3.6.1. Afforestation and Reforestation
Converting non-forest land to forests will typically increase the diversityof flora and fauna, except in situations where biologically diverse non-forestecosystems are replaced by forests that consist of single or a few species (e.g.,plantations of monocultures and especially exotic species).
Where afforestation or reforestation is done to restore degraded lands, italso is likely to have other environmental benefits-such as reducing erosion,controlling salinization, and protecting watersheds. In dry countries, expansionof forested areas can also be viewed as a desertification-reduction activity.
Changing land uses also alters the nature of economic activity. The socioeconomicopportunities provided by the new land use (e.g., forestry) are a benefit ofthe change, but forgone opportunities in the previous activity (e.g., agriculture)are a cost. Social impacts can include population displacement and loss by some(often disadvantaged) section of society of the use of common property (Fearnside,1996). The net effect of land-use change on employment, income, and equity cannotbe determined a
priori; it must be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.The social systems in each country will strongly influence the socioeconomicimpacts associated with any given activity.
If a definitional scenario under which the harvest/regeneration cycle createsARD land is adopted, efforts on LULUCF activities under Article 3.3 may concentrateon existing forests rather than creating new forests. As a result, an incentiveto enhance the early growth rates of regenerating stands, such as through fertilization,could be put in place. In the FAO scenario combined with land-based accountingapproach II, emissions from harvest slash are accounted if they occur duringthe regeneration phase. This factor could lead to an incentive to burn the harvestslash at the time of harvest. If the definitions of afforestation and reforestationexclude natural establishment of tree cover and restrict themselves to planting,the occurrence of monocultures on afforestation/reforestation land could increase.If the definition of reforestation in the FAO scenario excludes regenerationof trees after a selective cut, clear-cut management might be favored over selective-loggingmanagement.


A bolder path to a sustainable future
ByBrian Sansoni, Vice President, Sustainability Initiatives – American CleaningInstitute
At the American Cleaning Institute (www.cleaninginstitute.org), our sustainability mission is to enable our membership to drive improvements in sustainability across our industry and throughout our supply chain.
As we prepare to celebrate our 90
th anniversary in 2016, it is notable that our industry’s most recent history is laying the groundwork for an incredible future.


Simultaneous Quaternary radiations of three damselfly clades across the Holarctic
Authors:
Turgeon, Julie × Stoks, Robby Thum, Ryan A Brown, Jonathan M McPeek, Mark A #
Issue Date:
Mar-2005
Series Title:
The American naturalist vol:165 issue:4 pages:E78-E107
Abstract:
If climate change during the Quaternary shaped the macroevolutionary dynamics of a taxon, we expect to see three features in its history: elevated speciation or extinction rates should date to this time, more northerly distributed clades should show greater discontinuities in these rates, and similar signatures of those effects should be evident in the phylogenetic and phylodemographic histories of multiple clades. In accordance with the role of glacial cycles, speciation rates increased in the Holarctic Enallagma damselflies during the Quaternary, with a 4.25x greater increase in a more northerly distributed clade as compared with a more southern clade. Finer-scale phylogenetic analyses of three radiating clades within the northern clade show similar, complex recent histories over the past 250,000 years to produce 17 Nearctic and four Palearctic extant species. All three are marked by nearly synchronous deep splits that date to approximately 250,000 years ago, resulting in speciation in two. This was soon followed by significant demographic expansions in at least two of the three clades. In two, these expansions seem to have preceded the radiations that have given rise to most of the current biodiversity. Each also produced species at the periphery of the clade's range. In spite of clear genetic support for reproductive isolation among almost all species, mtDNA signals of past asymmetric hybridization between species in different clades also suggest a role for the evolution of mate choice in generating reproductive isolation as species recolonized the landscape following deglaciation. These analyses suggest that recent climate fluctuations resulted in radiations driven by similar combinations of speciation processes acting in different lineages.


How important is the publisher version of the article to researchers? Very, according to a recent researcher study By Gemma Deakin | Senior Research Executive, Elsevier Posted on 9 August 2013
In the past, when articles were largely only available in print, it was safe to assume that most researchers were accessing the publisher’s version. If readers wanted to double check that, getting hold of the author’s manuscript would take much longer than it does nowadays (i.e. finding the contact details for the author, writing to them, waiting for a response). However now that articles are available online in multiple formats (author manuscript, pre-print servers, subject repositories) it is reasonable to question how many researchers still want to access the final publisher version and, in addition, whether they are confident they can distinguish between different versions.
In a recent researcher study carried out by Elsevier’s Research and Academic Relations team, it was found that the majority of researchers wanted to access the publisher’s final version, i.e. the official version that included the volume and year. This was particularly the case when researchers were citing an article (83% indicated they would want the final publisher version for this activity).
However, when researchers were undertaking other activities, i.e. those not related to authoring such as general browsing, they were less concerned about the publisher’s version. For example, when browsing to keep up-to-date only 57% wanted to access the final version, 20% were happy with the author’s manuscript after peer review, 11% the pre-reviewed manuscript, with 25% saying that the version did not matter (note that respondents could select more than one option).
Given the importance of accessing the final version in specific situations, it might be expected that researchers would be confident they could identify the final version. When asked how confident they were, only 58% were confident.There was variation across subject areas.
Mathematicians, life scientists and earth/environmental scientists were most confident they could distinguish between different versions. Least confident were computer scientists and those in medicine & allied health. Computer scientists are less concerned about the version being used so it makes sense that they would be less likely to distinguish between versions, whereas in contrast medical researchers are more likely to want the final version, so not being able to tell is a greater issue for them.
These results suggest that publishers and importantly, repository managers, are not making it explicitly clear to researchers which version the researcher is accessing.


Recurrent excitatory circuits face extreme challenges in balancing efficacy and stability. We recorded from CA3 pyramidal neuron pairs in rat hippocampal slice cultures to characterize synaptic and circuit-level changes in recurrent synapses resulting from long-term inactivity. Chronic tetrodotoxin treatment greatly reduced the percentage of connected CA3-CA3 neurons, but enhanced the strength of the remaining connections; presynaptic release probability sharply increased, whereas quantal size was unaltered. Connectivity was decreased in activity-deprived circuits by functional silencing of synapses, whereas three-dimensional anatomical analysis revealed no change in spine or bouton density or aggregate dendrite length. The silencing arose from enhanced Cdk5 activity and could be reverted by acute Cdk5 inhibition with roscovitine. Our results suggest that recurrent circuits adapt to chronic inactivity by reallocating presynaptic weights heterogeneously, strengthening certain connections while silencing others. This restricts synaptic output and input, preserving signaling efficacy among a subset of neuronal ensembles while protecting network stability.


The rising adoption of mobile devices has changed customer expectations. In fact, a recent survey conducted by Contact Solutions, a provider of cloud-based contact center solutions, survey on mobile users and customer care revealed the growing importance of mobile customer service options. Contact Solutions recently launched the My:Time mobile customer care solution for enterprises.
The increased reliance on mobile has made a demographic and cultural shift toward customer self-service, Contact Solutions said. According to the survey, 92 percent of consumers were in need of mobile customer service options.
My:Time is designed to address these requirements from mobile customers. Enterprises benefit as they can deliver improved customer service across multiple channels.
According to Michael Boustridge, CEO of Contact Solutions, My:Time puts customers in control of the interaction and allows them to connect seamlessly to a contact center when, where and how they want.
The solution leverages mobile devices to meet these consumer demands while driving down expensive operations and telecom costs for the enterprise, the company said.
The service features a cloud-based mobile platform, agent desktop portal and mobile apps for iOS and Android. Customers can start customer service interaction, stop if they get interrupted and resume at their convenience.
The mobile customer service solution is especially beneficial as it eliminates the frustration associated with typical customer service interactions. Customers are often required to wait on hold and stay engaged for the entire service interaction.
Since the app allows a seamless transition between self-service and contact center agents without having to leave the app, it does not require them to re-authenticate or repeat personal information.
The Boston Globe implemented My:Time to provide customers with a time-saving, convenient way to interact with its organization while also providing agents with actionable data from across channels.With its ability to support a seamless transition from self-service app to live agent, the solution significantly improve services such as mobile banking and mobile care. It also supports several customer interactions in segments like healthcare, retail and travel.


IAP audits normally have an operational focus addressing general controls. ‘Operational-based’ IAP audits examine audit area departmental personnel adherence to policies and procedures while simultaneously evaluating the
economy, effectiveness and efficiency of assigned tasks; relative to the fore stated control group. Whereas, general IT controls can be classified to include organizational structures, hardware configurations, operating systems, physical facilities, development methodologies, change management, and operational continuity. However, if during ‘operational-based’ planning the IT auditor discovers an IAP framework is not deployed, the audit planner should consider utilizing the COBIT Deliver and Support-Ensure Systems Security framework domain process as a baseline for setting detail objectives.
“
View Part I of the Auditing Information Assets Protection series here“


A series of recent surveys point to challenging times ahead for healthcare providers who have neglected to take the proper steps to prevent a cybersecurity attack.
Having your health data held hostage sounds scary, but there are ways to protect your organization. A cybersecurity expert shares strategies for defending against a new breed of hackers.


Fewer schools are including "Best Dressed" as a category in their end-of-the- year student polls. As public schools continue to adopt dress code policies, more students are unable to make individual fashion statements.
A recent University of Houston study suggests that this might be a good thing as school uniforms can positively impact students' grades, attendance and behavior.
UH economics professor Scott Imberman and graduate student Elizabetta Gentile surveyed administrative data from 160 public schools in a large urban school district. This data included student demographics, as well as academic, disciplinary and attendance records that had been filed from 1993 - 2006.
By applying econometric techniques - combining economic theory with statistics - Imberman and Gentile compared students from schools that required uniforms to peers from non-uniformed institutions. They specifically focused on student outcomes that emerged once a school required uniforms. Their study is documented in the paper "Dressed for Success: Do School Uniforms Improve Student Behavior, Attendance and Achievement?"
Their findings show bolstered attendance, academics and behavior in middle and high school students once their schools adopted uniforms. Imberman and Gentile noted that the biggest improvement was among female students.
"After uniforms were adopted, girls in middle school and high school missed one day less of school annually," Imberman said. "That sounds like a modest improvement, but in terms of educational interventions, it is challenging to motivate a progression in this area. This is fairly substantial."
They also found that once uniforms were mandated, the school district was more likely to retain its female students at all grade levels.
"Often, parents withdraw their children from a school district due to dissatisfaction," Imberman said. "This data suggests that uniforms helped schools increase parental satisfaction and encouraged students not to leave for charter or private schools."
The quantitative nature of the study does not offer direct insight as to why uniforms produce such favorable results from students. It does, however, point to the fact that students' attendance, test scores and behavior consistently improved from the time uniforms were introduced.
"The benefits increased over time," Imberman said. "The effects were smaller during the first year uniforms were adopted but grew in subsequent years. We interpret this as indication that there may have been an adjustment period. The uniforms might have taken some time to have an effect and become ingrained within the schools' environments."


A system that combines frequent blood sugar measurements with software that varies the rate at which insulin is pumped into the body can significantly improve glucose control in type 1 diabetics.
Reuters, 09/17/2015. (Also see Research on Diabetes)
This item was posted in the ISN Newsroom. Please check the newsroom daily for updates on scleroderma and other related articles.


An International Labour Organization (ILO) Specialist, Diego Rei, has arrived here to assist the Department of Labour in a number of areas.
Rei, the ILO’s Employment and Labour Market Specialist, will be assisting in three key areas.
They are – establishing a labour market information system, making the department of labour a centre for information on all matters pertaining to workers and doing a study on the informal sector and child labour.
Rei explained that workers in the informal sector do not fully benefit from their rights and entitlements.
In respect of child labour, he observed that the practice was not very widespread.
According to the ILO official, estimates for the Latin American and Caribbean region point to a conservative estimate of eight percent of the total children of school age engaging in labour activities.
He disclosed that labour conventions prescribe that no children below the age of 12 should be engaged in any work.
Rei stated that between the ages of 12 and fifteen children are permitted to engage in light work.
“Between fifteen and eighteen years old they can work, but not be engaged in activities that are hazardous or detrimental to their health,” he asserted.
Rei noted that the main contributing factor to child labour is poverty.
He also pointed out that if children do not have access to school they engage in child labour.


Children's services has been acclaimed as one of the great contributions of the American public library movement, yet in the early days of American public libraries, children were not even considered to be a part of the library's clientele. However, beginning as early as 1876, library professionals began to speak out in favor of children's library usage and rights, a subject that eventually became the focus of a whole corps of library professionals. Through an analysis of the professional literature of librarianship starting in 1876 and continuing for a hundred-year period to 1976, Fannette H. Thomas has compiled this selected bibliography that explores the evolution of children's work and the major developments, trends, innovations, and practices that evolved or emerged in children's services. The development of the children's service is traced from the days when one shelf of materials for children were culled from the adult collections to the appearance of special children's rooms, reference services, and readers' guidance, and from the pioneers in children's librarianship to today's story hours and multimedia use. This bibliographic exploration of children's services in the American public library encompasses ten chapters including: those devoted to historical focus, professional staff, organizational scheme, philosophical perspective, client group, collection development, readers' services, story hour, interagency cooperation, and multimedia. The volume's entries reflect the plethora of information found in the professional literature about every facet of children's services. Author and subject indexes complete the work. This is a useful resource for college and university librarieswhere courses in the History of Librarianship, Studies in Public Librarianship, or Children's Services in the Public Library are taught. A unique reference guide, it will simplify the task for researchers, students, and practitioners.


The Bible sometimes refers to God as a "consuming fire." What does this mean? What does the Bible mean when it calls God a consuming fire?
The first time this concept is introduced is found in Deuteronomy 4:24: "For the LORD your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God." Here, the idea of "consuming fire" stands alongside God's jealousy. The context of the chapter deals with God's command not to worship other gods. Only the Lord was to be worshiped. He would not tolerate worship of others; He was a "consuming fire" in the sense that He desired all of the worship of the Israelites.
Deuteronomy 9:3 also refers to the Lord as a "consuming fire." In this context, God would serve as a consuming fire to destroy Israel's enemies. The idea is that of a wildfire that would destroy those who opposed God's people.
Isaiah 33:14 would later refer to the "consuming fire" of God's wrath in judgment. In this case, the term was not mentioned with God as a consuming fire, but rather spoke of His actions to judge sin. Isaiah 30:27 adds, "his tongue is like a devouring fire," another reference to judgment.
In the New Testament, Hebrews 12:28-29 provides a perspective on this issue as well: "Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire." This passage refers to God's "consuming fire" as a reason for reverent worship. Believers will receive an eternal kingdom and are to offer devoted worship.
Throughout Scripture, fire also often holds the general idea of purifying or of judgment at various times. Jesus even used the idea of "eternal fire" on two occasions in stories related to judgment upon unbelievers (Matthew 18:8; Matthew 25:41). The Lord also rained down fire from the sky in judgment upon Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19:24). Fire served as part of offering the sacrifices of the Old Testament. Moses encountered God in a burning bush consumed by fire (Exodus 3). Fire came as a judgment upon the Egyptians (Exodus 9:23-24), yet the Lord also led the people of Israel by fire at night in the wilderness (Exodus 13:22).
The concept of God as a consuming fire includes both the idea of God's jealous, holy nature and His judgment upon those who oppose Him. Used in more than one way in the Bible, the overall idea is one of power, both positively in the sense of deserving worship and negatively in punishing those who oppose Him.
Related Truth:
The attributes of God, what are they?
How is God Almighty?
What does it mean that God is a jealous God? Why is God jealous?
What is the fear of God?
What are the names of God? What do the names of God mean?
Truth about God


Taxation of leases that are not long funding leases: lease and leaseback: with premium
In a typical tax-driven transaction, a business grants a head lease to a bank (or other lender) for a premium. The bank then grants a typical finance lease to the business.
Commercially, this is equivalent to the bank making a loan to the business and the business repaying it at interest.
However, the lease premium is generally regarded as a capital receipt that is effectively not taxed on the recipient but the rentals under the leaseback were claimed to be allowable for tax purposes. The commercial effect is that the business (the head lessor and sub-lessee) obtains a loan and get tax relief for repaying it.
These arrangements were stopped by FA 2004. CAA01/S228B (as amended by FA 2008) denies relief for the capital element of the leaseback rentals. For further guidance, see CA28910.
In a variant on these arrangements, the bank sold the lease receivables at market value to a third party. This meant that the bank did not account for the lease as a finance lease. Such arrangements are caught by the provisions of CTA10/S752 onwards.


December 2, 2016 – A Fully Magnetically Levitated Circulatory Pump for Advanced Heart Failure
A scarcity of effective therapeutic options for advanced heart failure has led to the development of durable mechanical circulatory support devices. Left ventricular assist devices, more accurately known as left ventricular assist systems, increase the rate of survival and improve quality of life among patients with advanced heart failure. However, these clinical benefits are balanced by an increased risk of infection, bleeding, neurologic events, and pump malfunction that is due principally to pump thrombosis.
As adoption of circulatory pumps has expanded, concerns about pump thrombosis have heightened. In 2013, two reports suggested that there has been an increase in the risk of pump thrombosis, beginning in 2011, associated with a currently approved axial continuous-flow pump, HeartMate II. Pump thrombosis has also been associated with an approved centrifugal continuous-flow pump, HeartWare. The need for surgical pump exchange due to pump thrombosis results in substantial complications and increased cost of care. These concerns have lowered enthusiasm for expansion of this therapy to patients who are less severely ill and have even led to the premature discontinuation of a clinical trial.
A new fully magnetically levitated centrifugal continuous-flow circulatory pump, HeartMate 3, has been engineered to reduce shear stress on blood elements and avert pump thrombosis. This pump has wide blood-flow passages and no mechanical bearings, is frictionless, and is programmed to facilitate rapid changes in rotor speed to create an intrinsic artificial pulse. This fixed pulse, which is asynchronous with the native heartbeat, reduces stasis in the pump.
We conducted a trial to compare clinical outcomes with the centrifugal-flow pump HeartMate 3 with outcomes with the axial-flow pump HeartMate II in patients with advanced heart failure that is refractory to standard medical therapy. In this report, we present the results of the first prespecified analysis of the trial.


Title Date of this Version
2008
Citation
Published in
Biol Invasions (2008) 10:1441–1455. DOI: 10.1007/s10530-008-9218-1 Abstract
Through intentional and accidental introduction, more than 100 species of alien Ichneumonidae and Braconidae (Hymenoptera) have become established in the Hawaiian Islands. The extent to which these parasitoid wasps have penetrated native wet forests was investigated over a 1,765 m elevation gradient on windward Hawai’i Island. For [1 year, malaise traps were used to continuously monitor parasitoid abundance and species richness in nine sites over three elevations. A total of 18,996 individuals from 16 subfamilies were collected. Overall, the fauna was dominated by aliens, with 44 of 58 species foreign to the Hawaiian Islands. Ichneumonidae was dominant over Braconidae in terms of both diversity and abundance, comprising 67.5% of individuals and 69.0% of species collected. Parasitoid abundance and species richness varied significantly with elevation: abundance was greater at mid and high elevations compared to low elevation while species richness increased with increasing elevation, with all three elevations differing significantly from each other. Nine species purposely introduced to control pest insects were found, but one braconid, Meteorus laphygmae, comprised 98.0% of this assemblage, or 28.3% of the entire fauna. Endemic species, primarily within the genera Spolas and Enicospilus, were collected almost exclusively at mid- and high-elevation sites, where they made up 22.1% and 36.0% of the total catch, respectively. Overall, 75.9% of species and 96.0% of individuals are inferred to parasitize Lepidoptera larvae and pupae. Our results support previous data indicating that alien parasitoids have deeply penetrated native forest habitats and may have substantial impacts on Hawaiian ecosystems.


The virus-encoded proteins of tobacco etch virus (TEV), a plant potyvirus, arise by proteolytic processing ofa large polyprotein precursor. The TEV genome codes for two proteinases, a 49-kilodalton proteinase andhelper component proteinase (HC-Pro), which cleave the polyprotein at specific sites. The only known cleavageevent catalyzed by HC-Pro occurs at the HC-Pro carboxyl terminus. The proteolytic activity of HC-Pro wasanalyzed by expression of the enzyme in bacterial and cell-free systems. The carboxyl-terminal domain ofHC-Pro exhibited proteolytic activity in Escherichia coli with a processing half-time of approximately 100 s.The processing kinetics of HC-Pro expressed in vitro by cell-free transcription and translation was variable,depending on the presence or absence of TEV polypeptide sequences at the amino terminus of the proteolyticdomain. Cleavage of the HC-Pro carboxyl terminus appeared to proceed exclusively by an autocatalyticmechanism; the proteinase synthesized in vitro exhibited little or no proteolytic activity when reacted with theHC-Pro cleavage site in trans or bimolecular reactions.


Synopsis: Lévy Flight of the Bumblebee
Bumblebees visit flowers to collect nectar, often visiting multiple flowers in a single patch. Mathematically, a bee’s path has been described by a Lévy flight, which gives flights over long distances a larger weight than in an ordinary random walk model. This description is controversial, however, as bumblebees in the wild are under the constant risk of predators, such as spiders, which likely modifies their foraging behavior.
Writing in
Physical Review Letters, Friedrich Lenz at Queen Mary, University of London, UK, and colleagues present a statistical analysis of the velocity distribution of bumblebees. They draw from experiments that track real bumblebees visiting replenishing nectar sources under threat from “artificial spiders,” which can be simulated with a trapping mechanism that holds the bumblebee for two seconds. The team finds that in the absence of spiders, the bumblebees forage more systematically and go directly from flower to flower. When predators are present, however, the bumblebees turn around more often, highlighting a more careful approach to avoid spiders. The analysis indicates that for real foraging, factors such as bumblebee sensory perception, memory, and daylight cycles must also be taken into account in addition to the presence of predators, all of which may cause cause deviation from a Lévy flight pattern. – Daniel Ucko


A lavishly illustrated exploration of the material behavior and symbolic value of quilting across six generations
Mary Black's Family Quilts utilizes a remarkable collection of sixteen quilts to tell the story of a family through six generations and access the material behavior associated with quiltmaking traditions. The daughter of a prominent farmer, Mary Louisa Snoddy Black (1860–1927) is remembered in the Spartanburg, South Carolina, region for the hospital named in her honor and for the philanthropic foundation that continues to support community health and wellness. Laurel Horton explores the even more tangible legacy Black left to her descendants—trunks full of quilts made by women of the family, each labeled with detailed information about its origin and significance. Pairing the information from the labels with research culled from interviews, letters, and public documents, Horton stitches together the family's history across the fabric of two centuries as she explores the roles of women as keepers of home, hearth, and history in nineteenth- and twentieth-century America.
Valuable both as artistic creations and as historical artifacts, the family quilts reflect decades of work, familial interactions, economic philosophy, and personal and communal values. Suggesting that quilts were exchanged as a mode of currency in an informal, female-centered economy, Horton uncovers the clues they hold about the people who made and used them in their daily lives.
From the whole-cloth quilt made by Black's great-grandmother around 1850 to examples from the early twentieth century, Horton traces changes in style, material, and functions of quilts. In doing so, she dispels popular misconceptions associated with these pieces of Americana, including the notion that the earliest examples were made out of necessity from salvaged materials. She shows instead that early quilts were finely crafted from expensive materials and prized more for their aesthetic merits and symbolic functions than for their assumed domestic use.
Mary Black's Family Quilts also includes a foreword by Michael Owen Jones, Professor of Culture and Performance, University of California, Los Angeles, and author of Craftsman of the Cumberlands: Tradition and Creativity.
Laurel Horton is an independent folklorist and internationally recognized textile scholar. A native of Kentucky, she holds an M.A. in folklore from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The former president of the American Quilt Study Group, she edited
Uncoverings, AQSG's annual volume of research papers from 1987 to 1993. Horton directed the South Carolina Quilt Project for the University of South Carolina's McKissick Museum from 1983 to 1985 and has published more than thirty articles on quiltmaking traditions. She lives in Seneca, South Carolina.
Mary Black's Family Quilts represents an intriguing blend of South Carolina history, social history, material culture, and women's studies for academics and general readers alike. Laurel Horton's thorough research into the Black family history spans generations and her engaging narrative gives us an incredibly personal portrait of the ordinary women who made these delightful quilts."—Jan Hiester, Curator of Textiles, Charleston Museum


In a white paper issued in March, the California Federation of Labor (CFL) called for reforms to "undo the damage" wrought by SB 899, a California GOP-sponsored workers' compensation "reform" bill that was touted by AP in April 2004 as “one of the biggest victories of [then Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's] new political career".
The celluloid action hero insisted the "reform" was necessary to curtail the spiraling costs of workers' compensation insurance for California employers.
As the CFL white paper correctly notes, the rationale behind Schwarzenegger's workers' compensation "reform" legislation was largely a scam. Like so many other investment schemes, the source of spiraling workers' compensation costs can be found in the 1993 deregulation of the insurance industry and a subsequent burst of a workers' compensation insurance investment bubble. Yet, Schwarzenegger refused to include limits on the rates insurance companies could charge employers as part of his "reform" package.
Despite an initial drop in the cost of workers' compensation insurance in California, costs have again climbed --- so much so that, according to a May 15 article that appeared in the
Ventura County Star, "the Port of Hueneme is preparing to pay 120 percent more for workers' compensation insurance" in the coming year.
Contrary to the philandering actor-turned-Governor's claims that the savings would not be extracted from the backs of injured workers, SB 899 contained drastic reductions in benefits --- so drastic that, in a 2004 letter published by
Los Angeles Times, after pointing out that I had represented litigants in workers' compensation proceedings since 1979 and was regarded by my peers as an exceptionally effective litigator, I warned California employees that if they were injured on the job, God help them because I was not sure I could.
Whatever efforts are now made to "undo the damage" wrought by SB 899, they will come too late for my client, Charles Romano. Thanks to the law's massive reduction in prohibitive penalties that could have been assessed for bad faith refusals to furnish vital, life-sustaining medical treatment --- the new penalties are a drop-in-the-bucket compared to what it had cost to keep him alive --- Charles is no longer with us...
--- Click here for REST OF STORY!... ---
( 6 so far...)


In 2014, Susie Romans quit her job in marketing and sales to strike out on her own.
Today, her consulting business earns $15,000-$20,000 a month.
She's able to charge over $1,000 for one-on-one coaching, and sell her insights in the form of courses for up to $975.
How does she do it? Romans shared with Business Insider her top three pieces of advice for would-be entrepreneurs who want to earn more.
1. Master your skill.
Romans says passion isn't enough to start a high-earning business — you need to have skill. "Get good at something, because you need something to bring to the table," she says. "I don't want to mock the idea of following your passion, but you really have to have a skill, or expertise, or a story. Really highly skilled people and people with a high level of expertise can charge premium rates. You have to bring something to the table that's impressive."
2. Be smart about your business model.
Also, she says, you have to be smart about the way you build your business model. After years of maintaining a successful lifestyle blog that had 50,000-hit days, Romans realized she didn't have a way to monetize it. Years later, she has some ideas.
One path to take is "positioning yourself as a premium brand and charging rates right out of the gate that allow you to pay your bills and your mortgage," she says. "I have a family. I needed to make at least $4,000 a month. After that it led to $10,000, after that to $20,000. You can grow, but you can't charge $20 an hour — you have to be positioned as a premium brand."
Then, she says, it's time to start getting serious about leverage. "I don't want to be slaving away at 10, 12-hour days," she explains. "You have to package what you have and sell it. I remember watching a YouTube video with Sara Blakely, who said she had this moment sitting at her desk thinking, 'I need something I can sell to millions of women.' You can't be selling your one-on-one time — even if you're speaking on stage, it's still your time. You need a product that can reach millions."
Another option Romans highlights is to have a really powerful story that connects with and inspires clients. "I have a client who had her first child at 42, and she has a powerful fertility story. She helps women struggling with fertility and says, 'You can do it, too.' Brendon Burchard had a near-death experience and built his whole business on his story."
3. Refuse to stay down.
Once you have a marketable, expert skill and a way to sell it, you need faith. "You have to believe in yourself," Romans says. "That's something that's been really strong for me. I don't even know where it comes from. I have this fall down, get back up, fall down, get back up mentality. I don't stay down."
In fact, she says her belief in herself is so unshakable that she's had people tell her she's delusional. "When you believe in yourself so much, people wonder if you're all there!" she says. With the corporate job she left, she remembers, "I had it made. They were paying me well, I could work from home, and I was getting bonuses, but there was something greater. I love inspiring people and helping others, and I knew I was meant for something bigger."


After a six-month rise, IT executives' confidence in the economic outlook appears to have peaked, at least temporarily. After rising rather steadily for half a year, confidence in the overall economy dropped a tenth of a point to 6.8, and in our respondents' own company by two tenths of a point (also to 6.8). The drop was even more drastic in the financial-services sector, which dropped to 6.9, down from 7.8 in our January survey. One possible explanation: the announcement by the U.S. Department of Labor that while the unemployment rate fell two-tenths of a point in December, to 5.7 percent, the U.S. economy only created 1,000 new jobs during the month, not between 100,000 and 150,000 as had been expected.


Biosecurity, at the practical level, is an action plan designed to minimise the risk of introducing diseases into a flock. The term ‘biosecurity’ refers to measures taken to prevent or control the introduction and spread of infectious agents to flocks.
This document is designed to provide guidelines specifically for free range layers at a practical farming level. Some people may believe that, by their nature, free range farms cannot accommodate biosecurity principles. This is a misconception, as most biosecurity principles can be accommodated on a free range farm.
These guidelines identify some of the significant and obvious risk areas; however, it is important to remember that aspects such as the locality of the farm, proximity to other farms and effective vaccination programs all impact on a farm’s biosecurity. The guidelines include sections on:


Can you nonbelieve it: What happens when you do not believe in your memories? Human memory is susceptible to errors and distortions. This may sound cliché (Loftus, 2005), but the practical meaning of this is illustrated by, for example, the devastating effects of mistaken eyewitness identifications (Sagana, Sauerland, & Merckelbach, 2012), the far-reaching consequences of innocents who falsely confess to crimes they never committed (Kassin & Gudjonsson, 2004), and the tragedy of adults who erroneously come to believe that they recovered very early memories of abuse experiences (Loftus, 1993). As for these alleged recovered memories: there was a fierce debateamong psychologists, therapists and even legal professionals in the 1990s (Howe & Knott, in press) about their authenticity, a debate that was even characterized as the “memory wars” (Patihis, Ho, Tingen, Lilienfeld, & Loftus, 2014). It took place against a background of hundreds of lawsuits by adults against their parents because of the alleged abuse memories from childhood that had been “recovered” during therapy in adulthood (Lipton, 1999). Some therapists and clinical psychologists argued that such recovered memories are essentially correct and surface after repression has been lifted due to therapeutic interventions (e.g., hypnosis, sedating drugs). Many researchers, however, contended that recovered memories might, in fact, be pseudo-memories produced by risky techniques such as hypnosis and guided imagery (Howe & Knott, in press; Lambert & Lilienfeld, 2007).
One group of individuals who are particularly interesting are those who previously claimed to have recovered a memory of a sexually abusive episode, but later retracted those claims (Ost, Costall, & Bull, 2002). Do these retractors still have “memories” of these abusive episodes? How do these retractors view their earlier experiences? One recent line of investigation that focused on memories and beliefs and how these are related to each other, might provide some clarification. Briefly, this research has revealed that under certain circumstances, people form memories of events but develop doubts about whether the events have actually occurred. Under these circumstances, people still report having vivid images and recollections of an event, but they do not believe that the event actually happened, turning them from false memories into nonbelieved ones.
Nonbelieved memories have previously been assumed to be an extraordinary rare phenomenon (Mazzoni, Scoboria, & Harvey, 2010; Otgaar, Scoboria, & Mazzoni, 2014). Below, we review recent research on nonbelieved memories and show that it has relevance to many areas in psychology (e.g., psychopathology, legal psychology). Before doing so, we will first explain what nonbelieved memories are and will then describe the methods that have been used to experimentally induce them in the lab.
Being Kidnapped and Bombed, but not Believing it
For some time, scholars assumed that nonbelieved memories are a rare phenomenon. Anecdotal descriptions of such memories have occasionally appeared in the literature. For example, the famous developmental psychologist Jean Piaget had a vivid memory of a man attempting to kidnap him when he was two years old. He remembered and described the event in great detail including information that the perpetrator scratched his nurse’s face (Piaget, 1951). However, not until thirteen years later, Piaget’s former nurse confessed that it was she who had fabricated the event and fed the story to him. Piaget no longer believed that he was almost kidnapped as a child, but he could not stop having vivid visualizations and images of the fabricated kidnapping, as if it had still occurred.
Nonbelieved memories are fascinating, if only because the bulk of studies focusing on memory examine
believed memories: memories of events for which people also believe that the event occurred (Scoboria, Mazzoni, Kirsch, & Relyea, 2004). While various ideas about memory suggest that memories are typically believed to be true (e.g., James, 1890/1950; Brewer, 1996), it is only recently that memory researchers have started to investigate the possibility that memory might exist without accompanying belief.


(Newser)
–
Hang on before opening that second diet soda. A survey has found significant reductions in blood filtering capabilities in the kidneys of older women who drank two or more artificially sweetened sodas a day. The study doesn't show a definitive link, but the lead researcher tells NPR that she avoids diet soda. "They're likely not good for you," she said. Surveyed soda-drinkers were white and at least 56, but other demographic groups should take heed, she warns.


ALL
The ubiquitous nature of the smartphones and other mobile devices has given rise to a highly informed and connected consumer base. They walk into a retail outlet and they would already be whipping out their mobile devices to compare products or prices available in-store to those available online. Moreover, they expect the retailers to be well aware of not only the merchandise, but also about promotions and discounts on offer. Interestingly, the number of e-commerce transactions has been on the r...
According to a new report on e-commerce spending and earning by eMarketer, global retail sales are set to touch $22.492 trillion in 2015, with a forecast for a steady rise over the next 3 years, i.e, until 2018. Over the years, online commerce conducted via the smartphone, tablet or even the desktop devices have steadily increased, owing to the increasing adoption of mobile devices. With more than 80% consumers accessing their mobile devices to compare products, redeem coupons or make purchases,...


‘Electronic skin’ has been developed that records heartbeats, brain activity and muscle contractions as accurately as bulky conventional electrodes, yet is no thicker than a human hair.
The patch, created by John Rogers, a materials scientist at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, and his colleagues, consists of a flexible and stretchy lattice of sensor-laden circuits. It can be applied and removed like a temporary tattoo, and sticks to skin without adhesives.
Kim, D.-H. et al., Science 333, 838-843 (2011).
A step closer to understanding human ecosystem


‘Grow Your Own’ Grant Will Help Heartland Regional Medical Center Enhance Health Care Workforce
September 4, 2013
St. Joseph, Mo. — Heartland Regional Medical Center has been awarded a “Grow Your Own” grant from the Missouri Hospital Association to help recruit the hospital’s health–care workforce. The grant of $45,662.14 will be used to build a foundation of health–care professionals who have an understanding of the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead.
The aging population, growing number of individuals with chronic conditions and expanded access to health insurance have led to increasing demands on the health–care system. These factors and others have generated an urgent need for additional hospital employees. Additionally, implementation of the Affordable Care Act, which includes significant changes to payments and health care delivery systems, coupled with new technology, such as electronic health records, has increased demand for workers with highly specialized skills.
“The future of health care is uncertain and changing rapidly. In response, we must radically and boldly recreate ourselves. We must also mentor the health–care providers of tomorrow, giving them the tools and knowledge they need to navigate these changes. The Grow Your Own grant will allow us to share our experience with students in health–care related areas, ensuring that the people we serve continue to receive the best and safest care from discerning, compassionate health–care providers,” said Dr. Mark Laney, President and CEO, Heartland Health.
At Heartland, Grow Your Own funds will be used to offer a new, unique, innovative health–care internship program designed to go beyond traditional health care by introducing junior and senior college students to complex issues facing health–care organizations. The program is modeled on a graduate–level class combined with an on–site internship.
“The workforce challenge for Missouri hospitals is two-fold,” said Herb B. Kuhn, MHA president and CEO. “First, hospitals must address the shortage of educated health care workers, including primary care physicians, nurses, therapists and imaging technicians, to meet the expanding demand for care. Second, hospital leaders also must recruit and retain talented individuals to manage increasingly complex health care organizations. The Grow Your Own program allows hospitals to address these challenges with plans that are tailored to the needs of their organizations and the communities they serve.”
Applications for the Grow Your Own Hospital Grant Program were submitted in July. The applications were reviewed and selected by an independent committee composed of representatives from health care, educational institutions and nonprofit organizations with experience in health care grant development and funding processes.
###


Visitors Now: Total Visits: Total Stories: from the San Francisco Fed
– this post authored by Kevin J. Lansing and Agnieszka Markiewicz
The increase in U.S. income inequality since 1970 largely reflects gains made by households in the top 20% of the income distribution. Estimates suggest that households outside this group have suffered significant losses from foregone consumption, measured relative to a scenario that holds inequality constant. A substantial mitigating factor for the losses has been the dramatic rise in government redistributive transfers, which have doubled as a share of U.S. output over the same period.


Abstract W P39: Relationship Between Lesion Topology and Clinical Outcome In Anterior Circulation Large Vessel Occlusions Abstract Background: Final infarct volume is a robust predictor of outcome in large vessel occlusion (LVO) patients but lesion location may also impact outcomes in these patients. DWI ASPECTS on follow-up MRI imaging, like infarct volume, is predictive of outcome in addition to providing information regarding lesion location. We aim to determine whether individual DWI ASPECTS regions have an impact on clinical outcome in anterior circulation large vessel occlusions. Methods: Patients with intracranial ICA, M1 and M2 MCA occlusions who underwent endovascular therapy between 2007 and 2014 at UPMC were included. Baseline demographics and outcomes including final infarct volume and 3-month mRS were collected. DWI ASPECTS based on follow-up MRI (12-72 hrs) was assessed by two observers. The impact of each DWI ASPECTS region on predicting poor outcome (mRS 3-6) was assessed by logistic regression analysis. Results: 213 patients were included in the analysis (mean age 66.1±1.0 yrs, median NIHSS 15 [IQR 11-18], 19.5% ICA and 72% M1 MCA occlusions, 3-month mRS 3-6 of 46.8%). Inter-rater reliability was good for DWI ASPECTS (Deep ASPECTS regions: Kappa=0.72, Cortical ASPECTS regions: Kappa=0.63). All DWI ASPECTS regions with the exception of “putamen” were significant predictors (p<0.05) of poor outcome in univariate analysis. In a multivariate analysis with all 10 ASPECTS regions included, only M4 (OR=0.33 95%CI 0.16-0.70, p=0.003) and M6 (OR 0.39, 95%CI 0.18-0.85, p=0.018) significantly predicted poor outcome while deep regions (caudate, putamen and internal capsule) did not. After controlling for final infarct volume, M4 (p=0.045) and M6 (p=0.018) regions remained significant predictors of poor outcome. M6 was independently associated with poor outcome in right hemispheric lesions (OR 0.13 95%CI 0.04-0.47, p=0.002) while M4 (OR 0.14 95%CI 0.04-0.48, p=0.011) predicted poor outcome in left hemispheric lesions. Conclusions: Involvement of the right parieto-occipital (M6) and left superior-frontal (M4) regions seem to have a significant impact on outcome in LVO patients. While these results need to be replicated in other patient cohorts, lesion topology may also need to be considered in outcome prediction in LVO patients.
Author Disclosures:
S. Rangaraju:None. C. Streib:None. A. Jadhav:None. T.G. Jovin:Consultant/Advisory Board; Modest; Dr Jovin: Consulting and speaker fees from Co-Axia, ev3, Concentric Medical and Micrus.. © 2015 by American Heart Association, Inc.


1 Department of Computer Science, Faculty of Science, Aarhus University, Aarhus University2 unknown3 Alexandra Instituttet A/S4 Alexandra Instituttet A/S
Subtitle:
Deliverable 18;
Abstract:
The challenges involved in designing appropriate and desirable hybrid spatial computing environments are considerable. Two aspects highlighted through our own experience and in the communities’ literatures are particularly demanding: 1. The situated and social nature of human activities. 2. The transformative nature of the encounter between people and technology. Trying to achieve grounded leaps of socio-technical imagination on such shifting ground is difficult. It demands close and continuous loops of design, use and evaluation. Our grounded imagination approach combines a range of methods to meet the challenge. We present some highlights from activities during 2002/2003. These activities cut across the boundaries used to structure the report so far – highlighting achievements with regard to supporting people in combining, composing configurations of people, spaces, materials and technologies in and across different contexts.
Type:
Book chapter
Language:
English
Published in:
Eu,ist, Fet, Dc Project, Workspace: Distributed Work Support Through Component Based Spatial Computing Environments, 2003, p. 1-29


Hi Siran, 12.5 mg of Metoprolol
is a very low dose. You don't state the reason why your mother was on the drug. Has she had a heart attack
,? does she have congestive heart failure? What other medications is she taking? Did she have any diagnostic tests done before she saw the Dr, like an echocardiogram
or a chest x-ray? Metoprolol can weaken the force of the hearts contraction, which is what I think her Dr.was trying to explain to her. While this would decrease the hearts oxygen
demands when it does not pump blood as effectively it can lead to congestive heart failure. In medical terms this is called a negative inotropic effect. This is only speculation on my part based on the information you have provided in your question, you can email be if you need to, there's nothing worse than a sick mom, take care, Donna


A Word Wall is a strategy to reinforce the core vocabulary of a specific subject. Teachers select new words, technical terms, and words that frequently recur and print these words in bold block letters on cards. Teachers post these cards on a highly visible wall or bulletin board as students confront them in reading or discussions. Note: the Word Wall is built one word at a time as students encounter new terminology.
Students review terms on the Word Wall as a "warm up" activity before lessons. Everytime one of the words appears in the lesson, the teacher reinforces it by pointing it out on the Word Wall. Repetition is the key to the Word Wall's success. Teachers often incorporate Word Wall terms into learning games, like "Rivet" and the "Dictionary Game."
Copyright © 2005-


This topic contains a range of tools to help you evaluate your training.
This tool is designed to help you understand and explore different opportunities to evaluate reactions to training.
This tool can be used to to help you to understand and explore different ways to assess learning in training.
Use this tool to explore different opportunities to measure any behavioural changes that have taken place during training.
This tool will help you to consider different ways to evaluate the results of the training in terms of business impact.


Chapter 2. Description of a Metadata System
This chapter identifies common components of a metadata system for education
organizations, including key points influencing metadata governance, metadata
models, metadata item inventories, and comprehensive data dictionaries.
Metadata systems are driven by the information needs and characteristics
of each specific organization (see exhibit 2.1). This makes it challenging,
if not impossible, to describe a single model for a metadata system that
would apply to every state and local education agency. Still, most metadata systems
in education environments have some common features. The following description is
based on these commonalities. In general terms, a robust metadata system will include
system governance arrangements that include policies and procedures for
metadata management and use within the organization, and related roles and
responsibilities for staff;
a metadata model that links metadata items to existing data elements and data
sets;
a list of relevant metadata items (i.e., a metadata item inventory), including a
lexicon that identifies shared vocabulary for term use and naming conventions;
and
a comprehensive data dictionary.


Neurodiversity is a concept where neurological differences are to be recognized and respected as any other human variation. These differences can include those labeled with Dyspraxia, Dyslexia, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Dyscalculia, Autistic Spectrum, Tourette Syndrome, and others.
For many autistic people, neurodiversity is viewed is a concept and social movement that advocates for viewing autism as a variation of human wiring, rather than a disease. As such, neurodiversity activists reject the idea that autism should be cured, advocating instead for celebrating autistic forms of communication and self-expression, and for promoting support systems that allow autistic people to live as autistic people.


Individuals with reduced body mass resulting from early nutritional stress often compensate for thislater in growth. This compensatory growth can be beneficial as individuals adjust their body mass to thelevel of individuals that grew up under better conditions. Yet, compensatory growth can also result incosts that are paid later in life. In zebra finches raised under different nutritional conditions, we testedwhether compensatory growth affects subsequent adult exploratory behaviour, a proxy for an avianpersonality trait. We tested their exploratory behaviour in a spatial test to find hidden food on2 consecutive days. The behavioural measures of exploration correlated with each other across timeshowing a high individual behavioural consistency. Early nutritional treatment itself did not affectexploration and feeding. Yet, birds with higher previous compensatory growth were less active andapproached the food with different latencies from birds with lower compensatory growth. Life historydecisions on whether to compensate for a bad start or stay small thus result in elementary differences inbehaviour, such as exploratory behaviour, with potential fitness consequences, depending on payoffs ofexplorative strategies in different environmental conditions.


Volunteer fire fighter dies after falling through floor supported by engineered wooden-I beams at residential structure fire - Tennessee.
Authors
Tarley-J; Bowyer-M; Merinar-T
Source
NIOSH 2007 Nov; :1-9
Abstract
On January 26, 2007, a 24-year-old male volunteer fire fighter died at a residential structure fire after falling through the floor which was supported by engineered wooden I-beams. The victim's crew had advanced a handline approximately 20 feet into the structure with zero visibility. They requested ventilation and a thermal imaging camera (TIC) in an attempt to locate and extinguish the fire. The victim exited the structure to retrieve the TIC, and when he returned the floor was spongy as conditions worsened which forced the crew to exit. The victim requested the nozzle and proceeded back into the structure within an arm's distance of one of his crew members who provided back up while he stood in the doorway. Without warning, the floor collapsed sending the victim into the basement. Crews attempted to rescue the victim from the fully involved basement, but a subsequent collapse of the main floor ceased any rescue attempts. The victim was recovered later that morning. NIOSH investigators concluded that, to minimize the risk of similar occurrences, fire departments should: 1. use a thermal imaging camera (TIC) during the initial size-up and search phases of a fire; 2. ensure fire fighters are trained to recognize the danger of operating above a fire and identify buildings constructed with trusses or engineered wood I-beams. Additionally, Municipalities and local authorities having jurisdiction should develop a questionnaire or checklist to obtain building information so that the information is readily available if an incident is reported at the noted address. Additionally, Building code officials and local authorities having jurisdiction should consider modifying the current codes to require that lightweight trusses are protected with a fire barrier on both the top and bottom.
Keywords
Region-4; Fire-fighters; Fire-fighting; Fire-safety; Fire-hazards; Injury-prevention; Accident-prevention; Traumatic-injuries; Emergency-responders; Fire-fighting-equipment; Accident-prevention; Accidents; Injuries; Safety-education; Safety-measures; Safety-practices; Surveillance
Document Type
Field Studies; Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation
NTIS Accession No.
PB2008-105071
Identifying No.
FACE-F2007-07
Source Name
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health


The correspondence between Leibniz and Samuel Clarke was the most influential philosophical exchange of the eighteenth century, and indeed one of the most significant such exchanges in the history of philosophy. Carried out in 1715 and 1716, the debate focused on the clash between Newtonianand Leibnizian world systems, involving disputes in physics, theology, and metaphysics. The letters ranged over an extraordinary array of topics, including divine immensity and eternity, the relation of God to the world, free will, gravitation, the existence of atoms and the void, and the size ofthe universe. This penetrating book is the first to offer a comprehensive overview and commentary on the Leibniz-Clarke correspondence. Building his narrative around general subjects covered in the exchange--God, the soul, space and time, miracles and nature, matter and force--Ezio Vailati devotes specialattention to a question crucial for Leibniz and Clarke alike. Both philosophers, worried by the advance of naturalism and its consequences for morality, devised complex systems to counter naturalism and reinforce natural religion. However, they not only deeply disagreed on how to answer thenaturalist threat, but they ended up seeing in each other's views the germs of naturalism itself. Vailati rigorously tracks the twists and turns of this argument, shedding important new light on a critical moment in modern philosophy. Lucid, taut, and energetically written, this book not only examines the Leibniz-Clarke debate in unprecedented depth but also situates the views advanced by the two men in the context of their principal writings. An invaluable reference to a fascinating exchange of ideas, Leibniz and Clarke makesvital reading for philosophers and historians of science and theology.


It was a classic David versus Goliath moment. At the December 2007 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Bali, Kevin Conrad challenged the U.S., the sole holdout on a plan for a post-2012 climate treaty. "If, for some reason, you're not willing to lead, leave it to the rest of us," he declared. "Please, get out of the way!" Within minutes, the U.S. backed down. The resulting "Bali Action Plan" provides a road map for an international climate treaty that will succeed the Kyoto Protocol. The Bali agreement was significant for Conrad, who was there as Papua New Guinea's Special Envoy for Climate Change, because it contained provisions for which he'd fought for years. For the first time, the U.N. Climate Treaty agreed to recognize the role of tropical forests and deforestation in tackling global warming.
This issue has long been central to Conrad, 40, who was raised in a small village deep in the rain forests of Papua New Guinea. He first addressed deforestation as a graduate student at Columbia University. While there, he sought my assistance on how the international community can provide incentives for conserving rain forests. He knew that without payment for environ-mental services, which have been excluded from current climate-change agreements, countries like Papua New Guinea simply cannot protect their forests.
Momentum quickly shifted after Conrad secured the support of two visionary leaders, Prime Minister Michael T. Somare of Papua New Guinea and President Oscar Arias Sánchez of Costa Rica. Making the case that deforestation in the developing world accounts for 20% of global greenhouse-gas emissions, Somare and Arias have called for countries that preserve their rain forests to be compensated.
Conrad is at the vanguard of this movement as executive director of the Coalition for Rainforest Nations (CfRN), an intergovernmental alliance of over 40 countries that has emerged as a formidable force within U.N. climate negotiations. At the CfRN's request, the World Bank established the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility, which has raised $172 million to support analytical work and capacity building to reduce deforestation. More recently, Norway has pledged $2.8 billion to combat deforestation. Sparked by Conrad, Somare and Arias, these initiatives may mobilize the largest sums in history to support rain-forest conservation.
Conrad's Bali stand was no mere act of bravado, but evidence of a powerful phenomenon: a giant bloc of developing nations demonstrating more determination in the face of climate change than an industrial giant. Driven by this same sense of urgency, the CfRN represents a vital partnership between developed and developing nations that could significantly mitigate climate change. As Conrad's call to arms reminded us, what we need is precisely this kind of leadership, wherever we can find it.
Joseph E. Stiglitz is University Professor at Columbia University and winner of the 2001 Nobel Prize in Economics


Abstract
Objective: To validate glomerular filtration rate (GFR) estimating equations in white HIV-infected patients based on serum creatinine and/or serum cystatin C.
Design: Single-center, cross-sectional evaluation of the predictive performance of GFR estimators.
Methods: GFR was measured by iohexol plasma clearance. Serum creatinine (Scr) and serum cystatin C (Scyst) were measured by traceable and standardized methods. We evaluated the performance of the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD) and the Chronic Kidney Disease-Epidemiology Collaboration (CKD-EPI) equations. We also studied the performance of the cystatin C-based equation (CKD-EPI Scyst) and the combined cystatin and creatinine-based equation (CKD-EPI combined), as recently proposed by the CKD-EPI group.
Results: Two hundred and three participants (18% of women) were included. Mean age was 49 ± 10 years. Mean measured GFR (mGFR) was 95 ± 24 ml/min per 1.73 m
2. CKD-EPI and CKD-EPI combined significantly outperformed the MDRD equation. The percentage of estimating results within 30% of mGFR was 75, 82 and 81% for the MDRD, CKD-EPI and CKD-EPI combined equation, respectively. Results favoring the CKD-EPI and CKD-EPI combined equation were especially observed for patients with mGFR over 90 ml/min per 1.73 m 2.
Conclusion: In our European HIV cohort, we confirmed that the creatinine-based CKD-EPI equation should replace the MDRD study equation. However, global performance of this equation remains worse than the performance observed in the general population. This lesser performance is particularly relevant in patients with measured GFR under and around 60 ml/min per 1.73 m
2. Moreover, the specific interest of Scyst-based equations is not confirmed in this population.
Author Information
aDepartment of Infectious and Tropical Diseases
bDepartment of Nephrology, Dialysis, Transplantation and Hypertension, CHU Hôpital Nord, Saint-Etienne
cGroupe Immunité des Muqueuses et Agents Pathogènes, University Jean Monnet, Saint-Etienne, PRES Université de Lyon, France
dDepartment of Nephrology-Dialysis-Hypertension, University of Liege, CHU Sart Tilman, Liège, Belgium
eLaboratory of Toxicology and Pharmacology, CHU Hôpital Nord, Saint-Etienne, France
fInterdisciplinary Research Center, University of Leuven, Kulak, Kortrijk, Belgium.
Correspondence to Amandine Gagneux-Brunon, MD, University Hospital of Saint-Etienne, Department of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, Avenue Albert Raimond, 42 055 Saint-Etienne, Cedex 2, France. E-mail: amandinebrunon@yahoo.fr
Received 14 October, 2012
Revised 28 January, 2013
Accepted 31 January, 2013


"After its landscape-rich (re)design in 1995 and in the name of protecting it from ‘uncivilized behavior’, the Municipality of Beirut controlled and restricted access to about two-thirds of Horch al-Sanawbar, based on certain frequenters’ social practices, employing strategies of fencing and regulating. Today, only about one-third of Horch is open to the public. However, Horch frequenters continue to manifest their practices and desires despite of fences and regulations, and disregarding landscape ‘museumification’.
This paper investigates the history of Horch al-Sanawbar and documents current social practices in its different parts; then, it attempts to correlate history and social practices of Horch to better understand it as a public space, based on literature from Sandercock and Cupers and Miessen. The main argument is that previous and current usages of Horch reveal the ability of people, through history, to negotiate their practices in controlled public spaces and under different types of control. Enacting public space becomes, then, a product of city residents’ desires throughout time." (Thanks Daniel) Paper on the Beirut Pine Forest by Fadi Shayya, a former AUB student.


Daily
Reflection From a Creighton Student's Perspective
March
6th, 2008
by
Allison Showalter
Sophomore; Undecided Major
Testimony is a powerful tool in motivating people. The
evening news covering a catastrophe or a tragedy usually includes
interviews of witnesses of the event. The accountability of a witness
testifies to the legitimacy of the story. The added dimension of
a personality gives a universal feeling of “it could have
been me” to the occurrence. Legally, a witness is usually
necessary to validate documents and contracts. The presence of a
witness willing to testify to the authenticity of the issue gives
legitimacy to the event.
In the Gospel story today, Jesus claims that God is His Divine witness.
However, the people do not accept this testimony because they do
not all physically hear God’s testimony verifying Jesus as
the long-awaited Messiah. Since we do not accept this divine testament,
God also gives a human instrument, in the form of John the Baptist,
to confirm Jesus’ status. The toughest part of this Gospel
comes when Jesus says, “I do not accept human testimony.”
While we are able to accept the testimony of John and human testimony
as a first step along the ladder of faith, we will only be accepted
into the Kingdom of Heaven if we accept Jesus as the Messiah with
God as the Divine witness.
I find this the most challenging aspect in this story of testimony:
we cannot rely on human witness in matters of faith. While I find
the human aspect of the Church’s testimony acceptable, I often
struggle to believe the divine portion of Church doctrine. The mysteries
I struggle with the most, such as concepts of transubstantiation
and Trinity, require the most blind faith when dealing with divine
witness. While I resist meditating on these aspects of my faith
because they are most difficult, I recognize that struggling with
these concepts will bring me closer to full reliance on God. Through
Jesus, who testifies to the truth, I can hope to come closer to
comprehending the full majesty of God and gain faith and hope through
Him.
Collaborative Ministry Office Guestbook


Many of us may not take the time to stop and think about what and why we admire our heroes. However, it is important because the qualities we admire in them are often qualities that we aspire to.
When you identify your heroes, you also identify common characteristics they uphold. It’s likely that these characteristics are the reasons you admire them. Think about it; test it out. You’ll discover that it’s true. You share a common value system with your heroes, or they wouldn’t make your list.
Remember, heroes don’t need to be famous. There are countless everyday heroes that come into our lives—friends, relatives, teachers, coaches—even co-workers and bosses. In a sense, the characteristics you admire in these folks are a take away—a bonus. Now, apply what you learn from these individuals to your own life and career. You won’t stop being yourself. Instead, you will move another step closer to discovering the real you. Best of all, uncovering that information can be extremely valuable—both personally and professionally.
Who are yours?


Case Study: DiverticulitisA 63 year old women with severe diverticulitis* for years was continually having bouts with extreme pain. Her physician prescribed steroids, antibiotics and a high fiber diet. When she was not on medications her pain and symptoms returned worse each time. She was becoming weaker and having symptoms of toxicity; headaches, lethargy, rashes, and nausea.
After a period of shifting her whole body pH and improving digestion, we began a program of strengthening her bowel wall. Her eliminations improved and she no longer had any pain or bouts of diverticulitis.
After ~8 months on her program she came into my office and asked me about passing kernels of corn? Recently, she had observed passing kernels of corn. She stated she had not eaten any corn for over a year. Her bowel walls had strengthened and were healing the diverticulitis pockets. Those pockets had released their stored toxic material, which included kernels of corn.
*Diverticulitis is a condition where small pouches bulge outward through the colon or large intestine. These pouches can contain waste material and food, i.e., corn. These bulges occur at weak areas along the bowel wall. Your body then attempts to seal these toxic pouches up. However, these bulges can become inflammed, infected, and rupture causing extreme pain and serious problems. Conventional medical treatment usually involves antibiotics, steroids, and surgery to remove the diverticulii.


This paper studies how inflation as a macroeconomic indicator affects nominal bond prices. I consider an economy with a representative agent with Epstein-Zin preferences. Regime switching affects the state-space capturing inêation and consumption growth. Thus, the agent is concerned about the intertemporal distribution of risk, which is affected by the persistence of the variables and the regimes. Regime switching allows for structural changes in the volatility of unexpected shocks. To the extent that inêationary unexpected shocks indicate lower consumption growth, nominal bond holders need to be compensated for these shocks. It follows that a switch in the regime state affecting the covariance of inflation and consumption growth can be interpreted as a change in the price of risk. I find coefficients of risk aversion from 40 to 90, and subjective discount factors above 0.99, depending on the exact specification of the model. The model yields have on average a positive slope, a consistent Principal Components decomposition, and predictability as in Cochrane and Piazzesi (2002).
Subjects:
Consumption-based Asset Pricing Regime Switching Recursive Preferences Yield Curve Term Structure of Interest Rates


Polyomavirus JC (JCPyV) is largely excreted by the human population through the urinary route and has been recognized as a potential viral marker for human waste contamination. This study aims to investigate the dissemination of JCPyV in waste water from a sewage treatment plant (STP) located in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and to describe the prevalence of JCPyV subtypes currently present in this population. Raw and treated sewage samples were collected bimonthly during one year, and examined for the presence of JCPyV using nested polymerase chain reaction (nPCR) and quantitative real time PCR (qPCR). JCPyV was detected by nPCR in 96% and 43% of raw and treated sewage samples, respectively. The concentration of JCPyV present in the samples ranged from 1.2 × 103 to 3.2 × 105 and 2.6 × 102 to 6.2 × 103 genome copies per 2 ml of concentrated raw and treated sewage sample, respectively. The strains were characterized and the obtained nucleotide sequences indicated that the detected JCPyV strains clustered with subtypes of East African, West African and European origin. To our knowledge, this is the first study describing the incidence and diversity of JCPyV strains in raw and treated sewage in Brazil.
Keywords: Brazil, JCPyV, polyomavirus, quantitative PCR, waste water


Efficacy of etidronate and sequential monofluorophosphate in severe postmenopausal osteoporosis: A pilot study Abstract
In a three-year pilot study on 52 women with severe postmenopausal osteoporosis, treatment with etidronate followed by calcium and vitamin D (ECaD) was compared to etidronate followed by monofluorophosphate, calcium and vitamin D (EFCaD). BMD in lumbar spine, total hip and femoral neck increased significantly more with EFCaD than with ECaD. Pain-mobility score decreased significantly more with EFCaD than with ECaD (p=0.006). New vertebral fractures occurred in three patients under EFCaD (12%) and in nine under ECaD (35%), (p=0.048). Three patients under EFCaD (12%) and 15 under ECaD (58%) did not respond to therapy (p of difference=0.001). Mild or moderate adverse reactions were reported by 25 patients, with no significant difference between the two groups. The pilot study suggests that etidronate, sequentially followed by monofluorophosphate, could be a safe, effective and relatively inexpensive therapy in severe postmenopausal osteoporosis.
Readership Statistics 8Readers on Mendeley


As a result, organisational researchers have developed measures of 'derailment potential' that consider key suspect behaviours such as betraying trust, deferring decisions, or avoiding change. Work to date has confirmed that managers fired from organisations are judged to be higher in these derailers, but these were post-hoc judgments that could have reflected biased hindsight rather than honest evaluations.
To avoid this, a new study led by Marisa Carson utilises database information on 1,796 managers from a large organisation to examine behaviours rated during employment tenure instead of on departure. Each behaviour was rated by between eight and ten sources - from subordinates to supervisors – with ratings combined into single potential scores. Drawing on staff turnover data, the study confirmed that individuals exhibiting more derailment potential behaviours were more likely to later be ejected from the organisation. In addition, they were more likely to leave early of their own volition, suggesting they jumped before they were pushed.
The study also looked beyond the behaviours exhibited to the traits that might be behind them, through a personality inventory, the Hogan Development Survey (HDS), that all managers had completed. The researchers were exploring the philosophy that derailment isn't caused by a deficit in positive traits such as conscientiousness, but the presence of additional, unhelpful qualities, measured in the HDS, that resemble features of clinical disorders. These traits come in three areas: 'moving away from people' such as a cynical, doubtful disposition, 'moving against people' including manipulation and a tendency to drama, and a third area of 'moving towards people' involving an abiding eagerness to please and defer to others.
Carson's team predicted each of these areas would predict derailment behaviours, but in the analysis only one mattered: moving against people. This factor also predicted turnover of both kinds, and its effect on turnover was brokered by higher derailment behaviours. Conversely the 'away' area turned out to relate negatively, but non-significantly, to the derailment scores, and the 'toward' area didn't emerge as a coherent factor during preliminary analysis so wasn't pursued further. The story here, then, is that qualities that rub up badly against others, such as attention-seeking, idiosyncracy, over-confidence and rule-bending translate into red-flag behaviours that predict early exit from the organisation.
What to be done? This research provides some support for screening for these types of tendencies early in a manager's career, in order to inform decisions about future role as well as identifying priority areas for training and development. These efforts, should they avert derailment, are likely to pay off in the long run.


An energetic entrepreneur who enjoys the outdoors might find landscaping business ownership an attractive option. The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that more time-crunched or elderly homeowners, plus corporate and educational facilities, will soon require landscaping services. To serve this increasing client base, the BLS estimates a need for 20 percent more grounds maintenance workers from 2010 to 2020. Despite this growth trend, consider the industry's risks before you make an informed decision.
Unreliable Workers
A landscaper racing to complete new office park greenery so tenants can occupy their spaces, and a residential market landscaper with daily maintenance jobs on the books, depend on reliable employees with a good work ethic and attention to detail. Unfortunately, the landscaping industry is plagued by worker unreliability, likely driven by the physically demanding work, low pay, lack of health insurance and largely seasonal employment. While other industries must also deal with unreliable workers, landscapers are especially vulnerable, as the industry relies heavily on a ready supply of manual labor.
Worker Injuries
Landscaping workers consistently experience on-the-job injuries resulting from the highly physical nature of the work. When an employee moves heavy bags of dirt around the day's work site, his improper lifting techniques can result in back, shoulder or knee injuries. Workers often trip or fall while walking on uneven surfaces and also experience injuries from the potentially dangerous equipment they operate. When a workplace injury occurs, the landscaping business owner often feels impacts from lost employee work time and must also handle the resulting workers' compensation claim.
Weather Impacts
In temperate climates where landscapers maintain year-round work schedules, beneficial rains keep trees, lawns and flowers thriving. In contrast, torrential rains, thunderstorms and flooding can damage greenery and cause a well-manicured lawn to resemble a muddy field. Landscaping crews can find themselves sidelined until conditions improve, which means lost work time, rescheduled appointments and potentially unhappy clients.
Client Lawsuits
Landscapers who finalize a contract with a handshake often face unexpected lawsuits from angry clients. New Jersey-based lawyer Peter Lamont, who specializes in small landscaping firm representation, emphasizes in an article titled "How to Start a Landscaping Business," on the website of the National Federation of Independent Business, that a business owner must protect himself with a comprehensive written contract. He should include initial estimate, project logistics, completion date and payment framework details. If the client does not want a specific area of the property addressed or mentions other exclusions, that information must appear in the contract as well. Both parties must agree on and sign the contract before the landscaper begins his work.
Economic Uncertainty
Landscapers who successfully navigate the industry's pitfalls can still find themselves at the mercy of economic uncertainty. In a September 2010 article in the Chattanooga Times Free Press, John Garrett, an economics professor at the University of Tennessee, Chattanooga, observed that a shaky economy typically results in reduced consumer purchases of luxury goods, including lawn care services. Although middle-class customers frequently tighten their budgets first, Chattanooga-based nursery owner Mark Bonastia told the newspaper that affluent residents can unexpectedly curtail lawn services during downturns as well.
United States Bureau of Labor Statistics: Grounds Maintenance Workers: Job Outlook The Decatur Daily: Trouble on Landscape CNA: Risk Control Industry Guide Series: Landscape, Lawn Care, and Plant Nursery Industry, P. 4 Houston: Houston Weather National Federation of Independent Business: How to Start a Landscaping Business Chattanooga Times Free Press: Landscapers Dust Selves Off After Recession Storm Photo Credits Creatas Images/Creatas/Getty Images


This week marked the start of the annual Palestinian olive harvest, an ancient tradition on which 80,000 families still rely for their livelihoods. Yet these families face growing economic hardship due to Israeli land confiscations, access restrictions, settler attacks, and not least the widespread uprooting, destruction and theft of the trees themselves.
The infographic ‘Uprooted’ focuses on the staggering fact that Israeli authorities have uprooted over 800,000 Palestinian olive trees since 1967, the equivalent to razing all of the 24,000 trees in New York’s central park 33 times.
This graphic is being released as part of Visualizing Palestine’s 2013 crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo. We would love if you could share the campaign URL with the graphic and through social media.


You have no items in your shopping cart.
Zwitterionic Biodetergents Zwitterionic biodetergents have characteristics of both ionic and non-ionic detergent types. Its headgroups are hydrophilic and contain both positive and negative charges in equal numbers, resulting in zero net charge. Zwitterionic detergents are less denaturing proteins than ionic detergents by protecting the native charge of protein molecules like nonionic detergents but are more harsh surfactants. They are more efficient than non-ionic detergents at disrupting protein-protein bonds and reducing aggregation. These properties have been used for chromatography, mass spectrometry, and electrophoresis methods, and solubilization of integral membrane proteins.
AG Scientific can ship FedEx directly to your lab, from small-scale to bulk orders. Our leadership in bulk supply allows us to provide custom product packaging and create multiple product forms. We offer “just in time” delivery, private labeling, and custom formulations for specific research needs.


A number of grad schools are offering dual degree MSCE/MURP programs, and typically these graduates focus on transportation engineering/planning. Surely these graduates have additional skills than the graduates of either individual program, but are they more valuable? Typically, an MSCE graduate would expect a higher salary than a MURP graduate, but should an MSCE/MURP graduate expect more money than someone with only the MSCE degree? In other words, how likely are employers to discount the value of the MURP degree, compensating the dual degree employee as if they had only the MSCE degree?


I Don't Experience Hunger
So I decided recently that I need to find something to do about this because, though not problematic currently, I could see it sometime becoming an issue. The gist of it is: I don't get hungry or full.
Here I would like to note that I'm very healthy, 5'11"-6' and 158 pounds. My RHR is 47-53 and my body fat is at a low but still healthy level (I'm a swimmer). Basically, I'm in good shape despite this bizarre phenomenon.
It doesn't matter how long I go without eating, I don't feel hunger in a normal way. I eat based on meal times and depending on whether I'm at what I believe is a calorie deficit etc. The issue remains, I can and have (without actually realizing it) gone significantly over 24 hours without food and not been bothered at all. I eat sometimes when I'm bored because enjoying the taste is nice, but it's more of a "take it or leave it" feeling that could be similarly satisfied with a non-nutritional diet soda or something like that.
Alternatively, when I do eat, it does not matter how much food I consume, I don't get that full and satisfied feeling. I do however get that "I'm sick from so much food and I'm beginning to throw up" phenomenon. For example, I once ate two new large boxes of cereal (watching television or something), only realizing once I was on the verge of throwing up that I'd eaten more than my stomach could properly hold. Essentially, I only ever stop eating once I've begun because I 1) make a conscious decision that I've had an appropriate amount or 2) I feel as though I'm going to vomit. Note that I have no history of bulimia or anything; I've only actually thrown up a little once after eating more than my stomach could handle.
In summary, I never actually experience hunger and I never actually experience a satisfactory "full." Does anyone have an idea of what is going on? It's really inconvenient have no way of telling whether I've consumed enough aside from actually tracking calorie and nutrient intake.


Have you gone to your doctor about all your aches and pains, your depressed moods, your inability to sleep, and your lack of energy? Did your doctor tell you that nothing is wrong with you? Did you know that all these symptoms can be caused by a hormonal imbalance? Don’t let your doctor offer you antidepressants or sleep medications for symptoms that can be resolved safely and naturally by replenishing your hormones with bioidentical hormones!


SUMMARY
Harold R. Solbrig has been a pioneer in the medical computing field since the early 1970s. Over the past two decades his emphasis has been on the role of formal semantics in data interoperability with a focus on clinical terminology, and terminology and data binding. Mr. Solbrig joined Mayo Clinic in 1999 and is currently working on terminology standards and adoption within the Division of Biomedical Statistics and Informatics.
Additionally, he has participated and contributed to multiple standards organizations, including Health Level Seven International (HL7), the World Health Organization, International Standards Organization (ISO), the Object Management Group (OMG), the International Terminology Standards Development Organization (IHTSDO) and the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C).
Focus areas
Terminology services. Mr. Solbrig focuses on models, interfaces and standards for representing, querying and maintaining terminological resources.
Information model terminology binding. Mr. Solbrig is a key contributor to the ISO 11179-3 Edition 3f specification that formalizes the relationship between ontologies and data. He has worked with multiple organizations on linking ontology semantics with data models and instances, including the National Cancer Institute (NCI), the National Library of Medicine, and the Centers for Disease Control and Clinical Data Interchange Standards Consortium (CDISC).
Formal ontology. His research includes distinction between types, categories and definitions in formal ontology models and in collaboration with the NCI and other organizations. The goal is to develop new approaches to separating definition knowledge from secondary artifacts.
Semantic MediaWiki. His work includes the incorporation of semantics into information resources like Wikipedia. He developed a model and set of tools for crowd-sourced ontology development called LexWiki, which was subsequently adopted by the NCI for the use with the NCI Thesaurus and the Neurolex community. Significance to patient care
The standards and methodologies derived from Mr. Solbrig's work form a key foundation for interoperability and sharing clinical data, which in turn allows researchers to make new discoveries. This improves the healthcare process and more fundamentally, enables sophisticated decision support tools to assist providers at the point of care.
Professional highlights
Editor, Common Terminology Services 2 Standard, 2011
HL7 Volunteer of the Year Award, 2005


Antidepressant treatments enhance plasticity and increase neurogenesis in the adult brain, but it has been unclear how these effects influence mood. We propose that, like environmental enrichment and exercise, antidepressant treatments enhance adaptability by increasing structural variability within the nervous system at many levels, from proliferating precursors to immature synaptic contacts. Conversely, sensory deprivation and chronic stress reduce this structural variability. Activity-dependent competition within the mood-related circuits, guided by rehabilitation, then selects for the survival and stabilization of those structures that best represent the internal or external milieu. Increased variability together with competition-mediated selection facilitates normal function, such as pattern separation within the dentate gyrus and other mood-related circuits, thereby enhancing adaptability toward novel experiences. - by
Castren E. & Hen R., Trends in Neurosciences , 04 February 2013


This paper examines return predictability when the investor is uncertain about the right state variables. A novel feature of the model averaging approach used in this paper is to account for finite-sample bias of the coefficients in the predictive regressions. Drawing on an extensive international dataset, we find that interest-rate related variables are usually among the most prominent predictive variables, whereas valuation ratios perform rather poorly. Yet, predictability of market excess returns weakens substantially, once model uncertainty is accounted for. We document notable differences in the degree of in-sample and out-of-sample predictability across different stock markets. Overall, these findings suggests that return predictability is not a uniform and a universal feature across international capital markets.
Subjects:
Stock Return Predictability Bayesian Model Averaging Model Uncertainty International Stock Markets


Abstract
Quantitative trait loci (QTL) studies provide insight into the complexity of drought tolerance mechanisms. Molecular markers used in these studies also allow for marker-assisted selection (MAS) in breeding programs, enabling transfer of genetic factors between breeding lines without complete knowledge of their exact nature. However, potential for recombination between markers and target genes limit the utility of MAS-based strategies. Candidate gene mapping offers an alternative solution to identify trait determinants underlying QTL of interest. Here, we used restriction site polymorphisms to investigate co-location of candidate genes with QTL for seedling drought stress-induced premature senescence identified previously in cowpea. Genomic DNA isolated from 113 F2:8 RILs of drought-tolerant IT93K503-1 and drought susceptible CB46 genotypes was digested with combinations of EcoR1 and HpaII, Mse1, or Msp1 restriction enzymes and amplified with primers designed from 13 drought-responsive cDNAs. JoinMap 3.0 and MapQTL 4.0 software were used to incorporate polymorphic markers onto the AFLP map and to analyze their association with the drought response QTL. Seven markers co-located with peaks of previously identified QTL. Isolation, sequencing, and blast analysis of these markers confirmed their significant homology with drought or other abiotic stress-induced expressed sequence tags (EST) from cowpea and other plant systems. Further, homology with coding sequences for a multidrug resistance protein 3 and a photosystem I assembly protein ycf3 was revealed in two of these candidates. These results provide a platform for the identification and characterization of genetic trait determinants underlying seedling drought tolerance in cowpea.
Citation
Muchero, W.; Ehlers, J.D.; Roberts, P.A. Restriction site polymorphism-based candidate gene mapping for seedling drought tolerance in cowpea [Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.]. TAG Theoretical and Applied Genetics (2010) 120 (3) 509-518. [DOI: 10.1007/s00122-009-1171-6]


Atypical or variant forms of well-known chondrodysplasias may pose diagnostic problems. We report on a girl with clinical features suggesting diastrophic dysplasia but with unusual radiographic features including severe platyspondyly, wide metaphyses, and fibular overgrowth, which are partially reminiscent of metatropic dysplasia. The diagnosis was clarified by molecular analysis of the DTDST gene, which revealed homozygosity for a previously undescribed mutation leading to a Q454P substitution in the 10th transmembrane domain of the DTDST sulfate transporter. Molecular analysis may be of particular value in such atypical cases.


DyP-type peroxidases comprise a novel superfamily of heme-containing peroxidases which is unrelated to the superfamilies of known peroxidases and of which only a few members have been characterized in some detail. Here, we report the identification and characterization of a DyP-type peroxidase (TfuDyP) from the thermophilic actinomycete Thermobifida fusca. Biochemical characterization of the recombinant enzyme showed that it is a monomeric, heme-containing, thermostable, and Tat-dependently exported peroxidase. TfuDyP is not only active as dye-decolorizing peroxidase as it also accepts phenolic compounds and aromatic sulfides. In fact, it is able to catalyze enantioselective sulfoxidations, a type of reaction that has not been reported before for DyP-type peroxidases. Site-directed mutagenesis was used to determine the role of two conserved residues. D242 is crucial for catalysis while H338 represents the proximal heme ligand and is essential for heme incorporation. A genome database analysis revealed that DyP-type peroxidases are frequently found in bacterial genomes while they are extremely rare in other organisms. Most of the bacterial homologs are potential cytosolic enzymes, suggesting metabolic roles different from dye degradation. In conclusion, the detailed biochemical characterization reported here contributes significantly to our understanding of these enzymes and further emphasizes their biotechnological potential.


Followership in higher education: academic teachers and their formal leaders
Billot, JM; West, D; Khong, L; Skorobohacz, C; Roxa, T; Murray, S; Gayle, B
Permanent linkhttp://hdl.handle.net/10292/5935 MetadataShow full metadata Abstract
The concept of followership in higher education has been given limited attention despite the fact that followers are key players in the follower/leader equation and that leadership is increasingly seen as vital to improving the student learning experience. This paper explores this concept, reporting on the findings of a qualitative study underpinned by a socio-constructivist framework. Thirty-eight narratives describing the experience of being a follower and interacting with a formal leader were collected from academic teachers in seven institutions worldwide and analysed using inductive content analysis. The richness of the narratives collected illustrates the intricate relationship formed by the followership/leadership interaction. The results affirm the premise that, just as teachers are defined by their students’ learning, leaders are defined by their followers’ engagement. However, some teachers also display a strong reluctance towards the very idea of being a follower in academia where critical and independent thinking form the backbone of all practices. Negotiation, responsibility, and mutual respect appear essential aspects of any form of followership/leadership interaction as it directly or indirectly influences student learning and personal development. The research presented suggests that, in challenging times, academic leaders must attend to the characteristics and needs of their followers.