(Continued from Part 1.)
Discovering the “Open Secret”
In this Awakening, I discovered that my restless seeking and ceaseless longing were suddenly and completely resolved in the Perfection of the present moment. With a sense of indescribable delight and relief, I discovered that my search for meaning and purpose was finally over.
I realized that our common, “ordinary” human experience is indistinguishable from the Fullness and Essence of Reality.
And, I finally understood that nothing ever needs to be done to achieve or obtain this Great Perfection. It is already absolute, complete and inherent within the present moment.
Clear Seeing
I realized that this shift in Awareness is not about a change in perspective or position: it is simply a Recognition of our fundamental and essential nature.
I realized this shift is both gradual and sudden: it emerges gradually, both in and over time — and it can flash suddenly, extending beyond and outside of time.
I also realized that this shift is not about arriving somewhere; it is simply borne of a contentment that no longer feels the need to go anywhere.
I realized that throughout history, humanity’s saints and sages have always supported and encouraged us until this experience of Awareness and insight is one we recognize, and accept, as our own.
I realized that part of the Great Mystery of the universe is that the Infinite is continuously manifesting in and through our individual, personal experiences of the finite.
I also realized that this discovery was simply a pure expression of my own truth, not an absolute “Truth.” At the same time, I knew that a larger Truth and deeper meaning were revealed within and through my individual experience.
I realized that each experience of “awakening,” each Realization, each discovery of That which is Real, is unique to each individual. At the same time, I understood that we all ultimately “break through” into a recognition of the same essential Presence: a vast and spacious background of whole, integrated and natural Awareness.
I was also delightfully surprised to discover, in this moment of exquisite euphoria, that “I” – the little identity I recognize as “me” – did not disappear or extinguish! I was astonished that “I” didn’t have to die in order to “experience” this magnificent Wholeness! The Realization of this incredible integration occurred, and yet “I” still remained conscious and aware. The personality remained intact: “I” was still “me,” and “I” was still here, but “I” was now contained within, and not separate from, the Presence and Essence of vast and integrated Wholeness.
Initial Reflections on Awakening
I do not know what, if any, specific factors triggered this Awakening. The emergence of the epiphany felt like pure, unadulterated Grace. I suspect, however, that during the months preceding this experience, a groundwork may have been laid, at least in part: (1) through an increasing trust in my own intuitive potential, and (2) through an intensification of my ongoing search for answers to some of life’s most compelling questions about the nature, meaning and purpose of existence.
I also do not know what essential conditions would be necessary in order to initiate a similar experience within another individual,
but I have begun to believe that: Everything within our lives – without exception – is a revelation and expression of That which is the Source of our own inevitable Awakening. Each of us is already gradually “ripening” into a recognition of our own innate Awareness and Essence. In its own unique way and appropriate time, each individual experience of Awakening occurs quite naturally, unpredictably and with absolute spontaneity.
Since the epiphany, I have discovered that the background of spacious, natural Awareness revealed within this experience of “awakening” has remained the frame of reference for all my experience of being human. And, I have found that as a result of this revelation, my understanding and experience of life have gradually, and irrevocably, begun to change. I have discovered that now there can be no turning back: That which has been Seen cannot be Unseen, and with this epiphany, my life will never be the same again….
With the epiphany, it has also become clear to me is that we do not need to pursue or cultivate a spiritual hunger for experiences such as this awakening, simply because even the “highest” of mystical experiences is still just that: another experience. Rather, I believe we are best served by beginning to recognize that our own immediate, present moment reality is not separate from, or other than, the larger Truth or Reality for which we have been searching.
I believe that when we finally release our attachment to the misconception that “This moment, or this experience, is not It,” we will suddenly realize, with an exquisite and overwhelming delight, that we already are That for which we have been seeking….
This “Awakening into Awareness,” this view of Reality, is no place at which you can arrive, no accomplishment you can achieve, no goal you can attain. It is your Original Nature, which you simply recognize in a profound and stunning moment of rediscovery and Realization.
It is a subtle shift in perception, a refocusing of attention and perception. It begins with considering the radical possibility that the saints and sages of years gone by might actually be right: that This — your immediate experience and “ordinary” awareness, exactly as they appear within the present moment — might actually be “It,” i.e., the elusive goal for which you have so long been seeking.
Then, as you begin to consider this possibility, and as you allow the focus of your attention begins to shift, you begin to see and recognize that within the center of your immediate experience, within the deep center of your whirling thoughts, emotions, and sensations, there is a still point — a Clear Seeing — a Spacious Space which contains all THIS, a vastness within which all of THIS appears. And, you realize that “you” — your most fundamental sense of identity and self — is inextricably linked to this Spacious Awareness which is the background, context and framework for everything you experience.
When you discover (uncover) this Awareness — this Clear Seeing at your Perceptual Center — then you begin to realize that you are That. You are now, and have been always. In fact, there is no always — there is only Now.
And, with this subtle shift in perception, you now realize how limited your previous sense of identity has been. Yes, the body, mind, and emotions exist, and you experience the profound beauty and suffering of Life in and through them, but you — the essential and fundamental you — are so much more.
Do not fall into the trap of thinking that you are limited by thought, belief, experience and sensation — you are, instead, the dynamic spaciousness within which all these phenomena appear. You are the Awareness of these phenomena, not the phenomena themselves. The truth of this can be discovered easily and immediately simply by observing your own experience: the phenomena change, while your Awareness of them does not.
Ultimately, and in the face of these ever changing phenomena, your identity remains in the Center — seated and grounded in the clear, vast spaciousness of this present moment Awareness, in this Ground of Being.
When you discover this, when you discover the Fullness of this empty space, then you also Recognize the absolute miracle of its innate completeness. And in this completeness, in this Wholeness which is inherent within the Infinite Present, you finally rest and find peace.
Meanwhile, the process of discovery and unfolding continues as the Infinite continues to manifest in and through the finite, Here and Now, within the immediacy of the present moment. It is the movement and flow of this Life energy which animates us, which we experience as the visible and physical world, and through which we read and understand these words.
Your restless seeking will not end until you begin seriously considering the radical possibility that THAT which you are seeking is inseparable from THIS — the reality of your own immediate and intimate experience within the present moment.
Every experience in life is an invitation — an invitation to awaken into an Awareness of the essential nature of Reality — and who you really are.
– Metta Zetty


Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD; I will take joy in the God of my salvation.(Habakkuk 3:17-18)
Habakkuk was a man committed to finding his joy in God and God alone. In his world, to have the fig tree wither, the olive fail, and fields be like iron, meant no food on the table. To have the flocks decimated and no herd in the stalls meant a slow, hungry death for his family. This is life at it’s bleakest, when everything is simply collapsing.
And yet even if his life should disintegrate, Habakkuk could still find joy. He had a joy that transcended his circumstances, a joy that wasn’t smothered by pain. He could rejoice when most people would be cursing and complaining.
I want this joy, don’t you? What was Habakkuk’s secret?
He found joy in the God of his salvation.
Habakkuk’s joy couldn’t be smothered by life’s brutalities because his joy was rooted in God. If he saw the fig tree start to wither, he would rejoice in the God of his salvation. If he saw his herds decimated, he would run again to his God. Habakkuk went deep with God, and found a joy that was unbreakable.
So when your 401k nosedives, and your health begins to fail, where will you find your joy? When you’re passed over for a job promotion where will you run? When you’re still waiting to get married after all these years, where can you find joy?
I want my joy to be deeper and stronger than my circumstances. I want to find my joy in the God of my salvation.
The question: what does it look like practically to find joy in God in the midst of trial?
—
+photo by harold.lloyd


Sealevel, represented in Australia by Allied Data Systems , has released a series of test reports outlining the differences between the popular USB to serial interfaces.
The testing revealed that design architecture is the critical element. The two basic design architectures were termed shared throughput and dedicated USB UART.
The shared throughput design are multi-port adapters using a USB microcontroller and a single FPGA wired to multiple serial ports. This design creates a data throughput bottleneck because the serial devices are sharing the throughput of the microcontroller. Another disadvantage of shared throughput is that the data is transmitted in bursts rather than in a continuous stream.
With one port on the shared throughput adapter open at the standard baud rate of 115.2K bps, the actual data rate was only approximately 65K bps. When multiple ports were opened, actual data rates were severely depressed on all ports because of the shared throughput design.
The dedicated USB UART design couples each port with a dedicated USB UART and eliminates performance problems inherent with the other design. The dedicated USB UART design is equivalent to connecting multiple single-port USB serial adapters to the host. In this design each port on the adapter runs at its specified maximum speed.
According to Foster, “These findings have been enlightening and helpful for customers needing USB to serial adapters. Certainly customers with mission critical applications, but the performance difference is so substantial that all customers express a preference for the dedicated USB UART design.” He then adds with a smile, “All Sealevel USB adapters have this design advantage.”


Overview
Landscape blocks provide a homeowner an opportunity to create a stylish paths, edging, raised flower beds or retaining walls on the property that increase curb appeal. These blocks are available in a wide range of colors, textures, shapes and sizes to meet specific needs. Although costly, they last over longer periods of time as compared with their plastic or wooden counterparts. Whether making a retaining wall or raised garden bed, the procedure of installing landscape blocks is the same.
Step 1
Measure the length and width of the area where you want to install landscape blocks and multiply the figures to determine square footage. Also, decide how high you want the feature so you prevent block wastage and purchase the correct amount.
Step 2
Insert a wooden stake at each corner of the selected spot and extend garden wire through each. Dig a 6- to 8-inch-deep trench along the line with a shovel. Keep it as wide as the blocks. Collect the dirt in a wheelbarrow and dispose of it. Level the bottom of the trench with a length of 2-by-4.
Step 3
Spread a 1-inch-thick layer of sand or gravel over the base of the trench to provide the feature with a solid foundation and prevent it from sinking in soils that soften over time.
Step 4
Lower the first block into the trench, pressing it lightly over the sand for a solid footing, and place the remaining blocks in turn to form the first course. Place blocks flush against one another if making a pathway over the turf, or space them 3/8 inches apart for a flower bed or retaining wall. Fill the gaps with gravel or dirt for additional stability.
Step 5
Stagger subsequent courses by a 1/2 block width to enhance aesthetics. Place a chisel over the middle of the block and pound it hard with a hammer so it breaks in two.


serve as a crash courses on everything you need to know to be successful in communication settings: having one-on-one conversations, giving a speech, or relating to people who are from a different background. This is a foundational course for all other academic pursuits—it gives you a strong base on which you will build communication competencies. All three courses in human communication
You will explore the use of language and nonverbal concepts such as body language, voice, eye contact and appearance, as they relate to daily encounters such as getting along with a roommate, working with peers, handling disagreements or actively participating in both local and global societies.
This course goes beyond a theoretical understanding of communication and teaches you how to be a compelling and credible speaker by better understanding the roles and skills of the speaker and of the audience. You will design and deliver both informative and persuasive speeches during the semester.
The three forms of GCOM are differentiated by the assignments typical in the class.
Assignments in
GCOM 121 include intrapersonal, interpersonal, small group and public communication. This course emphasizes communication in a variety of contexts.
Assignments in
GCOM 122 focus on public communication but may include small group activities and presentations. This course emphasizes speech preparation and delivery for the individual speaker.
Assignments in
GCOM 123 focus on small group communication. This course emphasizes speech preparation and delivery as a group of speakers working together.


From this site you may download the kinetic model file, the thermodynamic data, and the transport data using the links below.Reaction Model
J.C. Leylegian and C.K. Law
H. Wang
ABSTRACT
The laminar flame speeds of tetrachloromethane (CCl
4) withmethane in air at room temperature and atmospheric pressure wereexperimentally determined using the counterflow twin-flame technique,varying both the amount of CCl 4 in the fuel and theequivalence ratio of the unburned mixture. Comparison between theexperimental results and the previous data of CH 3Cl-,CH 2Cl 2-, and CHCl 3-CH 4-airflames demonstrates the dominant influence of the atomic Cl-to-H ratioon the propagation rate of laminar flames with chlorinated methaneaddition. A detailed kinetic model previously employed forCH 3Cl, CH 2Cl 2, and CHCl 3combustion was expanded to include additional pathways pertinent totetrachloromethane combustion. Numerical simulation shows that themodel predicts the laminar flame speeds reasonably well. Carbon fluxand sensitivity analyses indicate that the oxidation kinetics ofCH 4 flames doped with CCl 4 are essentially thesame as those doped with other chloromethanes. Twenty-Seventh Symposium (International) on Combustion, TheCombustion Institute, Pittsburgh, PA, pp. 529-536 (1998).


Author: Barbose, G., R. Bharvirkar, C. Goldman, N. Hopper, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and B. Neenan (UtiliPoint International) Year: 2006 Abstract:
This paper examines recent experience with RTP in retail choice states, both as a default service for large C&I customers and a product offered by competitive retail suppliers (Barbose et al. 2005). We conducted a detailed review of the regulatory proceedings leading to adoption of default RTP in six states and interviewed regulatory staff, utilities, and eight competitive retail suppliers active in these states. Based on the findings from this research, we identify implications for policymakers and other stakeholders seeking to develop demand response in retail choice states.
Document Type: Technical paper Source: DOE - LBL


In the incident, reactor operators removed a fuel element while the reactor core was running at low power, causing the reactor to shut down. A team of NRC inspectors concluded that the incident posed no threat to the safety or health of reactor staff or others, but indicated that procedures were not followed properly and communication among staff was inadequate.
Phoenix Project Director Ronald F. Fleming regrets that the University has to pay the $1,250 fine, but we agree that it is appropriate. It is an indicator of the rigor with which safe reactor operation is expected and enforced.
Fleming notes that the Project staff has taken corrective actions to guard against any repetition of the event and in general to assure the safe and proper operation of our facility.
Details on these actions were included in a 30-page report sent to the NRC.


Dynamic coding for flexible cognition
Our environment is in constant flux. At any given moment there could be a shift in scenario that demands an equally rapid shift in how we interpret the world around us. For example, the meaning of a simple traffic light critically depends on whether you are driving to work or travelling on foot. Our brains must constantly adapt to accommodate an enormous range of such possible scenarios.
This research explores how prefrontal cortex rapidly establishes temporary goal-direct coding schemes. Dynamic population coding is essential for flexible cognition and adaptive behaviour. Recently, we applied new analysis tools to explore how patterns of brain activity change for different task contexts, allowing for flexible cognitive processing (in Stokes et al., 2013, Neuron; see also Comment by Miller and Fusi in the same issue and BrainBox Research Briefing). We are currently developing new methods to determine the fundamental neural mechanism for dynamic coding.
Investigators: Mark Stokes, Eelke Spaak
Collaborators: John Duncan, Kei Watanabe, Timothy Buschman, Nikolai Axmacher
Funding: James S. McDonnell Foundation Scholar Award


This content is educational in nature and is not an advertisement for a loan or business solicitation. It does not constitute legal, tax, accounting, financial or investment advice. You are encouraged to consult with competent legal, tax, accounting, financial or investment professionals based on your specific circumstances. We do not make any warranties as to accuracy or completeness of this information, do not endorse any third-party companies, products, or services described here, and take no liability for your use of this information.
The overall willingness to lend has been strengthening, and banks are eager to make loans to creditworthy borrowers. To successfully access that credit, businesses need to position themselves carefully.


Yep. As the chart clearly illustrates, total welfare spending in the U.S. (if converted into cash payments) equals approximately “$168 per day for every household in poverty,” higher than the $137 median income per-dayThe total amount spent on these federal programs, when taken together with approximately $280 billion in state contributions, amounted to roughly $1 trillion. Nearly 95 percent of these costs come from four categories of spending: medical assistance, cash assistance, food assistance, and social/housing assistance. Under the President’s FY13 budget proposal, means-tested spending would increase an additional 30 percent over the next four years.http://www.theblaze.com/stories/the-welfare-spending-chart-y...
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Patient Stories
"Stuff happens. You can't control it, but you can control how you deal with it."
To be an Olympic athlete takes great skill, determination and perseverance. Rehabilitation requires the same qualities.
For Courtney King Dye, an equestrian who competed at the 2008 Beijing games, a riding accident put that in perspective. She was training a show horse when he suddenly slipped. They both went down and Courtney landed under the horse, fracturing her skull. She wasn't wearing a helmet.
Diagnosed with a traumatic brain injury, she remained in a coma for nearly a month. She then entered Kessler's specialized Severe Disorders of Consciousness Program at our Center for Brain Injury Rehabilitation and slowly, surely and miraculously began to emerge.
However, it seemed to her that no matter how hard she tried, there was little improvement in her mobility, speech and cognitive abilities. "I felt like the tortoise in this race," Courtney says. "But I knew that the only way to finish is to start."
She worked tirelessly and began to regain the strengths that had made her an elite athlete. She also participated in a unique program at nearby Starlight Farms, where riding helped to reinforceher balance, proprioception and communication skills.
Her goal is not only to train and show horses again, but to return to international dressage where her presence is already being felt. Because of her accident, riders who traditionally have worn elegant top hats are now competing in helmets.
Learn more about Kessler's Brain Injury Rehabilitation Program.


Partnerships for Early Learners increases access and quality of early childhood programming across Indiana. With the generous support of the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration's Office of Early Childhood and Out-of-School Learning and the Lilly Endowment, Early Learning Indiana aims to ensure that 75% of Indiana’s children in child care or preschool are connected with a high-quality program and that their families are engaged and supported.
Our Work
We know the importance of early learning. Hoosier children deserve more high-quality programs with safe facilities, stimulating and family-friendly learning environments, and well-trained teachers.
In partnership with child care resource and referral agencies, early childhood professionals, families, and the broader community – and hopefully in partnership with you, too, we can achieve those goals.


Few candidates attempted this question and those who did performed poorly. In defining hormones many candidates just stated that they were chemical substances. They omitted to state their origin i.e. that they are secreted by the endocrine glands and so they did not score the full marks. Most candidates tabulated the differences between nervous coordination and hormonal coordination but could only give two differences. Expected answers include:
Differences between hormonal coordination and nervous coordination in humans
Hormonal
Nervous
Transmission is
chemical
Transmission is
electrical and chemical
Slow transmission
Rapid transmission
Response is wide spread
Response localized
Target organs receive response
Effector organs receive response
Long lasting response;
Short-lived response
Pathway not specific through blood
Pathway specific through nerve fibres
Candidates could not state the effects of over secretion and under secretion of thyroxine. Very poor diagrams of the reflex arc was made. Many of the diagrams were not titled, some candidates gave the title as diagram of a reflex action rather than the diagram of a reflex arc. In many cases the guidelines were drawn with free-hand and did not touch the structure to be labelled. Only two neurones were shown, in many cases the intermediate neurone was omitted and the motor neurone did not end up in an effector organ.
The expected answers and diagram are as follows:
Effects of over - secretion
- Over active/Hyperactive/irritable/nervous
- Excessive growth /gigantism;
- Loss of weight;
- Enlarged thyroid gland/exothermic goitre;
- Accelerated/increased heartbeat;
- Protrusion/bulging out of eyeball.
Effect of under – secretion
- Cretinism/dwarfism in children;
- Overweight/increase in subcutaneous fat/obesity;
- Physical//mental sluggishness in adults;
- Reduced heart rate;
- Lowered/reduced metabolic rate/myxoedema;
- Goitre formation/hyperplastic goiter.


1. Bhattacharyya, Sumit: 8 articles (04/2015 - 03/2008) 2. Tobacman, Joanne K: 8 articles (04/2015 - 03/2008) 3. Pacor, M L: 5 articles (05/2006 - 10/2001) 4. Di Lorenzo, G: 5 articles (05/2006 - 10/2001) 5. Dudeja, Pradeep K: 4 articles (09/2011 - 03/2008) 6. Corrocher, R: 4 articles (02/2004 - 10/2001) 7. Feferman, Leo: 3 articles (04/2015 - 06/2014) 8. Pahan, Kalipada: 3 articles (06/2012 - 07/2007) 9. Qin, Xiaofa: 2 articles (01/2016 - 04/2012) 10. Ahn, Hyeong Sik: 2 articles (01/2016 - 08/2015)
1. Hypersensitivity (Allergy)
06/01/1983 - "Suggestions include phaseout of the GRAS list, modification of the Delaney Clause, utilization of appropriate human testing in protocols for evaluating candidate food additives, development of improved animal tests for behavioral effects of food ingredients, and improvement in procedures for detection of hypersensitivity to food ingredients. "
09/01/1994 - "5) In most cases, with punctual exceptions, the study of food additives reactions, in clinical allergy, implies a waste of time."
12/01/2014 - "Practitioners and patients should always ensure they have an updated list of allergies within the patient's medical record that includes medications as well as foods and food additives."
01/01/2014 - "The most popular topics for further training were food additives, pharmacological reactions and oral allergy syndrome. "
08/01/2013 - "In this review, we aimed to overview all of the food additives which were approved to consume in EU and find out how common and serious allergic reactions come into existence following the consuming of food additives."
2. Urticaria (Hives)
10/01/2001 - "A group of 51 patients, ranging in age from 15 to 71 years, with chronic urticaria and positive challenge to food additives and/or ASA, participated in this study for a period of 4 weeks, starting from a 3-day run-in. "
10/01/1987 - "Food additive-induced urticaria: studies of mediator release during provocation tests."
01/01/2014 - "The role of food additives in chronic urticaria (CU) is still under investigation. "
01/01/2014 - "Basophil activation test with food additives in chronic urticaria patients."
11/01/2005 - "Food-additive-induced urticaria: a survey of 838 patients with recurrent chronic idiopathic urticaria."
3. Neoplasms (Cancer)
01/01/1977 - "Third, the federal government, by its medically inappropriate attempts to ban drugs that do not meet certain federal "safe and effective" standards, and to ban food additives that fail to pass certain federally controlled tests aimed at determining whether the additive causes cancer, is making it increasingly difficult for physicians to prescribe substances that may be of great value to their patients. "
08/01/2009 - "Studies comparing food additive intake and cancer showed that adverse health effects appeared when Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI) was exceeded. "
05/01/2013 - "Based on the exposure assessment results, a quantitative cancer potency formula developed by the Joint Food and Agriculture Organization and World Health Organization Expert Committee on Food Additives was applied to assess the cancer risk. "
06/01/2011 - "Extensive experience in conducting long term cancer bioassays has been gained over the past 50 years of animal testing on drugs, pesticides, industrial chemicals, food additives and consumer products. "
01/01/2011 - "Therefore, olive leaves extract will necessitate further deep investigation for a probable use as a cancer preventive food additive."
4. Infection
12/01/2009 - "Food additives and Hymenolepis nana infection: an experimental study."
02/01/2015 - "These factors can be categorized in air pollution, diet, drugs, stress, infections, water pollution, food additives, and lifestyle. "
08/12/2009 - "The nondigestability and nontoxicity of the food additives are advantageous for curing gastrointestinal and external infections."
09/01/1999 - "Attributable risks of other avoidable risk factors, such as occupation, environmental pollution, sun light, radiation, food additives, pesticides, drugs, etc. are relatively small compared to those of tobacco, diet and infection. "
05/01/2012 - "The chronic spontaneous, less frequent form of urticaria is treated curatively by identification and elimination of underlying causes, such as autoimmune processes, intolerance to food additives and chronic infections. "
5. Chronic Disease (Chronic Diseases)
12/01/1992 - "In the 1950s to '70s, food additives and contaminants were considered important risk factors for cancer and other chronic diseases. "
12/01/2012 - "This study demonstrates that among the three phenylflavonoids isolated from licorice, DGC possesses the most potent antioxidant activity, suggesting it has protective effects against chronic diseases caused by reactive oxygen species as well as potential as an antioxidant food additive."
01/01/2006 - "Turmeric, an approved food additive, or its component curcumin, has shown surprisingly beneficial effects in experimental studies of acute and chronic diseases characterized by an exaggerated inflammatory reaction. "
1. montelukast (Singulair) 2. Aspirin (Acetylsalicylic Acid) 3. Sweetening Agents (Sweeteners) 4. Sodium Glutamate (Accent) 5. Triacetin 6. sodium nitrate 7. Reactive Oxygen Species (Oxygen Radicals) 8. Benzoic Acid (Ucephan) 9. Cholesterol 10. Aspartame (NutraSweet)
1. Enteral Nutrition (Feeding, Tube) 2. Traditional Medicine (Folk Remedies) 3. Complementary Therapies (Alternative Medicine) 4. Laser Therapy (Surgery, Laser) 5. Vegetarian Diet (Vegetarianism)


PhD Dissertation Defense: Xiao Zhu (Mike) FanMonday, December 9, 201310:00 a.m. AVW 2460For More Information:Melanie Lynn301 405 0680 melaniel@umd.edu
Name: Xiao Zhu (Mike) Fan
Committee:
Professor Reza Ghodssi (Chair)
Professor Pamela Abshire
Professor Christopher Davis
Professor Yu Chen
Professor James Culver, Deans Representative
Date/Time: Monday, December 9 / 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Location: AVW 2460
Title: An Optical Microsensor utilizing Genetically Programmed Bioreceptor Layers for Selective Sensing
Abstract:
Protein engineering is a rich technology that holds the potential to revolutionize sensors through the creation of highly selective peptides that encode unique recognition affinities. Their robust integration with sensor platforms is very challenging. The goal of this research project is to combine expertise in micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) and biological/protein engineering to develop a selective sensor platform. The key enabling technology in this work is the use of biological molecules, the Tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) and its derivative, Virus-Like-Particle (VLP), as nanoreceptor layers, in conjunction with a highly sensitive microfabricated optical disk resonator. This work will present a novel method for the integration of biological molecules assembly on MEMS devices for chemical and biological sensing applications.
Particularly in this research, TMV-n1Cys-cTNTbp and VLP-n1Cys-cFLAG bioreceptor layers have been genetically engineered to bind to an ultra-low vapor pressure explosive, Trinitrotoluene (TNT), and to a widely used FLAG antibody, respectively. TNT vapor was introduce to TMV-n1Cys-cTNTbp coated resonator and induced a 12 Hz resonant frequency shift, corresponding to a mass increase of 76.9 ng, a 300% larger shift compared to resonators without receptor layer coating. Subsequently, a microfabricated optical disk resonator decorated with VLP-n1Cys-cFLAG was used to conduct enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and label-free immunoassays on-a-chip and demonstrated a resonant wavelength shift of 5.95 nm and 0.79 nm, respectively. The significance of these developments lies in demonstrating the capability to use genetically programmable viruses and VLPs as platforms for the display and integration of receptor peptides within microsystems.
The work outlined here constitutes an interdisciplinary investigation on the integration capabilities of the bio-nanostructure materials with traditional microfabrication architectures. While previous works have focused on individual components of the system, this work addresses multi-component integration, including biological molecule surface assembly and fabrication utilizing both top-down and bottom-up approaches. Integrating biologically programmable material into traditional MEMS transducers enhances selectivity, sensitivity, and simplifies fabrication and testing methodologies. This research provides a new avenue for enhancing sensor platforms through the integration of biological species as the key to remedying challenges faced by conventional systems that utilize a wide range of polymers or metals for nonspecific bindings.


The Daryl Collins keynotes shed a sobering light about the financial diaries of the poor, crushing previous preconceptions about their inability to handle money.
Collins received both bachelor's and master's degrees at the London School of Economics. She then began a career with Lehman Brothers as an equity strategist. After about 10 years at the company she left to investigate the money management systems of 'the poor'. This move began her Financial Diaries project. While doing research, she was based in the finance departments in the University of Cape Town where she co-wrote a book called 'Portfolios of the Poor'. She is currently a senior executive at the Bankable Frontier Associates in Boston. By overturning a scarcely explored topic, the Daryl Collins keynotes give insightful comments on how to provide those with low-income the proper tools to better manage their finances.


Contrary to popular perception, a new study has found that men are more likely to die of a broken heart than women if they lose their partners.
Advertisement
According to the study, broken heart syndrome' does exist, but widowers are up to six times more likely to suffer than women who have lost their husbands.
AdvertisementResearch by the Cass Business School in London, found that women are up to twice as likely to die in the year following a partner's death, reports the Telegraph.
But, men are more vulnerable and their chances of dying increases up to sixfold in the 12 months after losing a partner.
Experts claim that people who lose a loved one often adopt unhealthy habits such as smoking and a poor diet.
However, it is thought intense loneliness and the psychological distress caused by the loss could play a large part.
The research also suggests that after the first year, the chance of the remaining partner dying is reduced.
Source: ANI
RAS/L
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The manifestation of anxiety during pregnancy can be caused by multiple factors and may have emotional and physical consequences for both the mother and the fetus. The prevalence of gestational anxiety has grown in recent years, making the development of studies for its comprehension essential. Thus, the aim of this investigation was to evaluate the effects… (More)


Australian Law Reform Commissionreport of the Freedoms Inquiryfindings. , can be found here. Traditional Rights and Freedoms— Encroachments by Commonwealth Laws 1.87 Throughout this paper, the ALRC highlights certain laws that may merit closer review. These are laws that have been criticised for unjustifiably limiting common law rights or principles. This report highlights some of these criticisms and some of the arguments that may be relevant to justification. However, for most of these laws, the ALRC would need more extensive consultation and evidence to justify making detailed recommendations for reform.108 1.88 Therefore, rather than make detailed recommendations for reform based on insufficient evidence, the ALRC has highlighted laws that seem to merit further review. These laws are identified in the conclusion to each chapter. The highlighted laws have been selected following consideration of a number of factors, including whether the law has been criticised in submissions or other literature for unjustifiably limiting one or more of the relevant rights and whether the law has recently been thoroughly reviewed. Laws that may be criticised for reasons other than interference with rights, for example because they do not achieve their objective, are not highlighted for that reason alone. The fact that a law limits multiple rights has also sometimes suggested the need for further review.109 1.89 The ALRC calls for submissions on which laws that limit traditional rights deserve further review. 2.58 Additional procedures could be put in place to improve the rigour of statements of compatibility and explanatory memoranda to assist Parliament in understanding the impact of proposed legislation on fundamental rights, freedoms and privileges. The object of such procedures would be to ensure that statements of compatibility and explanatory memoranda provide sufficiently detailed and evidence-based rationales for encroachments on fundamental rights, freedoms and privileges to allow the parliamentary scrutiny committees to complete their review.


Menopause is defined as the time when a woman becomes infertile. After 12 months without a period, a woman is considered to have reached menopause. Exceptions exist only if there are underlying medical reasons for missing or irregular periods.
Perimenopause is a phase that signals the start of the menopausal transition. During this stage, experiencing periods is normal, but they might become irregular and negatively affect your chances of becoming pregnant. Read on for more information on pregnancy during perimenopause. About Perimenopause Perimenopause signals the end of a woman's reproductive years. It is a time when the body starts making the biological changes necessary to achieve menopause. During the transformational period, side effects can include vaginal dryness, irregular periods, and hair loss. These are common menopause symptoms caused by the hormonal changes associated with the transition.
Hormones help to control many functions in the body, like the menstrual cycle and sodium and fluid retention. Generally, your body retains a sufficient balance of necessary hormones. However, during the menstrual cycle or perimenopause, hormone levels fluctuate. This fluctuation can create chaos in the body and lead to many of the symptoms associated with menopause. Read on to discover how perimenopause affects fertility.
Fertility and Perimenopause
While perimenopause is the
precursor to infertility, during this stage, it is still possible to become pregnant. Pregnancy remains a possibility until a woman stops ovulating and experiencing the indicative accompanying periods. However, the hormone imbalances that occur during perimenopause can lead to disruptions in your menstrual cycle and cause irregular periods. If you are not menstruating regularly, it becomes more difficult to get pregnant. It is additionally worth considering that pregnancies that occur after a woman reaches her 40's are more likely to incur difficulties. How to Get Pregnant during Perimenopause
Due to a combination of aging eggs and fluctuating hormone levels, while still possible, a woman's chance of becoming pregnant during perimenopause is lower than experienced during previous menstrual cycles. Due to the sporadic periods during perimenopause, it can become difficult to recognize when a woman is ovulating. It is suggested, therefore, that woman seeking pregnancy rely not only on their menstrual cycle, but also look out for
classic signs of ovulation, such as breast tenderness and slippery white vaginal discharge. In some cases, classic ovulation induction can successfully culminate in pregnancy during perimenopause. Fighting Back Against Perimenopause Symptoms
As perimenopause is an inevitable natural process that every woman experiences, it is not possible to reverse its effects. However, actions can be taken to ease the transition and minimize its associated symptoms. Methods for combating perimenopause symptoms include lifestyle changes, alternative treatments, and, in severe cases,
hormone replacement therapy. Learn more about the treatments available for perimenopause.


Searching For Answers
I've been searching for answers to my questions for more than 25 years. I recall as a young teen, asking a priest some questions about God and suffering. He said that with faith one does not a feel a need to ask questions. Well, my faith only grew weaker that day and I've considered myself an agnostic for most of my adult life.
I was raised Catholic but my family practiced their faith only on special ocassions, so I never really believed completely. I've searched for answers in the Bible, as well other books of faith and theology but I've often come away with more questions. I know some of my questions are the same that have been asked since the beginning of civilization. Does God really exist? What is the purpose of life? Why is there so much suffering in the world? Is there really a heaven? An afterlife? (Please readers, do not attempt to answer my questions, as there are no simple answers and I don't wish to debate these issues here).
Perhaps there's some truth to the notion that if there is a God, he (or she) exists in all of us and that rather than looking to organized religion for answers we need to search within. That's why I find some comfort in meditation and contemplation. I believe in the power of positive thinking, being kind to humans and animals, and giving of oneself. I believe, too, that if there's a God or a higher power, we can not fully understand, as it is beyond our human comprehension. Over the centuries mankind has neatly packaged this concept of God to control others, to define life, or to offer some hope of an afterlife. That's why I'm not a fan of organized religion, though I appreciate the sense of community and support that it provides for many.
I'm impressed by people of strong faith and I've often felt that I want to believe, but I can't but help but feel that choosing to believe this way or that way would be like closing my mind to all the other possibilities out there. Perhaps, as some believe, all roads lead to the same way and it matters not what path we take, so long as we journey with happiness and faith.


Figure 3-4: The level ofthe sea at the shoreline is determined by many factors in the global environmentthat operate on a great range of time scales, from hours (tidal) to millions ofyears (ocean basin changes due to tectonics and sedimentation). On thetime scale of decades to centuries, some of the largest influences on the averagelevels of the sea are linked to climate and climate change processes.


Part I:
Part II
This report, prepared by EEA and the Massachusetts Climate Change Adaptation Advisory Committee, is the first broad overview of climate change as it affects Massachusetts, the impacts of this change, vulnerabilities of multiple sectors ranging from natural resources, infrastructure, public health, and the economy. It also provides an analysis of potential strategies that could better prepare us for this changing world.
The report is organized into two parts. Part I includes an overview of the observed and predicted changes to Massachusetts' climate and their anticipated impacts, key findings, a set of guiding principles to follow, and key adaptation strategies that cut across multiple sectors. Part II is organized into five broad areas, describing for each area the vulnerabilities to climate change and outlining adaptation strategies that could help increase resilience and preparedness.
This information provided by the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs.


A recent story by Postmedia's Sharon Kirkey on a new study out of BC to be published in the Canadian Journal of Psychiatry reports that in Canada, despite a total lack of evidence suggesting their safety in children (and moreover an almost total lack of studies involving children at all), since just 1996 second generation child anti-psychotic use has quadrupled.
While there's no singular cause for obesity, for children prescribed these meds obesity may come close to an inevitability. If your young child is currently on anti-psychotic meds, especially if they're on them for sleep, please consider making an appointment with your prescriber to discuss if there aren't in fact alternatives available.


The well-known Lighthill-Whitham-Richards kinematic traffic flow model for unidirectional flow on a single-lane highway is extended to include both abruptly changing road surface conditions and drivers' reaction time and anticipation length. The result is a strongly degenerate convection-diffusion equation, where the diffusion term, accounting for the drivers' behaviour, is effective only where the local car density exceeds a critical value, and the convective flux function depends discontinuously on the location. It is shown that the validity of the proposed traffic model is supported by a recent mathematical well-posedness (existence and uniqueness) theory for quasilinear degenerate parabolic convection-diffusion equations with discontinuous coefficients [18, 20]. This theory includes a convergence proof for a monotone finite-difference scheme, which is used herein to simulate the traffic flow model for a variety of situations.


Using exceptionally rich linked administrative and survey information on German welfare recipients we investigate the health effects of transitions from welfare to employment and of assignments to welfare-to-work programmes. Applying semi-parametric propensity score matching estimators we find that employment substantially increases (mental) health. The positive effects are mainly driven by males and individuals with bad initial health conditions and are largest for males with poor health. In contrast, the effects of welfare-to-work programmes, including subsidized jobs, are ambiguous and statistically insignificant for most outcomes. Robustness checks that include a semi-parametric instrumental variable approach do not provide reasons for concern.


Hologic Inc. (HOLX - Free Report) reported adjusted earnings per share of 35 cents in the second quarter of fiscal 2013, higher than the year-ago earnings of 33 cents as well as the company’s expectations of 33−34 cents for the reported quarter. The result also beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate by a penny. On a reported basis, net loss in the second quarter was $51.1 million or 19 cents per share, worse than the net loss of $40.3 million or 15 cents per share in the prior-year quarter. Revenues were $612.7 million in the quarter, up 30% year over year. Despite solid growth, the top line was significantly below the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $644 million and company’s guidance range of $635−$640 million. Revenues exclude the $6.4 million of contingent revenue received under a collaboration agreement of Gen-Probe with Novartis. Hologic completed the acquisition of Gen-Probe on Aug 1, 2012. Revenue growth was led by inclusion of Gen-Probe revenues, higher sales of MyoSure and tomosynthesis systems and wider installed base of digital mammography systems. Segments Subsequent to the Gen-Probe deal, Diagnostics became the largest segment at Hologic (contributing 48.4% in the second quarter), and recording revenues of $296.5 million in the reported quarter compared with $151.8 million in the year-ago quarter. The upside was primarily due to the inclusion of Gen-Probe revenues for the full quarter, somewhat offset by lower ThinPrep sales. The company’s other segments − Breast Health, GYN Surgical and Skeletal Health − recorded respective sales of $220.1 million (up 0.7% year over year), $73.7 million (down 4.5%) and $22.4 million (down 4.7%). The upside at the Breast Health segment was driven by a 10.5%, increase in service revenues from the company's increasing installed base of digital mammography systems, partially offset by a 4.4% decline in product revenues. Hologic noted that the decline in mammography product revenues reflects the ongoing mix shift to the latest tomosynthesis systems from the company’s 2D Selenia and 2D Dimensions product lines. Sale of Hologic’s offering for breast biopsy – Eviva, also improved from the year-ago quarter. The GYN Surgical business recorded decline on account of discontinuation of Adiana system, and slower NovaSure system sales despite higher sales of MyoSure systems. After adjusting for the discontinuation of Adiana, GYN Surgical revenues improved 1.4%. Despite higher C-arm sales in the quarter, revenues from Skeletal Health decreased due to lower sales of densitometry systems and lower service revenues. Guidance Hologic provided its guidance for the third quarter of fiscal 2013. For the said quarter, the company expects adjusted revenues of $625−$630 million (representing annualized growth of 33%−34%) resulting in adjusted earnings of 36−37 cents per share. The revenue guidance is lower than the current Zacks Consensus Estimate of $657 million whereas, the company’s earnings expectation is higher than the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 34 cents. Hologic updated its fiscal 2013 revenue guidance. The company still expects to report adjusted revenues of $2.53−$2.55 billion compared with earlier outlook of $2.61−$2.64 billion. The updated guidance represents 26%−27% growth. The current Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.63 billion lies outside the guidance range. The company also lowered its adjusted EPS guidance to $1.54−$1.56 (earlier guidance was $1.58−$1.60). The Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.58 lies outside the guidance range. Our View Hologic was plagued by several challenges in the last quarter such as lower sales of legacy products, uncertainties in the European market, ThinPrep business disruption in China and slower sales cycle, thereby leading to choppy revenues which not only missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate but also the company’s expectations. If the downward revision of fiscal 2013 guidance is any indication, the ongoing concerns are likely to persist for the rest of the fiscal. Despite the shortfall in revenues and lower revision of fiscal guidance, Hologic witnessed several upsides in the quarter such as strong uptake of tomosynthesis technology, timely progress to gain synergies from Gen-Probe acquisition, and competitive wins in key markets among others. Offering a wide range of products, Hologic is arguably an industry leader in the field of women’s health. Going forward, we are optimistic about increasing uptake of the company’s technically advanced solutions. The stock carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). While we have a neutral stance on Hologic, other medical stocks such as Accuray Inc. (ARAY - Free Report) , Intuitive Surgical Inc. (ISRG - Free Report) and Mindray Medical International Limited warrant a look. These stocks carry a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).


35 states have an additional sales tax on soda, a rate added to the general food tax rates on food and beverage products. A soda tax can be compared to a sin tax, however how high are soda tax rates and do they have the same effect sin taxes do on preventing unhealthy behavior? Will adding a soda tax potentially help raise enough revenue to put a significant dent in our nations deficit? These are some of the questions we want to answer, so let’s dive in.
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When girls enter puberty, several physical and emotional changes start taking place. After the end of this developmental process, menstrual cycle starts, which is the body’s preparation for pregnancy. Menstruation or a period mostly begins at the age of 12, but it can vary between 8 to 16 years. During every monthly period, tissue and blood are discharged from the vagina, which lasts for three to five days.
Menstrual cycle is controlled by the hormones and is counted from the first day of the period to the next start of period. The cycle takes approximately 28 days. Every month, a matured egg from the ovaries will be released, which travels through the fallopian tube. The lining in the uterus starts thickening and awaits fertilization. If the uterus does not receive a fertilized egg, it begins to shed, causing menstrual flow.
Menstruation is accompanied by many symptoms apart from bleeding. Most women experience cramps, a few days before the onset of their period. Other symptoms such as backache, decreased energy levels, acne, sore breasts and fatigue may occur. Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS) is a condition which occurs one or two weeks ahead of menstrual period. During this time, women may experience mood swings, aggression, stress and increased emotional sensitivity. However, some of these symptoms can be relieved with the help of moderate exercises.


1. Kang, Hoon-Chul: 15 articles (02/2015 - 01/2007) 2. Kim, Heung Dong: 15 articles (02/2015 - 01/2007) 3. Ng, Yu-Tze: 9 articles (05/2015 - 05/2009) 4. Lee, Joon Soo: 9 articles (02/2015 - 01/2007) 5. Kluger, Gerhard: 7 articles (04/2015 - 01/2009) 6. Wheless, James W: 7 articles (12/2014 - 01/2004) 7. Guerrini, Renzo: 7 articles (09/2010 - 06/2002) 8. Verrotti, Alberto: 6 articles (07/2015 - 11/2005) 9. Oguni, Hirokazu: 6 articles (09/2013 - 03/2009) 10. Kwan, Shang-Yeong: 6 articles (03/2012 - 10/2005)
1. Seizures (Seizure)
01/01/2007 - "Best results are obtained in non-focal generalized tonic clonic seizures and atypical absences of the Lennox-Gastaut syndrome. "
01/01/1997 - "In a long-term, open-label pilot study of adjunctive TPM therapy in 18 patients with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, six of the eight patients (75%) still receiving TPM report a greater than 50% reduction in total seizures, with the best results observed in tonic-atonic, atypical absence, and generalized tonic-clonic seizures. "
04/01/1997 - "Three of 15 patients with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome achieved complete seizure control and eight demonstrated 50 to 99% improvement in seizure control. "
04/01/2006 - "In four patients with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome VNS produced no significant reduction of seizures, while falling seizures decreased significantly in three patients with retropulsive falls. "
11/01/2001 - "Preliminary results suggest that children with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome may have a favorable response, with improvement in both seizure control and global evaluation scores. "
2. Infantile Spasms (West Syndrome)
11/01/2001 - "TRH is safe in children and effective in some cases of West syndrome and Lennox-Gastaut syndrome. "
06/01/2015 - "There is a great need for safe and effective therapies for treatment of infantile spasms (IS) and Lennox-Gastaut syndrome (LGS). "
03/01/2013 - "For example, the resolution of hypsarrhythmia in West syndrome is associated with an improvement in cognitive outcome and drives treatment choice, but the same cannot be applied to frequent inter-ictal discharges in Lennox Gastaut syndrome. "
12/01/2004 - "However, only 28% of patients with West syndrome or Lennox-Gastaut syndrome showed improvement. "
01/01/2012 - "In the study of 887 new born infants with prenatal and perinatal risk factors for brain damage, 11 children with West syndrome that progressed into Lennox-Gastaut syndrome and another 4 children with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome that had not been preceded by West syndrome were found. "
3. Epilepsy (Aura)
06/01/1998 - "Efficacy of this antiepileptic in the Lennox Gastaut syndrome is limited but there are no really effective alternatives for this severe form of epilepsy. "
08/01/2012 - "In this critical review, we shall trace the historical evolution of concepts around MAE and its distinction from Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, review the described phenotypic features of MAE from updated studies that will allow its distinction from other overlap epilepsy syndromes, review the evidence of genetic influences and clues for genetic heterogeneity, and discuss strategies that may be helpful in elucidating the etiology of MAE in light of current genetic techniques."
01/01/2010 - "The objective of this study was to evaluate the role of resective pediatric epilepsy surgery for Lennox-Gastaut syndrome (LGS). "
08/01/2007 - "Efficacy in the Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, a severe, disabling childhood onset epilepsy syndrome, was shown in a single, randomized, placebo-controlled trial. "
06/01/2007 - "Magnetoencephalographic studies of focal epileptic activity in three patients with epilepsy suggestive of Lennox-Gastaut syndrome."
4. Generalized Epilepsy
02/01/2011 - "Dietary therapies are established as beneficial for symptomatic generalized epilepsies such as Lennox-Gastaut syndrome; however, the outcome for idiopathic generalized epilepsy has never been specifically reported. "
05/01/2004 - "Limited evidence suggests that LTG and TPM also are effective for adjunctive treatment of idiopathic generalized epilepsy in adults and children, as well as treatment of the Lennox-Gastaut syndrome. "
06/01/2011 - "In the present study, we investigated whether iEEG source imaging is a useful supplementary tool for identifying extended epileptogenic sources in secondary generalized epilepsy such as Lennox-Gastaut syndrome (LGS). "
04/01/2012 - "Eight (50%) patients had generalized epilepsy including 4 with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome. "
02/01/2012 - "General (adult) neurologists are under the erroneous impression that Lennox-Gastaut syndrome is limited to childhood, and this common misconception indicates a lack of understanding of the group of generalized epilepsies. "
5. Absence Epilepsy (Absence Seizure)
10/01/1998 - "Future outpatient studies of investigational anticonvulsant medications for patients with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome should consider parental counts of atypical absence seizures unreliable. "
08/01/2012 - "Atypical absence seizures are drug resistant in the majority of children with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome and herald a poor neurodevelopmental outcome. "
05/01/2012 - "Lennox Gastaut syndrome (LGS) is an epileptic encephalopathy characterized by tonic, atonic, and atypical absence seizures usually refractory to pharmacological treatment. "
07/10/2006 - "Chronic atypical absence seizures are a component of the Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, a disorder invariably associated with severe cognitive impairment in children. "
10/01/1998 - "We recommend that video/EEG monitoring be done on all Lennox-Gastaut syndrome patients with suspected atypical absence seizures not controlled by medication."
1. lamotrigine (Lamictal) 2. rufinamide 3. felbamate (Felbatol) 4. topiramate (Topamax) 5. Vigabatrin 6. clobazam (HR 376) 7. Anticonvulsants (Antiepileptic Drugs) 8. etiracetam (levetiracetam) 9. Intravenous Immunoglobulins (IVIG) 10. zonisamide (Zonegran)
1. Ketogenic Diet 2. Vagus Nerve Stimulation 3. Drug Therapy (Chemotherapy) 4. Electrodes (Electrode) 5. Carbohydrate-Restricted Diet (Low Carbohydrate Diet)


Preparing for Financial Emergencies
Financial emergencies due to lupus can range from a limited, unexpected situation to a more permanent financial hardship. When planning, it is wise to set aside some emergency funds. Generally, an emergency fund should hold enough money to cover living expenses for at least three months, or more. However, a catastrophic event, such as serious complications due to chronic illness, can result in medical bills and other expenses that suddenly leave one financially overwhelmed. What can you do when faced with a financial emergency?
Evaluate the situation. What are the circumstances? Does your loved one have access to short or long term disability insurance? Review your loved one’s budget and prioritize expenses. Are there any assets that can be turned into cash? Talk to lenders about negotiating a payment plan. Talk to a bank representative about financial hardship options. Contact the local Human Services department for information about emergency funds. Be specific about why your loved one needs immediate financial assistance. Visit the Lupus Foundation of America’s resource section online. In most states, you can dial 2-1-1 for referrals to financial and community services.


Loans for remortgaging also reached a new high of £6.1bn as homeowners sought to take advantage of competitive deals while interest rates remained low.
The figures were supported by others from the British Bankers' Association which also showed record mortgage lending during March.
According to the group, which measures the growth in lending by banks after redemptions and repayments have been taken into account, mortgage borrowing increased by £4.08bn, compared to the previous record of £4.04bn in January this year.
BBA chief executive Ian Mullen said: 'It is difficult to see any deterioration in consumer confidence in these figures and therefore any signs that credit demand might cool down in the short-term.
Mortgage lending reached a new high in March, compensating for weaker consumer credit and it may be that this simply reflects the credit choices available for consumers - secured borrowing may be cheaper than a personal loan, for example.'Reuse content


Jan 9, 2017
This study considers the exit likelihood of foreign subsidiaries operating in Africa and identifies strategic orientations which can improve their chances of survival. Ivey doctoral student Yamlaksira Getachew and Professor Paul Beamish find that, on average, subsidiaries entering the African market have a greater exit likelihood than those entering the OECD market. However, those subsidiaries entering the African market with diverse investment purposes or greater market-seeking orientation are less likely to exit as they tend to enjoy flexibility, adaptability, and learning advantages useful in mitigating economic challenges and/or tapping into strategic opportunities.
Getachew, Y. S. and Beamish, P. W. (2016), “Foreign Subsidiary Exit from Africa: The Effects of Investment Purpose Diversity and Orientation,”
Global Strategy Journal.


Taking on the task of baking a wedding cake is a lot of responsibility. Instead of scrambling the day before the wedding to bake, frost, carve, stack and cover the cakes, you can save a few headaches by baking ahead of time. The amount of time you can save depends on the method you choose to store and what precautions you take in the process.
Basics
You’ll have two options for baking cake layers: baking one to two days before the event, or up to three months. The amount of time you have depends on the storage method you select – room temperature or freezer. To ensure your cake stores properly, follow the recipe exactly and avoid over-baking a cake. Over-baked cakes – no matter how they’re stored – won’t hold well until wedding day.
Room Temperature
If you choose to store a baked cake at room temperature, you can bake up to two days before the event. Bake the cakes as the recipe instructs and cool them completely. If you’re not ready to frost and stack them that day, wrap each cake layer in a tight cover of plastic wrap. Don’t place the cakes in the refrigerator – this can dry them out. As long as your cakes aren’t iced or filled with fruits or other perishable ingredients, you can keep them at room temperature for up to two days. Once filled, however, you’ll need to wrap them with plastic wrap and store them in the refrigerator.
Freezer
You can bake a wedding cake up to three months in advance if you freeze the layers individually. Bake and cool the cakes according to the recipe. Then wrap each layer individually in two layers of plastic wrap and two layers of aluminum foil. Place cake layers in the freezer on an even surface – if stored unevenly, they can warp, crack or crumble. Keep frozen cakes toward the back of the freezer where they won’t be exposed to the air each time your freezer is opened. When thawing, leave plastic wrap and aluminum foil in place and allow each layer to thaw on the counter for three to four hours. By leaving wraps on, the condensation will form on the plastic wrap and foil rather than on the cake, preventing the cake from becoming soggy or mushy.
Tip
When stacking wedding cakes with larger tier sizes, such as 12 to 18 inches in diameter, freeze each layer individually – without wrapping. Remove from the freezer, trim and assemble while frozen. This allows you to pick up and move each tier easily and without risk of breaking or crumbling larger layers while assembling. Allow the layers — with filling – to thaw before crumb coating, frosting or adding fondant. Never place fondant on a frozen cake – this creates condensation that softens fondant and can make it gummy and fall apart.
References and ResourcesBetty Crocker: Wedding Cakes
Pillsbury: Pillsbury's Wedding Cake Guide
The Kitchn: Quick Tip: Freeze Pre-Baked Cakes


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While this was a sensitive topic in its day, many scholars agree that the Dust Bowl could largely have been prevented from happening. Scholars from the University of Illinois agree with the idea that the Dust Bowl tragedy occurred due to a combination of human and ecological factors, meaning it might not have been 100 percent preventable, but its effects could have been less severe with better farming practices.
The Dust Bowl refers to a period during the 1930s during which drought and persistent dust storms (high winds carrying massive clouds of dusts) impacted agriculture and commerce in the American plains states. Much of the area that was impacted by the Dust Bowl was once grassland that had been converted into agricultural space, leading to ecological and landscape changes that, when combined with a prolonged period of severe drought in the region, led to the perfect mix of conditions for widespread, devastating dust storms. The drought was, of course, not in human control, but hindsight on the issue indicates that better farming practices could have dramatically lessened the scale of the disaster.Learn more about US History


Programmed death is often associated with a bacterial stress response. This behavior appears paradoxical, as it offers no benefit to the individual. This paradox can be explained if the death is 'altruistic': the killing of some cells can benefit the survivors through release of 'public goods'. However, the conditions where bacterial programmed death becomes advantageous have not been unambiguously demonstrated experimentally. Here, we determined such conditions by engineering tunable, stress-induced altruistic death in the bacterium Escherichia coli. Using a mathematical model, we predicted the existence of an optimal programmed death rate that maximizes population growth under stress. We further predicted that altruistic death could generate the 'Eagle effect', a counter-intuitive phenomenon where bacteria appear to grow better when treated with higher antibiotic concentrations. In support of these modeling insights, we experimentally demonstrated both the optimality in programmed death rate and the Eagle effect using our engineered system. Our findings fill a critical conceptual gap in the analysis of the evolution of bacterial programmed death, and have implications for a design of antibiotic treatment.


INTRODUCTION: We present a case of endobronchial hamartoma, which was resected and ablated with loop electrocautry and Argon Plasma Coagulation using therapeutic fiberoptic bronchoscopy. CASE PRESENTATION: A 55-year-old white male with a 30 pack-year smoking history was referred to pulmonary clinic after failing two cycles of antibiotic treatment for a right upper lobe “pneumonia”. The patient denied dyspnea, chest pain, sputum production, hemoptysis, weight loss or night sweats. He worked as a salesperson in an auto shop, and denied any occupational or environment exposure to allergens, irritants or toxins. Chest radiograph after the two courses of antibiotics showed a persistent triangular infiltrate in the right upper lobe, extending to the hilum suggesting an obstructive lesion. CT of the chest showed an endobronchial density, mucus plug vs. mass, in the right upper lobe anterior segmental bronchus with post-obstructive atelectasis.A fiberoptic bronchoscopy was performed which demonstrated a pedunculated, spindle shaped, occluding mass protruding from the right upper lobe orifice into the right main bronchus. No nodularities or ulcerations were noted. Endobronchial biopsies indicated a benign papillomatous growth. The patient underwent a repeat fiberoptic bronchoscopy, during which a heated loop electrocautry was used to remove the mass. It was found to originate from the anterior segment of the right upper lobe. Argon Plasma Coagulation (APC) was then used to cauterize the remaining base. Pathological examination of the mass indicated it was a benign hamartoma.Two additional therapeutic bronchoscopies, using APC, were performed to further open the anterior segment of the right upper lobe. This objective has been only partially achieved thus far and additional bronchoscopies are planned to completely open the airway. DISCUSSIONS: Hamartomas are the most common form of benign lung tumors, with an incidence ranging between 0.025% and 0.32%. However, endobronchial hamartomas (EH) are a very rare entity. In the largest review series, only 1.4% of hamartomas had an endobronchial location, the remainder being located within the lung parenchyma. Whereas patients with intra-pulmonary hamartomas are usually symptom-free, those with EH typically are symptomatic, and therefore, require treatment. EH are generally broad-based lobulated nodules, resulting in symptoms of airway obstruction. Cough, hemoptysis, dyspnea, and post obstructive pneumonia are the main clinical features. Histologically, the tumors consist of varying combinations of benign elements including cartilage, connective tissue, fat, and smooth muscle. Most tumors grow slowly (average of 3 mm/year) during follow up.Different treatment modalities are available for the management of EH. Surgical resection (wedge resection, lobectomy and in extreme case, pneumonectomy) has been recommended for these patients, but carries the surgical risks inherent to a thoracotomy. When completely resected, pulmonary hamartomas rarely recur. Less invasive, bronchoscopic techniques have been used, allowing the preservation of normal lung parenchyma. These are performed with flexible or rigid bronchoscopy, typically using a ND-YAG laser and forceps. To our knowledge, this is the first report of the use of APC as a treatment modality in this type of benign endobronchial tumor. CONCLUSION: Endobronchial hamartoma remains a rare entity. Patients are frequently symptomatic, due to airway obstruction. The benign nature of the lesion makes surgical resection, with its risks and potential complications, less appealing. The use of endoscopic techniques, including Argon Plasma Coagulation, should be considered in the appropriate setting. The long term outcome after endoscopic resection remains to be determined.
DISCLOSURE: Tanveer Ahmed, None.


Going Green
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has called ground source heat pumps the most energy-efficient, environmentally clean, and cost-effective space conditioning systems available. Heat pumps offer significant emission reductions potential, particularly where they are used for both heating and cooling and where the electricity is produced from renewable resources.
Ground-source heat pumps have unsurpassed thermal efficiencies and produce zero emissions locally. Installing a 3 ton system is equal to planting 1 acre of trees or removing 2 cars from the road.
America is way behind in Geothermal Heating and Cooling compared to Switzerland and Sweden.


The intense heat of a charcoal or gas grill gives foods a deeply savory flavor, but it isn't always the most practical way to cook. A ridged stovetop grill pan isn't an ideal replacement, but it's still a useful tool for preparing chicken and other meats when your outdoor grill isn't an option. The grooves of your pan let fat drip away as it would on the grill, but don't radiate intense heat like the flame from a grill. That's why pan-grilling works best with boneless portions, which cook more quickly and evenly.
Step 1
Remove any loose pieces of fat, tendon or bone fragments from your chicken pieces with the tip of a sharp knife.
Step 2
Season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper, or your favorite spice rub. For a deeper flavor, cover the chicken and refrigerate it overnight. This provides time for the flavorings to infuse into the flesh.
Step 3
Preheat your grill pan over a medium-high burner until it's very hot. You should be able to see heat waves shimmering above it, and if you hold a hand over the pan, it should quickly become uncomfortably hot.
Step 4
Spray or brush the chicken pieces with a high-temperature oil such as safflower or avocado oil, then place them on the grill pan. They should go skin-side down, even if they're skinless. Reduce the burner to a medium setting.
Step 5
Cook the chicken pieces on the first side for 3 to 4 minutes, until they're well-marked by the grill pan's ridges. Carefully lift the pieces with tongs and turn them, cooking for another 5 to 7 minutes on the second side.
Step 6
Remove the chicken pieces from your grill pan to a serving tray. Cover them loosely, and let them rest for at least 5 minutes before serving. When tested with an instant-read thermometer, the pieces should show an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit to be food safe.


Before having repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), you may need a:
Physical exam and possibly lab tests or other tests to make sure rTMS is a safe and good option for you Psychiatric evaluation to discuss your depression
Tell your doctor or mental health provider if:
You're pregnant or thinking of becoming pregnant. You have any metal or implanted medical devices in your body. In some cases, people with metal implants or devices can have rTMS. However, due to the strong magnetic field produced during rTMS, the procedure is not recommended for some people who have the following devices: Aneurysm clips or coils Stents Implanted stimulators Implanted vagus nerve or deep brain stimulators Implanted electrical devices, such as pacemakers or medication pumps Electrodes for monitoring brain activity Cochlear implants for hearing Any magnetic implants Bullet fragments Any other metal device or object implanted in your body
You're taking any medications, including prescription or over-the-counter medications, herbal supplements, vitamins or other supplements, and the doses. You have a history of seizures or a family history of epilepsy. You have other mental health disorders, such as substance misuse, bipolar disorder or psychosis. You have brain damage from illness or injury, such as a brain tumor, a stroke or a traumatic brain injury. You have frequent or severe headaches. You have any other medical conditions. Before your first appointment
Repetitive TMS isn't invasive, doesn't require anesthesia and can be performed in a doctor's office. You don't need to arrange for someone to drive you home after treatment — unless, for the first treatment, you prefer a driver until you get a sense of how you'll feel afterward.
Before considering treatment, check with your health insurance company to see whether rTMS is covered. Your policy may not cover it.


This paper reviews the literature on plagiarism by students, much of it based on North American experience, to discover what lessons it holds for institutional policy and practice within institutions of higher education in the UK. It explores seven themes: the meaning and context of plagiarism, the nature of plagiarism by students, how do students perceive plagiarism, how big a problem is student plagiarism, why do students cheat, what challenges are posed by digital plagiarism and is there a need to promote academic integrity? It is concluded that plagiarism is doubtless common and getting more so (particularly with increased access to digital sources, including the Internet), that there are multiple reasons why students plagiarise and that students often rationalise their cheating behaviour and downplay the importance of plagiarism by themselves and their peers. It is also concluded that there is a growing need for UK institutions to develop cohesive frameworks for dealing with student plagiarism that are based on prevention supported by robust detection and penalty systems that are transparent and applied consistently.


By Anne Dybsetter, Extension Educator — Health & Nutrition
Latino and Somali community members in Southwest Minnesota are learning how to prevent diabetes as part of the cultural adaptation of I CAN Prevent Diabetes (ICANPD), a diabetes prevention program for people with prediabetes.
SNAP-Ed Educators Leticia Rodriguez in Worthington and Abdulahi Dohe in Willmar are testing strategies to adapt the program for different cultural audiences. For example, Leticia and Abdulahi used video and audio teaching tools. They also identified cultural teachings that match curriculum content, such as traditional sayings that encourage exercise or healthy eating. For instance, Islamic hadiths (sayings of the Prophet) encourage being moderate, eating slowly, and filling one’s stomach “one third with food, one third with water, and one third with air.”
Word of the ICANPD program is spreading. Latino participants in Worthington, who have now completed the year-long ICANPD class, expressed an eagerness to share what they have learned with neighbors and family, and encourage others to participate in the program themselves. Abdulahi and I presented early findings from the cultural adaptation at two recent conferences: the University of Minnesota's Grand Challenges Conference in March and the National Health Outreach Conference in Roanoke, Virginia, in April.
#umnengaged Abdulahi Dohe and Anne Dybsetter shared cultural adaptation of Diabetes Prevention w/ Somali audiences pic.twitter.com/ZlVFN3Mk0c— pdolson01 (@pdolson01) March 31, 2016
And the work will continue! Minnesota Department of Health is partnering with Extension and SNAP-Ed to provide support and funding for the project. ICANPD is based on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Diabetes Prevention Program.
Related posts:
Adapting I CAN Prevent Diabetes for Latino Audiences Cultural Adaptation of Diabetes Prevention Program Continues


Recommended Citation
Published in
EURASIP Journal on Applied Signal Processing, Volume 2002, Issue 11, January 1, 2002, pages 1228-1247. NOTE: At the time of publication, the author Xiaozheng Zhang was not yet affiliated with Cal Poly.
The definitive version is available at https://doi.org/10.1155/S1110865702206137.
Abstract
There has been growing interest in introducing speech as a new modality into the human-computer interface (HCI). Motivated by the multimodal nature of speech, the visual component is considered to yield information that is not always present in the acoustic signal and enables improved system performance over acoustic-only methods, especially in noisy environments. In this paper, we investigate the usefulness of visual speech information in HCI related applications. We first introduce a new algorithm for automatically locating the mouth region by using color and motion information and segmenting the lip region by making use of both color and edge information based on Markov random fields. We then derive a relevant set of visual speech parameters and incorporate them into a recognition engine. We present various visual feature performance comparisons to explore their impact on the recognition accuracy, including the lip inner contour and the visibility of the tongue and teeth. By using a common visual feature set, we demonstrate two applications that exploit speechreading in a joint audio-visual speech signal processing task: speech recognition and speaker verification. The experimental results based on two databases demonstrate that the visual information is highly effective for improving recognition performance over a variety of acoustic noise levels.
Disciplines
Electrical and Computer Engineering
Copyright
2002 Hindawi Publishing.
Publisher statement This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic License. URL: http://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/eeng_fac/263


Abstract: The development of and competition in educational facilities gradually increase the service quality’s importance. To accommodate this rapid process, educational organisations attempt to measure their performance and to enhance their standards. In general, an organisation’s performance does not depend solely on one criterion; instead, it should be evaluated based on multiple criteria. In this study, the academic performances of the departments within the Engineering Faculty of one of the largest universities in Turkey, Gazi University, have been compared using a multi-attribute decision making (MADM) method, TOPSIS. The criteria weights for the TOPSIS method are determined dependent upon linguistically expressed expert opinions. Therefore, a Delphi method based on the 2-tuple fuzzy linguistic representation model for computing with words is proposed. A sensitivity analysis study is also performed to determine the most critical criterion.


Bronchiectasis
Bronchiectasis refers to an irreversible dilation of airways,typically involving medium-sized bronchi which can become dilated several times their normal diameter. Bronchiectasis is caused by long-term inflammatory weakening of the bronchial wall combined with obstruction of the airway, leading to its gradual and irreversible dilation. Inflammation is typically characterized by neutrophils which release a wide variety of destructive factors, such as proteases, that weaken the bronchial wall. A thick purulent mucous accumulates behind the obstruction and eventually expands the weakened airway, leading to dilation. The source of the purulent mucous is a combination of dead inflammatory neutrophils along with normally-produced mucous which can no longer be cleared by the action of the mucociliary elevator, defective from the inflammation as well as the physical presence of the obstruction. Inflammation may also cause desquamation of the respiratory epithelium, resulting in its ulceration. Over time, the dilated airway may undergo a healing process characterized by progressive fibrosis. Although the respiratory epithelium may regenerate, the airway will remain dilated and scarred for the remainder of the individual's life. In some cases, healing does not occur and the dilated airway evolves into a full-blown lung abscess. The initiating cause of bronchiectasis may be either an airway obstruction or a pulmonary infection. Examples of initiating airway obstructions are lung tumors, aspirated foreign bodies, or a mucous plug secondary to a genetic abnormality such as Cystic Fibrosis or Kartagener Syndrome. Alternatively, the initiating cause might be a primary pulmonary infection due to either a viral or bacterial cause In general, the risk for bronchiectasis is higher in those who undergo repeated severe pulmonary infections such as patients with a variety of immunodeficiency diseases. Whatever the initiating injury, obstruction or infection, the functioning of the mucociliary elevator is compromised, leading to accumulation of mucous which is highly prone to microbial infection. Infection with microbes leads to generation of further mucous which consequently initiates or aggravates the obstruction. Consequently, a vicious circle of obstruction and infection follows, ultimately leading to dilation of inflammitorily weakened bronchi by accumulating purulent mucous. Bronchiectasis is typically heralded by a productive, purulent cough which can be complicated by hemoptysis if there are widespread ulcerations of the inflamed airway. Symptoms may develop insidiously if the cause is a slow-growing obstruction or may manifest rapidly following a bout of severe pneumonia. Pulmonary function tests may be abnormal in bronchiectasis and if so typically follow an obstructive pattern characteristic of obstructive lung disease.


This is the start of the international year of chemistry, intended to celebrate the contribution of my field to mankind's well-being. Yet, during the previous year it has become disturbingly clear to me that some of my scientific contributions may not be aiding people's well-being at all. In fact, they could be causing real harm.
A few weeks ago, a colleague sent me a link to an article in the Wall Street Journal. It described a "laboratory-adept European entrepreneur" and his chief chemist, who were mining the scientific literature to find ideas for new designer drugs - dubbed legal highs. I was particularly disturbed to see my name in the article, and that I had "been especially valuable" to their cause. I subsequently received e-mails saying I should stop my research, and that I was an embarrassment to my university.
Read more: Legal highs: the dark side of medicinal chemistry


In a typical hydrogen fuel cell, a membrane separates the device's anode and cathode into side-by-side chambers. Hydrogen reaching the anode electrode splits into protons, which migrate across the membrane through the liquid medium, and electrons, which travel over a wire to the cathode, thereby generating electricity. Meanwhile, oxygen in the cathode combines with the protons to form water. A heavy metal such as platinum plates the anode to catalyze the reaction.
By contrast, Squier's proposed biofuel cells would use a low-cost porous hematite electrode in which the bacteria's purified protein could be bound. The coated electrodes would catalyze the reaction, enabling electricity to flow from the anode to the cathode using nothing more than the biological agents in the biomass as fuel.
The metallic hematite acceptor drains electrons shuttled by the protein in a manner similar to respiration, with the electrons taking the place of oxygen. Respiration in the cell depends on the protein-draining electrons to maintain a steady metabolism. When the protein is purified, it continues performing the same function, essentially allowing the hematite electrode to "breathe" electrons.
In the lab, PNNL has successfully performed charge transfers from the protein to the hematite electrodes both directly and from biomass fuel sources, and the team has characterized the current flow by fluorescent correlation spectroscopy and confocal microscopy. "The fluorescence shows that our current peaks after a few seconds," Squier said, "but the flux is about what you would expect to get from bioreactors using living bacteria."
Squier performed the work with PNNL staff scientists Yijia Xiong, Liang Shi and Uljana Mayer, with assistance from the lab's William R. Wiley Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory biogeochemistry grand challenges program.


DENVER – Five members of the University of Colorado community are recipients of the 2014 Thomas Jefferson Award, among the highest honors given at CU.
This year's award winners – two faculty members, a staff professional and two students – were chosen for embodying and advancing the ideals of Jefferson, the third U.S. president and a Founding Father who greatly influenced American arts, sciences, education and public affairs. The Jefferson Award recognizes CU faculty, staff and students who demonstrate excellence in the performance of regular academic responsibilities while contributing outstanding service to the broader community.
The 2014 honorees are:
Faculty:
Charles Ferguson, Ph.D., associate professor of biology at CU Denver. For years he has inspired students as a teacher, adviser, mentor and advocate. Ferguson is director of the BA-BS/MD Honors Program at CU Denver, and chairs the Health Careers Advisory Committee, which he helped develop. Past honors include Carnegie Foundation Professor of the Year for Colorado, and two College of Liberal Arts and Sciences awards for Excellence in Teaching. He also is a three-time CU alumnus, having earned his bachelor's and master's degrees at CU Denver; his doctorate at the University of Colorado Boulder.
Therese Jones, Ph.D., associate professor, Division of General Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine, CU School of Medicine at the CU Anschutz Medical Campus; interim director of the Center for Bioethics and Humanities; director of Arts and Humanities in Healthcare Program. A leading advocate and practitioner of the use of the humanities in undergraduate and graduate medical education, she has developed educational programs in undergraduate institutions and health professions programs to advance the study of literature, arts and writing as they relate to scientific inquiry and clinical practice. Jones edits the Journal of Medical Humanities and co-leads the disability studies working group across CU. She earned her doctorate from CU-Boulder.
Staff:
Peter Simons, director of the Institute for Ethical and Civic Engagement (IECE) at CU-Boulder. He led the development of the institute, and has served as director since its establishment in 2005. He consistently demonstrates commitment to the belief that educators and students have a civic responsibility to engage with and learn from their communities. The IECE is a hub of civic-minded, service-learning efforts across the campus that has fostered the creation of 13 civic engagement programs. Through them, Simons emphasizes that the university and the community are equal partners, both having much to contribute to addressing community-defined issues. He earned bachelor's and master's degrees from CU-Boulder.
Students:
Helen Achol Abyei, recent graduate of the CU Denver with a bachelor's degree in psychology and theater. Praised for her profound love of writing, the theater, and public speaking, she endured life in war-torn North Sudan while raising six children. After time in a refugee camp in Egypt, she settled in Denver, taught herself English and enrolled in college. As a young mother stressing education to her children, she worked in banking for nearly 30 years. Now she writes plays – some of which have been acted out by CU Denver students – to shed light on atrocities taking place in her home country. She expects to return there someday as a teacher.
Alexandra Antonioli, M.D./Ph.D. candidate in the Medical Scientist Training Program, CU School of Medicine at the CU Anschutz Medical Campus. A high school valedictorian in Montana, she went to Yale University, earned a bachelor's degree in Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry and worked in a laboratory. Now in the fifth year of the University of Colorado's combined M.D./Ph.D. program, her thesis work focuses on the understanding of certain proteins and their role in autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and age-related macular degeneration. She is an accomplished classical pianist and devotes considerable time to charitable work.
A committee of CU faculty, staff and students selects winners. Recipients receive an engraved plaque and a $2,000 honorarium, and are recognized by the CU Board of Regents.
The Thomas Jefferson Award was established at the University of Virginia in 1951 by the Robert Earll McConnell Foundation to honor teaching faculty who exemplified the humanistic ideals associated with Jefferson. By 1962, six other institutions – including CU – had established a Jefferson Award. In 1980, the university added a student category; in 1988, the staff category was approved. Funding for the awards is derived from earnings on an endowment provided by the McConnell Foundation and from a bequest by Harrison Blair, a CU alumnus.
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Contact: Jay.Dedrick@cu.edu


1. Timares, Laura: 3 articles (05/2015 - 11/2007) 2. Elmets, Craig A: 3 articles (05/2015 - 11/2007) 3. Lancia, Massimo: 2 articles (12/2015 - 05/2012) 4. Suadoni, Fabio: 2 articles (12/2015 - 05/2012) 5. Nasti, Tahseen H: 2 articles (05/2015 - 03/2015) 6. Athar, Mohammad: 2 articles (05/2015 - 03/2015) 7. Yusuf, Nabiha: 2 articles (05/2015 - 11/2007) 8. Xu, Hui: 2 articles (05/2015 - 11/2007) 9. Turillazzi, Stefano: 2 articles (12/2012 - 12/2005) 10. Sivaramakrishnan, R: 2 articles (04/2009 - 08/2006)
1. Neoplasms (Cancer)
01/01/1991 - "The suggestion in earlier studies that exposures to hydrocarbons and lead are risk factors for childhood cancer could not be supported by our analysis. "
10/01/1987 - "Paternal occupational exposures to hydrocarbons have been associated with childhood nervous system cancer, but study results have not been consistent. "
01/01/1957 - " V. Experimental studies on the problem of action of carcinogenic hydrocarbons in the sense of a general tumor disposition]."
05/15/2015 - "Bolstering the immune response to carcinogenic polyaromatic hydrocarbons may be an effective method for prevention of the tumors that they produce. "
05/01/2013 - "We also studied the correlation between the transformation frequency at the tumor promotion stage of the TSP samples and the results of quantitative analysis of 16 polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) at the ten sites. "
2. Lung Neoplasms (Lung Cancer)
06/05/2012 - "Because of the difference in the component of hydrocarbons in breath, exhaled breath samples from donors with and without lung cancer were tested, and good discrimination has been achieved by this technique. "
06/05/2012 - "Combining plasma activation and cross-reactivity of sensor array, we have developed a plasma-assisted cataluminescence (PA-CTL) sensor array for fast sensing and discrimination of gaseous hydrocarbons, which can be potentially used for fast diagnosis of lung cancer. "
02/01/1996 - "Occupational exposures to certain metals, hydrocarbons and ionizing radiation are associated with increased lung cancer in workers; because these exposures continue, lung cancer remains an important problem in industrialized nations. "
03/07/1974 - "Letter: Aryl hydrocarbons, smoking and lung cancer."
01/01/1963 - "INDUCTION OF LUNG CANCER IN RATS BY INTRATRACHEAL INSUFFLATION OF CANCEROGENIC HYDROCARBONS."
3. Leukemia
08/01/2000 - "A recent large-scale United States study reported an association between parental exposure to hydrocarbons at work and the risk of childhood leukemia. "
09/01/1999 - "Parental exposure to hydrocarbons at work has been suggested to increase the risk of childhood leukemia. "
12/01/1993 - "The leukemia findings were not evident in the larger group of marketing distribution workers classified as exposed to hydrocarbons (SMR = 1.01). "
05/01/1989 - "In 11 studies significant relation was observed between malignant tumor (leukemia, brain tumor and others) and occupational exposure to hydrocarbons, spray paint or other chemicals, ionizing radiation and electromagnetism. "
07/01/2004 - "Using data from a large case-control study of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL; age <15 years) conducted by the Children's Cancer Group, we used a case-case comparison approach to examine whether reported parental exposure to hydrocarbons at work or use of specific medications are related to ras gene mutations in the leukemia cells of children with ALL. "
4. Dehydration (Water Stress)
03/01/2008 - "The objective of the present study was to evaluate the sensitivity of cocoa (Theobroma cacao L.) somatic embryos at different stages of an encapsulation-dehydration protocol using stress-related volatile hydrocarbons as markers of injury and recovery. "
11/01/2010 - "Here, we present evidence that: (i) hydrocarbons reduce structural interactions within and between cellular macromolecules, (ii) organic compatible solutes - metabolites that protect against osmotic and chaotrope-induced stresses - ameliorate this effect, (iii) toxic hydrophobic substances induce a potent form of water stress in macromolecular and cellular systems, and (iv) the stress mechanism of, and cellular responses to, hydrophobic substances are remarkably similar to those associated with chaotrope-induced water stress. "
10/01/2002 - "Hydrocarbons on the cuticle of mature Drosophila melanogaster flies play a crucial role in mate recognition, and protect against dehydration. "
07/01/2005 - "This study suggests that water stress caused by residual hydrocarbons may be a critical factor for the successful use of co-composted drilling wastes as a growth medium."
04/06/2010 - "It was demonstrated that the LbL-assembled PSS(Co)(1/2)/P4 VP multilayer membrane had high dehydration performance with respect to different solvent-water mixtures; it also had aromatic compound permselectivity from aromatic-aliphatic hydrocarbons and water-softening capacity. "
5. Brain Neoplasms (Brain Tumor)
08/01/1994 - "Chlorinated aliphatic hydrocarbons (CAHs) were evaluated as potential risk factors for astrocytic brain tumors. "
08/01/1994 - "Occupational exposure to chlorinated aliphatic hydrocarbons and risk of astrocytic brain cancer."
01/01/1966 - "[The induction of experimental brain tumors with cancerogenic hydrocarbons]."
01/01/1980 - "Three models are induced for the production of brain tumors: Carcinogenic viruses, topically applied carcinogenic hydrocarbons and so-called resorptive carcinogens, mostly alkylating substances. "
05/01/1989 - "In 11 studies significant relation was observed between malignant tumor (leukemia, brain tumor and others) and occupational exposure to hydrocarbons, spray paint or other chemicals, ionizing radiation and electromagnetism. "
1. Solvents 2. Petroleum (Crude Oil) 3. Benzene (Benzole) 4. Carbon 5. Vehicle Emissions (Emissions, Vehicle) 6. Volatile Organic Compounds 7. Carbon Monoxide 8. Smoke 9. Oils 10. Carcinogens
1. Nebulizers and Vaporizers (Inhaler) 2. Lasers (Laser) 3. Subcutaneous Injections 4. Intravenous Injections 5. Hyperbaric Oxygenation


According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment rose by 74,000 last month as the economy continued its recovery from the harsh climate of the late 2000s. Many industries had particularly good months; however IT hiring is in a slump, performing poorly for the fifth straight month after a strong first half of 2013. Despite the leveling off, video interviewing or virtual recruitment can be a useful tactic for this vital industry.