The medical records of all patients born between 1 September, 2000, and 31 August, 2002, and undergoing the first stage of Norwood reconstruction, were retrospectively reviewed for details of the perioperative course. We found 99 consecutive patients who met the criterions for inclusion. Hospital mortality for the entire cohort was 15.2%, but was 7.3%, with 4 of 55 dying, in the setting of a "standard" risk profile, as opposed to 25.0% for those with a "high" risk profile, 11 of 44 patients dying in this group. Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation was utilized in 7 patients, with 6 deaths. Median postoperative length of stay in the hospital was 14 days, with a range from 2 to 85 days, and stay in the cardiac intensive care unit was 11 days, with a range from 2 to 85 days. Delayed sternal closure was performed in 18.2%, with a median of 1 day until closure, with a range from zero to 5 days. Excluding isolated delayed sternal closure, and cannulation and decannulation for extracorporeal support, 24 patients underwent 33 cardiothoracic reoperations, including exploration for bleeding in 12, diaphragmatic plication in 4; shunt revision in 4, and other procedures in 13. The median duration of total mechanical ventilation was 4.0 days, with a range from 0.7 to 80.5 days. Excluding those who died, the median total duration of mechanical ventilation was 3.8 days, with a range from 0.9 to 46.3 days. Reintubation for cardiorespiratory failure or upper airway obstruction was performed in 31 patients. Postoperative electroencephalographic and/or clinical seizures occurred in 13 patients, with 7 discharged on anti-convulsant medications. Postoperative renal failure, defined as a level of creatinine greater than 1.5 mg/dl, was present in 13 patients. Eleven had significant thrombocytopenia, with fewer than 20,000 platelets per microl, and injury to the vocal cords was identified in eight patients. Risk factors for longer length of stay included lower Apgar scores, preoperative intubation, early reoperations, reintubation and sepsis, but not weight at birth, genetic syndromes, the specific surgeon, or the duration of surgery. Although mortality rates after the first stage of reconstruction continue to fall, the course in the intensive care unit is remarkable for significant morbidity, especially involving the cardiac, pulmonary and central nervous systems. These patients utilize significant resources during the first hospitalization. Further studies are necessary to stratify the risks faced by patients with hypoplasia of the left heart in whom the first stage of Norwood reconstruction is planned, to determine methods to reduce perioperative morbidity, and to determine the long-term implications of short-term complications, such as diaphragmatic paresis, injury to the vocal cords, prolonged mechanical ventilation, and postoperative seizures.


Ochre House and Pinstripe Create Strategic Workforce Planning Roadmap
As HR professionals look to be more strategic in a tough economy, there are still barriers to implementing Strategic Workforce Planning (SWP). In a series of global think tanks held in London, Holland, Germany, Singapore and San Francisco, Ochre House and international partner Pinstripe brought together HR leaders from global organizations to discuss the success criteria for effective SWP.
With involvement from organizations including Arcelor Mittal, Barclays Wealth, Xerox, Gilead, BAE, Nokia, Shell, T-Mobile, BT, Vodafone and Siemens, Ochre House and Pinstripe have developed a roadmap to SWP.
This framework – outlined in the whitepaper A Blueprint for Effective Strategic Workforce Planning – consists of seven key stages:
Create a vision for success that aligns talent with the strategic direction of the organisation
Engage stakeholders to build support for your vision
Start simple . It doesn’t need to be overly complicated
Define your deliverables in the early stages to give you clear goals to aim for
Identify the right internal talent to help execute your plan and achieve your vision
Leverage market intelligence and internal data
Iterate . SWP is a continuous process that must evolve so always leverage feedback
“As HR professionals we’ve long been talking about Strategic Workforce Planning, but with so many barriers to overcome and a lack of examples, there has been no clear guidance on how to implement it.” According to Sue Brooks, Managing Director at Ochre House. “Whilst there will never be a one-size-fits-all solution, we hope these seven pillars to success will give HR departments the guidance they need to develop a structured and fully strategic workforce plan.”
A copy of the full whitepaper including the detailed roadmap and on-demand webinar featuring a Case Study by Arcelor Mittal’s Ali Gilani are available for download here: http://resources.pinstripetalent.com/GlobalTalentWebinar-SWP.html.


[show abstract] [hide abstract]ABSTRACT: To identify the gut-associated tick aspartic hemoglobinase, this work focuses on the functional diversity of multiple Ixodes ricinus cathepsin D forms (IrCDs). Out of three encoding genes representing Ixodes scapularis genome paralogs, IrCD1 is the most distinct enzyme with a shortened propeptide region and a unique pattern of predicted post-translational modifications. IrCD1 gene transcription is induced by tick feeding and is restricted to the gut tissue. The hemoglobinolytic role of IrCD1 was further supported by immunolocalization of IrCD1 in the vesicles of tick gut cells. Properties of recombinantly expressed rIrCD1 are consistent with the endo-lysosomal environment because the zymogen is autoactivated and remains optimally active in acidic conditions. Hemoglobin cleavage pattern of rIrCD1 is identical to that produced by the native enzyme. The preference for hydrophobic residues at the P1 and P1' position was confirmed by screening a novel synthetic tetradecapeptidyl substrate library. Outside the S1-S1' regions, rIrCD1 tolerates most amino acids but displays a preference for tyrosine at P3 and alanine at P2'. Further analysis of the cleavage site location within the peptide substrate indicated that IrCD1 is a true endopeptidase. The role in hemoglobinolysis was verified with RNAi knockdown of IrCD1 that decreased gut extract cathepsin D activity by >90%. IrCD1 was newly characterized as a unique hemoglobinolytic cathepsin D contributing to the complex intestinal proteolytic network of mainly cysteine peptidases in ticks. Journal of Biological Chemistry 04/2012; 287(25):21152-63. · 4.77 Impact Factor


Wiki Wednesday: Twenty’s Plenty
In July 2008, the British Medical Association called for the application of 20 mph zones throughout residential neighborhoods, not just in the vicinity of schools, where they are commonly applied. Stockport public health director Dr. Stephen Watkins stated that "a child hit at 20mph has a 5% chance of dying compared to 50% at 30mph." He noted the difference between a two mile journey at 20mph and a two mile journey at 40 mph was just three minutes. "We are killing our children for the sake of a couple of minutes," he said.
And since we're in stimulus mode, here's another excerpt:
The UK study of best traffic practices across the Europe and the U.K. concluded that 20 mph streets also increased pedestrian activity, bicycling, a sense of safety among residents, and economic activity. The study cited evidence from the city of Horsham, U.K., where 20 mph speed limits, along with a bypass road, public arts, gardens, and other pedestrian amenities have lead to the opening of new shops and restaurants, and a higher level of overall economic activity.
Okay, I'm convinced. Let's get some shovels in the ground on those ped safety plans.


In a decision that has wide-ranging implications for photo enforcement, speeding tickets and driving under the influence of alcohol (DUI) charges, the US Supreme Court yesterday reconfirmed the Sixth Amendment right to confront one’s accuser applies to analysts who claim to have certified evidence from a machine. The 5-4 decision concluded that “stand-in” expert witnesses are not a substitute for the individuals who actually conducted the tests. The decision broadens the applicability of the landmark Melendez-Diaz ruling from 2009, which has already led to appellate division cases in four California counties to throw out red light camera evidence.
The high court examined the case of Donald Bullcoming whose vehicle rear-ended a truck belonging to Dennis Jackson in Farmington, New Mexico on August 14, 2005. Jackson went to exchange insurance information with Bullcoming and noticed that the man smelled of alcohol. Bullcoming fled the scene on foot before police arrived, but Officer Marty Snowbarger caught up to him and arrested him for DUI. After a breath test was refused, Snowbarger obtained a warrant to take Bullcoming’s blood. Forensic analyst Curtis Caylor’s test of this sample showed a blood alcohol content (BAC) of 0.21, a result that served as the primary evidence against Bullcoming at trial.
The blood testing process is performed by a gas chromatograph machine but remains subject to human error. The court noted a “fairly complex” Colorado lab mistake systematically produced high BAC readings for 206 defendants. Caylor did not testify at trial because he had been put on unpaid leave from his job for an unspecified reason. Instead, Gerasimos Razatos testified regarding the results which he had neither observed nor reviewed.
The high court examined the question of whether a lab report could be introduced as evidence by an “expert” who did not actually conduct the tests in question. The prosecution argued that the gas chromatograph machine was the accuser in the case and that Caylor simply wrote down the result without exercising independent judgment. For that reason, Razatos was an equivalent substitute. The court disagreed.
“Suppose a police report recorded an objective fact — Bullcoming’s counsel posited the address above the front door of a house or the read-out of a radar gun,” Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg wrote for the majority. “Could an officer other than the one who saw the number on the house or gun present the information in court — so long as that officer was equipped to testify about any technology the observing officer deployed and the police department’s standard operating procedures? As our precedent makes plain, the answer is emphatically ‘No.’”
The court majority noted that using a surrogate witness would conceal any lapses or lies on the part of the certifying analyst. It also noted that the burden on the prosecution from the requirement of live testimony could have been cured by having Razatos retest the blood sample, which was preserved in accordance with New Mexico law.
“As a rule, if an out-of-court statement is testimonial in nature, it may not be introduced against the accused at trial unless the witness who made the statement is unavailable and the accused has had a prior opportunity to confront that witness,” Ginsburg concluded.
The decision represented a rare coalition of the most liberal and most conservative members of the court. Ginsburg and President Obama’s nominees to the court, Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan, were joined by Justices Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas.
A copy of the decision is available in a 275k PDF file at the source link below.
[Courtesy: Thenewspaper.com]


Hey Blueberry,
I'm reading Peace at the moment - wonderful book; really inspires you to look within, you know? Challenge your perceptions of yourself and others.
Usually when we make mistakes out of anger, jealousy or hatred, we justify our actions. "Yes I did this or that, but only because I was angry at this thing or this person". We rarely "back down", and even when we know within ourselves that what we did was wrong, we can still find some justification for what we did, as view it as being right.
However, when we admit we are wrong, when we sincerely regret the actions that came from these negative emotions, we face ourselves. We take responsibility for ourselves and we hold ourselves accountable for our actions. As a result of this, we acknowledge the consequences, the harm our actions bring to others and ourselves. When we stop running away from the situation (i.e. justifying our actions), from there wisdom is born.
When people react badly to our confessions, we become frustrated or upset. Surely they should forgive us, right? That's not for us to expect. How they deal with you is their business, and if we have hurt people in some way, there's no guarantee that a confession/apology will bring a positive reaction.
But it's not about their reaction. You can't control how they feel, or what they think. However, by facing up to what you have done, by admitting your mistakes, you take the first step that many don't: you take ownership, responsibility for your actions and in doing this, you really learn to chip away at the negative actions and become more mindful of the consequences that your actions have - therefore, you eventually stop making the same or similar mistakes.
By not admitting mistakes, by not taking responsibility, how can we recognise that we are making mistakes? It's impossible to be wrong when you think you are right.
In the end, your practice is about your own self development, it's not about anyone else. Admitting your mistakes is not about getting forgiveness from others; it's about taking the steps necessary to wake up to yourself.
Hope this helps! (Moreso, I hope it's accurate...)
Kind regards,
Sandy


Formation and Transport of the Sulfonic Acid Metabolite of Alachlor and Metolachlor in Soil By D.S. Aga and E.M. Thurman
ABSTRACT Alachlor and metolachlor are dechlorinated and transformed into their corresponding ethane sulfonic acie (ESA) metabolites in soil. In a
field-disappearance study, it was shown that alachlor ESA was formed at a faster rate and at concentrations 2-4 times higher than metolachlor ESA,
conforming with the observed longer disappearance half-life of metolachlor (15.5 d) in the field as compared to alachlor (8 d). Runoff data also showed
higher concentrations of alachlor ESA as compared to metolachlor ESA, even though they were applied at the same levels. Data from soil cores showed
transport of the ESA compounds in soil to as far down as 75-90 cm below the surface, at concentrations ranging from less than 0.5 Î/L to about 50 Î/L.
In contrast, no parent herbicide was detected at these depths. This observation correlates with the higher log
Additional information about the Organic Geochemistry Research Laboratory can be found at: http://ks.water.usgs.gov/pages/9-Research-Lab To request a paper copy of this journal article, email: scribner@usgs.gov


The Rev. Trudy Bradley, M.Div. alum and former Marylhurst faculty member, was remembered at the Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon's Annual Community Awards & Celebration Dinner on April 25, 2013.
Our Graduate Certificate in Pastoral Care is designed for students who have completed a bachelor's, master's or doctoral degree.
While our graduate certificate courses are ideal for changing career direction or enhancing a current career in ministry, caregiving or teaching, they also serve as a foundation to complete a Marylhurst Master of Arts in Applied Pastoral Theology or Master of Divinity.
We schedule classes to not conflict with services, so that ministers and other spiritual professionals may attend.
What You Will Learn In our pastoral care program, you will explore specialized subjects within religion, integrating studies in scripture, ministry, theology and psychology.
In this program, you will:
Train in methods for ministering to the sick, the elderly, those in need and those who simply require guidance Learn about the relationship of religion and philosophy Engage in an internship Career Paths Individuals and organizations increasingly are seeking a source of personal and philosophical growth. Pastoral care careers include caregiver, educator, author, spiritual practitioner and ministerial service provider.
Occupational Profile on O*NET (21-2011: Clergy)
Program Length & Costs The estimated time to complete the program is 11 ½ months.
Estimated costs are: Tuition* (47 credits) = $27,166 Books & Supplies ($50 per credit) = $2,350 TOTAL = $29,516*Calculated at the current 2013-14 tuition rate.


Obamacare Ruling Post-Mortem Thoughts
At a Federalist Society event on Capitol Hill, two attorneys
who spoke at the RNLA’s 2012 National Policy Conference and were intimately
involved in the Obamacare litigation provided their insights into last week’s decision.
Michael Carvin, who represented the National Federation of
Independent Business before the high court, spoke about the majority opinion
upholding the Obamacare individual mandate.
Carvin remarked that it is hard not to be cynical about the
process, with the Court finding the individual mandate exceeds Congress’
commerce power, but somehow fits within its taxing power.
He believes that the court effectively changed the
individual mandate statute, as on its face, the statute establishes fines as a
consequence to the mandate. “No rational person can think this wasn’t a
re-write,” he said.
Further, Carvin was disillusioned about re-writing the
statute to be a tax, considering Congress and President Obama explicitly told
the American people the individual mandate was not a tax. He claimed that
deferring to Congress and the Administration on the individual mandate being a
tax is like “deferring to Bernie Madoff because you believe in the free market
process.”
Carrie Severino, Chief Counsel of the Judicial Crisis
Network and author of an amicus brief in the Obamacare case, also spoke at the
event.
She refuted comments that have labeled Chief Justice
Roberts’ opinion as “statesmanlike,” saying that such actions are judicial
activism. “Decisions based on considerations other than the law itself” are
judicial activisim, Severino said, citing a definition promulgated by Judge
Robert Bork.
Despite the setbacks for opponents of the individual mandate
in the ruling, Severino proffered that there are three “silver linings” that
those on the losing end could take away from the holding.
First, she noted that the holding exposes the dishonesty in
comments by congressional Democrats and President Obama that the individual
mandate does not constitute a tax. As Chief Justice Roberts declared, the
individual mandate only stands because it is an exercise of Congress’ taxing
power.
Second, she believes the holding provided some key narrowing
in commerce clause jurisprudence. Despite upholding the individual mandate,
Chief Justice Roberts provided a fifth vote for establishing that there is an
end to Congress’ oft-cited commerce power, which could be applied in future
Commere Clause cases.
Finally, Severino noted that the decision has created an
opportunity for citizens to become educated on constitutional issues. She
proffered that conservatives benefit when Americans learn more about the
constitutional structure and that Congress is a branch of limited, enumerated
powers under Article I.
While on the same side of the case as Severino, Carvin said
that he is “not of [the] silver lining view.” He called the outcome a “fundamentally
frustrating episode” and repeatedly called the Chief Justice’s reasoning
“sophistry on stilts.”
However, he did say that the politics may benefit
Republicans, and that he hoped this November’s election leads to the decision
that many contend Chief Justice Roberts avoided making – striking the
individual mandate.


Affirmative action measures, particularly the use of quotas, are contentious because they are assumed to contravene the merit principle. This piece challenges the assumption with reference to a proposal by Victoria Police that 50% of all new recruits should be women. It argues that the normativity of the white male police officer has shaped the construction of the 'best person'. The article includes an overview of affirmative action law in Australia.


Students with loans prefer to be contacted by either email or text when it comes to discussing their loans.
That's the findings of a study by First Associates Loan Servicing, which suggests that two-thirds of individuals prefer communication either through text or email when it comes to loan firms.
Furthermore, out of the 250 respondents to the study, more than 90 per cent stated that was either 'important' or 'very important' that loan lenders contact them through the consumers' preferred avenue of communication, reports marketwatch.com.
As a result, this could influence the marketing decisions of a loan servicing company; perhaps convincing them to add email marketing to any multi-channel campaigns.
David Johnson, the CEO of First Associates Loan Servicing, commented on the figures: "There's a big disconnect with many companies that operate in this market and borrowers, so it's no wonder that a lot of firms are struggling with high delinquency and default rates within the portfolios they service.
"Loan servicers must do a better job to recognise the numerous and changing consumer preferences and incorporate them into operations that drive enhanced performance for lenders and superior customer experiences for borrowers," he added.
Johnson's comments coincide with an article written by technology-led sales specialist Dick Jones, writing for northfulton.com, who stated that by ignoring digital correspondence techniques, small to medium-sized business would be losing out to their competitors.
"Today, 94 per cent of internet users between the ages of 18-64 send or read email," he stated, highlighting the prevalence of email in the digital world.


As you, your child, and your entire family struggle with what the chromosome 22 deletion diagnosis means for you, you'll not only want to learn everything you can about the disorder — you'll probably also want to reach out to others who have faced the same problems, ask lots of questions and explore all the available information.
Fortunately, you're not alone. Many other parents and families have faced this diagnosis, and they're happy to share what they've learned. So we've gathered a list of many of the available resources (both on- and offline) here.
We hope you find these resources helpful. If you know of helpful information that hasn't been included here, please feel free to contact us.
You can also find a list of medical journal articles on the chromosome 22q11.2 deletion on our Resources for Healthcare Professionals page.


By Ed Bolen, President and CEO, National Business Aviation Association Recent actions on both sides of the Atlantic have given hope to North American business aircraft operators for a reprieve from a deeply flawed policy known as the European Union Emissions Trading Scheme, or EU-ETS.
First unveiled in 2005, EU-ETS requires aircraft operators flying within EU airspace to participate in a carbon credit trading program. The amount of credits required is determined not by the distance flown within EU airspace, however, but rather by the total distance flown – even if the flight originated outside the 27 member states of the European Union.
The estimated cost to U.S. operators to comply with EU-ETS is more than $3.1 billion over the next 10 years, with a significant portion of that figure incurred by non-commercial operations not eligible for certain incentives available to airlines.
For example, a scheduled airline conducting twice-daily flights from South America to Europe is considered a “small emitter” under EU-ETS, and not subject to the carbon credit requirement – but a U.S.-based business jet flying to Europe just once a year would have to pay the fees. EU-ETS also creates a costly administrative burden to operators, and the requirement that operators share sensitive personal data raises serious privacy and confidentiality concerns.
Faced with a resounding outcry from operators across the globe against those policies, EU Climate Commissioner Connie Hedegaard announced on November 13 her intent to temporarily “stop the clock” on EU-ETS implementation for some foreign operations until April 2014.
That date comes after the upcoming fall 2013 General Assembly meeting of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), which now appears likely to issue some determination on global aviation emissions standards.
During the proposed reprieve, non-European based operators conducting flights originating outside Europe would not be subjected to EU-ETS requirements, though European operators and intra-EU flights conducted by foreign operators would still be required to comply with the policy. At this writing, the European Commission has not yet ruled on Ms. Hedegaard’s proposal.
As European regulators appeared to recognize and take steps to address the backlash against the EU-ETS, lawmakers in the United States also took unprecedented action against the policy.
One day after Hedegaard’s announcement, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bipartisan measure (S.1956) prohibiting U.S.-based aircraft operators from participating in EU-ETS. The bill, first sponsored in the Senate by Sens. John Thune (R-SD) and Claire McCaskill (D-MO), is the second EU-ETS prohibition measure passed by the House. It now awaits President Obama’s signature.
I was delighted to see the bipartisan, bicameral support the bill received in Congress. Having the President’s signature on the bill will further send a strong message that America has spoken with a truly united voice on a topic that greatly impacts issues of trade and U.S. sovereignty.
Our industry remains determined to minimize its impact on the environment, and is committed to working with international regulators on effective methods to reduce the carbon footprint for aviation. However, it is also important to recognize that the global aviation industry should not be subjugated by policies determined by a single country or entity.


The largest healthcare administration school in University Center, by student population, is Delta College. In 2010, Delta College graduated approximately 49 students from its healthcare administration program.
A reported 49 students graduated with credentials in healthcare administration in University Center in 2010. In 2009 tuition at healthcare administration schools in University Center was $2,667 per year, on average.
In addition to tuition costs, plan on spending an average of $1,500 for healthcare administration related books and supplies each year.
Many healthcare administration graduates choose to work as healthcare administrators after graduation. If you choose to follow that path and remain in University Center, your job prospects are good. The government projects that the number of healthcare administrators in University Center will increase by 13% by the year 2018. This projected change is slower than the projected nationwide trend for healthcare administrators.


There are many instances when a parent seeks to relocate with a child out of New York State, claiming economic necessity as the basis for such a move. Parents seeking to relocate out-of-state have various reasons for doing so, from an out-of-state job offer to a more affordable lifestyle.
In determining whether to grant a parent's request for relocation, a court will look to whether a parent will foster a relationship between the child and the other parent. Convincing a court that a parent is genuinely concerned about the child's relationship with the other parent is crucial in any successful application for relocation.


Following the November elections, Congress is expected to embark
on a major tax and spending debate that may have significant fiscal
policy implications for years to come. In addition to expiring
Bush-era marginal tax rates for individuals, expiring business tax
incentives, steep budget cuts and a scheduled increase in the
federal debt limit, Congress must act to avoid a major increase in
the estate tax.
If current estate tax rates are allowed to expire after 2012,
small and mid-sized family-owned businesses seeking to transfer
between generations could be subject to a potentially crippling tax
hike.
In a broad tax bill passed in late 2010, Congress set the estate
tax rate at 35 percent with a $5 million exemption per individual.
After 2012, these levels will revert to pre-Bush-era levels (55
percent with a $1 million individual exemption) unless Congress
passes legislation by the end of the year to extend the...
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Growing up in a family of nine children, Glen learned early about the importance of sharing, acting responsibly and living within a budget. As a retirement plan consultant, Glen draws on his background to guide him as he responds to his clients’ needs. A successfully managed pension plan can help individuals achieve a secure retirement — and Glen and his team do their best to make that scenario a reality for their clients.
Glen has more than 25 years of pension plan actuarial experience. He works with employers within several industries, including healthcare, insurance, financial, not-for-profit and governmental. He is highly knowledgeable in the areas of performing and communicating actuarial valuations for funding and accounting purposes, retirement plan designs and implications of new and proposed legislative changes. He performs complex transactions, including plan mergers, acquisitions, plan designs, regulatory compliance and their funding and accounting impact. He believes this responsibility has given him the opportunity to grow both professionally and personally, as he faces the challenge of providing viable solutions in a changing marketplace.
He advises clients regarding their unique situations and solves challenging issues for both large and small employers. Glen and his team offer actuarial and consulting services for employer pension plans and defined contribution plans. Every interaction is planned with one goal in mind — to serve the clients to the best of their ability.
Glen has authored numerous articles for SilverLink magazine. He is a member of community and professional associations including the Society of Actuaries, American Academy of Actuaries and Dundee Presbyterian Church. He volunteers his time serving as a youth coach, at Open Door Mission and the Nebraska Children’s Home. Glen is a devoted family man who appreciates the security and loyalty one finds within the family unit. He and his wife provide transitional foster care to newborns as they proceed through the adoption process.
Contact Information e-mail: ggahan@ssgi.com | phone: 402.964.5490 | fax: 402.963.4089Professional Certifications Fellow of the Society of Actuaries (FSA) Enrolled Actuary (EA) Member of the American Academy of Actuaries (MAAA) Education Bachelor of Science | MathematicsUniversity of Nebraska-Lincoln | Lincoln, NE


The Hartford’s Catastrophe Information Center Resources to Help You Be Better Prepared Need Help with a Claim? Our Claims Team is Equipped to Help Here’s how The Hartford claims team responds when disaster strikes:
1. Claim response teams set up just beyond impact areas in advance of major weather events to ensure they can assist customers as quickly as possible.
The Hartford employs dedicated catastrophe claim handlers, who focus solely on major events, and “large loss” adjusters, who focus on the most significant and complex losses including catastrophe claims.
2. Leaders in our centralized Catastrophe Claims Operation deploy staff, direct activity and coordinate communication to ensure a swift and effective response.
The Hartford’s Catastrophe Claims Operation is strategically located in the Chicago area, away from the most common severe weather targets, to ensure continuous operation. It houses catastrophe claim leadership, desk-based adjusters, and administrative staff to manage and support our onsite operations.3. Mobile technology allows our claim teams to issue payments on site.
The right technology in the hands of our claim teams helps ensure they stay organized, remain in communication with leadership and, regardless of physical obstacles, can find customers—and help them as quickly as possible.More Advice These well-known organizations provide detailed online information on storm-related preparations.
Go Mobile With The Hartford's mobile app, assistance is just a touch away.
Steps to Follow After a disaster strikes, getting your life back together seems like a daunting task. Here are six steps to follow.


Abstract: While many university administrators, faculty and other stakeholders are happy to support service learning in theory and in press releases, demonstrating the actual effectiveness of service-learning in times of ongoing budget crisis remains a challenge. This session will explore a developmental model for reflection, discuss reflective techniques using spaces of dislocation to engage with complexity and diversity, and review qualitative methods for demonstrate service-learning's effectiveness. We argue that one path for the future of service-learning can be charted through engaging in innovative and academically rigorous forms of reflection.
Presenters:
Jake Peters
Susan Harris
Powerpoint Presentation (pdf)


This study utilized the College of American Pathologists' (CAP) database to outline a series of performance measures targeted at improving patient safety. Investigators examined summarized data from ongoing studies of the CAP database and evaluated the error rates and prevention strategies implemented to develop recommendations. The author discusses eight performance measures, including customer satisfaction, test turnaround times, patient identification, and critical value reporting, while generating benchmarks and practical guidance for integrating the measures into every laboratory. Conclusions call for wide application of such performance improvement activities, both to establish best practices and to ensure standards for patient safety in the laboratory setting.


On September 3, 2004, the faculty held an orientation meeting with the incoming class of students. At this meeting, they outlined the memo from August 23, 2004, which explained that the program had adopted the positions of the APA on “same-sex marriage” and same sex parenting. (See Parts, I, II, III, IV, and V of this series ).
The faculty also indicated that they would not write letters of recommendation for any student who did not approve of “same-sex marriage” or same-sex parenting. The faculty further indicated that anyone who was found to be “discriminatory” toward “LGBT” individuals had no place in the program. According to them, “healers” could not take positions contrary to the political allies of the homosexual movement.
On September 7, 2004, Mr. Ford had a follow up meeting with ProfessorWetchler. During that meeting, Wetchler inquired as to whether Mr. Ford had changed his views on “same-sex marriage” and again insisted that Mr. Ford apologize for writing the letter to the editor. Mr. Ford stated that his views on the subject had not changed and that he would not apologize for exercising his First Amendment freedoms.
In the fall of 2004, Professor Hecker’s ethics class focused on reparative therapy, which is therapy for those who wish to overcome attraction to members of the same sex. At the end of class on September 29, 2004, she handed out worksheets that described an ethical dilemma. This dilemma involved a male, church-going therapist who recommended that a client and his family consider reparative therapy and directed them to the National Association of Research andTherapy of Homosexuality (NARTH). This counseling involved reparative therapy, which Hecker characterized as completely unethical.
At the beginning of class on October 6, 2004, Professor Hecker passed out new worksheets, stating that the old ones were incorrect. The new worksheets involved a female church-going therapist who was counseling a client whose parents believed that homosexuality was a sin. But the rest of the details remained unchanged.
During the ethics class, Professor Hecker spent six class hours discussing an article she had co-authored with Ms. Duffy-Greslo, which consistently portrayed nonreligious individuals as tolerant, healthy, mature, and well-developed. In contrast, it portrayed religiously orthodox people as stunted, immature, and less developed.
During October of 2004, Professor Hecker began evaluating Mr. Ford’s work with scrutiny she did not apply to others. For the first time, she began requiring


Legalizing Gender Inequality Paperback ISBN:9780521627504 Publication date:August 1999 412pages 10 b/w illus. 35 tables Dimensions: 228 x 152 mm Weight: 0.55kg Legalizing Gender Inequality challenges existing theories of gender inequality within economic, sociological, and legal organizations. The book argues that male-female earnings differentials cannot be explained adequately by market forces, principles of efficiency, or society-wide sexism. Rather it suggests that employing organizations tend to disadvantage holders of predominantly female jobs by denying them power in organizational politics and by reproducing male cultural advantages. These findings contradict major legal precedents which have argued that labor markets and not employers are the source of inequality. The authors further argue that comparable worth is an inappropriate remedy, as such an approach misdiagnoses the causes of gender inequality and often falls prey to the same organizational processes that initially generated this differential. The book argues that the courts have, by uncritically accepting the market explanation for male-female wage disparity, tended to legitimate and to legalize a crucial dimension of gender inequality in American society.


Individual and Executive Coaching Senior CMPartners professionals can provide on-site and remote coaching to individuals who commit to concrete goals on specific projects or in terms of personal awareness and skills. Our coaching work often stems from prior training or consulting work we have done with clients, as they begin to apply the skills and tools they have learned.
Our experience, which is supported by most studies in cognitive psychology, is that cataloguing one's current strengths, building on them, and committing to concrete goals and timelines yield the highest rerun in the shortest time. Beyond development, true change - meaning the identification and transformation of gaps and weaknesses in an individual's repertoire - is possible, with deep and sustained commitment.
A coaching engagement with CMPartners would include:
rigorous goal-setting to establish your negotiation-related aims; planning and executing a discrete coaching plan that includes diagnostics, advice, and skills practice; creating an implementation plan and review process.


Abstract:  This paper summarizes the results of a focus group on
saving and financial planning. The group consisted of eight
individuals with relatively high income and wealth. The
savings behavior of such people is of interest partly due to
their large contribution to total personal saving. The
participants expressed concerns about how their circumstances
will change as they age, and about uncertainties in income and
health. While these concerns are consistent with theories
emphasizing life-cycle and precautionary motives, the idea
that saving involves self-control was also mentioned repeatedly.
Keywords: Financial planning, saving
Full paper (40 KB PDF)
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25 Signs and Symptoms of Alzheimer's Disease Trouble planning or problem-solving As dementia progresses, your loved ones may have trouble concentrating and find that fairly basic activities take them longer to do than before. In particular, they may struggle to develop and follow a plan, like creating and using a grocery list, following a recipe, or keeping track of monthly bills. This difficultly is far more pronounced than making the occasional error when balancing a checkbook or forgetting an item on your grocery list.
Next: Misplacing things


This splendid collection of 22 essays could just as well be titled "How Capitalism Saved Millions from Starvation." It answers one of the most crucial, enduring allegations about free market capitalism-that it made people poorer and exploited children, necessitating extensive government regulation. A standout is the essay by Ludwig von Mises, which reads in part: "The factories freed the authorities and the ruling landed aristocracy from an embarrassing problem that had grown too large for them. They provided sustenance for the masses of paupers. They emptied the poorhouses, the workhouses, and the prisons. They converted starving beggars into self-supporting breadwinners." Other essays tell how capitalism enabled millions to lift themselves up from wretchedness; chronicle government exploitation of people with taxes, trade restrictions and paper money; review the appalling legacy of Karl Marx; show how trade restrictions have destroyed jobs; and explain how capitalism liberated women. 178 pages.


Neurophysiological experiments with monkeys have demonstrated that working memory (WM) is associated with persistent neural activity in multiple brain regions, such as the prefrontal cortex (PFC), the parietal cortex, and posterior unimodal association areas. WM maintenance is believed to require the coordination of these brain regions, which do not function in isolation but, rather, interact to maintain visual percepts that are no longer present in the environment. However, single-unit physiology studies and traditional univariate analyses of functional brain imaging data cannot evaluate interactions between distant brain regions, and so evidence of regional integration during WM maintenance is largely indirect. In this study, we utilized a recently developed multivariate analysis method that allows us to explore functional connectivity between brain regions during the distinct stages of a delayed face recognition task. To characterize the neural network mediating the on-line maintenance of faces, the fusiform face area (FFA) was defined as a seed and was then used to generate whole-brain correlation maps. A random effects analysis of the correlation data revealed a network of brain regions exhibiting significant correlations with the FFA seed during the WM delay period. This maintenance network included the dorsolateral and ventrolateral PFC, the premotor cortex, the intraparietal sulcus, the caudate nucleus, the thalamus, the hippocampus, and occipitotemporal regions. These findings support the notion that the coordinated functional interaction between nodes of a widely distributed network underlies the active maintenance of a perceptual representation.


The government’s loudly trumpeted ‘‘War on Terror’’ is not the solution to the problem. It has become the problem. The War on Terror does not reduce public anxieties by thwarting terrorists poised to strike. Rather, in myriad ways, conducting the anti-terror effort as a “war” fuels those anxieties. By stoking these public fears and attracting vast political and economic resources in response to them, the War on Terror encourages, indeed virtually compels, every interest group in the country to advance its own agenda as crucial for winning the war. As a result, widening circles of Americans are drawn into spirals of exaggeration, waste, and fear.
©2006 The Pennsylvania Gazette


Date of this Version 2010
Abstract Background
Hypothermia is a common battlefield trauma occurrence. This study compared the effectiveness of the hypothermia, environmental, exposure, and trauma (HEET) garment (Trident Industries, Beaufort, SC) with and without thermal inserts with a control group of two wool blankets in the prevention of hypothermia in a treated hypovolemic porcine model.
Materials and methods
Five female swine (Sus scrofa-Yorkshire cross) were assigned to each of three groups: HEET with thermal inserts (n=5); HEET without thermal inserts (n=5); or control (n=5). After the animals were anesthetized and stabilized for 30min, the swine were hemorrhaged to a mean arterial pressure (MAP) of 30mm Hg, simulating a battlefield injury. Hetastarch 6% (500mL) was rapidly administered, simulating initial field resuscitation. One hour later, the animals’ shed blood was reinfused, simulating transfusion at a field medical facility. The investigators moved the animal into a cooler set at 10 °C±0.5 °C. A pulmonary artery catheter was used to monitor core body temperature over a 6-h period.
Results
A repeated measures ANOVA and Tukey’s post hoc test were used to analyze the data. There was a significant difference between the groups. At the end of 6h, the mean core temperature for the HEET with inserts group was 32.69 °C±1.5; the HEET without inserts, 31.02 °C±1.8; and control, 34.78 °C±1.2 (P<0.05). While all groups became hypothermic, thewool blanket group was most effective in maintaining body temperature closer to normothermia. Conclusion. The HEET garments with and without heaters are ineffective in preventing hypothermia.


Some studies suggest that attention can be captured by irrelevant, salient objects when they appear rarely. We addressed this issue using the N2pc effect, a lateralized, negative voltage spike in the brain potentials in parietal cortex, thought to reflect attentional allocation. A cue display was followed by a target display where participants identified the letter in a specific color. Experiment 1 examined rare, irrelevant color singleton cues (10% of the trials for one color, 10% for the other color, and 80% with no singleton). Despite being rare and salient, these singleton cues produced very little N2pc effect and cue validity effect, indicating little or no attentional capture. Experiment 2 pitted a rare, irrelevant, abrupt onset (appearing on only 20% of the trials) against a target-relevant color cue (appearing on 100% of the trials). Overall, this "relevant" color cue produced N2pc effect and cue validity effects. Most importantly, these effects persisted even when the relevant color cue had to compete with a salient, simultaneous abrupt onset. We argue that salient, irrelevant objects do not necessarily capture attention even when they occur rarely.


Researchers at King?s College London, Harvard University and Massachusetts General Hospital have identified for the first time a key factor responsible for declining muscle repair during ageing, and discovered how to halt the process in mice with a common drug.
Although an early study, the finding provides clues as to how muscles lose mass with age, which can result in weakness that affects mobility and may cause falls.


Legal Questions for the Psychology of Home Abstract Intuitions often play a significant role in shaping debate about legal issues. This is particularly the case when homes and homeownership are involved, because the experience of everyday life gives lawyers and legal scholars a foundation for intuitive judgment. Intuitions, however, can be unreliable and misleading. They therefore provide a shaky basis for legal decisionmaking. This brief essay, published as part of a special issue on Property and Psychology, begins by suggesting that the legal academy should follow the lead of the Experimental Philosophy movement and actively solicit empirical research on human behavior relevant to legal issues. It then describes a series of legal issues relating to the home that could benefit from this type of research, and concludes by suggesting that researchers interested in the psychology of home seek collaborators within the legal academy to develop legally-informed empirical studies.
Suggested Citation Benjamin Barros. "Legal Questions for the Psychology of Home" Tulane Law Review 83 (2009): 645. Available at: http://works.bepress.com/benjamin_barros/4


Volume 2, Issue 9 (October 2005)
Tests were conducted with a widely used herbicide (glyphosate) that is available in a range of formulations and a selection of commonly used nozzle types [XR TeeJet, extended range flat spray tip (XR), Turbo TeeJet, wide angle flat spray tip (TT), AI TeeJet, Air Induction spray tip (AI)] and determined the rebound characteristics of each combination using a difficult-to-wet foliar crop target (cabbage), an easy-to-wet hairy weed (velvetleaf), and a difficult-to-wet weed (lambsquarters). The rebound was determined under standard spraying conditions in a track room using a “bounce chamber” constructed at The Laboratory for Pest Control Application Technology (LPCAT). The amount of spray liquid retained and reflected from the leaf surfaces was determined by weight. The data showed that there were no significant differences between the nozzles, but that formulation differences did occur and were a reflection of surfactant level in the spray mixture. There was a significant formulation X leaf interaction and leaf X nozzle interaction, but not a formulation X nozzle interaction.


Lessons in breaking the curse of the good girl-from the bestselling author of "Odd Girl Out" Rachel Simmons argues that in idealizing the "good girl"-unerringly nice, polite, modest, and selfless-we teach girls to embrace a version of selfhood that curtails their power and potential. Drawing on the exercises Simmons herself uses in her work with girls, parents, and educators, "The Curse of the Good Girl" provides a catalog of practical strategies to foster girls' assertiveness, resilience, and integrity. At the core of Simmons's radical argument is her belief that the most critical freedom we can win for our daughters is the liberty not only to listen to their inner voice but also to act on it.


Evaluating Transitions of Care of Hospitalized Medical Patients to Long-Term Care Facilities: A Retrospective Review of Venous Thromboembolism Prophylaxis Abstract Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a significant but preventable cause of hospital-related morbidity and mortality. Prevention of in-hospital VTE, thus, has become a major quality improvement initiative within hospitals. However, addressing VTE prophylaxis rates and appropriateness on transition to other facilities has not been fully characterized to date. The authors of this study retrospectively evaluated VTE prophylaxis on transfer from medical inpatient settings to long-term care facilities. Analysis indicated that on transfer to other facilities, VTE prophylaxis recommendations were not routinely documented. Interfacility communication is crucial to ensure that appropriate prophylaxis recommendations are addressed during transitions of care. New processes evaluating VTE prophylaxis recommendations at the time of care transfer warrant further study.


Human papillomavirus (HPV) types differ profoundly in cervical carcinogenicity. For the most carcinogenic type HPV16, variant lineages representing further evolutionary divergence also differ in cancer risk. Variants of the remaining 10 to 15 carcinogenic HPV types have not been well studied. In the first prospective, population-based study of HPV variants, AECC investigator Burk and collaborators explored whether, on average, the oldest evolutionary branches within each carcinogenic type predicted different risks of >2-year viral persistence and/or precancer and cancer [cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 3+ (CIN3+)]. They examined the natural history of HPV variants in the 7-year, 10,049-woman Guanacaste Cohort Study, using a nested case-control design. Infections were assigned to a variant lineage determined by phylogenetic parsimony methods based on URR/E6 sequences. Globally, for HPV types including HPV16, the P value was 0.01 for persistence and 0.07 for CIN3+. Excluding HPV16, the P values were 0.04 and 0.37, respectively. For HPV16, non-European viral variants were significantly more likely than European variants to cause persistence [odds ratio (OR), 2.6; P = 0.01] and CIN3+ (OR, 2.4; P = 0.004). HPV35 and HPV51 variant lineages also predicted CIN3+. HPV variants generally differ in risk of persistence. For some HPV types, especially HPV16, variant lineages differ in risk of CIN3+. The findings indicate that continued evolution of HPV types has led to even finer genetic discrimination linked to HPV natural history and cervical cancer risk. The authors concluded that larger viral genomic studies are warranted, especially to identify the genetic basis for HPV16's unique carcinogenicity.


For more information: Phone: 205.949.2043
Email: ddonner@foundersib.com
Our firm believes that every client is unique and important; therefore, our philosophy is to provide each client with an integrated and customized solution tailored to meet their specific needs and objectives. For engagements involving our corporate advisory services, including buy-side, sell-side, corporate finance and corporate development services, Founders typically works with clients that meet the some or all of the following criteria:
We do make exceptions to these typical criteria on a case-by-case basis, and are especially focused on servicing smaller companies in our technology and healthcare practices. Specifically for these two industries, our typical criteria are extended to include companies that have:
Furthermore, Founders understands the opportunities and challenges facing family-owned companies as they address the operating requirements of their business and the evolving and sometimes divergent interests of their family shareholders. We realize that human dynamics are often paramount in aligning family objectives with those of the business, whether the issue at hand is selecting an internal or external successor to manage the family business or providing liquidity to a family member not directly involved in the business.
As such, we recognize that family businesses have many constituencies. They include family members actively involved in managing the business, family members who rely on their ownership position in the business as a significant source of current income or personal wealth, non-family managers and employees, customers, suppliers and the local community where the business is located. Our goal is to help families achieve unanimity among all of these constituencies as they embark on strategic initiatives to grow, recapitalize or sell their business.


In March 2010, a proposal was placed before the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species which would have banned international trade in bluefin tuna. It failed. So once again, the tuna fishing season has begun in the Mediterranean, even though bluefin tuna face extinction.
However, the Spanish government has the opportunity to take the initiative and set an example by creating a marine reserve for bluefin tuna in the Balearic Islands. The waters south of these islands are one of the bluefin's key breeding grounds, making it the ideal location for a reserve to help protect this iconic species. The Balearic government, supported by Balearic stakeholders and citizenship, is pressing for the creation of a bluefin tuna sanctuary in the Balearic Islands. The decision now rests in the hands of the Spanish Ministry of Environment, Rural and Marine Affairs.


I Envy You I had always been jealous of Lynn. Despite a close friendship, Lynn and I had always been in unspoken competition with each other in high school—at least, I always felt that way. I longed to be like her. She was pretty, intelligent, talented, and fun to be around. I, on the other hand, lacked confidence in my appearance and felt socially inept.
One night on my mission I knelt at my bedside, desperately asking the Lord in the first of many prayers to help me overcome this sickness. Over time, the Lord answered my prayers. I learned to value my own worth. I learned that God does not love me for my intelligence or the number of my friends or the wealth of my possessions. He loves me for myself alone.
After I had been home from my mission for nearly a year, I met Lynn for lunch. I told her how I had always envied her. She listened quietly and then looked at me in astonishment. “I was always jealous of you!” she said. I realized then how pointless my unspoken envy had been. I asked her if she could forgive me.
“Of course,” she said. “As long as you can forgive me, too.”
We laughed then and cried a little. I felt an old bitterness melt away to be replaced by peace and an intense gratitude for Lynn’s friendship.
I do not mean to make overcoming envy sound easy. It isn’t—at least not for me. It has taken me a long time to admit my weakness to myself and to understand the nature of my spiritual illness. I am particularly grateful for Jesus Christ, the true Healer, and for His Atonement, which allows us to overcome our weaknesses and transform them into strengths.
Facing Challenges The hymn “Come, Come, Ye Saints” (Hymns, no. 30) has a special place in my heart. When the song was first written, it was meant to comfort the pioneer Saints and encourage them to strive to accomplish their seemingly far-fetched goals. Those pioneers were facing new, extremely difficult challenges every day. Yet they had to keep their spirits high and strong.
Today as I sing “Come, Come, Ye Saints,” I feel an overwhelming desire to put my best foot forward and keep pushing until I reach my goals. “And should we die before our journey’s through, Happy day! All is well!” No matter how hard or impossible life may seem, my journey is preparing me for a future of joy. I can only do my best and do it with a smile, trusting the Lord to help me make it all the way back home.
Feeling Sure My good friend introduced me to the Latter-day Saint missionaries. At the time I met them it was hard to understand English, but my friend helped me to understand them and the teachings they brought. When the missionaries invited me to be baptized, I found it hard to leave my old culture and teachings. They shared their testimonies and said I needed to ask the Lord for a testimony, too.
One night I prayed after reading the Book of Mormon, and I received the confirmation by the Spirit that what I had been taught was true. I was baptized in June of 1998. I felt a strong spirit that day.
Two years later I was called to serve the Lord in the Singapore Mission. I was called to bear my testimony to others. I am eternally grateful for that opportunity.
Today my testimony grows stronger as I read the Book of Mormon. I love this Church and the teachings that come from the prophet of the Lord. I am grateful to those who taught me and changed my life by bearing their faith-promoting testimonies.
Freed of Pain My family and I had been on a cruise, and I had become really sick. Unfortunately, we didn’t have much medicine with us and were not near any local doctors to get the help I needed for my infection and the pain I felt.
One night I felt tremendously sick. The little medicine we had was not working. I could not sleep, and my moans and groans were waking my brothers and sisters. After all that my parents and I could do, my father asked, “Do you want a blessing?”
I had never had a priesthood blessing because of an illness before. I didn’t know what to say. I thought it would help, but I was still not sure. “Please, Heavenly Father,” I prayed, “please let the blessing work.”
“Sure, I would love one,” I weakly said to my dad.
During the blessing I had a wonderful feeling inside, despite all my pain. Very slowly I felt the pain go away, and suddenly I felt very tired. I could tell that my infection had not gone away, but the pain left. After the blessing I was filled so much with the Spirit I was unable to speak.
I now know that priesthood blessings are given to help us through life’s troubles. I know what to do now when I am asked the question “Do you want a blessing?”


Published in Women's Health Weekly, August 30th, 1999
DXA, a method of body composition analysis, divides the body into fat, lean, and bone components with minimal radiation. Additionally, the technique is quick (5-6 minutes/scan), and it can quantify bone mineral density and bone mineral content.
While these characteristics make DXA a convenient tool, its accuracy in older patients is not clear. To clarify this grey area, Ross D. Hansen, of the University of Sydney, Australia, and colleagues compared the accuracy of DXA to that of a nuclear method...
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Comprehensive Program Development (CPD) is appropriate for organizations/programs/schools prior to operation, in the initial stages of operation, or involved in comprehensive re-organization and development of program operations. CPD examines the philosophy, mission, and goals/objectives of the organization and assists in ensuring that these reflect the intended outcomes of the organization. CPD offers programs structure and format for developing operating principles and guidelines and instructs program leaders in training staff for implementation of guidelines. CPD also supports programs in gaining clarity regarding their intended outcomes and identifying the components, operating procedures, guidelines, and structure necessary for realizing desired results.


Specialty pharmaceuticals refer to pharmaceuticals used to treat diseases diagnosed by a specialist, often connected to a hospital, and where the patient’s treatment is controlled by the specialists. Patients can be treated either in open care or in hospitals.
Orphan drugs
Orphan drugs are part of the market for specialty pharmaceuticals and refer to drugs used for diagnosis, prevention or treatment of rare diseases that are chronic, debilitating and often life-threatening.


Source Naturals Diet Tonalin® - CLA Description
May Help Reduce Body Fat
Tonalin® Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA) is a fatty acid derived from safflower oil. TONALIN's potential benefits are cited in U.S. Patent 5,554,646, which states that CLA plays a role in reducing body fat and increasing body protein (muscle) in animals. Clinical trials are currently being conducted to confirm its effects in humans.
Free Of
Yeast, dairy, egg, gluten, corn, wheat, sugar, starch, salt, preservatives, artificial color, flavor, and fragrance.
Disclaimer
These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.


Episode 15 - James and Madeline talk with WeoGeo’s CEO and co-founder, Paul Bissett, who describes where it all began, and explains the differences between data marketplaces and data-as-a-feature offerings in the spatial data industry. Marketplaces connect buyers and sellers of data reducing the importance of a customer’s software package to the process. In contrast, data-as-a-feature offerings bring high-quality data directly into a software package, allowing software vendors to use their purchasing power to bring free or low-priced data to their customers and creating lock-in potential for the software vendor. He argues that data-as-a-feature arrangements serve the software vendors well, but that in the long run commercial data providers might do better to take their products directly to individual consumers.
The IRC Log is here:
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A fragment from the skull of a prehistoric child provides the oldest-known evidence of anaemia caused by malnutrition – suggesting that hominids were regularly eating meat much earlier than previously thought, archaeologists say. While it is known that early human ancestors did eat meat, it was not previously certain whether this was something consumed frequently, or only a sporadic part of their diet.
Now new research published in the open access journal PLOS ONE suggests that meat-eating was common enough 1.5million years ago that not consuming it could lead to anaemia.
The skull fragment, thought to belong to a child aged younger than two, was found during ongoing excavations at Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania, led by Manuel Dominguez-Rodrigo from Complutense University, Madrid.
Close examination of the piece of bone revealed lesions that commonly result from a lack of B-vitamins in the diet – the first time that such lesions have been observed in a hominid fossil from the early Pleistocene record. Nutritional deficiencies such as anaemia are most common in children during weaning, when an infant’s diet changes significantly.
It is thought that the Olduvai Gorge child may have died when he or she was first starting to eat solid foods but had little access to meat, or if they were still breastfeeding, that their mother might have suffered from malnutrition due to lack of meat, which would have affected the B-vitamin content of her milk.
Either case would imply that ‘early humans were hunters, and had a physiology adapted to regular meat consumption at least 1.5million years ago,’ say the authors.


Some people use extreme diets like fasting and juice cleanses. But these aren’t necessary for most people and may be dangerous without medical supervision. Here are five foods that support the body while cleansing.
Tag: sparkling tea I’m a wino. I’m a wino, and I’m not ashamed to admit it. I don’t consider my evening meal complete unless I have something red, white, or pink thumped in my glass. For me, leaving off the wine is like leaving off the salt. Having firmly established myself to you as a overly particular diner [...]


Course Repetition Policy permits a student to repeat certain activity courses for credit. Any activity course that may be repeated is so designated in the College Catalog. These courses require increasing levels of student performance or provide significantly different course content each subsequent semester. Students may also re-enroll in non-activity, variable credit courses to complete course segments not yet initiated (e.g., students who have earned 1.5 units in CBOT 417 may re-enroll in CBOT 417 for an additional 1.5 units for a total of 3 units of completion.)
Enrollment Limitations for Courses not designated as repeatable: A student may attempt a course designated as non-repeatable a maximum of three times. A "course attempt" occurs when a student receives an evaluative or non-evaluative symbol for the course. All symbols (A,B,C,D,F,W,P,NP,C,NC,I) are identified as a "course attempt." Beginning with summer 2012, enrollment limitations (maximum of three attempts) apply to student enrollment. Furthermore, all prior course attempts in a student's academic record count toward the limit. As a result of limitations on course attempts, students' decisions to repeat or withdraw from courses may have serious implications and affect their educational planning.
One additional enrollment (a fourth enrollment) may be considered for approval under the following circumstances.
Recency: A student may enroll one additional time if he/she successfully completed the course and the following conditions have been met: a. A significant lapse of time of at least three years has occurred since the course was taken. b. The enrollment is for the purpose of establishing recency in the course content, but not for the purpose of improving an established grade. If the fourth enrollment is approved, the units and grade of the most recent attempt are not included as part of the student's grade point average or cumulative units. Extenuating circumstances: A student may only enroll for o9ne additional attempt if documentable extenuating circumstances exist. Examples of extenuating circumstances are fire, flood, accident, or other extraordinary documentable conditions beyond the student's control.


Title Understanding and engaging with problematic substance use
Abstract This chapter will introduce the reader to the complex issue of substance use. The term substance use rather than drug use includes all legal substances such as alcohol, tobacco, prescribed substances such as benzodiazepines and anti-depressants, solvents such as aerosols and glue, and the more commonly known illicit substances such as crack cocaine, heroin and cannabis. The knowledge and value base underpinning policy and practice in this area is not without with confusion, conflict and contradiction. These tensions will be highlighted throughout the chapter. In keeping with the focus of the book on addressing offending the primary focus of the chapter will be to examine substance use which is more commonly associated with legal consequences to the individual and or others. The chapter will explore the changing patterns of substance use over recent decades, types of substance use, the legal context, the nature of ‘addiction’, the links with crime, before finally exploring what can be done to help problem substance users.
Disciplines Criminal Law | Criminology and Criminal Justice | Law Enforcement and Corrections | Social Work
Recommended Citation Buchanan, J. (2008) Understanding and engaging with problematic substance use. Green, S., Lancaster, E., & Feasey, S. (Eds.), Addressing Offending Behaviour Context, practice and values (chapter 14). Devon: Willan.
Digital Commons Citation Buchanan, Julian, "Understanding and engaging with problematic substance use" (2008). Social Inclusion Research Unit. Paper 11. http://epubs.glyndwr.ac.uk/siru/11


Background
Unconjugated bilirubin (UCB) is an unstable substance with very low aqueous solubility. Its aqueous pKa values affect many of its interactions, particularly their pH-dependence. A companion paper shows that only our prior solvent partition studies, leading to pKa values of 8.12 and 8.44, met all essential requirements for valid pKa determinations. Other published values, generally lower, some below 5.0, were shown to be invalid. The present work was designed to derive suitable models for interpreting published data on the pH-dependent binding of UCB with four agents, mentioned below, chosen because they are not, themselves, sensitive to changes in the pH range 4-10, and the data, mainly spectrometric, were of reasonable quality.
Results
These analyses indicated that the high pKa values, dianion dimerization constant and solubilities of UCB at various pH values, derived from our partition studies, along with literature-derived pH- and time-dependent supersaturation effects, were essential for constructing useful models that showed good qualitative, and sometimes quantitative, fits with the data. In contrast, published pKa values below 5.0 were highly incompatible with the data for all systems considered. The primary species of bound UCB in our models were: undissociated diacid for phosphatidylcholine, dianion for dodecyl maltoside micelles and cyclodextrins, and both monoanions and dianion for sodium taurocholate. The resulting binding versus pH profiles differed strikingly from each other.
Conclusions
The insights derived from these analyses should be helpful to explore and interpret UCB binding to more complex, pH-sensitive, physiological moieties, such as proteins or membranes, in order to understand its functions.


Programming by demonstration
(PbD) is a technique for programming robots that holds much promise in making
robots more accessible to ordinary, non-technical users. However, a well-known
difficulty with the method is that a human will often demonstrate the task
to be programmed inconsistently or even erroneously, leading to the inclusion
of what is essentially noise in the demonstration. A number of techniques
exist in the literature for filtering out this type of noise; however, most
focus on very low level control command details. In this paper, we propose
a new, complementary direction of research. We take a “task-level”
view of the demonstration, and note that noise can exist at this level also.We
propose a framework, based on a hybrid dynamic system modeling approach,
to select the most optimal, task-level execution strategies that were demonstrated.
We apply our framework to a real household task of inserting the compressible
spindle of a paper towel holder into its supports. We conduct experiments
to show that significant improvements in robot performance of the task can
be achieved by a PbD regime that includes our method.


L.J. Star has developed a bubble trap specifically designed for sanitary service. The trap is the first of its kind in that it is designed to be crevice-free and self-draining, efficiently removing unwanted gas or air bubbles in process fluids without areas where harmful bacteria can accumulate.
Additionally, these traps are ASME BPE compliant with full traceability on all wetted components, gaskets meet USP Class VI and are FDA compliant and fully traceable. The surface finish is 15Ra with electropolish, they utilize hygienic sealing O-rings and there are no threads exposed. Washdown is simple and efficient and both disassembly and reassembly are quickly and easily accomplished.
These bubble traps provide a user with assurance that the trap will function and remain sterilized with less need for frequent SIP/CIP cleaning and associated downtime. Most significantly, they reduce the risk of product contamination which can cost thousands of dollars and require time-consuming cleaning of the entire process.
L.J. Star sanitary-service traps are available as standard in sizes ranging from four to ten inches and in custom designs.


There was only one precedential opinion this week and it involved a patent related to a computerized method for administering variable annuity plans. In Lincoln Natl v. Transamerica Life, the CAFC reversed the judgment of infringement. Although Transamerica’s benefit riders required making scheduled payments even if the account value was exhausted, which was an element of the patent claim, there was no evidence that the payment was made by a computerized method. On the contrary, the evidence indicated that a manual check was produced, and the claim at issue recited a computerized method.
After finding that Transamerica did not infringe, the CAFC did not consider whether the denial of Transamerica’s request to amend the complaint to include invalidity, due to lack of patentable subject matter after the CAFC’s Bilski decision, was erroneous. By not considering that issue, the CAFC avoided considering the effect of its Bilski decision, in view of the expected (June 28, 2010) Supreme Court decision on Bilski.


Preliminary version:
This report provides strategic guidance to address systemic shocks, and outlines several common challenges confronting efforts to manage them. It explains that global shocks can arise from an event that impacts the entire world more or less at once, such as the collision of the earth with a massive asteroid, or they may result from more subtle events that begin locally and spread to distant points around the world - including 'natural disaster'. The report indicates gaps in various governance capacities and suggests courses of corrective action, ranging from the diversification and/or redundancy of complex systems where economically feasible, to the cultivation of societal resilience when they are not.
The report begins the next phase of OECD reviews of risk management policies. It draws primarily from analysis contained in five case studies on different types of events that could lead to global shocks, and a background paper that provides an overview of concepts, ideas, and examples of extreme events.Contents :
Chapter 1. Definition and drivers of future global shocks
Chapter 2. Risk assessments for future global shocks
Chapter 3. Tools to prepare for future global shocks
Chapter 4. Emergency management of future global shocks
Chapter 5. Strategic approaches for managing future global shocksTag This Document


Irving, TX (PRWEB) June 21, 2012
China’s economy has experienced a strong annual GDP growth rate of 10% during the last five years. It is expected to continue its growth momentum and surpass the US in GDP by 2020. A high rate of savings, abundant and increasingly skilled labor, healthy export business, and potential urban growth is likely to drive the Chinese economy to sustained growth during 2012-2017.
Lucintel, a leading global management consulting and market research firm, performed a Political, Economical, Sociological, Technological, Legal, and Environmental (PESTLE) analysis of China and presents its findings in “PESTLE Analysis of China 2012.”
As indicated in the study,foreign direct investment (FDI) has proven to be the driving force for China’s ongoing economic growth. The large and expanding market of China is attracting leading multinationals, encouraging local innovators, allowing domestic manufacturers to produce low-cost products, and permitting formation of industry clusters and business groups. Successive governments’ focus on reform processes and simplification of China’s tax law and FDI procedures makes China an ideal destination for investment and growth. The report also indicates that large-scale production diminishes production costs, leading to less-expensive exports. China’s strong presence as an export platform supports income and employment growth in the economy.
The Chinese economy is plagued by challenges from theEuropean economic crisis that could adversely affect its growth rate, regional disparity, and growing environmental concerns.Rapid economic development and accelerated domestic demand in China, however, offers significant opportunities for growth.
Lucintel’s study outlines China’s need to address several significant challenges and risks, such as its aging society, rising income inequality, large and growing environmental impact of its industrialization, and stubborn external imbalances for its transformation into a leader of the global economy.
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Books
REMI and its models have been included in numerous publications. We have selected a few of those publications for reference, please select from the listing on the left for further information. If you are looking for something specific and do not find it here, please contact our offices.
Consumption Equations for a Multiregional Forecasting and Policy Analysis Model The paper is part of a book which contains contributions from friends of Ben Stevens, remembering and celebrating his life and his work. Following his untimely death, a set of special sessions were organized for the program of the November 1998 meetings of the Regional Science Association International, held in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
READ MOREMonopolistic Competition Estimates of Interregional Trade Flows in Services This paper is part of a book where distinguished contributors discuss issues including the impact and implications of European expansion as well as developments in the Asia-Pacific region. They also examine the driving forces, backgrounds, obstacles and opportunities for regions to become powerful global players.
READ MOREOn the Comparative Accuracy of RPC Estimating Techniques This paper is part of a collection of articles by thirty-five prominent economists, regional scientists, and geographers from nine countries includes contributions from Lawrence R. Klein, Clopper Almon, Faye Duchin, Yasuhiko Torii, Peter Nijkamp, Jeffery Round, Edward Wolff, Geoffrey J.D. Hewings, and Benjamin Stevens. The book makes available for the first time recent research using Nobel Laureate Wassily Leontief's theory of input-output analysis. Topics discussed include input-output and econometric models; alternative accounting frameworks; extended models and multiplier decompositions; regional, interregional, and international issues; measurement error and data scarcity; and measurement and implications of technological change.
READ MORERegional Economic Modeling: A Systematic Approach to Economic Forecasting and Policy Analysis Regional economic models are the key to predicting the effects of transportation, economic development, energy, fiscal and environmental policies. Despite this, the principal regional economic policy analysis model used throughout the United States by government agencies, universities, and the private sector has not been presented in a book until now.
READ MOREThe Evaluation of Programs aimed at Local and Regional Development: Methodology and Twenty Years of Experience using REMI Policy Insight This paper describes the REMI Policy Insight model, the leading regional economic forecasting and policy analysis model. Over one hundred institutes, universities, government agencies and other organisations use custom-built REMI model specified to states, counties, cities, and other regions. These model users are located primarily in the US, but also include organisations using or planning to use models for regions in Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, and the United Kingdom.
READ MORE


Delayed Diagnosis for Ovarian Cancer Can Cost Lives continued... A pelvic exam must probe the rectum as well as the vagina, Sood emphasizes. "You can miss 25% of ovarian masses if you don't do a rectal exam. Of course, not every woman with abdominal bloating will turn out to have ovarian cancer. Still, a pelvic exam, including a digital rectal exam, is such a simple thing to do. It should be part of every good physical exam."
However, about a third of the surveyed women said when they first discussed their symptoms with the doctor, no pelvic exam was done. "Physicians need to comprehend the potential significance of these symptoms," Sood says. "If a woman finds her doctor doesn't perform a pelvic exam, she should feel free to seek out someone who does."
"It is so critical that patients not ignore this," Fiorica says. "At a bare minimum, have a pelvic done. Then the physician can decide if anything additional is needed. If we take these steps, hopefully we can detect these cases earlier, and cure more of them."


This paper presents initial results from my PhD study that investigated the variation inadult learners' experiences of developing personalised, collective learning networksusing weblog technologies. A pedagogical framework developed from practiceunderpinned the research which was designed to test the original model. Thequalitatively different ways of experiencing weblogs is described by categories ofdescription which highlight critical aspects of learning that can inform further expansionof pedagogical strategies.The research contends that learning through self-publishing in a collective learningnetwork has the potential to produce a deep approach to learning that enhancesreflective, meta-cognitive, and critical writing skills.


Transportation Resources and Challenges in and beyond Schaumburg in and beyond Schaumburg
By Kevin Eagan, Alexa Pateras, and Bradford Goff (May 2012)
A crucial factor in one’s day-to-day life involves one’s particular mode of transportation. City dwellers may rely on public transportation options such as the CTA in Chicago for their commutes as they offers convenience. While this option for travel is ideal, there are still issues that need to be addressed to improve service—specifically, repairs and expansions on the rail lines and bus systems.
In the suburbs, the public transportation system, PACE bus service, needs to be tweaked as well. PACE is an excellent option for suburban commuters as it helps reduce the amount of travelers on the road—in turn decreasing the amount of air pollution—and covers an enormous territory. One immediate improvement could be the frequency with which certain bus lines operate, thereby allowing more people could take advantage of this option. Lastly, alternative modes of transportation such as cycling need to be expanded and encouraged. A few benefits cycling offers are, again, reduced vehicle traffic and pollution as well as the physical exercise riders experience. However, one major drawback is that cyclists’ safety is often comprised.
Our group researched these issues and discovered both alarming and encouraging news. While the current infrastructure needs overhauling, there is moderate progress being made. Hopefully the Chicagoland area will have a 21st -century transportation infrastructure within the next decade.
Next page: Regional Transportation


As I teach, I aim to help others develop a deeper intuition about when (and when not to) use the techniques and concepts of mathematics. To achieve this end, I design lessons that actively engage students in mathematical thinking. I am a conversationalist in the classroom and believe in the construction of mathematical understanding through dynamic interaction with students. At an elemental level, I discover personal joy and peace while discussing mathematics with others. The moments when I can help someone assemble a new framework for understanding a mathematical concept are truly rewarding to me.
After working as a high school math teacher for three years, I returned to school to pursue a PhD from the Department of Mathematics and Statistics at the University at Albany where Alexandre Tchernev was my thesis advisor. My mathematical research interests lie at the intersection of commutative alebra, combinatorics and algebraic topology. In a broad sense, I look for combinatorial descriptions of objects which originate in commutative algebra and work to find commutative algebra interpretations for interesting combinatorial objects.
In addition to my research pursuits, I enjoy learning about mathematical applications and how mathematical ideas can be communicated. From time to time I bear left from PureMathLand and work as consultant for Lecky Integration and for US Lacrosse.
The math quote I am currently enjoying most comes from Blaise Pascal; who said, "We are usually convinced more easily by reasons we have found ourselves than by those which have occurred to others."


[1401] Increased Expression of Inhibitory B7 Family Members Associated with Chronic Hepatitic Necroinflammatory Disease MW Cruise, R Kassel, TL Pruett, YS Hahn, JC Iezzoni. University of Virginia, Charlottesville; University of Virgina, Charlottesville Background: Several of the chronic hepatitic diseases are characterized by infiltrating lymphocytes, which are thought to be a key component in the pathophysiology of the disease. Recent data has demonstrated that PBL from patients with HCV and HBV express increased levels of PD-1 and regulation of this pathway may contribute to treatment failure and inability to resolve the infection. The immunomodulatory PD-1 along with its receptors, B7-H1 and B7-DC, induces tolerance and dampens the immune response. However the expression of these proteins within the liver is not well studied. We examined the expression profiles of PD-1 and its ligands to determine the utility of these molecules as markers of clinical disease.Design: Liver biopsy from 74 patients were examined: HBV(n=11), HCV(n=17), AIH(n=14), NAFLD(n=13), and normal(n=19). Study exclusion criteria included: HIV+, acute HAV, antiviral therapy, cirrhosis, and EtOH abuse. Normal patients demonstrate elevated LFTs with normal histology. Blinded analyses was performed on the biopsies utilizing the Ishak modified HAI and fibrosis score or the NAS system, as appropriate. The biopsies were stained for CD3, PD-1, B7-H1, B7-DC and MHC I and graded by quartiles, reflecting frequency and intensity of expression.Results: Liver biopsies from patients with HBV, HCV, and AIH demonstrated an increase in intrahepatic PD-1 positive lymphocytes, as compared to NAFLD and normal biopsies. While the PD-1 is expressed on primarily CD3 cells, the PD-1 ligands are expressed on Kupffer cells, LSECs, leukocytes, and hepatocytes. HBV, HCV, and AIH demonstrate increased B7-H1 and B7-DC expression by liver parenchymal cells and leukocytes. The increase is statistically significant and demonstrates a positive correlation with the Ishak scores.Conclusions: The biopsies demonstrate an increase in the hepatic expression of B7-H1 and B7-DC along with increased numbers of infiltrating PD-1 positive lymphocytes in chronic viral and autoimmune hepatitic diseases. These increases correlate with the level of inflammation and fibrosis across these etiologies, however they do not correlate with damage in NAFLD. These findings document the expression profile of this class of molecules and may suggest a possible target for therapy (humanized antibody recently released for phase I trial) as well as a marker for treatment outcomes. Category: Liver & PancreasTuesday, March 10, 2009 9:30 AM Poster Session III # 153, Tuesday Morning


We believe that every student can be successful, and that every student can be a valuable leader. However, even the most academically-competent students do not have the professional skills that are necessary to excel in the workplace today. We develop these students by complementing their academic successes to be successful.
Each year, numerous students graduate at the top of their classes, whether they be graduating high school or college. Many of these same students however struggle to find jobs upon graduating despite their strong academic resumes. And even if they find jobs, many lack essential professionals skills, and must spend extra time and resources to prepare themselves to lead within a workplace. Currently, students lack crucial professional support due to the high emphasis on academics over professional development. After doing our research, we have found that this lack of professional support results in two outcomes: 1. inefficient and ineffective professionals and leaders, or 2. inability to secure a job. The former outcome results in both employers and employees investing time and money into training professionals; the latter results in mental illnesses and personal instability. Furthermore, our society needs valuable leaders, and due to the lack of resources provided to our bright students, we are developing inefficient and ineffective individuals. We need leaders who are well-rounded and both academically and professionally competent so that they can make positive contributions within society and influence others to do the same.


If supraventricular tachycardia occurs in someone
who has significant
coronary artery disease, the heart may not receive
enough blood to keep up with the demands of the increased heart rate. If this
occurs, the heart may not get enough oxygen, potentially causing chest pain
(angina) or a
heart attack.
Mild supraventricular tachycardia,
with short episodes that don't happen often, doesn't typically weaken the heart or lead to heart failure. But some people have a higher risk of getting heart failure, such as those who have a heart valve disease. If tachycardia is left untreated,
repeated and long episodes of tachycardia can lead to
heart failure (known
as a tachycardia-mediated cardiomyopathy). But this heart failure might be stopped, or reversed, if the supraventricular tachycardia is stopped with treatment.


The Challenge of Hyponatremia Full Text
Journal of the American Society of Nephrology, 05/25/2012
Clinical Article
Adrogue HJ et al. – Treatment of hypotonic hyponatremia often challenges clinicians on many counts. Despite similar serum sodium concentrations, clinical manifestations can range from mild to life threatening. Some patients require active management, whereas others recover without intervention. Therapeutic measures frequently yield safe correction, yet the same measures can result in osmotic demyelination.


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Rheumatology Division, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
Ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality. A functional role for platelets in tissue damage after mesenteric I/R is largely unknown. The hypothesis that mesenteric I/R local and remote injury are platelet dependent was tested. Using a murine mesenteric I/R model, we demonstrate that platelets orchestrate remote lung tissue damage that follows mesenteric I/R injury and also contribute, albeit to a lesser degree, to local villi damage. While lung damage is delayed compared with villi damage, it increased over time and was characterized by accumulation of platelets in the pulmonary vasculature early, followed by alveolar capillaries and extravasation into the pulmonary space. Both villi and lung tissues displayed complement deposition. We demonstrate that villi and lung damage are reduced in mice made platelet deficient before I/R injury and that platelet transfusion into previously platelet-depleted mice before I/R increased both villi and lung tissue damage. Increased C3 deposition accompanied platelet sequestration in the lung, which was mostly absent in platelet-depleted mice. In contrast, C3 deposition was only minimally reduced on villi of platelet-depleted mice. Our findings position platelets alongside complement as a significant early upstream component that orchestrates remote lung tissue damage after mesenteric I/R and strongly suggest that reperfusion injury mitigating modalities should consider the contribution of platelets.
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