Cyber Security
Cybersecurity has emerged as one of the most important fields that exists to protect us from digital attacks across all sectors of business, government and in our personal lives…Gov. Doug Ducey.
Arizona is a growing epicenter for cyber solutions in the private and public sectors. This includes military research at places like Fort Huachuca, cybersecurity operations at dozens of American companies, as well as coalitions like the Arizona Cyber Threat Response Alliance, which serves as a hub for cyber information-sharing with partners from industry, academia, law enforcement and intelligence.
A 2015 report, “Job Market Intelligence: Cybersecurity Jobs, 2015,” ranked Arizona # 15 in the country for total job postings in the sector. Phoenix-area job postings increased 101 percent between 2010-14, compared to 91percent nationally.


Noting the augmenting of fake invoice registration, the Centre and States have jointly decided to further tighten the process of GST Registration as well as the legal process surrounding it.
A meeting of the Law Council of GST has been summoned to deliberate on the matter and chart out paths that can be adopted to achieve this conflated goal. The committee is expected to discuss fake invoice frauds, a greater tightening of the GST registration process and iron out further legal measures including any necessary law amendment required in the GST Act to put a significant check on fake invoicing.
It is expected that provisions relating to the deemed registration under the GST Law will face scrutiny and may be tightened along with the streamlining of provisions related to suspension under the existing law. This would come as a pre-emptive move to expedite the process of suspension and make it significantly less complex so that it becomes easier to identify, process and punish fraudulent accounts while removing them from the system.
“It is also learnt that data analytics techniques will be used to identify such taxpayers, who are suspected to be indulging in fraudulent activities and a coordinated action is likely to be taken against such elements by suspending their registration, followed by detailed physical and financial verification by field officers to check genuineness of their operations, before they are allowed to reuse their registration,” A Financial Express source notes
These moves come in the aftermath the booking of more than 393 cases by The Directorate General of GST Intelligence (DGGI), the investigation unit under GST. It has identified approximately 1,282 entities and arrested more than 30 odd people as a result.
It is expected that businesses, whose owners not having a good financial track record, like filing of income tax returns and payment of income tax to the government, may require detailed physical and financial verification by tax officers, before their companies can be considered for GST registration under the new set of changes which will be released by the government soon.


Associate feature: supporting vital workers
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis, across the country people have gained fresh perspectives on the vital work undertaken by the nation’s key workers. Much of this has focused, rightly, on the critical roles of those battling the virus on the front lines, such as NHS staff and those working in the care sector. These key workers risk their lives to care for others and deserve to be supported as much as possible.
Scotland’s teachers provide some of that support through their staffing of the support Hub facilities which have been set up, and which the children of key workers (and, also, some vulnerable young people) can attend during the lockdown. This is a vital role, indeed it brings with it Category 1 key worker status, offering care for these young people while their parents perform essential work in places such as hospitals and care homes. It speaks to the dedication of Scotland’s teachers that the numbers volunteering to work in these Hubs far exceeds the number of staff required daily.
Beyond that, other teachers are doing all that they can to continue to engage children and young people across the country. Remote teaching and learning bring challenges, for all: teachers, students and parents. It is no substitute for the caring communities which are our schools, but it offers a lifeline platform where teachers can continue to support the health, wellbeing and resilience of our children and young people.
While the COVID-19 pandemic continues to place a great strain on the entire country, Scotland’s public sector workers, including teachers, are doing all that they can to see us through the crisis.
Larry Flanagan, General Secretary of the Educational Institute of Scotland
This piece was sponsored by EIS


All over the world, people are disinfecting, spraying, and wiping down surfaces with an urgent sense of purpose: They want to kill the coronavirus.
Many of us are cautious about touching things like ATM buttons, door handles, and hand rails. Some of us wear disposable gloves when we go out. Others even wipe down their groceries after bringing them home.
When the pandemic began, these measures seemed like the best way to prevent the spread of COVID-19.


Abstract
The lack of an effective detection method for lung circulating tumor cells (CTCs) presents a substantial challenge to elucidate the value of CTCs as a diagnostic or prognostic indicator in lung cancer, particularly in nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC). In this study, we prepared a capture surface exploiting strong multivalent binding mediated by poly(amidoamine) (PAMAM) dendrimers to capture CTCs originating from lung cancers. Given that 85% of the tumor cells from NSCLC patients overexpress epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), anti-EGFR was chosen as a capture agent. Following in vitro confirmation using the murine lung cancer cell lines (ED-1 and ED1-SC), cyclin E-overexpressing (CEO) transgenic mice were employed as an in vivo lung tumor model to assess specificity and sensitivity of the capture surface. The numbers of CTCs in blood from the CEO transgenic mice were significantly higher than those from the healthy controls (on average 75.3 ± 14.9 vs 4.4 ± 1.2 CTCs/100 μL of blood, p < 0.005), indicating the high sensitivity and specificity of our surface. Furthermore, we found that the capture surface also offers a simple, effective method for monitoring treatment responses, as observed by the significant decrease in the CTC numbers from the CEO mice upon a treatment using a novel anti-miR-31 locked nucleic acid (LNA), compared to a vehicle treatment and a control-LNA treatment (p < 0.05). This in vivo evaluation study confirms that our capture surface is highly efficient in detecting in vivo CTCs and thus has translational potential as a diagnostic and prognostic tool for lung cancer.
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes Analytical Chemistry


A
association learning collaborative is a planned program for engaging people from multiple organizations in learning and action to accomplish their goals. CHS supports each step in the process, including design, development, delivery, and evaluation.
Topics. The learning topics for a collaborative can be focused on any aspects of organizational strategy or community strategy.
Participants. Participants may include individuals or teams from member organizations. There are no hard and fast limits on the number of participants., and the mix of participants can be decided based on the topical focus and learning objectives.
Duration. A collaborative can run from a few weeks to months, depending on the scope and nature of the project.
Structure. A collaborative typically includes a series of virtual or in-person group learning sessions, coaching and consultation between learning sessions, and an online resource center where participants can access a wide range of content (data, tools, practice guides, etc.). Subject matter expertise is provided by strategically chosen instructors, with CHS consultants facilitating coaching, consultation, and access to online resources.
Peer Learning. In addition to learning from expert instructors and consultants, participating members learn from each other as they share breakthroughs, challenges, and lessons learned. The opportunity for peer learning is a key part of the value proposition for a collaborative.
Real-World Impact. Most importantly, participants engage in applied learning by using what they learn in the collaborative to solve real-world challenges in their organization or community,


This year marketers are paying a record $4 million for a :30 second Super Bowl ad to reach a record of over 111.3 million viewers. Yet, for that money it’s not enough, advertisers need their ads to go viral. Knowing what makes a Super Bowl ad buzz worthy is important in this high stakes marketing event. There are a lot of predictions and theories out there, but research my colleague and I conducted found that the underbelly of a great commercial is whether it tells a story or not.
What does William Shakespeare have to do with Super Bowl Commercials? Our two-year analysis of 108 Super Bowl commercials found a significant relationship between dramatic form and favorability in consumer Super Bowl ad rating polls such as USA Today’s Ad Meter and Spotbowl.com. The research pulls from Aristotle’s Poetics and “Freytag’s Pyramid” five act plot structure popularized by dramatist such as Shakespeare to reveal the power of story.
According to Freytag, a drama is divided into five parts called acts, and these acts combine to form a dramatic arc: Inciting Moment, Rising Action, Climax, Falling Action, and Moment of Release. We found that consumer ratings were significantly higher for commercials that follow a full five-act dramatic form compared to commercials that did not. Additionally, the more acts commercials had (3 versus 2) the higher the ratings.
Based on this analysis and advancement of narrative theory, my prediction for this year’s Super Bowl ad winner will be Budweiser’s Puppy Love. Viewers favor ads with dramatic plot lines. Plot is what Aristotle emphasized in Poetics as early as 335 BC.
The power of story has already drawn 30 million views on YouTube and significant press coverage for “Budweiser Super Bowl XLVIII Commercial — ‘Puppy Love'” two days before the actual game and official airing of the spot.
“What Makes A Super Bowl Ad Super for Word-of-Mouth Buzz?: Five-Act Dramatic Form Impacts Super Bowl Ad Ratings” is being published Fall 2014 in the
Journal of Marketing Theory and Practice. The more complete a story marketers tell in their commercials the higher it performs in the ratings polls, the more people like it, want to view it, and share it.
What are your predictions for Sunday’s Super Bowl ad winners?
Keith Quesenberry


Distributed processes are reliant on replicating data. This creates multiple versions of the truth. That doesn't integrate processes.
The use of email, data hubs and warehouse block business agility. These "solutions" rely on copying data from one place to another. This doesn't integrate business processes. Email creates insecure costly replicative data management. Your "solutions" that centralise data rely on an "extract" processes. This increases overheads and blocks business agility.
A secure data sharing layer embraces your database silos. This allows you to integrate, join-up and extend data across your distributed business processes.
A proven distributed application to integrate processes.
Our solution grew from the needs within a small business ecosystem. Their distributed businesses collaborated on data to complete tasks. Prior to our solution decisions were made on gut feelings or using data that was untrusted, duplicated and/or insecure. Within the ecosystem they were duplicating effort and costs to support. This is because they had replicative processes to manage and engage information.
Our solution provided a way for each organisation to manage their own data. It removes the replication of information across systems. This enabled the organisations greater agility and governance. This reduced their costs as they weren't managing or storing unneeded information.
This allowed the business ecosystem to build trust. That is because they shared a trusted layer of data. This allows them to create a foundation. That foundation integrated distributed business processes.
The solution we provide empowers organisation to create a distributed, trusted, collaborative, engaging and reuse-able ecosystem of information. This allows them to become proactive to change and mitigate risk. With our solution organisations have a lower total cost of ownership across the ecosystem. It creates value faster and removes duplicated effort.
Our solution enables organisations to connect information across distributed systems, allowing them to aggregate information into a single view. This remove wastage, disturbance and loss of trust.
G8CC an application to integrate distributed business processes.
With G8CC deliver you have a simple secure data sharing and access layer.
G8CC provides a simple, low risk solution for:
Integrated supply chain. Integrated healthcare data management. Collaborative networks. Police and Public Sector Institutions. B2B data integration. and many more.
G8CC allows organisation to restrict and remove access to information at any point. This is because organisations don't lose control of their information, this provides greater governance and security.
G8CC provides the ability to create automated work-flows around unique information. As organisations don't lose control or replicate information, they can make better decision on more and higher quality information. This process makes it simple for organisations to visualise and learn from information.
G8CC creates an audit-able trial of information around unique inputs. This allows employee's and things to make more informed decisions. This solution also provides a point of contact for previous value, removing risk and loss of knowledge.
It provides a simple, yet extremely powerful tool-kit to support the distribution of information within current and future processes. It's simple, low risk and low cost delivery, empowers organisation to focus on current and future needs.
G8CC's simple tool-kit provides a:
Middleware platform that embraces database silos. It provides a low-code interface that supports continuous database integration. This lowers delivery and ongoing costs. Distributed data sharing layer. This manages views, access to data and relationships between information. This allows you to easily extend and build on existing investments. That unlocks business agility, creating resilience.
G8CC provides a simple application to integrate distributed business processes.
Contact us here to find out how your organisation can benefit from creating a trusted ecosystem of information.


Coeur Mining is soaring
Among precious metals and mining stocks, Coeur Mining (CDE) is one of the most successful. Its stock has returned more than 500% since the start of the year. The uptrend has been driven by gains in gold and silver prices.
Coeur’s peers have also gained handsomely since the start of the year, but Coeur has outperformed them.
Coeur’s outperformance
Coeur Mining is highly leveraged operationally compared to its closest peers. It’s a high-cost operator, and its operational leverage is the major reason for its outperformance. Following months of precious metal price gains, the company’s fundamentals have started to improve.
Coeur’s latest quarterly results were strong evidence of this. Its 2Q16 results were a strong beat on consensus expectations. Its adjusted EPS (earnings per share) of $0.11 was higher than Market expectations of $0.02. The beat was mainly led by cost improvements at Coeur’s mines, particularly Wharf and Palmarejo.
Improving fundamentals along with higher relative leverage are the reasons Coeur is outperforming its peers. As the above graph shows, Coeur has risen 543% year-to-date as of August 9, 2016. Pan American Silver (PAAS) has risen 191%, Hecla Mining (HL) has risen 270%, and Silver Standard Resources (SSRI) has risen 164%. The prices of silver (SLV) and gold (GLD) have risen by 43% and 24%, respectively.
Series overview
The key question is whether Coeur Mining can continue its outperformance based on its improving fundamentals. In this series, we’ll perform a fundamental and technical analysis of the company. We’ll also explore its near-term challenges and opportunities, do a thorough analysis of costs and production growth, and examine what Wall Street thinks about the company.
Let’s begin with production levels.


Falling prices
Commodity prices have fallen significantly over the years. As a result, several companies’ margins have been squeezed. Players within the agricultural chemical space (IYM) can’t do much about these prices due to the commodity nature in the business. However, these companies can lower their production cost to protect their margins or increase their market share through consolidation to increase the sales volume.
An example
Earlier in this series, we saw that the Potash Fertilizer segment will form the largest portion of the PotashCorp (POT) and Agrium (AGU) merger. The above chart shows that average potash realized prices for PotashCorp for a merger that’s horizontal, vertical, or both would help the companies tackle falling fertilizer prices in the following ways:
It would optimize their combined production facilities and achieve greater economies of scale. The cost-per-product ton goes down and the margin spread increases assuming that fertilizer prices remain at the current levels. It would lower the cost by eliminating redundancies including SG&A costs. It would leverage the logistical network which helps lower the transit costs for products.
The case is similar for nitrogen as well as phosphate prices. Fertilizer prices have fallen significantly due to falling crop prices denting the farm income. Optimization of farm technology created a safety net for the growing population by increasing the output. However, this also impacted the companies engaged in the sector.
More mergers to come
Recently, Monsanto (MON) and Bayer AG announced a merger, while Dow Chemicals (DOW)-DuPont (DD) and Syngenta (SYT)-ChemChina are pending mergers. It wouldn’t be surprising if we see more mergers announced. Companies within the agribusiness space continue to consolidate. Read Monsanto and Bayer Ink Merger Deal, but It’s Not Over Yet to learn more.


Stock market reaction to 4Q17
Despite a strong performance in 4Q17 and upbeat guidance for 2018, Sprouts Farmers Market (SFM) stock plunged 2.3% after the company’s earnings release on February 22, 2018.
SFM’s share price fell another 1.6% on the next trading day. The market had probably been looking for a more significant earnings and revenue beat—similar to what SFM achieved in the previous quarter.
The value-oriented natural/organic food retailer is now sitting at a YTD (year-to-date) profit of 3%. It soared close to 30% throughout the year. In comparison, grocery players Kroger (KR) and SuperValu (SVU) saw falls of 20% and 34%, respectively, during the year. In 2018, the two companies are again sitting in the red. While Kroger has fallen a marginal 0.1%, SuperValu has fallen more than 35% to date.
Big-box retailers Target (TGT) and Costco (COST) have done better. The two companies have risen 16% and 2% to date, respectively. Retail mammoth Walmart (WMT) has, however, fallen 6% in the year, in part due to its recent quarterly results, which failed to impress investors.
Valuations
Sprouts Farmers is currently trading at a one-year forward earnings multiple of 20x, close to the lower end of its 52-week PE (price-to-earnings multiple) range of 18x–27x.
The company is trading at a premium to supermarkets Kroger and SuperValu, which are valued at 12.8x and 5x, respectively. However, it has a better earnings potential than these two companies. Its EPS (earnings per share) are expected to rise 24% over the next 12 months. In comparison, Kroger’s and SVU’s EPS are expected to rise 11% and 6%, respectively, over the next 12 months.
Those looking to invest in SFM through ETFs can choose to invest in the SPDR S&P Retail ETF (XRT). SFM has a weight of ~1.2% in XRT.
Read the next section to learn about Wall Street’s take on SFM after its 4Q17 results.


Returns of integrated energy stocks
Integrated energy stocks have recovered since January 2, 2019. Let’s review the returns of six global integrated energy companies since then.
If we compare integrated energy stocks’ performances since January 2, Suncor Energy (SU) has done the best. The stock has risen more than 10% since January 2.
BP (BP) follows Suncor with a return of ~4% since January 2. ExxonMobil (XOM), Total (TOT), and Chevron (CVX) have returned less than 3% each in the stated period. Royal Dutch Shell (RDS.A) has fallen marginally.
All six integrated energy stocks’ 10-day moving averages have crossed over their 30-day moving averages since January 2. Usually, this suggests short-term technical bullishness.
The rise in crude oil’s price has affected integrated energy stocks since January 2. The price of WTI crude oil has risen 15% in the stated period. Higher oil prices point to better upstream earnings for these companies. The recovery in the equity markets has further supported these stocks.
Valuations and dividend yields
The current recovery in integrated energy stocks has affected their valuations and dividend yields. While their valuations have risen, their dividend yields have fallen. Given the latest valuations and dividend yields, let’s evaluate which stocks are looking better than others. We’ll also compare these stocks in terms of their estimated earnings growth.
BP, Total, and Shell have above-average dividend yields. These three stocks also have below-average valuations. However, in terms of growth estimates, BP and Chevron have above-average growth estimates for 2018.
Overall, BP stock seems well positioned with an above-average dividend yield, a below-average valuation, and an above-average earnings growth estimate for 2018. Suncor has the highest return but a lower dividend yield, a higher valuation, and below-average growth compared to its peers. High-growth stock Chevron has a lower yield and a higher valuation than its peers. We’ll discuss more about these parameters from the next article onward.
We’ll begin with the stock with the highest rise year-to-date: Suncor.


Overview
TMR’s report on the
Hydrochloric Acid is an all-important tool for stakeholders in their pursuit to discover avenues for innovation, and further undertake strategic planning for the launch of products and services.
Our research report on the Hydrochloric Acid serves as a valuable guide for stakeholders. The report deep dives into demand drivers, challenges, and opportunities that are likely to influence the Hydrochloric Acid over the forecast period. These indicators help businesses pave way in a crowded business landscape, and tread ahead in the competition with confidence.
Further, the report carries out solid groundwork and divulges details ofs share of key segments of the under product, application, and geography.
To ascertain indicators, analysts employed proven research tools and techniques for the same. The analysis of indicators helps business carry out the most strategic planning for competitive advantage. These indicators also help businesses gauge investment proposition and scope of expansion in the Hydrochloric Acid over the forecast period.
The report analyzes the competitive landscape of the Hydrochloric Acid at length. The section includes detailed insights into key business strategies used by prominent players. Further, the report analyzes impact of growth strategies on the competitive dynamics and valuable insights into share projections of key players in the Hydrochloric Acid over the forecast period.
If you are stakeholder in the Hydrochloric Acid, the analysis provided will help you understand growth model. Click to get a free Sample report in PDF (including ToC, Tables and Figures). The report includes an exhaustive list of prominent players in the Hydrochloric Acid are key players operating in the hydrochloric acid market across the globe are Dow Corning, Du Pont, Pioneer America, BASF SE, Lyondell Chemical Company, and Bayer. The research study has provided detailed profiles of these players in order to offer a strong understanding of the market and guide the new players in making effective business decisions in the near future.
For further know-how of competitive outlook, the report discusses SWOT analysis of prominent players, and how this will impact the competitive hierarchy until the end of the forecast period. This serves as a crucial intelligence indicator to gauge growth strategies adopted by stakeholders, and their stance on mergers, acquisitions, partnerships, and collaborations that can help remain competitive.
Key Questions Answered in the Hydrochloric Acid Industry Report How much revenue the Hydrochloric Acid is expected to garner over the assessment period between 2016 and 2024? Which product segment is anticipated to lead by the end of the forecast period? Among all, which region is likely to account for leading share in the overall Hydrochloric Acid until the end of the forecast period? What are critical growth strategies employed by prominent players to remain competitive in the Hydrochloric Acid? What are key developments that have come to the fore in the Hydrochloric Acid?


In my new book, “Shaping China’s Global Imagination: Branding Nations at the World Expo,” I explore the idea of nation branding—what it is and how it works—through the instructive case of the Shanghai World Expo. Despite the...KEEP READING
Two CPD Research Fellows Co-Edit Nation Branding Book
CPD is pleased to announce that CPD Research Fellows Diana Ingenhoff (2017-2019) and Alexander Buhmann (2016-2018) have co-edited a new volume on nation branding, titled
Bridging Disciplinary Perspectives of Country Image Reputation, Brand, and Identity.
The book includes a compilation of chapters on country image, brand, reputation and identity that span multiple scholarly disciplines such as international marketing, public diplomacy, issue management, communication and social psychology.
"This volume provides an overview of current scholarship, places related research interests across disciplines in a common context, and illustrates connections among the constructs," explains the publisher. "Discussing how different scholarly perspectives can be applied to answer a broad range of related research questions, this volume aims to contribute to the emergence of a more theoretical, open, and interdisciplinary study of country image, reputation, brand, and identity."
Ingenhoff and Buhmann join co-editors Candace White of the University of Tennessee and Spiro Kiousis of the University of Florida in this contribution to the field of public diplomacy.
More information about the book is available here.
Tags Visit CPD's Online Library
Explore CPD's vast online database featuring the latest books, articles, speeches and information on international organizations dedicated to public diplomacy.
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According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “social distancing” means remaining out of congregate settings, avoiding mass gatherings and maintaining a distance of around 6 feet from others when possible.
Purpose of Social Distancing
As a result of the ongoing COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, social distancing is a concept being encouraged in the hope that it will slow down the spread of the epidemic and decrease pressure on the healthcare system.
Implementing Social Distancing Measures Reduce the frequency of large gatherings, and limit the number of attendees per gathering (cruises, concerts, conferences, etc.). Close short-term facilities as needed Encourage staff to work from home (when feasible) Avoid dining in restaurants and utilize drive-thru, pickup, or delivery options Avoid discretionary travel, shopping trips, and social visits Individuals at increased risk of severe illness should consider staying at home and avoid situations of potential exposure.


Planning, planting and sustaining a new church require an assortment and blending of skills and leadership agility to gain and maintain traction. I propose a connectional leadership model as a comprehensive way to “get” the leadership moves and mindset needed to plant and sustain a new church.
One of the most common behavioral types relates to individualized effort and motivation. Within your ministry team, each member offers certain strengths, skills, and intrinsic motivations. Recognizing, affirming, and blending individual assets enables a team to function with greater effectiveness. When you fail to involve people meaningfully, it inevitably leads to low-level ownership and personal investment. Based on my new church observations and experience, I suggest that the individualistic styles of leadership include what I would call intrinsic, performance, and power modes.
The intrinsic or self-motivating expression illustrates church leadership from the “inside out”. Some people respond to tasks because they view the objective as challenging and important. When you cast and re-cast a compelling vision, it ignites people to apply imagination and effort toward that vision. The performing-oriented expression reflects an individual’s natural passion for being his or her best in a given function on the team. The power style offers the picture of an individual who prefers operating as a dominant director. If you’re a dominant director, then you readily embrace challenges, gladly assume authority, and thrive on problem-solving.
I’ll bet you can readily identify servants in the typical new church who are dominantly individualistic in their leadership style – right? How does it help you as a leader by being sensitive to such differences and nuances? Next month, I’ll invite us to explore what I would term the instrumental leadership style as we continuing thinking about the connectional leadership model.


Programmes on payments for environmental services aim to provide economic incentives for the conservation of natural resources. They are expected to generate a continuous flow of environmental services in the long run, along with maintaining their quality. This essay elucidates the conditions required for the successful implementation of PES schemes and considers how well they may do in the Indian context. It foresees a number of formidable challenges in the schemes producing the desired outcomes in India.


A conference, which is expected to offer insights into international business growth opportunities and potential collaborative opportunities between Asean members, was launched in Thailand today, August 3.
The five-day “Executive Programme on New Economy 2019″ conference will focus on hearing from experienced practitioners and industry experts to build actionable capabilities and new networks to drive business growth and international branding in the new economy.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Prinn Panitchpakdi, a member of the board of directors at New Economy Academy, said the conference was aimed at strengthening cooperation among Asean countries, including Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam and Thailand.
The conference is also expected to allow participants to share experiences on economic growth in the digital era, he said.
According to the organising board, with a high digital literacy, a young population, and an emerging middle class, Asean is set to reap the full benefits of cross-border trade in the digital economy. Speakers also underscored the need for enterprises to seek out appropriate ecosystems, including payment, financial management and logistics, to best match the needs of the market.
The board also suggested that governments shift their roles from being regulators to facilitators, who will foster conducive cross-border digital trade ecosystems.
With this in mind, participants will receive opportunities to explore further on these topics and engage with Asean thought leaders in multiple dimensions, including international expansion, cross-border e-commerce and digital trade ecosystems.


Teaching methods
Our education focuses on Development Studies and offers a strong multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary field of study seeking to understand social, political and economic change and development
Critical thinking
Our students are encouraged to develop a critical understanding of major debates, theories and strategic interventions and of the skills to analyze the issues, and to design and assess interventions aimed at tackling these issues.
An essential part of this process is to develop skills in research methodology, which will be applied in a research paper prepared as a requirement for the Masters degree.
Engagement and Impact
We offer top-notch education with a wide variety of courses, teaching not only theory and content but also situating that knowledge in different social, economic and cultural contexts. Students learn to respond to our world’s needs by being critical and constructive, analyzing development, and translating insights into plans and concrete action.


The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) submitted to the Federal Register a final rule allowing railroads to use ultrasonic inspection technology, augmented with global positioning system (GPS) technology, to employ continuous rail testing. These updated regulations are expected to improve safety by making it easier for railroads to test rail more frequently and to identify and repair internal rail flaws before conditions degrade safety.
The regulatory reform allows rail testing vehicles to move without stopping along the track, potentially decreasing passenger and freight train delays associated with routine inspections.
Fast-developing technologies challenge regulators to craft and revise regulations that help ensure public safety, while allowing railroads to test and implement innovative inspection methods.
FRA has issued waivers for the past 10 years, allowing larger railroads to develop and utilize this technology, and the updated standards are consistent with the state of the practice.
Between May 2019 and May 2020, there has been a 27% reduction in broken rail-caused train accidents, which is largely attributable to this new technology. Providing all railroads the option of using this technology presents an opportunity to improve the industry’s overall safety record.
The Final Rule on Rail Integrity Amendments & Track Safety Standards focuses more on providing performance-based outcomes, rather than prescribing exactly how companies conduct effective tests. Railroads will be expected to utilize established methods to conduct required rail inspections, but they will also have the flexibility to utilize new technologies and methods as they are proven safe and effective.
Continuous rail testing involves railcars outfitted with ultrasonic and GPS technologies to internally examine rail without stopping. These cars travel along track, collecting detailed imaging and location data. Companies then transmit the information to test monitoring sites where analysts scrutinize the data to identify suspected internal rail defects. Depending on the severity of the potential defect, carriers have between 36 and 84 hours to dispatch teams to the site to inspect the rail. If a suspected defect is verified, FRA regulations require the railroad immediately apply the proper remedial action. In some cases, this means repairing or replacing the defective rail, slowing trains over the defect, or removing the track from service to stop trains until repairs can be made.
Current regulations require ultrasonic rail test vehicles to repeatedly stop and manually inspect to verify indication of defects within four hours. This frequent starting and stopping can require trains operating in the vicinity to travel at slower speeds, often delaying passenger and freight traffic.
Using existing methods, companies are typically able to test about 20 miles of track a day. By contrast, companies employing continuous rail testing are typically able to test 80 to 160 miles of track daily.
FRA estimates that one continuous railcar could replace three to five stop-and-verify test cars. This equates to fewer test cars stopping on tracks, reducing the number of trains that slow to accommodate them. Fewer trains slowing decreases the likelihood of crews exceeding maximum allowable work hours, thus decreasing the expense of unscheduled replacement crews. Ultimately, FRA estimates continuous rail testing could, in 10 years, save the industry $121.9 million.
More frequent data collection will produce new data troves, facilitating more detailed research into how track defects develop and propagate over time and how those issues can be addressed before adversely affecting rail safety.


The normalization agreement between Israel and the United Arab Emirates is a dramatic, historic and strategic accomplishment.
The Gulf state is an expert in various fields, and both nations are expected to benefit greatly from these new ties.
Abu Dhabi, the leader of the UAE, has impressive military capabilities based on a strong army and air force that have already proven themselves in operations beyond their borders.
The Emirates already possess advanced American-made defense systems and jet fighters which they successfully deploy in a large operational radius.
Israel and the Arab states, including the UAE, have a shared view of Iran as a strategic and even existential enemy.
On the one hand, Iran benefits greatly from its economic ties to the UAE, but on the other it is no secret that if Tehran could it would have conquered the Gulf states if it were not fearful of the consequences.
Israel, as a key pillar of its national security policy, must invest great effort and resources in deepening its security and diplomatic ties with the Arab nations.
Its success in this endeavor is noteworthy and improves its abilities to handle the Iranian threat.
Israel enjoys its unprecedented security stability due to the IDF and its overall image.
The Arab nations, which tried time and time again to annihilate Israel militarily, have reached the conclusion that it is better to cooperate with it, chiefly in the matters of state and military security.
But Israel must not forget that this stability could vanish at any point. The connection Jerusalem has with Washington is crucial in this regard. The U.S. has pledged and continues to commit to maintaining the IDF's military advantage, a commitment enshrined in U.S. law.
In practice, the United States refrains, as its policy is required by law, from selling advanced and sophisticated weapons systems to Arab countries, even those among them that are associated with Israel in peace relations.
An example of this commitment is the F-35 fighter jets the IAF acquired over the past years.
These planes are essentially a multi-level and sophisticated defense system that grant Israel total military supremacy in the region.
In the world of intelligence, there are two thresholds: the intentions of the other side and its capabilities.
Intentions are fluid and prone to rapid change, and while the ability to threaten is built through a slow process, it can become a serious problem if and when those intentions do change.
Take Turkey, which was once a close friend of Israel but has now become a strategic foe.
The same goes for Iran, which before the 1979 Revolution was a soulmate with deep ties to Jerusalem, but is today its number one enemy.
In the 2011 Arab Spring, the Muslim Brotherhood took over Egypt and nearly created a dual threat with Turkey against Israel. Fortunately, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has saved Israel from this menace.
In various conversations with my respected Arab colleagues, I was asked why Israel would not allow the Arab nations to be on the same military footing and refuses to abandon its desire for qualitative advantage.
My answer was very simple: As long as Israel maintains this qualitative advantage, stability and peace will endure.
Unfortunately, this is the essence of the Middle East.
The only way to maintain peace and long-term stability in the region is for Israel to prevent the sale of American-made F-35 fighter jets to any other Middle Eastern state, regardless of current or future relations.


Unions Unions
14 April 2020
London’s ambulance service has been under heavy strain. But it has not buckled. Key to its resilience has been the acceptance of responsibility by the main trade union, Unison.
30 March 2020
Unions are rapidly reaching agreements to protect workers and maintain vital services in the face of the coronavirus epidemic.
10 January 2020
The Labour Party is a walking corpse. And unless the established trade unions change tack, they will follow it to irrelevance. The time is ripe for de-coupling trade unions from the Labour Party.
1 September 2019
A pro-Brexit RMT activist has been “no-platformed” by two prominent journalists, who are among the darlings of so-called "left" EU supporters.
13 September 2018
Instead of calling for – effectively – a second referendum, TUC unions should follow the RMT’s lead and assert their own sovereignty against the employers.
3 July 2018
Despite a recent annual congress with no motion on a second Brexit referendum, academics’ union leader Sally Hunt has started a consultation on the question.
18 January 2018
Under orders from the European Commission, the European Central Bank and the IMF, the Greek government has pushed through the most anti-union law in Europe.
16 October 2017
Workers need trade unions as much as ever. The TUC and its affiliates are now preparing for the momentous 150th anniversary in 2018. What can we learn from the TUC’s history?
12 September 2017
The RMT union continues to challenge the TUC’s favourable and unrealistic view of the EU. The TUC believes that the single market is good for British workers and that the UK can remain in it after Brexit. Neither is true.
24 August 2017
Workers at two McDonald’s outlet are to go on strike on 4 September in a dispute that centres around union recognition, cuts to hours and bullying linked to union membership.
7 July 2017
First they will, then they won’t. TUC indecision over its “Britain needs a pay rise” campaign is fast becoming a tradition.
7 July 2017
The Tolpuddle Martyrs were transported for resisting starvation wages and forming a trade union. The annual festival commemorating them starts on Friday 14 July in Tolpuddle, Dorset.
25 February 2017
Since the birth of industrial capitalism, a web of industrial sinews has held the constituent regions of Britain together. The recent dismembering of much of that web has brought not only economic collapse to regions but also threatened our national integrity. We recount struggles in Scotland, London and North Wales that pursued essential class goals of improving wages and conditions of work.


GST impact Transport and logistics (T&L) sector What to expect
The registration, payment and refund processes under GST will be routed through a centralised common portal set up by GSTN. The common portal will act as an interface between the taxpayers, authorities, banks, RBI and accounting authorities. At the back-end, the portal will be integrated with the IT systems of the central and state governments. The GSTN will be linked to the government databases to verify the data submitted on the GST portal by the taxpayer at the time of registration or filing of returns.
Opportunities for T&L sector
In the medium-to-long term, GST will be a key enabler for businesses to rejig their supply chain, in accordance with various business considerations. Consolidation of warehouses GST presents an opportunity for industry players to consolidate their warehouses and set up larger facilities, which will bring in supply chain efficiencies.
Improved efficiencies due to reduction of trade barriers One of the factors leading to the downtime of vehicles is trade barriers, such as check-post inspection, filing of waybills /entry permits, compliances under Entry Tax laws and local levies. Under the GST regime, the interstate movement of goods will be subject to IGST, wherein all movements will be ‘tax paid’. Additionally, the GSTN will have an audit trail of the movement of goods across the state boundaries.
GST will lead to optimisation of delivery schedules and the operational costs of transporters, resulting in competitive pricing.
Re-evaluation of sourcing and manufacturing decisions
Among other factors, sourcing and manufacturing decisions are presently dependent on indirect tax considerations. In the GST regime, due to fungibility of credits, these decisions shall be made from a supply chain perspective.
E-commerce Under the present indirect tax regime, the e-commerce industry is facing significant challenges. Disputes exist with respect to payment of VAT in the destination states. Some of the states have also levied entry tax on e-commerce goods. Further, the industry has also faced significant bottlenecks due to scrutiny at check posts.
Under the GST regime, it is expected that clear guidelines on the taxability of e-commerce transactions will be issued, providing much-needed relief to the e-commerce industry.
Free Trade Warehousing Zones (FTWZ)
If the GST law extends benefits of tax-free supply to an FTWZ unit for onward exports, the FTWZ units will be able to attract significant volumes.
Supply chain considerations under the GST regime Supply chain design will be based on demand management and logistical benefits rather than tax costs Proactive efforts will create a ‘first-mover’ advantage in the T&L sector. The industry needs to evaluate the following steps from a supply chain perspective: A snapshot of GST compliances Assumptions: It is assumed that the services depicted above are business to business (B2B) services. Furthermore, the broad taxability has been determined on the assumption that the service provider has obtained registration in each state where the services are deemed to be supplied. The tax implications have been determined on the assumption that the place of supply for the T&L sector will be the location of the service recipient. Request a consulation at contact form


Radicava (edaravone), an approved treatment for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), can be taken for up to one year without losing its effectiveness, and benefits patients who delay its start — say, after six months of placebo in a clinical trial, a post hoc analysis of that Phase 3 study suggests.
These findings were in “Long‐term edaravone efficacy in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: Post‐hoc analyses of Study 19 (MCI186‐19),” a study published in the journal
Muscle Nerve.
Radicava, developed by Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma America (MTPA), is a free radical scavenger designed to reduce oxidative stress — an imbalance between the production of potentially harmful free radicals and a cell’s antioxidant defenses — which is thought to be one of the causes of nerve cell death in ALS.
The treatment was approved in the U.S. in 2017 based on findings from Study 19 (NCT01492686), a double-blind Phase 3 clinical trial in Japan that assessed the safety and efficacy of Radicava in people with ALS.
Its 137 participants were randomly given either Radicava or a placebo, both via intravenous (IV, into-the-vein) infusions, for 24 weeks. Results showed that those on Radicava experienced a significantly slower decline (by 33%) in their ability to perform everyday activities, compared to those on placebo.
Physical abilities were assessed using the ALS functional rating scale-revised (ALSFRS-R), which measures the ability to perform such daily functions such as speech, swallowing, and dressing. Patients on placebo lost an average of 7.5 ALSFRS-R points over six months, while those on Radicava lost 5 points during the same period, a difference in decline of 2.5 ALSFRS-R points.
After six months, patients had the opportunity to enter an open-label extension part of the study, where all would be treated with Radicava for an additional 24 weeks (about six more months) to explore its long-term safety and efficacy.
In total, 123 patients enrolled here, 65 previously on Radicava and 58 from the placebo group. Extension study findings suggested that those staying with Radicava continued to experience slower disease progression, while those previously on placebo started to benefit from the treatment.
The lack of a placebo group throughout the entire study’s 48 weeks — serving as a comparative control group — limited the conclusions that could be drawn. This led researchers at MTPA to conduct a post hoc analysis, meaning an analysis done after a study has finished, to better understand Radicava’s long-term efficacy in ALS.
Using data from the double-blind first part of Study 19, and assuming that ALSFRS-R declined in a linear manner over time, researchers estimated likely progression in patients on placebo and on Radicava for the first 24 weeks. They then used that estimate to predict progression within each group — with no change in treatment status — over the next six months.
Finally, they compared this projected progression with the actual rate of progression among patients using Radicava for the entire 48 weeks, and for those who switched to Radicava from placebo for weeks 24 to 48.
The analysis helped them to compare projected disease progression without Radicava for 48 weeks with actual progression with Radicava’s use for 48 weeks (about 1 year), and against actual progression in those with six months of placebo followed by 24 weeks of Radicava.
Had patients remained on placebo for 48 weeks, their projected decline would reach 13 ALSFRS-R points, the analysis showed. This decline was significantly greater than the actual decline seen in Radicava-treated patients for 48 weeks, who experienced an 8-point reduction. (The analysis’ projected decline over about one year of Radicava’s use was 8.6 points.)
This point gap amounted to a 38% difference in disease progression among those treated continuously with Radicava, and those who would have remained on placebo for 48 weeks (the projected group).
The projected decline in a 48-week placebo group was also greater than the actual decline experienced by those who switched to Radicava for a final 24 weeks. Their ALSFRS-R scores were 10.9 points lower than at the study’s start.
The rate of progression was also similar between the continuous Radicava and placebo-Radicava switch groups, “supporting treatment benefit of edaravone in ALS patients who begin receiving treatment later in their disease course,” the researchers wrote.
Among study limitations noted was the assumption that ALSFRS-R scores decline in a linear manner, which may not be true in early and late disease stages. This should be addressed in future studies of Radicava’s long-term use, the team recommended.
Another post-hoc analysis of Study 19 was shared at a Virtual Clinical Trial Session of the recent MDA Conference, in the presentation “Post hoc analysis of edaravone Study 19: efficacy in bulbar onset ALS patients with and without reduced pulmonary function.”
Patients with bulbar-onset also benefitted from a year of Radicava regardless of their forced vital capacity (FVC, a measure of lung function) being above or below 80% at the start of treatment.
“ALS patients with bulbar-onset disease receive a significant benefit from initiating edaravone treatment regardless of whether they have baseline FVC ≥80% or <80%,” the researchers wrote.
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Grant Administration: Section 5.4 Other Environmental Review Approaches Tiered Reviews
Tiering is a specialized form of conducting environmental reviews and is not appropriate for all activities, funding sources, or grantees. However, using tiered reviews may increase efficiency when at the planning level the RE does not yet fully know the specific timing, location, or environmental impacts. For HUD environmental reviews, tiering may be appropriate when the RE is evaluating a collection of projects that would fund the same or very similar activities repeatedly within a defined local geographic area and timeframe but where the specific sites are not yet known. Some examples include housing rehabilitation or homebuyer projects in a specific community or a redevelopment project with repeated activities such as sidewalk improvements for low- and moderate-income households. In such instances, the RE:
1. Completes an up-front programmatic completion of the environmental review form, often the Environmental Review for CEST form that identifies potential applicable compliance areas (Attachment 5-3). This is considered the Tier 1 review.
2. Performs Tier 2 review when specific properties are identified providing the address-specific review criteria. The RE may use the Statutory Checklist to complete the Tier 2 review (see Attachment 5-13). For many housing-related projects, the applicable Statutory Checklist compliance will be limited to historic preservation, floodplain protection, and wetlands protection.
Attachment 5-13: Statutory Checklist
Using this process, grantees can publish a NOI/RROF and receive a Release of Funds based on the programmatic information. The Release of Funds for such situations will be conditional on the grantee completing an individual Statutory Checklist for each specific rehabilitation project. This site specific Statutory Checklist for each individual rehabilitation address must then be completed prior to incurring hard costs for that property.
Re‐Evaluation of Previously Cleared Projects Sometimes, projects are revised, delayed or otherwise changed such that a re‐evaluation of the environmental review is necessary. RE must re-evaluate environmental findings when: Change in nature or extent of project, New environmental circumstances or conditions occur Selection of alternative not in original finding
The purpose of the RE’s re‐evaluation is to determine if the original findings are still valid. If the original findings and FONSI are still valid, but the data and conditions upon which they were based have changed, the responsible entity must amend the original findings and update their ERR by including this re‐evaluation and its determination. CDFA will accept environmental reviews up to 3 years old.
A sample determination is provided as Attachment 5‐14.
Attachment 5-14: Re-Evaluation of Environmental Review It must document the following: Reference to the previous environmental review record, Description of both old and new projects’ activities and maps delineating both old and new project areas, Determination if FONSI is still valid, and Signature of the certifying officer and date.
Place the written statement in the ERR and send a copy to CDFA with the Request for Release of Funds (RROF).
If the responsible entity determines that the original findings are no longer valid, it must prepare an EA or an EIS if the evaluation indicates potentially significant impacts.
Another Agency is Involved When another federal or state agency has funds in the project, it will frequently conduct its own environmental review process. The grantee is free to use that agency’s review to compile its own record. In fact, it makes some sense to avoid unnecessary duplication of effort. However, other federal agencies do not always cover all of the same environmental requirements as HUD. The grantee is reminded that: Use of another agency’s documentation does not avoid or minimize its own responsibilities for fulfilling the compliance reviews for CDBG. Conduct of the public comment requirements must still be fulfilled.
Before making a finding based on another agency’s review, the RE should check the review carefully against the requirements referenced in this chapter, to ensure that the contents are sufficiently inclusive to allow the grantee to meet its responsibilities. There are HUD-specific review criteria that are not performed by other federal agencies. If that review falls short in certain areas, it can be supplemented by the grantee to meet its requirements.
Remember, the grantee cannot simply substitute another agency’s hearing and comment process for the notice requirements referenced here. The grantee must check that the public comment process and review requirements fulfil the format prescribed in this implementation guide.
If possible, it is encouraged that the grantee combines the comment process for funds from the same federal agency (HOME and CDBG, for example). Please contact CDFA for additional guidance on combining notices with other agencies.


An exploration of the pedagogies employed to integrate knowledge in work-integrated learningJournal of Cooperative Education & Internships, 43 (1) , 14-35.
In a national research project analyzing data from employers, students, and practitioners, the study finds a lack of consistent methods and pedagogies for ensuring integration of knowledge in New Zealand’s Work-Integrated Knowledge (WIL)/cooperative education program. Makes specific recommendations for practitioners based on these findings.


PaperSustainability Collaborating for a low-carbon world
In this paper, we provide an overview of our engagement approach; expanding on the rationale of our climate engagement program – the reasons why we engage on climate and how we select those companies we are engaging with; the role our engagements play as part of our overall integration of ESG or sustainability issues within the investment process and lastly, provide insights into the learnings and best practice which our engagements have revealed during the period.
We see corporate engagement as an intrinsic part of the investment process. It can deepen our knowledge of, and confidence in those companies we invest in, as well as offering a way of building relationships and collaborating with company management. This in turn allows us to monitor, and where necessary, drive corporate conduct on issues that affect the companies’ long-term value. Such issues typically include strategy, capital structure, corporate governance, climate change and human capital.


GSA evaluates GSA Schedule offers in accordance with procedures in the FAR and the General Services Administration Acquisition Manual (GSAM). GSA Contracting Officers determine that prices are fair and reasonable, prior to the award of a GSA Schedule contract, by comparing the prices or discounts that a company offers the government with the prices or discounts that the company offers to its own commercial customers. This negotiation objective is commonly known as “most favored customer” pricing. Since GSA has already determined that prices under GSA Schedule contracts are fair and reasonable, ordering offices do not need to make a separate determination of fair and reasonable pricing and, therefore, do not need to obtain cost or pricing information to establish a GSA Schedule BPA.


Eczema sufferers, listen up! We've partnered with Aveeno to help you alleviate your symptoms.
If you're one of the 35 million Americans who suffer from eczema, you're probably well aware that there's no cure for your chronically dry, itchy skin. Everything from the food you eat to the climate of where you live can affect your hypersensitive condition and make it worse. While the triggers, symptoms, and severity differ from person to person and often require more personalized treatments, there are still effective ways you can help reduce flare-ups and soothe your inflamed skin on a day-to-day basis. Yep, something as simple as changing your shower temperature can help ease your eczema. Keep reading for more tips that will save your skin.


Near the end of 2018, He Jiankui was on the world’s stage announcing that he had edited the genome of twin girls, in the hope of making them resistant to HIV. On Tuesday, December 31, 2019, the
Wall Street Journal (WSJ) printed a report that Dr. He and two others have been convicted of “illegally practicing medicine related to carrying out human-embryo gene-editing intended for reproduction.” (online version here).
A court in Shenzhen concluded that the defendants had acted for “fame and profit,” when they “deliberately violated the relevant national regulations, and crossed the bottom lines of scientific and medical ethics.” For the crime committed, He received the most severe sentence. In addition to the three-year prison sentence, He is banned for life from “working in the field of reproductive life sciences and from applying for related research grants, “ according to the
WSJ.
The Xinhua News Agency also noted that a third genome-edited baby had been born, and that this child, along with the previously born twins, “would be monitored by government health departments.” The
WSJ did not state for how long the monitoring would continue. Not only were the children experimental subjects as embryos, but they continue to be subjects as well. Further, these genome effects will affect their progeny, potentially into perpetuity. Additionally, the Smithsonian Magazine reports that in the summer of 2019, He met with “investors to discuss a potential commercial genetic modification clinic in Hainan, which aims to become a ‘world-class medical tourism hub’.” One might reasonably call this “a crime against humanity,” even if it does not include genocide of humans already born. (For further reading, see David Luban, “A Theory of Crimes Against Humanity”)
In the print edition of the
WSJ, alongside the article on He is an article about Pastor Wang Yi of the Early Rain Covenant Church. Pastor Wang was sentenced on 30 December to nine years in prison. His crime was “incitement of subversion of state power and illegal business operations” (online article here).
Consider that a pastor receives a nine-year sentence for an offense against the State; and a scientist, a sentence of three years for a crime against multiple generations, and indeed, humanity. In the year 2020, we could use a check of our understanding of what is important in the life of the world. Would that our vision were 20/20 also.


For 165 years, spiritual development has been a fundamental cornerstone at Jackson-Feild (JFBHS). Today, COVID-19 restrictions have necessitated imagination and ingenuity on the part of our Chaplain, the Rev. Dr. Robin Moore, to fulfill the spiritual needs of the children.
Chapel services had to be modified to meet safety procedures by having five different services—one per cottage. The pandemic has created new opportunities such as “The Gathering Place”, a specially designed haven resembling a cozy den. With two fish tanks to foster an environment of mindfulness, residents can relax and gather in small groups to share what is on their minds.
Life Guidance sessions are provided for residents to meet individually with the Chaplain for spiritual advice and comfort.
Residents find reassurance through the Chaplain’s prayer wall. Numerous residents have traced their hand print knowing that when she sees it, she will pray for them.
Guided meditation sessions are provided to assist residents with fears, anxieties, or to celebrate happiness. Yoga sessions, when requested, follow the teaching philosophy and practice in the Hatha yoga tradition. Hatha yoga can offer a full-body practice with a strong emphasis on the full integration of body, mind, and spirit.
The Chaplain also coordinates the care of the JFBHS’s three companion dogs with the help of residents. These dogs provide unconditional love for the children who enjoy and appreciated their love and attention.


In this simple but powerful guide, Carnine leads the reader through a process of transformation, opening a toolbox of skills and techniques that anyone can use to live more fully in the moment and be more kind to themselves and others. Carnine reassures us that everyone is capable of building a mindfully kind life — and making it stick.
Saint Badass: Transcendence in Tucker Max Hell) guides readers through developing a practice of “kindfulness,” an intertwining of kindness and mindfulness. Carnine, a lay Buddhist minister and educator, focuses on motivating readers to be kind to themselves and others in small, immediate ways. His core approach is to replace unkind habits, both physical and mental, and both inwardly and outwardly directed, with kind ones. He also discusses developing skills related to change, action, and character. He uses a straightforward, organized teaching style, supported by jargon-free explanations of simple mindfulness and meditation activities and grounded in the idea that change is possible even in the toughest of circumstances.
Carnine excels at articulate frameworks and memorable terminology, such as the “Renew-and-Serve Cycle” and the “Three-Breath Method,” without falling into cuteness, oversimplification, or jargon. Each chapter is organized into small, digestible sections and includes definitions of concepts, exercises, and anecdotes from his and others’ personal experience. He brings in just enough of his personal history to make his presence palpable without centering himself, and he avoids the denigration of his past failings. The only things detracting from the professional appearance of the text are hand-drawn illustrations.
Throughout the text, Carnine includes short sections written by prisoners whom he mentors and corresponds with. They share how their lives have been improved by these practices despite their histories of deep abuse and extreme violence, proving the value of kindfulness in any circumstance or context. These stories also put a subtly masculine spin on the material, offering a path for readers stuck in a mindset of toxic masculinity. Carnine’s articulate and easy-to-follow approach, and the deep sincerity that comes through his and others’ personal stories, create a transformative guide for readers seeking to make changes in their lives and relationships.
Takeaway: This accessible guide to changing one’s life through “kindfulness” is an invaluable road map for readers whose lives have been affected by toxic mindsets. Great for fans of Elisha Goldstein’s The Now Effect, Jamil Zaki’s The War for Kindness. Production grades Cover: B Design and typography: A Illustrations: C Editing: A Marketing copy: B+


Through the community consultations for Towards Race Equity in Education Black students, parents, and teachers shared that parents are critical to ensuring race equity in education. However, Black parents shared that they do not always have the knowledge to successfully navigate the public school system. The Engaged Parent series of information sheets was developed to fill this information gap. This session will introduce participants to the issues Black students face in Ontario’s public education system and share these tools and strategies that parents and caregivers can use to support their children in the public education system.


Description
DigestZen is one of doTERRA’s most popular blends due to its ability to aid in digestion, soothe occasional stomach upset, and maintain overall digestive health.* Now this incredibly effective blend is available in a convenient chewable tablet. DigestTab is a calcium carbonate tablet infused with DigestZen Digestive Blend to deliver the benefits of digestion—supportive essential oils as well as the acid—neutralizing benefits of calcium carbonate.*
Uses
Chew one tablet as needed up to six times daily.
Cautions
Keep out of reach of children. Do not use with other acid reducers. Ask a doctor or pharmacist before use if you are taking a prescription drug.
Primary Benefits Specifically designed for individuals with sensitive stomachs. Combines the unique digestive benefits of calcium carbonate along with pure essential oils from plants traditionally known for providing soothing support to the gastrointestinal tract, including Ginger, Peppermint, Caraway, Coriander, and Anise.* A unique and powerful synergistic blend of natural ingredients designed to relieve occasional heartburn and indigestion, while promoting the overall health of the gastrointestinal tract.* Use with or between meals as needed, for relief from occasional stomach upset, indigestion, and heartburn.* Helps relieve occasional sour stomach.* Provides relief from the uncomfortable burning of occasional acid indigestion and helps reduce unwanted belching and bloating.*


1. Breath focus. In this simple, powerful technique, you take long, slow, deep breaths (also known as abdominal or belly breathing). As you breathe, you gently disengage your mind from distracting thoughts and sensations. Breath focus can be especially helpful for people with eating disorders to help them focus on their bodies in a more positive way. However, this technique may not be appropriate for those with health problems that make breathing difficult, such as respiratory ailments or heart failure.


The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the risks and challenges that healthcare workers face every day. This includes injuries, infections, violence, and avoidable safety-related incidents. Due to the stressful environment that these workers struggle with, they are more prone to errors which can lead to patient harm. The World Health Organisation’s World Patient Safety Day (WPSD) …


Abstract Informations and abstract Keywords: Digital Inequality; Smartphone Pervasiveness; Learning Outcomes; Mediation Analysis.
Smartphones diffusion has contributed to the closing of the digital divide, allowing adolescents from all economic and social backgrounds to access the internet. However, the pervasiveness of such devices even in the most relevant moments of the day has raised some concerns about the unexpected consequences of their use. There is an extensive literature highlighting the negative association between smartphone overuse and adolescents' school performances, while recent research finds first evidences of a greater diffusion of this phenomenon among low educated families. Therefore, differences in the amount of resources that parents can invest in the limitation and guidance of their children's smartphone usage may possibly be fostering new forms of social inequality. We tested this hypothesis on a dataset of 489 high-school students, linking their social origins with their smartphone usage habits, grade point average and Invalsi standardized test scores. By means of a mediation analysis, we show that smartphone pervasiveness moderately mediates the negative relationship between family educational background and students' learning outcomes, contributing to the divide between high and low performers.


By asking you, the business owner, a set of succinct questions, our experienced transition advisors will input your responses, generate a report, interpret the data, and create a high level summary. This will provide insight into just how likely it is that another party or parties might be interested in acquiring your business.
Providing you this data will help you, through the lens of an objective advisor, determine the viability of your business beyond your ownership, which is a key component to assessing current value. Presuming the data supports a succession plan for the business, you then can focus on the readiness of your business for a future transition.


Coinbase is going to become a credit card issuer for crypto.
Say it ain’t so?
Yep it is. And according to Meltem Demirors, Chief Strategy Officer of CoinShares, this is part of a broader trend of bitcoin going mainstream.
“Coinbase is effectively the Chase bank of crypto – you can deposit your money, trade / exchange it, lend it, and borrow against it whether with this credit card or future offerings like crypto-collateral backed mortgages. However, become an issuer in a credit card network isn’t necessarily going to be a driver for adoption – but it will be a boon for people who have their assets in crypto, who can now access a wider variety of banking services,” Demirors said.
Today’s on-ramps and consumer experiences in crypto are complicated, expensive, and primarily built for speculators, traders, and investors. However, verified crypto users doubled in 2018 to 35MM, according to research done by Cambridge University. While this is impressive, we believe that the results would have been far higher if there were lower friction on-ramps for everyday consumers to participate without heavy regulatory burdens, waiting periods, and overwhelming and intimidating user experiences focused on trading. In fact, while only 8% of Americans own cryptocurrency, 25% would like to own some, and 50% would spend it on everyday purchases.
CoinShares recently invested in Fold, which is part of a wave of companies focused on building on-ramps to support the next wave of bitcoin adoption: mainstream consumers. Fold enables anyone to spend and earn cryptocurrency on things they do every day – hailing a cab, shopping online, ordering a coffee, and more. Fold seamlessly integrates cryptocurrency rails with traditional payment rails, rewarding everyone with up to 20% crypto-back for spending cryptocurrency or USD online or offline with Fold at their favorite retailers.
“While Coinbase will allow people who have their capital in crypto to use their crypto assets to access credit, it’s only one part of what we believe will ultimately be a large ecosystem of companies serving both crypto holders and crypto enthusiasts in their payments and spending,” Demirors said. “As the number of cryptocurrency holders and those interested in accumulating it continues to grow 2x every year, companies like Coinbase and Fold will take an increasing share of these large market segments. They are developing compelling use cases and incentive mechanisms to onboard mainstream users into cryptocurrency will be their guide for where to earn and spend it.”


Leaky gut is associated with a surprising number of health concerns including seasonal allergies, autoimmune disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis, migraines, depression, and Alzheimer’s, among others. Athletes and postmenopausal women are also susceptible to impaired intestinal permeability. All too often when they arrive at our clinics, patients have not been tested for leaky gut or associated food sensitivities that serve as a red flag for the presence of increased intestinal permeability.


Although I don’t believe in
Santa Claus or the Tooth Fairy, as one commenter suggested, I do believe the Rigsby sisters. The scheme is not a fairy tale, as the commenter suggested. Instead, it represents the application of my experience to the evidence.
Contrary to comments made suggesting I find something amiss about the use of technology as a management tool, I wholeheartedly support such efforts and believe they are even more valuable when Six Sigma and similar measurement systems are integrated.
However, “systemic underpayment” of claims becomes even more likely when success is measured in terms of reduction of loss. When fortunes are made by investors swapping paper, there is nothing far fetched at all about the idea of swapping data to reduce loss.
The final post on
the scheme follows; but, the end of the series is not the last word.
Nowdy


12 November 2020
‘One continent, one law’ is a motto that has been connected to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) to emphasize its key role for overcoming the fragmentation of the European Union (EU) data protection landscape. Nevertheless, and despite the Regulation’s direct applicability across all EU Member States, a multitude of national laws already co-exist with its provisions, and a few more are expected. These national laws specify the GDPR rules, operationalize them, and potentially modulate them. They might, in some cases, also appear to contradict the GDPR, be in friction with other national approaches, and/or trigger questions about the exact applicable rules in certain scenarios.
The next event will review developments in Germany, while continuing a general discussion on how to apprehend national developments across Member States.
Orla Lynskey (Associate Professor of Law at London School of Economics, General rapporteur on Data Protection at the FIDE 2020 Congress)
Andreas Wiebe (Professor at Georg-August-University of Göttingen)
For further resources related to this event, please visit the Specifying the GDPR Resources Page.
Time: 12:30 - 14:00 (Brussels time)
12:30-12:35 Welcome by Gloria González Fuster
12:35-13:55 Presentation by Orla Lynskey
12:55-13:15 Presentation by Andreas Wiebe
13:15-14:00 discussion and Q&A
Venue: online. The platform, together with the link to attend the event, will be communicated to the registered participants in due course.
Registration: The event is free to attend but registration is required. Should you face any difficulties with the registration form, please send an e-mail to info@brusselsprivacyhub.eu
NB the event will take place from 12:30 to 14:00, please disregard any typos in the registration form below.
Keep up to date of our activities and developments. Sign up to our newsletter:
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The essential nature of digital technologies and data exchange is clear as reliance on them increases. Consumers must be protected, confident and empowered to benefit from the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
CPRC aims to address power imbalances and build a movement of organisations fostering socially beneficial data and digital practices and policies, informed by evidence.
Our research puts consumers and the community at the forefront of change. We analyse the policy framework, identify gaps and make evidence-based recommendations for safer, fairer and more inclusive digital markets.


Abstract
In
Consent Puzzles: Narrative Ambiguities of Girls’ Sexual Agency in Literature and Film from the 1990s, I examine post-second wave feminist era films, literature, and media representations that depict what I call “consent puzzles,” or ethically and aesthetically ambiguous depictions of girls’ sexual consent. Although sexual consent can be problematic for adults and for boys, a great deal of attention in both psychological studies and popular discourse emphasizes an overarching concern about how sexual consent operates specifically for girls. In particular, girls are often depicted as the gatekeepers who are either “consenting” or “nonconsenting” to others’ desires, as opposed to being portrayed as agents driving their own sexual interactions. Furthermore, even when girls are depicted as “consenting,” their consent is often deemed irrelevant due to their status as “always already” victims. In addition to representations of blatant nonconsensual sex, girls’ consent might be considered invalidated due to their age, or because of their “sexualization” by popular culture, or both. In this study, I investigate particularly puzzling depictions of girls’ sexual consent—such as reiterations of Lolita, or stories of girls’ sexual desire amidst sexual abuse, or the competing media narratives surround the “Long Island Lolita” Amy Fisher—to show how these narratives not only demonstrate the gray area of consent, but also how they validate girls’ subjectivity, desires, and agency. I then look to the character of Stevie from April Sinclair’s novels as a model for how girls might contend with the innumerable layers in between our ideas of coercion and consent and access the ambiguities of sexual agency, sexual preference, gender, and race. Finally, I bring my study into the present through the contemporary discourse about teen sexting, which further highlights the ambiguities of real and imagined girls’ sexual consent, and I advocate for a more nuanced approach to reading girls’ sexual consent and agency, so that we might better protect girls from sexual assault, while affirming girls’ own sexual subjectivity. Recommended Citation
Meek, Michele, "Consent Puzzles: Narrative Ambiguities of Girls' Sexual Agency in Literature and Film from the 1990s" (2016).
Open Access Dissertations. Paper 516. https://digitalcommons.uri.edu/oa_diss/516


Health economic models are crucial tools to help better inform healthcare decision-making and support adoption of evidence and value-based innovation.
The team’s unique approach lies in building health economic models using a scientific process whilst ensuring these can be applied to real-world settings.
The latter models are built to assess the impact of a healthcare solution or new care model on the system and can range from cost-benefit analyses, budget impact models, decision-tree analyses, cost-utility analyses to social cost-benefit analyses among others.
The team uses a combination of the latest integrated and public datasets and other research reports, and also supports clients to collect relevant datasets using best practice. Furthermore, scenario and sensitivity analyses are performed using Monte-Carlo simulation to interpret results in a multivariate approach and find a wider range of solutions for the clients. Finally, the team ensures models are user-friendly, flexible, intuitive and scientifically robust through review by an independent expert panel.
CASE STUDY MOUTH CARE MATTERS ROI
Mouth Care Matters (MCM) is a training initiative aimed at improving the oral health of hospitalised patients. Poor oral health can lead to deterioration in general health.
Hospitalisation changes an individual’s routine, causing stress and anxiety due to discomfort, resulting in a lack of motivation to carry out routine oral hygiene habits. In cases where a patient has cognitive or physical limitations, maintaining healthy oral habits often become of greater difficulty, exacerbating oral hygiene.
KSS AHSN was commissioned to evaluate the impact of the pilot and the project spread across Kent Surrey Sussex but also to indicate the financial outcomes of a national roll-out.
Our evaluation showed that across Kent, Surrey and Sussex, the Mouth Care Matters programme was estimated to deliver tangible value in the order of £2.66 of benefit within the health care system for every £1 invested in the project.
A further £17 is identified in social benefits for every £1 invested.
The positive financial impact indicated by the national spread scenario was instrumental in securing additional funding from Health Education England to support a national roll-out.
The MCM team has now trained over 100 Trusts across the UK and also developed child-centred training and resources to target paediatric oral-health needs.
Impact: Our analysis provided evidence to enable further commissioning to support the scaling-up of MCM from KSS to nation-wide.


Abstract
Neuronal activity regulates a broad range of processes in the hippocampus, including the precise regulation of translation. Disruptions in proper translational control in the nervous system are associated with a variety of disorders that fall in the autistic spectrum. MicroRNA (miRNA) represent a relatively recently discovered player in the regulation of translation in the nervous system. We have conducted an in depth analysis of how neuronal activity regulates miRNA expression in the hippocampus. Using deep sequencing we exhaustively identify all miRNAs, including 15 novel miRNAs, expressed in hippocampus of the adult mouse. We identified 119 miRNAs documented in miRBase but less than half of these miRNA were expressed at a level greater than 0.1% of total miRNA. Expression profiling following induction of neuronal activity by electroconvulsive shock demonstrates that most miRNA show a biphasic pattern of expression: rapid induction of specific mature miRNA expression followed by a decline in expression. These results have important implications into how miRNAs influence activity-dependent translational control.
ASJC Scopus subject areas Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology(all) Agricultural and Biological Sciences(all) General


Housing stability for both renters and homeowners is the single most important contributor to an individual’s overall well-being, from health outcomes to economic stability.
And yet the Latinx community faces significant barriers to acquiring and maintaining housing stability. Even more so during this global pandemic.
Language is one of the most common barriers that many in our community face, particularly immigrants from Latin America. Additionally, a long history of discriminatory policies has created a sense of distrust between the Latinx community and the government, causing many to choose not to participate in government programs.
During these times of COVID-19, many find themselves facing a greater degree of dual hardships: Latinx individuals disproportionately serve in essential worker roles, exposing themselves and their families to COVID-19. This risk puts both their health and their income stability in jeopardy.
Throughout COVID-19, my staff at Chicanos Por La Causa (CPLC) has continued to work hard to address these issues and connect our community with housing opportunities. CPLC was founded in 1969 to combat discrimination against Mexican-Americans. Today, we continue to use our cultural competency to offer bilingual services, helping monolingual Spanish-speaking clients navigate the system in their native language.
CPLC is a trusted resource for the Latinx community. It represents our roots, and we continue to be deeply embedded in the communities we serve. As a result, Latinx community members feel comfortable coming to us for help attaining housing stability.
We provide the following comprehensive direct services to renters and homeowners to promote housing stability:
Eviction prevention assistance for renters; Mortgage foreclosure prevention assistance for homeowners; Housing counseling services for renters who want to become homeowners, as well as people experiencing homelessness who want to become renters; Access to food boxes; COVID-19 testing; Utility assistance; Workforce development; Childcare services; and Behavioral health services, including support for victims of domestic violence.
We recognize at CPLC that federal housing policies continue to perpetuate longstanding discrimination. We are actively advocating for specific policies to create a more equitable playing field.
It’s important to acknowledge that fair housing laws have been heavily enforced since the 1960s. However, while these laws strive to create “equal” opportunity, they neglect to take into consideration the needs of individuals facing multiple barriers to housing. These barriers to housing may include low income, domestic violence, previous foster care, and a number of other factors that put individuals at a disadvantage.
For these individuals, “equal” opportunity is not enough because they are not starting with the same advantages. Instead, we must focus on creating “equitable” opportunities that take into consideration our different starting places.
We are currently advocating for the implementation of source of income laws that increase the availability of rental units for voucher holders, as well as small area fair market rents – rather than the current general Fair Market Rent structure – to create equity. Both of these policies are designed to help individuals move outside of low-income, low-opportunity areas, thus escaping generational poverty that comes through a lack of opportunity.
The existing Fair Market Rent structure in particular is somewhat like a modern-day version of the discriminatory practice of redlining, through which individuals living in low-income ZIP codes were denied access to capital. By basing Fair Market Rent on the average rent per county, rather than ZIP code, the current policy pushes people to low-income, low-opportunity areas.
While we remain focused on advocating for these policies, my team at CPLC has also pivoted to providing services safely during this health crisis, which continues to disproportionately affect the Latinx community.
We have expanded our phone bank to offer more of our housing services remotely and have shifted our intake process and homebuyer education classes online, minimizing the risk of exposure while expanding access for the community. We have also grown our eviction prevention assistance program in scale to keep people housed during this time of need.
It is imperative that we reduce barriers to housing stability – the foundation of health and economic opportunity. The continued wellness of our nation at large is contingent upon the ability of all people to live a dignified life, regardless of race, ethnicity, or ZIP code.
David Adame is president & CEO of Chicanos Por La Causa


The recent crime drama
The Sinner offers a meditation on how good and evil are defined in the contemporary moment through its focus on murder and its motives. However, within the framework of the crime narrative, the series fails to challenge ideas about non-traditional belief systems, undermining its seemingly progressive nature – especially during its second season. The Sinner is, at its core, a classic detective narrative wherein a mystery is solved; the generic conventions are altered through the focus on the “why” rather than the “who,” but the puzzle still becomes central as is common within the genre. In the first season, we are introduced to Cora Tannetti, who stabs a man to death on the beach in the very first episode. She is caught and signs a confession, but the detective assigned to her case, Harry Ambrose (the detective in season two as well) starts to unpick her story in the hope of understanding “why,” and unravels a complex motive.
In season two, the same plot device of a murder being committed and confessed occurs in the first episode – this time, perpetrated by a child. The narrative is complicated by the child’s background, which is suffused with unorthodox beliefs. We learn the child, Julian, has been raised in a “cult” named by the locals after its location: Mosswood. Throughout the series, there are references to an exploration of existence that merges the psychological and the spiritual, along with a grounding in more mainstream forms of religion, primarily Christianity.
The crime genre is seen as an “inherently conservative form that repeatedly rehearses a dominant ‘common sense’ ideology of law and order” (p. 6), according to media studies scholar Jonathan Nichols-Pethick. Within it, particular structures are upheld with the crime often being seen as presenting an imbalance to the status quo, restored by the solving of the crime, and the criminal being brought to justice. In some ways,
The Sinner presents a subversion of this formula: rather than the person who committed the murder being jailed, both seasons place the blame with others who contributed to the formation of the disturbed psyche of the character, and they are imprisoned instead.
This shifting of responsibility follows a trend in other contemporary narratives where we look to understand
why something immoral or “evil” has happened – such as the recent Bates Motel, which sought to explain the psyche of Norman Bates. By digging into the past of the characters who kill, The Sinner seeks to construct an idea of nurture being the culprit rather than something inherently evil within them, as per older notions of criminal behavior.
The cult being seen as a nefarious part of Julian’s upbringing follows in a long tradition of presenting cults in a particular way onscreen, as explored by American religious history scholar Lynn S. Neal. In “They’re Freaks! The Cult Stereotype in Fictional Television Shows, 1958-2008,” she examines a selection of depictions spanning fifty years and finds that similar negative presentations occur, demarcating their difference from “conventional” religious forms. Ultimately, this serves to “polic[e] the boundaries of religious legitimacy in American culture” (p. 81). Locating the cult as a site of evil behavior in a show like
The Sinner reinforces stereotypical presentations of practices that fall outside the institutional and more traditional forms of belief that tend to be more socially acceptable. What should also be noted is the use of the term “cult” and its pejorative nature (rather than the more neutral and preferred “new religious movement” found in scholarly circles today). The term is used by those who are actively seeking to disrupt or destroy the “cult” of Mosswood, marking it as a negative identifier.
The positioning of the cult as negative is furthered by the behaviors and beliefs shown. The cult is seen worshipping a rock, with a desire to return to the “primitive” rituals of our inner selves, which are in this case defined primarily by violence, ultimately situating the cult as degenerative and barbaric. The characters who live within the cult system are either killed or punished in some way, reinforcing what film scholar Thomas Schatz defines as a “pro-social” ideology – the upholding of status quo through a quashing of beliefs or behaviors that challenge it.
Despite the changing approach to crime and its motives by focusing on the factors that contributed to the murder,
The Sinner ultimately serves to highlight the idea that evil is man-made and can be controlled through societal structures. Although following a trend in contemporary crime narratives of presenting the detectives as flawed or troubled in some way, the detective at the heart of this narrative is also a traditional seeker of the truth. He wishes to expose the darkness that has pervaded both the perpetrator and the world in which they live. The Sinner allows us to explore the psychological motives for the act of murder, but it offers no satisfying resolution for the “victim,” only an undermining of the structure that warped their psyche. Since this season posits the murderer as a victim of the “cult” within which he was raised, it aligns with the notion of the cult as villainous.
The transcendental element of the cult, manifested in the symbol of the rock, is shown being smashed at the end of the season. And this moment speaks to the series’ position of devaluing non-traditional religious beliefs by “resolving” the cult through its destruction.
The Sinner may be read as a challenge to accepted narratives of crime, but its conclusion offers the same message evident in other texts within the genre: challenges to the prevailing frameworks will be neutralized.
With this positioning of crime and religion in tension, we also stumble upon a deeper question: why do we seek explanations for crime yet so often fail to take the same approach with faith?
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Yeast and human Eme1 protein, in complex with Mus81, constitute an endonuclease that cleaves branched DNA structures, especially those arising during stalled DNA replication. We identified mouse Eme1, and show that it interacts with Mus81 to form a complex that preferentially cleaves 3'-flap structures and replication forks rather than Holliday junctions in vitro. We demonstrate that Eme1-/- embryonic stem (ES) cells are hypersensitive to the DNA cross-linking agents mitomycin C and cisplatin, but only mildly sensitive to ionizing radiation, UV radiation and hydroxyurea treatment. Mammalian Eme1 is not required for the resolution of DNA intermediates that arise during homologous recombination processes such as gene targeting, gene conversion and sister chromatid exchange (SCE). Unlike Blm-deficient ES cells, increased SCE was seen only following induced DNA damage in Eme1-deficient cells. Most importantly, Eme1 deficiency led to spontaneous genomic instability. These results reveal that mammalian Eme1 plays a key role in DNA repair and the maintenance of genome integrity.


You already pay enough in taxes.
You pay enough in taxes. Yet, the federal government is considering a significant increase in the gas tax to pay for new construction projects. This is wasteful and unfair.
The gas tax already takes a toll on those who can least afford it, especially Hispanics. On average, Latino families earn about $18,000 less than white, non-Latino families. We will carry the burden of a higher gas tax.
But it's not just the cost. Much of the money raised through gas taxes is used on unnecessary construction rather than the essential projects. You're left paying the bill for politicians to come up with ways to spend your money.
The gas tax doesn't need to be raised. Instead, lawmakers should remove costly barriers to construction projects and use the funds they have wisely. Remind your lawmakers you shouldn’t have to pay a higher gas tax, and sign the petition urging them to oppose it!