outline the associated gastrointestinal anomalies and management of these combined anomalies.
(Arch Surg 116: 158-160, 1981)
Andrassy CRJ, Mahour GH. Malrotation of the Midgut in Infants and ChildrenA 25-Year Review. Arch Surg. 1981;116(2):158-160. doi:10.1001/archsurg.1981.01380140020004
© 2017


The instant access that hackers have to the latest tools and techniques demands that companies become more aggressive in defending the security of their networks. Conducting a network vulnerability assessment, a self-induced hack attack, identifies the network components and faults in policies, and procedures that expose a company to the damage caused by malicious network intruders.Managing a Network Vulnerability Assessment provides a formal framework for finding and eliminating network security threats, ensuring that no vulnerabilities are overlooked. This thorough overview focuses on the steps necessary to successfully manage an assessment, including the development of a scope statement, the understanding and proper use of assessment methodology, the creation of an expert assessment team, and the production of a valuable response report. The book also details what commercial, freeware, and shareware tools are available, how they work, and how to use them.By following the procedures outlined in this guide, a company can pinpoint what individual parts of their network need to be hardened, and avoid expensive and unnecessary purchases.


Later-generation HERMES robots may be used a first responders to disaster sites.
Meet the latest robotic wonder to emerge from MIT’s Department of Mechanical Engineering: the surprisingly puppet-like HERMES. Unlike its predecessors, HERMES’s actions are controlled by a human being wearing an exoskeleton of wires and motors. Each human movement is translated instantly to HERMES, much like a puppeteer controlling his marionette.
One potential use for HERMES is as a first responder to disaster sites. Under the guidance of a human operator from a remote location, HERMES would be able to explore the affected area. The research was partially funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).
“We’d eventually have someone wearing a full-body suit and goggles, so he can feel and see everything the robot does, and vice versa,” says PhD student Joao Ramos. “We plan to have the robot walk as a quadruped, then stand up on two feet to do difficult manipulation tasks such as open a door or clear an obstacle.”
HERMES’ design allows it to take advantage of a human’s split-second reflexes, which gives it a much faster reaction time in terms of adjusting its balance than it would have based on visual feedback from onboard cameras.
Additionally, its unique balance-feedback interface allows its human controller to remotely feel the robot’s shifting weight and quickly adjust the robot’s balance by shifting his own weight. As a result, the robot can carry out momentum-driven tasks — like punching through walls, or swinging a bat — while maintaining its balance.
“We’d like to use the human’s natural reflexes and coordination,” explains Ramos. “An example is walking, which is just a process of falling and catching yourself. That’s something that feels effortless to us, but it’s challenging to program into a robot to do it both dynamically and efficiently. We want to explore how humans can take over complex actions for the robot.”


SNAP-Ed
The USDA’s Supplemental Food Assistance Program (SNAP) provides help to nearly 45 million people—about 1 in 7 people in the United States. Nearly half are children younger than 18.
Historically, the focus of SNAP-Education, or SNAP-Ed, was on nutrition education for SNAP recipients, but the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 transformed the program into a nutrition education and obesity prevention grant program explicitly adopting obesity prevention as a major emphasis and embracing comprehensive evidence-based strategies delivered through community-based and public health approaches.
NCCOR has worked closely with USDA to rapidly develop, refine, and update the SNAP-Ed Toolkit — a portfolio of existing, evidence-based, and actionable tools consistent with the context and policies of SNAP and incorporating evidence-based obesity strategies, and the SNAP-Ed Evaluation Framework — a focused menu of outcome indicators that align with the SNAP‐Ed guiding principles and lend support to documenting changes resulting from multiple approaches in low-income nutrition education and obesity prevention efforts.


The bread line is shortening. It's been 4.5 years since the recession officially ended, but in December unemployment numbers hit the lowest point since the recovery began in 29 states. A few states—Missouri, South Carolina, and Florida—even returned to levels of unemployment unseen since 2008. Despite the promising news, concerns about long-term unemployment and artificial numbers due to workers abandoning the job hunt remain.


I’m Nerida Mills, founder and director of Nerida Mills and Associates. I am also a mother of three amazing children who remind me every day that the potential of human beings lies in our ability to reconnect with innate wisdom and deepest truths.
Facilitating a new paradigm of success that incorporates these things is my passion. I believe manifesting excellence in ourselves requires happiness, health, inspiration, passion and being in a state of flow, and that we are living in a time where this has never been so possible. Putting people at the forefront of our minds when examining what is most important to true success, we have the opportunity to redefine the workplace. We have the knowledge, skills, and smarts to do this, both on an individual level and within organisations, and to welcome a more empowered way of doing business.
A new paradigm. I believe the shift has already begun, and my question to you is: where will you sit on the wave of change?


Report of case: A 41 year old woman was referred by a gastroenterologist for chronic abdominal pain of six months’ duration. She described pain that occurred frequently throughout the day, ypically lasting between 30 minutes and two hours. The pain was mainly epigastric but had a colicky right upper quadrant component also. She described severe postprandial attacks that had limited her alimentation to mainly liquids over the previous two months. She had an involuntary weight loss of 8 to 10 pounds over the six month period. An extensive workup including upper and lower endoscopic examinations, a barium swallow with small bowel follow through and a CT scan of the abdomen and pelvis had been done. Salient findings included situs inversus abdominis. The spleen and stomach were on the right, the proximal jejunum and majority of the small intestine were located on the left, while the entire colon was in the right abdomen. The gallbladder was centrally located between two large hepatic lobes. Base on the patient’s symptoms, an abdominal ultrasound and radionuclide hepatobiliary scan were completed. The ultrasound was normal. The radionuclide scan featured normal gallbladder filling and an ejection fraction of 19.8%. A diagnosis of biliary dyskinesia was made.
Technique: The patient was placed in the low lithotomy position with the surgeon positioned between the patient’s legs. Abdominal access was gained with a non-bladed 11mm trocar just superior to the umbilicus. A 30 degree 10 mm laparoscope was used. Additional trocars were placed under direct visualization and included a 5 mm trocar in the right upper abdominal quadrant and two 5 mm trocars in the left upper abdominal quadrant. Anatomical variations included the portal vein crossing anterior to the common hepatic duct and the presence of a very short cystic duct. The dome-down approach was very useful and allowed excellent exposure of critical structures. The cystic duct was isolated, clipped and divided. The gallbladder was removed and the the trocar sites closed. Results: The patient had an uneventful postoperative recovery and was discharged home the same day. She was seen in the office a week later and was doing well. She remains asymptomatic 8 months after surgery. Discussion. Gallbladder disease in patients with situs inversus abdominis presents a unique set of challenges centering on significant anatomical abnormalities. The laparoscopic approach is safe and effective. Several modifications may be helpful including variations in patient postitoning, the use of alternate trocar locations and the dome-down dissection technique.
Session: Poster
Program Number: P394


Sunday, August 28, 2005
Rodney P. v. Stacy B., 2005 Ky. LEXIS 245 (August 25, 2005)
This case of first impression, the Kentucky Supreme Court examines child support obligations for an incarcerated child. Here, Mom had custody of two children. She moved to modify Dad’s child support payments based on Dad’s increased income. Dad responded that, because the oldest child was in state custody for status and delinquency offenses, child support should be calculated based on Mom's custody of one child rather than two. Mom did not provide any evidence that she was providing support for the incarcerated child or had expenses related to her custody of him. Dad argued that, because the state could sue him to collect the costs of support for the son, if he were also ordered to pay Mom support for the son, he would end up paying twice.
The court reviews the few cases across the United States involving incarcerated children and child support, noting that, while most held that parents had a continuing duty of child support for an incarcerated child, those cases were ones in which the parent was seeking to terminate the support obligation entirely under an emancipation theory. Here, Dad was not seeking to terminate his support obligation, but rather to have support calculated as if he were the custodial parent of the incarcerated son. The court agreed with this approach.
Text of opinion at http://www.kycourts.net/Supreme/SC_Opinions.shtm
http://lawprofessors.typepad.com/family_law/2005/08/case_law_develo_5.html


The use of prenuptial agreements is allowed in every state. These contractual agreements between prospective spouses are typically used to plan for what happens in the event a couple divorces or separate. Prenuptial agreement's can cover a wide range of issues and circumstances.
Basis
Premarital agreements, sometimes referred to as prenuptial agreement or "prenups," can be used by anyone before getting married. These agreements are based in contract law, and as long as both parties agree to the terms they can generally include any provisions that do not violate the law.
Property
Prenuptial agreements are often used by couples to determine how property gets divided in the event of a divorce. They can also be used to determine how property can be used during the course of the marriage. For example, a prenuptial agreement can state that the spouses are entitled to use independent checking accounts during the course of the marriage, even though it can also provide that all marital assets are to be split equally in the event of a divorce.
Support
Premarital agreements often determine matters of marital support, sometimes referred to as alimony, apart from matters of property. For example, a premarital agreement can be made such that the spouses are only entitled to receive the personal property they had before entering the marriage, and an equal portion of the marital property. However, it can also provide that one spouse is owed a specific amount in monthly marital support payments aside from any property.
Fault
Premarital agreements can also be used to place restrictions or contingent clauses on the marriage. Because many states have "no-fault" divorce laws, prenuptial agreements can be used as the basis for fault claims. For example, a prenuptial agreement can have an adultery clause providing that the wife receives specific compensation in the event of the husband's infidelity, even if the state law provides for no such fault remedy.
Inheritance
Prenuptial agreements can also be used to ensure children receive inheritance rights. For example, a wife can use a prenuptial agreement to ensure any children of the marriage will not be left without property or income in the event the wife dies.


Summary and Info
The book is part of a series on Current Topics in Behavioral Neurosciences, which has as its focus anxiety and its treatment. We have brought together a distinguished cadre of authors with the aim of covering a broad array of topics related to anxiety disorders, ranging from clinical diagnosis, epidemiology, preclinical neuroscience, and animal models to established and innovative therapeutic approaches. The book aims at bridging these disciplines to provide an update of literature relevant to understanding anxiety, its consequences, and its management. Following is a brief overview of the chapters and their content, meant to serve as a guide to navigating the book. The ?rst section covers clinical aspects of anxiety disorders. Joe Bienvenu and colleagues provide an incisive overview of diagnostic considerations in the anxiety disorders in which they emphasize the strengths and shortcomings of our current nosologic systems. This is followed by a review and update of the epidemiology of anxiety disorders by Ron Kessler and colleagues, which provides an authoritative survey of anxiety disorder incidence, prevalence, and risk factors. This is comp- mented by a comprehensive review of the literature on disorders that co-occur with anxiety disorders by Kathleen Merikangas and Sonja Alsemgeest Swanson. Their review highlights the tremendous comorbidity that occurs not only within the anxiety disorders, but also with other mental and physical health conditions.
Review and Comments Rate the Book
Behavioral Neurobiology of Anxiety and Its Treatment 0 out of 5 stars based on 0 ratings.
Your Rating:


Note:Supplemental materials are not guaranteed with Rental or Used book purchases. ISBN: 9780765635303 | 0765635305 Cover: Nonspecific Binding Copyright: 3/15/2012
This reader presents a balanced collection of 16 administrative profiles of high-level government and nonprofit officials for course use. They were originally published as part of a series for Public Administration Review and provide rich, in-depth examples of the work performed by high-level public servants and the factors that contribute to their effectiveness. Administrative profiles have long been an important instructional tool in public administration classes on, for example, leadership, management, ethics, organization theory, and general public affairs. They have also presented positive images and role models to students preparing for careers in the public service or to those already working in government and nonprofit organizations. As Cooper and Wright (1992, xii-xiii) point out, profiles of exemplary administrators provide instructive and inspirational role models both for preservice students considering careers in public service and for working administrators in a field that often feels maligned and demeaned by the public and the media. The book begins with an extensive introduction to the use and importance of administrative profiles. The profiles themselves cover a wide range of public service professionals at the local, state, and federal levels, and are written by a distinguished cast of authors. A concluding chapter by Norma Riccucci pulls together and synthesizes the various themes of the profiles.


Published on
Monday, April 15, 2013
Abcodia
Ltd. is using blood samples that have been taken annually by the U.K.
Collaborative Trial for Ovarian Cancer Screening to identify serum biomarkers
that can detect breast, lung, pancreatic and colorectal tumors at least one
year before symptomatic presentation.
Cancer biomarkers identified
through comparisons of samples from diagnosed cancer patients and matched
healthy controls may not be useful for widespread screening as they rely on threshold levels that
may miss cancer in individuals with biomarkers that are rising but low, or
falsely diagnose a healthy subject with naturally high levels.


Understanding the variables that can affect homeowner’s insurance premiums can save consumers a significant amount of money. These factors range from the location of your dwelling to its distance from a fire hydrant. Even factors that consumers may not realize, such as whether they are smokers, can affect their premium. Essentially, insurers consider both the individual seeking insurance and the property they seek to insure.
“You’re a Statistic”
Insurance companies view consumers as a set of risks based on various factors. They enter these variables into an algorithm that calculates your insurance score, which in turn determines your premium. Your insurer might consider facets such as your occupation, sex, age, and marital status to determine your insurance score. Your claims history, as well as your credit history, will also be considered by your insurer.
Other factors that may be considered include your lifestyle and your belongings. Note that your insurance score is
not the same as your credit score. While your credit history is a factor that helps determine your insurance score, these two scores are completely different. Home Value
Along with its location, the age and condition of your home can also affect its value. For instance, some areas are prone to certain natural disasters, such as hail storms, earthquakes, and hurricanes. Homeowners in high-risk areas will have higher insurance premiums. The proximity of your home to a fire hydrant or a fire station can also affect your insurance rate. More specifically, facets of your home that can impact its value include:
The square footage of your home. Building costs in your area. The type of construction and building materials used. For instance, wood frame homes may cost more to insure than brick homes because the former are more susceptible to fire damage. Crime rates in your neighborhood. The condition of plumbing, heating, and electrical systems.
Homeowners should also note that a home’s replacement cost may widely differ from its market value. Your home may be insured on a replacement cost basis, which is the amount needed to repair your home and replace your belongings with new items of “like kind and quality,” without deducting for depreciation.
Many consumers incorrectly assume that their home’s tax value, appraisal, or the amount they purchased the home for dictates the amount of insurance they should obtain. In fact, these values differ because they represent a home’s worth, or market value. They do not represent how much it would cost to rebuild the home. Furthermore, the land on which a home is built is included in its tax value and its selling price, but this land is
not insured by homeowner’s policies. Each Insurer is Different
Before you settle on an insurance policy, you’ll want to do some comparison shopping. Make sure you compare quotes because not all insurers are the same, and their quotes may differ drastically. The Insurance Information Institute (III) recommends that consumers obtain at least three quotes before they make a final decision. However, price is not the only thing that consumers should consider. Take into account the company’s legitimacy and customer service. In a dire situation, you will want a company that thoroughly answers your questions and handles claims fairly and efficiently. Ask friends and family members for their recommendations.
Consumers can do their homework by checking the financial health of insurance companies by using ratings provided by independent rating agencies. These ratings will provide information on the financial health of the insurance companies you are considering. Independent rating agencies include A.M. Best and Standard & Poor’s. Consumer magazines, as well as state insurance departments, may also provide their own ratings.
Discounts
Most insurers offer discounts to lower your home insurance premium, so ask your insurer whether you are eligible for any discounts. Most companies that sell homeowner’s insurance also sell other forms of insurance, such as auto, life, or umbrella liability policies. These insurers may offer multi-policy discounts for consumers who have multiple policies with the same company. In some cases, this discount may reduce your premium by 5% to 15% every year. However, make sure that buying multiple policies from the same company is cheaper than buying individual policies from different companies.
Agencies may also offer discounts to consumers who have held a policy with the same company for several years. As a long-term policy holder, you may receive a 5% discount for staying with a company for three to five years, or a 10% discount if you stay with them for six years or more.
New homes may qualify for discounts, and homeowners who renovate older homes may seek similar discounts. A modernized plumbing or electrical system, for instance, may decrease your premium. Installing safety devices such as dead-bolt locks and burglar alarms for security and sprinkler systems and smoke detectors for fire prevention can also lower your premium by approximately 5%. Some companies may offer even more significant discounts — as much as 15 or 20% — if you install a sophisticated sprinkler system and a fire or burglar system that notifies the local police or fire station. However, these systems can be pricey. Before you take the steps to install one, ask your insurer for recommendations and do the math. Determine whether the cost of the system will translate to future savings.


Highlights
for Thursday 25 April 2002
Delegates to the third meeting of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety (ICCP) met in two working groups during the day. Working Group I (WG-I) discussed and adopted Conference Room Papers (CRP) on: Articles 18.2(a), (b) and (c) under handling, transport, packaging and identification; other issues necessary for the Protocol’s implementation; and information sharing. Working Group II (WG-II) discussed and adopted CRPs on: liability and redress; the roster of experts; capacity building; and compliance. A contact group on compliance also met in the afternoon.
On Article 18.2(a) regarding documentation for living modified organisms for food, feed or processing (LMO-FFPs), contact group Co-Chair Eric Schoonejans (France) noted that the contact group could not reach consensus and presented a summary with an annex containing draft recommendations, which he believed could be used as a basis for future consideration.
CANADA, supported by many others, complimented the Co-Chair’s efforts in facilitating the process and agreed to use the summary as a basis for future deliberation in conjunction with the expert group’s recommendations, with some noting lack of agreement on the contents of the annex to the Co-Chair’s summary.
INFORMATION
SHARING:
NORWAY emphasized further elaboration before use in the BCH’s operational phase.
The EU suggested transmitting a footnote’s contents to operative paragraphs indicating that issues regarding unique identification and risk assessment and management.
ETHIOPIA opposed, deleting a paragraph recommending MOP-1 to consider and provide guidance relating to transboundary movement between Parties and non-Parties.
WORKING
GROUP II: LIABILITY AND REDRESS
Chair P.K. Ghosh (India) (center) noted that concerns had been raised on Wednesday, 24 April, regarding the questionnaire annexed to the draft recommendation. Following statements by regional groups, a “Friends of the Chair” group, chaired by Henrik Kjellin (Sweden), was established to consider it.
ROSTER
OF EXPERTS:
JAPAN requested posting on the BCH reports on the pilot phase of the voluntary fund, and attach a description of the cases where daily rates exceeding the UN daily rate for experts may be approved.
CAPACITY
BUILDING:
Namibia, on behalf of the AFRICAN GROUP, requested assistance for organizing workshops.
GLOBAL INDUSTRY COALITION suggested submitting proposals to the Secretariat regarding the private sector’s role in capacity building, which will be included.
Chair
Ghosh suggested, and delegates agreed to a central reporting mechanism to
facilitate identification, instead of monitoring, of capacity-building
projects, on the basis of information received. Delegates also agreed to
specify use of existing databases to clarify that a new reporting mechanism
was not being created. With these amendments and one minor correction, WG-II
adopted the CRP.
COMPLIANCE:
The Chair Veit Koester (Denmark) (right) said he would forward to WG-II the draft recommendation with minor amendments and annexed draft procedures, including agreed removal of brackets concerning: consideration of information from the BCH, the COP, the MOP, subsidiary bodies and relevant international organizations; and taking into account a Party’s capacity and the cause, type, degree and frequency of non-compliance when taking measures to address non-compliance.
ENB Snapshots:


Contractors and Workers
It is your responsibility to find out whether your contractors are considered workers by the VWA. If they are, this may impact your total remuneration, which is one of the key factors that influences your premium and whether you need to register for WorkCover insurance. If your total remuneration then exceeds $7,500, you must register for WorkCover insurance. Additionally, as the employer you may be liable if the contractor is injured while performing work for you.
The term 'contractor' covers a wide variety of people, including:
Consultants Agents Outworkers
Contractors may operate as sole proprietors, partnerships, companies or through family trusts.
Each time you hire a contractor, you need to determine whether they are considered to be a 'worker' by the VWA. If the person is considered a worker, you effectively become their employer for WorkCover insurance purposes, and you must include the money you pay them in your total remuneration.
Assessing a contractor
A range of guidance material has been developed to assist in understanding the contractor provisions and in determining if a contractor you engage may be considered your worker for WorkCover insurance purposes.
General contractor guidelines General contractor provisions – Contracts mainly for equipment or materials General contractor provisions – Contractor deductions
The Worker and Contractor Assessment Tool has been developed to assess the relationship between the hirer and the contractor to assist in the determination of the status of both.
Different types of workers
In addition to contractors that may be seen as workers for WorkCover insurance purposes there are a range of occupations where those undertaking them have specific treatment as either workers or as running their own business. Information on these specific occupations can be found on the Types of workers page.
Further information Apprentices and trainees Labour hire Determining your remuneration What to do if a worker is injured – A guide for employers
Any questions should be directed to your WorkCover agent.
Contractual relationships pre 30 June 2011
The tests for determining if a contractor is the deemed worker of their hirer were different prior to 1 July 2011. If you are assessing a contractual relationship that existed before then the following guideline should be used.


Arsenic contamination is widespread and has been linked to cancer in humans and to reduced biodiversity. Due to its extreme toxicity and high prevalence in the environment, the Department of Health and Human Services has ranked arsenic as the number one contaminant of concern. Conventional arsenic removal techniques rely heavily on the use of chemicals that both impact water quality and significantly raise operational costs. Wetlands have potential to function as inexpensive, efficient options for removing arsenic from contaminated water. As a first step to design a wetland for arsenic removal from wastewater, we determined the phytofiltration capacity of
Azolla caroliniana. In a series of three randomized block design experiments, A. caroliniana was exposed to monomethylarsenic acid (MMAA), dimethylarsenic acid (DMAA), arsenite (As III) and arsenate (As V), tested for differences between adsorption to the plant and absorption into the plant, and exposed to different arsenate concentrations (0, 500, 1000, 1500 ppb) over 21 days. Arsenic and mineral levels in plant and solution samples were analyzed using ICP-OES. Resulting data were used to build a mass balance model designed to track arsenic movement among plant tissue, solution and by difference, air. Results/Conclusions A. caroliniana absorbed arsenic from all treatments with tissue concentrations increasing from below detection level (9.5 mg kg -1) up to 530 mg kg -1 dry weight in four days. Growth inhibition varied with toxicity following the trend DMAA < As(III) < MMAA < As(V). Adsorption of arsenic to the plant surface was not a significant portion of total detectable arsenic. A. caroliniana arsenic tissue concentration increased with increasing concentration of arsenate with no significant differences in growth (fresh weight). Significant differences in the concentration of Ca, K, P, Mg, Mn, Fe, Si, S, and Na within A. caroliniana biomass was evident among treatments. Mass balance modeling revealed a strong relationship (r 2=0.899, 0.862, 0.947) between mass of arsenic removed and time in exposures of 500, 1000 and 1500 ppb, respectively. Extrapolation predicts an arsenic reduction to levels below 150 ppb (EPA’s recommendation for surface water) in 99-102 days, depending on initial concentration values. These outcomes provide managers a framework for designing wetlands for large scale remediation of arsenic waste.


In a new study entitled “
T-cell exhaustion, co-stimulation and clinical outcome in autoimmunity and infection” researchers discovered how T-cell exhaustion can determine the outcome of autoimmune diseases, suggesting that therapeutics targeting the underlying mechanism of T-cell exhaustion can benefit patient outcomes in diseases like systemic lupus erythematosus. The study was published in the journal Nature.
T cells are key players in the immune system, responsible for fighting infections and abnormal cells, such as cancer cells. However, while they play a crucial role in body defense, they can also lead to autoimmune diseases as a consequence of abnormally attacking our own healthy cells instead of foreign pathogens.
CD8 + T cells are a specific group of T cells that during a chronic infection can become ‘exhausted’and therefore fail to protect against infections, resulting in persistent chronic viral infections such as those with hepatitis C or HIV. Nonetheless, T-cell exhaustion may be beneficial when considering autoimmune diseases.
In this study, researchers from the Cambridge Institute for Medical Research investigated the genetic profile of CD8 T-cells in autoimmune patients. They found that the gene expression signature was similar between autoimmune and chronic infected patients, suggesting that this mechanism actually impacts disease outcomes. Notably, while T cell exhaustion led infections to persist it had the exact opposite effect in autoinflammatory disorders: patients exhibited a mild-disease phenotype accompanied with fewer relapses.
As Dr Eoin McKinney, a Wellcome Trust-Beit Research Fellow at the University of Cambridge and study first author
explained, “We know that the way our bodies respond to infection and to autoimmune diseases differs between individuals. In part, we believe this is due to a process known as T cell exhaustion. For effective treatment, we need to exhaust our T cell responses in autoimmune diseases — and hence limit the attack on our body — and to reverse exhaustion when the fight is against unwanted invaders, such as viruses or cancer.”
The team highlighted how their findings may help clinicians allocate effective treatments to patients suffering with autoimmune diseases, depending on their T cells exhaustion status: patients with a higher level of exhausted T cells have a better long-term outcome and therefore require less intensive therapy, while those with ‘non-exhausted’ T cells may benefit from more intensive treatments. This approach is currently being tested in a clinical trial, commissioned by the same team, on inflammatory bowel disease patients.
Professor Ken Smith, study lead author
added, “We believe the clinical implications of this study could be profound. A test based on the concept is soon to enter the clinic, and we are exploring new treatments for autoimmunity based on manipulating T cell exhaustion. A focus on T cell exhaustion in cancer has led to a revolution in treatment and a multi-billion dollar industry. We now implicate the same pathways in determining long term patient outcome in autoimmune and inflammatory diseases, which afflict up to one in ten of the population over the course of their lives.”


General Category > All Grain Brewing
measuring efficency
<< < (3/3)
goschman: --- Quote from: a10t2 on December 06, 2012, 12:28:18 PM --- --- Quote from: goschman on December 06, 2012, 12:15:49 PM ---Is this a decent method to use? --- End quote --- I don't think there's anything wrong with it, but what purpose does it serve? If you've hit the target OG and you have enough volume in the fermenter to net your desired packaging volume after losses, what else matters? --- End quote --- I just like track my efficiency to ensure that it is reasonably consistent. I didn't hit my desired OG. I would have liked a higher OG in the example given but somehow I had less boil off than usual. It was good to know that my lower OG was due to that instead of low efficiency neemox: --- Quote from: micsager on December 06, 2012, 10:13:43 AM ---Or is there an easier way? I have beersmith set at 75% efficiency, and I always come close to the estimated OG. (1.065 on BS, and I'll hit 1.060) I suppose I could adjust the efficiency in BS to the point where I'm right on, and figure that is my efficiency. How do you all measure your efficiency? --- End quote --- I have been doing a lot of efficiency measuring recently just trying to get into the ballpark. After listening to the advice of others, I'm never going to worry about the difference between 72% and 75%, but I was having really low and inconsistent efficiencies. To try and pinpoint what is/was going on in my system and get consistent, I've been measuring all of the components off of Kai's spreadsheet that he linked. The biggest things I have either measured or started recording that have helped have been the dead space in my MT (very easy to measure, add water to cover the outlet, drain, measure remaining water using something calibrated), which in turn has allowed for measuring my mash volume. This can also be done just by measuring the volume in your boil kettle after collecting (but then you are missing some information about grain absorption). Measuring the run-off gravities (at the correct temp) and the volumes in the MT, kettle, and fermenter have all helped me greatly. I measure volume in my kettle using a meterstick, multiplying by the surface area of my cylindrical pot, and converting milliliters to gallons. My fermenter is marked and I just trust it enough for my rough calculations. I calibrated the 1/2 gallon pitcher I use on brew day using a pyrex measuring cup, which so far is working fine for my calculations. Again, not worrying about the 3% difference that will take my beer up or down a couple of points, I'm worried about the 10-20 point variations. All in all, the measurements I take on brew day now add an extra 10 minutes or so, but the information I get from calculating the efficiency has already helped my consistency greatly. Totally worth it to measure the variables, even if you don't need to calculate the values later on. If you end up with the right volume of the right gravity, then your efficiency was pretty damn good. But if not, it's going to be really hard to go back and collect the data you need once the beer is in the fermenter. malzig: I measure my volumes with a dipstick, using the radius of my kettles to calculate the volume by depth (V=3.14r2h). Smaller volumes I measure in a Nalgene 5L graduated cylinder (looks a lot like a narrow and tall pitcher). I've worked in a lab for what has now been most of my life, so I'm more comfortable knowing I'm taking accurate measurements, than winging it. I buy my base mats by the sack, so I use the grain analysis to adjust my potential for each new lot. Specialty malts I just go by what BeerTools Pro defaults to. Long ago, I calculated my efficiency to be 87% for an average gravity beer, batch sparged, and it is rare that that isn't predictive within a point or two. When I plan on making a low or high gravity beer, I use Kai's Batch Sparge Simulator spreadsheet to predict what the efficiency will be, and it has proven accurate for me.
Navigation
[0] Message Index
[*] Previous pageGo to full version


The guide is organised into a set of modules, each representing important aspects of the successor to the existing Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA). By presenting evidence in the form of data, facts and summary messages, the modules highlight what should be covered by a new agreement.
This document is the second draft prepared by ODI and CDKN. It includes seven original modules, three of which have been extended. New modules covering ‘monitoring and 'accountability’, ‘environment and ecosystems’, ‘science and technology’ and ‘interfaces with the post-2015 framework for sustainable development’ have been added. Clarifications have been made where required and sections tailored where appropriate to the pre-zero draft of the new framework.


Kinesiology is the scientific study of the anatomy, physiology, and mechanics of body movement, especially in humans. Kinesiology encompasses human anatomy, physiology, biomechanics, exercise physiology, exercise psychology and sociology, history, and philosophy of sport.
Because nearly all AK tests are subjective, many regard the practice with skepticism. The AK practitioner applies the pressure, but this practitioner is also the one who decides if one push is stronger than another. This is considered by some a conflict of interest: the AK practitioner will benefit if AK is perceived by the client as effective, but the AK practitioner is the one who actually determines how effective the practice has been, because he or she subjectively applies pressure to the patient's muscle or muscles.


No matter how you feel about the government’s efforts to reduce childhood obesity, apparently they’re working.
A new study has found that children who live in states with strict food laws have lower obesity rates than those without. These laws include those that ban certain snacks or drinks, such as soda, from vending machines.
For the study, researchers tracked 6,300 public school students in 40 states from fifth to eighth grade. A law was classified as strict if it had detailed nutrition standards, while weaker laws simply offered health recommendations.
Researchers found that over the three-year study, students who lived in states with strong laws gained less weight than those who lived in states with weak or no nutrition laws—approximately 2.25 fewer pounds.
But it’s also worth noting that consistency of laws played a key role in the results. For example, throughout the study, various states enacted stronger nutrition policies for schools. However, many only focused on elementary schools. In those same states, middle school students gained as much weight as those in states that had weaker food laws.
The team was quick to note that the results don’t prove the laws are the sole reason the children remained at healthy weights. Still, the authors argued that these results “have important implications for federal and state policies targeting childhood obesity,” according to a statement issued by the American Academy of Pediatrics.
The authors also wrote, “Based on our results, elementary school laws may have a limited impact unless reinforced by strong codified laws at higher grade levels.”
The full study was published in the journal
Pediatrics.


Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2013 Abstract
Despite being known for over 155 years, the Late Cretaceous marine amniotes of the Bohemian Cretaceous Basin in the Czech Republic have received little recent attention. These fossils are however significant because they record a diverse range of taxa from an incompletely known geological interval: the Turonian. The presently identifiable remains include isolated bones and teeth, together with a few disarticulated skeletons. The most productive stratigraphical unit is the Lower–Middle Turonian Bílá Hora Formation, which has yielded small dermochelyoid sea turtles, a possible polycotylid plesiosaur and elements compatible with the giant predatory pliosauromorph
Polyptychodon. A huge protostegid, together with an enigmatic cheloniid-like turtle, Polyptychodon-like dentigerous components, an elasmosaurid and a tethysaurine mosasauroid have also been found in strata corresponding to the Middle–Upper Turonian Jizera Formation and Upper Turonian – Coniacian Teplice Formation. The compositional character of the Bohemian Cretaceous Basin fauna is compatible with coeval assemblages from elsewhere along the peri-Tethyan shelf of Europe, and incorporates the globally terminal Middle–Upper Turonian occurrence of pliosauromorph megacarnivores, which were seemingly replaced by mosasauroids later in the Cretaceous.


Adult multipotent neural progenitor cells can differentiate into neurons, astrocytes, and oligodendrocytes in the mammalian central nervous system, but the molecular mechanisms that control their differentiation are not yet well understood. Insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) can promote the differentiation of cells already committed to an oligodendroglial lineage during development. However, it is unclear whether IGF-I affects multipotent neural progenitor cells. Here, we show that IGF-I stimulates the differentiation of multipotent adult rat hippocampus-derived neural progenitor cells into oligodendrocytes. Modeling analysis indicates that the actions of IGF-I are instructive. Oligodendrocyte differentiation by IGF-I appears to be mediated through an inhibition of bone morphogenetic protein signaling. Furthermore, overexpression of IGF-I in the hippocampus leads to an increase in oligodendrocyte markers. These data demonstrate the existence of a single molecule, IGF-I, that can influence the fate choice of multipotent adult neural progenitor cells to an oligodendroglial lineage.


Abstract
Lipid metabolism was investigated during the reproductive cycle of
Labidura riparia (Pallas). The lipid classes and their constitutive fatty acids present in hemolymph and ovaries were measured using thin-layer chromatography and gas-liquid chromatography. In the hemolymph, total lipids increase steadily from the previtellogenic period to vitellogenic arrest. These lipids are predominantly diacylglycerols and phospholipids. In the ovaries, total lipids increase during vitellogenesis then decrease during the vitellogenesis arrest period. The major lipids are triacylglycerols, followed by phospholipids. In both hemolymph and ovaries, all lipid classes contained variable proportions of seven main fatty acids: the saturated fatty acids myristic acid (14:0), palmetic acid (16:0), and stearic acid (18:0); the monounsaturated fatty acids palmitoleic acid (16:1) and oleic acid (18:1); and the polyunsaturated fatty acids linoleic acid (18:2) and linolenic acid (18:3). Unsaturated fatty acids predominate throughout the reproductive cycle. The percentage compositions of total and triacylglycerol fatty acids do not change markedly during the reproductive cycle in hemolymph nor in ovaries, with 18:2, 18:1 and 16:0 fatty acids being the major components. However, for diacylglycerols and phospholipids, the proportions of fatty acids vary systematically. For phospholipids during the vitellogenesis period, 18:2 increases considerably whereas other fatty acids decrease; for diacylglycerols, these fatty acids vary in the reverse way.


A girl with doe eyes, auburn tendrils, cocoa brown skin, and a crisp white shirt nestled under acid-washed denim clothes spent her lunchtime in my classroom to finish her assignment. As I sipped on my third Coke and sifted through the mounds of ungraded papers accumulating from my medical leave, she announced her intent to run in next month’s high school pageant.
I expressed my excitement, thinking about the way her inner beauty effused through her demeanor. Who else could be the best choice to represent? As we continued talking, she stressed the importance of me attending the event. I marked my calendar with every intention of keeping my word.
When that day arrived, I reassured her that I was still coming. The bell rang and my ninth graders charged through the line of students attempting to exit the room. She glanced back and waved goodbye.
At the end of the day, the daily dance of fighting through my ninth graders’ wall of resistance exhausted my energies. Binders of assessment data cluttered my filing cabinet, reminding me of the onus of raising their reading scores by the end of the school year. I slumped in my chair and drank in the sight of my portrait that my husband painted of me in my first classroom twelve years ago.
I replayed the course of my first teaching year in my mind. In that sparse, southwest Orlando middle school, the young woman in that painting connected with her students and made the magic of learning happened. I contemplated on whether I‘d lost my teaching mojo. Defeated and depressed, I drove from school and retreated under the covers of my bed.
Some teachers scolded me in the lounge the next day as I came in for my midday caffeinated fuel. I found out that she dedicated her pageant speech to me. They recounted her words of admiration and respect for me as her role model. Her look of disappointment and hurt flooded her face and elicited sighs of sympathy. My colleagues expressed their desire to have one of their pupils honor them in such a way.
There was no excuse for not being there. Unable to forgive myself, I purchased a card and wrote an apology inside. She accepted it, but I felt like a rift had formed in our rapport. Not once did she question me about the reason for my absence.
Even though this incident occurred two years ago, the damage and guilt remained. By focusing on my failure to reach one group of students, I overlooked my power to influence just one.
If you enjoyed this essay, please consider making a tax-deductible contribution to This I Believe, Inc.


Climate change affects the lives of farmers, livestock breeders, fishermen, foresters, hunters and others. These are the people on the front line who are in daily contact with nature and who depend on it for their living. They face a formidable fight, but mankinds capacity for adaptation shows there is still hope. These ten documentaries take the audience on an exceptional voyage to ten countries, all places of breathtaking beauty which must be preserved at all costs.


To maximize your fat-loss efforts, you must eat a particular kind of carbohydrate
as part of your last meal of the day. These are called low-energy-density or "wet" carbs, and if you pick your carbs from the following list of very low-energy-density carbs, you'll enhance your fat-loss abilities even as you sleep. Lettuce Tomatoes Strawberries Vegetarian vegetable soup Broccoli Asparagus Cucumber


Moreover, some great ideas may not be affordable or practical. For instance, a driver may love watching racing, but logistics and time could severely limit use of an expensive NASCAR ticket package.
A good way to find gift ideas is by browsing websites for truck stops, truck manufacturers and truck-related goods.
Kitchen appliances for in-cab use are nice for those who lack them or need a replacement. Truckers say microwaves and other appliances expand meal choices, yield significant savings and can provide healthier eating. Still, they lack consensus on which appliances are the most practical, reliable and safest and trucking company policy varies regarding in-cab accessories.
Here are a few ideas to get your started:
One more affordable purchase is
RoadPro’s 12-volt slow cookers and electric skillets, currently available on various websites for less than $30 each. Its crockpot includes a stretch cord to secure the lid while cooking. Additionally, cleanup is eased by using slow cooker disposable liners, sold online and in stores.
On the road cooking and meal planning tips are abundant online, including at author’s Lisa Murray’s www.grillintheroad.com. Murray also offers her recently revised cookbook, “Grillin’ The Road: Healthy Home Cookin’ for the Truck Driver, Traveler, or Those in a Hurry…” for $8.99.
In recent years, David Zinczenko and Matt Goulding have published a series of
“Eat This Not That!” guides for grocery buying, cooking and grilling. They also sell “Restaurant Survival Guide: The No-Diet Weight Loss Solution,” for $13.59 on Amazon. This 2009 guide clarifies the best and least healthy food selection choices in chain restaurants as well as across-the-board guidance for ordering in any restaurant.
Some truckers would rather receive a
gift card, such as available at Pilot Flying J. While stores sell gift cards for numerous businesses, you also can contact companies to have cards mailed to the recipient.
Truckers appreciate gifts of clothing, but might be amused to know some current fashions boast names quite familiar to them.
The
Levi’s Trucker Jacket, first sold in 1967, was a GQ magazine “Vintage Pick of the Week” this year, while Amazon offers A|X Armani Exchange’s version of the style for $99. Trucker at www.truckerdeluxe.com describes itself “men’s clothing boutique” and online retailer, catering “in varying degrees to surfers, skaters, street wear aficionados, hipsters, hip hop heads, punk rockers and everything else in between.”
And while Diesel, a global design company, lists men’s jeans at $398, you may prefer to shop discount chains first.


Case Number: 1:13-cv-03288-TPG
Defendant Roxane Laboratories, Inc. (“Roxane”) was sued by Endo Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (“Endo”) when Endo learned that Roxane intended to manufacture and sell a generic version of Endo’s Opana® ER tablets. Endo sought a preliminary injunction, alleging that Roxane’s generic version of its branded drug would infringe U.S. Patent Nos. 7,851,122 (the “122 patent”), 8,329,216 (the “216 patent”), and 7,851,482 (the “482 patent”). The SDNY denied the motion for a preliminary injunction, on the basis that Endo was estopped from asserting the patents due to an existing settlement and license agreement between the parties.
On appeal, the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit vacated the district court’s denial of Endo’s motion for a preliminary injunction. After the Federal Circuit’s ruling, Roxane filed a motion with the district court to amend its answer to include implied and express license affirmative defenses as well as an unclean hands defense.
Judge Griesa noted that the issue before the district court was whether it would be futile to allow Roxane to assert defenses that were rejected by the Court of Appeals in the context of reviewing the denial of the plaintiff’s motion for a preliminary injunction. Judge Griesa noted that as a general matter, the law of the case doctrine mandates that a trial court is bound by the appellate court’s previous ruling on an issue in the same case. He also addressed the fact that it is less clear whether an appeals court’s conclusions in reviewing the denial of a preliminary injunction have the same preclusive effect on those same issues in the district court.
Judge Griesa found that there was nothing tentative in the Federal Circuit’s decision regarding the settlement and license agreement. The Federal Circuit determined that Roxane’s express license defense was meritless because the asserted patents were not continuations of the licensed patents, and there was no evidence that the asserted patents claimed priority to any of the licensed patents. The Federal Circuit similarly rejected Roxane’s implied license defense because the case relied upon by Roxane contained a narrow holding, and was limited to a licensed patent and continuations of the licensed patent.
Roxane attempted to escape from the consequences of the Federal Circuit’s conclusions by arguing that its evidence relating to the contract negotiations had been excluded from the Federal Circuit’s review. It also cited new deposition testimony that it claimed refuted the plaintiff’s description of the contract negotiations.
Judge Griesa was not swayed by Roxane’s arguments. He noted that although the Federal Circuit briefly discussed the contract negotiations in its opinion, it ultimately held that the terms of the settlement and license agreement were unambiguous as a matter of law. Judge Griesa was concerned that allowing Roxane to assert its implied and express license affirmative defenses would require the district court to reinterpret the settlement and license agreement and potentially put the district court at odds with the Federal Circuit’s conclusion that the agreement was “clear on its face.” Accordingly, Judge Griesa denied Roxane’s motion, finding that the amendment sought would have been futile. However, Judge Griesa did permit Roxane to amend its answer to include an unclean hands defense, due to the fact that the Federal Circuit had not considered the defense in its order, and the plaintiff had not opposed it.
The articles on our Website include some of the publications and papers authored by our attorneys, both before and after they joined our firm. The content of these articles should not be taken as legal advice.


Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk have announced the appointment of 148 private-sector members to the Agricultural Policy Advisory Committee (APAC) and six Agricultural Technical Advisory Committees (ATACs).
Congress established the advisory committee system in 1974 to ensure a private-sector voice in establishing U.S. agricultural trade policy objectives to reflect U.S. commercial and economic interests.
USDA and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative jointly manage the committees.
The APAC provides advice and information to the Secretary of Agriculture and the U.S. Trade Representative on negotiating objectives, positions and other matters related to the development, implementation and administration of U.S. agricultural trade policy. The ATACs offer technical advice and information on specific commodities.
Cotton industry members named to the Tobacco, Cotton and Peanuts ATAC included Sledge Taylor, a Como, Miss., producer/ginner who serves as NCC secretary/treasurer; John Mitchell, a Cordova, Tenn, merchant who serves as Cotton Council International president; Kenneth Dierschke, a San Angelo, Texas, producer and Texas Farm Bureau Federation president; Dale Artho, a Wildorado, Texas, producer; Mike Quinn, a Garner, N.C., cooperative official; Harvey Shroeder, executive director of the Oklahoma Cotton Council, Frederick; and Michelle Huffman, a NCC economist, Memphis, Tenn.
"With U.S. agricultural exports reaching record highs as our farmers and ranchers bring the American brand to more of the world consumers, agricultural trade is demonstrating once again its vital role in the health of our nation’s economy," Vilsack said.
"Members of these seven committees understand the importance of open markets to the U.S. economy. By serving on these committees, they have the opportunity to provide their expertise and knowledge to deliberations that influence U.S. trade policy, ultimately helping to grow, innovate and out-compete the rest of the world.
"Agricultural exports are a critical component of America’s economy, and the input and advice these individuals will provide in the coming years will be indispensible in helping to identify and capitalize on new and emerging trade opportunities, Kirk said"
This initial group of committee members will serve until June 9, 2015. They will be supplemented by additional appointments over the next four years.
Applications are encouraged at any time and will be reviewed periodically for additional appointments going forward.
Information on applying is at www.fas.usda.gov/itp/apac-atacs/advisorycommittees.asp.
Questions may be directed to Steffon Brown at 202-720-6219 or via e-mail to [email protected]


Novel actions of estrogen receptor-beta on anxiety-related behaviors.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15514081
Estrogens are reported to have both anxiogenic and anxiolytic properties. This dichotomous neurobiological response to estrogens may be mediated by the existence of two distinct estrogen receptor (ER) systems, ERalpha and ERbeta. In brain, ERalpha plays a critical role in regulating reproductive neuroendocrine function, whereas ERbeta may be more important in regulating nonreproductive functions. To determine whether estrogen's anxiolytic actions could be mediated by ERbeta, we examined anxiety-related behaviors after treatment with ER subtype-selective agonists. Ovariectomized female rats, divided into four treatment groups, were injected with the selective ERbeta agonist diarylpropionitrile (DPN), the ERalpha-selective agonist propyl-pyrazole-triol (PPT), 17beta-estradiol, or vehicle daily for 4d. After injections, behavior was monitored in the elevated plus maze or open field. Rats treated with DPN showed significantly decreased anxiety-related behaviors in both behavioral paradigms. In the elevated plus maze, DPN significantly increased the number of open arm entries and time spent on the open arms of the maze. Furthermore, DPN significantly reduced, whereas PPT increased, anxiogenic behaviors such as the number of fecal boli and time spent grooming. In the open field, DPN-treated females made more rears, interacted more with a novel object, and spent more time in the middle of the open field than did control or PPT-treated rats. To confirm that DPN's anxiolytic actions are ER mediated, the nonselective ER antagonist tamoxifen was administered alone or in combination with DPN. Tamoxifen blocked the previously identified anxiolytic actions of DPN. Taken together, these findings suggest that the anxiolytic properties of estrogens are ERbeta mediated.
Pubmed ID: 15514081 RIS Download
Mesh terms: Animals | Anxiety | Behavior, Animal | Binding, Competitive | Blood-Brain Barrier | Brain | Estrogen Receptor alpha | Estrogen Receptor beta | Fear | Female | Male | Nitriles | Propionates | Pyrazoles | Rats | Rats, Sprague-Dawley | Receptors, Progesterone | Up-Regulation | Uterus


Wittgenstein argued that our entire conceptual framework, the very way we think, is defined by the form of life to which we belong. Words, and their content, take meaning from that. Many forms of life may have 'family resemblances' (points of similarity) but can often result in 'language games', or, conflicts in understanding.
Descartes’ line has become a cliché: an overused aphorism thrown in association at even the word ‘Philosophy’. It's most often translated as: “I think, therefore I am”. Descartes had argued that the possibility of an all-powerful, manipulating demon meant that we could never be 100% about anything. This reality could be a Matrix, or a Truman Show. But, even if this all was a deception, there must be a thing being deceived. The fact that we question reality, shows there’s something thinking.
Nagel's article "What Is It Like to be a Bat?" laid out the importance of 'qualia' in the philosophy of mind. His paper argued that traditional physicalist accounts of consciousness fail to account for the essential aspect of phenomena (the 'how it feels' aspect) of mental states.
In his Philosophical Investigations, #Wittgenstein wrote: "If a lion could speak, we could not understand him” The point, although notoriously opaque, argues that even if a lion were to speak our language, using the same #grammar even, the lion’s Form of Life is such that their conceptual scheme is so radically different from our own that we could engage with it. For example, what word could substitute for the ‘unique thrill of killing a gazelle in the Savannah’, as you or I have no helpful…
Alan #Turing asked: can machines think? His answer lay in how we define 'think'. If we provide a list of criteria for 'thinking', then the 'Turing Test' argues that if something (like a machine or #robot) meets this criteria, then it must also have thoughts (and appear indistinguishable from other 'thinking things' like persons).
Descartes’ Substance Dualism maintains that both the mind and body exist as two separate and distinct substances. He argued using Leibniz’s Law - where two identical things must have completely identical properties. From here, he thought we are...
Machiavelli's #Prince has (rightly or wrongly) been given a fairly harsh treatment. In his work, #Machiavelli suggested that the good ruler (not the just ruler) was one that did whatever he could to maintain his position. For The Prince, the end always justified the means - #manipulation, #deception and disloyalty were all tools, to be used if necessary for a 'greater good' - as defined by the #sovereign.
Pascals' wager argued that if you believe in God, and he exists, you will be rewarded with eternal paradise. Even if he does not exist, you have lost nothing in trying - choosing between a possible return of infinite paradise, against finite loss is rational.
#Hobbes thought that man, free of all #authority, would resort to a 'state of nature': a bitter struggle for resources, resulting in a 'short nasty and brutish' existence. To avoid this bleak state, we must surrender absolute personal autonomy to give authority to a sovereign government. The Social Contact is therefore formed between society and the #sovereign: a compromise of #liberty on one hand #security and #comfort on the other.


Fault-finding comes from Fear Whenever we find fault with others, whether through anger, contemptuous certainty, self-righteousness, or gossip, it is often based in fear. We may not be aware of our fears, but when we look deeply, we may discover the fear of rejection, loss of control, of unworthiness, or the fear of disconnection. But refraining alone is not enough by itself - it is just behavior modification - and it is neither healing nor transformative. Only through uncovering and consciously entering into the deep hole inside, welcoming the fear with curiosity and compassion, can we ultimately reconnect with the basic wholeness of our true nature. -Ezra Bayda, "Quotable: On Right Speech"
Co-signed. Underlined. Worthy of a public post.


Adaptation of A/Mallard/Potsdam/178-4/83 (H2N2) in Japanese quail leads to Replication and Transmission in Chickens Date2005-05-02 Author
Sorrell, Erin Maureen
Advisor
Perez, Daniel R
MetadataShow full item record Abstract
Influenza is a single stranded, negative-sense RNA virus with a segmented genome that can infect avian and mammalian species. Influenza viruses from the avian reservoir do not seem to replicate efficiently in humans upon direct transmission. Therefore, an intermediate host is involved in generating mutations to create a more transmissible or an avian-human reassortant virus. Quail have been highlighted as a potential reservoir and intermediate host of avian influenza. To assess the potential of quail as an intermediate host, A/Mallard/Postdam/178-4/83, H2N2 was tested to determine if through adaptation in quail a mallard strain can replicate and transmit in quail, as well as other avian species. After six serial passages of lung homogenate a virus arose, which replicated and transmitted directly to contact quail. When chickens were infected with this quail-adapted virus replication and transmission were observed, while no replication was noted in the chickens infected with wild type H2N2 virus.


Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery - Global Open:
doi: 10.1097/GOX.0000000000000130
Ideas and Innovations
Abstract
Summary: Vertical mammaplasty for breast reduction has been widely popularized by Lejour. In her planning for the new nipple-areolar complex, she did not specify a method of drawing the periareolar curve, leaving it to the surgeon’s creativity. We have designed a simple method using mathematics to draw the new periareolar curve consistently and reliably, not requiring any additional or complex devices. This method is easy for those who are accustomed to the Wise pattern to adopt and targets those who prefer formulated preplanned operative markings.
Author Information
From the Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Westmead Hospital, Westmead, Sydney NSW, Australia.
Received for publication March 8, 2014; accepted May 9, 2014.
Disclosure: The authors have no financial interest to declare in relation to the content of this article. The Article Processing Charge was paid for by the authors.
Hui Min Jessica Lai, MBBS, Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Westmead Hospital, Cnr Hawkesbury Road and Darcy Road, Westmead, Sydney, NSW 2145 Australia, E-mail: jess8718@gmail.com
This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License, where it is permissible to download and share the work provided it is properly cited. The work cannot be changed in any way or used commercially.
Vertical mammaplasty for mastopexy or breast reduction was first introduced by Dartigues
1 in 1925 and subsequently modified by many 2–8 in an attempt to improve cosmesis. In the early 1990s, the technique was popularized by Lejour. 9 Before this, majority of breast reductions were performed using the Wise pattern. 10
In Lejour’s planning for marking the new nipple-areolar complex (NAC), she described a free-hand drawing of a “dome”-shaped periareolar curve measuring 14–16 cm in length to suit the patient’s individual body habitus and desired postoperative result.
9 The method of drawing this curve was not specified and suggested to be chosen according to the preferred method of the surgeon.
It has been said that plastic surgeons can be divided into the artistic ones who operate freely and those who are more mathematically minded and operate according to a preplanned drawing. Methods that have been proposed to date include using a malleable dome-shaped areolar marker,
11 intraoperative positioning using discs cut from adhesive surgical tape, 12 a modified compass with adjustable limbs, 13 a flexible ruler, 14 and a wire coat hanger. 15 These methods are somewhat technically fiddly and require additional equipment. We hereby present our “mathematical” method of designing the areolar marking for the Lejour technique or vertical mastopexy/breast reduction. We have found this method to produce consistent results and is easy for those who are accustomed to the Wise pattern marking 10 to adopt. DESIGN
The location of the new NAC is first marked preoperatively using the surgeon’s preferred method, usually 23–25 cm from the sternal notch in line with the existing nipple at the level of or 1–2 cm above the inframammary fold. Two lines are drawn extending downward on either side of the existing NAC at a 75-degree angle from the breast meridian (Fig. 1). A vertical line is then drawn 2 cm superior to the nipple position to mark the top end of the new areola (point A in Fig. 1). Next, 2 lines measuring 3 cm down the previously drawn 2 limbs are marked (points B and C). These 3 points are then joined with a curved line which forms the outline of the new areola (lines AB and AC). Intraoperatively, one can tag the points BC together with a suture to form the inferior curved border of the new areola and confirm it with a 42 mm diameter nipple marker (Figs. 2, 3).
Mathematically, this design forms a somewhat asymmetric circle with a diameter of just <5 cm. The circumference of a circle with a diameter of 5 cm would be: Circumference = π × diameter, that is, 3.14 × 5 = 15.7 cm which is within Lejour’s recommended 14–16 cm.
8, 9 Using this new nipple marking as the top of the new nipple location, and assuming an average nipple of approximately 1-cm round, the resultant areola will be 2 cm all round with this design. A simple diagram summarizing the steps described above is shown in Figure 4. CONCLUSIONS
We present a simple mathematical method of marking a new NAC for Lejour’s technique or vertical mammaplasty which is easily adapted by one who is more accustomed to the Wise pattern marking or who prefers more mathematically or formulated markings.
REFERENCES
1. Dartigues L.. Traitement chirurgical du prolapses mammaire Arch Franco Belg Chir. 1925;28:313
2. Arié G.. A new technique of mammaplasty Rev Latinoam Cir Plast. 1957;3:23
3. Lassus C. A technique for breast reduction. Int Surg. 1970;53:69–72
4. Lassus C.. New refinements in vertical mammaplasty Chir Plast. 1981;6:81
5. Marchac D, de Olarte G. Reduction mammaplasty and correction of ptosis with a short inframammary scar. Plast Reconstr Surg. 1982;69:45–55
6. Lassus C. Breast reduction: evolution of a technique–a single vertical scar. Aesthetic Plast Surg. 1987;11:107–112
7. Renó WT. Reduction mammaplasty with a circular folded pedicle technique. Plast Reconstr Surg. 1992;90:65–74; discussion 75
8. Lejour M. Vertical Mammaplasty and Liposuction of the Breast. 1994 St. Louis Quality Medical Publishing
9. Lejour M. Vertical mammaplasty and liposuction of the breast. Plast Reconstr Surg. 1994;94:100–114
10. Wise RJ. A preliminary report on a method of planning the mammaplasty. Plast Reconstr Surg (1946). 1956;17:367–375
11. Ackerman BM. Areola marker for vertical mammaplasty. Plast Reconstr Surg. 2001;108:1833
12. Vogt PM, Mühlberger T, Torres A, et al. Method for intraoperative positioning of the nipple-areola complex in vertical scar reduction mammaplasty. Plast Reconstr Surg. 2000;105:2096–2099
13. Paloma V, Samper A, Sanz J. A simple device for marking the areola in Lejour’s mammaplasty. Plast Reconstr Surg. 1998;102:2134–2135; discussion 2136
14. Borman H. Periareolar marking in Lejour’s mammaplasty. Plast Reconstr Surg. 1999;104:1582
15. Kavka S. A simple device for marking the areola in vertical mammaplasty. Plast Reconstr Surg. 1999;103:2087


Public engagement and transportation services in Illinois University of Illinois, Chicago, to improve and expand the agency’s public engagement practices. ‘Recommendations to Enhance Quality Engagement’, serves as a roadmap to help IDOT grow and nurture its public outreach initiatives, particularly with disadvantaged and underserved communities.
Managed by the Institute for Policy and Civic Engagement and Urban Transportation Center, the research offers a theoretical and practical guidance on public participation in the context of transportation. The study found engagement expertise to be unevenly distributed across the agency, along with a prevalence of traditional engagement techniques. In creating the recommendations, the research leverages the IAP2 Spectrum of Public Participation, as well as case studies of impactful public engagement projects in four state transportation departments, a regional planning agency, and community college.
It also provides a background to the advantages and legal implications of engagement, examining barriers to participation and considerations for including disadvantaged communities in engagement initiatives. The study offers eight major recommendations: 1) Know Your Audience, 2) Use Existing Community Resources, 3) Perform Informal Outreach and Use Nontraditional Locations, 4) Match Engagement Technique with Goal and Context, 5) Enhance Staff Capabilities through Training, 6) Build Institutional Memory through Knowledge Management, 7) Measure and Assess, and 8) Use Technology to Enhance and Complement Outreach.
Photo: Steven Vance/Flickr/cc


Considering the scope of the reasonable cause language to the Code Sec. 6699 penalty for late filing of an S corporation return, the Tax Court determined that the failure to timely file a 2008 2008 1120-S tax return was due to reasonable cause not subject to penalty in Ensyc Technologies v. Comm’r, T.C. Summary 2012-55 (6/14/12).
The following are the facts as I understand:
1. Ensyc Technologies, an S corporation operated entirely by its president who works from his home in Idaho with the assistance of subcontractors, had its tax returns prepared by an accountant in Nevada.
2. Ensyc’s annual tax return for 2008 was due March 16, 2009.
3. On March 10, 2009, Ensyc’s accountant sent Ensyc IRS Form 1120S, U.S. Income Tax Return for an S Corporation, to file with the IRS. The accountant also sent copies of Schedules K-1, Shareholder’s Share of Income, Deductions, Credits.
4. Ensyc’s files contained a copy of a Form 1120S bearing the President’s signature dated March 16, 2009.
5. The IRS has record receiving a Form 1120S from Ensyc on September 11, 2009 postmarked September 8, 2009.
6. The 1120-S form itself was dated February 24, 2009.
7. Code Sec. 6699 basically
states that an S corporation not timely filing its annual tax return is liable for a per-shareholder penalty for every month the tax return is late up to 12 months. However the penalty is not imposed if the failure to timely file the return is due to reasonable cause.
8. On the theory that the Form 1120S it received on September 11, 2009, was the only Form 1120S Ensyc had filed for tax year 2008, the IRS assessed a $6,408 late-filing penalty.
9. On February 1, 2010, Ensyc requested a collection-review hearing with the Office of Appeals regarding levy action.
10. The IRS Office of Appeals determined that Ensyc did not timely file a Form 1120S nor did it have reasonable cause for failing to timely file the form and sustained the levy.
11. Ensyc took the case to the Tax Court, arguing that it was not liable for the late-filing penalty because it mailed a Form 1120S on March 16, 2009.
12. The Tax Court examined the possible explanations for why the IRS had no record of receiving the Form 1120S and essentially determined that the tax return was not timely mailed.
13. The Tax Court then considered whether there was reasonable cause for not filing the form on time noting that no judicial opinion had yet considered the scope of the reasonable cause exception to the Code Sec. 6699 penalty.
14. The court
applied the ordinary-business-care-and-prudence test from IRC 6651 concluding that Ensyc exercised ordinary business care and prudence in its efforts to timely file its Form 1120S for 2008.
15.
The Tax Court specifically noted that the President routinely mailed Ensyc’s tax returns on time. Further he mailed the Schedules K-1 to Ensyc’s shareholders and that an Ensyc shareholder filed an annual individual income-tax return on April 15, 2009 reflecting the shareholder’s pass through loss.
16. The court believed the President’s testimony that he thought he had mailed the 2008 Form 1120S on March 16, 2009. As a result, the court found that Ensyc’s failure to timely file a Form 1120S for the 2008 tax year was due to reasonable cause and, thus, Ensyc was not liable for the Code Sec. 6699 penalty.
17. It was also noted that pursuant to INTERNAL REVENUE CODE SECTION 7463(b), this opinion may not be treated as precedent for any other case.
I think the lesson learned here is to file on time and avoid the penalty.


THEORIES OF INTERNATIONAL REGIMES Autor:HASENCLEVER, ANDREAS Formato: LIVRO R$ 189,90em até 6x de R$ 31,65 sem juros no cartão, ver mais opçõesEste produto tem frete grátis*
Produto sob encomenda
Previsão: 6 Semanas + Frete
Este produto pode ser retirado em loja
CEP inválido.
International regimes have been a major focus of research in international relations. Three schools of thought have shaped the discussion - realism, which treats power relations as its key variable; neoliberalism, which bases its analysis on constellations of interests; and cognitivism, which emphasizes knowledge dynamics, communication, and identities. Each school articulates distinct views on the origins, robustness, and consequences of international regimes. This book examines each of these contributions to the debate, taking stock of, and seeking to advance, one of the most dynamic research agendas in contemporary international relations. While the differences between realist, neoliberal and cognitivist arguments about regimes are acknowledged and explored, the authors argue that there is substantial scope for progress toward an inter-paradigmatic synthesis.


Journal of Applied Physiology vol:111 issue:1 pages:108-116
Abstract:
In this study, we compared the effects of endurance training in the fasted state (F) vs. the fed state [ample carbohydrate intake (CHO)] on exercise-induced intramyocellular lipid (IMCL) and glycogen utilization during a 6-wk period of a hypercaloric (∼+30% kcal/day) fat-rich diet (HFD; 50% of kcal). Healthy male volunteers (18-25 yrs) received a HFD in conjunction with endurance training (four times, 60-90 min/wk) either in F (n = 10) or with CHO before and during exercise sessions (n = 10). The control group (n = 7) received a HFD without training and increased body weight by ∼3 kg (P < 0.001). Before and after a HFD, the subjects performed a 2-h constant-load bicycle exercise test in F at ∼70% maximal oxygen uptake rate. A HFD, both in the absence (F) or presence (CHO) of training, elevated basal IMCL content by ∼50% in type I and by ∼75% in type IIa fibers (P < 0.05). Independent of training in F or CHO, a HFD, as such, stimulated exercise-induced net IMCL breakdown by approximately twofold in type I and by approximately fourfold in type IIa fibers. Furthermore, exercise-induced net muscle glycogen breakdown was not significantly affected by a HFD. It is concluded that a HFD stimulates net IMCL degradation by increasing basal IMCL content during exercise in type I and especially IIa fibers. Furthermore, a hypercaloric HFD provides adequate amounts of carbohydrates to maintain high muscle glycogen content during training and does not impair exercise-induced muscle glycogen breakdown.


Contractarian Theories
Moral Contractualism
In the 1970s, John Rawls's
A
Theory of Justice revived an approach to ethics that sought to
yield substantive, normative action guides. Following the 'social contract'
tradition in political philosophy, Rawls suggested a strategy for formulating
key principles for personal and social duties:
Imagine a hypothetical
original position where individuals,
through a veil of ignorance, have no knowledge of themselves
or their place in a potential society. These individuals do have, however,
a wide knowledge of the general facts of psychology, economics, politics,
and sociology.
Rawls supposed that in this position, these 'contractors,' as rationally
self-interested, would adopt a
maximim strategy whereby they
would opt for the less risky egalitarian, deontological principles of
justice and moral fairness. Writes the commentator Robert Paul Wolf "...moral
conclusions can be reached, without abandoning the prudential standpoint
and positing a moral outlook, merely by pursuing one's prudential reasoning
under certain procedural bargaining and knowledge constraints" ( Understanding
Rawls p. 63). In fact, for Rawls, placing rationally self-interested
individuals behind a veil of ignorance provides a tool for justifying
our liberal democracy and the Moral Point of View.


As Christmas approaches, Chocolate Advent Calendars are more tempting and inviting each year. Halloween too creates an atmosphere and opportunity where candies and other "naughty goodies" are thrust right before our eyes, and then comes Easter. Even I find it hard to decide which brand of Chocolate Easter Egg I should purchase, they all look incredibly good.
My thought is this;
How can we avoid or limit or minimize intake of all these "goodies" when they are so part of the culture we live in or are exposed to?
This question is marked "community wiki".
asked
Emi
This was the first year we've really had to think about this. Our daughter eats pretty well and has previously been really good with treats. However, we realized after Halloween that like most children she would prefer to snack on candy if it's available.
We ended up having to hide and ration the candy. At least for now it has been out of sight out of mind. We allow a small treat every now and then (usually not even every day but often because we forget and she doesn't ask) and that is it. I'm assuming we'll do the same with the Christmas and Easter candy.
This answer is marked "community wiki".
answered
Tammy ♦♦


Potential for €300 Billion of Offshore Wind Capital Expenditure over the Next Ten Years
Now in its sixth edition, the new Douglas-Westwood (DW) World Offshore Wind Market Forecast provides a ten year view of the sector through to 2024. Cumulative offshore wind capacity is forecast to reach 57GW, driven by the continued development of established markets such as the UK, Germany and China and bolstered by emerging markets including the US and France.
Over 5.3GW of capacity is expected to be installed in 2015, with additions anticipated to remain on an upward trend, peaking at 7.5GW in 2020. Capital Expenditure will total €240 billion (bn) between 2015 and 2024. However, these figures only include projects which have passed the conceptual phase of development, resulting in a large potential for upside post-2020 totalling €60bn.
Capital costs have reduced recently, predominantly due to the larger sizes of turbines installed, resulting in less infrastructure (such as support structures) being required. This upsizing presents new challenges for installation contractors but should result in lower operational expenditures once wind farms become operational.
The UK will install more than 11GW over the next ten years, with most of this expected to occur by 2022, as Round 3 developments take place. Germany will also install over 11GW, with a longer term outlook predicting activity levels will recover in 2018 following a slowdown in 2016-17. China is expected to install over 8GW of capacity – this is lower than previously targeted, but still represents a strong growth market.
Emerging markets include countries such as the US and France, which are expected to have their first operational wind farms in 2015 and 2017 respectively. The US is expected to install 1.8GW of offshore capacity over the next decade, and France 3.2GW. Other emerging markets include countries with historically low levels of offshore wind activity, such as Sweden, Denmark and Belgium.
Key Themes
The report provides detailed market forecasts through to 2024 and is essential reading for companies working within the offshore wind sector. The report focuses on:
Key drivers – a discussion of factors driving offshore wind installation activity including low carbon targets, rising energy demand and the need to replace power generation capacity.
Commercial insights – including analysis of cost pressures on capital, life-time costs, risk factors and typical financing models. Technology review – analysis of R&D priority areas. Supply chain – a review of the main players, strengths & weaknesses of contracting strategies and supply chain development challenges. Ten-year market forecast – for new capacity, capital expenditure, operating expenditure, wind turbines, support structures, cabling, substations and vessels. Country analysis – detailed operational & capital expenditure forecast, including by capacity and segment analysis. Why Purchase the World Offshore Wind Market Forecast?
DW’s market forecasting is trusted by sector players worldwide, with clients including the world’s top-10 oil & gas companies, top-10 oilfield services companies and top-10 private equity firms.
The report is essential for companies working within the offshore wind sector, wanting to better understand where and when to make investment decisions.
Our proven approach includes:
Industry consultation – discussion with a wide-range of companies including: project developers, equipment manufacturers, and installation contractors. Throughout the report we highlight pertinent quotes, related to specific aspects of the market.
Unique and proprietary data – detailed by project in our in-house databases. Updated year-round from published sources and insight gained from industry consultation. Detailed methodology – our forecast provides a ‘medium-case’ scenario for market activity, drawn from our databases, which enables the forecasts to be established on a project-by-project basis; taking into account factors such as project size, location, financial backing and progress to date. Comprehensive analysis – comprehensive examination, analysis and 10-year forecast of offshore wind expenditure. Concise report layout – consistent with DW’s commitment to delivering value for our clients, all our market forecasts have a concise layout consisting of industry background and supporting materials condensed to enable quick review with ‘speed-read’ summaries of key points throughout.


Plastics Additives Handbook
Herausgegeben von Michael Schiller, Ralph D. Maier, Michael Schiller
6. Auflage. 06/2009 1248 Seiten. Fester Einband Buch: € 299,00 Extra: E-Book inside Buch kaufen ISBN: 978-3-446-40801-2
Plastics without additives are not viable. Additives are essential to make plastics processable and to assure their end-use properties.
Over the last decade the demands on additives have continued to evolve, not only because of changes in processing conditions and production techniques but also because plastics are being used in more demanding applications. This revised edition, described earlier by one reviewer as the "bible" for anyone involved in the chemistry and technology of plastics additives, provides an excellent overview of the complex science and technology of plastics additives and their industry. It offers guidance for all professionals involved in the development of new thermoplastic resin grades and novel end-use applications. For the first time, the electronic pages of the book are accessible and searchable (see imprint with personal access code on the first page), offering fast and easy access to specific information, particularly trade names etc. Contents - Antioxidants - Light Stabilizers - PVC Stabilizers and Plasticizers - Acid Scavengers - Lubricants - Processing Aids - Anti-blocking Additives - Slip Additives - Antifogging Additives - Antistatic Additives - Antimicrobials - Chemical Blowing Agents - Peroxides - Colorants - Optical Brighteners - Fillers and Reinforcements - Nucleating Agents - Additives for Recycling - Physicae Behavior of Polymer Additives - Analytics, Health, Safety and Environmental Issues - Trade Names - Suppliers of Additives


Cielo, a Los Angeles dreamer, enjoys recognizing images in the occasional cumulus cloud that meanders through the California sky, documenting interesting events and quotes and observations, and learning about different cultures, customs and lifestyles.
“For all my visual students out there,” the teacher started, “You’re going to have to use your vivid imagination.”
“You’ll be good at that, Isaac,” a student mumbled to his classmate, “Since you believe in God.”
This is what an atheist friend of mine recounted to me, expecting me to laugh. He seemed both stunned and embarrassed when I snapped that it was not funny and I was offended.
I come from a Christian family; thus, as the tradition goes, I was raised Christian. From my birth until recent years, my mom would wake my siblings and I every Sunday morning, shove us in the car, and drive us to church. Once we reached the pre-teen/teen age, church lost its luster. For us, church was boring. It was not the place to spend our hard earned Sunday morning that we longed to devote to sleep. We were reluctant to go each week but went, mainly, because it was expected of us and it was, essentially, mandatory. When my older brother was around fifteen, he often opted out of going to church. I never saw this as an option but was eager to follow in his footsteps.
Now I am in high school where many of my friends are atheist or agnostic. Though I never bring my Bible to school or attempt to convert my fellow “heathen” peers, many of my atheist friends cannot say the same. I nervously shift in my seat when they openly criticize my religion to my face, pondering whether I should ignore their comments or defend my beliefs. (I typically go with the ladder.) By being surrounded by these kinds of comments, I too began to question my own beliefs. With me finding little to no interest in church and questioning my own religion, I became a less active Christian than I once was. I would dread the days my mom mentioned heading to church. I would often complain about having far too much homework to do or I would “accidentally” oversleep.
In the midst of this, my mom never forced me to go to church. I’ve heard many people say that if they dared to miss church, their parents would not allow them to do anything for the rest of the day. I know that if my mom had implemented this coercive mindset with me, I never would have developed as a Christian. I would go by force every weekend and daydream of the outside world while the pastor was speaking. Nothing would soak in and I would eventually rebel and head down the opposite path my mom and church wanted me to go.
Recently, my mom was invited to a church by one of her coworkers. Though hesitant, I decided to go with her. It had been a while since I had been to church and something led me to go. That Sunday morning, I had a complete breakthrough. Something in that church, something in the choirs songs, something in the pastors message resonated deep into my heart and caused me to realize and appreciate the pertinence of religion to my life. Since that day, I enjoy going to church—for myself. Rather than going for my mom, I really needed to go for me for the concepts of Christianity to really sink in.
I do not intend to advertise any certain religion or lack thereof. I just genuinely appreciate that my mother never forced me to go to church. She understood that I was going through a questioning phase where I had to decide if the religion that I was raised to follow was suitable for me. In my case, I chose to stick with Christianity. That may not be for everyone, but if parents force their children to follow their beliefs, those beliefs will not stick.