SEATTLE, Feb. 15 /PRNewswire/ -- Stroke patients who also have a history of migraine headaches have reported that their migraines stopped or were significantly reduced following a closure procedure of a common heart defect, called Patent Foramen Ovale, according to a study published in the February 15, 2005 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
Patent Foramen Ovale (PFO) is a small hole in the heart. The presence of this hole is normal during fetal development when the fetal blood supply is being enriched and oxygenated by in the mother's lungs. The hole generally closes shortly after birth. However, in approximately 25% of the general population, they fail to close completely and become a persistent PFO into adulthood. In these cases, this provides an opportunity for venous blood that is returning to the heart, exhausted of oxygen and other nutrients that it would be replenished from circulating through the lungs, to cross over to the arterial side prematurely (before circulating through the lungs) and then be pumped back into the arterial circulation and the brain. This unfiltered venous blood circulating into the brain is the suspected corollary that sparks the migraine event.
The study, lead by cardiologist Dr. Mark Reisman, showed that patients that suffer from migraines with aura are twice as likely to have a PFO, compared to the general population. During a two year period, researchers examined 162 patients who had experienced unexplained stroke-like symptoms, and after confirming the presence of a high-grade PFO using the PMD100 transcranial ultrasound system, all patients underwent transcatheter closure of the PFO. A one-year follow-up after the PFO closure showed 56% (28/50) of patients had complete resolution of migraine symptoms, and 14% (7/50) reported a significant reduction in migraine frequency.
Spencer Technologies, a Seattle manufacturing company, developed the PMD100 transcranial ultrasound system used in the study to assist in the PFO diagnosis, as well as post-closure follow-up.
"The PMD100, bar none, is the simplest and most accurate device to diagnose PFO," stated Dr. Merrill Spencer, medical director for Spencer Vascular and researcher in the PFO-migraine study. "It is the only modality with a proven grading scale, which helps the physician determine if a PFO can and should be closed."
About Spencer Technologies
Spencer Technologies was co-founded in 1992 by Dr. Merrill Spencer, a pioneer in the development of diagnostic ultrasound. Spencer Technologies is dedicated to preventing a variety of adverse cardiovascular related events, including strokes, and significantly improving healthcare through the development and use of non-invasive ultrasound technologies for diagnosis, monitoring, and therapeutic effects. Spencer Technologies is involved in all aspects of ultrasound through clinical research, R & D, and manufacturing products.
To view supporting video footage: http://www.scctv.net/scctv/spencertech.asx .
Spencer Technologies


How does composting work? How does composting work? Certified compostable bioplastics completely degrade within 180 days. They do not create any toxic byproducts as they compost. Industrial composting facilities carefully regulate temperature and humidity levels to encourage quick degradation. In an ideal environment, PLA loses molecular weight and becomes a food source for naturally present microorganisms.
If you put compostable material in the trash can or recycling bin it will not compost. In an anaerobic environment such as a landfill, compostables do not have the oxygen they need to biodegrade. Compostable containers cannot currently be recycled.


This report examines the limited access to reproductive services at hospitals in the United States, with a particular focus on hospitals in Texas. After discussing the decline in access to reproductive services and the importance of hospital provision of services, I discuss Catholic hospitals and the threat to reproductive services posed by Catholic hospital mergers with non-Catholic facilities. I also present newly collected data on access to reproductive services, particularly abortion and emergency contraceptives, at hospitals in Texas. This data represents preliminary results from written and phone surveys of all hospitals offering maternity services in Texas. Further, I present a case study of the lease agreement between Seton Healthcare Network and the City of Austin for the operation of Brackenridge hospital. Finally, I offer policy recommendations aimed at increasing access to reproductive services in hospitals.


Don't let J-51 be renewed with tenant protections! Ask your Assembly Member to send a letter like the one by Assembly Member Daniel O'Donnell to Speaker Sheldon Silver. Read it below. THE ASSEMBLY
STATE OF NEW YORK
ALBANY
DANIEL O'DONNELL Member of Assembly 69th Assembly District June 26, 2012
Speaker Sheldon Silver
LOB 932
Albany, NY 12248
Dear Speaker Silver,
I write to share concerns with a new piece of legislation, A10798, which is currently awaiting action in the Assembly Committee on Ways and Means. As you are aware, I am a cosponsor of this bill, and of your earlier, related legislation, A10071, which would have extended crucial tax abatements to co-op and condo owners in New York City.
Recently, the content of A10071 was included in the new bill, A10798, and I agreed to cosponsor the new legislation to show support for efforts to extend this essential tax abatement. However, I was unaware that additional language was included in A10798 to extend tax benefits for real estate developers through the J-51 program, while neglecting to include any additional protections for the many rental tenants in my district and around New York City.
I believe it is imperative that before we return to Albany and take action on A10798, this bill must be amended. It should include vital tenant protections currently not incorporated in the text. Some possibilities include reforms of the Rent Guidelines Board to make it more accountable, inclusion of rent controlled tenants under the Rent Guidelines Board for lease renewal purposes, protection for tenants with "preferential rents" from large increases, and a significant readjustment for how Major Capital Improvement Increases are dealt with, similar to the changes i my bill, A2459A, would institute.
Thank you for your attention to this matter. I look forward to continuing to work with you to protect New York's tenants and improve the welfare of our communities.
Very truly yours,
Daniel O'Donnell Assembly Member (Click here for a copy of the original).
Assembly Member
(Click here for a copy of the original).


Costco "Wild" Salmon? Yesterday, I bought a salmon fillet labeled "wild sockeye, product of USA" at Costco in Brooklyn. When I was preparing it, I dried it with a paper towel and noticed that the paper towel was a bit pink, where it had touched the fish. Does this transfer of color mean that the salmon was actually farmed (with added color)?
According to a Consumer Reports story this summer, almost all salmon labelled as wild really is wild during the main season (May - October). Outside of that time period, most of the salmon they tested was farmed.
If you salt salmon, wild or farmed, it will render pinkish juice so that's not a test. The added color in farmed salmon comes from the food they're fed so it doesn't leach out like a dye.
I've bought wild salmon from Costco several times this summer and always been pleased with it.


News UN/ISDR Releases Climate Change Adaptation and DRR Report in the Asia Pacific Region 23 August 2011: The UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UN/ISDR) has released a report titled “At the Crossroads Climate Change Adaptation (CCA) and Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) in Asia and the Pacific.”
The report aims to provide a snapshot of how DRR and CCA are integrated in the Asia Pacific region. Highlighting potential areas for cooperation among regional and sub-regional organizations, the report aims to support national and regional stakeholders in DRR and CCA, such as governments, UN agencies, intergovernmental organizations, research and technical organizations, non-government organizations (NGOs), and the ISDR Asia Partnership on Disaster Reduction.
The report reviews past and ongoing regional initiatives and looks into the role of organizations in the implementation process. The report considers the political commitment and awareness of regional inter‐governmental organizations. In the Pacific region, it highlights the roles of Pacific Islands Applied Geoscience Commission (SOPAC) and the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), noting an historic disconnect between the two entities. It highlights that new leadership in both organizations is providing a more favorable environment for increased coordination and cooperation on CCA and DRR. The report also outlines the numerous regional policy and institutional mechanisms related to DRR and CCA. [Publication: At the Crossroads Climate Change Adaptation and Disaster Risk Reduction in Asia and the Pacific]


Making a Difference Delegates were concerned that the World Conference make a difference. While the goal of Education for All may not be new, the hope was expressed that henceforth, the determination to achieve the goal will be better shared by all. The Conference should focus on finding viable solutions and new alternatives which would make possible education for all. It should focus also on resource mobilisation for education, rather than on situation-specific technical aspects.
Business as usual" is unacceptable; a new conceptual framework is outlined, one which, according to one delegate:
[Ukrainian] [English] [Russian]


People are weaving mobile technologies into the daily fabric of their lifestyles: checking real time traffic conditions, coordinating spontaneous gatherings of friends, resolving factual disagreements on the spot and more, according to a recent Pew Research report. Dominion Strategies helps clients enable their supporters to use the just-in-time convenience of mobile to advocate for their organizations too.
Each day offers many moments of opportunity for advocates to engage current and potential supporters. Tapping into the immediacy of mobile technology gives advocates ready access to more of those moments. Dominion Strategies offers a range of technology solutions, including campaign-tailored mobile applications, to optimize your organization’s ability to engage, spur action and achieve results.


I’ve just read 296 poems by young poets in New Zealand, for the annual New Zealand High School Poetry Competition. This was an amazing experience, perhaps at the ethnographic margin of reading. The quality of the work was uneven if judged by standard measures of correct writing, and the poems’ default mode was probably personal, anecdotal lyrics addressing a few familiar themes; but what was much more important and interesting was the variety of ways in which these poems were uttered, and at the same time their collective energy, which was overwhelming. It would be silly to claim I encountered some kind of aggregated self here, and equally silly to claim that each poet had a totally distinctive ‘voice’, though there were some marvellous, smart, and original poems in the pile. We speak and write using comprehensive common languages and, within those, in argots and accents that identify us tribally; what distinguishes our individual utterance involves variation rather than uniqueness. The effect of reading so many poems by poets within an age-span of thirteen to seventeen was of being within a dense texture, a layering of variations – a complex social chord; or, as Roland Barthes would have described it half a century ago, reminding us of the etymology of ‘Text’, a woven fabric, a textile. Of course I’m not suggesting that there is a single tribal language for New Zealand high school poets, god forbid: I encountered a great many interlocking variations within the span of English, and even within the span of English as a second language. Rather, what I think I was experiencing was a kind of poetic socio-biology, a situation in which the tensions between diverse tribals and distinct individuals generated extraordinary energy.
I had to choose ten distinct threads from this interweaving of poems, and from that ten a single winner. These are the rules of the competition, which is, after all, a competition; which admirably aims to encourage young poets to write, to enter their poems in the competition, and perhaps to experience the satisfaction and encouragement of making the short list or winning. I think the short listed poems I’ve selected are terrific, and though there could have been other winners chosen, I also think the winning poem is a good one. Pulling these threads out of the collective text does highlight their distinctions, and I hope other readers will enjoy them on that basis; but I was lucky enough to encounter these individuals first-off within a larger, denser, richly textured, highly-strung, sometimes chaotic energy fabric. The ethnographer in me observed this ritualised face-off between cultural loyalty and individual subversion. Then I could look at the best results. That was a special, slightly illicit pleasure, and a privilege.
11
If I wanted to translate silence I would have to be deaf, to remember silence I would have to recognise its opposite, for instance singing, a miracle, not too much to ask I hope, and why wouldn’t I hope, why not?


The purpose of this activity is for students to present a complicated academic debate within their own debate. Asher Orkaby assigned students to a position in the debate and had them prepare their arguments before class. The students were paired together and asked to debate JFK's performance during the Cuban Missile Crisis. They based their arguments on readings assigned for the week. After presenting their arguments, the students fielded questions from their classmates.
How did race, gender, employment, and other characteristics condition people's responses to revolutionary activities during the American Revolution? In this activity, students take on different personas and consider whether they would support a boycott of British goods.
In his Bible in the Humanities section, David Weimer had students present a modern object that makes an allusion or reference to the Bible. This activity allows students to explore modern-day understandings of the Bible as they relate to the original text.


Somalia Food Security Outlook - April to September 2012 Key Messages
In the most likely scenario, rains in Somalia are expected to be ~60 to 85 percent of average with erratic distribution in both time and space. In the worst case scenario, forecasts suggest there is a 30 percent chance that rains will be ~60 percent of average or below. Gu rainfall will have a significant impact on food secuirity for poor, agropastoral households dependent on rainfed crop production.
Southern/Central agropastoral and inland rainfed cropping areas of Somalia, including areas still recovering from the 2011 Famine (IPC Phase 5), will experience a deterioration in food security outcomes due to anticipated poor Gu crop production in July and the limited number of saleable livestock over the course of the scenario period.
Due to increasing debt levels, reduced fishing labor opportunities, a limited number of saleable livestock, overstretched social support networks, relatively poor milk availability, Serious or Critical malnutrition rates, and livestock holdings that are significantly below baseline levels, food security outcomes for poor, pastoral households in the Nugal Valley, Sool Plateau, and Costal Deeh livelihoods of the northeastern and central regions are deteriorating. Poor households are only meeting their basic food needs through loans and gifts to prevent the complete liquidation of remaining assets which could lead to becoming pastoral dropouts.


A Global Effort
Energy is fundamental to our society – for our homes, our businesses, and our industries. However, the process of generating energy is our nations largest industrial source of air pollution.
The energy decisions we make every day can encourage the development of sustainable power resources, such as solar energy.
Evacuated Solar Tubes
A row of connected air-less glass tubes heat water through an evaporation and condensation process.
CST’s evacuated solar tube collectors combine the best attributes of conventional solar panels and evacuated solar tube technology. They achieve all the reliability, and efficiency, of other more costly collectors, providng solutions unmatched in Canada’s solar industry.


This is a golden chain tree; at least that is what my fathercalled it when he found one growing in the woods behind our house where I grewup. I remember the day he showed it to me. I followed him across the long backyardlawn to the ledge where the woods began. Maybe I was eight or nine. The woodssloped fast down a hill to a gravelly, private road below. Tall pines and oaks andmaples grew in these woods, the shaded ground covered in dense fabric: layers of brown pineneedles.
It’s a golden chain tree, Dad told me, pointing.
This thin tree looked reedy and delicate in the shade, a fewyellow petals dangling from it. He’d found a jewel.
I’m going to transplant it, he said. Hewalked around it.
As usual he had a plan. My father liked to map things out inhis head—new highways and byways that included paths and flower beds, stone-dottedtrails and walkways through his garden. He’d already picked out a place for itin the front yard. I thought it wasgrand. A new tree! Sure. Why not! The excitementwas in the discovery of this sapling in the woods, and then the possibility ofwhat it would become.
So began one of his favorite activities: shoveling dirt. He becamesomeone else when he dug holes. I stood back and observed, offering anoccasional nod and approving comment. Looks good, I might say. Maybe I held ashovel—kind of like a nurse assisting a surgeon—passing him the appropriatetool when he asked for it.
Here, hold this will you?
He handed me the shovel, then reached for thetrowel in his back pocket, using it to perform close-up, more refined scrapingand scooping.
During this process, I listened to his grunting, watched sweatbeads spin into the air. Everywhere dirt—on his pants and face, knees, hands,cheeks. Messes in the garden didn'tdisturb him at all. (Messes inside thehouse, I'm afraid, drew out a different, beastly and frightening response.) Butin the garden, he maneuvered, pushed, tugged, carved a moat around the rootuntil all essential parts of the root and trunk released, and he pulled thesapling out like a babe from a womb.
Then he swathed the roots in burlap (towel or sheet, I can't recall) andcarried the tree over his shoulder. He offered explanations for each step. I trailed him, crossing the lawn again,passing through the side yard until we rounded the house and crossed the frontyard to a far corner under my bedroom window. There, he stopped, pointed to the new, anointed place next to the house.He turned the tree upright and placed it carefully into a freshly preparedcradle of dirt.
Next came Dad’s foot stamping dance. Round and round thetree, Dad filled the new hole with sod. He went down on his knees and withhis square-shaped hands he kneaded in the loose dirt around the rootsagain. He pushed and pressed, tucking and folding inmore dirt between spaces, making things snug for the tree.
Thinking about this now as an adult, I see how Dad understood that thisdisplaced tree needed to feel secure, anchored, and most of all—loved.
The tree took. It grewtall and lived a long, good life. Many decadeslater, I returned to our old house and saw that it was no longer there in the owner's yard, but my memoryholds to the vision of it. I watched it bloom every spring, below my bedroomwindow--those long, brush-like shimmers of gold, proud and graceful. Each year, they returned to show me that my father was more than a scary, raging,distraught self. I needed to know this—those sunny, gentle flowers and garden, they offered proof. (Published in Huffington Post: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jessica-keener/in-my-fathers-garden_b_3361890.html)
(Published in Huffington Post: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jessica-keener/in-my-fathers-garden_b_3361890.html)


The literature on disruptive technologies has previously stated that those innovations often emerge in low-end segments or in new markets and as the performance improves it eventually displaces the old technology. This article aims to explain how and why a technology may prosper in high-end or mainstream markets despite its initially lower performance and does so through three in-depth case studies. The findings suggest that those technologies may compensate the inferior performance by simplifying and removing work for customers. For instance, digital imaging emerged in high-end segments since these customers were willing to trade-off the initially lower image quality in order to remove the usage of film. Based upon these results, the paper concludes that the literature on disruptive technologies needs to maintain a more nuanced view of value and how it is created and distributed inside the customer’s organisation. Go to Source
The Innovator's Dilemma: When New Technologies Cause Great Firms to Fail :: Amazon What do the Honda Supercub, Intel's 8088 processor, and hydraulic excavators have in common? They are all examples of disruptive technologie


Susceptibility to infection by the human immunodeficiency virus type-1 (HIV-1), both in vitro and in vivo, requires the interaction between its envelope (Env) glycoprotein gp120 Env and the primary receptor (R), CD4, and Co-R, either CCR5 or CXCR4, members of the chemokine receptor family. CCR5-dependent (R5) viruses are responsible for both inter-individual transmission and for sustaining the viral pandemics, while CXCR4-using viruses, usually dualtropic R5X4, emerge in ca. 50% of individuals only in the late, immunologically suppressed stage of disease. The hypothesis that such a major biological asymmetry is explained exclusively by the availability of cells expressing CCR5 or CXCR4 is challenged by several evidences. In this regard, binding of the HIV-1 gp120 Env to the entry R complex, i.e. CD4 and a chemokine R, leads to two major events: virion-cell membrane fusion and a cascade of cell signaling. While the fusion/entry process has been well defined, the role of R/Co-R signaling in the HIV-1 life cycle has been less characterized. Indeed, depending on the cellular model studied, the capacity of HIV-1 to trigger a flow of events favoring either its own latency or replication remains a debated issue. In this article, we will review the major findings related to the role of HIV R/Co-R signaling in the steps following viral entry and leading to viral spreading in CD4(+) T lymphocytes.


Skills for Life teacher education: creative routes 06/07 (Ongoing) What the project
entails:
NRDC is working with two national projects that currently have funds to support teacher education programmes. These are:
In broad terms the funds available through these programmes aim to facilitate the route through to fully qualified status for both prospective/new and existing adult literacy, numeracy and ESOL teachers. The QIA programme wishes to maximise the number of teachers achieving qualifications during 2006/2007. The LLUK project wishes to support and evaluate innovative developments in preparation for September 2007, with a particular emphasis on numeracy.
Proposals are invited in three categories:
A: 'Stand-alone' Level 4 subject specialist qualifications for teachers of adult literacy, numeracy and ESOL
B: Integrated subject specific initial teacher education programmes for adult literacy, numeracy and ESOL
C: Diploma 'top-ups' for ESOL teachers
Aims:
A Qualification Support Fund also offers a resource to contribute towards course fees, the cost of mentors, APL/APEL where appropriate and, in some circumstances, release or personal/travel costs to enable participation in training. Applications to this fund can be from employers/learning providers, individuals or teacher education providers, but need to represent the needs of teachers working in isolation from other Skills for Life teaching colleagues within the sector, particularly those working in voluntary/community organisations or those working with offenders or the long-term unemployed.
Further information:
Contact Alison Wedgbury at NRDC to discuss the application process.


<back to Battery Care> Visually inspect for obvious problems: loose or broken alternator belt, electrolyte levels below the top of the plates, dirty battery top, corroded or swollen cables, corroded terminal clamps, loose hold-down clamps, loose cable terminals, or a leaking or damaged battery case.
If the electrolyte levels are low in non-sealed batteries, allow the battery to cool and add distilled water to ½ inch over the separator.
Recharge the battery to 100% State-of-Charge. If the battery has a difference of 0.03 specific gravity reading between the lowest and highest cell, then you should equalise it.
To equalise, increase the charging voltage, add 5%. Heavy gassing should start occurring. Take specific gravity readings in each cell once per hour. Equalisation has occurred once the specific gravity values no longer rise during the gassing stage.
Maintenance free batteries
If the hydro-eye is showing red, charge battery until it reaches 12.8 volts.
Surface charge is the uneven mixture of sulfuric acid and water along the surface of the plates as a result of charging or discharging. It will make a weak battery appear good or a good battery appears bad. You need to eliminate the surface charge by one of the following methods
Allow the battery to sit for between four to twelve hours to allow for the surface charge to dissipate Turn the headlights on high beam for five minutes, shut them off, and wait five to ten minutes With a battery load tester, apply a load at one-half the battery’s Cold Cranking Amps rating for 15 seconds and then wait five to ten minutes. Revision still waiting for June to provide on Temperature Compensation and table.
Accessible: For Non-sealed batteries Check the specific gravity in each cell with a hydrometer and average the readings. For sealed batteries, measure the Open Circuit Voltage across the battery terminals with an accurate digital voltmeter. This is the only way you can determine the State-of-Charge. Some batteries have a built-in hydrometer, which only measures the State-of-Charge in ONE of its six cells.
Maintenance Free: For Sealed Batteries If the State-of-Charge is BELOW 75% using either the specific gravity or voltage test or the built-in-hydrometer indicates “bad” (usually dark), then the battery needs to be recharged BEFORE proceeding.
If there is a .050 (sometimes expressed as 50 ‘points’) or more difference in the specific gravity reading between the highest and lowest cell, of an accessible battery you have a week or dead cell(s). If the battery will not recharge to a 75% or more State-of-Charge level or if the built-in hydrometer still does not indicate “good” (usually green, which indicates a 65% State-of-Charge or better), buy a new one. If a digital voltmeter indicates 0 volts, you have an open cell. If the digital voltmeter indicates 10.45 to 10.65 volts, recharge first. If the battery doesn’t recover you probably have a shorted cell. A shorted cell is caused by plates touching, sediment (“mud”) build-up or “treeing” between the plates. If the battery’s State-of-Charge is at 75% or higher or has a “good” built-in hydrometer indication, then you can load test the battery by one of the following methods:
Turn the headlights on high beam for a few minutes. With a battery load tester, apply a load equal to one half of the Cold Cranking Amps rating of the battery for 15 seconds. Battery voltage should not drop below 9.8 volts during the test period. If the battery has passed the load test and after the load is removed, wait ten minutes and measure the State-of-Charge. The battery is okay if it has retained 75% State-of-Charge.
If the battery bounces back to less than 75% State-of-charge (1.225 specific gravity or 12.45 Open-Circuit-Voltage), then recharge the battery and load test again.
If the battery fails the load test a second time or bounces back to less than 75% State-of-Charge, then you should replace it because it lacks the necessary Cold-Cranking-Ampere power.
If the battery passes the load test, you should recharge it as soon as possible to restore it to peak performance and to prevent lead sulfation.


Hourly 4 inch (0.1m) Soil Temperatures
The image below (click on it to enlarge) shows the hourly 4 inch soil
temperatures at 6 locations across central North Carolina from midnight on
February 28 through midnight on March 6, 2010.
First note that this winter storm was preceded by a few mild days
with temperatures reaching the 40s to lower 50s on 02/28 and
in the lower and mid 50s on
03/01. During this warm period the 0.1m (4 inch) soil
temperatures reached the lower to mid 40s during the late afternoon hours.
The amount of diurnal and spatial variability in the data is
also interesting with some location experiencing diurnal spreads of more then 10
degrees.
Note the limited diurnal recovery on 03/02 given the expansive cloud
deck which results in soil temperatures in the upper 30s to lower
40s just before the precipitation arrives. Once the precipitation begins during
the midday and afternoon hours on 03/02, the soil temperatures
begin a gradual drop through the evening and overnight hours.
Past experience has shown that when max soil temperatures during the day preceding a
snow fall are in the lower 40s or colder and given modest snow rates with surface temperatures at or near
freezing, the snow can be expected to accumulate. While soil temperatures were a little
warmer then these guidelines, the heavy snow rates in the Triad during the afternoon and overnight across
Randolph, Chatham, and Lee Counties allowed the snow to accumulate fairly quickly.
NCAT - NC A&T State University Research Farm, Greensboro NC
HIGH - UNCG Lindale Farm Station, High Point, NC
CLAY - Central Crops Research Station, Clayton, NC
GOLD - Cherry Research Station, Goldsboro, NC
REED - Reedy Creek Field Laboratory, Raleigh, NC
SILR - Siler City Airport, Siler City, NC


This paper addresses two fundamental questions about monetary policy, credit conditions and corporate activity. First, can we relate differences in the composition of debt between tight and loose periods of monetary policy to firm characteristics like size, age, indebtedness or risk? Second, do differences in companies’ financial compositions matter for real activity of firms such as inventory and employmentgrowth? The paper offers some evidence from firms in the UK manufacturing sector which suggests the composition of debt differs considerably with characteristics such as size, age, debt and risk, it also shows a significant effect from financial composition and cash flow to inventory and employment growth.


Health Information Heat or Thermal Burns A heat-induced or thermal burn can occur when the skin comes in contact with any heat source, such as a cooking pan, an iron, a fire, a hot surface or a hot, scalding liquid.
Caring for a heat-induced or thermal burn: Remove the child from the heat source.
Cool the affected area with cold water or cold compresses until pain is reduced or alleviated.
If a blister has formed, do not break it.
Protect the burn with a dry, sterile, gauze bandage or with a clean bed sheet or cloth.
If your child's clothing is stuck to the burned area, do not attempt to remove it. Instead, cut around the clothing leaving the burn intact.
Do not apply any ointments, oils, or sprays to the burned area unless prescribed by your doctor.
If your child has burns on the hand, foot, face, eyes, or groin, or burns that cover a large area, seek medical attention or dial 911 for emergency medical attention.


Threat 3. Overuse of resources. Also referred to as “overgrazing” in the literature [ 2] Giving/ receiving or free riding, it involves overuse asymmetry without concern for the harm itcauses others [ 10].
Contexts. OSS. The overuse ofresources is not a significantthreat to OSS; software, likemany other information goods, isnonrival, and the cost of producing an additional unit of existingsoftware is negligible.
Computing grids. In the case of two-way grids, the potential threat of overuse depends on Overuse of resources agreements among the partici- pants. In many cases, this threat is resolved by allowing a contribu- Preventing others from tion only when the contributor using computers are idle at the time of resources the contribution (so the resource becomes a nonrival good). In the Damaging a particular
case of one-way grids, the threat resourceof overuse is mitigated against ina similar way, as resources are usually contributed only when thecomputer is idle.
Wireless networks. Here, thethreat is significant, as wirelessaccess is rival and nonexcludable;overuse of resources could result in their insufficientavailability. Potential countermeasures include limiting the number of benefiting devices based onresource availability and limiting access to theresource for a certain period [ 2].
Content. In the case of knowledge contribution viaWikipedia and Wikipedia-like initiatives, the threatof overuse is low, as content, like software, is also anonrival good.
Threat 4. Preventing others from using resources in order to increase one’s own availability of resources. Contexts. OSS. The threat of preventing othersfrom using resources is not significant, as code is anonrival good; preventing others’ use of the resourceprovides little value.
Computing grids. The threat of being blocked fromaccess is not significant in grids. However, a countermeasure would be like the one suggested in the caseof wireless networks: having the oversight body monitor and periodically analyze user complaints.
Wireless networks. This threat manifests itself in theprevention of others’ device operations so the remain-
OSS
Increase motivation -benefits for contributors:learning, become lead users,tailor software to needs, fun,signal status, signal ability,support self identification,help others
Computinggrids (users) WLAN
Increase motivation: Increase public display of motivation: self abilities, the identification, prospect of self status signaling identification, and status signaling
Content
Make people publiclycommit to contribution,increase social validity,create contributionrating by otherparticipants; increasemotivation: displayabilities, signal status,help others.
Use of others’ Adopt software that restricts Monitor traffic, Use security Prohibit proprietary resources such proprietary appropriation, firewall, establish products, monitor appropriation, without encourage compliance with legal agreements the network for incorporate as a way knowledge or licensing terms through between parties bandwidth usage, to protect individual consent normative and legal sanctions, involved in the grid and remove contributors, transfer incorporate as a way to devices that property rights to protect individual contributors, overuse bandwidth nonprofit corporations transfer property rights to trademark brands and nonprofit corporations; logos, trademark a trademark brands and logos, foundation; protect trademark a foundation;, brand protect brand
Not relevant
Contribute onlywhen resourcesare idle
Limit the numberof receivers, limitaccess to theresource for acertain period
Not relevant
Not relevant
Oversightbody to monitorand periodicallyanalyze usercomplaints
Oversight bodyto monitor andanalyze usercomplaints andremoves offendersfrom the commons
Not relevant
Review before release
Not relevant
Vaccinate own Use “change history”devices, avoid use function to restoreof hotspots with content. use alertsnonstandard to monitor contentequipment, changes, block userquarantine infected accounts, anonymousdevices, examine IP addresses, andnew access points IP ranges
Table 3. Threats andcountermeasures.
ing devices have more available bandwidth. It can becountered by assigning an oversight body to monitorand analyze user complaints, identify offenders, andremove the offender from the commons [ 2]. However, this method is possible only in closed commonswhere excludability is possible.
Content. As in OSS, this is not a major threat forcontent assets, as a content asset is a nonrival good.
Threat 5: Damaging resources. Contexts OSS. Damage to resources is not a significant threat in the case of OSS, as software is reviewedand quality-controlled before it is released. Thus, thethreat associated with nonexcludability is averted.
Computing grids. This is not a significant threat,due mainly to agreements among parties involved incomputing grids and the ability to monitor members’behavior.
Wireless networks. As open commons are nonexcludable, this threat manifests itself in terms of someone adding a device with viruses to wireless commonsor adding a device or access point that does not comply with 802.11X standards, possibly disrupting signals [ 2]. Ways to counter this threat in opencommons include regularly vaccinating one’s devicesand avoiding the use of hotspots with nonstandardequipment. In closed commons, one should quaran-


The Lawyers are Ready. Give Them the Data Intelligence They Need with StoredIQ Active eDiscovery Solutions Cost predictability and reduced downstream review fees Analyze data in place, real-time Legal-friendly repeatable workflow eDiscovery preservation and collection are mandatory steps in litigation response. However, missteps during these key phases can result in increased and on-going costs in downstream legal-hold retention, document hosting, and attorney review for the duration of a matter—often years or even indefinitely. Better insight into your data can help ease the costs and efforts involved in eDiscovery response and decrease the volumes of Big Data, by targeting only what’s most relevant to a particular case.
Using a slipshod or too-inclusive approach to litigation response without targeted collection can result in large volumes of irrelevant data entering the eDiscovery process, with escalating downstream costs for attorney review and production.
In fact, over-collection was cited by more than half of corporate counsel in an ESG survey as a challenge in their identification and collection of ESI. Serial litigants with multiple cases may even perform repeated collections on the same evidence, creating duplication of effort, as well as duplicated data and storage.
Too many corporate legal departments do not know whose data may be relevant nor understand the volume of potentially relevant data until after collection. By giving legal teams insight into the data where it lives in the enterprise, they can determine exactly whose data needs to be collected, measure the volume of data relevant to the case, and then collect and preserve the smallest amount of legally relevant data. This knowledge can then be used to make an informed legal decision such as whether to defend or settle a lawsuit.
StoredIQ's intelligent eDiscovery solution can help organizations respond rapidly and efficiently to legal matters, litigation, or investigations. Utilizing DiscoveryIQ, StoredIQ's eDiscovery application, corporate legal teams can identify, analyze and act upon unstructured electronically stored information (ESI) much more comprehensively and efficiently. As a result, companies can better manage their legal risk and reduce expenses, while formulating superior legal strategies.
The critical need for legally defensible eDiscovery Today, the eDiscovery process is frequently managed through a combination of point applications and process documentation applied in a reactive fashion. Often, in order to manage legal matters and execute eDiscovery processes, legal and IT teams utilize three or more stand-alone, disjointed applications. This inefficient approach requires multiple processing steps, increases costs and lengthens the discovery schedule; worse, the entire process may not be repeatable or defensible.
Employee self-collection also increases legal risk. Unfortunately, many companies still rely on this method. The employees, not the legal team, make the primary decisions about the relevance of their documents, and self-collection often alters ESI metadata. This approach is also not repeatable, verifiable or defensible, thereby increasing the risk of sanctions and inference judgments.
At the same time, however, court rulings regarding the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure (FRCP) are placing greater demands on the eDiscovery process with respect to speed, accuracy and defensibility. These rulings emphasize that controversies over the scope of discovery will likely be resolved by balancing the burdens and costs of providing the discovery against the potential benefit and value of the discovery.
A proven, industry-accepted model StoredIQ eDiscovery solutions align with the Electronic Discovery Reference Model (EDRM), the industry standard accepted by service and software providers, law firms, industry groups and corporations.
StoredIQ and EDRM StoredIQ's capabilities cover the majority of the EDRM stages, ensuring a comprehensive, efficient approach to eDiscovery.
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Quickly locate matter-relevant electronic documents with advanced search technology Analyze electronic documents in-place with detailed data topology maps, advanced analytics, and precise data explorers Preserve and collect data to a secure legal hold repository, preserving all metadata and business context Act on and manage potentially relevant data in a legally defensible manner with audit trails and a robust chain of custody Reduces eDiscovery time by providing faster collection, preservation and processing to make better legal decisions, meet deadlines and avoid sanctions Provides a fixed-cost solution that provides legal cost predictability Repeatability, transparency, defensibility of the entire eDiscovery process Mitigates the impact and burden on IT


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Robust Active Learning Using Crowdsourced Annotations for Activity Recognition
Last modified: 2011-08-24 Abstract Recognizing human activities from wearable sensor data is an important problem, particularly for health and eldercare applications. However, collecting sufficient labeled training data is challenging, especially since interpreting IMU traces is difficult for human annotators. Recently, crowdsourcing through services such as Amazon's Mechanical Turk has emerged as a promising alternative for annotating such data, with active learning serving as a natural method for affordably selecting an appropriate subset of instances to label. Unfortunately, since most active learning strategies are greedy methods that select the most uncertain sample, they are very sensitive to annotation errors (which corrupt a significant fraction of crowdsourced labels). This paper proposes methods for robust active learning under these conditions. Specifically, we make three contributions: 1) we obtain better initial labels by asking labelers to solve a related task; 2) we propose a new principled method for selecting instances in active learning that is more robust to annotation noise; 3) we estimate confidence scores for labels acquired from MTurk and ask workers to relabel samples that receive low scores under this metric. The proposed method is shown to significantly outperform existing techniques both under controlled noise conditions and in real active learning scenarios. The resulting method trains classifiers that are close in accuracy to those trained using ground-truth data.
Full Text: PDF


Osteoporosis The word osteoporosis literally means porous bones. It occurs when bones lose an excessive amount of their protein and mineral content, particularly calcium. Over time, bone mass, and therefore bone strength, is decreased. As a result, the bones become fragile and break easily. Even a sneeze or a sudden movement may be enough to break a bone in someone with severe osteoporosis. Breaks in the hip and spine are of special concern because they almost always require hospitalization and major surgery; and may lead to other serious consequences, including permanent disability and even death.


Gastrointestinal carcinoid tumors develop from a specialized cell in the lining of the GI tract that produces hormones that regulate digestive enzymes and peristalsis, the contraction of muscles that moves food through the intestines. Gastrointestinal carcinoids are slow-growing tumors that most often develop in the appendix, small intestine and rectum.
Symptoms
No symptoms in early stage, but if the tumor has reached the liver or other parts of the body, the following symptoms may occur:
Redness or a feeling of warmth in the face and neck
Diarrhea
Shortness of breath, fast heartbeat
Fatigue
Swelling in the feet and ankles
Wheezing
Pain or a feeling of abdominal fullness


Tamarisk Of the non-native plant species in Arches, tamarisk is often seen as the most troublesome. This water-loving, Mediterranean plant arrived in North America in the 1800's. It was used initially as an ornamental shrub, and was later planted by the Department of Agriculture to slow erosion along the banks of the Colorado River in Arizona. Spreading upriver at roughly 12 miles per year, tamarisk is now established on all of the Colorado’s tributaries.
Once established, dense tamarisk stands increase fire frequency, lower plant and animal diversity, and significantly alter stream hydrology. Tamarisk consumes a great deal of water, and rarely provides food and shelter necessary for the survival of wildlife. Mature cottonwood communities are declining because shading inhibits the growth of their seedlings.
Courthouse Wash in Arches is one of several sites where the National Park Service has made an effort to control tamarisk. Similar control experiments have been established in nearby areas, mostly in small, tributary canyons of the Colorado River.
Did You Know? Lizards, including the colorful collared lizard, are one of the most frequently seen animals at Arches. When not chasing flies or basking in the sun, they are often seen doing what appears to be push-ups. This odd dance might enhance their stereoscopic vision, helping them see what's looking back at them.


News Release September 15, 2009
For Immediate Release
Contact: Barbara Isanski
(202) 293-9300
bisanski@psychologicalscience.org
Under Pressure: The Impact of Stress on Decision Making
We are faced with making decisions all the time. Often, we carefully deliberate the pros and cons of our choices, taking into consideration past experiences in similar situations before making a final decision. However, a new study suggests that cognitive stress, such as distraction, can influence this balanced, logical approach to decision making.
Psychologists Jane Raymond and Jennifer L. O'Brien of Bangor University in the United Kingdom wanted to investigate how cognitive stress affects rational decision making. In this study, participants played a simple gambling game in which they earned money by deciding between stimuliâ€”in this case, two pictures of different faces. Once their selection was made, it was immediately clear if they had won, lost, or broken even. Each face was always associated with the same outcome throughout this task. In the next stage of the experiment, the volunteers were shown each face individually and had to indicate whether they had seen those faces before. Sometimes volunteers were distracted during this task while other times they were not.
The results, reported in the current issue of Psychological Science , a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, reveal that distractions significantly impact decision making. When volunteers were not distracted, they tended to excel at recognizing faces that had been highly predictive of either winning or losing outcomes. However, when they were distracted, they only recognized faces that had been associated with winning.
The authors note that when we are stressed and need to make a decision, we are "more likely to bear in mind things that have been rewarding and to overlook information predicting negative outcomes." In other words, these findings indicate that irrational biases, which favor previous rewards, may guide our behavior during times of stress.
###
For more information, please contact: Jane Raymond (j.raymond@bangor.ac.uk)
Psychological Science is ranked among the top 10 general psychology journals for impact by the Institute for Scientific Information. For a copy of the article "Selective Visual Attention and Motivation" and access to other Psychological Science research findings, please contact Barbara Isanski at 202-293-9300 or bisanski@psychologicalscience.org.


Mi SciELO Comunicación y sociedad versión impresa ISSN 0188-252XResumen LUGO-ORTIZ, Lourdes. Convergence, emotion and crisis: Journalists in Puerto Rico evaluate their field in the XXI Century . Comun. soc [online]. 2012, n.18, pp. 107-133. ISSN 0188-252X.
This article explores the challenges faced by journalists in Puerto Rico. Based on surveys, the work reports that respondents see their trade is being influenced by two main processes: one involves an economic crisis that has had a negative impact on the resources available for newsroom operations. The second involves a drive for immediacy in online news coverage, which often sacrifices the integrity of media content.
Palabras llave : Convergence; internet; journalism; Puerto Rico; self-perception.


Where do you see yourself in five or ten years? It’s sometimes difficult to see the larger picture. Personal coaching provides clients with feedback, insights and guidance. For individuals who often feel overwhelmed in their lives, personal coaching can help. Coaching is a powerful vehicle for helping people overcome their present life challenges, enabling them function optimally and achieve greater happiness.
A typical coaching session is 50-minutes in length, focused on you, your patterns and what you want out of life. You will leave each personal coaching session with greater insight, inspiration, goals and action steps.
Personal coaching facilitates growth and can assist you in the following ways: Gain powerful insight and greater self-awareness Transform beliefs and face emotions that have kept you feeling stuck or unhappy Improve interpersonal communication skills Identify, reduce and eliminate limiting mental and emotional patterns Learn new skills for successful life transitions Increase motivation and inspiration Improve self-esteem and self-confidence


Monday, 6 October 2008: 10:10 AM
George R. Brown Convention Center, 330B
During a cultural heritage survey conducted by the National Forest Service, numerous (22+) small (2cm), fine-grained “clay marbles” were discovered at a prehistoric human habitation site in Blue Mountains of eastern Washington. The marbles were found adjacent to a cryptocrystalline projectile point associated with the Harder Phase (2500-250 yrs. BP) of human settlement in the Pacific Northwest. Their archeological significance is of some interest. Were the spheres geologic (i.e. sedimentary concretions), biogenic (digestive animal “bezoar” concretions), or were they anthropogenic? Initial visual observations led one of the authors (Williams) to conclude that they were likely natural sedimentary concretions. SEM/EDS revealed a composition consistent with the presence of quartz, feldspars, clays, and metal oxides. To determine the mineralogy, X-ray Powder Diffraction was performed in the UI X-ray Diffraction Laboratory. XRPD scans revealed that the spheres contain a significant non-diffracting component. The mineralogy of the spheres was interesting and unexpected: silica polymorphs (quartz and tridymite) and aluminosilicate polymorphs (sillimanite/mullite). One explanation for the assemblage is contact metamorphism of sediments by much older basaltic lava flows observed at the site location. Given their regular shape, and association with prehistoric artifacts, another possible explanation exists-anthropogenic pyrometamorphism. Mullite is a common component of firebricks, clay pottery, etc., which closely resemble mullite “buchites”. A preliminary conclusion is that the “marbles” may represent fired anthropogenic artifacts. The archeological significance of these items is unknown at present, however ceramic marbles have been used historically for various purposes (e.g. a type of bottle stopper). Also, small stone balls have been found at other prehistoric sites in the western US and interpreted as possible gaming devices. Forensically, the episode is instructive. Initial interpretations based on incomplete information may overlook critical data, and that one significant analytical observation, taken in context, can lead to very interesting and unexpected conclusions.


As neighbors of the Arborway Yard, we were disappointed the project failed to win federal funding. However, across the street, another key development is happening at the former Flanagan & Seaton automobile warehouse at 3521-3529 Washington St. This 3.4-acre development, bordered by McBride and Burnett streets, could double the number of residential units on Burnett and provide needed retail services along Washington. This property represents a fraction of land slated for redevelopment that, along with the removal of the Casey Overpass, has the potential to stimulate positive change—if done well.
The Stonybrook Neighborhood Association (SNA) seeks to ensure that these projects benefit the neighborhood and support 21st century values of sustainability and livability. When the developers of 3521 Washington approached us for feedback, we formed a working group to monitor the project, inform the neighborhood and solicit opinion. The SNA subcommittee conducted surveys and held countless meetings to build consensus. Besides separate residential components, the developers propose a suburban-style shopping center and a large parking lot anchored by a massive storage facility. In contrast, the neighbors desire an urban, transit-oriented, mixed-use development with expanded green space. Over 100 residents completed an association-sponsored survey, with 90 percent agreeing that “bicycling, transit use and walking should be supported on par or better with automobile use.”
Not surprisingly, these sentiments reflect existing Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA) guidelines for the Arborway Yard and other area parcels. Only three years ago, the BRA formulated its Forest Hills Improvement Initiative Use and Design Guidelines, stating, “All new buildings and uses should promote pedestrian, bicycle and public transit use, with only the minimum parking necessary…” Furthermore, the neighborhood “should be a model for green/sustainable development, including…transit-oriented, neighborhood-scaled development…” These guidelines call for 0.75 to 1.0 automobile parking spaces per 1,000 square feet of retail space. Yet, 3521 Washington’s proposed parking ratio is 2.5+ spaces, in contrast to a nearby BRA-approved parcel at Ukraine and Washington with a parking ratio of just over 1.0.
The City of Boston has its own “Smart, Green and Multimodal” initiative dubbed Boston Complete Streets (BCS), which aims to create “great public spaces,” and “address climate change and promote healthy living” by tackling transportation equity. According to its website, “approximately 75% of all trips within a neighborhood are made on foot.”
The redevelopment of 3521 Washington creates a unique opportunity to implement this initiative by establishing green space, incorporating into the Southwest Corridor the empty MBTA land abutting this property and creating community gardens. A serious-minded developer should welcome the chance to be a part of these improvements.
We request that the BRA follow the spirit of the Forest Hills Improvement Initiative and only approve forward-thinking developments. We also ask that the City uphold its Boston Complete Streets tenets to ensure a vibrant, livable Washington streetscape for all.
On Dec. 7 at the English High School Library, the Boston Transportation Department will present how Complete Streets could apply to Washington Street. We encourage everyone to participate in this conversation about its future.
Carl Lowenberg Frederick Vetterlein Co-chairs, Stonybrook Neighborhood Association Jamaica Plain


A Dell Australia executive says women are too modest about their achievements in the workplace, noting: "people whose confidence exceeds their ability are more likely to be men and those whose capabilities exceed their confidence are more likely to be female."
Joe Kremer, the Dell executive, shared a story that feels very, very familiar. Kremer advertised a job that listed six key criteria.
Several male employees who could meet two or three criteria lobbied for the role. Each had a plan for how they would skill up to meet the rest.
"The person who should have got the job was female but she didn't apply. I approached her and she said, 'but of the six things I need, I only have five of them nailed'."
Mr Kremer persisted and the woman applied and landed the role.
As a result of Kremer's observations, he pushed for a women's mentorship program at Dell, to make sure women were not being left behind. However, he notes that only half the battle will be recognizing women's talent.
The harder fight is getting women to take credit for their own accomplishments.
Talented women too modest about abilities - expert [News.com.au]


Fundamental Principles And Case Studies By: Ted Cohen, MS, CCE; Willard S. Ellis, PhD, MD; Joseph J. Morrissey, PhD; Craig Bakuzonis, MEng, CCE; Yadin David, PE, EdD, CCE; and W. David Paperman, CE Many industries and individuals have embraced cellular telephones. They provide mobile, synchronous communication, which could hypothetically increase the efficiency and safety of inpatient healthcare. However, reports of early analog cellular telephones interfering with critical lifesupport machines had led many hospitals to strictly prohibit cellular telephones. A literature search revealed that individual hospitals now are allowing cellular telephone use with various policies to prevent electromagnetic interference with medical devices. The fundamental principles underlying electromagnetic interference are immunity, frequency, modulation technology, distance, and power. Electromagnetic interference risk mitigation methods based on these principles have been successfully implemented. In one case study, a minimum distance between cellular telephones and medical devices is maintained, with restrictions in critical areas. In another case study, cellular telephone coverage is augmented to automatically control the power of the cellular telephone. While no uniform safety standard yet exists, cellular telephones can be safely used in hospitals when their use is managed carefully. CLICK HERE to view/download the entire PDF file document.


RTI holds the promise of ensuring that all children have access to high quality instruction, and that struggling learners – including those with learning disabilities – are identified, supported, and served early and effectively.
The statement of a single, specific desired result from an intervention. To be measurable, the outcome should be expressed in observable and quantifiable terms (i.e., Johnny will demonstrate mastery of grade-level basic math calculation skills as measured by a score of 85% or better on the end of the unit test on numerical operations).
The National Center for Learning Disabilities, Inc., is a not-for-profit, tax-exempt organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. All contributions are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law.
Meets all 20 of the Standards for Charity Accountability.


The Role of Uncle As Father Figure
The past three Father’s Days have been difficult days for me. I’ve spent each of them with my dad, but I missed my beloved uncle in a real and painful way. My Uncle Jerry died after a very brief battle with Pancreatic cancer in February 2009. As this year’s Father’s Day approached I thought about the father figure role that many uncles play in their nephews’ lives. I have a wonderful relationship with my own dad, but my relationship with my uncle was different. He served as a different type of role model for me than my father. My uncle was the one to take me to hockey games and for a ride on the back of a motorcycle. We went on day-long excursions by snowmobile or by boat. It was my uncle who taught me to appreciate an ice cold beer on a hot summer day and a fine glass of wine with good friends as the sun was setting. While my father taught me to drive, it was my uncle who taught me to drive aggressively and strategically and how to appreciate a luxury automobile. Uncle Jerry showed me by example that hard work pays off. He also demonstrated the value of a good vacation away from the office and the importance of enjoying time with the family. My uncle had his own children, but he still made time for me and his other nephews and nieces. Just as there is a significant role for a Savvy Auntie to play in one’s life, there is a significant role for a devoted uncle too. The uncle is an unsung hero in society. As the fond memories of my Uncle Jerry were floating in my head and I was considering the ways he served as a complementary (not surrogate) father figure in my life I was called upon to officiate at a funeral. On the phone, the local funeral director explained that the family was not affiliated with any congregation. He also told me that the contact person would be the deceased’s niece, but that she and her siblings should be treated as the grieving children. When I arrived at the house to meet with the family in preparation for the funeral the following day, I learned that the man I was to eulogize played a substantial role in the lives of his nieces and nephew. While his own father died when he was just a young boy and he grew up without a father figure in his life, he filled that role outstandingly for his own two children as well as for his three nieces and nephew. I listened to the stories flying at me from all directions about a man who shed the “Uncle” title and became “Dad” to four children when their own parents were no longer available. I considered how many uncles fill this role for their nieces and nephews. Some uncles, like the man who just departed this earth, step up and take on a father figure role when the need arises, and do so with love and affection. Others, like my own uncle, serve as a father figure in ways that complement the role of a biological father. Father’s Day was one of my uncle’s favorite days of the year. He loved to open his house to the family and barbeque for us. As everyone was finishing dessert he’d motion to me to go outside and we’d play catch until it was too dark to see the ball. Sometimes I would just watch him hit tennis balls with a golf driver to his eager Golden Retriever. Growing up, I now realize that Father’s Day for me was also a day to honor my uncle and the impact he had on my development. Just as Melanie Notkin has reframed our understanding of aunthood, I encourage everyone to take into account the special role that uncles play in the lives of their nieces and nephews. On this Father’s Day, I will once again pay tribute to the memory of my uncle. Through his actions he was influential in the way I now serve as a father to my own children. While I am not yet an uncle, I know that when the time comes I will look to Uncle Jerry as a role model. His legacy will inspire me to take a father figure approach to being an uncle. In a big way. Rabbi Jason Miller is a blogger and entrepreneur. A frequent contributor to the Huffington Post, he also blogs at http://blog.rabbijason.com. He is the president of Access Computer Technology, based in Michigan. Follow him on Twitter @rabbijason. Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net Published: June 17, 2012


I'm a single gay male in my late 20s. I've met a guy I really like. We chat all the time and we're attracted to each other. We haven't yet been sexually active with each other, but we're planning to get naked and sweaty (and break out the ropes and blindfolds) over Christmas break. Why do we have a date "scheduled" for the sex? Well, because he lives six hours away and that's when he's next coming to visit.
But here's the "problem"—he happens to be HIV-positive. Before you start yelling at me for calling his status a problem, let me elaborate. The problem isn't that he's HIV-positive, per se. The problem is with me. I've had sex with poz guys in the past, but the thing is, I didn't know it at the time. I've always been safe and sensible and yadda yadda yadda, and my last HIV test (two months ago) came back negative. So while I know the risk is no greater with this new guy than it was with any of the poz guys I've slept with before, I'm still nervous and I'm not sure how I'll react emotionally when we go to bed together.
So here's my question, Dan. Is it fair to him to warn him that I might feel a little nervous having sex with him despite the fact that he's smokin' hot and we really want to fuck each other's brains out? I feel like HIV isn't supposed to be a "deal breaker," and he's got it and can't change that fact, and I'd feel guilty putting another burden on him in the form of my own insecurities about it. What should I do?
Neg Kinkster In The Heartland
Unless HIV has been found to burn fat calories, repair damaged split ends, and act as a natural male enhancement since the last time I Googled the virus, NKITH, your friend's HIV status is a problem. While HIV infection may not be the fatal illness it once was (so long as you have access to life-saving drugs, of course), it's still no fucking picnic. It's better to be neg than it is to be poz—and that's a fact, NKITH, not a thought crime.
Presumably you're aware of this guy's HIV status in advance of his visit because he had the decency and the courage to disclose his HIV status to you. The decent and courageous thing for you to do now, NKITH, is to disclose your nervousness to him. Before you break out the ropes and condoms, NKITH, he needs to acknowledge the risks you're taking on when you sleep with him and do all he can to minimize those risks.
Ask him if he's being treated. Inquire about his viral load. Impress on him—in a good-natured, matter-of-fact way—that you desire to remain negative. Emphasize the importance of condoms and tell him that you apologize in advance if nerves get the better of you the first time out. And if you don't know this guy well, I'd leave the bondage and blindfolds off the menu until you've established a real sense of trust. And guess what, kiddo? You can't establish that kind of trust during your first face-to-face/ass-to-face/cock-to-ass visit.
And finally, NKITH, you have to accept that you could get infected even if you do everything right. If you're going to have insertive sex with this man (or any man whose HIV status you're unaware of)—particularly if you plan to blow him without a condom or let him fuck you even with one—you can only minimize your risks, NKITH, not eliminate them. Condoms break, condoms leak—rarely, if they're used correctly, but it does happen. People get infected giving blowjobs—rarely, again, but it does happen. He shouldn't sleep with you if he can't promise to do his best to keep you negative, NKITH. But you shouldn't sleep with him if you can't promise not to hold it against him if, even after doing everything right, you wind up positive.


Mouse and human lung fibroblasts regulate dendritic cell trafficking, airway inflammation, and fibrosis through integrin αvβ8-mediated activation of TGF-β. The Journal of clinical investigation , Vol. 121, No. 7. (July 2011), pp. 2863-2875, doi:10.1172/jci45589 Key: citeulike:11972854Formatted Citation Show HTML Likes (beta) Abstract The airway is a primary portal of entry for noxious environmental stimuli that can trigger airway remodeling, which contributes significantly to airway obstruction in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and chronic asthma. Important pathologic components of airway remodeling include fibrosis and abnormal innate and adaptive immune responses. The positioning of fibroblasts in interstitial spaces suggests that they could participate in both fibrosis and chemokine regulation of the trafficking of immune cells such as dendritic cells, which are crucial antigen-presenting cells. However, physiological evidence for this dual role for fibroblasts is lacking. Here, in two physiologically relevant models - conditional deletion in mouse fibroblasts of the TGF-β-activating integrin αvβ8 and neutralization of αvβ8 in human COPD fibroblasts - we have elucidated a mechanism whereby lung fibroblast chemokine secretion directs dendritic cell trafficking, in a manner that is critically dependent on αvβ8-mediated activation of TGF-β by fibroblasts. Our data therefore indicate that fibroblasts have a crucial role in regulating both fibrotic and immune responses in the lung.


A wheel of Comté in Paris' Rungis Market. Photo: Max Shrem
This summer, Slashfood blogger Max Shrem is apprenticing at renowned Paris cheese shop Fromagerie Trotté. For the next two months, in 'Le Cheese Course,' Max will share his impressions and opinions of French cheese à la francaise! For many of us, tasting a cheese just involves swiping a cheese plane or knife against the surface (or the
pâte ) of a cheese and popping it into our mouths. In France, amongstfromagers (cheese mongers) andaffineurs (cheese agers), a dedicated process involves not only tasting the cheese, but also touching it to feel its texture.is a cheese ritual in which a slender, curved instrument called a Faire la sonde Faire la sonde
sonde à fromage is used to remove a small cylinder of cheese from a wheel. It's like performing surgery on a cheese to inspect the flavor development.A
sonde , which looks like a surgical device, literally translates as a drill, taster and probe. From this tool, the taster pinches off a piece of the cheese to try. In fact, Pascal Trotté of Fromagerie Trotté insists that one actually pinches it off, because he says it's about touching the cheese and acknowledging its consistency.For Pascal, it's this pinching that permits him to measure the quality of a cheese before it enters his mouth. While purchasing cheeses at Rungis, the world's largest food market (573 acres) just outside of Paris, Pascal will choose specific wheels based on this method of tasting.
This tasting process does not leave the wheel with an exposed hole. After the tasting, the piece ejected by the sonde is placed back into the cheese covering part of the hole. Because no fromager wants a hole in his gorgeous round of cheese, and no affineur wants a taster to ruin the look of his or her cheese.
The sonde also lets affineurs taste their cheese and determine how to proceed with the aging process. For instance, an affineur may decide to continue or to terminate the aging of a wheel of Gruyère depending on the flavor and on the texture that he is looking to create.
While we may not all have the pleasure of sampling a cheese using a sonde, we can still perform some more elementary tests on cheese. The next time you're sampling a new cheese, give it a pinch before popping it in your mouth: if it's soft and creamy, it's typically sweet and mild. If only we could apply these character tests to people!


Qatar increases its Index ranking by seven places. Energy security is very weak (rank 81) due to weak diversity of electricity production and of energy exports, a small wholesale margin on gasoline and a positive 5 year energy consumption growth trend. However, a decrease in the energy consumption growth trend improved energy security rankings from 2011. An improvement across all indicators also led to a better environmental performance. Qatar continues to perform well in social equity and economic strength with good scores across all indicators. However, a drop in political and societal strength is driven by a small deterioration across all indicators.


NETWORK LAUNCHED TO UNITE MILITARY SPOUSES WITH LAW DEGREES Website and Facebook Group allow military spouses to connect and advocate for eliminating barriers to the practice of law. Attorney spouses of military members face significant challenges maintaining their legal careers while supporting their spouse’s military career. Many families find balancing a military career with a legal career too difficult. In those cases, either the legal profession or the military loses a valuable member. The Military Spouse JD Network ("MSJDN") was formed by two military spouses who have maintained successful legal careers through frequent transfers with their spouses. The MSJDN focuses on:– advocating for provisional bar membership and admission in each state,
– educating the community about the benefits of hiring military spouses with law degrees, and
– providing a network for attorney spouses to connect with and support each other. With the support of co-founder Mary Reding, Ohio is considering providing provisional bar membership to qualified military spouses. The MSJDN urges each state to review its bar admission requirements to ensure they are reasonable for military spouses who typically move every two to four years. The MSJDN also supports the uniform bar exam. The MSJDN will highlight to employers the benefits of hiring military spouses. In addition, the network allows attorney spouses to share career advice, such as identifying legal careers that are portable and consistent with being a military spouse. "No organization previously existed to connect attorney military spouses," according to co-founder Erin Wirth. "Spouses navigated bar admissions and employment searches without any support or advice. This network provides a way to identify military spouses with law degrees; document our diverse career paths, challenges, and achievements; and to address our unique needs." The MSJDN includes spouses from all five branches of the United States Military: Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marines, and Navy. The network is also open to active duty military members, spouses of retired service members and reservists, and community members who support the network’s mission.
The Military Spouse JD Network is dedicated to eliminating barriers to the practice of law and making the legal profession a portable and viable career option for military spouses. If you would like more information about the Military Spouse JD Network, contact Mary Reding at and visit .


Introduction to the Theory of Social Representations Humans are social animals who live through interaction with each other. Individuals, therefore, do not think in isolation. Instead, they construct a framework of shared references that define how to think about the world around them. Such shared references can be viewed as social representations. This seminar aims to familiarize students with social representations theory, an original approach to social psychology. The interdisciplinary orientation of this approach provides us with new insights into many key aspects of modern life. With the help of social representations theory, we are able to re-examine and shed new light on engaging societal phenomena such as health and illness, madness, AIDS, biogenetics, intelligence, food, money, or race.


ARHP members are expected to regularly affirm their support for the organization’s Code of Ethics and consistently abide by this Code. This applies to all ARHP members, including those who engage in clinical or public health practice, research, teaching, medical/legal, administrative, managerial, regulatory, and related realms.
ARHP members attest that they:
are guided by serving the best interests of individual patients and patient populations. Business needs, societal expectations, and organizational pressures do not take priority over these best interests. support individual autonomy and patient-centered care. This includes valuing patients’ cultural traditions, personal preferences and values, family situations, and lifestyles. It includes working collaboratively with individuals to make decisions about health care that are best for his/her unique needs. value reproductive care, rights, and justice. This includes access to health services by under-served communities, and a fair distribution of health resources to actively eliminate discrimination. This value promotes policies that aspire to protect or improve the health of communities while reducing inequities. strictly abide by the ethics and standards of his/her profession. Professionals who provide or have provided direct patient care should have an absence of formal, credible professional disciplinary actions that result in restrictions or limitations placed on his/her license. seek to regularly maintain professional competence. This includes a commitment to life-long learning about current scientific evidence and best practice guidelines, while continuously improving his/her professional performance. Approved by ARHP’s Board of Directors, March 10, 2011.


Professional certification is the voluntary process by which a non-governmental entity grants a time-limited recognition to an individual after verifying that predetermined and standardized criteria have been met. Because biofeedback is an unregulated field, certification is crucial for providing standards of care. To be viable as a professional service, standards of competence and clinical practice must be defined and measured. Since 1981, BCIA has taken on this task.Through the BCIA recertification program, each certificant is held accountable to a code of ethics, obtains specified continuing education, and maintains proper credentialing appropriate for clinical practice.
To become a Board-certified practitioner, one must:


President John Mahama has pledged his government will expand the Youth in Agriculture programme to boost growth in the agricultural sector.
He noted that the success of the National Service Scheme (NSS) youth in agriculture programme across the country is impressive.
Speaking at the 28th National Farmers Day celebration at Abokobi in the Ga East municipality in the Greater Accra Region, President Mahama stated that it delights him to see the youth improving their lives through agriculture.
“An increasing number of our youth are seeing agriculture as a profitable and attractive venture and are therefore taking to agriculture. The Youth in Agriculture programme has been a remarkable success and government intends to expand it,” he said.
He commended the National Service Scheme (NSS) for venturing into projects in the agric sector “and the interests they are generating amongst our young people and National Service men in agriculture.”
The President further outlined government policies for the Agric sector saying, “it is the commitment of this government to sustain this achievement in the agric sector by continuous acceleration of its development.”
He revealed that in the second term of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) administration if voted back into power, the economic transformation of Ghana will be hinged on agricultural modernization as a major pillar for economic advancement.
“This pillar will be propelled by two main strategies. The first involves the implementation of the food and agricultural development policy which we popularly call FASDEP and the corresponding investment plan as detailed in our medium term agricultural sector investment plan,” he explained.
President Mahama added that “the key elements of this strategy will include transforming the agric sector from a resourced based to a technology based industry.”
By: Citifmonline.com/Ghana


Planning for case closing:
is a clearly defined process that includes assignment of staff responsibility;
begins at intake; and
involves the worker, the family, and others, as appropriate.
The organization provides youth transitioning to independence with information about:
health and financial assistance or other available benefits;
community resources and support services;
housing options;
financial planning;
compiling necessary legal and personal documents; and
information to maintain an ongoing relationship with their tribe and tribal community members, as appropriate.
Interpretation: “Legal and personal documents” can include:
an identification card;
a resume;
a driver’s license;
an original copy of the youth’s birth certificate;
religious documents and information;
documentation of tribal eligibility and membership;
documentation of immigration, citizenship, or naturalization, if applicable; and
educational records.
Interpretation: Housing options may include a full range from supported living to a fully independent living environment. When the case involves an Indian child, the organization should work with the tribe and the youth in transition to explore the risks and benefits of housing options within Indian country and prepare youth for this potential transition.
Research Note: Organizations should explore the definition of independence with youth to ensure that youth are transitioning into a living arrangement that meets their needs and honors their belief system and cultural values. Establishing strong interdependent relationships with a committed
caregiver, extended family, and supportive community members can smooth the transition into adulthood and independence.
NA The organization does not serve youth transitioning to independence.
Upon case closing, the organization notifies any collaborating service providers, including the courts and tribal governments, as appropriate.
If a family is asked to leave the
program, the organization makes every effort to link them with appropriate services.
The organization that has a contract with a public authority that does not include aftercare planning or follow-up:
conducts a formal case closing evaluation and assessment of unmet needs; and
informs the public body of the findings, in writing, as appropriate to the contract and with the permission of the family member.
NA The organization does not have a relevant contract.


To look over; to explore or examine for something; as, to prospect a district for gold.
To make a search; to seek; to explore, as for mines or the like; as, to prospect for gold.
Generally a donor; may also be a record of information of persons related to donors and donations (solicitors, contacts, groups, corporations, families, etc.). The term may also be used as shorthand to refer to PledgeMaker records (Prospect Information).
A potential hydrocarbon trap which has been confirmed by geological and geophysical studies to warrant the drilling of an exploration well.
A lease or group of leases on which an operator intends to drill.
an area of land with insufficient data available on the mineralisation to determine if it is economically recoverable, but warranting further investigation. development of additional reserves; depletion of existing reserves through production; actual mining experience; and price forecasts.
A specified location or an area targeted for leasing and drilling.
A potential buyer of an insurance policy or program.
A person who the consultant has identified as a potential customer, or potential new consultant - See Applicant
An alumnus/a or friend of Eastern Michigan University with the potential to make a charitable gift.
explore for useful or valuable things or substances, such as minerals
a friend you haven't met yet
a geologist's idea of a petroleum filled trap which is documented in some manner by interpreted geologic data
a qualified person or business that has the potential to buy your product or service
to explore, especially for mineral deposits.
A mineral deposit with insufficient data available on mineralisation to determine if it is economically recoverable, but warranting further investigation.
A potential new customer who can be approached for buying an insurance policy.
The hypothesis that a naturally occurring, commercially exploitable accumulation of oil or gas exists, at a clearly defined underground location. One or more geologic maps describe it. A single well should be sufficient to test the hypothesis. Surface area of a prospect could range from a ten-acre tract enough for a single well, to a tract covering many square miles and requiring dozens of wells to fully develop its reserves.
mineral occurrence with the potential for an economic deposit.
A promising area where exploratory wells could be drilled.
A potential buyer for a product or service who has yet to make a purchase
A potential buyer or customer.
A potential buyer for insurance.
A geological or geophysical anomaly that has been surveyed and defined, usually by seismic data, to the degree that its configuration is fairly well established, and on which further exploration such as drilling can be recommended.
A geographical area that exploration has shown contains sedimentary rocks and structures favorable for the presence of crude oil or natural gas.
A person whose name is on a mailing list considered to be a potential buyer for a given product or service, but who has not previously made such a purchase.
1) To investigate land for valuable mineral deposits. 2) A potential buyer.
n., V.t. n. any potential donor whose linkages, giving ability, and interests have been confirmed. V.t. to identify (a prospect).
A mining property, the value of which has not been determined by exploration.
A potential buyer of a product or service.
A person on a list who is considered to be a potential buyer but who has not made a purchase yet.
Potential customers.
An area designated for the potential drilling of development or exploratory wells.
Any entity (person or non-person) that has been identified with the potential to provide major-gift level support (current or future) to the University of Idaho. They must also indicate philanthropic interest in the UI.
A potential customer or recruit.
A specific geographic area which, based on supporting geological, geophysical or other data and also preliminary economic analysis using reasonably anticipated prices and costs, is deemed to have potential for the discovery of commercial hydrocarbons.
One who is looked on as a potential policyholder.
A potential customer who you have targeted.
The name of a person on a mailing list, who has not previously made a purchase, but is considered to be a potential buyer for a given product or service .
An area of ground considered worthy of investigation with respect to mineral potential;
Potential customer or client.
The term commonly used to refer to a potential buyer of insurance.


The Portuguese property sales market remains weak, despite strong lettings activity, according to the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (Rics)/Ci Portuguese Housing Market Survey (PHMS).
Results from the March PHMS show the continued weakness of the sales market, across price, activity and expectations. While the national price balance and confidence index improved slightly, they still remain in negative territory.
Falling demand is one of the reasons cited behind the decline in property prices in Portugal.
By contrast, the lettings market has benefited from a lack of available finance, as households who cannot afford a mortgage are deciding to rent instead.
Josh Miller, senior economist at Rics, said rents were also declining, despite being more robust than the rest of the property market.
He stated: "[This] may be indicative of the current stresses on the household sector, reflected in a 15% unemployment rate."
The Financial Times recently reported that property prices are lower in central and northern Portugal, compared to those in the popular tourist areas further south and around Lisbon.


KitchenAid has spent decades creating innovative products for the well-equipped kitchen. From commercial grade cooktops and wine cellars to stand mixers and an impressive assortment of cookware, bakeware and accessories, they offer virtually every culinary essential you could need. Before their dishwashers clean your dishes, they test them beyond accepted industry standards. The result is a wash system that delivers exceptional cleaning performance in many notable ways. A signature feature of all KitchenAid dishwashers is their convenient in-dishwasher food disposer. During the cycle, food particles are collected, ground up, then filtered out of the dishwasher. There is no filter to clean by hand - removing a common source of unwanted odors. Simply put, the in-dishwasher food disposer minimizes unwanted steps - such as pre rinsing dishes - letting you take dishes straight from the table to the dishwasher. Another example of their commitment to higher standards is their stainless steel lower wash arms. Four arms release jets of water from then precisely angled locations. Continuously sending water to every corner of the tub ensures that even your large loads receive maximum coverage. And, because they're made of stainless steel, you can expect them to wear well over time. Their wash system is also designed to consumer's needs. This drives them to innovations such as their ProScrub option. The ProScrub option delivers exceptional cleaning performance during a Normal cycle with no added time or energy/water consumption. Powerful spray jets increase water pressure at frequent intervals and direct the water towards dishes loaded in the lower rack. The concentrated cleaning is ideal for stubborn messes that result from seared, baked on, or caramelized soils. With the increased intensity occurring only in a specific area, you can still clean delicate stemware in the same load.
4 of 4(100%)customers would recommend this product to a friend.


Allsup is the premier nationwide provider of disability services that helps veterans and those with disabilities lead lives that are as financially secure and as healthy as possible.
Reasons you should choose Allsup for appealing your veterans benefits:
Allsup specializes in disability and has nearly 30 years of experience helping people navigate complex government programs. Our team focuses on helping veterans like you successfully win an appeal so they can receive the highest possible rating level of disability compensation. We know the ins and outs of navigating the roadblocks to get you the benefits you deserve. Allsup’s VA-accredited Claims Agents prepare a thorough and accurate appeal so the VA can quickly and efficiently review your case and make a decision. We take an integrated approach to your needs – we also can represent you for an SSDI benefits claim if you’re eligible, and help you achieve greater financial stability with the Disability Life Planning Service ®. Only Allsup delivers True Help® , with a wide range of specialized services, information, guidance and customer support to help you manage through the financial and healthcare impact of your disabilities, now and in the future. Your duty was to fight for our country. Our duty is to fight for the disability benefits you deserve.
Allsup can help you through this unfamiliar, complex and long process.
You can elect that a Notice of Disagreement (NOD) appeal go directly to the Board of Veterans’ Appeals (BVA) or to a Decision Review Officer (DRO). Once an (NOD) appeal is filed, it takes an average of 645 days for a (DRO) to reach a decision, and 1,215 days, or over three years, for the (BVA) to reach a decision. If the BVA remands your claim back to the Regional Office to correct any mistakes, it takes an average of 427 days for the Regional Office to process a new decision. The soonest you can expect to receive a decision regarding your claim is, on average, approximately five years. More realistically, claims can take six to seven years to resolve completely. You don’t have to go it alone.
This long process points to the need for specialized help, especially because veterans who use a paid VA-accredited Claims Agent generally receive a higher approval rate and disability benefit rating. With Allsup’s help, you don’t have to go through the process alone.
A 2005 report by the VA Office of the Inspector General stated that “the average annual disability payments for veterans with representation were $6,225 higher than the payments for those without representation.” In 2005, a $6,225 increase in benefits was approximately a 40 percent increase in a veteran’s disability rating.
We are not affiliated with or funded by the VA.


Merchandise trade: September 2012 According to SCAD's report, the total value of non-oil merchandise trade in September 2012 was Dhs11,793m, of which Dhs9,242m (78.4% of total) was imports, Dhs1,242m (10.5% of total) was non-oil exports of and Dhs1,309m (11.1% of total) was re-exports.Total non-oil merchandise trade dropped by Dhs242m (2.0%) in September compared with August 2012, with non-oil exports retreating by Dhs948m (43.3%) while imports advanced by Dhs478m (5.5%) and re-exports by Dhs227m (21.0%) over the same period of time.
A year on year comparison (September 2012/2011) shows a decrease of Dhs160m (1.3%) in total trade, with imports decreasing by Dhs1,140m (11.0%), while non-oil exports increased by Dhs684m (122.5%) and re-exports by Dhs297m (29.3%), over the same period.
Non-oil merchandise trade: September compared with August 2012 Analysis of trade data for September compared with August 2012 reveals a rise of 5.5% in imports, due to increases in the imports of "Machinery and transport equipment" by Dhs432m (10.0%) and "Chemicals and related products" by Dhs249m(29.9%).Meanwhile, the value of non-oil exports declined by 43.3%, reflecting decreases of Dhs600m (79.3%) in "Machinery and transport equipment", Dhs289m (44.6%) in "Chemicals and related products" and Dhs115m (24.5% in "Manufactured goods classified chiefly by material".
On the other hand, re-exports advanced by 21.0%, with increases of Dhs192m (26.7%) in "Machinery and transport equipment" and Dhs47m (143%) in "Manufactured goods classified chiefly by material".
Non-oil merchandise trade in September 2012 compared with September 2011 A year-on-year comparison of non-oil merchandise trade data ( for September 2012/2011) indicates a fall of 11 percent in the value of imports, due to decreases of Dhs713m (13.0%) in "Machinery and transport equipment" and Dhs417m (55.0%) in "Other" commodities.By contrast, non-oil exports advanced 122.5%, with increases of Dhs257m (1,268.9%) in "Miscellaneous manufactured items", Dhs180m (100.5%) in "Chemicals and related products" and Dhs118m (49.6%) in "Manufactured goods classified chiefly by material".
Similarly, the value of re-exports increased by 29.3%, reflecting increases of Dhs288m (46.4%) in "Machinery and transport equipment" and Dhs53m (143.0%) in "Manufactured goods classified chiefly by material", which were partially offset by a decrease of Dhs41m (17.9%) in "Miscellaneous manufactured items".
Non-oil merchandise trade by country: September 2012 SCAD's report also details the imports, non-oil exports and re-exports in September 2012 by value and trading partner, revealing that the top countries of origin for imports were USA, which was the source of imports worth (Dhs1,119m), Germany (Dhs1,117m) and Saudi Arabia (Dhs915m). Together, these three countries supplied 34.1% of Abu Dhabi's total imports in September 2012.China was the top destination of Abu Dhabi's non-oil exports in September 2012, receiving merchandise worth (Dhs372m), followed by Saudi Arabia (Dhs363m) and Singapore (Dhs106m). The combined share of these three countries was 67.7% of total non-oil exports in September 2012.
Bahrain topped the list of destinations for Abu Dhabi's re-exports by value, receiving merchandise worth (Dhs271m), followed by Qatar (Dhs200m) and Saudi Arabia (Dhs178m). Re-exports to these top three countries made up 49.6% of total re-exports during September 2012.
Historical series of monthly trade data- January 2010 to September 2012 SCAD explained that the largest monthly figure for imports through the ports of Abu Dhabi over the period from January 2010 to September 2012 was Dhs12,777m, recorded in October 2011, while the largest non-oil exports figure (Dhs3,261m) was recorded in August 2010, and the largest re-exports (Dhs1,360m) in May 2012.The Centre noted that the goods covered under the report methodology do not belong entirely to the Emirate of Abu Dhabi but to other Emirates as well. This report does not record Abu Dhabi's trade through the ports of the other Emirates either.
The report data have been sourced from the Abu Dhabi Department of Finance - Customs Administration, with the scope of the statistic therefore restricted to the trade flows recorded at ports operated under the jurisdiction of the Customs Administration. The report highlights the relative importance of each individual component of imports, non-oil exports and re-exports.