We recently released a new issue paper exploring the stigma experienced by pregnant and parenting women who used substances during pregnancy. Below is a short summary of this paper.
Issue
Substance use and addiction are highly stigmatized in our society. The impact of stigma on mothers who use substances during pregnancy can have a wide range of negative effects on their health and well-being. Stigma may result in women choosing not to disclose their substance use out of fear of judgement or punishment; it may contribute to service providers using judgemental or punitive approaches to child welfare; it may limit the services and supports available to women who use substances; and it may contribute to a stereotype that depicts a certain “type” of mother of children with FASD, resulting in an unbalanced focus on these individuals and a lack of concern regarding the substance use habits of women who don’t fit this stereotype.
Background
This paper follows the stigma framework outlined by the Chief Public Health Officer of Canada her 2019 Addressing Stigma report.
Internalized Stigma and its Impact on Women’s Self-Efficacy: Societal attitudes and media portrayals perpetuate the stigma surrounding substance use and pregnancy, which can lead to women internalizing these negative beliefs. Internalized stigma can lead to increased feelings of guilt and fear and a decrease in self-esteem, confidence, and the ability or willingness to seek support. Interpersonal Stigma and its Impact on Access to Prenatal Care and Substance Use Treatment: Stigma is one of the biggest barriers to pregnant women accessing and receiving care for substance use. Judgemental or abstinence-only responses from health care providers can result in further feelings of shame and fear of judgement, which can discourage women from seeking support. Institutional Stigma and its Impact on Women’s Access to Trauma-Informed and Harm Reduction Oriented Services: Organizational policies that require women to be abstinent from substance use can limit their access to necessary services. Health practitioners often have a lack of training in effective substance use counselling for women, which can perpetuate negative stereotypes and result in misinformed “solutions” being presented. Negative experiences with health practitioners can increase women’s distrust and fear of social services, negatively impacting their health and well-being. Recently, some Canadian provinces have shifted policies to prioritize keeping families together, which can alleviate some of the distrust in the system that many women feel. Population Level Stigma Arising from Public Health Messaging and Media Representations: The media often portrays mothers who drink alcohol during pregnancy as irresponsible, immoral, or villainous, which perpetuates negative stereotypes and misconceptions. Health care providers may only ask individuals from specific subpopulations to disclose their substance use, rather than asking for transparency from all women and girls. The public narrative surrounding alcohol use in pregnancy is heavily stigmatized, and often perpetuates misinformation surrounding “safe” levels of alcohol consumption in pregnancy. Take Home Message: Women who use substances in pregnancy or who have children with FASD experience stigma from the media, health and social service providers, and members of society, that can limit their access to necessary health and social services. FASD-informed, trauma-informed, and harm reduction-oriented health messaging and health education is needed to support women to access those services.
For more information, including recommendations, please refer to the full issue paper here.
Authors: Kirsten Morrison, Lindsay Wolfson, Kelly Harding, & Nancy Poole Date: February 2020


From Venezuela’s Petro to JPMorgan’s stable coin and China’s Digital Currency Electronic Payment (DCEP), the rising adoption of Cryptocurrencies from mainstream players has led to greater interest from both retail investors and professionals from top financial institutions. This guide aims to equip beginners with sufficient knowledge to begin profiting from investing in and trading cryptocurrencies.
What is Cryptocurrency?
Broadly speaking, cryptocurrencies are a class of digital assets that can serve as a medium of exchange. While there exists much contention on defining cryptocurrencies as currencies due to their questionable ability to serve as a unit of account, means of storing value and effective medium of exchange at the same time, few can argue with the growing prominence of cryptocurrencies led by Bitcoin’s meteoric rise as the best performing asset of the decade.
There exists a wide range of cryptocurrencies in today’s market with differing purposes and natures other than the prominent coins such as Bitcoin and Ethereum.
For example, government-issued cryptocurrencies such as the recent DCEP issued by the People’s Bank of China serves as a digital replacement with the same value as their fiat currency. There are stable coins such as the USDT and BUSD issued by private companies such as Tether and Binance respectively, which are backed by the US dollar.
Last but not least, there exists a large pool of cryptocurrencies with smaller market capitalizations than Bitcoin and Ethereum. Such cryptocurrencies are often referred to as Altcoins by the crypto community. To date, Bitcoin remains the most successful cryptocurrency with the largest Market Capitalization of around $160 billion dollars, followed by Ethereum with a Market Capitalization of around $22 Billion Dollars.
Why trade Cryptocurrency instead of other assets today?
While the cryptocurrency market remains extremely volatile compared to the stock, commodities and foreign exchange markets, this risk does not go unrewarded to investors. A quick look at Bitcoin’s historical Sharpe ratio (a metric to measure returns per unit of risk) since inception has shown that Bitcoin has outperformed other investments such as stocks, real estate, bonds, and even gold on a risk-adjusted basis over a 4-year holding period. While this is by no means recommending users to invest solely in Bitcoin, it does suggest that there are significant benefits to investing in cryptocurrencies.
Additionally, investing in Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies can bring about significant diversification benefits to an investor’s portfolio due to its low correlation with market indices. Bitcoin has an average correlation to major market indices of 0.05, which can greatly reduce a portfolio’s overall volatility and hence its Sharpe ratio.
If you still remain unsure about entering the Cryptocurrency trading space, the CryptoHero mobile app has a paper trading function to allow users to experience simulated Cryptocurrency trading.


UNHCR just published an extensive report on credibility assessment in EU asylum systems. The report also covers the use of Country of Origin Research (COI) for assessing credibility.
The report “ Beyond Proof – Credibility Assessment in EU Asylum Systems” was publishd as part of the project Towards Improved Asylum Decision-Making in the EU (also called CREDO project) and aims to contribute to the further harmonization of Member State practices in terms of assessment of credibility. This report seeks to clarify some key concepts, reference key standards, outline factors that have a bearing on the credibility assessment. It also aims to provide some insights into state practices on specific aspects of the credibility assessment. Today there is a strong need for comprehensive and up-to-date guidance on credibility assessment to address the challenges faced by adjudicators in asylum systems.
UNHCR has therefore embarked on the review of its own guidance with a view to producing updated guidelines on credibility assessment that reflect recent developments in international refugee law and other relevant areas of law. This report thus does not constitute that updated guidance, although its findings will be taken into account in the guidance’s preparation process ».
Regarding the use of COI, see chapters 4.4.1. (on gathering COI, p. 128-130) and 5.4. (consistency of the applicant’s statements with COI, p. 173-175). The report is available in a 288 pages full version, and as a 72 pages summary. It can be downloaded via Refworld: http://www.refworld.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/rwmain?page=search&skip=0&query=beyond+proof&coi=


Abstract
Complex dendrites in general present formidable challenges to understanding neuronal information processing. To circumvent the difficulty, a prevalent viewpoint simplifies the neuronal morphology as a point representing the soma, and the excitatory and inhibitory synaptic currents originated from the dendrites are treated as linearly summed at the soma. Despite its extensive applications, the validity of the synaptic current description remains unclear, and the existing point neuron framework fails to characterize the spatiotemporal aspects of dendritic integration supporting specific computations. Using electrophysiological experiments, realistic neuronal simulations, and theoretical analyses, we demonstrate that the traditional assumption of linear summation of synaptic currents is oversimplified and underestimates the inhibition effect. We then derive a form of synaptic integration current within the point neuron framework to capture dendritic effects. In the derived form, the interaction between each pair of synaptic inputs on the dendrites can be reliably parameterized by a single coefficient, suggesting the inherent low-dimensional structure of dendritic integration. We further generalize the form of synaptic integration current to capture the spatiotemporal interactions among multiple synaptic inputs and show that a point neuron model with the synaptic integration current incorporated possesses the computational ability of a spatial neuron with dendrites, including direction selectivity, coincidence detection, logical operation, and a bilinear dendritic integration rule discovered in experiment. Our work amends the modeling of synaptic inputs and improves the computational power of a modeling neuron within the point neuron framework.
Original language English (US) Pages (from-to) 15244-15252 Number of pages 9 Journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America Volume 116 Issue number 30 DOIs State Published - Jul 23 2019 Keywords Dendritic computation Point neuron model Single-neuron dynamics Synaptic current Synaptic integration ASJC Scopus subject areas General


Abstract
Integrin
α6 β4 is a cellular adhesion molecule that binds to laminins in the extracellular matrix and nucleates the formation of hemidesmosomes. During carcinoma progression, integrin α6 β4 is released from hemidesmosomes, where it can then signal to facilitate multiple aspects of tumor progression including sustaining proliferative signaling, tumor invasion and metastasis, evasion of apoptosis, and stimulation of angiogenesis. The integrin achieves these ends by cooperating with growth factor receptors including EGFR, ErbB-2, and c-Met to amplify downstream pathways such as PI3K, AKT, MAPK, and the Rho family small GTPases. Furthermore, it dramatically alters the transcriptome toward a more invasive phenotype by controlling promoter DNA demethylation of invasion and metastasis-associated proteins, such as S100A4 and autotaxin, and upregulates and activates key tumor-promoting transcription factors such as the NFATs and NF- κB. Expression of integrin α6 β4 has been studied in many human malignancies where its overexpression is associated with aggressive behavior and a poor prognosis. This review provides an assessment of integrin α6 β4 expression patterns and their prognostic significance in human malignancies, and describes key signaling functions of integrin α6 β4 that contribute to tumor progression. Document Type
Article
Publication Date
9-2015
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
https://doi.org/10.1038/labinvest.2015.82
Funding Information
This work was supported by National Institutes of Health grants T32 CA160003 (to RLS) and R01 CA109136 (to KLO).
Repository Citation
Stewart, Rachel L and O'Connor, Kathleen L, "Clinical Significance of the Integrin α6β4 in Human Malignancies" (2015).
Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Faculty Publications. 32. https://uknowledge.uky.edu/pathology_facpub/32


Polynerve is a new device which will revolutionise the field of nerve repair
Digital nerve injuries often affect young people of working age, impacting their daily life, causing ongoing cost and resulting in permanent disability despite surgical intervention. In cases where the nerve gap is larger than 5mm an end to end suture repair is not possible and surgeons are forced to use an autologous nerve graft.
Autologous nerve grafting is problematic due to the need for a second surgical site where the donor nerve is harvested. Donor site morbidity, loss of sensation and pain from neuroma formation can occur at the donor site, often in addition to poor clinical outcomes at the repair site.
Polynerve has completed phase I clinical trials which had the primary objective of assessing safety of the device. Polynerve aims to replace the need for an autologous nerve graft, removing the risk of complications from the second surgical site with equivalent nerve repair outcomes.
Polynerve’s competitive advantage lies within the specifically designed surface topography that guides the regenerating nerve across the gap whilst the conduit provides physical protection and support.
Additional device geometries can be crafted in addition to tube shapes to make a range of products to suit the specific surgical need.
For more information, please contact:
Katherine Horner
katherine.horner@uominnovationfactory.com


Distressed debt and special situations: Succeeding in uncertain times
03 November 2020
Debtwire is pleased to present “
Distressed debt and special situations: Succeeding in uncertain times”, published in association with MinterEllison.
The ongoing global pandemic has made uncertainty the new normal. While the short-term impacts on global markets and the Australian economy are apparent, the long-term impacts and permanent changes to society and business can only be speculated.
Against this backdrop and without a marker to the finish line, Australian businesses are attempting to steer a course not only for survival but for the growth needed to be a viable long-term concern. But alongside uncertainty comes opportunity – especially for distressed debt and special situation investors.
This report explores the opportunities in a distressed market, drawing on Debtwire market intelligence and insight from MinterEllison’s thought leaders.
Key highlights include: Australian market update:A brief overview from Debtwire’s Asia editorial team on the state of the Australian market, development sin 2020 and the outlook to yearend and early 2021. Sector snapshot:A close look at key distressed industries and trends shaping various sectors that could open opportunities for distress debt and special situations investors. Featured Q&As:MinterEllison experts discuss Australia’s advantages and the key opportunities and challenges for global investors searching for distressed investments. Restructuring and turnaround best practices:MinterEllison’s insights into best practices in managing a successful restructuring or turnaround amid market volatilities and uncertainty.


Journalists, Civil Society Organizations, and Public Officials all work on creating a better understanding of Public Budgets and Expenditures. Often, internal processes on liberating those fiscal data could seem black boxes from the outside. We’d like to unpack these work processes to foster better cooperation and understand what role open data can play.


It is advisable that you wake up early in the morning, preferably between 5:30 am and 8:30 am in the morning. You could consume your first meal, which is your breakfast, anywhere between 5:30 am and 8:30 am in the morning. Your breakfast could start with 3 tablespoons of rice protein powder from any popular brand. This powder can be consumed by adding it to a solution of 8 ounces of almond milk and another 8 ounces of soy milk.
This can be followed by around half a cup of frozen mango or strawberries. You can provide your stomach with its necessary does of healthy and essential fats, by drinking a tablespoon full of coconut oil. Finally, you could wrap up your breakfast with a multi vitamin tablet and a couple of mineral supplements.
After 2 or 3 hours of your first meal, which is your breakfast, you are now ready for the second meal of your day. This meal is basically had at mid-afternoon time and is often called a brunch, because it’s neither breakfast nor lunch, but somewhere mid-way and hence, brunch. You could have 1 cup of dry fruits, comprising of around half a cup of almonds, and another half a cup of raisins. This can be very filling.
Wait it out another 2 or 3 hours, and you are now fully ready for your next major meal of the day, which is your lunch. For lunch you are free to have two entire burgers, with the breads used being whole wheat breads. You could load them with a combination of raw and boiled veggies and sprouts, seasoned with vinegar, lemon and olive oil, for your required dose of essential healthy fats.
It’s after this meal that your body is basically ready for heavy work outs, such …


Green Bonds: Effectiveness and Implications for Public Policy
You may be able to download this chapter for free via the Document Object Identifier.
This paper studies green bonds, a relatively new instrument in sustainable finance. I first describe the market for green bonds and characterize the "green bond boom" witnessed in recent years. Second, using firm-level data on green bonds issued by public companies, I examine companies' financial and environmental performance following the issuance of green bonds. I find that the stock market responds positively to the announcement of green bond issues. Moreover, I document a significant increase in environmental performance, suggesting that green bonds are effective in improving companies' environmental footprint. These findings are only significant for green bonds that are certified by independent third parties, suggesting that certification is an important governance mechanism in the green bond market. I conclude by discussing potential implications for public policy.
I am grateful to Matthew Kotchen and Catherine Wolfram, as well as participants at the NBER Conference on Environmental and Energy Policy and the Economy for helpful comments. The views expressed herein are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Bureau of Economic Research.


Winter Park Government Negligence Lawyer
Pursuing a claim for government negligence is a unique process. It differs in many ways from standard personal injury and liability claims. Government agencies and entities are protected under a sovereign or governmental tort immunity. That allows them to escape liability for any action or failure to act, even though they would’ve been held liable if they acted as a private individual or entity. Given the restrictions on filing a claim for government negligence, you shouldn’t attempt to pursue a claim on your own.
No matter whether you are seeking damages from the city, county, state, or a federal entity, you need an experienced
Winter Park government negligence lawyer who can help. At Israoui Law, we have years of experience pursuing government negligence claims. We understand the legal technicalities and time restrictions that must be strictly followed to pursue a claim successfully. We also know about notable exceptions that could lead the government to be held responsible. Exceptions to Government Negligence Immunity
One of the prime examples of exceptions to government negligence immunity involves auto accidents. If the vehicle is leased or owned by a government entity and is driven by an employee in the course and scope of their job, they could be held liable if they cause an accident. If there are hazardous road conditions, like a construction zone, that is not adequately marked or lit, you could have grounds to bring a claim for injuries and other damages.
As property owners, government entities have a duty to maintain their property to make it safe for those who enter the property. If you are a victim of a slip and fall or trip and fall accident at a public property, you could be entitled to recover compensation. Public property could include state roads, parking lots, county hospitals, sidewalks, municipal facilities, government buildings, etc.
Slip and fall accidents can occur for various reasons, including wet floors, potholes, loose carpets or rugs, uneven floors, low lighting, or a lack of stair railings. If you were injured due to government negligence, you need to speak with an experienced Winter Park government negligence lawyer right away.
Pursuing a Claim for Government Negligence in Florida
If you don’t follow the strict rules for pursuing a claim against the government, it will be denied. You don’t have a lot of time to pursue a claim either. For example, you must file a notice of claim in writing with some agencies right away. If you don’t file the notice with the right agency and the Department of Financial Services, they will likely refuse the claim. Also, there are limits to how much you can recover and where the case must be filed if it goes to court.
It would be best if you spoke with an experienced Winter Park government negligence lawyer before speaking with any investigators or claims adjusters, signing any documentation, or agreeing to a settlement. Your attorney will protect your rights and the ability to recover compensation.
If you or a loved one were injured due to government negligence, contact Israoui Law to learn how we can help. We offer free, no-obligation initial consultations, so it costs you nothing to meet with us and determine whether you can pursue a valid claim for government negligence. We represent clients on a contingency fee basis. That means you won’t pay any fees or costs unless we successfully recover compensation on your behalf. Let us handle the stressful claims process while you concentrate on your recovery.


This project evaluated if storybooks help to teach children to eat more vegetables and fruit.
To evaluate the effect of a community-based, experiential cooking and nutrition education program on consumption of fruits and vegetables and associated intermediate outcomes in students from low-income families.
The aim of our study was to evaluate the efficacy and acceptability of a taste exposure-plus-reward intervention delivered through mailed materials and access to an online video.
To examine whether parents offering a sticker reward to their child to taste a vegetable the child does not currently consume is associated with improvements in children’s liking and consumption of the vegetable.
This study aimed to (1) investigate short-term effects and long-term effects of non-food rewards on liking and intake of a moderately disliked vegetable; and (2) to compare exposure without reward with no-exposure control.
The Healthy Habits trial aimed to assess the efficacy of a telephone-based intervention for parents to increase the fruit and vegetable consumption in their 3–5-y-old children.
A cluster-randomized controlled-trial examined the effect of a school-based comprehensive intervention on nutrition knowledge, eating habits, and behaviors among low socioeconomic status school-aged children


In this latest blog focussed on business management, we examine, how in this modern information-driven world, data is progressively being recognised by CEOs as a critical business investment and asset and why it is increasingly coming to the forefront of business valuations as never before.
We also explore how Customer Relationship Management (CRM) solutions can help, not only in managing your data, but adding value to this critical business asset.
We chat with one of our Maximizer CRM customer’s, who with early insight, has already achieved this goal within his own business.


Description
The Eley cartridges contain an average of 184 pellets. They contain a short fibre wad but no nitro card or driving wad. Unlike their supersonic counterparts, they are crimped with a 6-point star closure. The case is a standard 3″ parallel tube plastic case, supplied in red with Eley branding printed in black.
Recoil
The subsonic Eley “Extralong” produces moderate recoil (even for a .410 loading) as would be expected of a low velocity cartridge. However, it is not, interestingly, the lightest-recoiling cartridge which the team at SmallBoreShotguns have tested, producing slightly more kick than the Lyalvale “Supreme Game” cartridge previously tested. This is lack of a nitro card / driving wad in the cartridge is notable in this regard.
Instinctively, one would expect pressures and recoil to be lower in a “fibre wad only” cartridge given that obturation will be less good. In these cases, some combustion gases would be expected to pass around the wad, lengthening the time over which the gas escapes from the muzzle and reducing the rate of acceleration of the gun into the firer’s shoulder. This should, in turn, reduce perceived recoil as the recoil energy will be absorbed over a longer time period. However, it is already suspected that the Lyalvale cartridge uses a high-volume, slow-burning powder, which may be the basis for these observations.
Performance
Use of the subsonic cartridge in the field has been limited, but broadly successful. The cartridge has already accounted for one testing 40-yard wood pigeon and several other shorter-range birds. Kills have been clean, albeit slightly less “definitive” than – for example – a bird hit with 1¼oz of #5 at medium range. Initial patterning showed promising results out to 30 yards, with the 40-yard patterns looking a little sparse.


Interns, Hannah Magnuson and Shannon O’Malley
As members of the millennial generation, we often define “socializing” as synonymous with hunching over our smartphones. A day spent texting, tweeting, and FaceTiming friends from out-of-town is considered a day with heavy communication. However, when it comes to the workroom, we millennials may need to learn that in-person communication still holds value and cannot be completely replaced by the newest technology, no matter how convenient.
In his Chicago Tribune column, “Millennials eager to lead and would welcome help,” Rex W. Huppke cites Pew Research Data which says 18-34 year-olds have overtaken the workplace. While these millennials are reportedly eager to become leaders, there remains a rift in how their current skillsets will translate to leadership positions. As interns we regularly send texts to subordinates, equals and superiors because sometimes shooting out a text is easier than emailing. Millenials, like us, tend to assume that all professionals check their texts as frequently as we do. Can we successfully lead veterans of the workforce while utilizing communication methods that these older generations have not yet embraced?
Recently, “The Millennial Leadership Study” found that the overwhelming majority of millennials strive for leadership roles and cite “communication” as their strongest tool to attain their goal of assuming leadership positions. Their main goal is to empower others as opposed to making money, a selfless ambition that has been absent in the workforce for quite some time. However, their definition of “communication” is comprised of social media shout-outs, and lacks a personal touch. While the ability to send out a cleverly crafted and wide-reaching Tweet is a useful skill, these new workers need to learn that face-to-face communication remains invaluable.
Guidance from more experienced workers will be necessary to teach that communication encompasses much more than exchanging words from behind a screen. Millennials trying to lead older generations by means of advanced forms of communication will soon learn that they cannot obtain experience of Generation X and the Baby Boomers by reading about them on the World Wide Web. Instead, they may wish to try sitting down and having a conversation.
These generations must learn from one another how to establish a balance between communication and technology. If their staunch differences prevent them from working together, it will lead to chaos, miscommunications and eventual crises. As millennials redefine their conceptions of what it takes to be a leader, their abilities to respond positively to their coworkers’ feedback will be paramount.
Even in an age where text messages, Twitter, and FaceTime dominate the social sphere, the power of face-to-face interactions and constructive feedback will never be outdated. The sooner we millennials learn to look up from our phones, the sooner we might attain our desired leadership roles.


Tackling Sustainable Development Goals with Earth observation data
November 2019 saw G-STIC 2019 organised by our partner VITO take place in Brussels – the
Global Sustainable Technology and Innovation Conference. As part of this event, Copernicus, the EU’s Earth Observation programme, organised the Sustainable Development Goals Copernicus Hackathon. The aim of this hackathon was for participants to develop new software solutions based on Copernicus Earth Observation (EO) data for one of three societal challenges: ‘Healthy lives for all’, ‘Nutritious food for all’ and ‘Raw materials in a circular economy’. Teams brought together participants from different backgrounds, including entrepreneurs, coders, researchers, scientists, EO specialists, designers, storytellers and more. A different challenge was set for each theme, but prizes were awarded for the best solutions presented across all three challenges.
The Raw Materials in a Circular Economy challenge was to
Develop Acid Mine Drainage monitoring possibilities using Copernicus Sentinel-2 data on mine tailings at Yxsjöberg in central Sweden. The Acid Mine Drainage challenge had to be solved using Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellite observations. This data is globally and freely available with a high temporal revisit rate and spatial resolution. EIT RawMaterials Innovation Community takes the 1st & the 2nd place in the Sustainable Development Goals Copernicus Hackathon
Those tackling this challenge included six participants from the EIT RawMaterials supported
RawMatCop project, and six participants from the EIT-Labelled SINReM International Master in Sustainable and Innovative Natural Resource Management. Winning the first prize of €3,000 and a seat on the Copernicus Accelerator, was the ExaMine team, which included two SINReM students, . Mridul Pareek and Antonio Mires In second place was the RawMatCop team, which developed the AcidmApp solution. This team, which was awarded a prize of €2,000 and assistance with enrolment for a position in the Astropreneurs’ programme, included two RawMatCop researchers, Louis Andreani and Jingyi Jiang, as well as four graduates of the RawMatCop Academy.
The Sustainable Development Goals Copernicus Hackathon was a great opportunity to spread the word about the applications of Copernicus data to the raw materials sector. That both first and second prizes were awarded to teams tackling the raw materials challenge, really emphasises the potential of Earth observation data to make the raw materials industry more sustainable.
Irene Benito, RawMatCop Manager at EIT RawMaterials
You can stay up-to-date with developments in Earth observation for raw materials and the RawMatCop programme by following RawMatCop on Twitter.


Purchase this article with an account.
or
Vy Vo, David Sutterer, Joshua Foster, Thomas Sprague, John Serences, Edward Awh; Neural representations of spatial position recalled from long-term and short-term memory diverge across the cortical hierarchy. Journal of Vision 2017;17(10):1115. doi: https://doi.org/10.1167/17.10.1115.
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© ARVO (1962-2015); The Authors (2016-present)
Holding an item in short-term memory (STM) elicits stimulus-specific representations across sensory, parietal, and frontal cortex (Ester, Sprague, Serences 2015). Recent evidence suggests that retrieving items from long-term memory (LTM) also reinstates neural representations in sensory cortex (Bosch et al. 2014). However, it remains unknown how sensory representations of items from LTM and STM differ in their distribution across these areas of human cortex. Here, we directly compared neural representations of locations that were retrieved from LTM or maintained in STM, and assessed how these neural measures tracked behavioral precision. We trained subjects to associate 24 unique clip art items with spatial positions along an isoeccentric ring (Sutterer & Awh, 2015). In subsequent training days, subjects performed both a LTM task to retrieve the learned pairings and a STM task which required subjects to maintain a spatial position in STM. The precision of subjects' LTM recall plateaued after ~5 days of training, with precision that approached STM performance. We then acquired fMRI while subjects performed both tasks in the scanner. On separate runs, we obtained data to train an inverted encoding model (IEM) for spatial position. This allowed us to reconstruct the spatial location of each item as it was being held in memory (e.g., during a stimulus-absent delay period; Sprague et al. 2014; Ester et al. 2015). We successfully reconstructed the position of the remembered stimulus during the delay period of both tasks. STM representations were more robust than LTM representations in early sensory areas. However, the difference between the fidelity of STM and LTM representations decreased in later sensory areas. Overall, our data suggest that changes in the relative representations of items stored in STM and LTM across the visual hierarchy likely support the precision of LTM recall.
Meeting abstract presented at VSS 2017
This PDF is available to Subscribers Only


In mammals, the electron transfer flavoprotein (ETF) is a heterodimeric protein composed of two subunits, alpha and beta, that is responsible for the oxidation of at least nine mitochondrial matrix flavoprotein dehydrogenases. Electrons accepted by ETF are further transferred to the main respiratory chain via the ETF ubiquinone oxide reductase (ETFQO). Sequence analysis of the unique Arabidopsis homologues of two subunits of ETF revealed their high similarity to both subunits of the mammalian ETF. Yeast two-hybrid experiments showed that the Arabidopsis ETFalpha and ETFbeta can form a heteromeric protein. Isolation and characterization of two independent T-DNA insertional Arabidopsis mutants of the ETFbeta gene revealed accelerated senescence and early death compared to wild-type during extended darkness. Furthermore in contrast to wild-type, the etfb mutants demonstrated a significant accumulation of several amino acids, isovaleryl CoA and phytanoyl CoA during dark-induced carbohydrate deprivation. These phenotypic characteristics of etfb mutants are broadly similar to those that we observed previously in Arabidopsis etfqo mutants, suggesting functional association between ETF and ETFQO in Arabidopsis, and confirming the essential roles of the ETF/ETFQO electron transfer complex in the catabolism of leucine and involvement in the chlorophyll degradation pathway activated during dark-induced carbohydrate deprivation.


This article is an attempt to answer the question: Where does a classical narrative beginning end? It examines a series of epistemological concerns about the nature of beginnings before exploring two previous models that can be used to determine where a narrative beginning ends, one by Kristin Thompson that relies primarily on a narrative's formal properties, and one by James Phelan that relies primarily on cognitive processes. The article focuses primarily on the possibilities for a cognitive model for determining the end of a narrative beginning. However, ultimately, it argues that only by combining formal properties and cognitive processes can we arrive at a comprehensive and flexible model for how to determine where a classical narrative beginning ends.


How can organisations explore data to learn more about their customers, usage trends, and preferences? How can they identify new patterns of behaviour, to personalise services, or produce more granular management reports?
With the explosion of data, enterprises are finding countless opportunities to obtain valuable insights across the board and, with them, they’re also encountering growing strategic and operational challenges.
To unlock the power of big data and harness the potential of AI and ML, organisations need a strategy for managing their data in the long term. This demands a modernisation path.
Choosing the right infrastructure solution and partner to enable staff to slice, dice, and analyse their data is critical: it’s both a strategic and operational decision.
This report explores the current data management landscape, barriers to adopting cloud infrastructure and critical factors organisations need to keep in mind to choose the right cloud provider for their business needs.


Description H2 Elite Creates hydrogen infused magnesium water which converts toxic oxygen radicals to water. Hydrogen infused water supports the body’s antioxidant levels, including glutathione. Electrolyte minerals in Original Quinton formulas may help increase energy, endurance, and recovery. Supports the immune system. Helps with relaxation and sleep. Supports detoxification and antioxidation.
Overall Health Combo Pack Contains:
1 each Quicksilver Scientific H2 Elite 1 each Original Quinton Hypertonic Marine Plasma 2 each Quinton Isotonic Marine Plasma Quicksilver Scientific H2 Elite, Creates Hydrogen Infused Alkaline Water, 60 Tablets
Molecular Hydrogen instantaneously converts toxic oxygen radicals to water. It maintains stable levels of our body’s antioxidants (e.g. glutathione). It promotes cell signaling, cell metabolism, & gene expression which promotes increased health.
Original Quinton Hypertonic Marine Plasma, 30 Count, from Spain
Quinton Hypertonic Marine Plasma represents the original blueprint of life. It has three times the mineral concentration of your blood and is ideal for energizing, mental focus, sports performance, challenged immune systems, and rapid re-mineralization.
Original Quinton Isotonic Marine Plasma, 30 Count, from Spain
Quinton Isotonic is pure marine plasma diluted to match the concentration of your blood and is the most gentle. Bioterrain Restore is ideal if for a sensitive system, restoration, deeper sleep, emotional and physical balance, and relaxation.
Warnings: If pregnant, nursing, or undergoing treatment for a medical condition, consult your physician before taking this product Keep out of reach of children Do not exceed recommended dose
* These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This Product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.


In this outdoor activity, learners explore how a surprising number of animals use human-made litter, such as cans and crumpled paper, to find food and shelter in their environment. Based on what they observe, learners are asked to make a value judgment about litter. This activity can be combined with a litter cleanup in a local park, schoolyard or other location.


As unemployment claims skyrocket amid the COVID-19 crisis, this analysis finds most people who lose their job-based coverage are likely eligible for subsidized coverage through the ACA marketplaces or Medicaid.
Individual market insurers, on average, remained profitable through the first three months of 2020 as claims costs rose only slightly compared to the same period last year.


Refining the Categorization of Physical Functional Status
The Added Value of Combining Self-Reported and Performance-Based Measures.
Published in: Journal of Gerontology, Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences, v. 59, no. 10, 2004, p. 1056-1061
Posted on RAND.org on January 01, 2004
BACKGROUND: When considered individually, self-reported functional status and performance-based functional status predict functional status decline and mortality. However, what additional prognostic information is gained by combining these approaches remains unknown. METHODS: The authors used three waves of three sites (5138 participants) of the Established Populations for Epidemiologic Studies of the Elderly to determine the prognostic value of individual and combined approaches. Baseline self-reported (mobility and activities of daily living [ADL] items) and performance-based (Physical Performance Score) functional status information was classified into three and four hierarchical categories, respectively. RESULTS: Based on self-reported information alone, at 1 year, 73% participants had not changed, 15% declined, 6% improved, and 6% died. At 4 years, 53% had not changed, 24% declined, 2% improved, and 22% died. Based on performance-based assessment alone, at 4 years, 33% of the sample remained stable, 37% declined, 6% improved, and 24% died. In the top two self-reported categories, functioning on the performance-based assessment varied widely. Among those who were independent in all self-reported functioning, approximately 40% scored in each of the top two performance-based categories. Among persons in the top two self-reported categories, poorer performance was associated with progressively higher 1-year and 4-year mortality rates. Among persons with impaired mobility and at least 1 ADL dependency, the mortality rate was high and was not influenced by performance-based score. CONCLUSIONS: Combining self-reported and performance-based measurements can refine prognostic information, particularly among older persons with high self-reported functioning. However, if ADL dependency is present, performance-based measures do not add prognostic value regarding mortality.


Abstract
In this study we assessed the dietary phytochemical index in relation to the risk of breast cancer in women.This case-control study was conducted on 100 incident breast cancer cases and 175 healthy controls. Dataregarding socio-demographic factors, medical history, medications, and anthropometric measurements werecollected. Dietary data were obtained using a validated food frequency questionnaire and a energy-adjusteddietary phytochemical index (PI) was calculated. The odds ratios of breast cancer were assessed across energyadjustedPI quartile categories. The mean age of participants was 46.2±8.9 and 45.9±9.4 years in cases andcontrols, respectively. The mean PI across quartile categories was 13.9±2.6, 21.1±1.8, 26.7±2.1, 41.6±10.2 in thefirst, second, third and fourth quartiles, respectively. After adjustment for all potential confounders, the riskof breast cancer in the forth quartile of dietary PI was significantly decreased (OR=0.08, 95%CI=0.01-0.84).Higher intake of phytochemical-rich foods is associated with lower risk of breast cancer.
Keywords


Kent McGuire – OSU Ag Safety and Health Coordinator
One of the most common tasks on the farm is hitching or unhitching equipment. The two most common tractor-hitching methods use the drawbar or the 3-point hitch assembly. In either case, there can be multiple elements involved in the process including: connecting the implement using a hitch pin, adjusting a jack stand, attaching safety chains, connecting the PTO shaft, connecting hydraulic couplings, or plugging in electrical connections. Common injuries during hitching are caused by pinch points, crush points, blunt trauma, and run-over. General safety guidelines to follow when hitching or unhitching equipment include:
- Review the operator manual of the tractor and implement before use.
- Ensure hitch attachments match the tractor hitch category.
- Assess the situation and make a plan prior to attempting to hitch the implement.
- Ensure any bystanders are all clear of the tractor and implement.
- Place the tractor in a lower gear and lower the RPMs to reduce sudden quick movements when approaching or pulling away from the implement.
- When assisting the operator, keep visual contact and communicate with the operator at all times.
- The ground person should stay outside of the wheels of the tractor until the hitch and drawbar are lined up correctly.
- Leave yourself an escape route. Plan a travel path to get out of the way should the tractor lurch towards you.
- Once the hitch and implement are lined up, make sure the tractor is in PARK and shut off the engine before installing the hitch pin or completing additional hitching tasks such as connecting PTO or hydraulic lines.
- Use only approved hitch pins. If hitch pins are damaged or bent, take them out of service.
- Make sure the hitch pin is locked in place or secured with a hitch pin clip.
- Before connecting or disconnecting hydraulic lines, ensure the pressure has been released from the system.
- Use proper lifting techniques to reduce sprains / strains when lifting or moving the implement tongue.
- Ensure there is sufficient tongue weight to stabilize the implement when unhitching.
- Use an approved size tongue jack to support the tongue weight of the implement.
- Only use jacks that are attached to the tongue. Temporary jacks can kick out or fail with minimal implement movement.
- Remove all additional connections prior to pulling away from equipment.
- When unhitching on slopped areas, chock the wheels of the implement to prevent unwanted movement.


Remote learning - Wellbeing
It’s crucial to support young people to manage and maintain good wellbeing. The activities below can help young people in a range of settings to develop coping strategies and maintain a positive attitude, and include Interactive worksheets and Online lesson films (interactive film tutorials), adapted from LifeSkills lesson plans. You’ll also find a full length lesson plan on the same themes on each page, which can support classroom and group sessions.
The worksheets can be downloaded and shared with students as independent learning activities, as homework, or to complement the relevant lesson plans.
The Online lesson films around the topic of wellbeing have been created to give students practical tips for managing their own wellbeing while under pressure. They can be used alongside the interactive worksheets on the same page, or on their own.
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After over two months of fighting in southern Tripoli areas, people are suffering from a lack of services in all fields.
The political instability and violence within these regions have created a hindrance for service companies due to increasing the difficulty of reaching war zones.
The damaged infrastructure as well as the continuous attacks suffered have created several obstacles.
Yet, some companies still managed to push through. Firms providing services across districts with crossfires face several challenges as there are many barriers and unforeseeable risks.
Among such companies is Giga ltd. for telecommunications and technology. Giga has managed to provide internet to Abu Salim, Ain Zara, and Qasir Benghashir after fiber cables were damaged by clashes.
The company provided internet services through a wireless connection, overcoming the drawbacks of fiber cables, supporting people in dire need.
Giga is a tech and telecommunication pioneer providing several services in Libya. Moreover, It has received a franchise from Ubiquiti Networks – the largest wireless internet equipment distributor.


Housing First (HF) aims to overcome homelessness by offering immediate, independent accommodation in the community. In doing so, the model seeks to provide a foundation for client centred support that enables recovery from the ‘multiple and complex’ needs that multiply excluded homeless (MEH) adults experience. The majority of HF literature has focussed on the model’s very positive housing related outcomes. However, outcomes related to recovery and desistance have been less clear. This article draws on a qualitative, longitudinal evaluation of a HF service in a northern English city, following 18 MEH adults over 16 months in their HF tenancy. A situational approach was used to explore participants’ ability to utilize the foundation provided by HF achieve outcomes related to recovery and desistance. Findings demonstrated the importance of participants’ biographies in determining their ability to progress towards these outcomes. A key output of the article is a typology of participant’s biographies that was predictive of their trajectories in HF.


The playAWARDS team engaged with marketing leaders at each of the company’s Las Vegas resorts, along with the corporate marketing team. Together, they developed a program to create a comprehensive, gamified expression of the MGM portfolio. This program included themed slot machines, in-game challenges, and a curated collection of promotional offers designed to help MGM properties take advantage of surplus resort capacity and drive consumption of perishable inventory. Because players earn these awards through an investment of time and energy playing a game, the value of these offerings elevate the MGM brands. By contrast, dumping discounted inventory diminishes their perceived value.
With the program up and running, the playAWARDS team and MGM business analysts began to track its performance. What they discovered was that MGM Resorts was able to drive new incremental revenue and capture a meaningful return over and above the cost of their offers.
In addition, MGM found that the playAWARDS program was not only attracting a new audience but was helping them engage more deeply with existing customers while reactivating lapsed or dormant customers. The end result delivered on the playAWARDS promise—giving MGM Resorts a fresh, exciting, and highly efficient way to extend their market leadership.


Abstract
Chest pain in children and adolescents frequently involves referral to a pediatric cardiologist. The etiology of chest pain in pediatrics is broad, and the vast majority of cases are not due to underlying cardiac pathology. However, evaluations are often pursued due to fear about missing a potentially serious cardiac diagnosis, which may lead to sudden cardiac death. The management of these patients can lead to extensive investigations, medical visits, and hospitalizations, which is costly and unnecessary in many cases. This article reviews noncardiac and cardiac etiologies of chest pain, highlights pertinent details of the patient history and physical examination, discusses the evaluation of patients with chest pain, and identifies when referral to a pediatric cardiologist is recommended.
ASJC Scopus subject areas Pediatrics, Perinatology, and Child Health


Motivated by the recent discoveries of binary black-hole mergers by the Advanced Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (Advanced LIGO), we investigate the prospects of ground-based detectors to perform a spectroscopic analysis of signals emitted during the ringdown of the final Kerr black-hole formed by a stellar mass binary black-hole merger. Although it is unlikely that Advanced LIGO can measure multiple modes of the ringdown, assuming an optimistic rate of 240 Gpc\(^{-3}\)yr\(^{-1}\), upgrades to the existing LIGO detectors could measure multiple ringdown modes in \(\sim\)6 detections per year. New ground-based facilities such as Einstein Telescope or Cosmic Explorer could measure multiple ringdown modes in over 300 events per year. We perform Monte-Carlo injections of \(10^{6}\) binary black-hole mergers in a search volume defined by a sphere of radius 1500 Mpc centered at the detector, for various proposed ground-based detector models. We assume a uniform random distribution in component masses of the progenitor binaries, sky positions and orientations to investigate the fraction of the population that satisfy our criteria for detectability and resolvability of multiple ringdown modes. We investigate the detectability and resolvability of the sub-dominant modes \(l=m=3\), \(l=m=4\) and \(l=2, m=1\). Our results indicate that the modes with \(l=m=3\) and \(l=2, m=1\) are the most promising candidates for sub-dominant mode measurability. We find that for stellar mass black-hole mergers, resolvability is not a limiting criteria for these modes. We emphasize that the measurability of the \(l=2, m=1\) mode is not impeded by the resolvability criterion. To optimize the senstivity of a detector for ringdown signals, sensitivity should be tuned to the 300 to 500 Hz region.


NCASE Resource Library Featured Resources
This publication features some of the best resources, including webinars, briefs, and toolkits, available in the online NCASE Resource Library, developed for both practitioners and system builders.
These selected resources, curated by NCASE, offer ideas and information for OST system leaders to support recovery from COVID-19.
The NCASE Out-of-School Time Professional Development System-Building Toolkit was designed to assist states as they build professional development systems inclusive of school-age providers.
Search for Resources ? Search Results Filter By Reset Selections Expand All Filters Topics Resource type Publisher Search Results Filter By
The Afterschool Alliance's webpage on COVID-19 offers a rich array of resources to help support Out-of-School Time (OST) system builders, administrators, and practitioners in navigating the challenges of the pandemic as they strive to effectively serve children, families, and providers.
This report captures what was shared at an October 2019 Conference about the challenges of teaching social and emotional learning (SEL) in afterschool programs. It provides a brief history of the growing focus on SEL, along with a summary of remarks by national leaders.
This report offers information to aid summer learning leaders in securing and maintaining support for programs. It summarizes lessons learned from interviews with 60 school district staff and 20 policy experts on federal, state, city, and district funding and policies.
This classic report clarifies the cost of quality out-of-school time programs, based on data from 111 quality programs in six cities. It provides the mean and range for hourly and daily cost per slot, with an analysis of factors that bring differences to cost.
The Afterschool Alliance has developed an easy-to-use searchable database on evidence-based impacts of afterschool and summer programs.
This report summarizes 2014 survey results and provides a quick picture of supply and demand in afterschool. It indicates that the numbers of children being served in afterschool have increased to 10.2 million. It also indicates that the numbers of children that would enroll if a program were available is increasing to 19.4 million.
This special report focuses on the potential of afterschool and summer programs to support families living in communities of concentrated poverty. It outlines both benefits of Out-of-School (OST) programs and barriers to enrollment for families from resource-poor backgrounds. It offers recommendations to system builders and providers.
This website offers afterschool nonprofits a range of tools, articles, reports, and resources to develop financial skills. It includes articles, webinars, videos, and self-assessment resources on planning, operations, monitoring, and governance.
This website provides resources on program planning, managing staff and volunteers, planning lessons, technology, and materials using a real-life, project-based approach to learning. The website includes sections on digital storytelling, inquiry-based learning, youth media training, fostering positive climates, and nurturing creativity.
This guide describes how cities and intermediaries can work with afterschool providers across a neighborhood, city, or region to build quality. It explores how to identify a lead organization, engage stakeholders, use a continuous improvement model, and manage data systems. It includes case studies from Georgia, Texas, Illinois, Massachusetts, New York, and Florida.


Quantitative trait loci (QTL) analyses in pig have revealed numerous individual QTL affecting growth, carcass composition, reproduction and meat quality, indicating a complex genetic architecture. In general, statistical QTL models consider only additive and dominance effects and identification of epistatic effects in livestock is not yet widespread. The aim of this study was to identify and characterize epistatic effects between common and novel QTL regions for carcass composition and meat quality traits in pig. Methods Five hundred and eighty five F 2 pigs from a Duroc × Pietrain resource population were genotyped using 131 genetic markers (microsatellites and SNP) spread over the 18 pig autosomes. Phenotypic information for 26 carcass composition and meat quality traits was available for all F 2 animals. Linkage analysis was performed in a two-step procedure using a maximum likelihood approach implemented in the QxPak program. Results A number of interacting QTL was observed for different traits, leading to the identification of a variety of networks among chromosomal regions throughout the porcine genome. We distinguished 17 epistatic QTL pairs for carcass composition and 39 for meat quality traits. These interacting QTL pairs explained up to 8% of the phenotypic variance. Conclusions Our findings demonstrate the significance of epistasis in pigs. We have revealed evidence for epistatic relationships between different chromosomal regions, confirmed known QTL loci and connected regions reported in other studies. Considering interactions between loci allowed us to identify several novel QTL and trait-specific relationships of loci within and across chromosomes.


A reader must ask if an RNA molecule could possibly govern chemical reactions, suppress free-riders, support co-operators, and act in its own self-interest.
Professor Hansma maintains that sets of integrated reactions could have been directed by natural selection to gradually evolve into an autonomous cell.
Does the universe bear a “stamp” indicating the guidance of a designing intelligence? Lennox’s answer is yes. He has spent a lifetime arguing as much.
How do you get a 3-D shape from a linear code? That is the puzzle of morphogenesis.
If the paper is any indication, appearing as it does in a prominent journal, some of the suffocating constraints on ID advocacy may be coming off.


MAP FinTech, in conjunction with its UK strategic partner, Complyport, is taking all the necessary actions to inform financial firms about Brexit and how this unparalleled event might potentially impact financial services across Europe. As we are inching closer to Brexit’s deadline, we have prepared a survey to gather information on the steps being taken by financial institutions when this becomes reality. This effort will also include sharing the findings with its participants so they are aware of how other financial institutions are preparing for Brexit.
With this in mind, financial firms need to consider that they will be facing unique challenges and conditions that may require both a new understanding of our industry and advanced planning in order to avoid the many uncertainties that may lead to undesirable consequences.
Through the power of synergy, this survey aims to prepare financial firms to face the potential risks that a “hard” Brexit scenario may bring to an already challenging 2020.
Please complete the survey below and stay informed on how the UK financial services sector is preparing to transition into a post-Brexit Europe in the smoothest way possible.


Abstract
The aim of the study was to investigate the effectiveness of a brief robot-mediated intervention based on Lego(A (R)) therapy on improving collaborative behaviors (i.e., interaction initiations, responses, and play together) between children with ASD and their siblings during play sessions, in a therapeutic setting. A concurrent multiple baseline design across three child-sibling pairs was in effect. The robot-intervention resulted in no statistically significant changes in collaborative behaviors of the children with ASD. Despite limited effectiveness of the intervention, this study provides several practical implications and directions for future research.
Keywords ASD; Children; Robot-intervention; Lego (R) therapy; Collaborative play KeyWords Plus:HIGH-FUNCTIONING CHILDREN; SOCIAL-SKILLS; YOUNG-CHILDREN


Certain individuals appear to succeed against all odds. Despite severe hardships such as living through war, witnessing the death of a loved one, having a chronic illness, being a victim of abuse or dealing with unemployment, certain people not only adapt but actually thrive. These people possess a quality known as “resilience.” This workshop will examine the characteristics of resilience and discover ways to introduce greater resilience into our lives.
This workshop is targeted to anyone who would like to understand resilience more fully and learn how to improve their capacity to thrive despite adversity.
Workshop Objectives
At the end of this workshop, you will be able to:
Describe what resilience really is
Describe the concept of resilience as it relates to children and adults Describe the characteristics of resilient people Describe how emotional control, self-awareness and strong relationships relate to resiliency
Identify your own resilient capacities
Identify your unique resilient strengths and areas for development Recognize which situations are most stressful
Describe resilience building strategies
Describe techniques to enhance resilience through changing your perception, taking decisive action and engaging in appropriate self care. Event Details When: Time: 09:00 AM - 10:00 AM CST Location: Webinar


In Colombia, interurban road freight transport is characterized by a very old vehicle fleet with an average age of 18 years, a low level of business development and inefficient logistic operations. The limited financial resources of the numerous small logistic providers reinforce the steady ageing of the vehicle fleet. The NAMA has aims to reduce and rejuvenate the vehicle fleet, to promote the development of modern freight transport businesses, and to enhance the efficiency of logistic operations.
This publication explains the scope of the NAMA, its motivation and objective, supporting measures, the mitigation potential and co-benefits, and funding.


Gas/Electricity Sectors Coupling FTI Consulting was commissioned to conducta review, based on interviews with marketparticipants, aimed at highlighting the mainbarriers to gas/electricity sectors coupling andproviding possible solutions that could be readilyimplemented. The recommendations made byFTI Consulting in this study were submitted tothe European Commission by the association GIE(Gas Infrastructure Europe). Situation
The European Commission requested policy recommendations on Sector Coupling from industry participants, which prompted the need to have a fact-based review of the existing barriers to gas/electricity sectors coupling.
Our Role
FTI-CL Energy was commissioned to conduct a review of some of the key barriers to sector coupling based on personal interviews with market participants. Based on numerous interviews, we synthesized the views from the industry in four dimensions (Market design barriers, Regulatory barriers, Technical barriers, and Governance barriers), stemming separately to Gas-to-Power and Power-to-Gas. Beyond the mapping of the key barriers, we also analyzed the practical potential solution that could be implemented to alleviate the issue.
Our Impact
GIE included our study in its submission to the European Commission, as a public contribution to the debate on policy design, which is available here.


We want to share some of our thoughts on the matter:
Mobile phones offer affordable, proximate, personalized, and continuous measurement and interaction, supporting chronic disease prevention and management as part of daily life, 24×7. The data streams generated by mHealth applications contribute simultaneously to three essential feedback loops: participant self-care, clinical care, and research evidence. The most significant innovation bottleneck is the slow evolution and validation of sensemakingtechniques for extracting and evaluating relevant data features and patterns to drive these feedback loops.
Openmhealth.org aims to catalyze an open community and bootstrap rapid cycles of design, deployment, learning, sharing, and evidence generation; allowing innovators and entrepreneurs to focus on their unique market offerings while increasing the validity, robustness and efficiency of shared components and methods.
Together we want to flip the direction of research inference on its head, generating population-level evidence from personal evidence, rather than the other way around.


Close to two-thirds of the world's poorest people live in rural areas. Eradication of rural poverty depends on increased access to goods, services, and information, targets detailed in the United Nations Millennium Development Goals. However, alleviating poverty is hindered by two interlinked phenomena: lack of access to improved energy services and worsening environmental shocks due to climate change. Mitigating climate change, increasing energy access, and alleviating rural poverty can all be complementary, their overlap defining an energy-poverty-climate nexus.


Inpatient Vs. Outpatient If you are seeking treatment for addiction, one of the initial decisions you will need to make is whether to participate in an inpatient vs. outpatient treatment program. Each approach has its advantages, share many of the same features, and can be highly effective. However, each person and their needs are unique, and therefore, and one program might ideal for some but not for others. Residential Inpatient Treatment Many people engaging in addiction treatment choose to participate in a residential […]


University of Göttingen) Vegetable oil biofuels are increasingly used as an alternative to fossil fuels despite the growing controversy regarding their sustainability. In a study led by the University of Göttingen, researchers investigated the effect of palm-oil biodiesel on greenhouse gases for the entire life cycle. They found that using palm oil from first rotation plantations where forests were cleared for palms leads to an increase in greenhouse gas emissions compared to fossil fuels. The results were published in Nature Communications.
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The RFS is thriving in times of adversity
The pandemic has significantly impacted radiology training across Canada. During these unprecedented times, the CAR Resident and Fellow Section has taken every new challenge as an opportunity. From a transition to virtual education, to changes in the usual workflow, our residents, fellows, and medical students have demonstrated exceptional resilience.
Key Takeaways: Connecting with over 150 CAR Resident Members:Virtual meetings were held with Canadian radiology residents to encourage engagement in RFS activities. Radiology Learners and COVID-19:Now and After: A guide was created with the Canadian Heads of Academic Radiology (CHAR) to identify the changes in radiology training due to COVID-19 and propose actions to augment learners’ education. CARJ Mentorship Program:Residents were paired with the CAR Journal Editorial Board members to peer review scientific articles. Global Outreach in Radiology Network:The first of its kind in Canada, this network was created to help narrow the gap in access to medical imaging. Women in Radiology Mentorship Session:100 participants attended our virtual panel on August 26, in collaboration with the Canadian Radiology Women (CRW). RAD Academy Trainee Section:Resources for trainees were grouped to facilitate learning, including the Royal College Examination Outline for radiology. Canadian Fellowship Database:All fellowship information was updated and uploaded into an online database on the CAR member portal. Additional takeaways from our recent RFS Medical Student Network’s (MSN) activities include: Online Elective Mentorship Program:To bridge the difficulty of this year’s CaRMS applications, in the absence of away-electives, we collaborated with Program Directors and radiology residents to organize 16 virtual information sessions to help medical students learn about each radiology program. Over 300 medical students registered to participate in this initiative from October 11-24. Online Multidisciplinary Radiology Course:590 medical students registered to attend our weekly live radiology teaching sessions. This activity took place from September 19 – October 17 in collaboration with the Academy of Online Radiology Education (ACORE) and medical student ambassadors. Medical Student Radiology Interest Groups:All radiology group leaders joined the MSN. A baseline assessment of their interest groups was performed.
In light of these accomplishments, I would like to thank our dedicated team for continuously finding innovative ways to stay engaged with radiology residents, fellows, and medical students. The future of the RFS is promising as we work towards developing new mentorship and wellness opportunities.
Dr. Aline D. Khatchikian CAR RFS Chair, On behalf of the RFS Executive Committee, Resident Representatives, and Volunteers


Kind support and encouragement to help you build resilience to meet life's fierce challenges. Counseling for individuals, couples and groups
Your current life is shaped by what has happened to you, along with your thoughts and beliefs. Uncover what’s subconsciously directing your actions so you can have more health, hope and happiness.
Mindful, body-centered psychotherapy can be an excellent opportunity to explore the obstacles to experiencing a rich, full life. Learn gentle, practical tools for managing emotions. When therapy is used well, you’ll be able to make better choices and move toward being more of who you really are, in accord with your aims and goals.
Sessions are $150 for 60 minutes, payable at the time of your session.
INSURANCE Reimbursement may be available from your medical savings account, health savings account or insurance, depending upon your policy. Meditation Classes
Mindfulness awareness (shamatha vipashyana) meditation is a simple and profound meditation technique, where we learn to be with our self, as we are. It’s as old as the Buddha, and I’m authorized through this organization to teach meditation. The benefits include stability, strength and clarity of mind. It’s not surprising that research proves the positive effects on our health.


Abstract
Background: Posterior keratoconus is a rare cause of a corneal opacity in an infant. It is characterized by thinning of the posterior cornea without ectasia of the anterior cornea. Imaging of this condition with anterior segment optical coherence tomography (AS-OCT) has not been reported in the literature. Case presentation: A six week old African-American male presented with a congenital corneal opacity of the right eye. He underwent an examination under anesthesia in which photography and AS-OCT were performed. AS-OCT confirmed the diagnosis of posterior keratoconus. The patient subsequently underwent an optical iridectomy for visual development. Conclusion: AS-OCT is a useful tool in cases when a child presents with a corneal opacity of unknown or unclear etiology. In our patient, AS-OCT showed the classic description of central corneal thinning seen in this condition. Additionally, it revealed an associated detached Descemet membrane, a feature which has not been previously described in posterior keratoconus.
Keywords Anterior segment optical coherence tomography Corneal opacity Infant Posterior keratoconus ASJC Scopus subject areas Ophthalmology


On the morning of October 18, astronauts Christina Koch and Jessica Meir made history by participating in NASA’s first all-female spacewalk. They represent the 14th and 15th women ever to spacewalk since Svetlana Savitskaya in 1984, and they were part of NASA’s 2013 class of eight astronaut trainees — the first to include equal numbers of men and women.
During their eight-hour spacewalk, they successfully made urgent repairs to a failed battery component on the station’s exterior, which was responsible for storing solar power.
While the astronauts received outpourings of praise from the public, Meir emphasized the importance of recognizing the greater historical significance of their mission. "For us, this is really just us doing our jobs," she said. "We were the crew that was tasked with this assignment. At the same time, we do recognize that it is a historic achievement, and we do of course want to give credit to all of those that came before us." Meir also added that she hoped they could be an inspiration to everyone, not just to women.
Anticipation was high after NASA scratched it’s all female lineup for a spacewalk in March due to a lack of appropriately sized space suits. This sparked a public outcry, highlighting the legacy of sexism in the space program and underscoring the challenges faced by women in historically male-dominated fields.
The first spacesuits were originally designed with men in mind. In the 1960s, the International Latex Corporation began making custom spacesuits for each astronaut. This expensive and time consuming process shifted in the 1970s when the company began manufacturing five standard sizes of leg, arm, and torso pieces, which could be interchanged to accommodate varying body sizes.
However, this approach didn’t account for differences in the body shape of men and women, which served as one of the many barriers faced by women admitted to the astronaut program in 1978, and it's still an issue that continues to persist today.
Today’s astronauts wear space suits designed decades ago, even though they were only intended to last 15 years. The high expenses associated with designing and developing new technology are the basis of NASA’s current spacesuit shortage. Pablo de Leon, director of the Spacesuit Laboratory at the University of North Dakota, estimated that building a spacesuit from scratch could cost as much as $250 million and involve 5,000 man-hours of work. Meanwhile, the limitations of their spacesuits continue to be a source of embarrassment for NASA.
However, after 2 years of design work by a team in Houston, a prototype for a new spacesuit for the 2024 Artemis mission has been recently unveiled. NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine says that the new spacesuit, featuring modular components across the chest and waist that can be adjusted, allows the spacesuit to fit all body sizes “from the first percentile of women to the 99th percentile of men.”
This achievement not only represents a critical new technological development, but showcases NASA’s greater effort to remove barriers that historically excluded women and minority groups. Curt Niebur, NASA's program scientist for New Frontiers in Washington D.C., highlights that NASA is working towards increasing diversity in its programs. He says, "The research now shows the best teams are those that take advantage of the diverse skills, knowledge, and viewpoints that are available.”
However, despite this push for greater representation in space programs, women over the past 15 years have made up just 15% of planetary mission science teams, while only making up about 25% of planetary scientists. In addition, Black and Hispanic people make up just 1% of the nation's planetary scientists.
This diversity problem is not unique to the field of planetary science. In many scientific disciplines, even those with substantial female representation—such as biology—there is still a disproportionate number of men in leadership roles. Although the industry is slowly shifting, this imbalance in representation continues to enforce a male-dominated STEM field.
According to a 2013 report by the U.S. Census Bureau, while women represent nearly half of the American workforce, they constitute only 26% of STEM workers. Similarly, Black and Hispanic people account for 6% and 7% of professionals employed in STEM careers, respectively.
This disparity can largely be traced to factors such as a lack of role models and educational support for women and minorities in STEM fields. According to a report by UNESCO, “Cracking the code: Girls’ and women’s education in STEM,” women accounted for just 35% of STEM students at institutions of higher education globally.
As society progressively moves toward a more inclusive workforce, it is important to highlight efforts to eliminate barriers that historically excluded women and racial minorities while also holding institutions accountable for rectifying historic racism and sexism embedded within STEM fields.


A great injury prevention movement is the glute-ham raise. Done after a warm up and prior to competition it will significantly reduce the odds of hamstring strains in running athletes in sports like Soccer, Football and Sprinting.
To perform the movement:
Begin in a tall kneeling position on a cushion or pillow.
Partner grabs and holds ankles to ground or hook your feet under a stable surface.
Keeping your torso neutral and your thighs in line with your body, bend forward at the knees, using your hamstrings to control the speed of your forward bend.
Go as far as you can without cramping, pain or falling to the ground.


People have the idea that sleeping properly is responsible for conserving energy; however, studies have revealed that individuals are responsible for burning calories when they are sleeping. Sleep is extremely puzzling and there are several mysteries associated with sleep. Studies have also revealed that sleep helps in improving memory and the emotional stability of individuals. However, one question that lingers is whether these improvements can happen when a person is awake as well?
Why do individuals dream?
This is one mystery that bothers people from different parts of the globe. Dreaming has fascinated both philosophers as well as scientists for several millennia, and it has been baffling individuals even today. It was considered that dreaming occurs primarily during rapid eye movement sleep. However, you need to know that dreaming can occur during several other stages as well. These dreams are almost like snapshots and are often associated with extremely strong emotions. However, one question is the mystery behind dreams.
Dreaming is responsible for helping with the memory processing function that goes on during sleeping. In sleeping rats, the brains were responsible for activating the neurons, which were used during the day for learning a maze. The activity was almost like they were reliving or practicing that maze. It is believed that similar things happen within the human brain as well. This means that when your sleep involves REM sleep, it can work positively on your ability to solve problems.
Late nights: good or bad for your health
According to https://time.com, you need to wake up at a similar time every day. Another mystery that is constantly revolving around sleep is why some people can bounce out of bed as soon as the alarm goes on, whereas, few others keep hitting the snooze button constantly. This question is being worked on by Dr. Sam Jones, who is a researcher at the University of Exeter. After investigating the behavior as well as the genetics of almost seven hundred thousand people, his team discovered that almost 300 genes are responsible for playing a role, which involves making you an evening or a morning person.
The genetics are not responsible for determining the chronotype but the lifestyle, your habits, diet, and the stimulation that you receive in the evening is responsible for determining your sleep. People, who sleep late at night, tend to experience jet lag and this can lead to depression. Therefore, it is better to sleep at a proper time to ensure good health.
Some people require less sleep: why
Certain people do not require a lot of sleep. It has been observed that people who carry a particular gene, is responsible for sleeping less. These people are naturally short sleepers and they do not face any health problems. However, they might find it difficult to carry on their regular day-to-day activities. This is why it is suggested to sleep for 8 hours. The mysteries of sleep are amazing.
Conclusion
Sleep is a mystery in itself. Several mysteries are revolving around sleep. Make sure that you are going through everything that has been mentioned above to understand the several mysteries associated with sleep.


Protecting What You’ve Worked Hard to Achieve.
Your success, and what comes with it, should be
protected. Personal accomplishment and success are key factors that drive many of us.
If attained, they provide security and lifestyles that enable the pursuit of personal interests and passions. For many, personal passions align to charitable works, recreational travel and sport. Others may prefer to study and collect wine, art or other fine articles, creating comfortable environments for their daily lives.
At PointeNorth Insurance Group, we want to support the pursuit of your passions with property and casualty risk assessments and planning solutions. You have been diligent in attaining your success, and we want to assist you with protecting the success and lifestyle you have achieved.


Polaris tracked the potential impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on victims and survivors of sex and labor trafficking. As part of this effort, Polaris has undertaken a systematic examination of relevant data from the Polaris-operated U.S. National Human Trafficking Hotline. The data brief includes the findings of this analysis and policy recommendations.


Thus far, achieving net biodiversity gains through major urban developments has been neither common nor straightforward - despite the presence of incentives, regulatory contexts, and ubiquitous practical guidance tools. A diverse set of obstructions, occurring within different spatial, temporal and actor hierarchies, are experienced by practitioners and render the realisation of maximised biodiversity, a rarity. This research aims to illuminate why this is so, and what needs to be changed to rectify the situation. To determine meaningful findings and conclusions, capable of assisting applied contexts and accommodating a diverse range of influences, a ‘systems approach’ was adopted. This approach led to the use of a multi-strategy research methodology, to identify the key obstructions and solutions to protecting and enhancing biodiversity - incorporating the following methods: action research, a questionnaire to local government ecologists, interviews and personal communications with leading players, and literature reviews. Nevertheless, ‘case studies’ are the predominant research method, the focus being a ‘nested’ case study looking at strategic issues of the largest regeneration area in Europe ‘the Thames Gateway’, and the largest individual mixeduse mega-development in the UK (at the time of planning consent) ‘Eastern Quarry 2’ - set within the Gateway. A further key case study, focussing on the Central Riverside development in Sheffield, identifies the merits of competition and partnership. The nested cases, theories and findings show that the strategic scale - generally relating to governance and prioritisation - impacts heavily upon individual development sites. It also enables the identification of various processes, mechanisms and issues at play on the individual development sites, which primarily relate to project management, planning processes, skills and transdisciplinary working, innovative urban biodiversity design capabilities, incentives, organisational cultures, and socio-ecological resilience. From these findings a way forward is mapped, spanning aspects from strategic governance to detailed project management.
Date of Award 31 May 2012 Original language English Supervisor Peter D Hedges (Supervisor) urban nature mega-development socio-ecological resilience governance project management


Specific phobia is characterized by an excessive fear of an object or a situation which, when avoided, significantly impairs one’s life in some way.
Emily has always had a fear of vomiting. Although she has only vomited a couple of times in her life, she becomes very anxious if she feels remotely nauseous. She has started to avoid certain foods in case they do not agree with her. She is nervous at public events where people are eating and drinking. Up until recently her fear has not significantly interfered with her life. Now she would like to start a family, but she doesn’t know how she will handle morning sickness.


Date: October 31, 2019 Time: 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM ET Organized By: Organizer Webinar Materials Summary: On October 31, 2019, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will host a webinar for device manufacturers and industry to discuss and answer questions about the Special 510(k) Program Final Guidance. Background: On September 12, 2019, the FDA issued a final guidance document on the Special 510(k) Program.
"The New 510(k) Paradigm: Alternate Approaches to Demonstrating Substantial Equivalence in Premarket Notifications" guidance is superseded by this final guidance document and The Abbreviated 510(k) Program, which reflects the Abbreviated 510(k) information from the New 510(k) Paradigm guidance.
The FDA also updated the following final guidance documents to reflect the updated Special 510(k) Program, improve alignment between the related 510(k) guidance, and reflect current policies:
Together, these guidance documents provide consistency, clarity and transparency to industry and the FDA and may conserve resources for both, while still protecting public health, and not altering the statutory criteria for substantial equivalence.


A Geotechnical Engineering Model (GEM) attempts to quantify the impact of thousands, or even millions, of years of four-dimensional geological processes on soil behaviour. Developing a reliable GEM is not a simple matter; it involves integration of geomorphological, geological, geophysical and geotechnical data sets, and a clear understanding of the proposed geotechnical engineering purposes. This paper discusses methods of optimising GEMs, with special reference to soil conditions offshore India.
Presented at the First India Symposium on Offshore Geotechnics (ISOG 2019)


I heard that Lakehead Orillia is phasing out the sale of bottled water on campus. Is this true?
Yes. In December, 2018, the Executive Team Working Group approved the Bottled Water Policy on the Orillia campus and improve access to free, clean, safe drinking water. This phase out will come into effect on January 10, 2019.
Why is Lakehead Orillia phasing out the sale of bottled water on campus?
The UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights states that: "the human right to water is indispensable for leading a life in human dignity. It is a prerequisite for the realization of other human rights." (Source: un.org). As a leader in social responsibility and sustainability, Lakehead Orillia has enhanced free public access to drinking water, and the phase out will also help us reduce the waste associated with thousands of bottled water.
But aren't bottled water recyclable?
While bottled water are recyclable, they still require a significant amount of energy to manufacture, transport and eventually recycle. The use of durable water bottles is preferable in energy usage to recycling. Additionally, many bottles that should be recycled instead end up in the landfills, or worse, as litter that pollutes natural areas and watersheds.
Have other universities and institutions phased out the sale of bottled water?
Yes. Several Canadian universities and colleges have banned and/or encourage the elimination of bottled water.
Where on campus can I access free, safe drinking water?
There are two water refill stations and approximately eight public water fountains, located at University Avenue and Heritage Place. Refill stations and water fountains are cleaned daily. We will also be installing a water refill station in the Cafeteria.
What about access to water for people with disabilities?
All refill stations and public water fountains are accessible.
Is our tap water safe to drink?
Yes. Canadian municipalities are required to test drinking water multiple times a day. In fact, the quality control of municipal drinking water is much more rigorous than the testing for bottled water.
Where can I get a reusable container?
Reusable bottles are available for purchase from the Bookstore. They will be offering 15% off the purchase of reusable water bottles from January 10 to 18, 2019.
By inhibiting the sale of bottled water aren't you unfairly targeting bottled water and restricting individual choice?
Other beverages sold in bottles have similar environmental impacts as bottled water. However, those other beverages are not available from a tap or for free. By promoting tap water, we all help to expose the environmental, health, and socioeconomic impacts of bottled water. The choice in supporting public water and consuming tap water becomes clear.
Can I bring my own bottled water to campus?
Yes. However, you are encouraged to bring a reusable bottle and take advantage of the refill stations and public fountains available on campus.


People often struggle with the same big problems over and over again. Even though the flare-ups are repetitive and predictable, we often don't get any better at handling them. This recording talks about how people can get on a proactive learning track about any big issue. The faster we learn in life, the less victimized we feel by the problem, and the more confident and sensible we become in how we handle things.


We invest in public and private corporate credit instruments across multiple strategies.
GSO's team has a deep reservoir of credit and industry expertise across the entire range of market cycles. Our senior investment professionals have an average of 21 years of industry experience.
Scale allows us to provide financing solutions that enhance a corporation’s financial flexibility, while capturing opportunities our investors might have otherwise missed. Our capital has enabled strong companies to expand and troubled companies to remain viable.
The solutions we offer are not often available elsewhere in the credit markets. Their breadth is our competitive advantage – drawing upon a wide range of disciplines, including loans, high yield and investment grade bonds, structured credit, mezzanine lending and rescue financing.


Earlier this week, Elizabeth Gargill went one-on-one with Outsourcing-Pharma, discussing findings from BBK's recent Study Voices survey that reveal shifts in healthcare consumer attitudes and behaviors since the onset of COVID-19. nnovation is more important now than ever before and how clinical trial sponsors can leverage the survey findings to enhance their enrollment and engagement efforts.
The survey, featuring responses from just over 1,200 patients, medical professionals, and members of the pharmaceutical industry, reveals insights into:
Telehealth adoption and long-term interest Tools and technologies that impact clinical trial decision-making Shifts in clinical trial interest and awareness
- Elizabeth Gargill, Market Development


CHF 26.00
Beschreibung des Verlags
Liberals worldwide invoke Scandinavia as a promised land of equality, while most conservatives fear it as a hotbed of liberty-threatening socialism. But the left and right can usually agree on one thing: that the Nordic system is impossible to replicate elsewhere. The US and UK are too big, or too individualistic, or too - something.
In Viking Economics - perhaps the most fun economics audiobook you've ever listened to - George Lakey dispels these myths. He explores the inner-workings of the Nordic economies that boast the world's happiest, most productive workers, and explains how, if we can enact some of the changes the Scandinavians fought for, surprisingly recently, we too can embrace equality in our economic policy.


(21 Oct 2020) The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the already steady transition towards Open Access publishing. However, precisely what this future looks like and how it will be paid for by smaller, independent publishers is less clear. In this post, Danielle Padula outlines key findings from a report into the current state of Open Access among scholarly society and universities publishing independently. The post details the current state of Open Access publishing and what funding options are currently being explored by publishers.
LSE Impact of Social Sciences blog has the full article.


“Consumers are now digital resources that are mined without being paid for.”
The current tax system is no longer adequate because it is not designed for digital business models like Airbnb, Uber, or Amazon. This gives rise to international tax debates, which sometimes raise the question whether we should fall back on ‘old-fashioned’ tax systems. Digital technology, the virtual presence, is new. However, the fundamental cornerstone of taxation - where profits are realized - is not. Even in the Dutch colonial era, a pertinent question was which part of the profits of multinationals could be attributed to the Dutch East Indies and taxed there. Fred van Horzen, partner at KPMG Meijburg & Co, explains.


Suicide survivors are most often left with a lifetime quest seeking answers to WHY their loved ones die by suicide. How a suicide survivor processes the death and searches for the reasons “why” will greatly determine their ability to accept the death and continue living healthy lives. Therefore, it is critical for therapists to recognize and take into consideration the unique issues related to a death by suicide. Proven techniques and theories are available.


Sustainable Finance
Beyond green
October 16, 2020Beyond green
Scotiabank hosted its first full-day conference on ESG in Mexico City on June 5, 2020, coinciding with World Environment Day. The purpose of the conference was threefold:
1. To understand global trends in governance, activism, and ESG from the viewpoint of Morrow Sodali, and learn more about the alignment between Alsea (TP MXN 56.00, Sector Outperform, covered by Rodrigo Echagaray) and Cartica, a global activist in emerging markets;
2. To provide an overview of the ESG “ecosystem" – that is, how credit agencies, the buy side, and the sell side include ESG in their analysis, and the data challenges involved; and
3. To explore how Mexico-based issuers view ESG. Valora, a global consultancy firm, provided insights and valuable content for our panels.
Francisco Suarez
Director, Global Equity Research, Scotiabank Mexico
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