Rasmus Rosenberg Larsen
Mind & Language. 2020; 1– 17.
Abstract
Psychopathy has been theorized as a disorder of emotion, which impairs moral judgments. However, these theories are increasingly being abandoned as empirical studies show that psychopaths seem to make proper moral judgments. In this contribution, these findings are reassessed, and it is argued that prevalent emotion‐theories of psychopathy appear to operate with the unjustified assumption that psychopaths have no emotions, which leads to the hypothesis that psychopaths are completely unable to make moral judgments. An alternative and novel explanation is proposed, theorizing psychopathy as a degree‐specific emotional deficiency, which causes degree‐specific differences in moral judgments.
From the Conclusion Section
Motivated by a suite of ostensibly undermining empirical studies, this paper sought to defend and qualify emotion-theories of psychopathy by explicating in detail the philosophical and psychological commitments these theories appear to be implicitly endorsing, namely, a (constructivist) sentimentalist framework. This explication demonstrated, above all, that psychopathy studies appear to operate with an inconsistent set of hypotheses when trying to capture the differences between diagnosed psychopaths and controls in terms of their moral judgments and values. This led to a consideration of alternative research designs particularly aimed at capturing the potential moral psychological differences that follows from having diminished emotional dispositions, namely, degree-specific differences related to the two-dimensional value spectrum, as opposed to differences related to answers on moral categorical issues.


Member Benefits
From shipping to staffing, the Chamber and its partners have the tools to save your business money and the solutions to help you run it more efficiently. Join the U.S. Chamber of Commerce today to start saving.
In July of this year, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) finalized its Proxy Advisor rule, which marked an important step in making the corporate governance landscape more hospitable for public companies. For decades, the U.S. has seen a decline in the number of public companies, which has had an adverse impact on growth, innovation, and job creation. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has been committed to reversing this trend by fighting for responsible corporate governance policies that focus on economic return and benefit the long-term position of shareholders.
The SEC’s Proxy Advisor rule is a key component of reversing that trend. For too long, proxy advisory firms have been allowed to frustrate public companies with factual mistakes, methodological weakness in devising recommendations, conflicts of interest in those recommendations, and a lack of transparency in assumptions, sources, and analyses. The SEC’s Proxy Advisor rule takes significant steps to ameliorate these issues and the Chamber’s amicus filing emphasizes the importance of the rule to the business community and investors.
On Friday, November 6, the U.S. Chamber moved to defend the SEC’s rule by filing an amicus brief in Institutional Shareholder Services, Inc. (ISS) v. SEC. In the lawsuit, ISS challenges the SEC’s Proxy Advisor rule, which applies the proxy solicitation rules to the provision of proxy advice. The Chamber’s amicus filing supports the SEC’s rule, arguing that the SEC acted within the scope of its statutory powers and that the rule is reasonably tailored to address significant concerns about the provision of proxy voting advice. The U.S. Chamber’s amicus efforts were led by the Chamber’s Center for Capital Markets Competitiveness (CCMC) and the U.S. Chamber Litigation Center.
In conjunction with the amicus brief, CCMC also published a white paper, Examining the SEC’s Proxy Advisor Rule, that provides an overview of the SEC’s rulemaking process, specifically examining the SEC’s process through the lens of the Administrative Procedure Act (APA). The white paper, which is cited in the Chamber’s amicus brief, concludes that the SEC has statutory authority to promulgate the rule and that the final rule reflects reasoned decision-making as required by the APA.
CCMC’s report carefully weighs the criticisms of proxy advisory firms and the SEC’s efforts to address those criticisms through its proposed rule in November 2019. The report discusses the response to that proposal and details the modifications the SEC made to its final rule after carefully considering the comments to its proposed rule. The white paper concludes that the SEC convincingly demonstrates the need for regulation given the potential conflicts of interest and poor-quality governance advice in the proxy advisory industry. It further reasons that the SEC’s thoughtful changes between proposal and finalization of the rule further support the reasonableness of the rule.
The SEC’s final Proxy Advisor rule is a step in the right direction to address deficiencies in the proxy advisory system. The rule brings greater transparency, better oversight and clarity around conflicts of interest, and heightened investor protection in the proxy voting process. CCMC supports added transparency and accountability in the provision of proxy advice and will therefore continue to advocate for and defend reforms like the SEC’s Proxy Advisor rule.


Peak periods and shopping days are big business.
Shoppers wind down their spending, wait for the best prices and spend in incredible volumes.
There are direct consequences for marketplace sellers. Longer slow periods and more intense peaks. Preparation has become crucial for success.
This guide provides you with a helpful checklist starting six months out from your own peak period, helping you to maximize profits during your specific sales window.
Fill in the form below to get your copy.


Most of a railway system operates outdoors with specific and often demanding maintenance actions required to achieve dependability and safety, ensuring both availability and optimal life cycle costs. The availability of a system depends on reliability and robustness, maintainability and supportability.
At the moment, we are supporting JVTC by acting as project coordinator and process leader in ePilot119. This is a pilot project in collaboration with the Swedish Transport Administration, railway operators, maintenance contractors for vehicles and infrastructure, suppliers and consultants, with the objective of implementing research and innovations


”And He came and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, ‘Simon, are you asleep? Could you not keep watch for one hour? Keep watching and praying that you may not come into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.’” – Mark 14:37-38
As Jesus agonized through one of the hardest moments in his life, his closest friends and followers snored. It had to be difficult for Jesus. He knew, in the greatest of detail, all that awaited him over the next 24 hours. In his mind, he could see the betrayal of Judas, the thirty pieces of silver, the crowds shouting ‘Crucify Him!”, the crown of thorns that would tear into his scalp and the awful cross that would end his earthly life. And though he had tried to tell his disciples about what was coming, they hadn’t believed him. In fact, Peter had gone so far as to rebuke him for his talk of sacrifice. Before he went to pray, he commanded them, “Remain here and keep watch.” He was asking them to go before God and seek the strength and sustaining power that they’d need for the upcoming trial. Unfortunately, they didn’t comprehend the gravity of the situation; so they slept.
How often do we miss the importance or the seriousness of what God is calling us to? Each of us has a calling on our lives. It doesn’t matter whether you consider yourself a missionary or not. It doesn’t matter whether you think you’re in ‘full-time’ or ‘part-time’ or ‘no-time’ ministry. As a Christian, we all have a calling on our lives. We all face trials of faith and character. We all face times when God calls us to witness about Him and His saving power. We all have a daily call; a daily mission, if you will. And if we do not “keep watching and praying,” there’s a good chance we’ll fail Him.
Jesus tells Peter and the others, “the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” He recognized that people’s spirits often have the desire to do the right thing but many fall short of that desire. Why is that? It’s simple. They aren’t relying wholly on God by constantly seeking his power and by feasting on the Bread of Life. If we’re going to endure every trial and pass every test, we need to be watching and praying to the only one who is able to “keep us from stumbling” (Jude 24). Don’t let Christ find you sleeping today, be alert, watch and pray. If you do, though trials come, you needn’t fear, for “God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19).


Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) researchers at
The University of Texas Medical School at Houstonbelieve they have uncovered the Achilles heel in the armor of the virus that continues to kill millions. The weak spot is hidden in the HIVenvelope protein gp120. This protein is essential for HIVattachment to host cells, which initiate infection and eventually lead to Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndromeor AIDS. Normallythe body's immune defenses can ward off viruses by making proteins called antibodies that bind the virus. However, HIVis a constantly changing and mutating virus, and the antibodies produced after infection do not control disease progression to AIDS. For the same reason, no HIVpreventative vaccine that stimulates production of protective antibodies is available. READ MORE


The perceived trend of millennials prioritising lifestyle experiences (such as buying smashed avocado on toast), over home ownership aspirations prompted a deeper look into this claim.
To better understand how millennials (specifically tertiary students in Brisbane) view home ownership, three survey questions were posed:
Do tertiary students aspire to home ownership?
A firm yes! The results showed 77.0% consider home ownership ‘extremely’ or ‘very important’.
What type of housing would tertiary students prefer?
They would prefer a stand-alone house with 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 1 lounge room, and enough room for 2 cars. It was also found they would like to live within a 6-10km radius of Brisbane’s CBD, and be close to transport modalities and public amenities.
$400K - $600K was the price range for a home that most of the tertiary students were shown to favour (41.0%). However, the continued rise of property prices ahead of wage growth has made the traditional notion of home ownership seem unattainable to them.
What are the barriers to home ownership for tertiary students?
-Price - 27.5% identified price as the greatest barrier to entry in purchasing their first home.
-Interest rate increases – this was distinguished as a significant barrier to entry, as interest rate increases are unpredictable and can have a significant impact on first home buyers.
-Lack of property market knowledge and experience – many tertiary students simply don’t have the property market experience or knowledge to make them confident enough to purchase a home.
Although home ownership was identified as ‘extremely’ or ‘very important’ to tertiary students, it was revealed to be a future aspiration by many surveyed (5+ years into the future). Participants also indicated that while home ownership is currently desirable, their preferences could change over time.


In Canada, drunk drivers can be charged with one or both of the following offenses: impaired driving and driving over 80, which means having a blood alcohol level over 80 mg of alcohol per 100 ml of blood. In nearly all cases, this figure is written as 0.08 percent BAC. Both convictions carry substantial penalties that include fines, jail time and a driver's license suspension.
Penalties faced for a DUI offense depend on several factors, including:
Driver's BAC. Driver's status as a novice driver, commercial driver or fully licensed driver. Driver's previous DUI record. Driver's home province. Whether an injury or death occurred because of the driver's actions.
Impaired driving does not only refer to drunk driving. It can also refer to driving while under the influence of any substance, such as cannabis or a prescription drug.
In Canada, it is possible for a driver to face administrative and criminal penalties when his BAC is determined to be in the "warn" range, 0.05 to 0.08 percent BAC.
DUI Is a Criminal Conviction
A DUI is a federal offense in Canada and will result in a criminal conviction on your record. The Crown of Canada determines whether prosecution is pursued as an indictment (equivalent to a felony in the United States) or as a summary conviction (equivalent to a misdemeanor in the U.S.). Most DUI charges in Canada are prosecuted as summary convictions.
Being convicted of impaired driving leads to many penalties that can include:
A mandatory ignition interlock device on the driver's vehicle. Mandatory completion of a drug rehabilitation program. Medical evaluation to determine whether the driver is fit to drive again. Fines Assessed for DUI
A driver faces a fine of $1,000 or more for an impaired driving conviction, refusing to provide a BAC test sample or driving with a BAC of 0.08 percent or higher. Subsequent offenses in these categories result in higher fines. For driving while prohibited from doing so or driving after being federally convicted of impaired driving, a driver faces a fine of up to $2,000.
A driver facing her first charge of driving while in the warn range faces a fine of $250. Subsequent charges result in higher fines and additional fees, like a $250 driver's license reinstatement fee.
Read More: Is a DUI a Felony? Jail Time Is Possible
On July 2, 2008, Canada’s minimum punishment for DUI offenses was amended. A first offense now carries a minimum fine of $1,000 and second offenses within a 10-year period are punishable by a minimum 30-day jail term. Each subsequent conviction will result in jail time of at least 120 days. Summary convictions carry a maximum sentence of 18 months.
Loss of License
When a Canadian driver is convicted of impaired driving, he faces two distinct driver's license suspensions: a criminal suspension, which is imposed by the federal government, and an administrative suspension, which is imposed by the government of the province where the driver lives. A driver faces an administrative suspension regardless of the outcome of his criminal case. The length of this suspension depends on the driver's province.
As of 2019, law enforcement can also suspend drivers' licenses immediately (while stopped by police at the side of the road) upon determining that the driver was under the influence. For a first-time offense, the driver faces a three-day suspension and a $250 fine. The suspension length, fine amount and whether the driver faces additional penalties depend on her age, license type and previous DUI record. If the driver is found guilty of impaired driving in court, she can face additional criminal penalties.
Additional Fines for Driving While Prohibited
Once a driver's license is suspended, the driver is prohibited from driving. This is true even if he has not yet gone to court to fight the charge. Penalties for driving with a suspended license prior to a DUI hearing are:
Fine of $500 to $2,000 for a first offense. Fine of $500 to $2,000, plus 14 days or longer in jail for a second offense, and a one-year extension to the suspension.
After the driver has been convicted, he faces these same penalties for driving while his license is suspended.
Travel Restrictions After Conviction
Those convicted of a DUI or DWI in the U.S. within the past 10 years may be denied entry into Canada. Since DUI (having a blood alcohol level above 0.08 percent in the United States) is the equivalent of a serious criminal offense, only those deemed rehabilitated can enter the country. This involves applying for an individual criminal rehabilitation by submitting an application along with proof that you have served your sentence, paid all associated fines and have three letters of reference.
Tips
In Canada, it is illegal to drive when your BAC is 0.08 percent or higher.
References
Writer Bio
Lindsay Kramer is a freelance writer and editor who has been working in the legal niche since 2012. Her primary focus areas within this niche are family law and personal injury law. Lindsay works closely with a few legal marketing agencies, providing blog posts, website content and marketing materials to law firms across the United States.


Myocardial infarction (MI) leads to a severe loss of cardiomyocytes, which in mammals are replaced by scar tissue. Epicardial derived cells (EPDCs) have been reported to differentiate into cardiomyocytes during development, and proposed to have cardiomyogenic potential in the adult heart. However, mouse MI models reveal little if any contribution of EPDCs to myocardium. In contrast to adult mammals, teleosts possess a high myocardial regenerative capacity. To test if this advantage relates to the properties of their epicardium, we studied the fate of EPDCs in cryoinjured zebrafish hearts. To avoid the limitations of genetic labelling, which might trace only a subpopulation of EPDCs, we used cell transplantation to track all EPDCs during regeneration. EPDCs migrated to the injured myocardium, where they differentiated into myofibroblasts and perivascular fibroblasts. However, we did not detect any differentiation of EPDCs nor any other non-cardiomyocyte population into cardiomyocytes, even in a context of impaired cardiomyocyte proliferation. Our results support a model in which the epicardium promotes myocardial regeneration by forming a cellular scaffold, and suggests that it might induce cardiomyocyte proliferation and contribute to neoangiogenesis in a paracrine manner.
Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.


Handbook of Nanophysics: Nanotubes and Nanowires
Author:
Klaus D Sattler
Format:
Paperback
Pages:
784
ISBN:
9780367383619
Publisher:
CRC Press
Release Date:
October 23, 2019
Intensive research on fullerenes, nanoparticles, and quantum dots in the 1990s led to interest in nanotubes and nanowires in subsequent years. Handbook of Nanophysics: Nanotubes and Nanowires focuses on the fundamental physics and latest applications of these important nanoscale materials and structures. Each peer-reviewed chapter contains a broad-based introduction and enhances understanding of the state-of-the-art scientific content through fundamental equations and illustrations, some in color.
This volume first covers key aspects of carbon nanotubes, including quantum and electron transport, isotope engineering, and fluid flow, before exploring inorganic nanotubes, such as spinel oxide nanotubes, magnetic nanotubes, and self-assembled peptide nanostructures. It then focuses on germanium, gallium nitride, gold, polymer, and organic nanowires and their properties. The book also discusses nanowire arrays, nanorods, atomic wires, monatomic chains, ultrathin gold nanowires, and several nanorings, including superconducting, ferromagnetic, and quantum dot nanorings.
Nanophysics brings together multiple disciplines to determine the structural, electronic, optical, and thermal behavior of nanomaterials; electrical and thermal conductivity; the forces between nanoscale objects; and the transition between classical and quantum behavior. Facilitating communication across many disciplines, this landmark publication encourages scientists with disparate interests to collaborate on interdisciplinary projects and incorporate the theory and methodology of other areas into their work.


Team alignment
Aligned, committed people achieve higher results together. Working with others can be challenging. Learning how to align with others can create a better understanding of the self and the team, and helps create a culture of performance. We use our expertise to challenge strategy, alignment and communication within teams and organisations. It is a top down focus on how to drive efficient, engaged and profitable outcomes for the business.
Organisations always look for ways to realise strategy, align their people and build clear communication policies within their teams and, outwardly towards customers. After all customers are central to business success. We help senior leaders find a clear strategy and communicate it within their teams. Alignment is the key to return on investment activities.
We also offer behaviour profiling, DISC and motivators and 360 assessments. These tools allow us to understand how your team works and how individuals contribute to the team and business. They measure how people prefer to behave, and assess workplace motivators and why people do what they do. They also help align expectations and behaviours in a team by gaining an insight into team dynamics and strengths.
Range
Assignments vary depending on client requirements. Programs can run from just a single day to many daily sessions over a few months. To support the coaching activities, we use behaviour profiling and 360 degree assessments.
Target audience
Team alignment programs are perfect for teams that are underperforming and are struggling to achieve results together. As programs help build trust and alignment, all staff will benefit from these sessions.
Outcomes
Help your team value alignment and build strategies to challenge their thinking and drive results. Our sessions are interactive forums that create personal buy-in from the whole team. They build trust and reduce conflict, which then improves business outcomes.
Don’t endure lack of alignment, poor communication and the negative consequences which result in low productivity and unhappy people. Let us assess your requirements and propose a solution.
Contact us to craft your solution


The celebrations are being held in conjunction with the Coordinating Groups of Pesticides Control Boards of the Caribbean (CGPC). The Agriculture Departments in both St. Kitts and Nevis will host a week of activities designed to emphasize the safe use of pesticides in the Federation, while highlighting the need for safe pesticide management.
Activities scheduled for Pesticides Awareness Week include Tag Day on September 27
th, Pesticides Awareness Day and a Pesticide and Calibration Workshop. Pest control operators are being encouraged to register at the Department of Agriculture on Tuesday, 27 th September, 2011 from 10am to 12pm.
Pesticides Awareness Week offers the route through which the Department of Agriculture notifies the general public and producers at large of the need for sustainable agriculture by utilizing less pesticides and increasing the quality of human health and the environment for generations to come.
It is the aim of both Departments of Agriculture to inform the residents about the benefits and risks associated with pesticide use, as well as their role in ensuring the safe and effective use of these chemicals.


7
Urinary exosomal microRNAs as potential non-invasive biomarkers in breast cancer detection Berner K. 1, Hirschfeld M. 1,2,3, Rücker G. 2,4, Weiß D. 1,2, Ritter A. 1,2, Jäger M. 1,2, Juhasz-Böss I. 1,2, Erbes T. 1,2
1University of Freiburg, Medical Center, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Freiburg, Deutschland, 2University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, Freiburg, Deutschland, 3Georg-August-University Goettingen, Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Goettingen, Deutschland, 4University of Freiburg, Medical Center, Institute of Medical Biometry and Statistics, Freiburg, Deutschland
Breast cancer (BC) is the most frequent malignant disease in women worldwide and the leading cause of cancer associated death as well. As especially advanced stages are challenging for the healthcare system, early BC detection is crucial striving for improved overall outcome and disease management. Established screening procedures show limited success in the early diagnosis of the disease and inherit several limitations. Aiming at a faster, easier and non-invasive BC screening, liquid biopsy biomarkers bear great potential to complete the current state-of-the-art diagnostics. This study explores the diagnostic potential of BC specific urinary microRNAs as a potential non-invasive BC screening method. Based on a case-control-study (69 BC patients vs. 40 healthy controls), expression level quantification and subsequent biostatistical computation of thirteen urine-derived microRNAs was performed to evaluate their diagnostic relevance in BC. Multilateral statistical assessment determined and repeatedly confirmed a specific panel of four urinary microRNAs (miR-424/miR-423/mir-660/let7-i) as highly specific combinatory biomarker tool. Herewith, it is possible to discriminate BC patients from healthy controls with 98.6 % sensitivity and 100 % specificity. Smaller feasibility studies have proven this method as highly potent already years ago. The given study finally provides large scale observations, sufficient statistic analysis, more refined methods and highly satisfying sensitivity and specificity. Therefore, it serves the implementation of urinary BC detection in the routine screening and offers a promising non-invasive alternative.


We believe in long-term growth in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. This boundless region, located in between Europe and Asia, will benefit from China’s plans to re-establish the New Silk Road. Just like in medieval times, this was a trade corridor connecting the continents.
Natural resource-rich CIS countries are ripe for increased global investment. Russia has significantly improved ease of doing business, which is assessed by the World Bank on an annual basis. In terms of investment climate, Kazakhstan and Belarus are catching up to the EU standards.
Low oil prices have led to currency devaluation but improved competitiveness in export-oriented processing industries. Countries like Kazakhstan and Russia are extremely rich in raw materials, but companies tended to export the crude. Now, oil and gas are increasingly being processed and refined to finished products, providing value-adding for businesses and the economy as a whole.
As Eurasia experiences a new influx of industrialization, governments are actively supporting localization through policy-making regulations.
CREON Group will play an instrumental part in these investing trends. The lucrative project opportunities are endless in crude to products. CREON Group has all the knowledge and the expertise for projects and initiatives across the region.


This year has been a painful one for small businesses. The coronavirus pandemic has kept economies closed, customers at home, and spending to a minimum. Economists predict that COVID-19 will cause the greatest recession the world has seen in nearly a century.
A Saudi man walks at the Tadawul Saudi Stock Exchange, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (File photo: AP)
Beyond the money
A woman shops for laundry detergent at a supermarket in Saudi Arabia's capital Riyadh on October 18, 2020. (AFP)
Fund of funds rising
Saudi women work at a dates packaging factory in Al-Ahsa, Saudi Arabia. (Reuters)


A practical guidance for assessments of sedentary behavior at work: A PEROSH initiative
Forskningsoutput: Tidskriftsbidrag › Artikel i vetenskaplig tidskrift
Abstract
Abstract Sedentary behavior is defined as sitting or lying with low energy expenditure. Humans in industrialized societies spend an increasing amount of time in sedentary behaviors every day. This has been associated with detrimental health outcomes. Despite a growing interest in the health effects of sedentary behavior at work, associations remain unclear, plausibly due to poor and diverse methods for assessing sedentary behavior. Thus, good practice guidance for researchers and practitioners on how to assess occupational sedentary behavior are needed. The aim of this paper is to provide a practical guidance for practitioners and researchers on how to assess occupational sedentary behavior. Ambulatory systems for use in field applications (wearables) are a promising approach for sedentary behavior assessment. Many different small-size consumer wearables, with long battery life and high data storage capacity are commercially available today. However, no stand-alone commercial system is able to assess sedentary behavior in accordance with its definition. The present paper offers decision support for practitioners and researchers in selecting wearables and data collection strategies for their purpose of study on sedentary behavior. Valid and reliable assessment of occupational sedentary behavior is currently not easy. Several aspects need to be considered in the decision process on how to assess sedentary behavior. There is a need for development of a cheap and easily useable wearable for assessment of occupational sedentary behavior by researchers and practitioners.
Detaljer
Författare Enheter & grupper Externa organisationer Forskningsområden Ämnesklassifikation (UKÄ) – OBLIGATORISK Nyckelord
Originalspråk engelska Sidor (från-till) 41-52 Antal sidor 12 Tidskrift Applied Ergonomics Volym 63 Status Published - 2017 sep Publikationskategori Forskning Peer review utförd Ja


Abstract
Industrial wastewater treatment plants must operate properly during the transient-state conditions often found in the industrial production. This study presents the performance of simultaneous partial nitritation and o-cresol biodegradation in a continuous aerobic granular reactor under sequentially alternating pollutant (SAP) scenarios. Three SAP scenarios were imposed during the operation of the granular reactor. In each one, a secondary recalcitrant compound (either p-nitrophenol (PNP), phenol or 2-chlorophenol (2CP)) were added for a short period of time to the regular influent containing only ammonium and o-cresol. Partial nitritation and o-cresol biodegradation were not inhibited by the presence of PNP or phenol and both compounds were fully biodegraded. On the contrary, the presence of 2CP strongly inhibited both processes within 2. days. However, the reactor was recovered in a few days. These findings demonstrate that treatment of complex industrial wastewaters with variable influent composition is feasible in a continuous aerobic granular reactor. © 2014 Elsevier Ltd.
Keywords 2-Chlorophenol Aerobic granules P-Nitrophenol Partial nitrification Phenol


Amazon charged Amelia San Filippo, a sophomore at the University of Delaware, a $3,800 fee for failing to return a rented textbook on time. Apparently, San Filippo missed the fine print in her rental agreement. If she didn't return the book by June 4 she would be charged to purchase the book.
What is the title of this valuable tome?
Cultural Anthropology: A Toolkit for a Global Age, which can be bought online for $150!
Amelia returned the book and her father got the charge reversed after a nine-hour phone call to Amazon's customer service. Amazon issued a statement to a local television news program saying:
This was an isolated error that we quickly resolved directly with the customer and have issued a refund. We've apologized to the customer and are taking additional actions to ensure this situation does not happen again.In my mind, this message is corporatespeak for "Oops! We got caught."
This kind of nonsense happens all the time in our brave new world where universities and their corporate outsourcers treat college students like cash cows.
I myself had a similar encounter with Louisiana State University a few years ago. My wife and I arrived to do volunteer work at the Catholic student center located on the LSU campus. We came in separate cars and parked in a lot marked "Church Parking." There was a gate to the parking lot, but the gate was open.
At the end of our volunteer activity, we found parking tickets on our cars informing us that we were each being charged $330 for unauthorized parking: $660 in total. Must be some mistake.
I walked to the LSU Visitor Center, where a parking employee immediately knocked off two $300 fees. But she would not clear two fees for $30. To no avail, I explained that we were on church business and that we parked in a lot designated for church parking. If I wanted to challenge the tickets, I was told, I could file an administrative appeal.
For about a year, LSU sent my wife and I separate monthly bills of $30. Then we got letters saying the matter was being turned over to the District Attorney for collection. At that point, I wrote checks totally $60.
My wife is an LSU graduate and we once made a small donation to the LSU Foundation. I occasionally get a cheery message asking me to donate money to the university.
I don't respond to these messages, but if I did I would say: No thank you!
Like blind hogs rooting for acorns


Abstract
This chapter intends to provide a reflexive discussion of the experience I loosely refer to as the ‘supervisory relationship breakdown’, which led me to withdraw from a Professional Doctorate in the penultimate year of completion. The event left an indelible impact upon me; a reminder of my blackness, the contrast between that and the ivory tower of academia and the emotional toil I endured as each incident unfolded, ultimately leading to my exit and the shattering of my emotional wellbeing. The term ‘supervisory relationship breakdown’ is a superficial reference to a complex entanglement of what I deemed to be dysconscious racism and attempts situated historically to control people of colour through education. I will explore how I as a black woman in academia believe I am perceived through a dysconscious racial lens, a lens shaped by a perception to maintain white privilege. I posit how a misalignment existed between who I am and who I was perceived to be by my doctoral supervisor. The space between this misalignment became filled with inequity, tension and oppression, culminating in the relationship breakdown. I present an ‘implosion’ of the relationship as a metaphor for the embodied affect having to withdraw from the doctorate had on me; it felt as though my ‘self’ – body, mind and spirit – were broken, in a state of collapse which I did not know how I would recover from. I conclude with support and renewed hope, I returned to academia and found an alternative approach for completing my doctorate.
Citation
Walker, S. (2020), "Racism in Academia: (How to) Stay Black, Sane and Proud as the Doctoral Supervisory Relationship Implodes", Majors, R., Carberry, K. and Ransaw, T.S. (Ed.)
The International Handbook of Black Community Mental Health, Emerald Publishing Limited, pp. 93-111. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-83909-964-920201007 Publisher:
Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2020 Emerald Publishing Limited


Hummingbird raises $8.2m led by Flourish Ventures
Hummingbird, a San-Francisco based provider of anti-money laundering (AML) compliance technology, raised $8.2 million in its Series A funding round.
Hummingbird’s products have driven efficiency gains of 80-90% in financial services providers’ workflows for investigating and reporting suspicious financial activity.
Flourish Ventures led the round, with new support from Stripe alumni Lachy Groom and Jon Zieger.
It also received continued support from seed investors including Hombrew, Designer Fund, and TTV Capital, for a total funding to date of $11.8 million.
Compliance hurdles— from navigating how regulation applies to fintech start-ups, to modernising cumbersome legacy systems— challenge financial service providers, especially as they introduce new offerings.
“We invested in Hummingbird since its inception because it is a business at the intersection of two important trends accelerated by the pandemic – finance embedded in all our digital experiences and the digitisation of regulation,” says Kabir Kumar, director at Flourish Ventures. “The Hummingbird team cracked the code for automation in AML where others have struggled.”
The regtech offers two main products: a case management, investigation, and reporting platform; and an application programming interface (API) for validating and filing regulatory reports. These products aim to drive down costs, improve accuracy, and automate financial compliance programs, while also facilitating collaboration and technological advancements:
Hummingbird’s data organisation and insights are designed for machine learning.
“Enhanced data sharing offers enormous potential in how we detect financial crime. The new funding will allow us to move forward with technologies that could improve the quality and speed of communication among institutions and leverage structured datasets, with ethical care, for machine learning,” says Hummingbird co-CEO, Joe Robinson.
“We’re grateful for the opportunity to make regulatory compliance easier and money laundering more difficult.”
Hummingbird will also use the investment to support its expansion into new practice areas, including transaction disputes and consumer protections in lending; continue its operational growth; and enter the European market, starting with Ireland and the UK.
It anticipates an increase in regulatory dynamics amid COVID-19, and has made preparations to support banks and other financial institutions as the industry adapts to the pandemic’s economic stressors.


No symptoms of illness? You could still be carrying pathogens in your body even if you feel perfectly well, Statefoodsafety.com advises. As flu season approaches, remind your team to wash their hands thoroughly and often. To prevent cross-contamination, your handwashing sinks should be clean, easily accessible to your food workers and not used for other kitchen tasks, such as washing dishes or food items.
Archives
November 2020
Categories
All


With all the input we receive from those around us and from the media, it can sometimes be difficult to connect with who we are at our core. Journaling enables us to sift past the clutter and learn more about ourselves—to hear the sound of our genuine nature:
Who am I? What do I think? How do I want to live my life? What matters most to me? Why?
When we know who we are, decisions become easier and we become more in sync with ourselves. And when we feed ourselves with choices that align with what matters to us, we become more at ease. This authenticity helps us identify and connect with others who live in sync with themselves, elevating our life experience.
Sunday Journal Prompt Who are you? How can you further connect with your genuine self?


When a single vehicle accident takes place, law enforcement agents are generally tasked with investigating the cause of the incident. While there are numerous reasons why such an accident may occur, in some cases, such an incident may lead authorities to suspect unlawful activity. A recent single-car crash in Wisconsin has left one individual facing drunk driving charges.
According to reports, authorities received a call about a vehicle that had veered off the road and slammed into a tree on a recent Saturday evening. The individual who made the call also claimed the driver was exhibiting erratic behavior prior to the incident. Upon arriving at the scene, law enforcement agents found the vehicle unattended, and claim that the driver had attempted to flee the scene on foot.
Police located the man in the nearby woods soon thereafter, and subsequently took him into custody. He has since been charged with drunk driving, which would reportedly be his fifth offense if prosecutors secure a conviction. The penalties for a similar crime increase in severity with each successive conviction, and due to previous offenses, the man will likely be facing felony charges.
Facing felony drunk driving charges can be a daunting experience, and those accused of such an offense may wish to prepare for what comes next by seeking advice as soon as possible. Individuals who face similar charges could retain the services of an attorney for advice in making informed decisions. An attorney in Wisconsin can evaluate the situation and assist a client in forming a strong defense for use during subsequent legal proceedings.


Jim Chosy, executive vice president and general counsel at U.S. Bank, was recognized last week in New York with the National Association of Women Lawyers’ “Lead By Example” award for his ongoing advocacy and commitment to advancing women attorneys. The annual award honors the exemplary leadership of a male attorney who promotes and supports the advancement of women within their company and the broader profession.
The support and encouragement that Chosy provides positively impacts a broad swath of legal professionals – both inside and outside the bank – and helps to empower women attorneys.
“When women are strong, the legal profession is strong too. That’s why we must be relentless in the pursuit of full equality for women,” said Chosy. “An award hardly seems appropriate for trying to do things that feel so right, proper and necessary. But I appreciate it, very sincerely, and plan to use it as further inspiration for our work in championing women at U.S. Bank, at our provider law firms, and in the broader profession.”
As a strong champion of diversity, he has fostered a legal department at U.S. Bank with high female representation in senior leadership positions – including nearly 80% of his direct reports – and an equally strong presence in the leadership pipeline.
Chosy was also instrumental in creating Spotlight on Talent, a department program that provides diverse law firm associates with the opportunity to showcase their talents to attorneys responsible for making hiring decisions. Chosy recently committed to the Mansfield Rule: Legal Department Edition pilot program, an initiative that requires the consideration of diverse candidates when hiring and promoting within the Law Division and when engaging outside counsel for new matters. Additionally, he continues to advocate for our leading supplier diversity program by requiring outside counsel to meet diversity objectives.
Past recipients of the Lead By Example Award include: Alan Bryan of Wal-Mart Stores, Mark Firestone of Kraft Foods, Jonathan Fiegelson of TIAA-CREF, David Boies of Boies Schiller & Flexner, and Judge Harold Baer of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.
The mission of the National Association of Women Lawyers is to provide leadership, a collective voice, and essential resources to advance women in the legal profession and advocate for the equality of women under the law. Since 1899, NAWL has been empowering women in the legal profession, cultivating a diverse membership dedicated to equality, mutual support, and collective success.
U.S. Bancorp, with 74,000 employees and $476 billion in assets as of March 31, 2019, is the parent company of U.S. Bank, the fifth-largest commercial bank in the United States. The Minneapolis-based bank blends its relationship teams, branches and ATM network with mobile and online tools that allow customers to bank how, when and where they prefer. U.S. Bank is committed to serving its millions of retail, business, wealth management, payment, commercial and corporate, and investment services customers across the country and around the world as a trusted financial partner, a commitment recognized by the Ethisphere Institute naming the bank a 2019 World’s Most Ethical Company. Visit U.S. Bank at usbank.com or follow on social media to stay up to date with company news.


29
Sep 2019
If you're going through hell, keep going! We cannot emerge transformed if we stay stuck in the middle of the story. We must claim our power, align with spiritual principles, and move forward.
We have within us a voice that cheers us on, and a voice that limits us. We can challenge the inner critic, and demand it justify its stance. It will always be based on past fears.
22
Sep 2019
The universe is governed by natural, physical and spiritual laws. We must align with them, in order to function well in life. We can fight the law of gravity, but we'll end up with skinned knees. We can fight the law of mathematics, but we'll end up with bounced checks.
The same with spiritual laws: attraction, vibration, oneness. We can use them, even if we don't fully understand them, to propel our lives along a path of our choosing.
15
Sep 2019
The planet is a self-regulating system of integrated life forms. We are One with all that is. To act against any part of the whole, undermines our own position.
Spirit only supports that which is in alignment with Itself. We must open to the next phase of development and activity, by listening to the impulse of Spirit, or be left behind.
8
Sep 2019
From One Source, the many arises. Myriad forms of life, color, music, smell, thought and ideas. All originating from the same source, a unified whole, expressing itself.
Life is made better by the richness of the creative process. Music, art, literature, food, flowers, birds, fish. Over and over, we see the power and joy of the creative universe around, and within us, seeking expression.
1
Sep 2019
When someone pushes our buttons, we get a chance to ask the healing question. To uncover the underlying false belief behind our reaction.
And then we can work from a place of Wholeness, to be authentic in the world. And do our work in integrity. And we will find that those buttons that used to control us and light us up, are no longer connected.


J Exp Clin Cancer Res. 2020 Aug 25;39(1):168. doi: 10.1186/s13046-020-01673-0.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: cAMP responsive element binding protein 5 (CREB5) is a transcriptional activator in eukaryotic cells that can regulate gene expression. Previously, we found that CREB5 was involved in the occurrence and development of colorectal cancer (CRC) using bioinformatics analysis. However, the biological roles and underlying regulatory mechanism of CREB5 in CRC remain unclear.
METHODS: Real-time PCR, western blotting, and immunohistochemistry were used to examine CREB5 expression. In vitro experiments including migration assay, wound-healing assay, chicken chorioallantoic membrane assay, and human umbilical vein endothelial cells tube formation assay were used to investigate the effects of CREB5 on CRC cell migration and tumor angiogenesis ability. Additionally, an orthotopic implantation assay was performed in nude mice to confirm the effects of CREB5 in vivo. Furthermore, gene set enrichment analysis was performed to explore the potential mechanism of CREB5 in CRC.
RESULTS: We found that CREB5 expression was highly upregulated in CRC. CREB5 overexpression was positively correlated with advanced WHO stages and TNM stages and shorter survival in CRC patients. Moreover, CREB5 overexpression promoted while CREB5 silencing reduced the invasiveness and metastatic capacity of CRC cells both in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, CREB5 directly interacted with the MET promoter and activated the hepatocyte growth factor-MET signalling pathway. Importantly, inhibition of MET reduced the invasion and metastasis of CREB5-overexpressing CRC cells, suggesting that CREB5 promotes metastasis mainly through activation of MET signalling.
CONCLUSION: Our study demonstrates a crucial role for CREB5 in CRC metastasis by directly upregulating MET expression. CREB5 may be both a potential prognostic marker and a therapeutic target to effectively overcome metastasis in CRC.


The benefits of virtualized servers include reduced IT spending, data center space, energy costs, desktop and server provisioning and more. Despite these benefits and the estimation that the worldwide cost of cybercrime will reach $6 trillion annually by 2021, virtualization poses new risks to the data center. Read about the top 4 virtualized server threats and what you can do to mitigate your risks.
1.) Virtual machine escape
While rare, the most serious threat to virtual machine security is a hacker targeting hypervisor vulnerabilities with a virtual machine escape. It allows an OS running within it to interact with the hypervisor, providing hackers access to the host operating system. Make it a priority to regularly look for and apply vendor patch updates to reduce exposure.
2.) Administrative access
Despite virtualized platform efficiencies, they add management complexity. To protect against hackers who may ultimately access data center resources, secure management interfaces by tightly restricting access to the management interface.
3.) Network Compromise
Unusual inter-virtual machine activity or sources could be signs that your network is compromised. Create monitoring strategies, including preventive measures, intrusion detection and containment, to watch your data center networks for the slightest sign of connections from unfamiliar or unauthorized sources.
4.) Network eavesdropping
In older data centers, physical switches are used to prevent network eavesdropping. In a virtualized data center, virtual switches should be designed to isolate network traffic by routing it through its respective security levels before it’s connected to the corresponding switching ports.
Want to learn more? Read up about the seven advantages of software-defined networking, how it can increase your big data ROI and how to overcome the challenges of software-defined storage.


Please enter your username or the email address associated with the account so we can help you reset your password.
Data from Nielsen suggests that we are in an era of disloyalty, with more consumers trying new brands and refraining from developing long-term buying habits. This data should prove valuable to loyalty marketers, as it covers under-explored trends that create brand disloyalty, such as an increased desire to buy local in countries with prominent nationalist movements (Italy, Greece, etc.). However, Nielsen argues that “as consumers become more brand disloyal, marketers can no longer expect 20 percent of their....
Loyalty360 members and subscribers can access a variety of content including Daily News, In-Depth Exclusives, Loyalty Management Magazine, and more.To access this content, please log in with your Loyalty360 Corporate Membership or free subscriber account.
Thank you for signing up, please check your email for more information.
October 22,2020
October 08,2020
September 24,2020
May 06,2019
May 02,2019


Abstract
The RNA chaperone Hfq is involved in the riboregulation of diverse genes via small RNAs. Recent studies have demonstrated that Hfq contributes to the stress response and the virulence of several pathogens, and the roles of Hfq vary among bacterial species. Here, we attempted to elucidate the role of Hfq in Acinetobacter baumannii ATCC 17978. In the absence of hfq, A. baumannii exhibited retarded cell growth and was highly sensitive to environmental stress, including osmotic and oxidative pressure, pH, and temperature. Compared to the wild-type, the Hfq mutant had reduced outer membrane vesicles secretion and fimbriae production as visualized by atomic force microscopy. The absence of hfq reduced biofilm formation, airway epithelial cell adhesion and invasion, and survival in macrophage. Further, the hfq mutant induced significantly higher IL-8 levels in airway epithelial cells, which would promote bacterial clearance by the host. In addition to results similar to those reported for other bacteria, our findings demonstrate that Hfq is required in the regulation of the iron-acquisition system via downregulating the bauA and basD genes, the stress-related outer membrane proteins carO, A1S_0820, ompA, and nlpE, and the stress-related cytosolic proteins uspA and groEL. Our data indicate that Hfq plays a critical role in environmental adaptation and virulence in A. baumannii by modulating stress responses, surface architectures, and virulence factors. This study is the first to illustrate the functional role of Hfq in A. baumannii.
Keywords Acinetobacter baumannii Adhesion Hfq Invasion Outer membrane vesicles


"Along Particular Pathways"
When the general becomes the specific, the potential for believers to faithfully walk with our Lord becomes realized and actual.
"Trust in the Lord with all thy heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct thy paths" (Proverbs 3:5-6).
Responding to Solomon's command may begin by our general acknowledgement of the Lord in "all." However, we do well to specifically consider the matters of life in accordance with "trust… lean not… acknowledge." This presents both great blessing and challenge, along with much opportunity for prayerful consideration and communication with God. Consider individual relationships. We do well to think of each person in our lives according to "trust… lean not… acknowledge." Those with whom we share our existence do not cross our paths by accident, but rather by our Lord's purposes. Do we think of each individual accordingly? Acknowledging the Lord in specific terms requires that we do.
We apply this to everything in our lives, again, a calling that offers both great promise and great responsibility. Prayer, the Scriptures, fellowship with other believers, career, finances, hobbies, entertainment, bodily issues, possessions - all and more call us to "trust… lean not… acknowledge." As we frequently suggest in these messages, believers do not have to be brilliant in order to walk faithfully with our Lord. But we do have to think. We must thoughtfully respond to God's presence and working in our lives. Applied faith leads to actualized faithfulness. Indeed, as we respond to the Lord and His Truth along particular pathways, we become far more likely to trust and obey Him in the power of the Holy Spirit. This offers the blessing of knowing God in the personal terms for which He redeemed us, and the practical outworking of His involved presence. He numbers the very hairs of our head (Matthew 10:30). Our Lord is obviously very specific in His involvement with us. We do well to respond in kind, pointedly trusting, leaning not, and acknowledging Him along each pathway of life.
"Be careful for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God which passeth all understanding shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."
(Philippians 4:6-7)
Weekly Memory Verse
Wait on the Lord. Be of good courage and He shall strengthen thine heart. Wait, I say, on the Lord."
(Psalm 27:14)


This timeline highlights notable research and events to give a clear overview of how thought about what autism is and how autistic people are best supported has changed over the years.
Key:
White - research studies and papers
Purple - changes in terminology usage and diagnosis criteria
Pink - support and provision, including government strategies


A major element in expert sports performance, particularly racket-and-ball games, is excellent anticipatory skill. A prestudy combined the temporal and spatial occlusion paradigms to ascertain which key stimuli badminton players use for anticipating the direction of overhead shots. The main study then evaluated a program for training anticipatory skills; 200 video clips were employed to orient attention toward these key stimuli. Participants were 63 badminton novices, 20 national league players, and 21 local league players. A transparent red patch (exogenous orienting) was used to orient attention toward the trunk up to 160 ms before racket-shuttle contact; the arm, from 160 ms to 80 ms before contact; and the racket, from 80 ms before to actual contact. Results showed that badminton novices who trained with this program significantly improved their anticipatory skill between post- and retention test compared with controls. Whereas local league players improved from pre- to posttest, training had no effect on expert national league players. It is concluded that using red transparent patches to highlight the most informative cues in perceptual training programs is a promising way to improve anticipatory skill.
The authors are with the Department of Sport Psychology, University of Münster, Horstmarer Landweg 62b, 48149 Münster, Germany.


Data Driven Analysis to Drive our Understanding of Placebo Responses in Neuropsychiatric Drug Development
Time: 12:05 pm
day: Day One Details: Very few genetic studies have been conducted to understand individual-specific placebo response and are limited due to a lack of no-treatment control groups, using samples with heterogeneous therapeutic experiences, and relatively small sample sizes We explore and identify the challenges in Identifying genetic factors associated with individual-specific placebo response through genome-wide hypothesis-free studies on samples collected from placebo arms in CNS trials We leverage polygenic risk scores computed from large bio-banking efforts like the UKBiobank to identify risk factors that differentiate placebo responders from non-responders Discuss new approaches in analyzing response in psychiatric clinical trials and other data collection efforts to accommodate the complexity of the phenotype.


Image Wisely is a joint initiative of the American College of Radiology, Radiological Society of North America, American Society of Radiological Technologists and American Association of Physicists in Medicine.
Optimizing Communication With Parents on Benefits and Radiation Risks in Pediatric Imaging
Effective radiation risk communication can prevent and resolve potential conflicts while helping achieve effective public health safeguards. The authors discuss twelve strategies for communicating with parents/guardians that can help alleviate concerns about the iatrogenic risk associated with medical imaging using radiation exposure.


This paper aims to explore the application of circular economy principles for designing product refurbish operations. It adopts the desk-based research approach. The paper presents the circular economy principles formulated to support the design of product refurbish. To support the low level design, the mathematical models have been developed.
CITATION STYLE
Ripanti, E. F., Tjahjono, B., & Fan, I. (2016). Circular economy in reverse logistics : formulation and potential design in product refurbish.
Production and Operations Management Society Annual Conference, (May), 1–11.


The rates for muscular dystrophy vary depending on the type of disease. Myotonic dystrophy is the most common form, affecting around 30,000 people in the United States. Duchenne's muscular dystrophy affects about 8,000 people in the United States. Emery-Dreifuss muscular dystrophy, on the other hand, affects fewer than 300 people. Other forms of muscular dystrophy are rarer and in some cases, rates of the diseases may be difficult to determine due to difficulty in diagnosis.
Continue Learning about Muscular Dystrophy
Important: This content reflects information from various individuals and organizations and may offer alternative or opposing points of view. It should not be used for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. As always, you should consult with your healthcare provider about your specific health needs.


Sometimes, an attribution story begins when a prominent individual or group makes a public statement speculating on who might be behind a cyber incident or influence operation, but without issuing a report or other evidence to support the claim. Below is the recommended workflow. How the story begins: An individual or a group uses language such as “probably X,” “we think it might be X” or “it could be X” to publicly speculate on the provenance of a cyber incident or an influence operation. If a source is publicly speculating on the parties behind a cyber incident or influence operation, but has not formally issued a report with an attribution judgment or released a dataset, ask for the methodology and proof behind their statement. If they are unable to provide this, consider carefully whether this speculation is worth reporting. Avoid amplifying attribution claims that are guesses without evidence. If you do decide that the speculation is newsworthy — perhaps because the person providing the conjecture is a prominent figure with a large audience, such as a politician claiming their campaign has been hacked — clearly state in your story that this is speculation. Reach out to the sites where the cyber incident or influence operation allegedly occurred, and ask if they have seen any evidence to support the speculation. If so, ask whether you can see the data. Either way, their answer should be included in the headline (for example, “Facebook says there is no evidence…”) and high up in the body of the story. Reach out to cybersecurity experts (and disinformation researchers, if this story involves an influence operation) to ask whether they have seen evidence to back up the speculation, or whether they can help explain any data provided by the sites in support of the speculation.The experts’ answer should be included in the body of the story. Ask someone in your newsroom, or a cybersecurity expert, to “red team” your story.


Regardless of the circumstances, our clients came to us concerned about preserving wealth, increasing cash flows, mitigating taxes, protecting assets, transferring assets to the next generation, and charitable giving. Each can be complicated, and they are usually interrelated.
They realized they needed a fresh perspective and professional guidance.
Our background in finance and tax gives us a unique vantage point to attend to their goals and objectives. During a transition, the stakes may be high, economic opportunities can be considerable, and yet the tax ramifications can significantly alter the future economic outcome.
Clients appreciate our ability to integrate their economic objectives with the related tax mitigating opportunities. This coordination enables us to have a significant impact on their financial lives, helping them to be proactive stewards of their wealth.


ABSTRACT
The oxidoreductase RECON is a high-affinity cytosolic sensor of bacterium-derived cyclic dinucleotides (CDNs). CDN binding inhibits RECON’s enzymatic activity and subsequently promotes inflammation. In this study, we sought to characterize the effects of RECON on the infection cycle of the intracellular bacterium Listeria monocytogenes, which secretes cyclic di-AMP (c-di-AMP) into the cytosol of infected host cells. Here, we report that during infection of RECON-deficient hepatocytes, which exhibit hyperinflammatory responses, L. monocytogenes exhibits significantly enhanced cell-to-cell spread. Enhanced bacterial spread could not be attributed to alterations in PrfA or ActA, two virulence factors critical for intracellular motility and intercellular spread. Detailed microscopic analyses revealed that in the absence of RECON, L. monocytogenes actin tail lengths were significantly longer and there was a larger number of faster-moving bacteria. Complementation experiments demonstrated that the effects of RECON on L. monocytogenes spread and actin tail lengths were linked to its enzymatic activity. RECON enzyme activity suppresses NF-κB activation and is inhibited by c-di-AMP. Consistent with these previous findings, we found that augmented NF-κB activation in the absence of RECON caused enhanced L. monocytogenes cell-to-cell spread and that L. monocytogenes spread correlated with c-di-AMP secretion. Finally, we discovered that, remarkably, increased NF-κB-dependent inducible nitric oxide synthase expression and nitric oxide production were responsible for promoting L. monocytogenes cell-to-cell spread. The work presented here supports a model whereby L. monocytogenes secretion of c-di-AMP inhibits RECON’s enzymatic activity, drives augmented NF-κB activation and nitric oxide production, and ultimately enhances intercellular spread.
IMPORTANCE To date, bacterial CDNs in eukaryotes are solely appreciated for their capacity to activate cytosolic sensing pathways in innate immunity. However, it remains unclear whether pathogens that actively secrete CDNs benefit from this process. Here, we provide evidence that secretion of CDNs leads to enhancement of L. monocytogenes cell-to-cell spread. This is a heretofore-unknown role of these molecules and suggests L. monocytogenes may benefit from their secretion in certain contexts. Molecular characterization revealed that, surprisingly, nitric oxide was responsible for the enhanced spread. Pathogens act to prevent nitric oxide production or, like L. monocytogenes, they have evolved to resist its direct antimicrobial effects. This study provides evidence that intracellular bacterial pathogens not only tolerate nitric oxide, which is inevitably encountered during infection, but can also capitalize on the changes this pleiotropic molecule enacts on the host cell. Copyright © 2018 McFarland et al.
This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license.


Cochlear implants (CI) provide opportunities for people with profound hearing impairment to recover partial hearing. An acoustic CI model based on specific stimulating strategy can be used to study sounds processed in CI, and allows test subjects with normal hearing to evaluate stimulating strategy performance. However, there is still a significant performance difference between hearing test results based on acoustic CI models and from CI users. In this study we propose to use a SPREAD matrix, which incorporates channel interaction, created by the activating function profile based on finite element models of CI to improve the acoustic CI model. According to test results, acoustic CI models with SPREAD matrix based on finite element models significantly improves its match with clinical CI data and can be used to evaluate the performance of CI stimulating strategies and predict the hearing performance of CI users more accurately.


Bacterial biofilms serve a vital purpose, flagging suitable homes for some marine organisms and actually aiding the transformation of larvae to adults. A new study at the California Institute of Technology is the first to describe a mechanism for this phenomenon, providing one explanation for the relationship between bacterial biofilms and the metamorphosis of marine invertebrates. This information could provide key insights for the prevention of biofouling organism growth on the hulls of ships.


- Ad -
Last week, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issued a memo concerning CBD products. The memo, titled
Examination of Marks for Cannabis and Cannabis-Related Goods and Services and Enactment of the 2018 Farm Bill provides insight into how the trademark office will treat such applications.
The memo, which can be read in full here, begins by addressing the preliminary issue, which is that goods or services seeking registration with the USPTO must comply with federal law, regardless of the legality of the activities under state law. The memo identifies the federal laws that the products or services must comply with.
The memo continues to focus on this point, stating in the body of the memo “the USPTO refuses registration when an application identifies goods encompassing CBD or other extracts of marijuana because such goods are unlawful under federal law and do not support valid use of the applied-for mark in commerce.” Under federal law, cannabis is illegal.
It seems that applications filed on or after December 20, 2018, which are impacted by the 2018 Farm Bill, may be treated slightly different. The memo states, “For applications filed on or after December 20, 2018 that identify goods encompassing cannabis or CBD, the 2018 Farm Bill potentially removes the [Controlled Substances Act] as a ground for refusal of registration, but only if the goods are derived from ‘hemp.’ Cannabis and CBD derived from marijuana (i.e., Cannabis sativa L. with more than 0.3% THC on a dry-weight basis) still violate federal law, and applications encompassing such goods will be refused registration regardless of the filing date.”
In addition, the memo discusses that the 2018 Farm Bill does not make all CBD or hemp-derived products lawful. It states, “Applicants should be aware that even if the identified goods are legal under the CSA, not all goods for CBD or hemp-derived products are lawful following the 2018 Farm Bill. Such goods may also raise lawful-use issues under the Federal Food Drug and Cosmetic Act.”
Applicants who filed before December 20, 2018 and that identified goods encompassing CBD or other cannabis products, the USPTO can reject their registration due to the lawful use or lack of bonafide intent to use in lawful commerce under the Controlled Substances Act.
The memo further indicates,
“Because of the new legal definition of “hemp” under the 2018 Farm Bill, the applicant will also be required to amend the identification of goods to specify that the CBD or cannabis products contain less than 0.3% THC. If the applicant elects to amend the application, the examining attorney will conduct a new search of the USPTO records for conflicting marks based on the later application filing date. TMEP §§206.01, 1102.03. The examining attorney will also advise the applicant that, in lieu of amending the application, it may elect to abandon the subject application and file a new application. Alternatively, the applicant may respond to the stated refusal by submitting evidence and arguments against the refusal.”
All information is for general informational and educational purposes only. Nothing should be interpreted as legal or wellness advice.


/ by UK HealthCare
It's an irrefutable fact that smoking is bad for you. Study after study has proven that smoking increases your risk for cancer, heart disease, diabetes – even blindness.
But dementia? Not so fast. A recent study has demonstrated that smoking is not associated with a higher risk of dementia.
Many previous studies have found a correlation between smoking and dementia. However, Erin Abner of the UK Sanders-Brown Center on Aging (SBCoA) and colleagues wanted to explore outcomes using a different method of data analysis.
"The underlying data [in those studies] was solid, but the analysis didn't take into account the idea of competing risk of mortality, which we felt was an important factor to consider with smoking," Abner said. "In this case, if smoking kills someone before they show signs of dementia, how can you accurately count that person? We think those deaths should be accounted for when predicting dementia risk."
The research team examined 531 people who were part of the SBCoA BRAiNS study, which follows hundreds of volunteers to explore the effects of aging on cognition. They used a statistical method called Competing Risk Analysis to determine whether there was a connection between smoking and dementia once the competing risk of death was included.
The answer: There wasn't.
"To be clear, we are absolutely not promoting smoking in any way," said Abner, who also holds a faculty appointment in the UK College of Public Health. "We're saying that smoking doesn't appear to cause dementia in this population."
The data was published in the March 26, 2019 issue of the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease (JAD-68 (2)).


24 hours per day, 7 days per week, 365 days per year. A lot of our customers’ operations need to run smoothly around the clock, which makes equipment reliability and having a flexible service partner crucial.
When one of our long-standing planer mill customers was in need of servicing for their Sullair, LLC compressors and dryers, without disrupting their 24-hour production schedule, Chamco jumped into action.
We formulated a plan that allowed us to complete the required maintenance within the limited planned outages available. The customer appreciated Chamco’s ability to accommodate their schedule and our understanding that sometimes downtime is not an option.


Smallholder farmers and forest-dependent communities have the power to protect the planet’s resources while also contributing to sustainable rural development.
Building upon years of exploratory grantmaking, research, and engagement with local communities, we are exploring solutions that balance agricultural economic opportunities with environmental sustainability through the Agriculture, Livelihoods, and Conservation strategy. Our work builds on the Foundation’s experience with climate and land use, and our work in reproductive health.
Our grantee partners protect forests and biodiversity while ensuring that people who rely on them can thrive by supporting sustainable smallholder agriculture.


Agribusiness dispute
The Client is a cattle station owner who took on Agistment cattle for his Neighbour. Unknown to the Client, the Cattle were subject to a stock mortgage in favour of a Bank. The Neighbours subsequently divorced with the wife claiming rights to the cattle. The Client was owed a substantial amount for Agistments fees. The Bank had also issued notices making claim to the cattle for unpaid loans owing by the Neighbour.
Issue:
The issue was who had a right to the cattle and to be paid first? Was it the bank, who had a registered stock mortgage, the wife who had a legitimate family law claim, or the client who was owed agistment fees? Did the Client have any rights to the Cattle or could the Bank enter the Client’s land and take the Cattle.
Action:
Rather than litigating the issue, the Client opted for a mediation with all competing parties in attendance. The Client claimed a Possessory Lien over the stock following breach of the Agistment Agreement by the Neighbour, and further that the possessory Lien prevailed over the Banks registered Mortgage. The Law on whether the Bank’s registered Lien prevailed over the possessory Lien was uncertain.
Not favouring the Client was whether his agistment obligations improved the stock or whether his efforts went merely to the maintenance of stock. The former gave a right to a possessory Lien, the later did not. The advice to the client was to not under any circumstance relinquish possessory rights to the cattle but to force the hand of the bank and the Neighbours. The Client also claimed a Statutory Lien under the Storage Liens Act 1973 claiming a right to sell after giving notice.
Result:
The Bank contributed feed and lick to the cattle at no charge and released their interest in the cattle to the Client, who purchased same in satisfaction of the Neighbours debt, later on selling it for a substantial profit. Achieving the result required a thorough understanding on the law of securities and the precise terms of the Agistment Agreement.


Our daily routines include the use of hot water, whether that is to prepare a cup of coffee or to take a warm shower before getting into bed. Warm water helps you wash dishes faster, and at the office, it allows your employees to keep their hands clean at a more effective level. There are several options for heating up water. While a geyser remains a popular option, many people are looking at alternative solutions.
The installation of boilers and water heaters can often result in a more cost-effective option when providing hot water to a building. These systems provide appropriate functionality for home use but also doubles as ideal options for commercial buildings. The installation process for these systems tend to be similar to a geyser, but there are a few benefits that you might want to take into consideration.
When it comes to fitting your building with these systems, a few things should be looked at first. You need to ensure the system you buy will be compatible with your plumbing solution. At the same time, you want to ensure the system will provide the most efficient use in your environment.
Start by considering the differences that exist between the two options.
A water heater consists of a tank. These tanks come in various models and sizes, so you have some flexibility to help you meet the demands of your building. Electricity or gas can then be used to heat up the water inside the tank. The water can then be distributed appropriately to areas throughout your home or at an office.
Boilers work a bit differently compared to water heaters. The maximum temperature in boilers will generally be much higher compared to a standard heating system. Certain boilers can also help with the process of converting water into steam.
The Furnace Outlet offers a range of boilers and water heaters that are designed to meet your needs. We are top-rated among furnace wholesalers and offer all of our products at lower prices compared to retail stores. We can supply both complete packaged systems, as well as individual parts and accessories. This makes the process of finding furnace repair near me easier – as you now have a more affordable source for the parts needed during the repair process.
It is important to take a moment to contact a professional HVAC installer in your area before buying a boiler or water heater system. Provide the installer with details of your expectations to ensure they can help you find the right model in our catalog.


Introduction: The prognosis of breast cancer is strongly influenced bythe developmental stage of the breast when the tumor is diagnosed.Pregnancy-associated breast cancers (PABCs), cancers diagnosed during pregnancy,lactation, or in the first postpartum year, are typically found at an advanced stage,are more aggressive and have a poor... read moreer prognosis. Although the systemic andmicroenvironmental changes that occur during post-partum involution have been bestrecognized for their role in the pathogenesis of PABCs, epidemiological data indicatethat PABCs diagnosed during lactation have an overall poorer prognosis than thosediagnosed during involution. Thus, the physiologic and/or biological events duringlactation may have a significant and unrecognized role in the pathobiology ofPABCs.
Keywords: adipose stromal cells, adipose stromal cells derived frominvoluting mammary glands, adipose stromal cells derived from lactating mammaryglands, adipose stromal cells derived from nulliparous mammary glands, adiposestromal cells derived from pregnant mammary glands, adipose stromal cells derivedfrom regressed mammary glands, bovine serum albumin, carcinoma-associated fibroblast,carcinoma-associated fibroblast-like, conditioned media, cellular retinoic acidbinding protein 1, 4′,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole, (Dulbecco's) modified Eagle'smedium, fatty acid binding protein 4, gene set enrichment analysis, hemotoxylin andeosin, hormone sensitive lipase, human umbilical cord endothelial cell, interleukin6, Krupple-like factor 2, mouse heart endothelial cell, matrix metalloproteinase 9,non-obese diabetic severe combined immunodeficient, pregnancy-associated breastcancers, phosphate-buffered saline, platelet-derived growth factor C, placental-likegrowth factor, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma, preadipocyte factor1, Penicillan/Streptomycin, Fungicide, Reduction mammoplasty adipose, reversetranscriptase polymerase chain reaction, stem cell antigen 1, standard error of themean, small hairpin CRABP1, small hairpin scrambled, thyroid response element,vascular endothelial growth factor A, vascular endothelial growth factor C, vascularendothelial growth factor D.
McCready, Jessica, Lisa M. Arendt, Eugene Glover, VandanaIyer, Jerrica L. Briendel, Stephen R. Lyle, Stephen P. Naber, Daniel G. Jay, andCharlotte Kuperwasser. "Pregnancy-associated breast cancers are driven by differencesin adipose stromal cells present during lactation." Breast Cancer Research 16, no. 0(2, 2014): 1-19.


A quick review of the Adult BLS Algorithm to study before taking your ACLS test.
While the Adult BLS Algorithm is classified as a Basic Life Support (BLS) algorithm, it is undoubtedly an algorithm you need to be familiar with in order to pass your Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) exam. This is because there is a relatively high degree of carry-over between the two courses. Thus, it’s important to know the BLS steps in sequence to improve your odds of passing your ACLS test.
BLS emphasizes early CPR and defibrillation using an AED. The primary goal of the Adult BLS Algorithm is to improve the chances of survival by ensuring adequate oxygenation, ventilation, and circulation. The Adult BLS Algorithm provides the necessary steps for both single-rescuer and multiple rescuer scenarios of an unresponsive adult. But you might still be wondering, what are the steps I need to know? And how are all these steps connected?
What are the BLS steps used for adults?
Lay people and first-time trainees may ask themselves: what is the difference between BLS and CPR? And the answer is simple, generally speaking, BLS is advanced CPR and AED care provided by healthcare workers. The steps, in turn, are similar to those in CPR, with the new BLS guidelines focusing on the rate and depth of compressions (100-120 per minute, 2-2.4 inches deep) defibrillation, and the use of one-way valve barrier devices for rescue breathing.
For detailed information, refer to the Adult BLS Algorithm below:
Before beginning:
Check for scene safety and victim responsiveness. Call for emergency medical help, and if available, bring an AED to the patient. If the patient has a normal pulse and is breathing normally, stay with the patient, and monitor their condition until the arrival of emergency medical services.
1. Circulation:
Check the patient for a pulse:
-
If no pulse is detected, begin delivering CPR. Place palms in the center of patients chest with one hand over the other and with arms locked, allowing the chest to fully rise between compressions, push down hard and fast to a depth of 2-2.4 inches at a rate of 100-120 compressions per minute (30 every 15-18 seconds) giving 2 rescue breaths for every 30 compressions.
-
If a pulse is detected, move to the airway section of the algorithm
2. Airways: 2. Airways:
- If the patient is breathing adequately, maintain the patient’s airway, and place them in the recovery position.
- If you witnessed the collapse and can safely assume there is no spine injury, perform the chin lift maneuver to open the airway.
- If you did not witness the collapse or the collapse was caused by trauma, use the jaw thrust method.
- If a foreign object is blocking the airway remove the object either by inserting a finger into the mouth and scooping it out if easily accessible, otherwise perform abdominal thrusts to clear the obstruction.
3. Breathing: 3. Breathing:
Breathing regularity should be first assessed while assessing responsiveness and should be monitored throughout care, always use a barrier device when available.
-
If the patient has a pulse, begin rescue breathing immediately. If no CPR is required perform one rescue breath every six seconds (10 breaths per minute), and check pulse every two minutes.
-
If the patient has no pulse, and rescue breathing is part of CPR, ensure a good seal over the patient's mouth with either your mouth or barrier device, pinch their nose closed, and deliver one-second-long rescue breaths ensuring the chest rises and falls with each breath.
4. Defibrillate: 4. Defibrillate:
When the Automated External Defibrillator (AED) arrives, turn on the unit and follow the verbal prompts, firmly attach the fads to the patient's chest, and allow the AED to analyze the patient's heart rhythm.
-
If shock is required, ensure all responders have hands clear from the patient to avoid shocks before administering shock. Press the shock button when all hands are clear. After the shock has been administered, resume delivery of CPR.
-
If AED determines against shock, initiate CPR and recheck rhythm after 5 cycles.


Understanding Psychological Evaluations for Workers’ Comp in Indiana
If a workers’ comp issue stems from or causes a mental health issue, you need strong representation from a knowledgeable team in order to receive your proper reward. The Indiana Workers’ Compensation Evaluation is a common component of Indiana workers’ comp cases and you do not have to fear them. They determine the proper category for your claim and the appropriate compensation you deserve for it.
Why Psychological Evaluations? You have rights if: A work condition or event causes mental distress and psychological disorder. A physical injury at work leads to anxiety, depression or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). A mental or psychological disorder leads to inability to function at work, even if that disorder does not originate at work. Psychology Services and Workers’ Comp
Employees may be alarmed, even offended, when employers and labor reviewers scrutinize their injury claims. Psychological evaluations insure understanding of the extent of the injured employee’s condition and elimination of fraud cases. Psychologists or psychology services specializing in work-based injury can prevent your case from being discredited.
They understand how physical injuries correlate to life changes and psychological disordering. They can recognize complex PTSD, brain injury and depression symptoms that prevent functioning at work. They can discern credible symptoms and disabilities from exaggerated ones to substantiate your rights to compensation.
The Indiana Workers’ Compensation Evaluation Process
Psychological services help show a disability prevents you from working for short and long terms or that a disability arose from your job. Psychologists provide trusted opinions to validate your symptoms and claims.
They may interview you several times. They may also speak with bosses, supervisors and coworkers. They may recommend physical examinations and further psychiatric evaluation or treatment. Finally, they may work with your workers’ comp attorney to present their findings in your best interests.
Good psychological services in Indiana can help you secure your workers’ comp reward. Contact us for more information, here.


Abstract
Background: Hypomethylating agents (HMA), azacitidine, and decitabine are frequently used in the management of myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). However, there are no clinical trials that have directly compared these agents. We conducted a systematic review and indirectly compared the efficacy of azacitidine to decitabine in MDS. Methods: We conducted a comprehensive search of several databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and Scopus) through June 28, 2018, without language or time restrictions. Studies were screened by two independent reviewers, and differences were resolved by consensus. The fixed effect model and adjusted indirect comparison methods were used to pool relative risks (RR) of major outcomes of interest (mortality, response rate, quality of life, hematologic improvement, hospitalization, leukemia transformation, transfusion independence). Results: Only four trials met the eligibility criteria. Two trials compared azacitidine to the best supportive care (BSC) and included 549 patients, and the other two compared decitabine to BSC and included 403 patients. The risk of bias was unclear overall. Compared to BSC, azacitidine was significantly associated with lower mortality (RR = 0.83, 95% CI 0.74-0.94, I
2 = 89%) whereas decitabine did not significantly reduce mortality (RR = 0.88, 95% CI 0.77-1.00, I 2 = 53%). Both drugs were associated with higher partial and complete response compared to BSC. Indirect comparisons were not statistically significant for all the studied outcomes, except for complete response where azacitidine was less likely to induce complete response compared to decitabine (RR = 0.11, 95% CI = 0.01-0.86, very low-certainty evidence). Conclusions: Azacitidine and decitabine are both associated with improved outcomes compared to BSC. The available indirect evidence comparing the two agents warrants very low certainty and cannot reliably confirm the superiority of either agent. Head-to-head trials are needed. In the meantime, the choice of agent should be driven by patient preferences, adverse effects, drug availability, and cost. Keywords Azacitidine Decitabine Myelodysplastic syndromes Network meta-analysis ASJC Scopus subject areas Medicine (miscellaneous)


Microsoft Teams provides a secure platform for remote professionals to communicate. It provides access to video and audio conferencing functionality based on tiered subscription plans. The application allows organizations with multiple locations to use auto dial-in numbers based on the location of teams. Numbers are transferable to Teams for audio conferencing.
My team and I at ChaceTech have identified some issues that some companies faced and managed to resolve while using Microsoft Teams.
Connecting Video Conferencing Endpoints
As an increased number of companies turned to online meetings due to restrictions triggered by the Covid-19 pandemic, they learned lessons on how to use MS Teams more effectively. Some organizations faced issues when trying to connect video conferencing endpoints for Cisco into Teams meeting.
Fortunately, they discovered that Microsoft provides a viable solution for this challenge – Cloud Video Interop (CVI). This solution simplifies the process by providing the information needed to dial-in the video cart. CVL information is available at the bottom of the meeting invite.
An additional issue is the lengthy dial-in string, which requires considerable effort to enter into the video unit. CVI providers can help resolve the problem using the one button to push (OBTP), which schedules meetings using Microsoft Exchange. The solution employs an API to deliver details of the meeting to video endpoints. Once the endpoints are complete, you will find the video quality impressive.
Organizing Teams
The presence of too many teams can lead to low visibility issues. If you establish multiple channels for various departments or processes, the teams may change, disappear, and members join or leave abruptly. Fortunately, you can resolve these problems by linking teams to business units or products, not people.
The source of the chaos is due to people collaborating on different projects. Teams linked to the people malfunction when an individual changes projects. Hence, the need for improved channel naming conventions.
Missing Information
The synchronous nature of the chat function in Microsoft Teams can hide some of the information. Users face this issue after spending time away from the platform, and messages accumulate. By the time a user checks messages, important information may be missing, and everything appears in bold or has circled numbers.
Companies faced with this problem quickly realized the difference between real-time chat and email. The chat function in Teams is ideal for real-time conversations or broadcasting notices. Email is asynchronous and the right solution for messages that require a focus on a single topic. Chat does not come with a subject line.
Variable Adoption
In some cases, various departments responded differently to the introduction of Microsoft Teams for communication and collaboration. Some departments felt that the platform solved their communication challenges. Others expressed concern that the change brings more work to their tight schedules.
Organizations resolved this adoption issue by incorporating various projects that are useful to different departments. The projects solve specific problems for team members. A generic or one size fits all approach to use cases undermines adoption levels. The mere ability for everyone to interact in a channel is not compelling to everyone.
A Recap of Microsoft Teams Lessons Learned
When faced with challenges connecting endpoints for Cisco video conferencing, use the Cloud Video Interop (CVI). On the other hand, adopt proper channel naming conventions when dealing with too many channels and teams. Linking teams to individuals instead of business units, campaigns, and projects causes chaos as the individual switches from one project or channel to another.
The chat function in MS Teams cannot mimic the asynchronous nature of email for topics that require greater focus. Use chat for real-time conversations involving a wide variety of topics.
Enlisting the assistance of a managed IT service provider is another way to resolve challenges in Microsoft Teams. Vendors can assist in setting up and configure various features in the communication platform.


Services ‘Boofey’, my 18 1/2-year-old Cattle X Kelpie I have experienced several losses in my life, be it pets or people, family or friends.
These experiences brought about a sense of isolation and emptiness but it wasn’t until I lost my faithful companion ‘Boofey’, a 18 1/2-year-old Cattle X Kelpie, which in a few words brought me to my knees, that I turned my attention towards grief counselling and pet loss support.
I provide counselling and support for people of all ages, both young and older, who are dealing with expected or unexpected pet loss including:
making end of life decisions, grieving for your pet (prior or post-loss), being with you and/or your pet at your vet/at home (for those in Penrith, NSW and surrounds), deciding whether you are ready for another pet.
Sessions are 1 hour in duration and can be held face to face in Luddenham, NSW, in-home or at your veterinary clinic, or alternatively I can arrange online or telephone consultations for those who cannot travel or struggle with balancing time. Rebates are also available to eligible members of Medibank Private and Doctors Health Fund (please refer to your policy for further details).
My approach is deeply person-centered, utilizing narrative practices in remembering those we have lost. The narrative approach in particular helps to resurface and maintain positive connections following the loss of a beloved pet and companion. I also work with a trauma-sensitive lens ensuring to keep each person I meet feeling safe. I have established By My Side for those seeking comfort and, I understand that everyone has their own unique story. You can tell your story, and be heard.
Please note By My Side is not a crisis counselling service. If you are in a crisis please contact:
Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Suicide Call Back Service 24/7 on 1300 659 467.


The EU’s biggest research and innovation program, Horizon 2020 (H2020), invested over €41m ($48.4m) in pharmaceutical R&D grants for projects between May 2019 and April 2020, with over €27m ($.31.8M) allocated for the development of promising early stage drug and vaccine candidates, according to data from GlobalData’s Pharma Intelligence Center News Database. In response to the Covid-19 pandemic, H2020 invested almost €6m ($7.1m) for Covid-19-related research and drug development in April 2020. The EU’s H2020 program, which has been running since 2014 with a €80bn ($94bn) budget, was established to support R&D contributing to Europe’s global competitiveness in research and innovation.
According to GlobalData’s Pharma Intelligence Center News database, the majority of these H2020 pharmaceutical R&D grants were for advancing early stage drug development, which received over €27m ($31.8m) (66%), rather than early drug discovery research, which only received approximately €14m ($16.5m) (34%) (Figure 1). This reflects a strong focus in helping promising candidates move toward clinical development and commercialisation. All pharmaceutical R&D grants awarded between May 2019 and April 2020 pertained to the Infectious Disease therapy area. H2020 invested almost €6m ($7.1m) on three Covid-19-related projects from January to February 2020, with the aim to accelerate efforts to develop effective treatments and vaccines in response to the pandemic.
Italian Bio/Pharma company Dompe Pharmaceuticals SPA that concentrates on rare and orphan diseases received approximately €3m ($3.5m) for early discovery research aiming to find new treatment options for Covid-19, and Helmholtz Zentrum Munchen German Research Center for Health and Environment GmbH, a key subsidiary of Helmholtz Association of German Research Centers, received approximately €1m ($1.2m) for Covid-19. Austria-based Apeptico received over €1.5m ($1.8m) funding for repurposing its Phase II candidate solnatide for Covid-19, which subsequently received regulatory approval by the Italian Medicines Agency for the treatment of Covid-19 patients suffering from pulmonary edema and acute respiratory distress syndrome in May 2020.
Other companies such as Swiss biotech company BioVersys AG, developing a drug for tuberculosis, and German Helmholtz Center for Infection Research, developing vaccines for influenza and Chagas Disease, received a combined funding of approximately €25m ($29.5m), demonstrating a focus on funding for diseases identified in the World Health Organization’s (WHO’s) Priority Medicines for Europe and the World Update Report, 2013. More details about these pipeline drugs can be found in the GlobalData Pharma Intelligence Center Drugs Database.
H2020 aims to deliver breakthroughs and discoveries by helping ideas move from the lab to the market. The program prioritises projects that address priority diseases for Europe and the world, where biopharmaceutical companies can take their innovative early stage approaches through clinical development and commercialisation. Given the global health threats posed by Covid-19, the EU has vowed to invest €1bn ($1.2bn) into research and innovation by 2020, and had already invested €458.9m ($541.2m) by September 2020 in developing new vaccines, medicines, medical devices, and other technologies and tools to help bring the Covid-19 pandemic under control.


The agenda for this IHRF event featured international speakers from the UK and the Netherlands who shared their countries’ experiences of prioritising areas of health research for State funding. We were also joined by national experts and had discussion time to debate this complex question.
Presentations- Matt Westmore & Prof Pancras Hogendoorn


Abstract
To identify cell-surface markers specific to human cardiomyocytes, we screened cardiovascular cell populations derived from human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) against a panel of 370 known CD antibodies. This screen identified the signal-regulatory protein alpha (SIRPA) as a marker expressed specifically on cardiomyocytes derived from hESCs and human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs), and PECAM, THY1, PDGFRB and ITGA1 as markers of the nonmyocyte population. Cell sorting with an antibody against SIRPA allowed for the enrichment of cardiac precursors and cardiomyocytes from hESC/hiPSC differentiation cultures, yielding populations of up to 98% cardiac troponin T-positive cells. When plated in culture, SIRPA-positive cells were contracting and could be maintained over extended periods of time. These findings provide a simple method for isolating populations of cardiomyocytes from human pluripotent stem cell cultures, and thereby establish a readily adaptable technology for generating large numbers of enriched cardiomyocytes for therapeutic applications.