While a third year medical student I decided to write a Medical Thesis and asked Dr. Holmes to be my supervisor. He accepted and said by my doing so I would become a "Third generation Cornell medical researcher." He explained that the "first generation" belonged to Harold G. Wolff, M.D., Professor and Chairman of the Department of Neurology at Cornell's New York Hospital. Dr. Wolff carried out pioneering medical and psychological studies of patients with headache, particularly migraine headache. In his scientific papers he identified typical thoughts, feelings, and behaviors reported by migraine patients that significantly influenced the onset and severity of their headaches.
Dr. Wolff later recruited a "second generation” of trainees from doctors training in Internal Medicine at Cornell and challenged them to conduct similar studies on patients coming to the New York Hospital outpatient clinic with commonly experienced illnesses. Stewart Wolf, M.D. chose disorders of the stomach. William Grace, M.D. and David Graham, M.D. explored endocrine and gastrointestinal illnesses. Lawrence Hinkle, M.D. selected cardiovascular disease. Dr. Holmes chose to study the nose! When Dr. Holmes asked me what illness I might study I chose a surgical disease - inguinal hernia. I wanted to see if any attitudes and behaviors existed for these patients. That summer I interviewed 37 men coming to surgery for an incarcerated inguinal hernia, this Medical Thesis led to my first scientific publication.
Patients in my study came from two regional medical centers: the Seattle Veterans Hospital and the U.S. Public Health Service Hospital. May of my volunteering patients were employed in the Merchant Marine. These men were generally enlisted sailors, of low to moderated rank, who had frequent prolonged shipboard tours of duty. Their hernia emergency often happened when they were at sea. When I asked about possible life stresses that had existed prior to, and during, the cruise they often mentioned striving for promotion by working hard but not having their efforts recognized. Instead, they said they were criticized by supervisors. I then asked about how they felt while being "unduly criticized" and many said: I was so angry I thought I would explode!”
I then asked: "If you were able to do anything you wanted about this situation, what would you have done?" He answered: "I would have knocked his stupid block off." As actually punching a supervisor would have resulted in a reduction in pay, or even a demotion, they actively held their anger inside. Active restraint taking strong physical action is accompanied by contractions of abdominal musculature and breath holding. This action is called a Valsalva maneuver. Resultant strain from repeated Valsalva maneuvers could well promote inguinal canal weakening and later herniation.
One behavior that was reported by several of my hernia patients was carrying out an extremely strong physical action, but one not directed toward a supervisor. The behavior related by the patient above was the following: “After he (the supervisor) left, I picked up my heavy four layer toolbox and threw it overboard." Such heavy physical exertions were often the final step leading to an incarcerated hernia and surgery.
Below are 26 attitudes and behaviors discovered by these three generations of Cornell medical researchers. It is important to remember in reading this list that their research studies were carried out decades before more recent discoveries identifying neuronal, hormonal, biochemical, and electrical communications between the brain and body! None-the-less, behavioral interventions have been done for persons with these attitudes and behaviors with rewarding results and gratifying improvements in health!
Attitudes and Behaviors that Facilitate the Expression of an Illness:
Acne - A person that feels they are being picked on and wishes to be left alone. They believe that they are being nagged at and are angry, even hostile, over the situation.
Asthma - A person who is a non-participant and feels "shut out" by their life difficulties. They feel isolated and unprotected.
Backache - This person wants, but can't allow himself or herself to literally walk away from an unpleasant life situation.
Cancer - A person with cancer is frequently very considerate of others, to the point of over-giving and self-sacrificing behaviors, with strong inhibitions towards their own displays of strong emotions - especially anger.
Constipation - When a person feels they are in a life situation from which nothing good can result, but they are grimly hanging on. They believe that the best they can hope for is that things won't get any worse!
Coronary Heart Disease - The person who develops this illness devotes enormous amounts of time energies their work. However, work is often seen as "joyless striving." They are frequently intense, emphatic, competitive, rushed, and easily aroused to hostility - particularly when they are out of control of a situation.
Diabetes - An individual that is "starving in the midst of plenty." That is, they are literally surrounded by many desirable things in life, but believe that none of these things are available to them.
Diarrhea - A person that when faced with a meaningful task, wants to perform it extremely well. However, they wish that the task was already completed, finished, done with, and behind them.
Duodenal Ulcer - An individual with marked competitive strivings, who craves support and recognition from others. However, they feel that they have recently been deprived of what was rightfully theirs!
Eczema - Frustrated! Attacks occur in life situations that are seen as frustrating and embarrassing.
Hives - An individual with this affliction often feels abused and is angry about it. They feel they are "taking a beating" but are helpless to do anything about it.
Hypertension - The person feels threatened and is constantly "on guard." Anything could happen, at any time, from any direction. They feel they have to be always prepared to meet all types of possible threats.
Hyperthyroidism - This person believes they are about to lose something, or somebody, they dearly love. They unsuccessfully try to prevent this loss by “holding on mightily.”
Inguinal Hernia - This person feels he must "bottle up" his anger over current life frustrations. He feels he is "ready to explode." However, his attention is focused on rigidly restraining his anger.
Metabolic Edema - A person that feels they are carrying a heavy load and wishes somebody else would come and help them with their burden. They feel they have too many responsibilities on their shoulders.
Migraine headaches - A person who attempts to control feelings of anxiety and resentment through extremely organized and intense activity. Insecurity and tension lead to behaviors and feelings of inflexibility, perfectionism, and resentment.
Multiple Sclerosis - This person feels forced to undertake activities that they don't want to do. They feel they must carry on independently and without any help.
Nausea and Vomiting - These symptoms tend to occur when a person feels something undesirable has just happened, for which they were, at least partially, responsible. They wish it hadn’t happened and things could go back to how they used to be.
Paroxysmal Auricular Tachycardia - This cardiac racing may occur when a person feels that life is not proceeding according to schedule and should be speeded up!
Psoriasis - A person with an exacerbation of this illness often feels that a life situation is "gnawing" at them and that they must put up with it. A steady, boring, nagging life irritation has to be endured.
Raynaud's Disease - This affliction of dramatic cooling of a person's hands and fingers occurs when they wish they could take hostile, physical action. They wish that they could hit or even strangle someone.
Regional Enteritis - This person feels he has been the recipient of something harmful to their body and wants to get rid of it. They feel that they have received something that was damaged or inferior. It is as if they have been poisoned.
Rheumatoid Arthritis - This individual often feels tied down and unable to get free. They see themselves in a life situation where they are restrained, restricted, and confined.
Tuberculosis (Pneumonia) - Despite valiant efforts, this person feels helpless and unable to deal with their recent stressful life events.
Ulcerative Colitis - This individual feels they are being injured and degraded. They wish that they could get rid of the responsible agent, as it is humiliating. They wish the unpleasant situation would be finished, over with, and done.
Vasomotor Rhinitis - An afflicted person frequently wishes they could "shut out" and "wash away" recent life difficulties. They feel helpless to solve these problems on their own.


Asia Pacific . China is now the most attractive country for wind development and it contributed $10 billion to the sector in the second quarter of 2010.
Australasia. Australia and New Zealand are weighing in with significant projects that are due to come online within the next two years.
Europe . With Germany and Spain, the continents established onshore leaders, showing little appetite for large projects, the baton looks set to be passed to the UK, Sweden and Norway.
North America. Despite a disappointing 2010, the US continues to think big with 25 project of 250MW or more due to come online between 2011-12.
Emerging Markets. A number of players are making significant strides in wind power, notably Brazil, Turkey, Poland and Morocco. The criteria for inclusion - Asia-Pacific (200MW), Australasia (200MW), Europe (100MW), North America (250MW) and Emerging Markets (100MW).
UK offshore. The UK aims to install 33GW of offshore wind in the coming year. This map forms part of 2010s special report into the UK's offshore plans.


Overweight and Cancer Risk.
Excessive body weight effects may not directly result in poor health. However, recent research seems to prove obesity associated with increased cases of some specific types of cancer.
According to a report published by the American Institute of Cancer Research Newsletter, consuming excessive calories and increased body weight can make the body have difficulty in converting blood sugar into energy. When this happens, the body produces excess insulin, which can cause abnormal cell growth.
Researcher consumer merekemondasikan balancing the number of calories they eat with physical activity. Also, a lot of eating a varied diet containing grains and fruits and vegetables at least five times a day presentation. Following this advice does not mean guarantee will not be affected by cancer, but this is a key step towards a healthy lifestyle.
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A recent article by Bruce Katz captured my attention today. It's entitled 'The Detroit Project: A Plan for Solving America's Greatest Urban Disaster' - strong words indeed. It's of interest to me for a few reasons: 1. urban policy is one of my main research areas; 2. it mentions Sheffield - where I live; 3. it uses European examples in a positive light; 4. it makes international comparisons; 5. my Grandparents used to live and work in Detroit (they were immigrants in the early 1930s); 6. I've been there and seen the city first-hand (see photos below). The policy challenges faced in Detroit are huge. The population has halved since 1950, unemployment is at 28% and there are 1,220 violent crimes per 100,000 people. Despite all this, I found it a very enjoyable city to visit. Maybe that's because I've also lived in cities such as Glasgow and Liverpool and I like interesting places. Anyone who has driven along the lower dock road in Liverpool and West Fort Street in Detroit will understand. However, the claim that 'Europe is filled with cities that have risen from similarly miserable conditions' is, in my view, a bit over the top. Having said that, anyone who grew up in Liverpool in the 1980s would understand the comparison. I do agree with the assertion that 'recovery requires at least a generation' - as Katz says.


How to Prevent a Flea Infestation in Your Home Fleas are amazingly successful at reproducing. If your dog brings a male and a female flea home, these two fleas can populate your home with 250,000 descendants within a single month, and every single flea is out for blood.
Use these tips to prevent fleas from coming to visit in the first place:
Use a once-a-month topical or oral flea treatment (the best known brands are Advantage, Frontline, and Program) that kill fleas on your dog within hours. These products are not pesticides; they are
insect growth regulators, which prevent the development and growth of fleas. Given the time commitment and the exposure to pesticides that accompany a fight against fleas, these preventives are worth their weight in gold.Although they are considered safe enough for puppies, some dogs and puppies have allergic responses to these products. If your dog experiences hair loss or other reactions, try a different flea control product.
Sprinkle diatomaceous earth or boric acid on the floor. These products dehydrate fleas and flea larvae, and they don’t contain any chemicals that can harm pets or children. Vacuum frequently to help control the flea population in the carpet. Place the vacuum bag in a plastic bag (so fleas can’t escape), and throw it away. Wash your dog’s bedding weekly to reduce the chances of a flea family setting up shop there. Use friendly bugs called beneficial nematodes, which are tiny insects that eat flea larvae and can be sprayed onto your yard every 6 to 8 weeks. They don’t harm ladybugs, earthworms, or other creatures you want in your yard. You can find sources for beneficial nematodes at gardening centers that emphasize organic gardening.


Schreiner MediPharm has developed a label for infusion bottles that allows ample space for pertinent information, helps ensure reliable documentation, and easily hangs to assist bedside caregivers. The new Pharma-Tac Plus label uses a multi-layered design to allow sufficient room for detailed product descriptions while offering key value-added benefits. The Pharma-Tac Plus label can help streamline and simplify the administrative processes of intravenous infusions. Upon opening the label’s top layer, additional data such as current and expiration dates can be entered by hand. This is especially important when the contents of infusion bottles are only usable for a certain period of time once removed from cold storage, as is the case, for instance, with blood plasma infusions.
Schreiner MediPharm
Blauvelt NY USA
845-848-9000
www.schreiner-medipharm.com


Anti-Plasmodium falciparum invasion ligand antibodies in a low malaria transmission region, Loreto, Peru
Equal contributors
1 Malaria Laboratory, Instituto de Medicina Tropical “Alexander von Humboldt”, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Peru
2 Molecular Parasitology, Lindsley F. Kimball Research Institute, New York Blood Center, NYC, New York, NY, USA
3 Departamento de Ciencias Celulares y Moleculares, Facultad de Ciencias y Filosofia, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Peru
4 Blood-Borne Parasites, Lindsley F. Kimball Research Institute, New York Blood Center, NYC, New York, NY, USA
5 Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
Malaria Journal 2012, 11 :361 doi:10.1186/1475-2875-11-361Abstract Background Erythrocyte invasion by Plasmodium falciparum is a complex process that involves two families; Erythrocyte Binding-Like (EBL) and the Reticulocyte Binding-Like (PfRh) proteins. Antibodies that inhibit merozoite attachment and invasion are believed to be important in mediating naturally acquired immunity and immunity generated by parasite blood stage vaccine candidates. The hypotheses tested in this study were 1) that antibody responses against specific P. falciparum invasion ligands (EBL and PfRh) differ between symptomatic and asymptomatic individuals living in the low-transmission region of the Peruvian Amazon and 2), such antibody responses might have an association, either direct or indirect, with clinical immunity observed in asymptomatically parasitaemic individuals.
Methods ELISA was used to assess antibody responses (IgG, IgG1 and IgG3) against recombinant P. falciparum invasion ligands of the EBL (EBA-175, EBA-181, EBA-140) and PfRh families (PfRh1, PfRh2a, PfRh2b, PfRh4 and PfRh5) in 45 individuals infected with P. falciparum from Peruvian Amazon. Individuals were classified as having symptomatic malaria (N=37) or asymptomatic infection (N=8).
Results Antibody responses against both EBL and PfRh family proteins were significantly higher in asymptomatic compared to symptomatic individuals, demonstrating an association with clinical immunity. Significant differences in the total IgG responses were observed with EBA-175, EBA-181, PfRh2b, and MSP119 (as a control). IgG1 responses against EBA-181, PfRh2a and PfRh2b were significantly higher in the asymptomatic individuals. Total IgG antibody responses against PfRh1, PfRh2a, PfRh2b, PfRh5, EBA-175, EBA-181 and MSP119 proteins were negatively correlated with level of parasitaemia. IgG1 responses against EBA-181, PfRh2a and PfRh2b and IgG3 response for PfRh2a were also negatively correlated with parasitaemia.
Conclusions These data suggest that falciparum malaria patients who develop clinical immunity (asymptomatic parasitaemia) in a low transmission setting such as the Peruvian Amazon have antibody responses to defined P. falciparum invasion ligand proteins higher than those found in symptomatic (non-immune) patients. While these findings will have to be confirmed by larger studies, these results are consistent with a potential role for one or more of these invasion ligands as a component of an anti-P. falciparum vaccine in low-transmission malaria-endemic regions.
Keywords: Antibodies; Invasion;Plasmodium falciparum ; Malaria; Peru


by Michael D. Anestis, M.S.
The other day, a reader named Ernest Miller asked an interesting question in the comment section of our article on a suicide prevention effort in China. The basic point of his question was whether any research had been done that differentiated those who attempt suicide in public versus those who do so privately and, if so, whether data exist on whether these groups differ from one another on variables such as pain tolerance. Both Joye and I were fascinated by the question and neither of us know of studies looking specifically at this idea. We can certainly make guesses, but as clinical scientists who value empirical data over intuition, we would rather examine what has already been discovered before sharing our own thoughts on the matter. Over the past few days, I have unfortunately not been in my office at the same time as colleagues who might have some thoughts on this, but I will continue to seek out their insights. In the meantime, I have done my own research into the matter and, today, I came across a relevant article recently published in Personality and Individual Differences by Catherine Glenn and David Klonsky of the University of British Columbia.
The article, while relevant, does not answer the exact same question. Instead, Glenn and Klonsky (2009) were interested in examining the differences between those who engage in non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) exclusively in private and those who occasionally or regularly engage in NSSI in the presence of others. Specifically, the authors were curious about whether the two groups might differ in terms of suicide risk. As you might recall from our discussion of Joiner's interpersonal-psychological theory of suicidal behavior, research has indicated that, in order for an individual to make a serious suicide attempt, they must not only desire suicide, but develop the acquired capability to do so. This capability, which is marked by a diminished fear of death and a heightened tolerance to physiological pain, can be developed through exposure to others' pain, but is most directly impacted by self-inflicted injury. Although NSSI itself does not involve suicidal intent and is a distinct phenomenon, research has demonstrated that individuals who self-injure regularly are less likely to experience pain during self-injury than are individuals with less experience with the behavior (Nock & Prinstein, 2005), a clear indicator that this particular behavior can be a path to the acquired capability for suicide.
Along these lines and perhaps not surprisingly, NSSI has been demonstrated to be a strong predictor of suicidal behavior (Nock, Joiner, Gordon, Lloyd-Richardson, & Prinstein, 2006). In the study we are looking at today, Glenn and Klonsky (2009) wanted to clarify this relationship by examining whether the context within which NSSI occurs can help predict who is at the greatest risk of eventually attempting and potentially dying by suicide.
NSSI - defined as the intentional infliction of harm upon one's own body without suicidal intent - is generally a private affair, performed in secrecy and concealed from others. That being said, as our articles on the functional model of NSSI have demonstrated, this is not always the case. Similarly, although the most commonly reported reason for engaging in NSSI is to reduce one's own negative emotions (Nock & Prinstein, 2004), there are some who engage in NSSI for interpersonal reasons as well.
Importantly, the reason an individual engages in NSSI has been linked to the risk for suicide. Specifically, individuals who self-injure to reduce negative emotions have been found to be more likely than individuals who self-injure for other reasons to have made a recent suicide attempt (Nock & Prinstein, 2005). In an "in press" article (e.g., already accepted for publication but not yet released in the journal), Klonsky and Glenn reported that individuals who engage in NSSI in order to reduce negative emotions are most likely to self-injure while alone. As such, the authors have established a link between a particularly harmful motive for self-injury and a particular context. In this study, they sought to follow-up on that finding and determine the degree to which the context itself contributed to suicide risk. In other words, is a pattern of self-injuring exclusively while alone in and of itself a risk factor for suicidal behavior?
In a sample of 801 college students in an introductory psychology course, the authors reported that 26% indicated they had a prior history of NSSI. The resulting sample of individuals with a history of NSSI consisted of 205 students (57% female, average age = 18.5). Each participant was given self-report questionnaires that assessed the frequency and severity of many different forms of NSSI (e.g., cutting, burning), the functions of NSSI (e.g., to reduce negative emotions), history of suicidal thoughts and behaviors, depression symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and borderline personality disorder (BPD) symptoms. Individuals without a history of self-injury were given all of the same questionnaires except those assessing form and function of NSSI. As such, comparisons could be made between groups on a number of variables.
The most commonly reported forms of NSSI were banging/hitting self (61%), pulling hair (47%), pinching (42%), and cutting (40%). 82% of the respondents reported using multiple methods of self-injury and 62% of the sample had self-injured within the past year. The mean age of onset for self-injury in this sample was 13. Individuals with a history of self-injury reported higher mean levels of depression, anxiety, BPD, and suicidality relative to individuals with no history of self-injury. Although the study was looking at college students, who typically do not represent the most severe psychopathology, there was a significant amount and variety of NSSI represented in this sample.
The central aim of the study was not simply to look at how often individuals self-injured. Instead, the authors were interested in determining whether individuals who self-injure exclusively while alone differed from those who self-injure in the presence of others both in their motive for self-injury and in their risk for suicide. 23 individuals reported "never" engaging in NSSI while alone and 67 reported engaging in NSSI while alone only "sometimes." These two groups, representing a total of 90 individuals, were collapsed into a single group. 108 individuals reported that they are "always" alone when they self-injure.
Looking at their data, the authors found that individuals who self-injure while alone have significantly higher levels of suicidality, even when controlling for the effects of biological sex, than did individuals who never or only sometimes self-injure while alone. Additionally, individuals who self-injure exclusively while alone were most likely to report engaging in NSSI in an effort to reduce negative emotions. As a follow-up, the authors ran a mediational analysis in order to see if the motive for self-injury explained the relationship between self-injuring while alone and suicidality. As it turns out, it did not. Although the relationship between context of self-injury and suicidality weakened when controlling for motives, it remained significant, meaning that self-injuring exclusively while alone is related to suicide risk for more reasons that the fact that doing so likely reflects a tendency to self-injure in an effort to regulate emotions.
So, having established that the motive for self-injury did not fully explain the link between self-injuring alone and suicide risk, the authors decided to examine whether other important variables might serve as mediators. Specifically, they considered depression symptoms, BPD symptoms, frequency of cutting behavior, and frequency of carving behavior. When these variables were entered into the equation along with context of self-injury, the relationship between self-injuring exclusively while alone and suicidality again remained significant. In other words, individuals who self-injure only while they are alone do not appear to be at a greater risk for suicide simply because of their reason for self-injury, their level of depression or BPD, or the frequency with which they engage in cutting or carving of their own skin. Those variables made significant contributions to suicide risk, but self-injuring while alone significantly predicted suicidality above and beyond those effects.
Looking over all of these findings, Glenn and Klonsky's data indicate that individuals who self-injure alone are at a greater risk for suicide than are individuals who self-injure in the presence of others and that those who self-injure alone tend to do so in an effort to reduce negative emotions. Given that none of the variables they examined mediated the relationship between self-injuring alone and suicidality, the authors were left to explain why self-injuring alone might, in and of itself, reflect a risk for suicide. They provided several hypotheses on this front. The one that, to me, seemed the most compelling was the idea that those who self-injure might either lack social support or at least believe that others could not relate to their experiences. This idea is highly consistent with Joiner's (2005) theory and the idea that an individual must not only be capable of lethal self-harm, but must desire suicide in order to engage in a serious attempt. Prior research (e.g, Van Orden et al., 2008) has demonstrated that a thwarted sense of belongingness is a strong contributing factor to suicidal desire. In this sense, the mere presence of other people during an NSSI episode is not necessarily the important factor. Simply placing another person in the room while somebody who would otherwise only self-injure in private is not likely to directly impact suicide risk. Instead, it is the belief that others can relate to their experience that might make individuals who self-injure in the presence of others at lower risk.
Importantly, other interpretations could prove true as well. In fact, it might simply be that those who self-injure in the presence of others do so in an effort to fit in with peers and that their behavior represents a less clinically severe stage in development rather than the presence of severe psychopathology. Regardless, further data are needed in order to reach stronger conclusions and, ideally, future research will involve more complex methods for data collection rather than relying on self-report and a single time point. In the meantime, Glenn and Klonsky (2009) provided an interesting view of the importance of context in self-injurious behaviors.
If you would like to learn more about NSSI or suicide, we recommend the following resources, all of which are available through our online store. Additionally, if you are experiencing thoughts of suicide, please dial 1-800-273-TALK for quality care that is anonymous and available 24 hours, seven days per week.
Why People Die by Suicide by Thomas Joiner Treating Suicidal Behavior: An Effective, Time-Limited Approach by David Rudd, Thomas Joiner, and Hasan Rajab The Interpersonal Theory of Suicide: Guidance for Working With Suicidal Clients by Thomas Joiner, Kim Van Orden, Tracy Witte, and David Rudd


Labour, Politics and the State in Industrialising Thailand By Andrew Brown Published September 11th 2003 by Routledge – 192 pagesPublished September 11th 2003 by Routledge – 192 pagesIn this book Brown argues that workers in East and Southeast Asia are significant actors in political change. Critically examining the themes of labour weakness, political exclusion and insignificance of 'class factors' he aims to bring workers back from the margins, demonstrating that both in the present and past the state has been entangled in processes that determine the forms of their struggles. This book presents new empirical data, important historical material and an innovative approach to workers and politics.
Andrew Brown is a Research Fellow in the Department of Political and Social Change in the Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies, Australian National University.


In the realm of sound healing, I’m often asked the question, “Why Ohm?” Ohm is an ancient and sacred tone that is universally recognized and spiritually upheld. Ohm is our home tone and deeply familiar; its measured frequency is based on the elliptical orbit of Earth as it travels around the sun through four seasons.
Listening to the Ohm tone helps reconnect us to the pulses, cycles, and rhythms of life. Resonating with Ohm is grounding and leaves you in a relaxed yet present state.
My clinical experience, study, and research during the past 30 years have lead me to believe that Ohm and its overtones are complete with infinite possibility. As a musician, I believe that Ohm is our musical center of gravity.
Listening to music intentionally composed in the Ohm frequency can help strengthen your immune system, relax aching muscles, enhance massage and bodywork therapies, restore balance—even clear stagnant energy in a room. By tuning into the vibrations and cycles of the Earth through resonance with Ohm, we connect with something sacred.


Documents Gordon McDougall
Customer retention strategies: When do they pay off? (ABSTRACT) McDougall, G.
published: 2001 | Research publication | Refereed Journals - Marketing
McDougall, G. (2001). "Customer retention strategies: When do they pay off?". Services Marketing Quarterly , 22 (1), 39.
ABSTRACT: Many firms have invested substantial resources in customer retention strategies based on the premise that improving customer retention rates leads to significant increases in profits. However, the profitability is determined by four factors: 1. industry retention rates, 2. segmentation issues, 3. components of long-term customer value, and 4. ability to calculate long-term customer value. If these factors are not favorable, the payoffs may be lower than the costs of retention strategies. Using the factors, a case study illustrates how firms can evaluate when retention strategies are likely to pay off. In general, the strategies are appropriate when: 1. industry retention levels are high, 2. segments differ in value, 3. components of long-term customer value are favorable, and 4. individual customer value can be determined.Download the article at: http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=73460283&sid=1&Fmt=2&clientId=27850&RQT=309&VName=PQD
revised Jan 7/05
View all Gordon McDougall documents


Over the last few decades urban waterfronts worldwide have become places ofsignificant change. Many have essentially lost their working port functions and havebeen redeveloped for other purposes, often incorporating significant leisure and tourismfunctions. Others, however, have maintained a significant portion of their originalcommercial maritime activities, but have still become a focus for leisure and tourismpursuits. This paper explores two such waterfront precincts in major Australian cities:Fremantle in Perth and Williamstown in Melbourne, places with long histories in shippingbut very recent histories in tourism. The focus of the paper is on understanding howtourists experience these places, and what it is about such precincts that contribute mostto their touristic appeal.The basis for the research was a series of structured interviews with both domestic andinternational visitors to each precinct. Fifty-six individual interviews were conducted inWilliamstown and thirty interviews involving forty-eight individuals were conducted inFremantle. In both cases the interviews were conducted over a two-day period.The results shed light on why and how such places appeal to tourists and also provideguidance on how to maintain their appeal. Relaxation and taking time out from theeveryday city were important visitor motivations, and the waterfront setting contributed tothese. Fremantle, however, provided more depth to the tourists' experiences because itoffered greater opportunities to engage actively with the setting and others who occupiedit, rather than simply experiencing it in a passive way as appeared to be the case inWilliamstown. Significantly there was a strong feeling that the working port element wasan important part of Fremantle's appeal, along with a very strong connection to historythrough a well-conserved physical fabric. The lack of depth in the Williamstownexperience seemed to limit the visitors' ability to appreciate the precinct's history, with itsmost positive features relating to the pure physicality of its waterfront setting.More generally, the results provide some key insights into the functions that tourismprecincts perform within the overall urban tourism experience and how significantprecincts are to such experiences. They reinforce earlier findings of the previous studiesconducted by the researchers that intimacy, authenticity and a strong sense of place arevital elements of the tourist experience in urban precincts, and precincts are at the coreof the urban tourism experience.


Accessibility in User-Centered Design: Usability Testing The Evaluating for Accessibility page provides guidance on incorporating accessibility into common evaluation methods, including standards review, heuristic evaluation, design walkthroughs, and informal evaluation with users with disabilities. This section is an overview of usability testing with participants with disabilities.
Usability testing provides quantitative and qualitative data from real users performing real tasks with a product. Usability professionals can evaluate some aspects of accessibility by using standard usability testing protocols, with a few modifications for including participants with disabilities.
You don't have to be a usability professional and you don't have to follow formal usability testing protocols to include people with disabilities in evaluation. Short informal evaluation can gather valuable feedback from people with disabilities without the rigor of formal usability testing. In most cases, including users in evaluation involves:
finding a few people with disabilities, asking them to complete tasks on prototypes, observing them interact with the prototype, discussing accessibility issues with them. While usability testing evaluates how usable accessibility solutions are by some people with disabilities, usability testing can't address all accessibility issues and doesn't evaluate conformance to accessibility standards . See Evaluating for Accessibility for guidance on incorporating accessibility into other evaluation methods, including standards reviews. It is most efficient to conduct other types of evaluations before investing in formal usability testing with people with disabilities.
In one case, an organization conducted usability testing of their educational software application with screen reader users. It was unusable with a major screen reader. Every user gave up in frustration and confusion within 20 minutes, after trying every strategy they knew to get at the content. The organization wasted £6000 on formal usability testing to figure out what they could have learned with easier, less expensive evaluation methods.
Conducting informal evaluations throughout a product development project is more effectivethan formal usability testing at the end of a project. While these chapters cover formal usability studies, much of the information applies to informal evaluations, field studies, and other collaboration with people with disabilities .
Some formal usability testing with participants with disabilities will use standard protocols. However, for usability tests designed specifically to explore accessibility issues, the protocol may be different from a typical general usability test; for example:
you would likely use a think-out-loud technique with high facilitator interaction; data collection would focus on understanding errors related to accessibility issues, rather than on time-on-task or user satisfaction; and tasks would concentrate on specific areas of concern for potential accessibility barriers, rather than general site usage. Detailed guidance on usability testing with participants with disabilities in the following sections:
Planning Usability Testing covers determining participant characteristics, recruiting participants, choosing the best location, and scheduling the right amount of time. Preparing for Usability Testing covers ensuring the facility is accessible, preparing test materials, setting up and testing participants' configurations, becoming familiar with the assistive technology, and conducting pilot testing. Conducting Usability Testing covers setting up the room, orienting the participant, completing paperwork, completing the tasks, collecting data, providing compensation, and specific considerations for people with different disabilities. Reporting Usability Testing covers distinguishing between accessibility and usability issues, including relevant study parameters, being careful about categorizations and comparisons, clarifying conclusions, and writing about people with disabilities. Checklist for Usability Testing summarizes the tasks and considerations involved in planning, preparing for, conducting, and reporting usability studies with participants with disabilities. Recruiting Screener lists question to ask during recruiting. The Interacting with People with Disabilities chapter provides additional information related to usability testing. The "Usability Evaluation, Usability Testing" section of the Appendix: Resources includes references that provide general information on usability evaluation and usability testing.


Families of children with food allergies know that this invisible condition requires constant vigilance. The necessity of keeping these children safe cannot be overstated; however, their emotional well-being is equally important. Food is used in almost every type of celebration, and is often a focal point of these events. Even in day-to-day life, food is everywhere. Children who have food allergies may be excluded from many of these activities. Some seem to take it in stride, while others feel varying degrees of sadness, anger, or fear. This book was meant to shed light on the emotional side and to help children cope with these challenges. It also serves as a reminder that even though this condition must be managed on a daily basis, it need not stop them from enjoying a wonderful life and becoming everything they were meant to be. I hope this book will validate the feelings these children may have and encourage them to talk about them. It is also my sincere desire that some of the words and photographs will allow others a glimpse at the way that these children experience the world. Maybe next time, you will be one of the grown-ups who allow an allergic child to be ?one of the gang!?


familE™ contains all eight members of the vitamin E family, known as tocopherols and tocotrienols. These “Toco’s”-4 forms of tocopherols and 4 forms of tocotrienols, typically found concentrated in plant seeds and vegetable oils, are combined with the cardiovascular nutrients lutein and pantethine.
familE™ is specifically rich in Gamma tocopherol and tocotrienols (Tocomin©) for enhanced antioxidant and cardiovascular function. Excess d-Alpha tocopherol depletes Gamma tocopherol. familE™ is fortified with a molecular distillate of palm fruit oil, providing the most potent and comprehensive tocotrienol complex.
familE™ protects cardiovascular function by reducing the oxidation of low-density lipoproteins. Squalene is naturally found in the liver and is a building block for hormones. Lutein is a xanthophyll (oxygenated carotenoid) that occurs in nature with zeaxanthin, a closely related carotenoid. An experimental study indicates that lutein protects vascular health by inhibiting monocyte migration into the arterial cells. Pantethine (Pantesin©) is the stable disulfide form of pantothenic acid (Vitamin B5), and it is the physiological coenzyme A precursor in the Krebs cycle. Pantethine supports lipid metabolism by its ability to raise levels of CoA, a cofactor involved in several metabolic pathways including carbohydrate and lipid metabolism.


Senators José M. Serrano, Bill Perkins, Liz Krueger and Daniel Squadron held a public hearing on the construction of the Second Avenue Subway. The legislators heard testimony from MTA Chief Jay Walder and other stakeholders such as the Second Avenue Business Association (SABA) and area residents.
The Second Avenue Subway is being constructed to provide residents and commuters with additional access to mass transit. However, this endeavor has led to numerous set-backs. Many businesses, residents, building owners and commuters have been adversely affected by the construction, which has eliminated parking, diminished sidewalks, and severely blocked access to local businesses. In addition, the scheduled dates of completion have been pushed back, and limited information has been disseminated to impacted businesses and residents. By hearing from these affected parties, and those vested with the authority to construct the subway line, this hearing examined problems associated with the construction and its delays, and what can be done to possibly mitigate those problems.


The standard cosmological model posits that the universe is homogeneous and statistically isotropic on its largest scales. However, there is no fundamental reason why these properties have to hold, and in fact they can be broken due to interesting new physics. Moreover, there is some evidence from recent WMAP observations for 'anomalies' - including departures from statistical isotropy - on the largest observable scales. Large-scale structure (LSS) - including the distribution of galaxies in the universe - presents a new frontier in testing statistical isotropy and homogeneity, and we are entering an epoch with orders-of-magnitude improvement in the statistics of LSS. In this talk I first review general tests of statistical isotropy using LSS. I then describe results from research done in collaboration with my student Cameron Gibelyou on testing aspects of the statistical isotropy - in particular, dipolar modulations of the galaxy counts - using existing LSS surveys.


Text size | | | Français Georgia: Internal displacment estimate rises Briefing Notes , 12 September 2008This is a summary of what was said by UNHCR spokesperson Ron Redmond – to whom quoted text may be attributed – at the press briefing, on 12 September 2008, at the Palais des Nations in Geneva. Based on detailed profiling of internally displaced persons in Georgia that was just completed by the authorities in cooperation with UNHCR, the statistics on displacement associated with the August conflict over the breakaway region of South Ossetia have been revised. They show that a total of 192,000 people were forced to flee their homes, including 127,000 displaced in Georgia proper; 30,000 within South Ossetia; and another 35,000 to North Ossetia (Russian Federation).
Of the 127,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Georgia, 68,000 have since returned home. UNHCR and the Georgian government estimate that another 5,000 will go home before the onset of winter, bringing up the number of returnees to 73,000.
As for the remaining 54,000 IDPs, UNHCR estimates that 23,000 will need to be provided with alternative shelter through the winter months, but will be able to return home in 2009 once their houses have been rehabilitated. However, the remaining 31,000 individuals are not expected to return in the foreseeable future. They originate from South Ossetia (22,000); from inaccessible parts of the so-called 'buffer zone' (8,000); and from Abkhazia (1,000). Given that Georgia is already hosting 223,000 IDPs from previous conflicts, this new population will in the longer term leave the country with a total of 254,000 internally displaced people.
In another development, UNHCR in cooperation with the Georgian government is now putting an end to spontaneous relocations of IDPs from the capital of Tbilisi to the overcrowded tented camp in Gori, which is already packed with some 2,200 people. Over the past week, several busloads of IDPs arrived spontaneously every day at the tented camp in Gori, claiming that they would rather stay in there than be relocated within Tbilisi.
In the Georgian capital, authorities are currently vacating schools and sending IDPs to alternative accommodations so the school year can start. However, some IDPs refuse to be relocated and spontaneously leave for Gori, where many of their relatives and neighbours are accommodated. However, Gori is filled to capacity and UNHCR prefers to reserve remaining tents in the camp for IDPs who were placed with host families who can no longer support them.


Young et al1 reported in the August 1991 issue of the Archives on fast-feedback inhibition of β-endorphin/β-lipotropin by hydrocortisone infusion that occurred in 16 control subjects but not in 16 depressed patients. Their data suggested a decreased sensitivity to glucocorticoid fast feedback in depression, and complemented studies demonstrating decreased sensitivity to delayed feedback by dexamethasone.
Recently we described the effects of metyrapone on pro-gamma—melanocyte-stimulating-hormone (MSH), corticotropin (ACTH), and cortisol plasma levels in 30 drugfree male patients who met the DSM-III-R criteria for a major depressive episode and 21 healthy control subjects.2 The availability of a specific radioimmunoassay (RIA) for β-endorphin with no significant cross-reactivity with β-lipotropin, γ-endorphin, or metenkephalin (Peninsula Laboratories, Belmont, Calif) led us subsequently to evaluate β-endorphin and its response to metyrapone. Details of the patient population, informed consent, protocol, and methods were provided.2 The intra-assay and interassay coefficients of variation of our β-endorphin RIA


The deficits in Alzheimer disease (AD) stem at least partly from neurotoxic β-amyloid peptides generated from the amyloid precursor protein (APP). APP may also be cleaved intracellularly at Asp664 to yield a second neurotoxic peptide, C31. Previously, we showed that cleavage of APP at the C-terminus is required for the impairments seen in APP transgenic mice, by comparing elements of the disease in animals modeling AD, with (platelet-derived growth factor B-chain promoter-driven APP transgenic mice; PDAPP) versus without (PDAPP D664A) a functional Asp664 caspase cleavage site. However, the signaling mechanism(s) by which Asp664 contributes to these deficits remains to be elucidated. In this study, we identify a kinase protein, recently shown to bind APP at the C-terminus and to contribute to AD, whose activity is modified in PDAPP mice, but normalized in PDAPP D664A mice. Specifically, we observed a significant increase in nuclear p21-activated kinase (isoforms 1, 2, and or 3; PAK-1/2/3) activation in hippocampus of 3 month old PDAPP mice compared with non-transgenic littermates, an effect completely prevented in PDAPP D664A mice. In contrast, 13 month old PDAPP mice displayed a significant decrease in PAK-1/2/3 activity, which was once again absent in PDAPP D664A mice. Similarly, in hippocampus of early and severe AD subjects, there was a progressive and subcellular-specific reduction in active PAK-1/2/3 compared with normal controls. Interestingly, total PAK-1/2/3 protein was increased in early AD subjects, but declined in moderate AD and declined further, to significantly below that of control levels, in severe AD. These findings are compatible with previous suggestions that PAK may be involved in the pathophysiology of AD, and demonstrate that both early activation and late inactivation in the murine AD model require the cleavage of APP at Asp664.


From the FLP mailbox, this call for contributions to an edited volume:
Demeter Press is seeking submissions for an edited anthology, edited by Andrea O’Reilly and Lynn O’Brien Hallstein, to be published in 2011. The idea for the collection emerges from recent conversations at the ARM and Brandeis symposium, ”The Maternal Wall in Academe: Academic Mothers and Strategies of Resistance and Empowerment.” This volume will explore academic mothers’ experiences from both narrative and theory. While previous collections such as PhD Mama and Parenting and Professing examined being a mother academic from narrative or”lived experience”and others, Journal of the Association for Research on Mothering issue on Mothers in the Academe, explored mother academics’ experiences from a theoretical perspective, this is the first collection to do so incorporating both narrative and theory. The anthology will explore how both research and narrative can inform contemporary understandings of academic motherhood, particularly in regard to strategies of resistance and empowerment.
Proposals should strengthen the dialogue among academic motherhood, intellectual ideas, and personal narrative. The anthology will explore the topic of Being a Mother Academic from a variety of perspectives and disciplines. We welcome submissions from scholars across disciplines. Articles will be 15-18 pages long, while narratives will be 8-12 pages long.
Topics can include (but are not limited to): the maternal wall, “opting out”, mentoring and modeling, being a professor mother, work-life balance, negotiating or resisting the maternal wall, single mothers and academic work, graduate student mothering, being a mother on the tenure track, being a pregnant professor, maternity leave and academic mothering, poverty and academic mothering, juggling mothering and academic expectations, intersections between feminism and academic mothering, being an academic artist and mothering, race and academic mothering, academic job searches and mothering, teaching and mothering, sexuality and academic mothering, male organizing principles and academic mothering, the academic schedule and mothering, fertility and academic mothering, challenging assumptions about academic mothers, ethics and academic mothering,”having it all”as academic mothers, adoption and academic mothering, networking, strategies for surviving academic mothering, class and academic mothering, race and academic mother mentors, social reproduction and academic mothering,motherhood closet; being out as a mother, second/third shift in the home,academic culture and mothering, maternal pedagogy, myth of ideal worker/ideal mother, intensive mothering and academe, unboundedness of mother work and academic work, childcare, fathering, trailing spouses, academic couples, biological clock, university policies and mothering, timing and spacing of children, perceptions of mothers in academe, discrimination avoidance, discrimination against mothers in academe, motherhood penalty,”price of motherhood”, adjunct work, benefits of motherhood on teaching and research.
Abstracts due by June 01, 2009. Final accepted submissions due June 01, 2010.
Potential contributors interested in submitting abstracts to this edited volume are invited to submit proposals to Lynn O’Brien Hallstein at lhallst@bu.edu and Andrea O’Reilly at aoreilly@yorku.ca
-Bridget Crawford


Maryland State Highway Administration Maryland State Highway Administration (SHA) is dedicated to efficiently providing mobility for their customers through a safe, well-maintained and attractive highway system that enhances Maryland's communities, economy and environment. As a team, they strive to know the needs of their internal and external customers. SHA fulfill commitments in a timely and accurate manner, using resources responsibly, and observing all legal, moral, and ethical standards.
In addition to their transportation mission, SHA has incorporated a significant and innovative environmental component to their work. SHA has been a leading supporter of watershed based stormwater management. They define this vision of stormwater management as a concept that recognizes that recognizes that highways coexist with other land uses in watersheds, and a collaborative approach provides an opportunity for highway agencies to plan and deliver the most cost-effective protection, even improvement, to watersheds.
In support of this concept, SHA has taken a giant leap forward by creating a GIS database of the more than 15,000 stormwater management facilities within their state. This database helps to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of the facilities and helps make decisions regarding future facilities.
SHA, a leading partner in the Green Highways Partnership, has become involved in a number of demonstration projects promoting innovative stormwater management practices, including low impact development strategies and water quality banking. Their advancement and promotion of the partnership has been a major asset to Green Highways.


Post M&A Integration and Improvement What defines a successful merger or acquisition? The answer is never found in the transaction itself. Success is truly defined after the integration is complete. At MainStream we know that the key to enhancing value through a successful integration is in the development of the integration plan. This essential step builds a foundation for a well run, professionally communicated implementation program.
MainStream is experienced in establishing an M&A integration team and plan. We advise on the options and implications of different integration activities including executive appointments, communication and organizational structure. We support management and staff and are adept at getting key constituents to focus on identifying key needs and concerns. M&A integration is a significant undertaking which when done correctly will significantly improve the speed and process through clear, well understood strategies and goals.
At MainStream we understand that now more than ever a successful merger or acquisition will be defined by having the combined organizations bear the fruit that was promised. Our focus is on helping the new organization deliver the goods, and our goal is to make the transition efficient and successful through expert planning and skilled execution.


You can't afford not to fast--considering we live in a toxic world. Dr. Don Colbert, author of the bestsellers "Toxic Relief "and the Bible Cure series, provides a twenty-eight-day protocol for detoxifying the body of harmful toxins that is designed to restore you to health--body, mind, and spirit.
Many have never fasted, but this book's versatility allows for as little as a partial cleanse over a two- to three-day period, a two-week plan for providing liver support against the effects of toxins, or the total twenty-eight- day protocol to both support the liver and detoxify your body. Unlike other books on fasting, this book combines medical information and spiritual principles as Dr. Colbert offers a simplified plan in a short, succinct read.


Washington Regional Medical Center has been recognized by VHA Inc., a national healthcare network, for its success in improving operational efficiency and reducing costs from the supply chain while maintaining quality patient care.
Washington Regional was among nine healthcare organizations across the U.S. who received a Supply Chain Management Excellence Award at VHA's Annual Leadership Conference recently in Denver, Colo.
By maximizing supply chain potential, VHA says, hospitals are better prepared to identify and implement innovative, sustainable supply chain savings that will enable them to reduce costs without compromising quality.
According to Jack Morris, Washington Regional vice president-logistics, recent supply chain innovations at the hospital have resulted in cost savings and have also ensured that the most appropriate and up-to-date technology is available to its patient and physician communities.
“We established a committee aimed at proactively reviewing the proposed purchase of new technology or new supplies in a collective and collaborative manner,” Morris said. “Committee members represent various departments and bring the hospital’s clinical, financial and compliance needs together in the final decision.”


AAM Praises House Passage of China Currency Legislation Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 2378, the Currency Reform for Fair Trade Act, legislation aimed at deterring China from manipulating its currency.
Scott Paul, Executive Director of the Alliance for American Manufacturing (AAM), praised the vote, saying, "Today, the House of Representatives sent a clear message to Beijing: Stop your cheating. America's workers and businesses deserve a level playing field, and passing this bipartisan bill is a significant step in that direction."
The bill passed by a strong, bipartisan vote of 348-79. 249 Democrats and 99 Republicans supported the bill. "This is one of the most pleasantly lopsided trade votes in recent history," said Paul. "Voters are mad and Congress is finally responding.
"We commend Reps. Tim Ryan (D-OH) and Tim Murphy (R-PA) for their strong leadership on this important issue."
Attention now turns toward the Senate, where action is needed to pass comparable legislation. Said Paul, "It's never been more clear that China responds to pressure. The Yuan is the one currency in the world that's pegged to political pressure. The lesson is clear: We need to keep the heat on. It's now the Senate's turn to act."
On October 15 the U.S. Treasury Department is due to release another semi-annual report on currency and Paul adds, "We expect the Administration to do their part as well and finally cite China for what has become rather egregious currency violations."
AAM has long been a key advocate of action on China's cheating, and has published an interactive map detailing 2.4 million U.S. jobs lost since 2001 due to the trade deficit with China. AAM's national economic poll, which showed broad voter support for action on China, helped drive the House Democrats' "Make it in America" initiative. And AAM's Scott Paul has been an outspoken commentator on the need for strong legislation.


Though California Secretary of State Debra Bowen yesterday certified a November ballot measure asking voters to suspend AB 32, a landmark state law requiring a significant cut in greenhouse gas emissions, AB 32 supporters have been organizing for months and have formed a significant coalition to fight the initiative.
In a move usually associated with congressional Republicans, they've also honed their message to clarion simplicity: Support a clean energy future or support Big Oil.
Californians for Clean Energy Jobs, the coalition supporting AB 32, argues the paradigm is no longer about jobs versus the environment, but supporting an innovative economy that benefits the environment .
"It's not a battle between tree huggers and business," said Steve Maviglio, the spokesperson for Californians for Clean Energy Jobs. Maviglio said he was impressed that over 350 supporters had already stepped up, including heavy political hitters like the Association of American Retired Persons (AARP), the American Lung Association, the California Teachers Association, the California League of Women's Voters and the California Nurses Association.
"These are groups the American people trust and they don't trust oil companies," he said.
The
poison pill in the ballot measure, according to Maviglio, is the
provision that would suspend AB32 until California's unemployment rate
falls below 5.5 percent for four consecutive quarters, something that
has only happened three times in the last 30 years. California's
jobless rate is currently at 12.3 percent.
While the bulk of support for the coalition comes from the clean energy sector, Maviglio said Virgin America, deeply reliant on traditional petroleum fuels, was a member because they wanted to be on the right side of the issue. He also noted that Chevron and the California Chamber of Commerce were staying out of the fight because of the significance of AB 32.


The global IPTV industry has experienced impressive growth, but penetration levels are still modest. To spur further development and to avoid sub-optimisation based on multiple proprietary systems, a common standard will be increasingly important. Since no single proprietary standard for IPTV STBs is likely to emerge, influential players should cooperate to establish a widely supported open standard.


Contextualised Equality and the Politics of Legal Mobilisation: Affirmative Action in Northern Ireland Abstract This article examines the development of affirmative action and equality policies targeted at the two main ethno-national communities in Northern Ireland, as an example of ‘contextualised equality’. The argument places particular weight on a politics of legal mobilisation. The article suggests that the ability to connect post-1998 reforms, in practical and symbolic ways, to overriding inter-communal narratives was often a determining factor in identifying those elements of the Good Friday Agreement which advanced, or were constructed as achievable. The argument has implications for understanding how equality debates will progress, and explaining why certain agendas appear to ‘succeed’ and others ‘fail’.


Since the beginning of the 1980s, agricultural researcher numbers in Morocco have steadily risen. Agricultural R&D spending followed a more erratic trend in response to fluctuations in national government funding and (foreign) donor support, though spending has trended steadily upward in recent years, given the Moroccan government’s renewed commitment to developing the agricultural sector. Morocco’s principal agricultural R&D agency, INRA, was highly dependent on government funding throughout 1991–2002, particularly because donor funding contracted over that time. However, the World Bank–led PRV initiative successfully strengthened the institute’s management in the 1990s, in part by decentralizing many of its research activities.
INRA and the higher-education agencies also began to generate considerable shares of their funding through the sale of products and services, entering into numerous national and international research contracts. This is a very positive development, and one with substantial prospects for future growth. The introduction of competitive funding mechanisms is another positive development since the late 1990s, and one that has already promoted collaboration among the various agencies within Morocco’s national agricultural research system. Competitive funding programs have also successfully promoted effective and synergistic research practices, leveling the playing field among Morocco’s agricultural R&D agencies and compelling them to make efficient use of their scarce resources. Accompanying these changes has been significant improvement in researcher qualifications within the system in terms of the proportion of researchers holding PhDs.


Stories of the Twentieth Century for the Twenty-First A key precursor of twentieth-century financial crises in emerging and advanced economies alike was the rapid buildup of leverage. Those emerging economies that avoided leverage booms during the 2000s also were most likely to avoid the worst effects of the twenty-first century's first global crisis. A discrete-choice panel analysis using 1973-2010 data suggests that domestic credit expansion and real currency appreciation have been the most robust and significant predictors of financial crises, regardless of whether a country is emerging or advanced. For emerging economies, however, higher foreign exchange reserves predict a sharply reduced probability of a subsequent crisis.
Published: Pierre-Olivier Gourinchas & Maurice Obstfeld, 2012. "Stories of the Twentieth Century for the Twenty-First," American Economic Journal: Macroeconomics, American Economic Association, vol. 4(1), pages 226-65, January.
You may purchase this paper on-line in .pdf format from SSRN.com ($5) for electronic delivery.


Since 2004, the National Institute on Aging (NIA) Behavioral and Social Research Program has undertaken a research agenda to explore these factors, including a series of meetings, some held in collaboration with the National Academy of Sciences, to assess the state of the science in judgment and decision-making research and to generate ideas for future research. These meetings have brought together psychologists and economists and have led to the recent release of a request for applications focused on neuroeconomics and aging. On August 16–17, 2006, the NIA Behavioral and Social Research Program held a work group meeting on decision making and aging. This work group, chaired by Dr. Jeff Elias, included researchers from similar fields but different approaches and focused more on the cognitive aspects of decision making and aging.


Social Theory and the Global Environment Published July 14th 1994 by Routledge – 280 pagesThis book marks a watershed in the social sciences. The qualitative, critical perspective of sociology and allied disciplines challenges the technocentric `managerialism' which dominates environmental policy, its discourse and its impact.
The authors explore the relationship between social theory and sustainability in an attempt to transend technical rhetoric and embrace a broader understanding of `nature'.


The system combines Harris wideband tactical communications with Cubic intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance technology.
A new system enables autonomous aircraft to relay surveillance video from UAVs directly to friendly forces on the battlefield below. Here, an unmanned aerial systems technician with Insitu, Inc., prepares a ScanEagle unmanned aerial vehicle for flight at Fort Hunter Liggett, Calif., May 20, 2011. (Credit: U.S. Air Force)
Harris Corporation, a communications and information technology company, and Cubic Corporation, a provider of defense electronics and data links, have conducted technology demonstrations that significantly enhance intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) situational awareness by distributing Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) video and targeting data across wideband ground tactical communication networks.
The Harris/Cubic solution integrates Cubic’s Common Data Link (CDL) transceiver technology for receiving video from UAS platforms with the Harris Falcon III® AN/PRC-117G open-standard wideband tactical radio. The system is geared to deliver UAS video to military forces operating at the tactical edge with the greatest need for immediate intelligence.
Currently, ISR data and ground tactical communications are handled using separate and often non-interoperable technologies. Combining the two in a single system creates a versatile solution that links high-bandwidth video into wideband voice and data radio networks — leading to greater situational awareness, faster decision-making and improved operational planning, all while lightening the soldier’s load.
The Harris AN/PRC-117G radio is the first wideband manpack radio system with a JTRS-certified Software Communications Architecture and NSA Type-1 certified information security. The radio’s wideband architecture enables applications such as streaming video, simultaneous voice and data feeds, collaborative chat, and connectivity to secure networks. This provides warfighters and field commanders with critical real-time information through a smaller, lighter and more capable man-portable radio.
Cubic offers a comprehensive family of data link products that provide ISR capabilities for land, air, and sea military operations. The data links allow military commanders to obtain near real-time images and data to precisely locate and identify enemy targets — anywhere, at any time — in a network-centric environment.


Investigating the effects of accent on visual speech Irwin, Amy (2008)
Abstract Speechreading is a complex skill affected by both the observer's method of extracting visual speech information and talker-specific variation in speech production. This thesis focuses upon accent, a factor that can influence both an observer's viewing strategy and talker speechreadability. Auditory research demonstrates that an unfamiliar accent reduces speech intelligibility. The primary aim here was to determine whether accent type, familiarity or variation would alter visual speech intelligibility with consequential effects upon speechreading performance. Experiments 1 and 2 considered visual discrimination of native and non-native accented speech and the influence of non-native accent upon speechreading performance. Results indicated that observers were able to utilise visual cues for discrimination and were significantly poorer at speechreading a non-native accent. Experiments 3, 4 and 5 examined the influence of regional accent on speechreading performance. Results indicated that visual speech performance was significantly worse for Glaswegian-accented talkers than for talkers with a Nottingham accent. However, no clear advantage for accent familiarity was found. Experiment 6 examined the influence of accent type and talker variability upon speechreading performance. Accent type was consistently the dominant influence upon speechreading performance, above familiarity and variation. Experiments 7, 8, 9 and 10 examined the influence of exposure, context and repetition upon the effects of a Glaswegian accent. Here, the effect of the Glaswegian accent on talker speechreadability was reduced by context and repetition, but not removed entirely.
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An early frost damaged some soybeans in Minnesota, just after the USDA estimated a larger-than-expected soybean crop for 2011 in the U.S. Higher prices for the beans are also expected for this crop.
Frost across the upper Midwest nicked soybeans in Minnesota today, September 15. A drive across the southern part of the state showed some beans with frost damage. This early frost came on the heels of USDA’s crop report that the 2011 soybean crop is larger than what was earlier forecasted.
The 2011 soybean crop for the United States is forecast at 3.085 billion bu. This is 29 million bu. larger than the August forecast, but 244 million bu. smaller than the 2010 crop.
The average soybean yield is forecast at 41.8 bu./acre. This is 0.4 bu./acre above the August forecast, but 1.7 bu./acre below the 2010 average.
The price for soybeans is projected in the $12.65 to $14.65 range for the 2011-12 marketing year, according to Darrell Good, University of Illinois ag economist. He notes that this price is $0.15 higher than the August forecast and well above the $11.35 average of the past year.


Drought conditions in the upper southeast persisted into September. Charleston, West Virginia, went 25 days (August 19-September 12) without measurable rain. Louisville, Kentucky, received only 0.17 inches of rain from August 10-September 12 and Lexington, Kentucky, totaled only 0.09 inches during that period.
On September 21, the Charleston, South Carolina, area was hit with heavy thunderstorms and rainfall of 8-12 inches. Street and urban flooding closed roads and forced evacuations in North Charleston. Charleston recorded a daily record of 10.52 inches of rain, greater even than that received during Hurricane Hugo several years ago.
Heavy thunderstorms dropped from 2-4 inches of rain over St. Lucie and Martin Counties on September 25.
As Hurricane Georges moved northward off the Florida Gulf coast, torrential rains hit parts of western Florida. Over 15 inches of rain fell on September 27 in Escambia County, Florida. Georges hit land near Biloxi, Mississippi on September 28. Rainfall totals ranged from 8-30 inches/nover Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida. Bay Minette, Alabama recorded 29.66 inches; Gulf Breeze, Florida 26.87 inches; and Eglin AFB, 24.24 inches. Major flooding was reported along the Escambia, Pascagoula, Tombigbee, and Conecuh Rivers in Alabama; the Escambia, Blackwater, Peace, Yellow, and Shoal Rivers in Florida; and the Biloxi, Leaf, Pascagoula, and Tchoutacobouffa Rivers in Mississippi. Some of this flooding was record or near record peaks. The Shoal River near Crestview, Florida was almost 6 feet above the previous record stage and the peak flow had a recurrence interval greater than 100 years. The Yellow River at Milligan, Florida, the Escambia River at Century Florida, and the Blackwater River near Baker, Florida, all had about 50-year floods. The Chickasaw Creek near Kushla, Alabama, also had a 50-year flood. The Tchoutacobouffa River near D'Iberville, Mississippi, had a flood peak with a recurrence interval over 100 years. Tuxachanie Creek near Biloxi, Mississippi, experienced a 50-year flood.
Mid-Continent Region On September 11, Tropical Storm Frances made landfall between Port Aransas and Port O'Connor, Texas. The remnants of the storm then stalled over northeastern Texas. Rainfall amounts were generally over 4 inches with some localized areas reporting up to 16 inches. New Orleans had a 48-hour rainfall total (September 9-11) of 13.16 inches. Brownsville, Texas, received 7.11 inches from September 1-12, while only receiving 4.43 inches of rain from January-August. Localized flash flooding and moderate stream flooding was widespread across Texas and Louisiana. West Mustang Creek near Ganado, Texas, caused some major lowland flooding when it rose 4 feet above flood stage. Rivers in Oklahoma, Missouri, and Kansas also rose to or above flood stage by September 15. Most notable were the Marmaton and Little Osage Rivers near Fulton, Kansas; the Missouri River in Missouri; and the Neosho River in Oklahoma.
On September 16, Jackson County, Texas, received 4-7 inches of rain. Dry Creek in Edna, Texas, had major flooding with some evacuations necessary. Minor to moderate flooding was experienced along the Lavaca, Navidad, and San Bernard Rivers.
Tropical Storm Hermine produced heavy thunderstorms in Louisiana from September 17-20. Hermine made landfill near Cocodrie, Louisiana, on September 20. Only minor effects were felt from the 1 to 3 inches of rain that fell.
On September 22, 3 to 4 inches of rain fell over south Texas causing flash flooding problems.
Emporia and Garnett, Kansas, reported 3 to 4 inches of rain on September 24 causing flash flooding and rises on the Little Osage and Marmaton Rivers and Pottawatomie Creek.
Western Region The remnants of Hurricane Isis caused heavy thunderstorms across Arizona and southern Utah on September 4 and 5. Yuma, Arizona, measured 2.26 inches/nover this period and the Tucson, Arizona, area had urban and flash flooding. A young girl drowned in a flash flood in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area in Utah after up to 3 inches of rain.
The Boise, Idaho, area was hit with rain up to 3 inches per hour on September 6-7 which caused flash flooding and mudslides.
The streamflow index station on the Gila River at Head of Safford Valley near Solomon, Arizona, recorded a new September minimum mean flow.
Puerto Rico On September 21, Hurricane Georges hit Puerto Rico with from 10-20 inches of rain. Widespread floods and mudslides were experienced. One stream the Rio de la Plata at Highway 2 at Toa Alta, Puerto Rico, went from a flow of 10 cubic feet per second (cfs) to 130,000 cfs in less than 24 hours. Several deaths and hundreds of millions of dollars damages resulted from this very powerful hurricane.
Both streamflow index stations in Puerto Rico were above normal for September. The Rio Grande de Manati at Highway 2, Manati, Puerto Rico site set a new maximum September monthly mean flow of 3,646 cfs, with a maximum flow on September 22 of 77,800 cfs.
Hawaii Three of the four index streamflow stations in Hawaii were in the above-normal range. Kalihi Stream near Honolulu, Oahu, Hawaii was in the normal range.
Alaska Three of the four streamflow index stations in Alaska were in the normal range of flow for September. The Tanana River at Nenana, Alaska, was below normal.


Stephen A. Zahorian
Zongyao Zhou
Charles Brewton
Dept. of Elec. Eng., Old Dominion Univ., Norfolk, VA 23529
Acoustic methods for monitoring fetal heart rate are potentially advantageous over ultrasound methods, since, eventually, long-term low-cost monitoring would be possible for high risk mothers, with no concern for fetal damage due to the monitoring device. However, sensor design and signal processing requirements are very demanding in this low signal-to-noise ratio environment. The present approach is patterned after that by Zuckewar et al. [IEEE Trans. Biomed. Eng. 40-9, 963--969 (1993)] using a third-generation sensor belt, and enhanced signal processing strategies. In the new method, each of seven differential sensor signals is scanned continuously and processed in parallel with a PC-hosted DSP system. The processing of each channel includes FIR bandpass filtering, Teager energy calculations, autocorrelation, and ``intelligent'' peak picking. ``Candidates'' for fetal heart rate are computed every 0.5 s and evaluated with a figure of merit which incorporates both measures of peak quality and continuity constraints. Clinical testing indicates that the new method of signal processing is able to reliably track fetal heart rate for most fetuses with a gestation age of at least 30 weeks. The multiple-channel approach results in a significant improvement over a single-channel method.


Oral Drug Prolongs Survival in Men with Late-Stage PCa ATLANTA—Enzalutamide, an investigational oral medication formerly known as MDV3100, prolongs survival by nearly five months in men with late-stage prostate cancer previously treated with docetaxel, according to data presented at the American Urological Association 2012 annual meeting.The data are from a multinational phase 3 trial in which 1,199 patients were randomly assigned to receive either 160 mg/day of enzalutamide (800 patients)—a once-daily oral androgen receptor signaling inhibitor—or placebo (399 patients).
Based on a planned interim analysis at 520 death events, an Independent Data Monitoring Committee recommended that the study be unblinded and eligible placebo recipients offered enzalutamide due to a significant 4.8 month median overall survival benefit compared with placebo (median 18.4 vs. 13.6 months). Enzalutamide treatment was associated with a 37% decreased risk of death relative to placebo, lead investigator Neal Shore, MD, of Carolina Urologic Research Center in Myrtle Beach, S.C., told colleagues.
The most frequently reported adverse event occurring more with enzalutamide than placebo was fatigue (34% vs. 29%).
The survival benefit observed with enzalutamide is larger than that seen with abiraterone (median 3.9 months) and cabazitaxel (median 2.4 months).


buprenorphine/naloxone - sublingual, Suboxone (cont.)
DRUG INTERACTIONS: Your doctor or pharmacist may already be aware of any possible drug interactions and may be monitoring you for them. Do not start, stop, or change the dosage of any medicine before checking with them first.Before using this medication, tell your doctor or pharmacist of all prescription and nonprescription products you may use, especially of: MAO inhibitors (e.g., furazolidone, linezolid, moclobemide, phenelzine, procarbazine, rasagiline, selegiline, isocarboxazid, tranylcypromine), drugs which decrease liver metabolism (inhibitors of cytochrome 3A4 enzymes such as itraconazole, ketoconazole, erythromycin, clarithromycin, ritonavir, indinavir, saquinavir), local anesthetics (e.g., bupivacaine), sedative drugs (benzodiazepines such as diazepam, lorazepam).Deaths have occurred when buprenorphine/naloxone has been misused, especially when used in combination with benzodiazepines (e.g., diazepam, lorazepam) or other depressants such as alcohol or additional narcotics.Also report the use of other drugs that cause drowsiness such as: medicine for sleep (e.g., sedatives), tranquilizers, anti-anxiety drugs (e.g., temazepam), narcotic pain relievers (e.g., codeine), psychiatric medicines (e.g., phenothiazines such as chlorpromazine, or tricyclics such as amitriptyline), anti-seizure drugs (e.g., carbamazepine), muscle relaxants, antihistamines that cause drowsiness (e.g., diphenhydramine).This document does not contain all possible interactions. Therefore, before using this product, tell your doctor or pharmacist of all the products you use. Keep a list of all your medications with you, and share the list with your doctor and pharmacist.
Report Problems to the Food and Drug Administration
You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit the FDA MedWatch website or call 1-800-FDA-1088.
Back to Medications Index


The Facts Costs from poor medication adherence are estimated to exceed $100 billion annually.
Section 2713 of the Affordable Care Act implements value-based insurance design by giving patients access to primary prevention services recommended by the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF). The Administration has issued an interm final rule (IFR) implementing Section 2713, as well as a request for information (RFI) exploring the concept of value-based insurance design in federal policy. The 2011 National Prevention Strategy also cited Section 2713 and innovative health benefits designs as effective tools to increase preventive care options to Americans.
On September 17, 2010 the V-BID Center responding to the IFR on preventive care (implementing Section 2713 of PPACA). The comments strongly endorse the design of the preventive care benefit outlined by HHS, which embodies the concept of V-BID by using clinical evidence to match populations with recommended medical care. The letter also expressed hope that V-BID will be applied beyond primary prevention to secondary prevention where it has been demonstrated to enhance health and contain costs.
An amendment to the IFR was issued on August 3, 2011 extending coverage without cost-sharing to certain women’s primary preventive services, based on recommendations from the Institute of Medicine.
On December 28, 2010 the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services and Treasury issued a Request for Information (RFI) on V-BID and preventive care. This request sought detailed information on V-BID programs in relation to the current health reform legislation addressing preventive care (Section 2713). The Center issued its response to the RFI on February 28, 2011. This response reflects a collaborative effort of the Center with a wide range of stakeholders who contributed feedback and information crucial to shaping Federal Departments' perspective on V-BID implementation.
Costs from poor medication adherence are estimated to exceed $100 billion annually.
“The V-BID Program is not just a drug design, but we are putting our arms around the total health care spend and return.”
- Bill Bruning
President and CEO
MACHC


What does it mean for a real number to be random? Quite a few definitions have been offered. For instance, one definition of a random real is based on the Kolmogorov Complexity of the initial segments of its binary expansion. Another definition has been given in terms of effective measure theory. A third definition, one concerning certain betting strategies, has also been proposed. We explore each of these definitions, seeking to determine how they relate to one another. A few surprises may occur.
If time permits, we may even get our hands on a bona fide random real.
To volunteer to give a talk, or for any other questions regarding this schedule, contact Sara Miller


The Runco Ideational Behavior Scale, RIBS, was recently created as a tool for assessing ideation.It is intended as a useful criterion for measuring divergent thinking, which includes originality, fluency, and flexibility. While studies have shown that the RIBS has internal consistency, there is no evidene for how it relates to other measures of creativity. This study compared the RIBS to two other creativity tests, How Do You Think (HYDT)and the Torrance Figural Test of Creative Thinking (TTCT) to examine convergent validity. Each test was given to 72 students at a private midwestern university. The students were either introductory psychology students or advanced painting students, 46 were female and 26 were male. There was no statistically significant relationship between the RIBS and the TTCT, showing no convergent validity between the two tests which claim to measure the same construct. Contrary to expectations, there was large significant correlation between the HDYT and the RIBS. These results suggest that the RIBS and the TTCT do not measure the same construct. The strong positive correlation between RIBS and HDYT scores suggests the RIBS measures constructs similar to those of the HDYT. This brings into question the usefulness of the RIBS as a measurement of divergent thinking.
Description:
Maria Clapham is Associate Professor of Psychology at Drake University and can be reached at maria.clapham@drake.edu. Both Laura Muchlinski and Holly Sedlacek major are Psychology majors, graduating from Drake in May 2005.


PARIS — Solar photovoltaic systems have long been painted as a clean way to generate electricity, but expensive compared with other alternatives to oil, like nuclear power. No longer. In a “historic crossover,” the costs of solar photovoltaic systems have declined to the point where they are lower than the rising projected costs of new nuclear plants, according to a paper published this month. “Solar photovoltaics have joined the ranks of lower-cost alternatives to new nuclear plants,” John O. Blackburn, a professor of economics at Duke University, in North Carolina, and Sam Cunningham, a graduate student, wrote in the paper, “Solar and Nuclear Costs — The Historic Crossover.” This crossover occurred at 16 cents per kilowatt hour, they said. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/27/business/global/27iht-renuke.html


Alabama parents are advised to have their homes and children tested for lead as the state opbserves National Lead Poisoning Prevetion Week, October 23-29.
Nearly a quarter of a million children living in the United States have blood lead levels high enough to cause significant damage to their health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates, based on data from a 2003–2004 national survey. Major sources of lead exposure among U.S. children are lead-based paint and lead-contaminated dust found in deteriorating buildings.
Despite the continued presence of lead in the environment, lead poisoning is entirely preventable. “If high blood lead levels are not detected early, children with such high levels of lead in their bodies can suffer from damage to the brain and nervous system,” Dr. Tom Miller, deputy director for medical affairs, Alabama Department of Public Health, said.


In response to local community and environmental concerns, the Aspen/Pitkin County Airport is seeking the cooperation of all aircraft operators to adhere to the following described noise abatement procedures whenever possible. Your complete cooperation is necessary.
These NBAA noise procedures are recommended as standard for all operations where aircraft manufacturers have not recommended specific procedures. The NBAA procedures are to supplement and be complementary to established noise abatement programs containing procedures and techniques for specific aircraft.
When professional opinion indicates that the procedures and techniques recommended for specific aircraft are less effective than the NBAA procedures, pilots are encouraged to contact the manufacturers and airport management with specific recommendations for change.
Turbo Jet Business Aircraft
1. Noise abatement procedures should be made part of the routine in operating aircraft in and out of all airports, not just Sardy Field.
2. Aircraft operators must take the initiative and responsibility to obtain all pertinent information on the local noise abatement policies followed at this airport.
3. Reverse Thrust: Operators should be aware that unnecessary use of reverse thrust when landing can be a source of excessive noise. The use of minimum reverse thrust necessary for safety is recommended, consistent with runway conditions and available length.


Vasa vasorum in plaque angiogenesis, metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and atheroscleropathy: a malignant transformation
1 Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Missouri Columbia, Missouri, PO BOX 1140 Lk. Rd. 5–87, Camdenton, Missouri 65020 USA
2 Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of Louisville, School of Medicine,500 South Preston Street, University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky 40292 USA
Cardiovascular Diabetology 2004, 3 :1 doi:10.1186/1475-2840-3-1Abstract Background Vascularization is an exciting and complex mechanism involving angiogenesis and arteriogenesis. The metabolic syndrome (MS) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) are associated with multiple metabolic toxicities, which result in reactive oxygen species (ROS) due to an elevated tension of oxidative-redox stress and an accelerated atherosclerosis termed atheroscleropathy.
Results This atheroscleropathy is associated with accelerated angiogenesis within the vulnerable, thin-cap fibro-atheroma, prone to rupture resulting in acute coronary syndromes (ACS). The resulting intimopathy with its neovascularization due to angiogenesis of the adventitial vasa vasorum (Vv) is prone to intraplaque hemorrhage (IPH). These IPH are associated with destabilization of the vulnerable plaques resulting in plaque erosion and plaque rupture resulting in ACS. In atheroscleropathy the adventitial Vv invades the plaque in a malignant-like fashion and concurrently is associated with chronic inflammation, as macrophages are being deposited within the shoulder regions of these vulnerable plaques. These angiogenic Vv provide a custom delivery vascular network for multiple detrimental substrates, which further accelerates the growth of these vulnerable plaques and atheroscleropathy. There exists a vascularization paradox in MS and T2DM, in that, angiogenesis within the plaque is induced and arteriogenesis is impaired.
Conclusion This review will attempt to provide a database of knowledge regarding the vascularization process (angiogenesis and arteriogenesis) and its mechanisms to better understand the increased cardiovascular risk and the increased morbidity and mortality associated with MS and T2DM.


Dear Editor:
Recent reports estimate that the number of residents who are lacking health coverage in our nation has grown to 50 million. Of course, this increase is tied to the economic slump we are experiencing as employees have lost jobs, however, we must continue to address this problem or it will further spiral out of control.
As I write about the necessity for access to adequate healthcare I wish to remind the public that we are fortunate to have local healthcare resources in Hudson County. Specifically, residents are encouraged to utilize the medical services provided by the North Hudson Community Action Corporation as well as Federally Qualified Health Centers which provide primary healthcare for our region.
Furthermore, the CEO of North Hudson Community Action Corporation, Christopher F. Irizarry, continues to advance quality care for residents who seek treatment. I commend Mr. Irizarry’s approach to managing North Hudson Community Action Corporation which is rooted in treating both the patient and the person, offering an experience which encourages healing.
In the future, we must look to be inventive in providing healthcare for all of our residents. As a nation, we should be focused on achieving first-rate medical attention for all of our citizens.
Sincerely,
Brian P. Stack
State Senator


BACKGROUND: Bipolar disorder (BD) is a leading cause of disability. Systematic reviews of randomized trials for the treatment of the maintenance phase of BD are lacking.
OBJECTIVES: To determine the efficacy and tolerability of mood stabilizers and antipsychotics in the maintenance treatment of BD.
METHODS: We systematically reviewed randomized controlled trials of licensed medications for the treatment of any phase of BD. We included randomized controlled trials comparing a medication to placebo or another medication. Comprehensive searches of electronic databases were conducted to March 2005. Outcomes investigated were relapse due to mania, depression or any mood episode, and withdrawal due to any reason or due to an adverse event. Data were combined through meta-analysis.
RESULTS: Fourteen studies (n = 2,526) met the inclusion criteria. Lithium, lamotrigine, olanzapine and valproate semisodium each demonstrated evidence to support long-term use. Compared with placebo, all medications were more effective at preventing relapse because of any mood episode. Hazard ratios (HR) were 0.68 [95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.53-0.86] for lithium, 0.68 (95% CI = 0.55-0.85) for lamotrigine, and 0.82 (95% CI = 0.57-1.20) for valproate semisodium; for olanzapine, the risk ratio (RR) was 0.58 (95% CI = 0.49-0.69). Lithium and olanzapine significantly reduced manic relapses (HR = 0.53; 95% CI = 0.35-0.79 and RR = 0.37; 95% CI = 0.24-0.57, respectively). Lamotrigine and valproate semisodium significantly reduced depressive relapses (HR = 0.65; 95% CI = 0.46-0.91 and RR = 0.40; 95% CI = 0.20-0.82, respectively). Lithium significantly reduced manic relapses compared with lamotrigine (HR = 0.56; 95% CI = 0.34-0.92) and olanzapine significantly reduced manic relapses compared with lithium (RR = 1.69; 95% CI = 1.12-2.55). Withdrawal due to an adverse event was approximately twice as likely with lithium compared with valproate semisodium (RR = 1.81; 95% CI = 1.08-3.03) and lamotrigine (RR = 2.20; 95% CI = 1.31-3.70). There were few data for carbamazepine or medications given as adjunct therapy.
CONCLUSIONS: Mood stabilizers have differing profiles of efficacy and tolerability, suggesting complementary roles in long-term maintenance treatment.


Luminos 1 is a highly effective electric fly killer using a glue board unit that has been designed for relatively low risk areas . This unit is particularly well suited for use within food retail operations, allowing for wall mounted or flat surface installation*.
*Bracket available as an accessory item.
Luminos 1 is suitable for a range of customers
and industries, including:
Download the Luminos 1 Fly Killer leaflet (pdf) for further information.
In a series of tests designed to compare the effectiveness of Rentokil’s Luminos Fly Killer units, the Luminos 1 (freestanding) performance suggests that it is effective in low risk areas. For higher risk areas, we recommend Luminos 4 as well as the use of multiple electric fly killer units.
The graph below reflects the calculated “Half Life Time” for Rentokil’s Luminos range. This test measures how quickly a unit catches 50% of flies in an area, and uses this as a proxy for overall effectiveness.
Source: European Technical Centre Rentokil, Horsham, UK
Luminos 1 conforms to all relevant European electrical and UV safety standards.
For further information on other units, please visit the page on electric Luminos Fly Killers.


:: Enhanced warming over the global subtropical western boundary currents + 02.02.2012 + Subtropical western boundary currents are warm, fast-flowing currents that form on the western side of ocean basins.
They carry warm tropical water to the mid-latitudes and vent large amounts of heat and moisture to the atmosphere along their paths, affecting atmospheric jet streams and mid-latitude storms, as well as ocean carbon uptake.
The possibility that these highly energetic currents might change under greenhouse-gas forcing has raised significant concerns, but detecting such changes is challenging owing to limited observations.
Here, using reconstructed sea surface temperature datasets and century-long ocean and atmosphere reanalysis products, we find that the post-1900 surface ocean warming rate over the path of these currents is two to three times faster than the global mean surface ocean warming rate.
The accelerated warming is associated with a synchronous poleward shift and/or intensification of global subtropical western boundary currents in conjunction with a systematic change in winds over both hemispheres. This enhanced warming may reduce the ability of the oceans to absorb anthropogenic carbon dioxide over these regions.
However, uncertainties in detection and attribution of these warming trends remain, pointing to a need for a long-term monitoring network of the global western boundary currents and their extensions.
Wu, L., W. Cai, L. Zhang, H. Nakamura, A. Timmermann, T. Joyce, M. J. McPhaden, M. Alexander, B. Qiu, M. Visbeck, P. Chang, and B, Giese, 2012: "Enhanced warming over the global subtropical western boundary currents" - Nature Climate Change - more
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Whether it came from an animal on a fur farm or one who was trapped in the wild, every fur coat, trinket, and bit of trim caused an animal tremendous suffering—and took away a life.Animals on fur farms spend their entire lives confined to cramped, filthy wire cages. Fur farmers use the cheapest and cruelest killing methods available, including suffocation, electrocution, gas, and poison.More than half the fur in the U.S. comes from China, where millions of dogs and cats are bludgeoned, hanged, bled to death, and often skinned alive for their fur. Chinese fur is often deliberately mislabeled, so if you wear any fur, there's no way of knowing for sure whose skin you're in.