In May 2010, in a speech before the Council on Foreign Relations, Education Secretary Arne Duncan spoke of the importance of a well-educated citizenry: “America’s success depends on the success of its individual citizens, just as the progress of humanity ultimately depends on the shared progress of nations. I believe that education has immeasurable power to promote growth and stability in the 21st century.”


Abstract
Observed phytoplankton interannual variability has been commonly related to atmospheric variables and climate indices. Here we showed that such relation is highly hampered by internal variability associated with oceanic mesoscale turbulence at middle and high latitudes. We used a 1/54° idealized biogeochemical model with a seasonally repeating atmospheric forcing such that there was no external source of interannual variability. At the scale of moorings, our experiment suggested that internal variability was responsible for interannual fluctuations of the subpolar phytoplankton bloom reaching 80% in amplitude and 2 weeks in timing. Over broader scales, the largest impact occurred in the subtropics with interannual variations of 20% in new production the full strength of this variability could not be captured with the same model run at coarser resolution, suggesting that submesoscale resolving models are needed to fully disentangle the major drivers of biogeochemical variability at interannual time scales. Key Points Submesoscales generate interannual variations in phytoplankton blooms The variability occurs at local scale and translates to larger scale High horizontal resolution is needed to fully capture it
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes Geophysics Earth and Planetary Sciences(all) Keywords Bloom chaotic fluxes interannual phenology submesoscale


One Housing are a non-profit organization that provide housing, maintenance, care, and support for people in the UK who struggle to find a place to live. The majority of their employees work remotely in communities with residents and therefore rely on mobile devices to communicate and record data. This provides convenience and flexibility for the employees, however it can also result in inflated data bills for the organization.
Corrata has given us predictability of our mobile data spend and saved us money from month one.
Charles Hall, Financial Controller
The solution
Controlling data usage and reducing costs was the number one priority for One Housing when they contacted Corrata. The organization lacked the ability to track and identify high usage events or offenders and were also unable to impose controls or restrictions to manage data consumption and associated costs.
Data Usage Control from Corrata gave One Housing visibility over mobile data usage across their entire mobile estate via the Corrata Console. This enabled administrators to track data usage in real time, receive alerts and quickly resolve potential bill shock events. The ability to apply monthly or daily data usage limits to individual employees while domestic or roaming, block high-bandwidth apps such as Netflix and YouTube, and permit business critical apps was essential. One Housing saw significant data usage changes immediately resulting in a significant reduction in mobile data plan costs and elimination of bill shock events.


Chronic Illness & Complex Medical Conditions
Navigating chronic illness can feel like being in a tiny skiff on a roiling sea. The client and his or her family can experience a whole range of stressors including anticipatory grief, struggles with maintaining pre-illness identity, depression resulting from missing out on normal activities, and irritability from coping with persistent pain. It can be hard to find joy and fulfillment in circumstances like these—but, with the help and support of our skilled team, you can work toward healing psychologically, regardless of your ailment. In many cases, this psychological healing can create a positive feedback loop that actually improves the underlying physical condition. This is an empowering and life-changing experience, and one we are honored to facilitate.
How it works Book your free phone consultation
Take our quiz to find the therapist who’s right for you and book a free 15-minute phone consultation.
Get familiarized with the process
During your phone consultation, your therapist will answer your questions and schedule your first visit.
Attend your first appointment
Your therapist will get to know you and offer a supportive plan to help you reach your goals.


Water Safety
Lead-contaminated dust is the most common source of lead exposure.
Older homes may contain lead pipes or faucets that can contribute to lead exposure. When lead pipes are moved or worked on near your home or within your home, lead may leach into the water as it passes through the pipes.
If you have lead pipes, consider cleaning the aerator, flushing the water lines, and/or using a filter that is certified by the National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) for lead removal. For more information, see the resources below.
DRINKING WATER SUPPLIES IN KENT COUNTY
Your water is either from a public water supply or from a private well. If you get a bill for your water, you are on a public water supply. Public water suppliers are required to test household water for lead. The same requirement does not apply to private wells.
To ensure drinking water is safe, public water supplies throughout Kent County are sampled under the Safe Drinking Water Act for compliance with the Lead and Copper Rule. These water sources are closely monitored by the Kent County Health Department and the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE). If your water is from a well, you are encouraged to test it for lead. For testing, contact the Kent County Health Department lab at 616-632-7210.


Based on mouse studies, AURKA (STK15) was identified as a candidate skin tumor susceptibility gene. STK15 is frequently amplified in human colon cancers and other tumor types. The authors identified the STK15 91T->A variant and showed “statistically significant allele-specific amplification of the 91A allele (P = 0.018, chi squared test), providing additional evidence for the role of this allele in human cancer”. Individuals with even one copy of the 91A allele develop tumors with a higher degree of aneuploidy than homozygous 91T individuals.
Meta-analysis confirmed that the 91A polymorphism is a low-penetrance cancer susceptibility allele in several cancer types, with greater risk for the 91A homozygotes. When the results were combined in a meta-analysis, the authors “found an OR of 1.4 for the T+91A homozygotes (95% CI of 1.22—1.59, P-value < 0.001)” and a “modest but significant increase in risk in the T+91A heterozygotes (OR = 1.10, 95% CI 1.03—1.18, P-value = 0.006)”.


U.S. Dollar Strengthens While Pound Slumps
Tuesday saw the U.S. dollar strengthen versus other major currencies as the markets waited for the Fed decision regarding rates. The pound sterling, on the other hand, kept falling as concerns over the potential chaos of a no-deal Brexit grew.
Thus, the U.S. dollar index was 97.877, equating to an increase of 0.1%.
The Federal Reserve will be meeting to discuss monetary policy starting on Tuesday for two days. On Wednesday, analysts expect the Fed to announce a rate decrease of at least 25 basis points.
While there was a lot of support for the idea that the Fed’s rate cut would be 50 basis points, it is believed far less likely now thanks to positive data, including good U.S. GDP figures.
The USD was further strengthened by a significant increase in June’s pending home sales, along with positive consumer confidence figures in July.
The U.S. dollar gained ground versus the Japanese yen, with the USD/JPY trading at 108.58, showing a decline of 0.2%. The JPY weakened on the back of the Bank of Japan’s decision to maintain the interest rate at current levels, but revision their inflation predictions downwards.
Pound Slumps as Markets Fear a No-Deal Brexit Will Cause Global Chaos
The pound hit its lowest level since March 2017, trading at $1.2120. Since Boris Johnson took over as Prime Minister, the pound has declined by $0.036.
Johnson has repeatedly stated that he was willing to go through with a no-deal Brexit, and markets now fear the chaos that would result from this move.
The pound has been a slave to any news surrounding the Brexit since the EU referendum was held in 2016. The pound had its most significant decline in one day since the early 1970s after the result of the referendum was publicized.
ING issued a note to their clients warning them that the pound would likely experience even more weakness in the near future. The bank’s analysts feel that the pound will continue to decline, mainly due to the uncertainty surrounding Brexit, but also the increasing likelihood that early elections will take place.
Boris Johnson has stated that he will negotiate a new deal with the EU and plans to boost the U.K.’s economy after what he dubbed the “gloom” of Theresa May’s stint as PM.
Despite Johnson’s veiled threats towards the EU that he was willing to remove the U.K. from the union without a deal, the European Union has stated they are unwilling to change the terms already negotiated with Theresa May.
In an attempt to garner further support, Johnson as embarked on a tour of the country. Thus, on Monday, while in Scotland, he told the press that he wanted to negotiate a new deal, but, at the same time, preparations must be made for a no-deal Brexit.
What concerns investors is the potential shockwave that could affect the global economy if the U.K. left the EU without a deal. It could also potentially push the British economy into a recession, cause upheaval in the financial markets, and London’s position as the most important international financial hub would weaken.
However, those in favor of Brexit believe that the short-term difficulties would be outweighed by the long-term benefits. Furthermore, they feel that the potential problems resulting from a no-deal Brexit have been greatly exaggerated.
Tuesday saw Boris Johnson attempt to draw British farmers to his side by promising they would receive better conditions and deals once the U.K. was out of the European Union. He stated that he fully backed British farmers and wanted to ensure that the Brexit would be beneficial for them.
One serious problem in any potential negotiations between the U.K. and the EU is the Irish backstop, which is meant to prevent the installation of a hard border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.
Johnson is adamant that the backstop is removed, or he won’t return to the negotiating table. The EU, on the other hand, refuses to back down. Thus, a no-deal Brexit is becoming increasingly likely, and the pound will continue to suffer as a result.


Helping sports clubs change the game: Part two Why sports brands need to think about fan behaviour
In helping sports clubs build deeper engagement with their spectators, we need to think about what sports clubs can offer their audience and also how those watching can contribute to the experience.
To do this, we need to take into account how spectators are likely to behave in this setting; in a predictably irrational way. This will differ by sport, by team, by individual event. Even for each individual fan.
But what the ‘right’ fan experience needs to achieve is consistent; fostering that passion and belonging that underpins ongoing engagement. Getting the stadium experience ‘right’ rests on the balance between two complimentary factors:
Identifying and facilitating the ‘right’ behaviours– promoting a positive, vibrant atmosphere that supports a sense of participation and belonging while… Softening (or removing) the ‘wrong’ behaviours– challenging anti-social and negative behaviours that contribute to divisions amongst the fans
This doesn’t mean telling people how they should (or shouldn’t) behave.
It’s about encouraging and creating an environment within stadiums that supports a sense of belonging and participation for everyone to flourish in.
We understand how to leverage behavioural economics to overcome these barriers
By understanding behavioural ‘rules of thumb’ (heuristics) that spectators hold, we can determine what causes biases that result in these negative behaviours which hinder deeper fan engagement.
With this knowledge we can investigate, test and create effective ways to intervene and change behaviour.
We’ve applied this expertise across different industries including sport; just see how we’re helping The FA to challenge anti-social behaviours amongst away fans
here.


LAS Group has submitted plans for a significant revitalisation of Northcote Plaza, which will see two strata titles within the precinct transformed into a new mixed-use town centre called Northcote Green.
The $500m Northcote Green precinct has been designed primarily to enhance and improve the local amenity, delivering a gym, extensive green corridors and connective links, new dining and café tenancies, community pop up activation areas, a community amphitheatre, activated laneways and improved access throughout the precinct.
The existing retail offering in Northcote Plaza will also be strategically re-weighted and re-positioned under the proposed redevelopment, with the current percentage of food and beverage tenants set to double from 4.3 per cent to 8.6 per cent, in a move to improve footfall and dwell times within the centre.
The project is expected to generate an additional $21 million in additional retail expenditure in coming years once complete, according to economic modelling by Macroplan commissioned by the developer, with the significant economic windfall created by Northcote Green, along with the creation of approximately 600 short-term construction jobs and 500 ongoing positions, set to play a positive role in the local area’s economic recovery from COVID-19.
LAS Group managing director Les Smith said the proposed redevelopment would bring much-needed new life to the ageing retail hub.
“ Northcote Plaza has held an almost iconic status in the community for almost 40 years. We see this as an opportunity to reinvigorate and revitalise the precinct to deliver upgrades to the existing infrastructure while adding significant amenity and new community facilities.
“ Our vision for the strategic redevelopment and re-alignment of the tenant mix within the centre, along with the delivery of extensive public amenity and community facilities, is to create more reasons to visit the precinct and deliver more benefit to both existing traders and the local community,” he said.
Due to the site’s unique individual strata titling, Northcote Plaza’s existing trader footprint will remain largely unaffected by the proposed redevelopment and will continue to trade as normal throughout construction.Northcote Green’s announcement follows the commencement of construction at LAS Group’s One Wellington project in St Kilda, a 50-50 joint venture with real estate powerhouse Qualitas, which will bring 252 build-to-rent apartments to one of Melbourne’s most sought-after locales.


Alysia Gradney, Principal
The Gudz 832-263-1714 alysia@thegudz.com
Institute targeting Black STEM professionals, tech startups, and government officials launches #BlackTechPolicy Week, a virtual event on December 1 – 5, 2020
(Black PR Wire) #BlackTechFutures Research Institute opens registration for its first-ever #BlackTechPolicy Week. Funded in part by an Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation Knowledge Challenge award, granted to Stillman College School of Business and Dr. Fallon Wilson, #BlackTechPolicy Week will explore the challenges and opportunities municipalities and organizations encounter when building equitable tech policies, and the impact of these policies on Black lives.
Amid the U.S. presidential transition period, #BlackTechPolicy Week places Black lives at the epicenter of AI ethics, EdTech, VC investments into tech startups, privacy, bridging the digital divide, and more. The week-long engagement will bring together technologists, higher learning institutions, professional and affinity groups, entrepreneurship organizations, government officials, community organizers, private foundations, tech startups, urban planners, faith leaders, and local organizations.
"By placing the value of Black futures at the center of technological development and advancement, #BlackTechPolicy Week will serve as the birthing ground for innovative policies and strategic networking," said Dr. Fallon Wilson, Co-Founder of #BlackTechFutures Research Institute. "Our goal is to unite scholars, practitioners, and community activists in a dialogue—a movement—to grow tech equity at the hyper-local level."
Launched in 2020, the #BlackTechFutures Research Institute serves as a long-term educational initiative housed at Stillman College, a Historically Black College and University (HBCU). The institute is positioned to build a national network of city-based researchers and practitioners researching sustainable local Black tech ecosystems. The outcomes of this work are to develop a national public data archive and create actionable policy recommendations at municipal, state, and national levels. #BlackTechPolicy Week serves as the institute's first public engagement opportunity.
For nearly 150 years, Stillman College has been a creator and advocate of inclusive and equitable environments for Black people. Dr. Cynthia Warrick, Stillman’s first female President, continues that legacy in the 21st Century through innovation and technology.
"To proactively increase the participation of Black technologists, it is imperative we identify, engage, educate, connect, and support scholars and practitioners in technology," states Isaac McCoy, Dean of the School of Business at Stillman College. "Not only is this work important, but it's critical to the equitable advancement of Black people in a digital world."
#BlackTechPolicy Week includes three panels, free and open to the public, where participants will hear directly from Black tech leaders in multiple sectors. This year's sessions include:
A National Black Tech Policy Agenda: December 1, 2020, at 6:00 pm/CST Black Public Interest Technologists: December 3, 2020, at 6:00 pm/CST Organizing Black Tech Communities Online: December 4, 2020 at 6:00 pm/CST Supporting Local Black Tech Ecosystems: December 5, 2020, at 10 am/CST
Participants will hear from the nation's top technologists, politicians, entrepreneurs, community organizers, medical professionals, and more. This year's #BlackTechPolicy Week speakers include:
Rev. Leah Daughtry, Black Church PAC Clint Odom, National Urban League Dr. Nicol Turner Lee, Brookings Institute Chris Lewis, Public Knowledge Dr. Andre Brock, Georgia Institute of Technology Maurita Coley, Multicultural Media, Telecom and Internet Council (MMTC)
To register and learn more about the institute, visit blacktechfutures.com.


A notable number of federal student loan borrowers struggle to make payments. While most have heard about income-driven repayment (IDR) plan options many don't know where to start.
This step-by-step guide walks borrowers through the free process of applying for IDR through the U.S. Department of Education's Federal Student Aid website. Use this resource for your own education or share with student loan borrowers directly.
Enter your contact information to download this resource.
Find additional resources at our Definitive Guide to Default Prevention page.


Insights to help you mitigate the risks associated with Coronavirus
While the primary focus of any business will be on ensuring the health and wellbeing of staff, businesses are facing an increasing number of challenges that need to be addressed and mitigated. The legal implications are wide-ranging and complex.
Here we bring together the practical considerations and insights into critical questions and from across different jurisdictions to help businesses manage and mitigate risk.
How can our lawyers help you to navigate through this period?
We can help you identify the risks, provide options and discuss various legal remedies, advise on the measures being taken by various governments, provide insight from an industry perspective, consider the supply chain and regulatory challenges, help you plan your response and minimise the threat of disputes.
We understand that you need strategic, cross-jurisdictional advice from experts who can help you respond quickly to the emerging crisis. Please get in touch with your usual Clifford Chance contact.


Background: Childhood maltreatment has been associated with significant impairment in social, emotional and behavioural functioning later in life. Nevertheless, some individuals who have experienced childhood maltreatment function better than expected given their circumstances. Main body: Here, we provide an integrated understanding of the complex, interrelated mechanisms that facilitate such individual resilient functioning after childhood maltreatment. We aim to show that resilient functioning is not facilitated by any single ‘resilience biomarker’. Rather, resilient functioning after childhood maltreatment is a product of complex processes and influences across multiple levels, ranging from ‘bottom-up’ polygenetic influences, to ‘top-down’ supportive social influences. We highlight the complex nature of resilient functioning and suggest how future studies could embrace a complexity theory approach and investigate multiple levels of biological organisation and their temporal dynamics in a longitudinal or prospective manner. This would involve using methods and tools that allow the characterisation of resilient functioning trajectories, attractor states and multidimensional/multilevel assessments of functioning. Such an approach necessitates large, longitudinal studies on the neurobiological mechanisms of resilient functioning after childhood maltreatment that cut across and integrate multiple levels of explanation (i.e. genetics, endocrine and immune systems, brain structure and function, cognition and environmental factors) and their temporal interconnections. Conclusion: We conclude that a turn towards complexity is likely to foster collaboration and integration across fields. It is a promising avenue which may guide future studies aimed to promote resilience in those who have experienced childhood maltreatment.
Ioannidis, K., Askelund, A.D., Kievit, R.A.
et al. The complex neurobiology of resilient functioning after childhood maltreatment. BMC Med 18, 32 (2020).


IASB trustees will undertake a constitution review
07 Nov 2003
At their meeting in Brussels on 4 November 2003, the trustees of the IASC Foundation (which oversees the IASB) announced the appointment of a committee to review the IASB's constitution.
At its 3 November 2003 meeting, the constitution review committee felt it was important to announce the existence of the committee. The procedures and timetable were also decided. Meetings would generally be open, with proposals published prior to decisions being made. A list of topics to be examined will be issued quickly without comment on the relative importance of each, though the committee recognised that some additional questions might arise in the course of their work.
The committee felt that transparency is essential. The trustees discussed staffing for the review and concluded that at most one additional staff member could be funded. They discussed, without conclusion, whether there should be an advisory board. While such a board would provide a good sounding board, some trustees were concerned that an advisory board might assume some of the power of the review committee itself. The matter of duplication of effort of the review committee and the advisory board was also discussed.
Trustees noted that the Constitution is detailed and rule based. They discussed whether it provides for sufficient representation by analysts and preparers of accounts. They noted that it is sometimes difficult to get these parties involved in IASB activities and that this issue can not be resolved in the constitution.
Trustees noted that the constitution includes a list of organisations which the IASB should consult, but some important groups (such as the Basel Committee) are not included. However the IASB Chairman noted that while the wording needed to be altered slightly, the list was not meant to be exhaustive and did not preclude consultation with other groups.
We have created a new Page on IASPlus to track the progress of the constitution review.


A display technology developed at the Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute (KERI) produces 3D pixels with nanoscale dimensions by 3D-printing quantum dots (QDs) embedded in polymer nanowires. The technology — called “nanophotonic 3D printing” by the research team — could be used to achieve superhigh-resolution displays in TVs, smartphones, virtual reality headsets, and other devices. The more pixels on a display screen and the more densely the pixels are integrated, the higher the resolution. To increase the number of pixels that can appear on a screen, the traditional approach has been to reduce the pixel size. Achieving a higher definition through a smaller pixel size has become a key to leading in this competitive market, but reducing pixel size can also limit light intensity. A South Korean research team developed a technology to produce a nanodisplay with a superhigh resolution based on a 3D-printing technique. Courtesy of Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute (KERI). The KERI team believed that the light intensity required for a superhigh resolution could be achieved by producing pixels with a 3D structure. Instead of using a 2D patterning approach, the team applied a 3D structure to its pixels to overcome light intensity issues. The 3D layout enabled a twofold increase in brightness with full colors (red, green, blue), compared to conventional thin-film-based structures, and had no significant effects on the spatial resolution. Using its nanophotonic 3D-printing technology, the team demonstrated the production of pixels with a lateral dimension of 620 nm and a pitch of 3 μm for each of the red, green, and blue colors. The researchers demonstrated the three primary colors in 5600 pixels per inch (PPI), exceeding that of 8K QLED TV (100 PPI), laptop (200 PPI), and smartphone (800 PPI) devices, while surpassing the limit of commercial technology (1000 PPI) by five times or more. The team also demonstrated individual control of the brightness based on a simple adjustment of the height of the 3D pixels. The pixel density provided by the KERI team’s approach could be applied to future displays for VR and AR, beam projectors, and other applications requiring superhigh resolution. One of the biggest benefits of the nanophotonic 3D-printing technology, the researchers believe, is that the QDs can be 3D-printed onto polyimide or polyethylene terephthalate materials, which are used to produce flexible substrates. This could allow the technology to be used for wearable or rollable devices. The research was published in ACS Nano (www.doi.org/10.1021/acsnano.0c04075).


COLUMBUS, Ohio, August 2019 – Back-to-school season is upon us, and UCT has gotten into the spirit by collecting and distributing over 15 bags of supplies including spiral notebooks, pencils, crayons, calculators, glue, and even backpacks for students at Livingston Elementary School in Columbus.
Livingston Elementary School’s nearly 450 students in grades PK-6 includes individuals with developmental handicaps and learning disabilities, children with multiple disabilities, and gifted and talented students. The donated supplies will benefit all students since the school has a community supply system, which means all supplies are shared by everyone. This system helps students learn how to share and cooperate; it cuts down on competitiveness and one-upmanship; and it ensures that all students have what they need to get the most out of their school experience.
UCT has three local councils in Columbus that support a number of worthy causes in the central Ohio area, including the Mid-Ohio Foodbank’s Operation Feed, United Way, Faith Mission, Special Olympics, The ARC and Ronald McDonald House.


The demands you face as a healthcare executive are continually growing. Adopting population health strategies presents challenges to running your own organization, while at the same time you may be asked to partner with others to address the social needs of your community. The initiatives you undertake to enhance community health may require changes in healthcare delivery. You may also find yourself leading a community healthcare program. This interactive seminar will help prepare you to lead your organization in its new role as a steward of health, and it will provide the foundation for designing and adapting to a community-oriented healthcare model.


The Non-user Fallacy: How Abreva Leveraged Loyalists to Convert Non-users
At the time when GSK engaged with Brandtrust, the Abreva team possessed considerable knowledge regarding the category and consumer’s needs and motivations. However, the brand did not understand the disconnect between non-users desires for treatment and the rationalizations at shelf to choose less expensive, second tier brands. Why was the Abreva team missing the mark with non-users when all signs pointed to ‘yes’? They were chasing the wrong idea and asking the wrong questions.
While a typical approach would focus on studying non-users and uncovering their attitudes toward the brand and their rationale for not using the brand, Abreva partnered with Brandtrust to understand how and why non-users became users. By focusing on those who currently use the brand, the brand was able to not only uncover what obstacles prevent non-users from trial but also what motivates non-users to move into trial.
This webinar features guest Elizabeth Latoracca, Global Insights Director of Pain Management at GlaxoSmithKline, and Brandtrust’s own Kristian Aloma.


*SOC Code (Standard Occupational Classification): 7122
Debt, rent and other cash collectors collect payments due or overdue from households and businesses and empty cash from prepayment meters or machines.
Common tasks include:
No academic qualifications are required. Training is typically provided on-the-job. This may be supplemented by specialised training courses within larger agencies.
*Introduced in 1990, SOC is a multi-purpose common classification of occupations in UK. Jobs are defined in terms of skill level and skill content, including qualifications, training and work experience.
Breaking down the official government big data sources by gender, age and region. Hours and pay data based on full time equlivalent roles.


Police are investigating the tragic death of a young man who was murdered in Florida Monday afternoon. Authorities identified the victim as 19-year-old Jeffrey Marlin Dumersaint. The incident occurred at a gas station near the border separating Miami-Dade and Broward counties on August 17 around 3:30 p.m.
Miami-Dade Police arrested the shooter, who was identified as 32-year-old Robert Caleb. According to a local news report, Caleb and Dumersaint were engaged in an altercation at the 7-Eleven gas station store on 1000 NE 215th Street when Caleb withdrew a semiautomatic handgun from his backpack and repeatedly shot at Dumersaint, fatally wounding him.
After the shooting, Caleb fled the scene but was apprehended by authorities a few blocks south of the store. In the arrest report, Caleb alleges he was walking toward the 7-Eleven when he was almost struck by Dumersaint’s vehicle. He claims this was what led to the argument and subsequent shooting.
Two other vehicles were involved in a collision outside the store while attempting to evade the gunfire. Fortunately, the occupants did not sustain any injuries.
Caleb is now facing first-degree murder charges.
What It Means to Be Charged With First-Degree Murder in Florida
In Florida, first-degree murder is considered a capital felony, meaning it is among the most severe of all criminal charges and carries some of the strictest penalties of all crimes committed in the state. Those who are found guilty can be sentenced to life in prison, or worse, may even face the death penalty.
However, just because a person is charged with first-degree murder doesn’t mean they will automatically receive an extreme sentence. Under certain circumstances, penalties may be reduced, but not without the help of an extremely experienced criminal defense lawyer.
The Benefits of Hiring a Skilled Criminal Defense Lawyer
If you were arrested on first-degree murder charges in Florida, a knowledgeable legal team, such as the criminal defense lawyers at Michael D. Weinstein, PA, can represent your case and ensure you are given due process. Your attorney will investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident, interview authorities and witnesses, have all forensic evidence properly analyzed, and, ultimately, do everything in their power to protect your rights.
Depending on the specific details of the incident and what your attorney uncovers, your charges may be reduced to second- or third-degree murder or manslaughter. In some circumstances, a plea deal can be entered to further reduce the penalties. Those who are wrongfully accused of committing murder may even be acquitted of the charges.
Anyone who has been accused of a crime has the right to retain legal counsel. The accused or their loved ones should always acquire an attorney who focuses on criminal defense to ensure their legal counsel has the specific skills and experience needed to successfully contest the charges in court.


Mechanical properties
We carry out macroscopic deformation experiments in compression using a ZWICK Z050 testing system, equipped with a high-temperature furnace (up to 1200 °C), a high-precision strain gauge (± 10 nm) and a video system for in-situ sample monitoring during deformation.
The group has long standing expertise in the analysis of mechanical testing experiments including incremental testing (e.g. stress-relaxation, temperature cycling, etc.) to determine thermodynamic activation parameters of the deformation process. We characterize the microstructure of deformed materials in depth, employing the transmission electron microscopes of the Ernst-Ruska Centre, and applying techniques such as Bragg-contrast imaging, Convergent Beam Electron Diffraction, and high-resolution imaging.
Particular achievements of the group are the consistent characterization of quasicrystal plasticity in terms of a cluster friction model, and the discovery of metadislocations, a novel class of defects enabling plastic deformation of complex, large unit-cell materials. Currently we are focusing on the mechanical characterization of high-entropy alloys.
M. Feuerbacher.
Dislocations in Icosahedral Quasicrystals Invited Review. Chem. Soc. Rev. 41, 2012, 6745. H. Klein, M. Feuerbacher, P.Schall and K.Urban. A novel type of dislocation in an Al-Pd-Mn quasicrystal approximant, Phys. Rev. Lett, 82 1999, 3468. M. Heggen, L. Houben, M. Feuerbacher. Plastic deformation mechanism in complex solids Nature Materials 9, 2010, 332.


Leasing an apartment can be a time-intensive proposition, particularly in situations where landlords require a variety of supporting information to ensure that you, the future tenant, do not pose a legitimate financial risk. Following employment verification, credit checks and reference evaluations, a landlord may still require that the tenant find a co-signer to support their application. Generally, this person has a more reputable financial history and acts to support an otherwise weak leasing application. In the event that the co-signer is located out of state, the landlord may choose not to allow them to attach their name to the application.
Tips
Legally, an individual residing in a different state than a prospective tenant may act as their co-signer. However, it is ultimately the decision of the landlord as to whether or not they will allow this.
The Basics of Co-Signing
As mentioned previously, the role of the co-signer is to act as a second funding source in the event that the primary applicant is unable to meet the terms of their leasing obligation. Applicants who meet or exceed the financial standards established by the landlord will not be required to find a co-signer. Those who do not, however, will most likely be forced to use co-signer or withdraw their application.
The individual who chooses to co-sign on the leasing application assumes a variety of risks and responsibilities. In the event that the primary applicant is unable to meet the terms of the loan, it will become the duty of the co-signer to pay the rest of these financial obligations. Failure to do so could negatively impact the credit score of the co-signer, even though they never actually lived in the property in question. Simply put, all of the duties assigned to the original application will be transferred to the co-signer if the original tenant is unable to fulfill them.
Out-of-State Cosigner Apartment Considerations
Because of the fact that the co-signer will carry the burden of the lease, many landlords require that these individuals reside in the same state as the primary applicant. Debt collection could be significantly more complex in situations where the co-signer is not located in the same state as the primary applicant. These logistical factors will commonly persuade landlords to implement an in-state requirement for these individuals.
That being said, this is not always the case. Given the fact that this requirement is discretionary, specific policies referring to co-signers and their current place of residence is entirely left to the landlord.
Evaluating Potential Options for Co-Signers
As a loan co-signer and landlord alike, the best way to avoid a potentially negative situation is to remain in close contact with one another. For example, a loan co-signer may ask that the landlord contact them in the event that the tenant is late on rent or fails to pay entirely. Tactics such as these will help minimize the overall risk of the primary tenant forfeiting their contractual requirement and passing them on to the co-signer.
Although a co-signer may feel some form of obligation to support a close associated with their application, it is important to remember that this should be the most objective decision possible. Acting as a co-signer carries serious financial obligations and potential consequences. If the original applicant has not displayed the degree of financial responsibility needed to inspire the necessary confidence, co-signing is not advised.
References
Writer Bio
Ryan Cockerham is a nationally recognized author specializing in all things innovation, business and creativity. His work has served the business, nonprofit and political community. Ryan's work has been featured at Zacks Investment Research, SFGate Home Guides, Bloomberg, HuffPost and more.


Abstract
Diet and exercise have been shown to have significant importance in predicting both physical and psychological well-being. However, there is little empirical evidence examining the effects of regular practices which encourage awareness on an individual’s health-related identity and self efficacy. This study examined the effects of a daily awareness-based intervention on health-related identity and self-efficacy. Fifty-four adults were allocated into either an 8-week control (n=25) or intervention group(n=29) and all completed a battery of measures designed to assess their health-related identity and self-efficacy. The intervention group were sent a daily email reminder for 8 weeks to log on to a computer website and answer a series of reflective questions. These questions related to the quality and volume of food and liquids consumed throughout the day, their mood, the type, intensity and duration of exercise which they engaged in throughout the day, and the amount of paid or unpaid work hours which they were engaged in throughout the day. Finally, participants were asked daily whether they aimed to achieve balance in any of their regular roles.The control group did not engage in any intervention during the 8-week phase. The ‘daily diary’ website and questions aimed to promote awareness of health behaviours, and results indicated the intervention group displayed a significant improvement in all variables, when compared with the control group.
Original language English Pages (from-to) 14-28 Number of pages 15 Journal Graduate Journal of Sport, Exercise & Physical Education Research Volume 4 Publication status Published - 2016


Trading Updates 14/02/2020
Trading Update - 14 February 2020
Further trades have taken place in the funds in February 2020.
Following the rally in risk asset prices we have top sliced our exposure to equities somewhat; reducing exposure to passive vehicles replicating indices in European, Emerging market and US equities. This is a tactical move reflecting the risks that (a) the near term economic impact of the novel Coronavirus may be greater than currently priced in, and (b) reported infections outside China could start to accelerate.
In cutting our equity exposure, we have reduced our positions in Sterling hedged share classes in order to reflect the view that the differences between the UK and European Union Brexit negotiating positions will be thrown into sharp relief over the next month or so, and this could undermine Sterling.
Proceeds raised have been used to increase exposure to infrastructure, gold and cash.
Purchase – TwentyFour Income Fund
We have purchased the TwentyFour Income Fund, a London-listed closed-ended investment company focusing on European asset-backed securities, for the Managed Income and Defensive funds.
We believe the European structured credit market currently offers standout absolute and relative value within global credit markets. The £645m company, which originally listed on the main market of the London Stock Exchange in 2013, is managed by the highly regarded ABS team at TwentyFour Asset Management and has delivered attractive returns to shareholders since launch.
The underlying portfolio comprises investments issued by banks and other financial institutions that are principally secured against UK and EU residential mortgages and corporate loans, and generates a floating rate income yield in excess of 7%. The company aims to generate net total returns of 6-9% per annum and a pay a minimum dividend yield to shareholders of at least 6%.
Cornelian Investment Team


Pineapple & asthma Pineapples may have more than just taste benefits, as they are also helpful in reducing asthma.Updated: Sep 04, 2004, 12:09 IST
Pineapples may have more than just their tasty benefits, as they have now been found to be helpful in reducing asthma.
A study conducted by Eric R. Secor of the University of Connecticut, has revealed that bromelain derived from the stem of pineapple plant is effective in reducing inflammation associated with asthma.
During the experiments conducted on mice, Secor found that bromelain treatment significantly reduced the total white blood cell count, which increases with the onset of asthma and reduced the formation of cell markers for inflammatory asthma.
How exactly bromelain works is not yet determined.However, the study could offer a significant breakthrough in the treatment of a pulmonary disorder that continues to harm millions of people across the world.


Phoenix residents who find themselves operating their vehicles near semi-trucks can wind up nervous. This is usually because they know that one minor mistake on a trucker’s part can cause serious damage, leaving them with serious injuries. All too often this fear becomes a reality. In these situations, car accident victims can struggle to find a way to overcome their injuries, regain their physical capabilities, recover their financial losses, ease their emotional trauma and obtain a sense of justice.
Fortunately, a personal injury lawsuit could help achieve all of these goals. Yet, when a car accident involves a semi-truck, matters can quickly become complicated. One reason is because it is often difficult to determine which parties can be held accountable. Although an errant trucker is almost always on the hook, it may be unclear as to whether a truck company can be held liable. While the legal theory of “vicarious liability” says yes, with some exceptions, those lines can become blurred when truckers are owners and operators, or when they are carrying a load that belongs to a party separate from the truck company.
Evidentiary issues can arise in these cases, too. Even though truckers keep logs, truck companies retain maintenance records and truck data including speed is stored, this evidence can and sometimes does conflict with other evidence. This can present problems that can be challenging to overcome if a victim doesn’t know how to utilize the law to his or her advantage.
To best develop a legal claim against a trucker and/or truck company, accident victims need to thoroughly prepare their legal arguments while anticipating the defense’s strategy and objections. This can be a daunting process. This is why many accident victims get further legal information to assist them in their fight for compensation.


Types of Mouth Injuries
An injury to lips can be due to a fall, resulting in cuts to the upper or lower lips of kid. If the wound is severe, it affects deeper tissues of the lip, such as muscles, nerves, or blood vessels.
When a child falls with a pointed object such as pencil or tooth brush in the mouth it causes severe wound in the back of the throat and soft palate.
Tongue wound usually occurs after an accidental bite during eating or a fall.
Most of the mouth injuries heal without stitches. However, you should consult the doctor immediately in case of:
Non-stop bleeding
Gaping wounds
Cuts through the border of the lip
Injury to the back of the throat or palate
Wounds with severe pain and difficulty breathing or swallowing
How to handle mouth injuries at home?
Apply pressure on cuts using a clean cloth or gauze wet with cold water for up to 15 minutes.
Rinse your child’s mouth with warm water after meals to wash away foods to avoid foods from sticking on the cut.
Avoid spicy, salty or citrus foods such as lime or oranges until the cut heals completely. Give your child bland foods during this time.


TOKYO, Oct 14, 2020 – (JCN Newswire) – Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) has made a financial investment in HydrogenPro AS of Norway, a company engaged in the development and manufacture of electrolyzers, devices that produce hydrogen by the process of water electrolysis. MHI subscribed to newly issued shares placed by HydrogenPro in an initial public offering (IPO) undertaken to fund expansion of its business operations. MHI already provides various decarbonization technologies that allow for a realistic path towards net-zero and will form the strategic partnership with HydrogenPro to further expand its portfolio and provide green hydrogen production plants to the market going forward.
HydrogenPro was established in 2013 based in the Norwegian city of Porsgrunn, Telemark County. The history of water electrolysis technology traces back to 1927, when a fertilizer and heavy water plant employing water electrolysis technology was launched in Telemark by Norsk Hydro, a Norwegian state owned conglomerate. HydrogenPro has already developed a 9 megawatt (MW) class hydrogen production system (production capacity: 4.4 tons/day) adopting water electrolysis technology incorporating a pressurized cells with alkaline electrolyte. Plans are now underway toward achieving a 100 MW class plant (capacity: 48 tons/day).
Today, demand is growing for green hydrogen production plants, especially in Europe. France has announced a target of 6.5 gigawatts (GW) in electrolyzer capacity by 2030, Germany is targeting a capacity of 5 GW by 2030, and 10 GW by 2040, while the EU aims at securing 40 GW of renewable hydrogen electrolyzers by 2030.
MHI’s investment in HydrogenPro provides further financial stability and long-term certainty for projects utilizing green hydrogen to decarbonize various sectors. MHI’s investment in HydrogenPro not only signals its confidence in HydrogenPro’s offerings, but more importantly, this investment underscores its confidence in the green hydrogen market which will be supported by a multitude of electrolyzer manufacturers and technologies.
Going forward, MHI will continue to explore technology innovations that will drive decarbonization of industrial sectors including power generation, refinery, fertilizer, steel and transport utilizing hydrogen as fuel, feedstock, or for hydro processing. In parallel with initiatives promoting green hydrogen, MHI will explore the feasibility of hydrogen derived from fossil fuel in combination with CCUS (carbon capture, utilization and storage) – blue hydrogen – as another approach to decarbonize industries.
About Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) Group is one of the world’s leading industrial firms. For more than 130 years, we have channeled big thinking into solutions that move the world forward – advancing the lives of everyone who shares our planet. We deliver innovative and integrated solutions across a wide range of industries, covering land, sea, sky and even space. MHI Group employs 80,000 people across 400 locations, operating in three business domains: “Power Systems,” “Industry & Infrastructure,” “Aircraft, Defense & Space.” We have a consolidated revenue of around 40 billion U.S. Dollars. We aim to contribute to environmental sustainability while achieving global growth, using our leading-edge technologies. By bringing people and ideas together as one, we continue to pave the way to a future of shared success.
For more information, please visit MHI’s website: https://www.mhi.com
For Technology, Trends and Tangents, visit MHI’s new online media SPECTRA: https://spectra.mhi.com
Copyright 2020 JCN Newswire. All rights reserved. www.jcnnewswire.com


Understanding the pathways from biodiversity to agro-ecological outcomes: A new, interactive approach
Chang, Mauricio G.; Wratten, Stephen D.; Shields, Morgan; Costanza, R.; Dainese, M.; Gurr, G. M.; Johnson, Janine; Karp, D. S.; Ketelaar, J. W.; Nboyine, Jerry; Pretty, J.; Rayl, Ryan; Sandhu, H.; Walker, M.; Zhou, W.
Abstract
The adoption of agro-ecological practices in agricultural systems worldwide can contribute to increased food production without compromising future food security, especially under the current biodiversity loss and climate change scenarios. Despite the increase in publications on agro-ecological research and practices during the last 35 years, a weak link between that knowledge and changed farmer practices has led to few examples of agro-ecological protocols and effective delivery systems to agriculturalists. In an attempt to reduce this gap, we synthesised the main concepts related to biodiversity and its functions by creating a web-based interactive spiral (www.biodiversityfunction.com). This tool explains and describes a pathway for achieving agro-ecological outcomes, starting from the basic principle of biodiversity and its functions to enhanced biodiversity on farms. Within this pathway, 11 key steps are identified and sequentially presented on a web platform through which key players (farmers, farmer networks, policy makers, scientists and other stakeholders) can navigate and learn. Because in many areas of the world the necessary knowledge needed for achieving the adoption of particular agro-ecological techniques is not available, the spiral approach can provide the necessary conceptual steps needed for obtaining and understanding such knowledge by navigating through the interactive pathway. This novel approach aims to improve our understanding of the sequence from the concept of biodiversity to harnessing its power to improve prospects for ‘sustainable intensification’ of agricultural systems worldwide.... [Show full abstract]
Keywordsagroecology; interactive tool; sustainable intensification; biodiversity; implementation pathway; outcomes; Agronomy & Agriculture Fields of Research070108 Sustainable Agricultural Development; 070301 Agro-ecosystem Function and Prediction; 070103 Agricultural Production Systems Simulation; 05 Environmental Sciences; 07 Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences; 16 Studies in Human Society Date2020-10-01 TypeJournal Article Collections MetadataExpand record
© 2020 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.


A prophet once said, “Your anger is a gift.”
That prophet was Zack De La Rocha.
In this age of incivility, many crave civility as an ends in itself.
However, civility is a situational virtue. In many ways, civility is a bourgeois virtue. It protects the powerful and the comfortable, because uncivil behavior is a threat to them most of all.
Do not agitate. Do not criticize. It is not civil and nice. Martin Luther King’s Letter for Birmingham Jail was a response to those that that agreed with his goals but who felt that he was causing too much trouble. Those who said “wait” then now say “be civil.”
Now, some might say that this is hypocritical of me. Didn’t liberals like me criticize Glenn Beck for lacking civility? Well, some did. However, I never did. My issues with Bro. Beck were with the content of his views and message. Whether he was “civil” or not was irrelevant to me.
Does civility have a place? Absolutely! Civility within families, within organizations, and amongst neighbors is a wonderful thing. Likewise, incivility is not a virtue in and of itself. It is sometimes appropriate, but it often is not. Surely it can be annoying. In many ways, that is the point. It should be used strategically.
Now, anger itself is not a virtue unless it is rooted in good ground. I would contend that we need more anger rooted in social justice. More specifically, we need anger rooted at injustice.
Additionally, we need to make a distinction between anger and hate. Loving our neighbor and enemy still applies. Injustice should anger us. We should not hate people. This requires a certain discipline which is rooted in moral firmness. This moral firmness can be rooted in a religious or secular philosophy. Roots are needed, but the nature of those roots are of minor concern to me.
The proper and the comfortable will surely disagree. They do not make me angry. However, I do laugh at their discomfort.
Categories: Blog


"A Few Months to Live" describes what dying is like from the perspectives of nine terminally ill individuals and their caregivers. Documenting a unique study of end-of-life experiences that included detailed conversations in home care settings, the book focuses on how participants lived their daily lives, understood their illnesses, coped with symptoms - especially pain - and searched for meaning or spiritual growth in their final months of life. The accounts are presented largely in the participants' own words, illuminating both the medical and non-medical challenges that arose from the time each learned the "bad news" through their final days of life and memorial services. Describing the nationwide crisis that surrounds end-of-life care, the authors contend that informal caregiving by relatives and close friends is an enormous and too-often invisible resource that deserves close and public attention. By incorporating not only the ill person's but also the family's perspective, they portray the nine participants in the contexts of their daily lives and relationships rather than simply as patients. Addressing such issues as palliative care, quality of life, financial hardship, grief and loss, and communications with medical personnel, the authors identify how families, professionals, and communities can respond to the challenges of terminal illness and the need to confront life's end.


The Edo State Government has set aside 1000 hectares for cassava cultivation in the state, as part of its agriprenuer programme targeted at galvanising women farmers towards realising its food security target.
In a statement signed by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Godwin Okonofua, the state government said the 1000 hectares of land are dedicated for cassava production under the women empowerment initiative.
He noted that the state sourced funds from the Central Bank of Nigeria under the auspices of the Commercial Agricultural Credit Scheme towards implementing the project.
“The government has undertaken to clear 1,000 hectares at Oria, Esan South East Local Government Area for its women empowerment initiative,” he said.
The state government is pursuing a holistic agricultural programme that prioritises key crops, notably rice, maize, cassava and oil palm, with heavy public and private sectors’ involvement.
While the state government is working with the Nigeria Incentive-Based Risk-Sharing System for Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL) for the projects on rice and maize, using mechanised farming, private companies are expanding their investments in oil palm plantations, with new entrants bolstering the agricultural scene in the state.
In a recent chat with journalists, Special Adviser to Governor Obaseki on Agriculture, Food Security and Forestry, Prince Joe Okojie, said the state government accessed N5bn from the CBN for its agricultural programme. Of the money, he said N2.2bn would be used for crop production, N2.3bn for land development and N100m for irrigation.
He explained that N1.2bn would be used to cultivate rice in Iguoriakhi, Iguomon, Illushi, Warrake and Agenebode while Maize would be cultivated at Usugbenu, Sobe and Ekpoma.


(University of St Andrews and Getty Research Institute)
In the fifteenth century the Face of Christ found an enthusiastic devotee at the Burgundian court. Philip the Good (1396-1467) owned his grandfather’s immense prayerbook, known as the Grandes Heures. His grandfather, Philip the Bold (1342-1404), had used the manuscript heavily. All of the inherited signs of wear may have encouraged the younger Philip to treat it as a living, physical, functional manuscript rather than as some showpiece. As Anne van Buren has shown, Philip the Good had the book dismantled and had texts and images added to it before having it rebound in two volumes (Cambridge, Fitzwilliam Museum; and Brussels, Royal Library). Among the items he added to the book were at least 6 parchment sheets that each depicted the Face of Christ. Each of these has a different size, style and provenance. What’s clear is that 1) Philip the Good added these images successively over time, which reveals his sustained interest in this theme; and 2) he venerated them in a particularly physical way by handling them and touching their surfaces to the point where the images are severely darkened with use.
This paper has a twofold aim. First, I will contextualise Philip’s interest in this iconography by considering his other book commissions, including the large grisaille Prayerbook of Philip the Good (Hague, Royal Library). Secondly, I speculate on how and why he treated these images of the Face of Christi in such a physical manner. To do this, I will investigate Philip’s broader patterns of devotional performance and consider his behaviour against cultural norms of the fifteenth century. Grounding my study in the ideas of Marcel Mauss (‘Techniques of the body’), I aim to show how Philip set behavioural trends in the rugged handling of images of the Face of Christ.


The evaluation and disclosure of environmental liabilities is a key responsibility of environmental attorneys and environmental managers (EM). The financial reporting requirements of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) associated with annual reports or financial statements for governmental and public companies help drive this effort. While private companies are not required to report publicly, they need to have regular reporting for their banking institutions and financial stockholders. This process has no real standardized framework, but the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB), the Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB), ASTM International, the SEC, and many other sources offer guidance documents to support this work.
Premium Content For: Environment, Energy, and Resources Section


Unterm Strich. Erbschaften und Erblasten für das Deutschland von morgen.
Germany is facing great societal changes. In many regions, Germany's population is shrinking and work forces are decreasing. Demographic change is challenging Germany, leading to economic and social shifts and creating new social divisions in many regions and cities. While a growing population has long been understood as a threat to the environment, it is now clear that a shrinking population does not automatically improve the environmental situation. "The Bottom Line", edited by Volker Hauff and Günther Bachmann, with contributions from Ecologic and the Berlin-Institute, examines the assets and debts of Germany's future inheritance.
Across a variety of public policy issues, from public transport to waste water treatement, ecological benefits as well as their financing are being questioned. However, the situation also provides opportunities. By raising the stakes around key societal issues, the demographic shift means there is a growing public interest in finding effective solutions to old problems Political and social shortcomings are now clearer and the need to solve them more urgent. This is yielding new support for policy measures such as easing the financial burdens of families, restricting settlement boundaries, fostering early childhood education, and actively steering immigration. As an intergenerational appraisal, "The Bottom Line" distinguishes future options from future burdens and sheds new light on the chances, problems and challenges raised by settlement patterns, labor markets, education, immigration, nature conservation, energy use and transportation.
The book is available for download.


Executive Intelligence
Your high-profile employees represent the company’s brand to shareholders, media, clients, and personnel. They also enjoy access to your company’s most sensitive financial records, personnel data, and plans for the future. With such high visibility, thorough background screening of your senior personnel is of paramount importance.
ExecutiveOps Intelligence is designed especially for organizations that require a more extensive background check on certain individuals slated for high-profile or high-risk positions. A specialized research analyst compiles detailed information, delivering a comprehensive overview of key elements of a candidate’s professional and personal history in an easy-to-understand report.
XO's Executive Intelligence product will help fulfill your hiring needs with these benefits:
Helping you hire the right high-profile candidates Reducing risk in your potential high-profile hires Protecting your brand and reputation
Executive hiring is a challenge because, unlike regular employees, executive job candidates have unique professional histories and expectations of a white-gloved approach to the hiring process. An executive candidate will also have a more significant ability to influence change at your organization than the average employee; necessitating a more thorough background check.


Why do I need a personal injury attorney?
If you are injured in an accident, you may be quickly presented with a settlement offer from the responsible party’s insurance company, or even from your own insurance company. When you are offered compensation with no effort on your part, you may wonder why you need to hire a personal injury attorney. The fact is that such quick offers for a personal injury settlement are often totally inadequate to cover the expenses and damages you have incurred and will continue to incur long after you accept a check.
When you hire a personal injury attorney to represent you, your lawyer will advocate on your behalf to push the insurance companies to offer you a settlement that fully compensates you for all your past and future medical expenses, lost wages and earning capacity, and pain and suffering. If the insurance companies are not willing to fully compensate you, an attorney can file and pursue a personal injury lawsuit on your behalf.


The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued a temporary eviction ban to help prevent further spread of the coronavirus.
The ban, which ends Dec. 31, covers people who become ill or who are at risk for severe illness from the novel coronavirus due to an underlying medical condition.
The CDC’s order does not apply in any state, local territorial or tribal area “with a moratorium on residential evictions that provide the same or greater level of public-health protection than the requirements listed.”
However, while the ban may halt evictions prompted by mass layoffs due to the coronavirus, the order could also negatively affect landlords who will not be able to collect unpaid rent.


Hello. Honestly, it wouldn't matter if this were a hobby or an extracurricular activity. It is well documented with the court and the committee meeting minutes that the tables used to derive the parental child support obligations are inclusive of every conceivable expense for a family. When a parent is "residential" or "custodial" they receive all the money for all these expenses and they are expected to pay for them using child support money.
It is a common misconception that a child should be able to be supported on child support. This narrative is completely false. Kansas is an income shares state which puts a financial obligation on each parent to pay their respective share of the expenses. So the child support payment only represents the father's portion. Mother also needs to contribute. My personal opinion is that cheer is absolutely an extracurricular activity. Terming it a "hobby" is tomato/tomoto. Cheerleading is practiced in schools. Just because you decide to spend $1k or more per month for competitive cheer doesn't make it a hobby. But, to my previous point - it doesn't matter what you call it. While I sat on the advisory committee I was in the room when a similar question was asked of the state economist. It was concluded that families who elect to spend enormous amounts on frivolous activities simply take away from other activities (and potentially needs). This would be the case with married families - there's no reason to provide additional advantages to children of separated families. If it can't be afforded in a married family, it can't be afforded by a separated family. A little blunt, but that's my opinion.


Now in its 20th year, the survey is an annual assessment of the current and future state of the global automotive industry.
The
2019 Global Automotive Executive Survey marks the 20th year that KPMG has interviewed approximately 1000 automotive executives and 2000 consumers worldwide, to understand how the global automotive sector is growing, changing and reacting to challenges and opportunities. Key findings:
For further details, visit the interactive platform for KPMG’s Global Automotive Executive Survey at
home.kpmg/gaes2019 and compare statistics by country, region, questions asked and more.
For a summary of the global results,
download the PDF here.


Cyclic nucleotide-gated (CNG) channels are crucial for visual and olfactory transductions. These channels are tetramers and in their native forms are composed of A and B subunits, with a stoichiometry thought to be 2A:2B (refs 6, 7). Here we report the identification of a leucine-zipper-homology domain named CLZ (for carboxy-terminal leucine zipper). This domain is present in the distal C terminus of CNG channel A subunits but is absent from B subunits, and mediates an inter-subunit interaction. With cross-linking, non-denaturing gel electrophoresis and analytical centrifugation, this CLZ domain was found to mediate a trimeric interaction. In addition, a mutant cone CNG channel A subunit with its CLZ domain replaced by a generic trimeric leucine zipper produced channels that behaved much like the wild type, but less so if replaced by a dimeric or tetrameric leucine zipper. This A-subunit-only, trimeric interaction suggests that heteromeric CNG channels actually adopt a 3A:1B stoichiometry. Biochemical analysis of the purified bovine rod CNG channel confirmed this conclusion. This revised stoichiometry provides a new foundation for understanding the structure and function of the CNG channel family.


This study examined perceived risk of harm from smoking or ST use in a U.S. nationally representative sample of high school seniors and examined its association with current smoking status. Data were derived from the Monitoring the Future project for 1999 through 2003 (n = 11,093). We used multiple logistic regression analysis to examine the association between comparative perceived risk of harm of smoking and ST use with current smoking status, while adjusting for sex, race, and perceived risk of harm from smoking. In 1999-2003, 74.0% of high school seniors perceived great risk of harm from smoking and 44.9% perceived great risk from using ST. Perceived risk varied by smoking intensity: 80.3% of non-smokers perceived great risk of harm from smoking, compared to 49.7% of students who smoked about one-half pack per day and 36.1% of pack-a-day smokers. Overall, 52.7% perceived equal risk of harm from using either product, 41.3% perceived greater risk from cigarettes, and 6.1% perceived a greater risk from using ST. Adjusting for sex and race, high school seniors who perceived that smoking conveyed a greater risk for harm than did using smokeless tobacco were significantly more likely to be smokers than were those who perceived equal risk from the products (odds ratio [OR] = 1.43; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.29-1.60). Those who perceived that using smokeless tobacco was riskier than smoking were even more likely to be current smokers (OR = 2.43; 95% CI 1.96-3.01). Effective methods for communicating accurate health risks to young people are needed.


Progressive myoclonus epilepsies (PMEs) are a group of rare, inherited disorders manifesting with action myoclonus, tonic-clonic seizures and ataxia. We sequenced the exomes of 84 unrelated individuals with PME of unknown cause and molecularly solved 26 cases (31%). Remarkably, a recurrent de novo mutation, c.959G>A (p.Arg320His), in KCNC1 was identified as a new major cause for PME. Eleven unrelated exome-sequenced (13%) and two affected individuals in a secondary cohort (7%) had this mutation. KCNC1 encodes KV3.1, a subunit of the KV3 voltage-gated potassium ion channels, which are major determinants of high-frequency neuronal firing. Functional analysis of the Arg320His mutant channel showed a dominant-negative loss-of-function effect. Ten cases had pathogenic mutations in known PME-associated genes (NEU1, NHLRC1, AFG3L2, EPM2A, CLN6 and SERPINI1). Identification of mutations in PRNP, SACS and TBC1D24 expand their phenotypic spectra to PME. These findings provide insights into the molecular genetic basis of PME and show the role of de novo mutations in this disease entity.


Abstract
Osteoporosis is a major public health concern. The combination of exercise, hormone replacement therapy, and calcium supplementation may have added benefits for improving bone mineral density compared to a single intervention. To test this notion, 320 healthy, non-smoking postmenopausal women, who did or did not use hormone replacement therapy (HRT), were randomized within groups to exercise or no exercise and followed for 12 months. All women received 800 mg calcium citrate supplements daily. Women who exercised performed supervised aerobic, weight-bearing and weight-lifting exercise, three times per week in community-based exercise facilities. Regional bone mineral density (BMD) was assessed by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry. Women who used HRT, calcium, and exercised increased femoral neck, trochanteric and lumbar spine bone mineral density by approximately 1-2%. Trochanteric BMD was also significantly increased by ∼1.0% in women who exercised and used calcium without HRT compared to a negligible change in women who used HRT and did not exercise. The results demonstrate that regional BMD can be improved with aerobic, weight-bearing activity combined with weight lifting at clinically relevant sites in postmenopausal women. The response was significant at more sites in women who used HRT, suggesting a greater benefit with hormone replacement and exercise compared to HRT alone.
Keywords Bone mineral density Exercise Hormone replacement Osteoporosis Postmenopausal Women


Can grandparents pursue visitation rights?
Grandparents have unique bonds with their grandchildren. You may have played an influential role in the upbringing of your grandchild, helping them with their homework, spending weekends and holidays together and more.
However, whether due to divorce or a family rift, your time with your grandchild may seem uncertain. California allows grandparents to seek visitation rights for their grandchildren. Yet, the process to do so can be complicated and depend upon your family’s situation. Do you have options to remain in your grandchild’s life?
Pursuing “reasonable visitation”
When your time with your grandchild is at risk, first attempt to resolve the dispute outside of the courtroom. Resolving family disputes amicably can preserve relationships and ultimately benefit the child by avoiding a potentially costly and bitter legal battle.
In some cases, such attempts may prove to be unsuccessful. Grandparents may then pursue reasonable visitation rights under California law. In determining whether to award these rights, courts must first establish a pre-existing relationship between you and the grandchild. This means proving that your relationship has formed a bond that would make visitation rights in the best interests of the child.
Then, the court must weigh potential grandparents’ visitation rights with the rights of the child’s parents. Courts ultimately act in the best interests of the child, which often includes preserving and encouraging the child’s relationship with both parents. The court will attempt to balance these relationships when it benefits the child.
Exceptions to seeking visitation rights
One barrier to seeking reasonable visitation is the marriage of the child’s parents. When the child’s parents are married, you may have limited options to successfully seek visitation rights. However, there are exceptions, such as:
If the parents live separately If the child does not currently live with either parent If the location of one parent has been unknown for at least one month If a stepparent has adopted the child If one parent has joined the grandparent’s petition for visitation rights
These exceptions can also apply after the court grants visitation rights. For example, if the parents who previously lived apart move back in together, the parents may petition the court to revoke the visitation rights.
The prospect of losing valuable time with your grandchild can be devastating. As pursuing grandparents’ visitation rights can be complex, consider discussing your situation with an attorney to learn your options and pursue your rights.


Although throwing injuries in the shoulder most commonly occur in baseball pitchers, they can be seen in any athlete who participates in sports that require repetitive overhand motions, such as volleyball, tennis, and some track and field events.
Symptoms of a SLAP tear may include:
Popping, clicking, or catching in the shoulder.
Pain when you move your arm over your head or throw a ball.
A feeling of weakness or instability in the shoulder.
Aching pain. People often have a hard time describing or pointing to exactly where the pain is.


A Digital Bar Crawl
Updated: May 21
Old Monk, the iconic Indian rum has been enjoyed by tens of millions of Indian men (and several women). My dad, a scotch drinker, would go back to Old Monk on special occasions. A bartender (mixologist, as she corrected me) at a Chelsea bar (of the London variety) surprised me with a choice of half a dozen cocktails based on Old Monk!
While by no means a new art, mixology is enjoying a global revival, with searches for craft cocktails across the world rising fivefold between 2010 and 2018. No longer a forbidden pleasure or insurance against disease, today’s cocktails answer the millennial consumer’s call for intentional food experiences, joining the ranks of artisanal coffee, cooking, beer, and a growing list of food industries.
Unique even among these, mixology takes hipster food culture’s respect for origin and creative vision, adding a theatrical flair that other sectors have only just started to mimic. In a professional’s hands modern bartending is choreography, with regional styles ranging from New York’s colorful speakeasies to Tokyo’s subtle, precise approach. Its breadth of techniques is surpassed only by its willingness to play with bold ingredients, as elite bartenders stretch customer tastes while remaining relevant in a crowded marketplace.
The industry has come a long way with from dried octopus to edible soil. I wondered about the trends tying these concoctions together. Could I, a cocktail enthusiast figure out where the industry is headed without years of barbacking or bankrupting myself at the bars?
A DIGITAL BAR CRAWL
Curious, I gathered signature drinks from the top 20 bars in Perrier’s list of the best in the world, whose bartenders are recognized as trailblazers and trendsetters in the industry. My colleagues and I ran 182 recipes through an AI NLP engine, weighing keywords for popularity across different drink and alcohol types. We correlated these to search trends throughout 2018 around five common base spirits — gin, whiskey, rum, vodka, and tequila/mezcal — in Singapore, London, and New York.
We found that gin is currently the most popular spirit worldwide, appearing in 25% of consumer search interest and 31% of signature drinks. Whiskey comes in a close second, taking up 21% of search and 25% of signature drink interest. Curiously, although vodka represents 23% of consumer searches, it is far less popular among elite bartenders (12%), who prefer rum (19%) in their drink selection.
Across all drink categories, citrus (46%) is by far the most common flavor note, reflecting a well-established market preference for acidity shown in the growing popularity of light-roasted African coffees, sourdough breads, and the rise of sours in craft beer. To balance this, craft bartenders use infused liqueurs (29%) and bitters (20%) to add complexity, weaving in sweetness (19%) as a note instead of placing it front and center. Broadly speaking, tropical flavors such as passionfruit and pineapple were trendy (11%), with warmer notes such as spices, woodiness, and chocolate closely trailing (7%).
Regionally, several interesting insights surfaced:
Popularised in London as the drink of the disreputable, gin enjoys five times as much interest in the city as its nearest competitor, whiskey. Local brand Beefeater enjoys a twofold or threefold lead, with Scottish brands Hendricks and Tanqueray dominant in New York and Singapore.
Rum and tequila are largely still seen as lowbrow or party drinks, with searches across all three cities reflecting little awareness of craft consumption. Consumer interest focused on generic recipes and mainstream brands such as Captain Morgan, Kraken, Bacardi, Jose Cuervo, and Patrón.
New York drinkers were familiar with niche brands such as Brugal (Dominican Republic) and Zapaca (Guatemala) rum, as well as less common subcategories such as sotol (an aged agave liquor). They were more likely to seek origin and production information in tequila, suggesting that they are more open-minded and exploratory as drinkers
The whiskey market is highly differentiated across regions. Where London whiskey drinkers focus on Scottish and Irish single malts, Singaporean drinkers take to established, high-end craft brands from Japan, Scotland, and the United States. New York drinkers span the gamut, enjoying foreign single malts and budget bourbons alike
THE NEXT HIP ALCOHOL
Analysing search behavior and trendsetters in tandem enables one to get a feel for popular trends, catching shifts in taste before they lose their novelty. At any point, only one or two base spirits dominate consumer preferences in each market. Even among elite bartenders, a group known for its willingness to experiment, these main spirits account for up to 50% of signature drinks.
Although this is currently gin’s moment of fame, we believe that dark rum will be the next meaningful trend in mixology. Sweet and complex, with warm tropical notes, dark rum offers a strong base for the flavor notes elite bartenders are leading the market towards.
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By Ragan M Conteh
The National Revenue Authority (NRA) will next year continue its tax education program, including targeted taxpayer workshops, publishing relevant taxpayer education materials, production and airing of jingles, use of celebrities and activists for tax education and implementing a National Taxpayers Awards Day by the end of the year.
According to the 2021 budget, the National Revenue Authority will implement a Domestic Tax Preparers Scheme that would allow trained tax agents to help small and medium taxpayers in record keeping and tax compliance.
To prevent under-declaration and smuggling, at customs, the NRA will activate the valuation module of the ASYCUDA World System and enhanced it with an international price reference database, while fully utilising the newly constructed cargo inspection facility at the seaport.
The authority will operationalize excise stamp duty on imports of alcohol, tobacco and other commodities subject to excise duties, thereby controlling smuggling associated with the importation of these commodities.
The 2021 budget has several tax policy measures, which have been proposed in the 2021 Finance Bill to protect local manufacturing industries, enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of tax administration, cushioning the lingering effect of COVID-19 on businesses, especially SMEs, improve consumer welfare, and support Government priority areas, among others.
In the area of duty and tax exemptions, the duty and tax waivers constitute a significant source of revenue loss due to the continued abuse and misuse of the facility by some beneficiary agencies. Despite the drop, from Le601.0 billion, in 2019, to Le326.0 billion, during the first three quarters of 2020, duty and tax waivers still remain high. The share of duty and taxes waived, on donor funded projects, is also high at 22%.


Our client, ‘Mary’, suffered a lower back injury, and had been medically unfit for work for 12 weeks. She was reporting high levels of pain and poor function despite attending physiotherapy and receiving adequate medical management. Mary believed her pain would become much worse if she attempted to return to work.
Prior to her injury, Mary reported she experienced a multitude of workplace internal issues, including a poor relationship with her employer, a high workload and a risk of redundancy.
She presented as depressed and struggling with the day to day demands of everyday life – demonstrating minimal motivation to increase her hours of work in line with medical guidelines. Mary’s treating doctor and physiotherapist were also very passive, resulting in capacity upgrades being difficult to negotiate.
Mary was referred to PeopleSense by Altius psychologists to participate in the Enhanced Recovery Program (ERP).
After just a few sessions of the Enhanced Recovery Program, Mary demonstrated a complete shift in her mindset, indicating an eagerness to increase her working hours. This led to Mary independently visiting her treating doctor to negotiate a full medical clearance for work, up to one month ahead of schedule.
Mary confirmed that the rapport she developed with her psychologist during the ERP, and the strategies provided to her during the program were the prominent factors for this turn around, and her return to work success.
This is a familiar story we observe at Altius Group with injured workers - regardless of age, industry or education. A poor understanding of pain, a tendency to avoid activity along with reports of previous workplace conflict are strong factors that influence a clients’ motivation to return to work after injury.
Psychosocial risk factors such as these can complicate recovery from a physical injury and, if not addressed in the early stages, can often lead to a poor return to work outcome.


The solvation and the onset of dissolution of a cellulose I beta microcrystal in ionic liquid media are studied by molecular simulation. Ionic liquids can dissolve large amounts of cellulose, which can later be regenerated from solution, but their high viscosity is an inconvenience. Hydrogen bonding between the anion of the ionic liquid and cellulose is the main aspect determining dissolution. Here we try to elucidate the role of a molecular cosolvent, dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), which is an aprotic polar compound, in the system composed of cellulose and the ionic liquid 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate. We calculated quantities related to specific interactions (mainly hydrogen bonds), conformations, and the structure of local solvation environments, both for a solvated oligomer chain of cellulose and for a model microfibril composed of 36 chains in the 1b crystal structure. We compare two solvent systems: the pure ionic liquid and a mixed solvent with an equimolar composition in ionic liquid and DMSO. All entities are represented by detailed all-atom, fully flexible force fields. The main conclusions are that DMSO behaves as an "innocent" cosolvent, lowering the viscosity and accelerating mass transport in the system, but without interacting specifically with cellulose or disrupting the interactions between cellulose with the anions of the ionic liquid. An understanding of solvation in mixed solvents composed of ionic liquids and molecular compounds can enable the design of high-performance media for the use of biomass materials.


On May the 5th, Baker Hughes Incorporated (NYSE: BHI) released their monthly international rig count numbers. The firm confirmed that the number of international rigs during April of 2017 was up 13 to 956. March of 2017 had 943, while April of 2016 had 946 international rigs. The average rig count in the United States for the month of April was 853 equating to an increase of 64 rigs compared to March. The Canadian rig count was down by 145 from March 2017 to April 2017. The average Canadian rig count topped out at 108, while the figure rested at 253 in March of the same year.
Overall, the worldwide rig count took a small dip dropping from 1,985 in March to 1,917 in April of 2017. April’s worldwide rig count was significantly higher than the same month the previous year, with an increase of 493 rigs year over year. Nevertheless, oil prices now trade at a 5-month low after taking a massive slide on Thursday. The drops come despite reassurances from Saudi Arabia that Russia was on the verge of joining OPEC in extending cuts. Saudi Arabia’s OPEC Governor Adeeb Al-Aama recently told Reuters that OPEC and non-OPEC countries were very close to striking a new deal regarding supply cuts. Despite the news, a Kremlin spokesperson admitted a decision had not yet been made regarding Russia’s involvement in the cuts.
It is believed that OPEC will agree to extend cuts when the group meets on May 25. However, a more significant cut is unlikely. Previously, OPEC and non-OPEC countries agreed to cut production by 1.8 million barrels a day for the first 6 months of the year. Despite the previous and impending cuts, climbing oil output from the United States weighs heavily on traders. Slow Chinese demand has also helped to drag down oil prices. At the time of this writing, crude oil prices sit close to the 45.50 mark.


Dr. Jay explains that inactive ingredients in pesticides can be even more toxic than the active ingredients. Dr. Todd adds that pesticides can worsen the effects of other toxins in your body and deplete nutrients.
Dr. Jay Davidson and Dr. Todd Watts begin each LIVE session by discussing a topic or challenge you may encounter on your path to optimal health. They share new insights and their clinical experience treating people with conditions like yours. Plus, you can ask the docs questions related to Microbe Formulas’ products during the session.
Add to Calendar12/2/2020 1:00 PM12/2/2020 2:00 PMAmerica/BoiseLive with the DocsWeekly live Zoom broadcast with Dr. Jay Davidson and Dr. Todd Wattshttps://microbeformulas.zoom.us/j/891188468Microbe Formulassupport@microbeformulas.com15FREQ=WEEKLY;BYDAY=WE;INTERVAL=1


Thirty-nine urbanized ethnic Namibian people comprising 21 Bushmen (semi-urbanized), 7 Hereros and 11 Kavangos were assessed for plasma lipids and fatty acid (FA) composition. Total cholesterol and triacylglycerol concentrations were measured by enzymatic methods, and neutral lipid FA composition by gas-liquid chromatography. The results demonstrated that while total cholesterol concentrations were not significantly different, significant differences in triacylglycerol concentrations (P < 0.05) were seen between Bushmen and Kavangos. By comparing Bushmen with Hereros and Kavangos, significant differences between Bushmen and Kavangos were also observed in plasma triacylglycerol FA compositions, particularly 16:0 (32.73% vs. 25.05%), 16:1n-7 (7.00% vs. 5.06%), 18:2n-6 (9.30% vs. 22.25%) and 20:3n-6 (0.12% vs. 0.48%), while Kavangos had higher 20:4n-6 levels than Hereros (1.44% vs. 2.00%). In plasma cholesteryl esters, Bushmen were significantly different from Kavangos in 16:1n-7 (8.85% vs. 4.93%), 18:1n-9 (32.06% vs. 23.07%) and 20:4n-6 (6.91% vs. 10.00%). Significant differences were also observed between Bushmen and Hereros in 18:0 (1.08% vs. 1.29%) and 18:2n-6 (35.68% vs. 45.50%). The FA of Namibian groups were also compared with South African reference groups comprising urbanized whites and Xhosas and rural Vendas. The differences in blood lipid values can be explained primarily by excessive alcohol consumption. These results suggest that semi-urbanized Bushmen have changed their diets under urbanized conditions which may increase their risk of coronary heart disease.


The blood meal of hard ticks such as Ixodes ricinus lasts several days. This is made possible by tick salivary factors that inhibit inflammation, haemostasis and the host immune response. We assessed the latter on a model of immune response in vivo. A significant reduction of specific IgM and IgG levels was observed in BALB/c mice infested 5 days before injection with bovine serum albumin (BSA) and QuilA but not in mice infested 5 days after the immunization. This effect was not observed in mock-infested mice and could not be attributed to the use of anesthetics. The antibody response was not merely delayed and the Th(1)/Th(2) balance appeared not altered. T-dependent zones and germinal centers in lymph nodes draining the tick bite site showed no apparent morphological alterations or shift in T cell subpopulations. However, the spleens of tick-infested mice had also an enlarged red pulp, indicating an increased extramedullary haematopoietic activity.


Pay Equity Glossary
Trusaic is committed to helping employers achieve pay equity, every step of the way. We combine advanced data and statistical analyses with regulatory expertise to help companies strategize and reach their goals. We also provide education, resources, and the tools you need to navigate the complexities of pay equity. Below you’ll find an essential list of pay equity terms.
Legitimate Business Factors (LBF): Legitimate Business Factors (LBF) are factors affecting compensation, including a seniority system, a merit system, a system which measures earnings by quality or quantity or production, and/or otherwise reflecting differences in skill, effort, responsibility, productivity, training, and working conditions.
Identified Factors (IF): Identified Factors (IF) are Legitimate Business Factors (LBF) that are present in a client’s data for a pay equity analysis.
Employee Classes: Employee classes refer to employees divided into groups by protected classes, e.g., gender and/or race/ethnicity.
Reference Class: A reference class is an employee group defined by a specific protected class to which other classes are compared, and is used for evaluating wage differences.
Assessed Class: An assessed class is an employee class analyzed for a wage disparity relative to a reference class.
Similarly Situated Employee Group (SSEG): This refers to a collection of employees in which wages are expected to vary only due to Identified Factors (IF); two employees in the same SSEG with identical IF are expected to receive the same compensation.
Pay Analysis Group (PAG): A Pay Analysis Group (PAG) is a collection of Similarly Situated Employee Groups (SSEG) at different compensation levels; after adjusting for level compensation differences between two SSEGs, employees in those SSEGs with the same IF are expected to receive the same compensation.
Base Wage Rate: Base Wage Rate refers to employer-defined regular compensation expressed as an hourly rate, excluding paid overtime and bonuses.
Total Compensation: Total compensation reflects total monetary compensation (including paid overtime and bonuses) divided by total hours, adjusted for overtime hours for non-exempt employees.
Regression Analysis: This is an advanced form of statistical analysis in which weighted estimates are applied to different Identified Factors (IF) for determining wages; this type of analysis also measures pay disparities when applied to a Pay Analysis Group (PAG).
Pay Gap: A pay gap refers to an average compensation difference between an assessed class and the reference class without controlling for Identified Factor (IF) differences.
Pay Disparities: Pay disparities are average compensation differences between an assessed class and the reference class for which Identified Factor (IF) differences are controlled.
Cohort Analysis: This type of analysis compares average wages between assessed and reference class employees who match in terms of a particular Identified Factor (IF) or factors, e.g., sales workers who have overtime non-exempt status.
Wage Distribution: Wage distribution refers to effective hourly compensation ordered from low to high for a given protected class; it graphically compares low/middle/high wages within an assessed class with low/middle/high wages in the reference class.
Quantile Comparison: A quantile comparison compares the proportions of assessed and reference class wage distributions that are below a specific wage. For example, what proportion of the wages for an assessed class are below the median (50%) wage of the reference class? If the proportions of an assessed class below specified wage points are consistently larger than those for the reference class, that may be additional evidence of a pay disparity.
Economic Significance: A context-dependent percentage difference in compensation that is large enough to review, consider, or address is considered to be economically significant.
Statistical Significance: Statistical significance indicates the importance of a pay disparity as measured by the size of a test statistic.
Impacted Class: An impacted class is an assessed class with an economically significant pay disparity.
Exposure: Exposure refers to total annual compensation differences for employees in impacted classes.
Pay Equity Audit (PEA): A Pay Equity Audit (PEA) is an audit conducted to assess whether an employer’s workforce is equitably compensated regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, or other factors, accounting for Identified Factors (IF).
Pay Gap Risk Assessment (PGRA): A Pay Gap Risk Assessment (PGRA) is an assessment of compensation differences between an assessed class and the reference class without controlling for Identified Factor (IF) differences; it is often used by employers as a tool to determine the need for a Pay Equity Audit (PEA).


According to media reports, at least ten incidents of birds striking different aircraft during landing or take-off have been reported in July. This is an alarming situation as birds striking aircraft can cause significant damage and in rare instances even cause a plane to crash.
The Civil Aviation Authority needs to take immediate notice and adopt a strategy to prevent aircraft from suffering further bird hits in future. The primary reason for birds entering a danger zone, which is runways, are the housing schemes that have been allowed in close proximity to airports. The open garbage bins or large heaps of trash scattered around these societies attract the feathered scavengers who inadvertently cross the path of airliners. The CAA must conduct a survey of all societies located close to runways and ask them to either remove the garbage bins altogether or ensure a quick disposal of trash to get rid of the birds.
Engr. Riaz Akbar Wah Cantt