Middle-of-the-night feedings do nothing for your under-eye bags but are crucial to your baby's health and well-being during her first few months. Her tiny stomach can't hold much food at first. After she's past her first few months, your baby can go long stretches without needing to eat, and soon you'll all sleep through the night. Until then, waking your baby to eat may be a two- or three-times-per-night necessity.
Baby's Nighttime Nutritional Needs
A breastfed newborn needs to eat every two to three hours during the day and should go
no longer than four hours at night without a feeding, according to the Healthy Children website. These regular feedings are necessary for her growth and help you establish a regular milk supply. A formula-fed newborn needs to eat every three to four hours and should be fed every four to five hours during the night, the site says. After her first month, your baby's needs will likely change. Pediatrician Dr. Jennifer Shu tells WebMD that she doesn't advise waking a baby past her first few weeks, unless the baby is sleeping more during the day than during the night. Setting a Schedule
By the time your baby wakes you with her crying, she's already agitated --
crying is a late-stage sign of hunger. This agitation can make her fussy, which often makes feeding her more challenging than it would be if she were calm. Instead, try setting alarms to wake yourself every three hours or so. If she doesn't show any interest in feeding, advises the Healthy Children website, try again in 30 minutes. You quickly get a sense of how often your baby gets hungry during the night, which allows you to get both you and your baby on an efficient sleep-and-eat schedule. Wake Up, Sleepyhead
Your baby doesn't understand that daytime is playtime and nighttime is for sleeping. Help her learn those distinctions by keeping nighttime feedings dark and soothing. When you must wake her to eat, look for signs that she's in REM sleep, when she's easiest to rouse. Signs include fluttering eyelids, clenched fists and limbs that aren't limp, advises the Ask Dr. Sears website. You may even spot hunger cues including sucking motions while she's asleep. Try holding the baby to you, skin-to-skin, or tickling her lower lip with your nipple or the nipple of a bottle. Stroking her cheeks, palms and feet may also help wake her.
Letting Sleeping Babies Lie
Every baby's needs are unique, so deciding when to stop waking her for feedings is something to discuss with her pediatrician. He can help you determine whether your baby is growing at a healthy rate or if you need to give her multiple night feedings. Even if you don't wake your baby to eat, she may still wake up on her own looking to eat, or she may not:
by 3 months, most babies sleep six to eight hours in a row at night, according to the Kids Health website. Letting her sleep through the night won't impact your milk supply since she's already been nursing for months. Your body will adjust to the new schedule. Nighttime Needs for Preemies
If you baby was born prematurely or has other medical issues, ask your doctor for specific recommendations for handling nighttime feedings. Premature babies do not always cry, so you may not be able to rely on her to let you know when she's hungry during the night. Your preemie may also require supplementation to her regular breast milk, such as breast milk fortifiers or special preemie formula, according to the Mayo Clinic website.


Citigroup has awarded $16.7 million retention bonus plus stock options to its Chief Executive Vikram Pandit who joined the bank in 2007 when it was undergoing a financial crisis for which, the U.S. Government had provided $ 45 billion of taxpayer money to let the third largest bank of U.S. come out of the crisis.
However, the retention bonus to Pandit will only be paid subject to certain commitments. He will only be eligible for a deferred stock of $ 10 million if he succeeds in meeting the regulatory considerations like maintaining capital levels.
This reward shall come in three annual equal installments, starting at the end of 2013. Compensation experts said those targets were difficult to measure and may not provide much immediate benefit to shareholders.
"They're soft measures," said Robin Ferracone, the executive chair of the compensation advisory firm Farient Advisors. Looking at the monetary targets, he will be awarded $ 6.65 million if the bank earns a minimum of $ 12 billion before taxes over 2011 and 2012.
The salary hike comes with a present condition of Pandit drawing $ 1.75 million base salary in 2011. Though, Pandit had earlier agreed to take a token $ 1 salary until the bank would sustain its profitability.
This bonus hike is not subject to limitations; over and above it he could be awarded a greater payout in 2011, according to spokesperson Shannon Bell.


Viral dsRNA Signaling Through TLRs and RLRs - Review October 2007
Viral infections induce a strong innate immune response characterized by the rapid production of type I interferons (IFN α/β) leading to the inhibition of virus replication.
This antiviral response is initiated through the recognition of viral products, such as double-stranded RNA (dsRNA), by two types of pathogen recognition receptors (PRRs): the Toll-like receptors (TLRs) and the RIG-I-like receptors (RLRs).
The TLR family consists of more than 10 members expressed on the cell surface membrane or endosomes. The RLRs is a family of cytoplasmic RNA helicases that includes RIG-I and MDA-5 [1].
Double-stranded RNA, which is synthesized during the replication of many viruses, is recognized by TLR3 and RIG-I/MDA-5 in a cell-type- and pathogen-type-specific manner.
Studies of RIG-I- and MDA-5-deficient mice have revealed that conventional dendritic cells (DCs), macrophages and fibroblasts isolated from these mice have impaired IFN induction after RNA virus infection, while production of IFN is still observed in plasmacytoid DCs (pDCs) [2]. The TLR system is required for pDCs to induce the antiviral response but is dispensable for cDCs, macrophages and fibroblasts. For these cell types, RLRs are critical to sense viruses. RLRs pathway
RIG-I and MDA-5 contain a DExD/H box RNA helicase and two caspase recruiting domain (CARD)-like domains. The helicase domain interacts with dsRNA, whereas the CARD domains are required to relay the signal. Despite the overall structural similarity between these two sensors, they detect distinct viral species.
RIG-I participates in the recognition of Paramyxoviruses (Newcastle disease virus (NDV), Sendai virus (SeV)), Rhabdoviruses (vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV)), Flaviviruses (hepatitis C (HCV)) and Orthomyxoviruses (Influenza), whereas MDA-5 is essential for the recognition of Picornaviruses (encephalomyocarditis virus (EMCV)) and poly(I:C), a synthetic analog of viral dsRNA[1]. Notably, RIG-I binds specifically to RNA containing 5’-triphosphate such as viral RNA and in vitro transcribed long dsRNA[3]. Mammalian RNA is either capped or contains base modifications suggesting that RIG-I is able to discriminate between self and non-self RNA. RIG-I/MDA-5 and TLR3 signaling pathways differ
Although they recognize dsRNA, RIG-I/MDA-5 and TLR3 differ in their downstream signaling pathways.
TLR3 recruits the adapter protein TRIF leading to the activation of several transcription factors including IRF3 and NF-κB [4]. IRF3 controls the expression of type I IFNs, while NF-κB regulates the production of inflammatory cytokines. RIG-I and MDA-5 bind to the CARD containing adaptor protein IPS-1 (also known as MAVS, CARDIF or VISA), which activates IRF3 and IRF7 through TRAF3, NAP1 and TBK1/IKKε [5-7]. IPS-1 interacts also with FADD, a death domain-containing adapter involved in death receptor signaling, and RIP1 which induces the activation of the NF-κB pathway [5-8]. LGP2, a third RLR
A third RLR has been described: laboratory of genetics and physiology 2 (LGP2). LGP2 contains a RNA binding domain but since it lacks the CARD domains acts as a negative feedback regulator of RIG-I and MDA-5.
LGP2 appears to exert this activity at multiple levels by i) competitively sequestering dsRNA, ii) forming a protein complex with IPS-1, and/or iii) binding directly to RIG-I through a repressor domain [9-11]. LGP2 is not the only molecule involved in the negative control of dsRNA-induced IFN production. Various endogenous and viral inhibitors appear to target the RIG-I/MDA-5 pathway.
1. Kawai T. & Akira S., 2007. J Biochem. 141:137-145.
2. Kato H., Sato S. et al., 2005. Immunity 23:19-28. 3. Pichlmair A., Schulz O. et al., 2006. Science 314:997-1001. 4. Yamamoto M., Sato S. et al., 2003. Science. 301:640-643. 5. Kawai T., Takahashi K. et al., 2005. Nat Immunol. 6:981-988. 6. Saha SK., Pietras EM. et al., 2006. Embo J. 25:3257-3263. 7. Sasa M., Shingai M. et al., 2006. J Immunol. 177:8676-8683. 8. Takahashi K., Kawai T. et al., 2006. J Immunol. 176:4520-4524 9. Yoneyama M., Kikuchi M. et al., 2005. J Immunol. 175:2851-58 10. Komuro A. & Horvath CM. et al., 2006. J Virol. 80(24): 12332-12342 11. Saito T., Hirai R. et al., 2007. PNAS. 104(2):582-587.


Two former Northern Rock (NR) directors have been fined a combined £644,000 for publishing misleading mortgage arrears figures before the bank's collapse.
The Financial Services Authority (FSA), which received strong criticism for its handling of the NR crisis in autumn 2007, says the pair's actions meant incorrect statistics, which understated the scale of the bank's problems, were used by NR, external stakeholders, the market and the FSA.
The chief problem was 1,917 loans in arrears but pending repossession were effectively ignored and not reported in either the bank's arrears or repossession numbers for 2006 (see the Mortgage Arrears and Redundancy guides).
Had they been reported as being in arrears, it would have increased NR's arrears figures by roughly 50% other those 12 months. In that year's annual accounts, the percentage of loans in arrears would have stood at 0.68% instead of 0.42%. The market average at the time with 0.89%.
If they had been reported as in possession, the number would have increased from 662 to 2,579 cases.
Massive fines
Former NR deputy chief executive David Baker was fined £504,000 for failing to escalate the problem after he become aware of it, meaning incorrect figures were published.
He had overall responsibilities for the firm's debt management unit and he cannot hold any future role that requires FSA regulation.
Richard Barclay, former managing credit director, was fined £140,000 for failing to ensure the correct information reported was accurate despite "warning signs at an early stage". He cannot perform any "significant influence function" at an FSA-regulated firm.
Margaret Cole, FSA enforcement director, says: "Baker and Barclay both held senior positions of trust but they provided inaccurate information to the Northern Rock board and the market.
"This is a loud and clear message that we are serious about taking action against senior directors where they step over the line."
Further reading/Key links


SANTA CLARA, California, September 12. G. John Mullen is back, and he has a useful dryland tip that can help swimmers who are in danger of shoulder injury due to overuse.
This exercise will help a swimmer learn how to hold a maximum weight, and depress their shoulder, allowing more shoulder movement. Many coaches feel they appropriately perform shoulder injury prevention programs, but the “typical” shoulder injury prevention program is likely not effective (Hibberd 2012). Many shoulder injury prevention programs do not effectively training the rotator cuff muscles to stabilize or depress the humerus, which is one of their main functions (Richardson 1986).
Directions: Hold the heaviest weight you can safely hold. Next, walk as far as you can with your shoulder blades back. Perform for approximately 20-30 seconds. Make sure not to elevate the shoulders during this exercise.


The paper deals with the connection between politically induced catch-up development, cultural and intellectual traditions and economic order in Germany and Russia. It is argued that in the history of both countries we encounter significant structural parallels, including the totalitarian experience. After World War II the German political élite managed to implement capitalism in a country, the population of which was still hostile towards capitalism. The key to success was that the German political rulers, in contrast to the Russian ?young reformers? of the early 1990s, from the beginning on took into account the shared mental models prevailing in Germany. Therefore some lessons may be drawn from the German historical experience in regard to today?s Russia.
Subjects:
Cultural Economics Economic Development Transition Totalitarianism


Putnam target-date strategies Putnam target-date strategies Investment diversification tailored to retirement Investment diversification tailored to retirement As retirement plan sponsors consider a range of target-date fund choices, greater attention is being given to glide path structures It's important to consider the range of risks that glide paths can address in addition to stock and bond allocations Our research-driven view is that a glide path should address different risks at different stages of asset accumulation and distribution
Each phase of an investor's path to retirement from aggressive asset accumulation, to conservative accumulation, to diversified distribution — presents unique risks and tradeoffs. We believe that a glide path — the strategy that determines the automatic shifts in allocations from stocks to bonds over time — should be structured to address different risks depending on the number of years until retirement, and should work in concert with the savings behavior of plan participants.
In each of the three phases retirement savers experience, the glide path is structured to address the most prominent risks The Aggressive Accumulation phasebegins as soon as the participant begins saving. This is the period when maximizing saving as well as equity holdings can combine to reduce shortfall risk, which is the risk that savings will be insufficient for a secure retirement. Failure to ultimately reach the savings goal makes all other risk irrelevant. The Conservative Accumulation phasecovers the 20-25 years before retirement. Continued maximization of savings remains critical, but avoiding losses during this period is equally important because the saver's retirement nest egg has grown and market volatility plays a larger role in outcomes. The Diversified Distribution phasebegins with retirement, when retirees hope to be positioned to have adequate savings. While faced with many risks, such as inflation and longevity, successfully managing sequence-of-returns risk — that is, the risk of a significant market downturn just before or just after someone retires — is essential and can help to mitigate other risks. Putnam favors a low equity allocation in retirement
We emphasize risk protection for everyone in retirement. Others take a different view, but we believe that the high-risk/high-reward approach of maintaining elevated exposure to equities in retirement places savings in jeopardy by increasing the number of "wrong-path" scenarios that could occur. Our study, included in the sidebar of this page, indicates that the optimal long-term target equity allocation is 25%, resulting in an extremely balanced and well-diversified overall portfolio. Approximately 50% of portfolio risk is derived from equities, which we believe reduces sequence-of-returns risk substantially.
Ultimately, achieving retirement goals requires discipline by all parties. Investors should consider trade-offs involving current and future income in order to accumulate assets during the first two phases. Throughout all three phases, the target-date fund manager should identify significant, yet manageable, risks that can be mitigated without decreasing the probability of positive outcomes.


Sunscreen past its expiration date should be discarded. Sunscreen that has an odd coloration or an unusual consistency is not safe to use even within its expiration date. Those who use sunscreen regularly in the recommended amounts typically do not keep sunscreen from year to year. According to Mayo Clinic, people should use approximately 1 ounce of sunscreen, approximately enough to fill a shot glass, to cover all parts of the body exposed to the sun.Learn more about Tanning


Article Title Abstract
Physical inactivity has been associated with several diseases and conditions with multiple candidate genes proposed to regulate voluntary physical activity. However, there has not been a reliable method to silence candidate genes in vivo to determine causal mechanisms of physical activity regulation. The novel molecular biology tool, Vivo‐morpholinos, is a potential method to transiently silence specific genes. Thus, the aim of this study was to validate the use of Vivo‐morpholinos in a mouse model for voluntary physical activity with several sub‐objectives. We observed that Vivomorpholinos achieved between 60 – 97% knockdown of Drd1‐, Vmat2‐, and Glut4‐protein in skeletal muscle, the delivery moiety of Vivo‐morpholinos (scramble) did not influence physical activity and that a cocktail of multiple Vivo‐morpholinos can be given in a single treatment to achieve protein knockdown of two different targeted proteins in skeletal muscle simultaneously. Knocking down Drd1, Vmat2, or Glut4 protein in skeletal muscle did not affect physical activity. Vivo‐morpholinos injected intravenously alone did not significantly knockdown Vmat2‐protein expression in the brain (p=0.28). However, the use of a bradykinin analog to increase blood‐brain‐barrier permeability in conjunction with the Vivomorpholinos significantly (p=0.0001) decreased Vmat2‐protein in the brain with a corresponding later over‐expression of Vmat2 coincident with a significant (p=0.0016) increase in physical activity. We conclude that with appropriate research design, Vivo‐morpholinos can be a valuable tool in determining causal gene‐phenotype relationships in whole animal models.
Recommended Citation
Ferguson, David P.; Schmidt, Emily E.; and Lightfoot, Dr.Timothy(2013)"Transiently silencing genes associated with voluntary physical activity using intravenous injection of Vivo‐morpholinos,"
International Journal of Exercise Science: Conference Proceedings:Vol. 2:Iss.5, Article 5. Available at: http://digitalcommons.wku.edu/ijesab/vol2/iss5/5


Sanford, a New Zealand company, has just recalled 280 metric tonnes of green-lipped mussel meat. Most of the meat was exported to North America (United States and Canada), Australia, Japan, the UK and a handful of European countries.
The company initiated its international recall after finding what it described as a "low level" of Listeria monocytogenes on its production line. L. monocytogenes is a common environmental bacterium that can grow at refrigerator temperatures, but is killed by normal cooking. It has been associated with food-borne disease outbreaks linked to ready-to-eat foods such as delicatessen meats, cheeses, cole slaw and smoked fish. There isn't a lot of detail in the article, but I think that this meat was meant for further processing - not to be eaten raw. I give Sanford "two thumbs up" for erring on the side of consumer safety by initiating a recall of this product.
Recalls and Alerts: January 15 – 18, 2017
4 days ago


Bonifacio, Matteo (2012)
Social Innovation: a Novel Policy Stream or a Policy Compromise? An EU Perspective. Trento : Università di Trento. Abstract
Spurred by the recent global economic crisis, Social Innovation (SI) has gained increasing attention in the European Commission (EC) agenda. However it remains a heterogeneous and ill-defined concept, whose boundaries are unclear. Presently within EC discussions, it encapsulates a variety of concepts from social enterprises to societal change. Adopting an ethnographic methodology, this analysis provides insight into the contrasting official “front-stage” and the “back-stage” views, constraints and practices by which SI has been adopted and promoted by the EC. While the “front-stage” perspective is more intentionally based on the official situations, documents, and statements, the “back-stage” is informed by both the ethnographic analysis and its relationship with the “front-stage” perspective. The main finding of the analysis is that SI might be presumably seen as the only way to align the Commission’s conservative-liberal policy, which is rooted in the Lisbon Agenda, with the pressing social demands which stem from the 2008 financial crisis. However, this analysis also indicates that, rather than a novel policy stream, SI can also be seen as a policy compromise that can be used to detract from debates around the need to develop a full-fledged EU Social Policy; more deeply, detract the policy debate from facing a thorough reflection on our society and development model. The analysis will also provide an overview of the risks associated with current thinking viewed from the perspective of EU players operating in the socio-political domain.
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A leg rest is intended to support the legs from the chair edge right down to the feet although, in practice, many are rather short. A footrest only supports the feet and ankles and is usually lower than a leg rest.
If you are experiencing swollen or painful feet we recommend you consult your G.P. If you have received any medical advice about putting your legs up when sitting you should follow the advice. It may determine the type of legrest or footstool most appropriate for your needs.
The NHS has a range of online information including advice for people with oedema.
A footrest may not be suitable if you have a painful, stiff or weak knee as your knee will remain unsupported. This can put strain on the ligaments behind the joint and could lead to discomfort.
The use of a manual leg lifter can help with placing your legs onto a footstool. View manual leg lifters.


This book and companion DVD provide a comprehensive set of modeling methods for data and uncertainty analysis, taking readers beyond mainstream methods described in standard texts. The emphasis throughout is on various techniques having a broad range of real-world applications.
Developed in the work are methods and computational tools to address general models that arise in practice, allowing for a more valid treatment of calibration and test data. The companion DVD contains tutorials, sample code, and software packages with demonstrations, enabling readers to test and use tools presented in the book. The book may be used as a textbook in graduate courses on data modeling and computational methods, or as a training manual in the fields of calibration and testing. The work may also serve as a reference for metrologists, mathematicians, statisticians, software engineers, chemists, and other practitioners with a general interest in measurement science.


Away-from-home tissue and hygiene saw a poor performance in 2012 due to the second wave of the global economic crisis. However, the category bounced back after that and has been recording strong growth rates ever since. The trend continued in 2015, when away-from-home tissue and hygiene saw 8% current value growth.
Euromonitor International's Away-from-Home Tissue and Hygiene in Serbia report offers a comprehensive guide to the size and shape of the market at a national level. It provides the latest retail sales data 2011-2015, allowing you to identify the sectors driving growth. It identifies the leading companies, the leading brands and offers strategic analysis of key factors influencing the market – be they new product developments, distribution or pricing issues. Forecasts to 2020 illustrate how the market is set to change.
Data coverage: market sizes (historic and forecasts), company shares, brand shares and distribution data.
Why buy this report?
Get a detailed picture of the Away-from-Home Tissue and Hygiene market;
Pinpoint growth sectors and identify factors driving change;
Understand the competitive environment, the market’s major players and leading brands;
Use five-year forecasts to assess how the market is predicted to develop.
Euromonitor International has over 40 years' experience of publishing market research reports, business reference books and online information systems. With offices in London, Chicago, Singapore, Shanghai, Vilnius, Dubai, Cape Town, Santiago, Sydney, Tokyo and Bangalore and a network of over 800 analysts worldwide, Euromonitor International has a unique capability to develop reliable information resources to help drive informed strategic planning.


RNA-Seq provides unparalleled levels of information about the transcriptome including precise expression levels over a wide dynamic range.
However, as new techniques and protocols for RNA-Seq measurement of gene expression are established, it becomes essential to understand how the technical variation from protocol to protocol impacts the quality and interpretability of results.
Researchers from Helicos BioSciences used multiple human RNA samples to assess the impact of RNA fragmentation, RNA fractionation, cDNA synthesis, and single versus multiple tag counting on the conclusions drawn from RNA-Seq experiments.
They found:
Though protocols employing polyA RNA selection generate the highest number of non-ribosomal reads and the most precise measurements for coding transcripts, such protocols were found to detect only a fraction of the non-ribosomal RNA in human cells. PolyA RNA excludes thousands of annotated and even more unannotated transcripts, resulting in an incomplete view of the transcriptome. Ribosomal-depleted RNA provides a more cost-effective method for generating complete transcriptome coverage. Expression measurements using single tag counting provided advantages for assessing gene expression and for detecting short RNAs relative to multi-read protocols. Detection of short RNAs was also hampered by RNA fragmentation.
This work will help researchers choose from among a range of options when analyzing gene expression, each with its own advantages and disadvantages.
Raz T, Kapranov P, Lipson D, Letovsky S, Milos PM, et al. (2011)
Protocol Dependence of Sequencing-Based Gene Expression Measurements. PLoS ONE 6(5), e19287. [article]


In the Emotion & Stress Physiology Lab, we conduct research on the physiology of stress, emotion, and social motivations, with a focus on neuroendocrine (hormone) systems. Our work illuminates how stress-response hormones affect the brain and therefore modulate emotional, motivational, and cognitive processes. We are also interested in how dysregulation in stress hormone systems might contribute to emotion-processing disruptions in affective disorders such as depression.


The movement of a person or a group of persons, either across an international border (international migration), or within a State (internal migration).
EMN National Contact Points (EMN NCPs) were established in each Member State plus Norway and they are responsible for the coordination of the EMN at national level. Each EMN NCP co-ordinates a national network of relevant stakeholder organisations with expertise in migration and asylum from a wide stakeholder group, e.g. from government, (academic) research community, and NGOs. The national networks aim to secure a close exchange of information with policymakers at the national level, to better understand their information needs, and to enhance the EMN’s role in responding quickly to such needs, in appropriate formats.
In each Member State, an EMN NCP consists of at least three experts either from the same entity or from different entities. In the latter case, one entity acts as the national coordinator and, in such cases, it is their details which are given overleaf. You may contact the relevant EMN NCP for your Member State via these contact details.


Questions persist about the nature and number of cells with tumor-propagating capability in different types of cancer, including melanoma. In part, this is because identification and characterization of purified tumorigenic subsets of cancer cells has not been achieved to date. Here, we report tumor formation after injection of single purified melanoma cells derived from three novel mouse models. Tumor formation occurred after every injection of individual CD34+p75- melanoma cells, with intermediate rates using CD34-p75- cells, and rarely with CD34-p75+ cells. These findings suggest that tumorigenic melanoma cells may be more common than previously thought and establish that multiple distinct populations of melanoma-propagating cells (MPC) can exist within a single tumor. Interestingly, individual CD34-p75- MPCs could regenerate cellular heterogeneity after tumor formation in mice or multiple passages in vitro, whereas CD34+p75- MPCs underwent self-renewal only, showing that reestablishment of tumor heterogeneity is not always a characteristic of individual cells capable of forming tumors. Functionally, single purified MPCs were more resistant to chemotherapy than non-MPCs. We anticipate that purification of these MPCs may allow a more comprehensive evaluation of the molecular features that define tumor-forming capability and chemotherapeutic resistance in melanoma.


Analysis of FOXP3 protein expression in human CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells at the single-cell level. Roncador G., Brown PJ., Maestre L., Hue S., Martínez-Torrecuadrada JL., Ling KL., Pratap S., Toms C., Fox BC., Cerundolo V., Powrie F., Banham AH.
The transcription factor FOXP3 plays a key role in CD4(+)CD25(+) regulatory T cell function and represents a specific marker for these cells. Despite its strong association with regulatory T cell function, in humans little is known about the frequency of CD4(+)CD25(+) cells that express FOXP3 protein nor the distribution of these cells in vivo. Here we report the characterization of seven anti-FOXP3 monoclonal antibodies enabling the detection of endogenous human FOXP3 protein by flow cytometry and immunohistochemistry. Flow-cytometric analysis showed that FOXP3 was expressed by the majority of CD4(+)CD25(high) T cells in peripheral blood. By contrast, less than half of the CD4(+)CD25(int) population were FOXP3(+), providing an explanation for observations in human T cells that regulatory activity is enriched within the CD4(+)CD25(high) pool. Although FOXP3 expression was primarily restricted to CD4(+)CD25(+) cells, it was induced following activation of both CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cell clones. These findings indicate that the frequency of FOXP3(+) cells correlates with the level of expression of CD25 in naturally arising regulatory T cells and that FOXP3 protein is expressed by some activated CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cell clones. These reagents represent valuable research tools to further investigate FOXP3 function and are applicable for routine clinical use.


A Answers (1)
VESIcare (solfenacin) does not often cause liver and kidney damage. However, tell your doctor if you already have liver or kidney disease or damage. Your doctor may adjust your dosage to allow your body to process your VESIcare safely. You may damage your liver or kidney if your body cannot handle the normal dose of VESIcare.
This content reflects information from various individuals and organizations and may offer alternative or opposing points of view. It should not be used for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. As always, you should consult with your healthcare provider about your specific health needs.


CONSTRUCTING HYBRID NANOSTRUCTURES OUT OF NOBLE METALS AND SEMICONDUCTORS Date2015 Author
Bai, Huizhi
Advisor
Reutt-Robey, Janice
DRUM DOI
doi:10.13016/M20H7G
MetadataShow full item record Abstract
Fabrication of complex hybrid nanostructures with tunable properties is desirable to fulfill functional applications in multidisciplinary areas. Manipulation of pre-designed nanostructure building blocks composed of distinct materials to achieve finite control over crystallinity, morphology, and composition is a major challenge. This dissertation aims to address the topic and create material with new optical properties. Questions explored are: How to realize delicate control on crystallinity of hybrid nanostructures through unconventional synthetic routes? How to achieve precise hybridized nanostructures with designed geometry, topology and composition? How do these features affect optical properties? Specifically, this dissertation contains recent efforts on fabrication and characterization of functional hybrid nanostructures made from metal and semiconducting materials. I first present a critical review of a monocrystalline nonepitaxially grown metallic @ semiconducting core @ shell hybrid nanostructures. This includes a comprehensive description of the novel nonepitaxial synthetic route, emphasizing critical experimental steps, anticipation of challenges, and ending with my perspective. This systematic review should expand knowledge of the newly developed nonepitaxial method and spread technical aspects of the experiments. I then introduce an anisotropically shaped semiconducting nanocrystal with binary alloy composition. The rod-shaped ensemble has exhibited tunable bright band gap fluorescence that is dependent on dimension. This work is the first to achieve binary semiconducting alloy nanocrystals with anisotropic shapes. Interestingly, the electronic behavior within the rod-shaped semiconducting nanocrystals is altered due to gradient element distribution of the binary material, which is of fundamental interest and potential practical importance. Lastly, a core – metallic satellites-styled nanoparticle assembly structure will be discussed. Control over Ag nanoparticles as surrounding satellites in terms of size, shape and quantity is achieved via a facile synthetic route, and a collective electronic (dipole – dipole coupling) behavior within the metallic assembly is observed, and supported by numerical simulation. This work provides a new facile pathway to achieve well-controlled silica – Ag hybrid nanostructures.


By Thomas Boccellari
While investing in international-bond funds can help diversify credit and interest-rate risk, high fees and currency risk can diminish their appeal. Vanguard Total International Bond ETF (NASDAQ:BNDX) attempts to address these problems.
This fund offers diversified, currency-hedged exposure to foreign investment-grade government, corporate, and securitized bonds for a low 0.20% annual fee. It may be a suitable core holding for investors looking to diversify their bond holdings outside the United States.
The fund uses one-month forward contracts to hedge its currency exposure. Currency hedging can protect the fund from a strengthening dollar, but it can also detract from returns when the dollar is weakening. Regardless of how currency fluctuations unfold, currency hedging can help significantly reduce volatility.
While most unhedged international-bond funds have historically exhibited low correlation (0.40) to the Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index over the past 10 years, this is primarily due to currency volatility. In contrast, the currency-hedged Barclays Global Aggregate ex USD Bond Index has higher, though still moderate, correlation (0.75) to that U.S. benchmark.
Over the past decade, the fund's benchmark exhibited comparable volatility to the Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index. However, the fund's current yield-to-maturity (1.7%) is below that of the Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index (2.0%). Its duration (seven years) is also higher than the Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index's (five years), introducing greater interest-rate risk, which could hurt returns if rates rise. Additionally, the average credit rating of the fund's holdings (A) is slightly lower than that of the Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index (AA), which skews heavily toward U.S. Treasuries. However, the diversification benefits that international bonds can offer, coupled with the fund's low fees and hedged currency exposure, could make this a worthy addition to a U.S.-heavy portfolio.
Fundamental View Because the fund weights its holdings by float-adjusted market cap, the most heavily indebted issuers receive the largest weightings in the portfolio. This weighting approach could increase credit risk because the issuers with the heaviest debt burdens may be the most susceptible to ratings downgrades. However, the fund's focus on investment-grade issuers helps mitigate some of this credit risk. Japan, which represents the fund's largest country weighting (22%), has the largest debt/GDP ratio (more than 200) of any developed country. The Japanese government currently has a long-term S&P and Fitch credit rating average of AA-. However, these agencies have a negative outlook on the Japanese government, which sports a lower short-term credit rating (A+). While the chance of default is very low, a downgrade could cause a drop in bond prices, which could hurt the fund.
Shinzo Abe, Japan's prime minister, and his newly appointed Bank of Japan governor, Haruhiko Kuroda, have put a plan into action that would double the monetary base in an effort to hit an inflation target of 2%. Intended knock-on effects include rising asset prices, increased consumer and business spending, and a weaker yen. While the plan has been well-received and capital expenditures have been trending up, Japan still faces structural challenges, including an aging and thrifty population, which could hamper the country's turnaround.
The fund also has significant exposure (18%) to government bonds issued in Europe. While economic conditions across the European Union have improved over the past few years, more than a fourth of the portfolio is invested in relatively weak countries, including France, Italy, and Spain.
The European Central Bank recently lowered rates to a record low of 0.15%, while short-term rates in Japan are close to 0.10%. Although interest rates where many of the fund's holdings are invested will likely remain low in the short term, they have little room to fall and plenty of room to rise as economic growth picks up. This could hurt the fund's performance over the long term because bond prices tend to fall as interest rates rise.
While the fund only has a 12-month record, it has done a good job hedging currency exposure over that period. Since the fund's inception, the fund has had minimal tracking error to its benchmark.
Portfolio Construction The fund employs representative sampling to track the Barclays Global Aggregate ex-USD Float Adjusted RIC Capped (USD Hedged) Index, which includes investment-grade government (75%), corporate (15%), and securitized fixed-income investments (10%) issued in local currency. The bonds must have at least one year until maturity. The index weights its holdings by float-adjusted market capitalization and rebalances at the end of each month. The top three countries in the fund, Japan, France, and Germany, represent nearly 45% of the portfolio. The portfolio has an average duration of 6.8 years and a yield to maturity of 1.7%.
The fund uses one-month forward currency contracts, which it rebalances every month to hedge currency exposure. The fund attempts to adjust its hedges as assets grow or shrink to help minimize over- and underhedging. Underhedging a currency that has weakened relative to the U.S. dollar or overhedging a currency that has strengthened can hurt the fund's performance. While the fund has 23 different currencies represented in its portfolio, more than 90% of the fund's assets are denominated in the pound, euro, yen, Australian dollar, and Canadian dollar. Because these are very liquid currencies, they are relatively inexpensive to hedge. Since inception, hedging has only created a 0.05% drag on performance.
Alternatives SPDR Barclays International Treasury Bond (BWX) may be a reasonable alternative for investors who want to bet against the U.S. dollar. It invests in foreign government bonds and does not hedge its currency exposure. Consequently, currency fluctuations largely drive its performance. This fund charges 0.50%. iShares offers a similar fund, iShares S&P/Citigroup International Treasury Bond (IGOV), which charges 0.35%. In contrast to BNDX, BWX and IGOV exclude corporate debt.
SPDR DB International Government Inflation-Protected Bond (WIP) may be suitable for investors who are concerned about inflation. It offers an international portfolio of Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities for a 0.50% expense ratio. However, WIP does not hedge its currency exposure, which may reduce the efficacy of its inflation hedge. Additionally, it invests only in government debt.
Disclosure: Morningstar, Inc. licenses its indexes to institutions for a variety of reasons, including the creation of investment products and the benchmarking of existing products. When licensing indexes for the creation or benchmarking of investment products, Morningstar receives fees that are mainly based on fund assets under management. As of Sept. 30, 2012, AlphaPro Management, BlackRock Asset Management, First Asset, First Trust, Invesco, Merrill Lynch, Northern Trust, Nuveen, and Van Eck license one or more Morningstar indexes for this purpose. These investment products are not sponsored, issued, marketed, or sold by Morningstar. Morningstar does not make any representation regarding the advisability of investing in any investment product based on or benchmarked against a Morningstar index.


Study: Weight-Based Enoxoparin After C-Section Best for Obese Patients
(HealthDay News) — Weight-based dosing of enoxaparin is more effective than body mass index (BMI)-based dosing for venous thromboembolism prophylaxis among morbidly obese women after cesarean delivery, according to a study published in the June issue of
Obstetrics & Gynecology.
Rachael T. Overcash, MD, MPH, from the University of California, San Diego, and colleagues conducted a prospective sequential cohort study involving women with BMI of ≥40kg/m² who underwent cesarean delivery. Participants were randomized to weight-based (42 women) or BMI-stratified (43 women) enoxaparin dosing to prevent venous thromboembolism formation.
The researchers found that the weight-based group had significantly higher concentrations of anti-Xa compared with the BMI-stratified group (0.29 ± 0.08 vs. 0.17 ± 0.07 international units/mL). Eighty-six percent of the weight-based dosing group and 26% of the BMI-stratified dosing group had anti-Xa concentrations within the prophylactic range. None of the patients met the threshold for venous thromboembolism prophylaxis (anti-Xa concentration of 0.6 international units/mL or greater).
"In morbidly obese women after cesarean delivery, weight-based dosing of enoxaparin for venous thromboembolism prophylaxis is significantly more effective than BMI-stratified dosing in achieving adequate anti-Xa concentrations," the authors write.


Burns are tragic for many reasons. After being burned, a child may require years of therapy and multiple surgeries to restore full ability to function. What's more, nearly all children's burn injuries are preventable.
Around the Home Never leave a small child alone at home, especially in the kitchen or bathroom. Keep matches and lighters away from children. Install smoke alarms in bedrooms and near your furnace. Keep a fire extinguisher on hand in the area of your home where fire danger is greatest, such as your kitchen. In the Kitchen Keep hot items near the center, away from countertop edges. While cooking, keep toddlers in a high chair or playpen. Avoid using tablecloths so toddlers don't grab them and pull hot items from the table onto their heads. Keep appliance cords away from counter edges. Turn pot handles away from stove edges. Use extreme caution when cooking with a deep fat fryer or cooking with oil. Enforce a "no zone" near the stove where kids are banned. Scald Prevention
A scald is a burn caused by hot liquid or steam — particularly hot tap water, hot liquids (tea and coffee), hot foods (soups) and steam. Scalding can occur with temperatures just slightly above 120 degrees Fahrenheit. For children, merely three seconds of exposure to 140-degree water can produce a third-degree burn. Nearly 35,000 children are treated for scald burns each year, according to the National Safe Kids Campaign.
Consider these tips for preventing scalds:
Install anti-scald devices on faucets and shower heads. Hot tap water accounts for one out of every four scald burns. When water reaches 120 degrees, a small metal piece expands within the device, shutting off the water supply to a few drops. Set your hot water heater no higher than 120 degrees. At bath time, test the temperature of bath water using the back of your hand before placing your child in the tub. The temperature should not exceed 100 degrees. In fact, children benefit from a cooler temperature than what adults typically choose. Once in the tub, ensure that your child remains seated with his or her back to the faucet. This way, your child won't be able to grab and turn on the faucet. Never leave your child unattended in the tub.


Access to Education in Rural Areas of Mali: Shortening the Distance to Education for All (EFA)
As nations around the world redouble efforts to achieve education for all by 2015, one of the greatest remaining needs is providing access to education in rural areas. This paper explores how the Government of Mali, with support from the U.S. Agency for International Development and Education Development Center, Inc., used innovative tools and methods (including georeferencing, mapping, and school/village surveys) to better understand the twin challenges posed by home-school distance and inefficient teacher distribution in rural communities and why Mali chose an old-school solution: one-room, multi-grade schools equipped with trained teachers and appropriate materials.


Canberra 17.5 Overbank flood spilling Supporting information
This process occurs in the Canberra region, but the volume could not be quantified due to the lack of both data and a suitable quantification approach.
Minor to moderate flooding occurred within the Canberra region and it caused to evacuate the community around Queanbeyan at the beginning of March 2012 (The Bureau of Meteorology 2012, Special Climate Statement 39).
Despite the overbank flood spilling and return to river channel being significant in volume during these floods, the volume was not able to be quantified. However, as neither the overbank flood spilling nor return to river channel could be quantified, the impact upon the surface water store in the water accounting statements would not have been as pronounced. Although some flood waters would have replenished groundwater within the region and evaporation or other losses to flood waters would have occurred, most of the overbank flood spilling would have returned back to the river channels. The natural topography of the Canberra region would result in all the flood waters within the Queanbeyan flood plains returning to the river channel prior to flowing out of the Canberra region.


The Department of Health has published revised guidance on how the NHS should compensate people wrongly denied fully-funded long-term care, meeting criticisms made in today’s report from the parliamentary ombudsman.
The new guidance for primary care trusts says PCTs should aim to restore people to the financial position they would have been in had they not been denied NHS continuing care in the first place.
The ombudsman, Ann Abraham, criticised previous guidance for urging PCTs to only repay the costs of care, excluding any non-care costs incurred by service users as a result of the decision to deny them funding.
The guidance, unlike its predecessor, also reminded PCTs they could offer payments to individuals to compensate them for any distress caused in denying them continuing care, as recommended by the ombudsman.


Did Jesus Really Rise From The Dead?
by Steven R. Hemler
The gospel or "good news" proclaimed since the beginning of Christianity is essentially the news of Christ's Resurrection. This "good news" is that a man who claimed to be the Son of God and the Savior of the world has indeed risen from the dead. For if Jesus really rose from the dead then that validates everything he said and did, including his claim to be divine and not merely human, because rising from the dead is beyond human power. Given the centrality of the Resurrection in Christian belief, how can we know the Resurrection really happened? The best way to discover the truth about Jesus' Resurrection is to rationally examine the alternatives. There are five possible alternatives: swoon, hallucination, myth, conspiracy, and the "good news" of Christianity.
First, the "swoon theory" is that Jesus did not die on the cross, but that he revived while in the tomb. However, it is highly unlikely that Jesus could have survived the crucifixion. Roman execution procedures just didn't allow that to happen. Roman law even proscribed death to any soldier who bungled a crucifixion and allowed a capital prisoner to escape. By piercing his side with a spear and not breaking Jesus' legs, which was done to hasten death by asphyxiation, the soldiers established that Jesus was dead. Even if Jesus did survive his crucifixion, how could he have moved the stone at the entrance of the tomb, especially considering he had nail holes in his hands? It is also very unlikely that he would have been able to walk very far with pierced feet. However, even if Jesus did revive and get past the Roman guards, he would have been a battered, bleeding pulp of a man who would have been pitied by his followers, not worshiped. It is impossible for Jesus' disciples to have been so transformed if he had merely struggled out of a swoon, badly in need of medical treatment. A half-dead, staggering man who had narrowly escaped death is not fearlessly worshipped as divine and the conqueror of death!
Second, the Resurrection could not have been a hallucination because hallucinations happen privately and only to individuals. Numerous people do not simultaneously experience the same hallucination, especially over a period of 40 days. Hallucinations usually last only a few seconds or minutes. Furthermore, if the Resurrection was a hallucination of the Apostles, why didn't the Jewish leaders just produce the corpse of Jesus to refute their claim that he had risen?
Third, the Resurrection could not be a myth because there was not enough time after the actual event for a myth to have developed. There is not a single example in recorded history of where a great myth or legend based on a historical figure has been written so soon after that person's death. Several generations need to pass before added mythological elements can be mistakenly taken as fact. Furthermore, many of the recorded details of Jesus' life and Resurrection distinguish the Gospels from myth. A prime example is the claim that the first witnesses to the Resurrection were women. Given that women at the time had low social status and were not even permitted to serve as legal witnesses, why would a legend say that women were the first witnesses to the Resurrection? If the empty tomb was an invented legend, its inventors would not have had it discovered by women, whose testimony was considered unreliable.
Fourth, the Apostles' proclamation of Jesus' Resurrection could not have been a deliberate lie or conspiracy based on stealing his body from the tomb because what would the Apostles have to gain by promoting such a lie? What could possibly have been their motive? By claiming that Jesus rose from the dead, they all faced persecution and death. However, not one of them ever denied their claim of Jesus' Resurrection, even when faced with death. People just don't give their lives for what they know is a lie.
By far, the most compelling evidence of the truth of the Resurrection is the radically transformed lives of Jesus' followers afterwards. After Jesus was crucified, his followers were discouraged and disheartened. So they dispersed. Then, after a short time they abandoned their occupations, gathered back together, and fully committed themselves to spreading the "good news" that Jesus Christ is the Son of God who after dying on a cross, returned to life and was seen alive by all of them. They spent the rest of their lives proclaiming this, without anything to gain from a human perspective. They faced a life of hardship. They often went without food and slept exposed to the elements. They were ridiculed, beaten and imprisoned. They knew that torture and death would be their fate if they didn't stop preaching about Jesus Christ. But they couldn't stop. They all kept talking about Jesus' life, death, and resurrection to anyone who would listen. Eventually, most of them were executed in torturous ways. However, all of them maintained to the very end that Jesus had risen from the dead. Why didn't they recant? The only plausible explanation is they were absolutely certain they had seen Jesus Christ alive from the dead. Their bold courage and steadfast witness prove their story is the truth. And that makes it, even for us today, a truth worth living for.
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Copyright © Steve Hemler. Steve Hemler has been involved in youth ministry, pro-life political activism and religious education. His articles have been published in America, Liguorian, Church, Modern Liturgy, Religion Teacher's Journal, Liturgical Catechesis, and National Review.


The term risk of ruin refers to the probability an individual could lose all of their capital investments and the recovery of loss is not possible. The risk of ruin concept has its roots in the gambling industry, but has since been associated with both the investing and insurance industries.
Risk of Ruin = ((1 - (W - L)) / (1 + (W - L)))
U
Where:
Also known as the probability of ruin, the risk of ruin is a concept that originated in the gambling industry but can also apply to investing. The risk of ruin is the probability that an individual will reach their point of ruin, which can mean the loss of all of their investment, or a large portion of it.
The most commonly cited risk of ruin example involves the toss of a coin. If an individual could lose all of their investment with a simple toss of a coin, their risk of ruin would be 50%. Another example is gold, which is considered a universally accepted means of payment. If an individual were to hold gold in safekeeping, their risk of ruin would be 0%. However, by keeping their funds in such a safe investment, they are forgoing the opportunity to earn a higher rate of return on their investment. Fortunately, investors do have the opportunity to lower their risk of ruin, and achieve reasonable rates of return, by using strategies such as assembling a diverse portfolio.
Historically, a trader conducts a successful transaction 52% of the time, and 48% of the time they lose the entire investment. In this example, the trader's total funds are $100,000, each trade involves $5,000, and the trader's point of ruin is $70,000. This means the maximum number or risks the trader can take before reaching their point of ruin is $70,000 / $5,000, or 14. The risk of ruin would be calculated as:
= ((1 - (0.52 - 0.48)) / (1 + (0.52 - 0.48)))
14 = ((1 - 0.04) / (1 + 0.04)) 14 = (0.96 / 1.04) 14 = 0.9231 14, or 0.3261, or 32.61%


Before we launched our Behind the Brands land campaign, the injustice of land grabs - which can lead to people being left homeless and hungry - was largely ignored in the policies of the world's 10 largest food companies. But now a total of 8 companies have improved their policies on land - with Associated British Foods, Kellogg's, Nestle and Unilever committing to the principle of free, prior and informed consent of communities to ensure that they have a say over their land.


Abstract: This Article proceeds as follows. Part I recounts previous bouts of
interstate competition for corporate charters and notes the “race-tothe-
bottom” and “race-to-the-top” theories that purport to explain
their results. Part I then describes the current movement toward green
or sustainable business practices, notes the compatibility of these
practices with current corporate law, and posits that the trend will
trigger a new race among states to attract corporate charters—not to
the bottom nor to the top but rather “to the left.”2 Part II opens with a
description of Oregon’s recent efforts to make its corporate law more
amenable to green businesses, and then the Article proposes a
comprehensive agenda for greening a state’s corporate code.


Abstract
Abstract Saccadic chronostasis refers to the subjective temporal lengthening of the first visual stimulus perceived after an eye movement. It has been quantified using a duration discrimination task. Most models of human duration discrimination hypothesise an internal clock. These models could explain chronostasis as a transient increase in internal clock speed due to arousal following a saccade, leading to temporal overestimation. Two experiments are described which addressed this hypothesis by parametrically varying the duration of the stimuli that are being judged. Changes in internal clock speed predict chronostasis effects proportional to stimulus duration. No evidence for proportionality was found. Two further experiments assessed the appropriateness of the control conditions employed. Results indicated that the chronostasis effect is constant across a wide range of stimulus durations and does not reflect the pattern of visual stimulation experienced during a saccade, suggesting that arousal is not critical. Instead, alternative processes, such as one affecting the onset of timing (i.e., the time of internal clock switch closure) are implicated. Further research is required to select between these alternatives.


icsi
A new study seeks to answer a longstanding chicken-or-egg question: do infertility treatments raise the risk of birth defects, or is the risk linked to infertility itself?
A mutation in a gene for a sperm-related protein found in 20% of men may be responsible for a significant proportion of unexplained male infertility, according to a new study.


On page 6.3.1 we introduced the notion of a
term-document matrix: an matrix , each of whose rows represents a term and each of whose columns represents a document in the collection. Even for a collection of modest size, the term-document matrix is likely to have several tens of thousands of rows and columns. In Section 18.1.1 we first develop a class of operations from linear algebra, known as matrix decomposition. In Section 18.2 we use a special form of matrix decomposition to construct a low-rank approximation to the term-document matrix. In Section 18.3 we examine the application of such low-rank approximations to indexing and retrieving documents, a technique referred to as latent semantic indexing. While latent semantic indexing has not been established as a significant force in scoring and ranking for information retrieval, it remains an intriguing approach to clustering in a number of domains including for collections of text documents (Section 16.6 , page 16.6 ). Understanding its full potential remains an area of active research.
Readers who do not require a refresher on linear algebra may skip Section 18.1 , although Example 18.1 is especially recommended as it highlights a property of eigenvalues that we exploit later in the chapter.


(Special Note: The June AAII Journal features a new historical analysis of the AAII Sentiment Survey. The analysis found a link between above-average six- and 12-month gains in the S&P 500 following unusually high neutral sentiment readings of and unusually low bullish sentiment readings.)
Optimism among individual investors is above its historical average for the first time in 12 weeks. At the same time, neutral sentiment fell below 40% for the time in six weeks.
Bullish sentiment, expectations that stock prices will rise over the next six months, rose 3.0 percentage points to 39.5%. This is the first time optimism is above its historical average of 39.0% since March 13, 2014.
Neutral sentiment, expectations that stock prices will stay essentially unchanged over the next six months, fell 2.1 percentage points to 38.3%. This is the first sub-40% reading since April 24, 2014. Nonetheless, neutral sentiment remains above its historical average of 30.5% for the 22nd consecutive week.
Bearish sentiment, expectations that stock prices will fall over the next six months, declined 1.0 percentage points to 22.2%. The drop puts pessimism below its historical average of 30.5% for the seventh straight week.
The spread between bullish and bearish sentiment (the "bull-bear spread") widened to 17.3 percentage points. This is the largest bull-bear spread since February 27, 2014.
This week is the first time bullish sentiment has exceeded neutral sentiment in three months (since March 13, 2014). During the past three weeks, optimism has rebounded by a cumulative 9.1 percentage points, while neutral sentiment has declined by a cumulative 4.9 percentage points. Neutral sentiment is now back within the typical range of its historical readings (less than one standard deviation from the mean), though near the upper end of the typical range.
The resilience of the S&P 500 and its record highs is likely playing a key role in boosting optimism among individual investors. Also helping are continued signs of economic expansion, the Federal Reserve's tapering of bond purchases and low interest rates. Offsetting this optimism is the pace of economic expansion, Federal Reserve tapering and frustration with Washington politics. Though neutral sentiment has pulled back, many AAII members still remain uncertain about the short-term direction of stock prices or expect stocks to remain essentially unchanged over the next six months.
This week's special question asked AAII members what industries or sectors they like right now. Energy was the most the popular, picked by nearly a third (31%) of all respondents. Technology and health care tied for second, with each named by approximately 18% of respondents. Industrials were third, picked by about 13% of all respondents.
When we asked the same question in January, respondents said (in order of popularity) health care, technology, banking and finance, and energy.
This week's AAII Sentiment Survey results:
Bullish: 39.5%, up 3.0 percentage points Neutral: 38.3%, down 2.1 percentage points Bearish: 22.2%, down 1.0 percentage points
Historical averages:
Bullish: 39.0% Neutral: 30.5% Bearish: 30.5%
The AAII Sentiment Survey has been conducted weekly since July 1987 and asks AAII members whether they think stock prices will rise, remain essentially flat, or fall over the next six months. The survey period runs from Thursday (12:01 a.m.) to Wednesday (11:59 p.m.) The survey and its results are available online here.
Disclosure: I have no positions in any stocks mentioned, and no plans to initiate any positions within the next 72 hours. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it. I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.


The Labor Department's Producer Price Index for Finished Goods dropped 1.2% in March on a seasonally adjusted basis, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Tuesday. The decline reversed a 0.1% gain in February and an 0.8% jump in January.
The decline was led by the energy sector, which fell 5.5% in March after rising 1.3% in February. The food index also was down, though less sharply than in February, with a decline of 0.7% in March from a 1.6% the previous month. Prices for finished consumer goods less foods and energy was up only 0.1% following a 0.4% advance in February. Prices for all finished goods excluding foods and energy were unchanged following a 0.2% rise in February.
At the earlier stages of processing, intermediate goods prices fell 1.5% after posting a 0.9% decline a month earlier, and the crude goods index dropped 0.3% following a 4.5% decline in February.


IPD focuses on applications utilizing a variety of microbial hosts. IPD’s strain engineering platforms use Intrexon’s genome modeling, gene design and synthesis, screening, fermentation and analytical capabilities toward the generation of microbial strains to manufacture high-value products.
An iterative multi-cycle Design-Build-Test-Learn™ approach enables selection of the best performing cell lines providing the necessary tools for efficient strain improvement and optimization of the fermentation process for desired molecules. After selecting the best host to produce a particular end product, IPD engineers its genetic pathways to deliver a biological manufacturing solution via a scalable process that provides consistent quality, along with the potential to drive substantial cost savings versus traditional methods. Key areas IPD is involved in include isobutanol production from a methane feed stock, which offers significant advantages over traditional sugar based bioconversion platforms, and the development of new antimicrobial compounds and active pharmaceutical ingredients in suitable production hosts.


Reports of serious illness in dogs associated with the consumption of Chinese-made
chicken jerky treats continue to be filed by pet owners. Yet the exact cause of these illnesses still remains a mystery.
After extensive laboratory testing, FDA officials have been unable to uncover a specific contaminant.
So, to date, there have been no official product recalls.
However, according to a recent article posted by msn.com, FDA documents obtained by the publisher suggest a possible link to three popular chicken jerky products and their big name producers:
Waggin’ Train Jerky Treats or Tenders (Nestle Purina) Canyon Creek Ranch Jerky Treats or Tenders (Nestle Purina) Milo’s Kitchen Home-Style Dog Treats (Del Monte Corp)
However, the FDA stated in its latest official bulletin:
“No specific products have been recalled because a definitive cause has not been determined”


Edward de St. Aubin (PhD94), associate professor of psychology at Marquette University, recently received the university's highest teaching honor, the Rev. John P. Raynor, S.J., Faculty Award for Teaching Excellence. He is a graduate of the Human Development and Social Policy program at the School of Education and Social Policy.
De St. Aubin studies identity and meaning-making in adults, stigmatized groups and those suffering major life disruptions, such as a spinal cord injury. He brings those same ideas into the classroom by focusing on sharpening aspirations and making meaning for his students.
"I like being surrounded by young minds that are actively being transformed," said de St. Aubin. "The bottom line is I like teaching." He previously taught at Northwestern and the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay before joining the Marquette faculty.
Dr. de St. Aubin, a resident of Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, received both his bachelor's and master's degrees from Loyola University before earning his PhD from the Northwestern. De St. Aubin's scholarship has resulted in two published books and dozens of chapters and journal articles.
At Marquette, he teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in developmental psychology, personality psychology, research methods, human sexuality, psychology of culture and the narrative self.
Last Modified: 8/14/09


AIChE Annual Meeting 2004 location:Austin, TX, USA date:7-12 November 2004
Abstract:
In free-surface flows of low-viscosity complex fluids such as dilute polymer solutions and micellar fluids, viscous effects are frequently negligible. The dominant force balance may involve elastic, inertial gravitational and capillary forces, and one is interested in the rarely-studied limit of inviscid viscoelastic fluid motion. A quantitative analysis of such flows can be carried out using high-speed digital video-imaging. To illustrate this, we investigate thin jets of dilute polymer solutions at flow rates corresponding to a transition from dripping to jetting. The study reveals a novel periodic break-up process. In the initial stages, Rayleigh disturbances grow and as viscoelastic effects grow the jet evolves towards the familiar beads-on-a-string structure. However the jet terminates in a large terminal drop which is almost stationary and appears to progressively swallow or ‘gobble’ the beads on the string. As the mass of the terminal drop increases, it accelerates and ultimately pinches off. The process then repeats leading to a quasi-periodic break-up process, with droplets significantly larger than the scale of the jet or nozzle. A simple axial momentum balance incorporating capillarity, gravity and fluid elasticity but neglecting viscous stresses captures many of the essential features of this “gobbling” phenomenon


European Journal of Paediatric Neurology vol:16 issue:3 pages:257-265
Abstract:
BACKGROUND: In children with unilateral cerebral palsy (CP), development of arm and hand function is often compromised by the underlying motor and sensory impairments. However, knowledge about the evolution of arm and hand function in this population is limited.
AIM: The aims were to map the evolution of scores on upper limb measures over one year in children with unilateral CP and to identify factors that influence time trends.
METHODS: Eighty-one children (43 males, 38 females; mean age 9y11mo (SD 3y3mo) range 5-15 y) were tested at baseline, at 6 and 12 months. According to the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health, body function measurements included passive range of motion, muscle tone, manual muscle strength and grip strength. Activity measurements included the Melbourne Assessment, the Jebsen-Taylor test, the Assisting Hand Assessment and the Abilhand-Kids questionnaire. Age, gender, etiology (congenital or acquired lesions) and Manual Ability Classification System (MACS) levels were analyzed as predictive factors, using mixed models.
RESULTS: Scores for grip strength (p = 0.001) and manual dexterity (Jebsen-Taylor test, p < 0.0001) increased significantly over time. MACS level (p = 0.03) and etiology (p = 0.02) had a significant influence on the time evolution of the Jebsen-Taylor scores. Other assessments showed no significant changes.
CONCLUSION: Motor impairments, movement quality and hemiplegic hand use in bimanual tasks do not spontaneously improve over one year, except for an age-related change in grip strength. However, an improvement was observed in manual dexterity, suggesting that some children can learn more adaptive movement strategies.


Heat pumps are used to reduce CO2 emissions. They also save on heating costs. Therefore, heat pumps are generally very beneficial. Nevertheless, there is the risk of leakage.Brine-water heat pump systems consist of a brine-water heat pump, together with the heating side units and a sole system. Sole system include PE pipes, either vertically (geothermal probes) or horizontally (ground collectors) incorporated into the soil. Sole systems are risky of leakage at joints or PE pipes (damage, aging) in generall. It should be noted that glycol to water hazard class 1 counts and must not get into the soil or groundwater. Geoprotektors can avoid this safetly that confirms a report from the University of Bochum.The functionFirst of all a pre-alarm will be caused due to a drop in pressure detected via the digital pressure sensor. Then the heat pump switches off (DIN 8901 and VDI 4640). For a pressure drop, there are two options:In case of insufficient filling and a reduction in volume due to the cooling of the brine or leakage. Turn off the heat pump, the operator should contact an expert. Detects the Geoprotektor leakage is rinsed with potable water. A bin holds the purged brine.The useThe Geoprotektor has multiple benefits:1. He prevented a greater loss to the sole soil.2. The expensive flushed sole is resealable reversible.3. Contamination of the soil with glycol is avoided.


Abstract
11641-05a_DiTella-rev.qxd 285 RAFAEL DI TELLA Harvard Business School ROBERT MACCULLOCH Imperial College London Why Doesn’t Capitalism Flow to Poor Countries? ABSTRACT We show that capitalism is far from common around the world. Outside a small group of rich countries, heavy regulation of business, leftist rhetoric, and interventionist beliefs flourish. We relate these phenomena to the presence of corruption, with causality running in both directions. The paper presents evidence that, within a country, those who perceive widespread corruption also tend to demand more regulation. As regulation is held constant within a country, this finding is hard to explain if one assumes that causality runs only from regulation to corruption. We also find that over time, increases in corruption in a country precede increases in left-wing voting. To explain our findings, we present a model where corrupt capitalists are disliked, and voting for left-wing policies is a form of punishment available to voters even in weak judicial systems. Evidence on emotions supports this explanation: the fre- quency with which people report experiencing anger is positively correlated with perceived corruption, but this relationship is significantly weaker when business is heavily regulated. Economists often argue that capitalism outperforms socialism on numer-ous dimensions. These arguments are so compelling that one might be led to believe that free markets, perhaps with some redistribution, are the norm around the world. In reality, this is not the case. Outside the United States and a small set of other rich countries, public opinion tends to be unimpressed with the performance of capitalism. Resistance to free mar- kets has been observed in former communist countries, in underdeveloped countries in Africa, and in some modern democracies in Europe. In Latin America the phenomenon is especially striking. After a decade of economic reform in the 1990s, a backlash against markets has been observed in most 11641


The first thing you should know about me is that I have Parkinson's disease. I've had it for more than ten years now. It affects my walking, my talking, my sleeping, my swallowing, and a variety of other things that you do every second of every day without even thinking about it. This condition is something I will likely reference in almost everything I write.
I do my best to take care of myself. I do the things I'm supposed to do. I try NOT to do the things I'm NOT supposed to do.
And every time I see my neurologist, he harps on me about my weight.
OK.
I get it. I'm fat. I've always BEEN fat. I always WILL be fat. Losing weight would make my body easier to move. But I would still freeze in place when I walk. I would still wobble and fall at the slightest provocation.
Don't get me wrong. I exercise. I ride my exercise bike for twenty minutes, three times a week. I've been going to physical therapy three times a week for a month. And these things help.
But until that grand and glorious day comes when they find a cure, I will always have Parkinson's disease. I can be fat and have PD. Or I can deprive myself of tasty cheeseburgers and yummy ham, egg and cheese sammiches, lose fifty pounds, and
still have Parkinson's disease.
That's why I have these philosophical arguments with myself in the frozen foods section of the grocery store. It happens almost every time. I'll walk past the ice cream case and a voice will call me.
"Bill. Hold up a minute."
I've long stopped wondering how the ice cream knows my name. It just does. That's all.
"Leave me alone, ice cream," I think. That's how we communicate. It's a telepathic thing. After all, if I stood there arguing with ice cream it wouldn't be long before someone came and took me someplace soft and quiet where I wouldn't hurt myself.
"Aw, Bill," the container of mocha frappuccino ice cream croons. "You know how sweet, creamy, and delicious I am. And you're going to just walk by? Whatcha gonna do? Go get a CARROT?"
The other ice cream containers chuckle at the remark, but I see nothing funny in it.
"My doctor says I'm supposed to lose weight," I think at the ice cream, the sweet, creamy, FROSTY ice cream. "How am I supposed to lose weight if I eat ice cream every time I go to the store?"
The ice cream nudges aside some of the low-fat yogurt blocking its access to the clear glass door. "Your doctor isn't the image of a bronze Grecian god either," it says. "I bet HE eats ice cream. And he doesn't even HAVE Parkinson's."
This causes me to doubt my doctor's wisdom on this subject. He's been so right about everything else. Could he be wrong about…
"Of course he could be wrong," the ice cream purrs, not allowing me to finish the thought. "So, let me ask you again. Are you gonna go buy a CARROT? Or will you be enjoying spoonful after spoonful of sweet, creamy, delicious ice cream tonight?"
I'm a reasonable man. And it's damn hard to argue with good logic.
"You're going to LOVE me," the ice cream says as I place it in the cart and hobble towards the check out.
"I already do, ice cream. I already do."Powered by Sidelines


[Source] Bartonellais a genus of bacteria, six of which are now known to infect humans. There is evidence of bartonella infections dating back to about 2,000 B.C.E., and it has likely been affecting humans longer than that.
Like staphylococcus, bartonella is opportunistic and rarely infects healthy people. However, unlike staph, bartonella is not particularly ubiquitous in the enviornment. It's usual route of infection is through a vector, such as fleas, ticks, sand flies and mosquitos. People such as intravenous drug users and those who are immunocompromised are particularly at risk.
One of the difficulties in recognizing bartonella is that it's symptoms are highly variable from species to species, and even from patient to patient. Although an animal or insect bite can be useful in a differential diagnosis, the disease can present withough such a bite.


From choosing a supervisor and topic to staying motivated, completing a research thesis is not an easy matter. Each stage represents a different challenge and many students struggle through without identifying the skills needed to make the most of their time. This wonderful resource for all doctoral and masters level students, explores the challenges and complexities of successfully engaging in the research process and thesis writing. Chapters include: choosing and working with a supervisor developing a research proposal motivating yourself choosing the right research method responding to criticism advice from the examiners preparing work for publication. This clear and practical guide, ideal for all doctoral and masters level students, takes readers from the very early stages of the process through to the final phase of examination and publication, using vignette examples to highlight key issues.


Elliott divided her class by eye color -- those with blue eyes and those with brown. On the first day, the blue-eyed children were told they were smarter, nicer, neater, and better than those with brown eyes.
Throughout the day, Elliott praised them and allowed them privileges such as a taking a longer recess and being first in the lunch line. In contrast, the brown-eyed children had to wear collars around their necks and their behavior and performance were criticized and ridiculed by Elliott.
On the second day, the roles were reversed and the blue-eyed children were made to feel inferior while the brown eyes were designated the dominant group. What happened over the course of the unique two-day exercise astonished both students and teacher.
On both days, children who were designated as inferior took on the look and behavior of genuinely inferior students, performing poorly on tests and other work.
Directed by: William Peters


Rising prevalence of elbow tendons bumps along with increasing incidences of elbow joint pains are the key factors driving the global lateral epicondylitis treatment market. Lateral epicondylitis generally arises due to improper use of sports devices by athletes or wrist extension against the resistance. Increasing cases of elbow tendons swelling in swimmers, plumbers, basketball players, tennis players and carpenters are also propelling the global lateral epicondylitis treatment market. Lateral epicondylitis is also a common medical condition affectinggeriatric population. Therefore, rapidly increasing geriatric population base worldwide is leading to the growth of this market. However, slow commercialization of effective therapies is anticipated as growth hurdle in the market over next seven years.
To request a sample copy or view summary of this report, click the link below:
http://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/lateral-epicondylitis-tennis-elbow-treatment-market
The non surgical treatment segment dominated the entire market as of 2014. Greater efficiency of non surgical treatment with minimal invasive nature is the factor driving the market for non surgical treatment. The surgical treatment segment includes arthroscopic surgery and open surgery. Open surgery segment is anticipated to witness significant growth over next seven years due to high success rate of roughly 90-95% and outpatient surgeries. Technological advancements in equipments for surgical treatment such as ultrasound imaging technology are also leading to the growth of the market. Ultrasound imaging is used to locate the diseased tissue. Once the tissue is detected, a micro incision is inserted in the body to remove the diseased tissue. Incraesing usage of therapeutic drugs such as botulinum toxin, topical nitrates and hyaluronate are for the treatment of lateral epicondylitis is also expected to provide growth platform to this market.
To request a sample copy or view TOC...


- 19/01/2017 - Belgium, a long-time supporter of FAO's work in emergencies, has deepened its commitment to protecting agriculture in countries struck by disaster with a €14-million contribution. This boosts FAO and its ...read more
- 22/12/2015 - Crop and livestock production prospects in Southern Africa have been weakened by the El Niño weather phenomenon that has lowered rains and increased temperatures.A reduced agricultural output would follow on ...read more
- 07/12/2015 - Skipping meals, migrating to find work, borrowing to pay for necessities, selling their household goods and vehicles, killing their livestock for lack of feed, planting less for lack of seed ...read more
- 26/11/2015 - Droughts, floods, storms and other disasters triggered by climate change have risen in frequency and severity over the last three decades, increasing the damage caused to the agricultural sectors of ...read more
- 11/11/2015 - Unusually heavy and widespread rains that fell recently in northwest Africa, the Horn of Africa and Yemen could favour Desert Locust breeding, FAO warned today, stressing that close monitoring is ...read more
- 20/10/2015 - The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is backing FAO's efforts to combat pandemic animal disease threats in Asia, Africa and the Middle East with an additional $87 million ...read more
- 14/09/2015 - Prolonged dry weather associated with the El Niño phenomenon has severely reduced this year’s cereal outputs in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua, putting a large numbers of farmers ...read more
- 03/09/2015 - Heavy storms, floods and landslides across nearly all provinces in Myanmar have dealt a major blow to the country's agriculture and are expected to severely limit the availability of food ...read more
- 02/09/2015 - The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and MasterCard are joining forces to create an innovative new alliance against hunger.A new partnership agreement, signed today by FAO ...read more


Network of Substructures at Ashbourne Flats Stretches Waterproofers
Restoration contractors are often stretched to the limit when it comes to repairing damaged exteriors to buildings. In the case of Ashbourne Flats in Kenilworth, Cape Town, waterproofing professionals Indawo Painting and Waterproofing, came up against, possibly, the most complicated restoration project in a decade.
In the contemporary techno-hungry world, commercial buildings, hotels, homes and apartment roofs have become prime real estate for a broad range of mobile and internet service providers’ elaborate and complex networks of communication equipment, substructures, air-conditioning units and an array of satellite dishes and antennae. The impact that these have on the integrity of the outer surfaces can result in severe weather induced damage if incorrectly installed.
Indawo Managing Director, Peter Jäck, says, “One of the challenges in waterproofing the 430 square meter flat roof at Ashbourne Flats was the lifting and careful replacement of existing substructures. The effectiveness of the existing mastic asphalt waterproofing was compromised resulting in severe water damage. The resulting brittle screed absorbed moisture and significant apertures appeared in the concrete slab allowing rain water access to cause severe damage to the interior of units.”
Flat roofs are particularly at risk. The persistent winter rains that batter the Western Cape pose a significant threat to buildings. It is critical to ensure that adequate waterproofing measures are implemented, especially if substructures, satellite dishes or antennae have been installed during the summer months. In many cases quick fix waterproofing on and around installed substructures merely mask the problem, delaying, for a short time, the onset of structural damage.
The scope of the Ashbourne Flats restoration project included:
Lifting of existing substructures to ensure effective waterproofing. Stripping existing waterproofing, including the 20-50mm thick mastic asphalt layer, using heavy duty equipment, and replacing with an effective new waterproofing membrane Lifting existing screed and, with existing internal outlets severely corroded and not repairable, the surface of the roof had to be re-screeded to new falls to ensure water ran off the sides of the building into hopper boxes. Reinstalling the substructures without compromising the new waterproofing membranes.
In any high rise complex or building, the complexities of the restoration project can place significant health and safety risks on the workforce. The safety of the project team has to be guaranteed. Highly trained and skilled workers play a crucial role in ensuring the success of a project of this magnitude.
With the entire roof damaged, workers had to reach perilously close to the roof’s edge. Under the guidance of Safety and Health consultancy, Ingozi Management, Indawo ensured that all safety procedures were strictly adhered to under strict guidelines from the Department of Labour. Safety lines, harnesses, helmets and safety equipment were checked and rechecked regularly to ensure the safety of each worker.
Jäck warns building owners to consider the impact on their fixed asset when installing a range of substructures on the roofs and exteriors of buildings or homes. “It is always responsible to consult with a professional waterproofing company before installing complex substructures and equipment. Opening even the slightest aperture in a waterproofing membrane can have severe and disastrous results for building owners.”


Topic: Organizational Justice,Sexual Harassment, Workplace Deviance
Publication: Journal of Applied Psychology Article: Organization justice and men’s likelihood to sexually harass: The moderating role of sexism and personality. Author: F. Krings, S. Facchin Featured by: Benjamin Granger
Researchers Krings and Facchin (2009) set out to uncover the reasons why men engage in sexual harassment at work. The authors hypothesized that certain personality traits make some men more likely to engage in sexual harassment, but that sexual harassment might also depend on certain organizational factors.
Krings and Facchin found that men reported being more likely to engage in sexual harassment when they perceived low
interactional justice (feel that they are not treated fairly by their supervisors). Overall, this finding suggests that sexual harassment is more likely following unfair interpersonal treatment.
However, as expected by the authors, individual personality factors also played an important role in the sexual harassment process. Specifically, perceptions of low interactional justice were more strongly related to sexual harassment when men were low in
agreeableness (not very oriented toward interpersonal relationships) and high in hostile sexism (general antipathy toward women). Important note: To measure sexual harassment, Krings and Facchin utilized the Likelihood of Sexual Harassment (LSH) scale, which specifically measures the likelihood of engaging in certain behaviors, not the actual occurrence of sexual harassment.
So what can we take from this research?
Although organizations often have minimal control over the personality factors of its employees (unless the organization specifically selects employees based on the personality factors of interest), organizations CAN more readily affect their employees’ perceptions of interactional justice. Generally, when employees feel that they are treated unfairly, they are more likely to subsequently “get back” (engage in deviant behaviors, including sexual harassment) at the organization or organizational members to “even the score.” By placing a heavy focus on fairness, organizations can nip deviant behaviors such as sexual harassment in the bud.


Who can leap tall buildings in a single bound? Who is faster than a speeding bullet and more powerful than a locomotive? It's Superman disguised as Clark Kent! And he's sitting right next to you!
Adventurous people on the job must always be faced with a challenge. They are enthusiastic risk takers who are easily bored. When they are not enthused by their work, no matter how successful they are, they'll shrivel up or push off in another direction. Monetary rewards usually are not sufficient motivation for them when they lose interest. They are good employees when they want to be, as long as the job provides constant challenges, new projects and enhanced excitement.
They can be clever capitalists and engaging entrepreneurs, but they usually make lousy managers. Their appetite for working with gut feelings and roguishness prevents them from taking an intellectual approach to problem solving. They refuse to accept authority, are mediocre organizers, abhor humdrum follow-through, do not accept responsibility for other people and don't handle finances or budgets well.
Adventurers create their own opportunities. They do not feel hamstringed by usual and customary commitments that most people feel they can't sidestep. They are not bound by the same irrational fears and uncertainties that keep a tight rein on most of us. At times they may simply out-maneuver the system entirely by twisting or contravening the rules for expediency's sake. At other times they may just circumvent the rules altogether simply because they just don't seem sensible. These folks live on the edge, forever challenging limitations and restrictions. They continuously wrestle with themselves for better or worse in a thrilling game against their own mortality. Their motto is, "no risk, no gain." Indeed, the risk is the gain!
Adventurous people are outgoing, assertive, gregarious extroverts. They hunger after the most extreme experience that lets them comprehend just how vigorously alive they are. They search for powerful, visceral experiences. They do not need other people to energize their self-confidence or to provide purpose to their lives, and they don't give up their time or pleasures for other people, at least not easily. Neither do they have need of anyone's approval for what they acquire out of life. They fervently believe in themselves, have a clear-cut inner sense of what's right and wrong for them, and if something is urgent and crucial for them, they'll do it no matter what anyone thinks or feels.
Today's manager must not have any illusions when dealing with over-confident people on the job. Thsese people will not adapt to a manager's needs, at least not in the long run. So it is best to offer them challenging, engaging and creative work that not only holds their attention but also commands their need for independence and their desire for the thrill of risk and challenge.


Measuring and Understanding Subjective Well-Being
This paper includes material presented to, and benefits from discussions at, the OECD symposium on 'Measuring Subjective Well-Being: An Opportunity for National Statistical Offices?', Florence, July 2009. We are grateful to other presenters and participants for their insights and advice, to the Gallup Organization for access to the data from the Gallup World Poll, and to the Statistics Canada Research Data Centre at UBC for access to the full data files for GSS17. We are also grateful for the research collaboration of Shun Wang, Haifang Huang and Anthony Harris, and for the financial support of the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (including a Junior Fellowship Award for C.P.B.-L.) and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. The views expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the National Bureau of Economic Research.


Babies on the go: Count those kicks - Fetal movement counts can help reassure you that your baby is doing well. There are a number of methods to keep track of your baby's movements.
Your 1-month-old: Stretching out - Has your baby already outgrown her "newborn-size" clothing? She's not alone.
Your 2-month-old: Watching and listening - Visitors are likely to remark how much baby has grown this month, and they're not just talking about size.
Your 3-month-old: Alive and kicking - Your increasingly sophisticated baby is finding more ways to respond to her environment besides crying; you might even hear her first laugh!
Your Growing Baby: Month Eight - Bulking up and moving into position - Baby is really putting on the pounds now, gaining about a half-pound per week. He's so big that it's hard for him to move around, though he can still pack a wallop with that kick.
Your Growing Baby: Month Five - Rocking and rolling - You're probably feeling plenty of movement by now; enough to keep you awake at times. The fetus can turn from side to side or even head over heels.
Your Growing Baby: Month Four - The body starts to catch up - Toward the end of this month you may experience the thrill of your first kick-though you may not recognize it as such.
Your Growing Baby: Month Nine - All systems go - Though your baby isn't officially due until 40 weeks of pregnancy, she's considered "full term" after the 38th week. Your baby would have every chance of surviving even if she were born early this month.
Your Growing Baby: Month One - Like a tiny tadpole - You're a month into your pregnancy; why don't you look pregnant yet? Because your "baby" is barely an embryo at this point.
Your Growing Baby: Month Seven - Almost a baby - Your fetus is acting more like a baby every day. She can suck her thumb, cry, and even hiccup (or did you notice that already?). Her body is well formed.
Your Growing Baby: Month Six - Looking and listening - Your baby continues to grow rapidly this month, and the organs continue to mature. Though the fetus has started breathing motions, the lungs are filled with amniotic fluid and are not yet fully developed or ready to breathe on their own.
Your Growing Baby: Month Three - A miniature human being - The end of month three signals the end of the first trimester, when many mothers sigh with relief: the odds of miscarriage drop considerably at this point.
Your Growing Baby: Month Two - All the parts are in place - A tremendous transformation takes place in your growing baby, still called an embryo, in the second month. All the major organs have begun to form by the end of the second month.


Toxic wastes often contain carcinogens, and exposure to these by some route, such as leakage or evaporation from the storage, causes cancer to appear at increased frequency in exposed individuals. For example, a cluster of the rare blood cancer polycythemia vera was found around a toxic waste dump site in northeast Pennsylvania in 2008.[4]The Human & Ecological Risk Assessment Journal conducted a study which focused on the health of individuals living near municipal landfills to see if it would be as harmful as living near hazardous landfills. They conducted a 7-year study that specifically tested for 18 types of cancers to see if the participants had higher rates than those that don’t live around landfills. They conducted this study in western Massachusetts within a 1-mile radius of the North Hampton Regional Landfill.[5]People encounter these toxins buried in the ground, in stream runoff, in groundwater that supplies drinking water, or in floodwaters, as happened after Hurricane Katrina. Some toxins, such as mercury, persist in the environment and accumulate. As a result of the bioaccumulation of mercury in both freshwater and marine ecosystems, predatory fish are a significant source of mercury in human and animal diets.[6]


A firm has determined its optimal capital structure that is composed of the following sources and target market value proportions:
Source of Capital Target market proportions
Long-term debt 20%
Preferred debt 10% Common stock equity 70%
Debt: The firm can sell a 12-year, $1,000 par value, 7% bond for $960. A flotation cost of 2% of the face value would be required in addition to the discount of $40.
Preferred Stock: The firm has determined it can issue preferred stock at $75 per share par value. The stock will pay a $10 annual dividend. The cost of issuing and selling the stock is $3 per share.
Common Stock: A firm's common stock is currently selling for $18 per share. The dividend expected to be paid at the end of the coming year is $1.74. Its dividend payments have been growing at a constant rate for the last four years. Four years ago, the dividend was $1.50. It is expected that to sell, a new common stock issue must be underpriced $1 per share in floatation costs. Additionally, the firm's marginal tax rate is 40 %.
1) The firm's before-tax cost of debt is _________
7.7 %, 10.6 %, 11.2 %, or 12.7 %
2) The firm's after-tax cost of debt is ____________
3.25 %, 4.6 %, 8 %, or 8.13 %
Solution Preview
The before tax cost of debt =coupon payment / Money realized on issue
Money realized on issue= issue price - ...